Paris Overview

It's impossible to "make" something happen like this trip. It was just one of those times when everything worked out well. We stumbled in there, stayed in a comfortable hotel in the 7 th, met up with Jon, Miranda and the two best little troopers, Isabella and Emily, and we had fun.

All we did was walk around, eat some food, and see the sights. What better place to do that!

Paris is a very civilized city. Or, maybe I'm just desperate for some kind of order and cleanliness after six months in Rome. Paris streets are clean, the food is fresh, the sidewalks are for human traffic, not dog poop and motorinos. The Parisians don't push and shove to get to the head of the line, they don't talk loudly and endlessly on their cell phones, they dress well and throw their trash in receptacles, not all over the streets. The city is spacious, the avenues and boulevards are user friendly, with plenty of shops, cafes and eateries.

The Parisians we spoke to were very pleasant and helpful, even though we spoke minimal French. We did our best with the language, but it isn't an easy one. Still, we at least tried to communicate. I remember one moment on some street where we were trying to find the correct bus back to our hotel. The Man (aka "Jacques") started speaking Italian to some woman, asking her directions. I was fiercely muttering, "Oh, no. Don't speak in Italian. She's French! Blah, blah, blah." Then, I heard the woman responding in Italian! And she and The Man have this conversation. How does he do that?

Another time this bus driver took us back toward the city center from Versailles and gave us very specific instructions (twice!) in English, on which Metro trains to take the rest of the way. He was really nice. We told him we liked bus rides. I think he was happy about that, but he seemed pretty happy about everything. Passengers entering his bus greeted him like a dear friend, exchanging pleasantries, kisses on the cheek, etc.

Jon and Miranda, eight year old Bella and Emily, five, are the best of adventurers. They arrived, dumped their stuff and off we went. They were inspiring. You can't believe how Bells and Em just walked all over and jumped off and on Metro trains and busses without missing a beat. They spent hours in the d'Orsay museum without complaint. We had a good time together. The only problem was, it was all too brief.

We left them there on Friday. We returned to Rome. They remained to continue with their adventure, Prague to Paris to London. I'm so glad we got to share a part of it.