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Nous Sommes Arrivé!

The Sacré Cœur - at Night in the Snow (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
It is hard to believe, but we are finally in Paris. The flight was awful...I hate flying to begin with, but we were on the teeniest, tiniest plane - not like a 6 passenger plane, but a 150 passenger plane that really should have only held 100. It was so cramped...even with a significant amount of Xanax coursing through my veins, I couldn't sleep because I was so uncomfortable. And poor Bill...all 6'4" of him squished to the point where he was sitting upright and his knees hit the back of the chair in front of him. On the bright side, we caught a tail wind and were able to arrive a little over an hour ahead of schedule!
Our Terminal at JFK
BUT...we arrived at Charles DeGaulle and I completely forgot about the discomfort of the past 6 hours. And that is when I realized in packing for everyone else, I forgot my winter hat and gloves. And it is freaking cold here right now! Gabrielle and I had to go shopping at the Galleries Lafayette so I could get a warm hat and gloves. Poor me. 
The kids were a little rough, but troopers overall. We did a walking tour focused on my favorite movie, Amelie. By the time we got to the Butte of Montmartre, the kids were popsicles. So, we had to separate from the group and tend to them. As we were walking to dinner, we took the kids to see the Sacré Cœur and I found this gargoyle spewing icicles from his mouth...what a photo op!
Gargoyle with Icicles Dangling from Mouth (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala) 
We had a dinner reservation for my favorite restaurant, La Poutre. I ordered (all in French, thank you very much!) bœuf bourguignon for all of us and it was delicious. Gabrielle decided she would try un verre de vin rouge with me (a glass of red wine - and before you freak out, the legal drinking age here is 18!)
Gabrielle finds her street...and a graffiti Picasso!
We also saw a humungous Eiffel Tower made of chocolate! I left that store with great difficulty!
A Chocolate Eiffel Tower (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
Then something magical happened...it began to snow. As we were leaving Montmartre and heading to the Métro, I got really choked up. I fell in love with Paris in the summer time and never imagined it could look more beautiful...but tonight, I found that Paris is most beautiful in the snow.
The Family in Montmartre as the Snow Began (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
Our hotel and Métro are in the perfect location. Especially considering there are four patisseries within a block!
Opéra Cadet in the Snow (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
Métro Cadet (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
Well, it is way past time for me to get some sleep. More tomorrow! À bientôt!
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troutbirder said…
Your trips to France have been wonderful. They take me back to my trips once with students and the second time with my spouse on her retirement...:)
January 18, 2013 at 9:12 PM
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