Early morning, Friday the 4th of June, I landed in Paris-Beauvais airport. After a bus and two metros, I made it to the hotel where me, my mother, and my grandmother would be staying the next two nights.
I walked into the hotel and was directed to our room where I was finally - after 4 months (exactly, as a matter of fact) - reunited with my mom and my grandma :)
We took a quick cat nap and then decided to take advantage of the rest of the daylight and headed off to Montmartre. We climbed up hills to the "but" (with only minimal complaints from Ruth) before getting one of my favorite views of the city.
We showed my grandma the red-light district of Paris, where I found out that she's been to some pretty "risqué" shows in her day, and ended the tour at an old Brasserie, splitting a cheese and charcuterie plate while sipping on some Carlsberg.
Saturday, we started the day by taking the metro to l'Arc de Triomphe. And then meandered down the Champs Élysées before having lunch in the park and going to the meeting point for our bus tour of the city.
Three Generations in front of the Arc de Triomphe
View of the Eiffel Tower from the bridge
The thing I missed out on when I was in Paris back in February is how absolutely stunning Paris is in the spring. The flowers are all abloom, the fountains are turned on, the sidewalks are shaded by trees trimmed to look like mini Arc de Triomphes, and everybody is outside walking their dog or spending time in the ever-so-rare sunlight.
We had about 45 minutes to kill in the park (Tuileries gardens, for those who know paris) before meeting up for the tour. And this is when it gets interesting :)
Relaxing in the Tuileries Gardens
So Chris (Ninie's fiancé) and I came up with a grand scheme of surprising both my mom and Ninie by making us all meet up in Paris.
Background: Ninie is a French woman who came and lived with my family when I was in 4th grade. She was a Teacher's Assistant in one of the classes at my elementary school, and during that year, she became a part of my family. My mom and Ninie got SUPER close, but after years, they lost touch and hadn't spoken since probably 2004 or 2005. This fall, in preparation for coming to France, I thought it would be fun to try and find her on Facebook. Long story short, I did, and it was her that i said with when I went to London over winter break.
Ok. Back to the present, so Chris and I planned to surprise them both - he ended up having to tell her because of what their travel arrangements contained, but my mom and my grandma had no idea. So I told Chris to plan on coming on the tour with us, and that way, it would be easy having a planned meeting spot and time.
Everything worked out perfectly! And my mom and Ninie finally got to see each other again - after 10 years! It was fantastic to see them together again - it was as if no time had passed.
The tour mainly consisted of everyone catching up and admiring Ninies beautiful almost-one-year-old daughter and everyone laughing at my grandmother because her headphones never seemed to want to work.
After climbing the Eiffel Tower (included in the tour), we made our way to the restaurant where I had sneakily made a reservation for 6 people (thank god my mother doesn't understand French). We had a marvelous dinner and the headed off to bed to prepare for our last day in Paris.
View of Sacré Coeur from the Eiffel Tower
Sunday, we woke up early do we could make it to the Louvre before meeting up with Chris and Ninie for lunch. Showed my grandma the main attractions: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Winged Angel before having some of the best French onion soup ever :)
My mom and I in front of Venus de Milo in the Louvre
Took the TGV back to Aix - where we were very rudely informed that we had misplaced ourselves in first class and we could either pay 30€ per person or sit on the stairs (apparently an entire army troop decided last-minute to get in the train, so we didn't have seats)...I have terrible luck with trains.
Upon our arrival in Aix, I brought the two women to their bed and breakfast and then we went out to a pasta dinner à la Provençale before calling it a night.
Monday morning, we woke up early to catch our bus to Cassis. I consider Cassis my baby, so I get really excited when I get to bring people there. We spent a little time on the beach, went shopping, and then I finally got to try Moules Frites (Mussels and French Fries)! Then we headed back to Aix so I could spend the rest of my night studying for my final exam the next day.
Me and Mom on the beach in Cassis
Tuesday, I brought my mom and my grandma to the market! Market days are my favorite days in Aix, and after seeing my mother at the market, I know where I got it from. Nancy and Ruth successfully visited every single stand at the market. Admiring jewelry, linens, scarves, and pottery. It's a home-makers dream :) being with my mom allowed me to blow off some steam, and I finally bought a couple things for my room for this next year!
À Bientôt!
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