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There's something very disorienting about coming home from vacation, especially when you do it two days in a row.
On Wednesday we packed up the car, said goodbye to Dijon and Mark drove us back home to Paris where we would spend our last two nights. But with any holiday, there is always a "last day" that calls on you to look back on the whirlwind that just happened. I've been so grateful to have this month away and experience with my two guys. With all of the memories that I'll never forget, it wouldn't have been the same without a few things.
First off, Andrew. I couldn't have asked for a better travel companion (under the age of 1) to have along. Sure, he had his moments when he said, "enough is enough" in his own way. He needed a good week before he was adjusted to the time change and wasn't always the lightest friend to carry up 4 flights of stairs on a daily basis, but we were certainly asking a lot of him. From long days out and about in the stroller to getting used to all sorts of new and unusual sounds (those ubiquitous European sirens included), Mark and I were amazed at how he continues to just go with the flow.
He may not miss Paris, but the Parisians will sure miss him. I lost count of the times we were out and some man, woman or child would stick their head in his poussette and "ooh and ahh" at his lovely parts. They were always surprised to find out he was not yet 5 months and then would ramble on about something to their friend and then there would be this back and forth banter for what seemed like a few minutes. All of this was in French of course, so I would smile and just assume it was all good stuff, but I will always wonder... I hope that Andrew will enjoy looking back at the photos from our trip and be inspired to continue traveling with us or on his own someday. And I also hope he isn't too upset that I didn't take him along to the Eiffel Tower. I guess that will be his motivation to go back to Paris.
The trip wouldn't have been the same without Mark. I can't ask for a better travel companion (older than one). He's curious, motivated and rational when we're on the road. Plus he has this incredible sense of direction that I seemed to be born without. He needs 30 seconds to my 10 minutes when studying a map, so I'm grateful that he could get us from point A to B and C and D.... He's my north star in many ways. His patience in managing an old lady and a baby boy were admirable. Perhaps it wasn't all of the freedom he was hoping for in a family holiday, but I think he is proud of what he was able to accomplish. Afterall, not many people can say they've been to the Parisian catacombs and made it to as many of the off-the-radar Napoleon sites as he has. Well done!
Finally, this experience would not have been the same without all of the lovely things that make Paris what it is today. It is more beautiful, friendly and delicious than I was expecting. It is as intriguing, lively and physically exhausting as any grand city should be and then some. It is truly a place I could see myself living. Granted, we had a month to get used to some of its quirks and customs, but language aside, it was a fun and easy place to adapt to.
Paris has not only confirmed, but also solidified that the nude trenchcoat is the "in" accessory for women and travel by shared bicycle is not only hip, but incredibly efficient. The city has a way of taking two things I normally can't stand in the states - smoking and Razor scooters - and making them acceptable and somehow glamorous. IPhones are prevalent here, but what I seemed to find more often in the hands of a French person hustling off to wherever they were going was a fresh baguette, mostly likely from their favorite boulangerie on the corner where the owner knows them by name.
It was hard to walk down any city street and not be moved by the flower shop, chocolaterie, boulangerie, patisserie and wine store that made every single thing inside look like a work of art. And I won't soon forget the cafes - with the small round tables, snuggly packed together on the cobblestone patio (if you look inside you rarely see anyone sitting there), with the colorful awning overhead and both seats facing the street to enable the most optimum people watching.
I'll miss the massive doors, painted in all varieties of colors that served as an entryway to most apartment buildings in the city. If you timed it just right you may be able to sneak a peak as a tenant unlocks it and heads into the beautiful grand courtyard that waits secretly is on the other side. I wondered what was behind so many of those doors.
And the Eiffel Tower. I could live here for the rest of my life and never get over how stunning this iconic monument is. Day and night - it kept me inspired on my runs, directionally centered on my outings and entertained as I sat our couch at home and fed Andrew. I was expecting it to be a bit cheesy and seem out of place on the skyline, but it was anything but that. Awesome, colossal and curious come to mind when I see it, the same as I might look out onto the Grand Canyon, but in this case, I can't get over that humans made this. From now on, at 4pm here in San Francisco, I will think of Paris and the Eiffel Tower, twinkling in all of its 20,000 led lights for the last time of the night before going dark until morning.
So there comes a time when you need to put down the croque monsieur and glass of rose and return to reality. I'm feeling the sadness to leave such a beautiful place behind coupled with a little panic that I didn't get to do everything I wanted. I never made it to Versailles, or to the top of Notre Dame and I didn't eat escargot. I guess, in a way, this was part of my plan to ensure that we will return someday. Until then I'll always have my first time in Paris….
Paris in Numbers
Steps up to our apartment on the 4th level - 76
Number of outfit changes needed by Andrew on the flight home - Zero
Number of changes we were prepared for (including mom and dad) - 7
Oeufs Mayonnaise that were not delivered when ordered - 2 out of 3
Cafe Noir Long Blacks ordered by Erin - 15
Starbucks sought out for public bathroom use only - 1
"Plats" left unfinished by Mark and Erin - 2
Future plans to order andouillette on a restaurant menu - ZERO (note that andouillette and Andouille, as the Cajuns call it, are very different things.)
Onesies destroyed by Andrew while in Paris that did not return to San Francisco - 1
Museums Andrew got into for free - 5
Public spaces where Andrew was fed or diaper changed - 15 (see map)
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zZHlOdKVxP5o.kGdH-HKv9_Q8&usp=sharing
- Most "Daring" public feeding - Double Decker Tour Bus
- Most "Private" public feeding - The basement of the D'Orsay (I still feel like we were trespassing)
- Most "Public" public feeding - Along the St. Martin Canal
Glasses of California wine consumed on our trip - zero
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