Rendezvous in Paris

The title to my last blog "Surprise Package" seems prophetic now.  A trip to Paris is unforgettable in itself, but having the biggest surprise of my life while I was there, definitely makes it even more unforgettable.  My sneaky husband arranged to have my one and only sister meet us there.  Imagine my surprise when I heard a familiar sounding "Bonjour".

My best surprise ever!

After the shock subsided, we had one destination, La Tour Eiffel.  Since we booked this trip less than a month ago, we were unable to reserve an entrance time to the Tower.  This is definitely not the recommended way to visit the most visited landmark in all the world.  Waiting in line for 1 1/2 hours can definitely take some of the romance out of it and standing behind people with poor hygiene didn't help either.  However, we have now joined the ranks of the over quarter of billion others who have made this unforgettable, "once in lifetime" pilgrimage.

Day 2:  First on the agenda was Notre Dame.  We arrived shortly after 10:00 a.m. and the line to climb the tower was already 45 minutes long.  If you are planning to make the hike up 400 steps to be face to face with the most famous gargoyles...get there about 9:45.  The kids were a little discouraged by yet another line but it turned out to be one of their favorite memories of Paris.  The views are superb and the gargoyles were a hit.

Famous Notre Dame Gargoyle

After the Notre Dame tour, we visited the Deportation Memorial behind the cathedral.  This is a somber memorial to the 200,000 French citizens who were deported from France destined for Nazi concentration camps, and never returned.

Deportation Memorial

After some more walking, we found a pizza cafe and slugged down $7 bottles of Fanta.  They didn't taste so good after choking on the price.  Here's another tip: Soft drinks are  EXTREMELY expensive in Europe (and so is bottle water-right Brit).  We then trekked to nearby Berthillon ice cream parlor for the "best ice cream in Paris".  My scoops of white chocolate and carmel were délicieux!  It was then time to backtrack to Notre Dame Cathedral for the veneration service of the Crown of Thorns.  Until I started researching this trip, I did not realize that such a relic still existed.  The Crown has been in France since the 13th century.  The beautiful St. Chapelle was built as a reliquary for the crown.  We stayed for the hour long ceremony for the opportunity to kiss the crown and place our forehead in it.  Pretty amazing (or disgusting) kissing something that has been kissed billions of times before.  All kidding aside, it was an experience that I will cherish and remember forever.

Day 2 goes on...the kids have probably logged over 5 miles of walking and are extremely tired but doing well.  Mike decided to take them back to the hotel while my sister and I fittingly made the short walk from Notre Dame to St. Chapelle.  St. Chapelle is known for some of the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world.  Over 1000 scenes from the bible are depicted in these windows. After being the last people out of the chapel...an experience we will never forget (thanks Rick), we headed back to the hotel for a short break before ending the evening with a tour of the Pigalle district and then finding our way back (eventually) to the hotel again from the Arc de Triumph.

The "last" one out at St. Chapelle!!!

Day 3:  We tackled the Louvre.  We were all feeling the wear of the countless miles we had logged. We knew who we were looking for and found her first thing.  Mona Lisa! Check! Been there, done that!  Enough said.  We continued to wonder around aimlessly finding some of the other stars of the Louvre but after about an hour, we had had our fill of amazing.  We spent the rest of the day covering the rest of Paris a bit haphazardly:  Trocadero Square, Rue Cler and then, finally, unexpectedly ending at Pere Lachaise Cemetery to pay homage to Jim Morrison.  

  

Jim Morrison, the beginning and

THE END

Surprise Package

Our plane touched down late Sunday night followed by a round of applause from eager Finns ready to return home.  It is only on a rare flight that the entire plane erupts in spontaneous applause.  Although I never initiate, I always join in and relish these magical travel moments. The energy was higher on this return flight than on the outbound flight.  Although we can escape to paradise for a short while, there is no place quite like home.  The ice and cold of Finland have graciously welcomed us back to reality. Our sunny vacation, just a distant memory.  Now, we must rely on our heavy coats and island memories to keep us warm.

This vacation to Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, was a bit different from our usual vacations.   It was an *All Inclusive Package*.  There were plenty of buffets, tour buses and crowds but little authenticity.  This vacation was also different in that I did not spend hour upon hour researching our destination.  Instead, I could just mindlessly hop on the tour bus with 60+ of my fellow tourists and get on the beaten path.  I do have to say, I was surprised with how well these beaten paths were maintained.

First, Loro Park, was easily one of the nicest zoo type parks that I have been to. I saw animals that I had never seen before and the sea lion show was especially entertaining.  Siam Water Park was also a pleasant surprise.  I surprised myself by going down the steepest and fastest slide (the Bonzai had nothing on this) I have ever seen.  It ended in a shark tank but I had my eyes closed the entire ride so I missed it.

My biggest surprise came with a "thud" on the 5th day when Lane decided to walk on the narrow ledge INSTEAD of the stairs that led to our villa.  He had about an 8 foot free fall.  First, I am surprised he did it (he didn't go on any of the water slides the day before because they were "too scary") and second, I'm surprised we didn't end up in the hospital.  Surprisingly enough, he is OK.  His leg remains a bit sore and he walks with a limp. We were overwhelmed by the genuine concern and kindness that we were shown by our Spanish hosts.  Later that day when we were hobbling to the pool, the maintenance man spotted us in our distress and drove us the rest of the way in his golf cart.  "Muchas gracias" was all I could say.  The sweet lifeguard, Kevin, who came to the accident scene, bought Lane a bag of treats when he saw us at the pool.  Lane was so amused when he referred to him as "mi amigo".  Lane asked if we could do something nice for Kevin in return.  When we saw the American flag t-shirt the next day on our shopping excursion, we knew it would be perfect for our new amigo.

Traveling, for me, is not just about experiencing new things, but for connecting with others and experiencing life from another's perspective.  *All Inclusive Packages* often do not include this.  It is a bit ironic how a near tragedy resulted in such a connection.  We have good memories of our time in the Canary Islands.  We continue to be warmed here in frigid Finland by the warm thought of our Spanish amigo wearing his American flag t-shirt.

 "Four Wheelin" Road Trip

Coolest penguins ever!

The kids were fascinated by the baby sharks incubating in "Mermaid's purses"