The Family Takes on Paris

The drama, the pain and the excitement in my family's eyes when they landed in Paris were timeless. I don't think they were prepared for what was going to happen over the span of the next 12 days. 

And I don't think I was, either....... 

My family decided to visit me on my last week in Paris. We stayed in a quaint European hotel in the 8th arrondissement near the Arc de Triomphe. We officially met at the hotel early in the morning on August 3rd and the adventure started from there. 

Keep in mind my parents and my three aunts are all over the age of 50. You can imagine my mindset changed from living in the city with twenty-year-olds for the last two months to having to take these old souls around the busy city. 

My active self could walk around the city to show them my favorite spots; however, I didn't have in mind that they could not walk the coble stone city in one day. I quickly realized getting five people on the metro who had yet to experience the dirty, busy trains turned into a mission. Total panic occurred every time they had to place the ticket through the slot; my aunts would worry about if the ticket would work or not become a constant routine entering the metro. Then when on the train, holding on for dear life was a must for these women. They thought they would die if they weren't putting all their knuckle strength onto the metro poll. And the pic pocketing stress. These women thought there was a pickpocket at every stop; extra safety precocious happened every time someone entered the train. 

And don't even get me started with how loud my family is, especially my aunts. You know you'll need earplugs when you put five strong personalities together. Restaurants, cafes, metros, these women sounded like animals echoing the buildings. They quickly realized you don't speak on the metro, but they didn't care about restaurants. 

In every restaurant or cafe we stopped at, they became besties with the waiter. Either one was flirting with the man or getting something free. And let me tell you, we stopped at least twice a day to take a drink at a cafe, so these women had a lot of flirting happening. 

We traveled to the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, The Louvre and Normandy; we went on wine excursions in the country and visited castles. Our trip to the art museums always ended with one aunt wanting to look at everything twice to the other just wanting to sit to have a drink. Trips to the country landed us talking about my family's adventures around Europe when they were young. Walking around Paris took us to detours having to patch up blisters and needing a bench every 20 minutes. Walking into stores made the three aunts rack up receipts like they were millionaires. Every time one of the sisters found something to buy in a boutique, the other two had to find something. The number of clothes, purses, watches, shoes and jewelry we purchased just in the week could make a record. But my family in Paris, in the city I love, was a trip I will never forget. 

Besides the little pain walking around the streets, the drama made the trip considerably more exciting. I wouldn't have changed a single detail. I absolutely loved taking my best friends around my favorite city. 

Bisous Bisous <3