Paris at last!

Words cannot describe how I feel today but to sum it up exhausted wold be the most appropriate word. I have been without sleep for about 32 hours with one short nap in there of maybe an hour but that is not really sleeping. The flight from Denver was very smooth to Atlanta. We had loads of complimentary drinks and even some cookies! Then we ran from our gate to load onto the Paris plane. We made it just in time! Delta was really a great airline to fly with and they took excellent care of us. We even got complimentary champagne with our dinner! We landed in Paris and that was just the beginning. It was even 8 am here (midnight my time) and we couldn't be to our apartment until 1 pm. We wandered the airport then hopped on a train into Paris. The Airport was very nice and modern and the tram system reminded me of Colorado's light rail. The stop where we got of was probably the worst part of the city, We couldn't figure out how to get out and I really had to pee. Finally after some help from an officer we made our way to the pay bathroom. Yes I had to pay to pee. We wandered through the station for some time. It was so neat to see so many huge travel trains and the speed trains! After grabbing a taxi we headed to our home for the next 2 weeks! Our renter from Airbnb was a very nice guy. He was luckily not French and spoke excellent English. After getting settled and taking a quick nap we set out on the town. We made our way to the spectacular Eiffel Tower and took in all of the glory of Paris including a crepe avec banane! The architecture of Paris is just unfathomable to think about. Everything is so ornate and magnificent! Also the people have be incredibly nice. I feel that the idea that Parisians are rude and mean is a grave misconception which truly unfortunate. The only rude people we have encountered here have been Americans. In all it has been an excellent start to our trip! Here are some pics from the first day! Bonne nuit! 

The Musée de l'Armée

 Scott was purposefully walking through my picture.

This pigeon reminded me of Sage. It looked scraggly and begged for food.

The Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower

This big fat pigeon kept an eye on us.

This is us sitting by the river.

And this is the view from our window!

Two of my favorite things!

8 July 2014

Sophie and the Bicycle

Sophie loved her teal bicycle. It was perfect for riding to the store and the little wicker basket gently carried all her much needed food home. One day, Sophie went outside to ride her beloved bike and sadly it was gone. She was heartbroken. Tears streaming down her face, she touched the wall where her bike used to lean. She walked to the store and carried her groceries back. She longed for the cool breeze that kissed her cheeks as she cruised by. Sophie took in a deep breath and each day she went on with her way without her beloved bike. As the weeks went on sans her teal bicycle it got easier to be without it. That is until she saw a girl ride by joyously on her bicycle.

“Hey! Hey!” she waved at the girl on her bike.

“Hi, can I help you?”

“Yes, where did you get that beautiful teal bicycle?” Sophie asked.

“My papa gave it to me! I was so happy. I kept asking papa for a bicycle but he just couldn't afford it. He works so hard and we have very little money for things but papa loves me so much he saved and bought this for me! It's so pretty, is it not?” responded the girl.

“It is very lovely. Thank you dear,” Sophie realized then that the girl loved the bicycle more than she did so with a tear in her eye she said goodbye and walked away.

Many more weeks went by before Sophie could save up for a new bicycle. She chose a baby blue color with a new basket and even a bell. In addition to her new bicycle she also bought a new lock. Although she missed her old bicycle, she also couldn't tarnish a little girl's image of her father. Sophie realized she was more fortunate than many and would be more protective of her possessions in the future.

9 July 2014

The Smallest Passenger

Just under two and suddenly confused, the little cried on her mommy's lap. The busy shuffle of other passengers scared her and the plane going up in the air hurt her tiny little ears. Lucky for her a kind man sat behind her and made silly faces. Very quickly her enormous brown eyes stopped producing tears. With bouncy brown pigtails and cheeks the rosiest of red, she calmly watched on as the man continued to make silly faces. For the remainder of the flight, the smallest passenger played on, every now and then keeping an eye out for the nice man behind her who made silly faces for her to enjoy.