Walk, Sweat, Eat. Repeat.  

It’s currently 6ish PM on Thursday evening, June 15th, and it’s the first time we have been able to just “sit” in our hotel since we arrived on Monday. From the second we got here, we have been going like little energizer bunnies - but it’s been a blast!

Upon arriving on Monday, we got to experience the crazy known as driving in Paris. (Well, we weren’t driving, thank God.) There were literally all shapes and sizes of vehicles going in multiple directions in one spot…no traffic light. No cop. It reminded me of a Hurley family gathering…everyone talking at once, and then whoever is the loudest basically wins. :)  You couldn’t even pay me to drive a car or ride a bike in this city - it’s bananas. Although, I hear Italy will put these crazy drivers to shame.

We checked into our hotel, unpacked and up first? Meeting our local guide that our smarty pants travel planner had arranged, which once again, has turned out to be KEY. Karine led us to a trio of vintage cars, ready to take us to Montmartre in the northern district of Paris, known for its charm, views of the entire city, and the cluster of artists selling everything from handmade necklaces to paintings. 

This meant I was FINALLY going to have a portrait/drawing of each kid. While I always pictured having one portrait of all 3 (is it called a portrait? Like when someone does a sketch in pencil or charcoal or whatever they use? I am too tired to investigate, but you know what I mean), but alas, we were pressed for time so each kid had to sit with their own artist, which means each one came out looking different from each other, but hey, we got ‘em done! 

Dinner on our first night was amazing. We kind of knew what we were eating, but we also didn’t care bc everything they brought just melted in our mouths. Delish. My mom got pigeon, which I didn't even realize was "a thing" and since then, she's been telling every pigeon in Paris that they better move or she's gonna eat them for dinner.🤣

On Tuesday, we were set to meet Karine in the lobby at 9am… well, for anyone who knows the Boyers, you know we tend to run late. I bet our average is about 9-17 minutes, depending on which of the 5 of us are involved. :) This morning? 17 minutes.

This lateness meant we had to change our travel plans and get on the subway ASAP to ensure entry to The Chapelle, as our tickets were only good until 9:40am. The kids had never been on the subway and found it fascinating, and Karine did a great job of what I am sure was a full-on sales pitch to the ticket lady, begging her to let us in when we were in fact, late. (Not proud of this fact! We all need to be lied to about our arrival time.)

It was spectacular. As I mentioned, Macy is just coming off of a semester studying French history, so she loved seeing where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned (& beheaded), and we were all shocked to learn that the Crown of Thorns that literally sat upon the head of Jesus when he was killed, had been housed for centuries in that castle until it was moved to Notre Dame. When Notre Dame caught on fire six years ago, Karine said that the first responders immediately went to secure the Crown of Thorns. The history here is truly fascinating.

Later in the day, we took an hour-long cruise down the Seine River and, once again, enjoyed talking to our local guide, Kristoff, as he shared how France is spending 1.2 BILLION dollars JUST to clean the river before the Olympics are held here next summer. They will have the opening ceremonies on the river and several events like the triathlon. And let me tell you, it needs to be cleaned, or those athletes will end up with some brain-eating amoeba. The city is actually REALLY clean already, but there is construction going on EVERYWHERE, getting ready for next summer. Most locals we talk to plan to be nowhere near Paris during the Olympics! 

Today we spent 6 hours with Chef Frederic, an insanely smart and funny chef with a Ph.D. in food history (who knew!?), who walked us to a local market where we bought the food to prepare our meal, and then taught us how to cook it from scratch in the most adorable French country kitchen/dining space. We loved the experience as we are a big foodie family…and none of the kids lost a finger. Win-Win.

The only downside so far has been that my dad came down with a head cold and had to sit out the last two days, which is a bummer bc he is the biggest chef of all. So we took lots of videos during the lesson, and Chef Frederic packed the entire meal in to-go containers for him.

The high-level recap is that it’s been a total blast getting to spend so much quality time with both Shawn and the kids AND my parents. While Shawn probably talks to my parents even more than I do (which is saying a lot because I talk to them at least once a day), I think he REALLY understands me a bit more…let’s just say the Tennille apple didn’t fall far from the Rose apple. 🤣

I wouldn’t have it any other way. There are too many funny stories to type up in just the first 6 days...I think we currently have the most fun laughing at her when she says “Merci”, which comes out more like Uncle Jesse from Full House - “Mercaaayy”. 🤣 She is THE most hilarious, quick-witted, and fun person I know. 

She has the kids cracking up all day, and last night, she and I had to literally go to the ladies' room during dinner bc we were laughing so hard at something she said (that I shall not repeat here but trust me - HILARIOUS) that we couldn't keep it together. My stomach and cheeks hurt, and tears were coming down my face. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. 

Tonight we plan to walk around the city and see the lights, maybe pop into a shop or cafe, and just take it all in. It’s a truly beautiful city, and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to experience it like this…one more full day here, and Saturday, we fly to Italy for week 2! Here’s to hoping my dad rebounds quickly and the AC in my room starts working more efficiently. My 47-year-old self now sweats just thinking about being hot, so 19 degrees Celsius, whatever that is, ain’t workin’ for me.

P.S. I wish I could figure out how to put captions under the pics...but I can't. So here they are:

1. On the Seine River - obviously pointing to the Eiffel Tower. :) 
2. In one of the vintage cars at Martmontre.
3. Mom & kids on the river.
4. One of the many amazing flower markets...if I lived here, I'd buy them all the time!  Love it.
5. Just one of many insane food pics from the market where we shopped for our meal this am.
6. The boys getting ready to chef it up.
7. The last two are both from the adorable place where we had the cooking school!