Mon Amour - Paris!

Ok, so it is no secret - Paris is my favorite place in the world!! I was blessed enough to spend 10 days in France right after graduating from high school, and the impact of it changed me forever. I traveled last year with another teacher to Costa Rica on a student-paced tour with 15 other students and adults. It was fantastic! This year, we (the Spanish teacher and I) are taking a group of kids and parents back to Costa Rica, and as a result, I got to spend Valentine's weekend in Paris at an orientation for the touring company. The things I loved 12 years ago were just magnified so much more. I think I have an even better appreciation for its breathtaking beauty and overwhelming sense of history. I have to admit, I didn't let it sink in until I got to the airport that I was going on a 9-hour flight to another country, not knowing a soul that I was meeting up with. When Brian dropped me off, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had never been so adventurous before. EF Tours (the company that orchestrates student travel groups) wanted the entire experience to give teachers the inside scoop as to how it will be when the students travel with us later. It was a fast-paced, whirlwind of a weekend. My flight left at 5:40 p.m. on Thursday, February 12th, and it was 9:40 a.m. in Paris when I landed. We went straight from the airport to sightseeing, without skipping a beat. It was snowing - yes, actually snowing! - when the plane landed. Needless to say, the walking tour was a bit chilly, but who cared?? We were in Paris!! We went on a walk through the city, with a brief walk-through in Notre Dame on our way to the Louvre (where the Mona Lisa, among other famous pieces of art, is kept). Of course, I had to stop at a crepe stand along the way and enjoy one of the best crepes I've ever had! After a few hours at the museum, we (the group of 33 other teachers and various EF Tours staff) enjoyed a light dinner and were so exhausted, we couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to sleep.

The next day was Valentine's Day!! I was sad to not spend it with my love, but it was amazing to be in the city of love on that day. Of course, Brian - ever the romantic - had to completely surprise me by having a huge box delivered to my hotel. Inside were long stem, red roses and a card that instantly made me homesick. Saturday morning was spent in the seminar for which we were there, but we had the afternoon and evening completely open to do what we wanted. We had an amazing Parisian tour guide, Tristan, who offered to take us around and show us some of the sites 'off the beaten path.' We spent the afternoon and much of the evening in Montmarte, a part of Paris I had never visited. We went to a little family-owned restaurant on his recommendation, and had a fabulous meal. Of course by this point, I was a little sad because it was already 10 p.m., and I was worried that our one open evening for shopping was spent. After dinner, some were venturing out to check out the nightlife Paris had to offer, others were heading back to the hotel, and I led a small band of teachers to the Champs-Elysees. I desperately hoped that we could find something still open to shop at, but I also wanted to see one of my favorite sites, L'Arc de Triomphe, and sit at a sidewalk cafe sipping a cafe au lait and eating pastries. Sure enough, we found what we were looking for and I was able to buy jewelry, clothes and a purse, in addition to some souvenir-type stuff. We also enjoyed the whole coffee, pastry and people watching thing, too!

Sunday was slated for a bus tour around the city where we periodically got off the bus to see the sites and take pictures. We also visited Le Palais de Versailles that afternoon. We had about an hour to find lunch and wander about the city of Versailles (a little outside of Paris). Another teacher joined me as we enjoyed a lunch provided by the boulangerie (bakery) and patisserie (pastry) shop. We had a baguette and as much pastries as we could stomach before visiting the opulent palace of the Sun King. The palace is breathtaking, but the gardens have always been my favorite spot. Later that night, we had the option to visit La Tour d'Eiffel and then go on a boat ride on the Seine. It was such a wonderful way to end my stay in Paris (as my flight left at the crack of dawn the next morning).

I can't wait to go back - but this time I want Brian to go with me. We actually talked and tried to plan a 10-year anniversary trip to Europe for this summer and go to all of the sites: London, Paris, the south of France, Italy, Switzerland (Brian would LOVE to ski the Alps) and then end up on a cruise of the Greek islands. I mean we want to do it right! Unfortunately, the dollar has crashed in the European market, so that trip would end up being a lot more than we want to pay right now. So...we are putting it off - for a while. We WILL be going at some point!!