Paris!

Ever write a piece, then go back and read it the next day and think “Yikes!  Was I drunk when I wrote that?”   Well, that’s how I felt today when I looked back at my Paris recap post; and no, I was not drunk. I got drunk after I wrote it….kidding.  

And now, (drum roll please) I give you the new and improved Paris update:

We arrived in Paris a little worse for the wear thanks to the two lovely children next to us and their parents, who fed them a smorgasbord of Starbucks jumbo cookies and brownies promptly after boarding the plane.  Based on their behavior for the duration of the flight, I assume they finished their vente, double shot fraps with extra whip prior to arriving at their seats.  Who knew the giant Airbus plane could feel so small?

Fortunately, we arrived at our hotel safe and sound. The staff at the Hotel Scribe was wonderful!  The front desk clerked paged the head of housekeeping and had our room ready for a much-needed nap by 10 am.  A little recharging of the batteries, and we were back in action!

Given his hectic schedule lately, I assumed Blair would want a relaxing vacation full of café lingering and people watching.  Dead wrong.  He wanted to see and do everything, so that is exactly what we did.

We went to the Louvre museum to see the Mona Lisa.  I still think it’s a painting of an ugly woman with a smirk, but what do I know? We hiked to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We toured Saint-Chapelle, the Notre Dame cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, and the Champs Elysees. We gawked at Versailles, and climbed to the top of the bell tower of Scare Core. We ate at fantastic restaurants and drank copious amounts of wine.  

We had tons of adventures, but by far the best part of the trip was our D-day Tour (LinkParis.com).

I did not expect that the beaches would remain seemingly untouched. There are still bunkers built into the hills; some still have guns inside.  There are huge craters in the earth where the bombs struck, and it is eerily quiet.  Our tour guide was fantastic and I felt like I was hanging on her every word.  Not only was she very knowledgeable, but she spoke with deep appreciation for the American soldiers.   We were both deeply moved by the tour and have already said we hope to take it again someday.

It was a trip that far exceeded my expectations.  I know that our time as “just us” is limited. We will not always be young or childless (hopefully), so I am glad we took the opportunity to go when we had it.  We took hundreds of photos, but here are a few highlights. 

Thanks to everyone who wished us a good trip and for all that asked for updates upon our return!