My husband and I are just returning from several days in Paris to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  We had the opportunity to fly space-A to anywhere thanks to my in-laws, but our hope was to make it to Paris. We had not booked a hotel room because we weren’t certain of our travel plans.  I had spent some time searching for Paris apartments to rent from agencies highlighted in Fodor’s Paris book, although most agencies said they were booked because of the upcoming Air Show. We were fortunate to get on both flights with little difficulty. Although my husband flies to Paris periodically for business, this was my first trip and the experience met every expectation that I had.  No doubt we will be returning, hopefully with the kids in hand next time.

Everything about Paris is yummy.  Parisians are gorgeous, stylish, mannerly and a little snobbish but the good kind of snobbish, not the bad (and they have every right to be proud). The city architecture is breath-taking with a rich history.  If I ever build a home again, it will mimic the French design.

Here’s an abbreviated version of our week:

-Arrived in Paris Tuesday morning with no where to stay.  My husband’s business hotel was completely full, so we started emailing apartment agencies from a local cafe that had free Wi-Fi.  To our surprise, one of the agencies said they had a recent cancellation so we met the agent in the afternoon to check in. After walking many blocks, we arrived at the apartment located on Rue St. Dominique.  The St. Dominique area is lovely and full of locals, so we were immediately ingrained into  true Parisian life. The Eiffel Tower could be seen from our street. Our agent, Pierre-Louise, was courteous and accommodating providing us with bits of helpful information. The maid cleaned while we unpacked and washed the airplane muck off. Then off we went towards the Champs de Mars area. Jet lag would have to wait. We toured the Eiffel Tower, the grounds and the Siene river area and found a local cafe to dine at in the evening. After much walking, we collapsed into our bed and slept for about 13 hours.

-We walked everywhere as most people do in Paris and our bodies hurt at times, but we wanted to see as much as possible. We hit all of the usual first-timer sites as you will see from the pictures below. One of the many highlights for me was seeing tiny furniture at Versailles. The chairs are tiny, the gaming tables are tiny, the beds are tiny.  And, of course, Napoleon was not known for his tall stature.  So, this observation made me wonder if I’m of French origin.  I’m petite in stature, and I love quality things. I’d rather have one pair of Chanel shoes than 10 pairs of lesser quality.  Yes, I must be a displaced Parisian because I could move my family there tomorrow and (hopefully) blend right in after some wardrobe adjustments.  So, you can assume that  my wheels are turning on how to ingrain the children into the French culture for the upcoming years.  Just yummy..

Now, back to American homeschooling reality–We likely have 3 more full weeks of academics, then who knows after that. Two things pressing on my mind as a result of this recent trip for my own children: the importance of being globally-inclined and the importance of technology and all that goes with that. I was reading an article in the “Herald Tribune” while riding in the car to CDG.  The article mentioned how the NSA is actively recruiting hackers from Silicon Valley. So, while my children enjoy summer activities such as camps and free time outdoors, my gut tells me to educate them on these important issues that are affecting their future at a rapid pace.

Merci and au revoir!