Grand-Mere and Grand-Pere Visit

We were lucky enough to have my parents squeeze us in after they competed a two week hiking trip around Mont Blanc.  This was good news in that they were already acclimated to the time change, and tired from all the hiking, that we could keep up with their fast pace.

Edy and Will had planned to pick them up at the Gare de Lyon train station when they came in.  They planned this before we realized that the Metro was going on strike for a day.  (You have to love Paris. The inform you in advance of strikes AND they tell you how long they will be.  In this case, it was just 24 hours.). So, what does THIS mom do when her kids look at you with disappointment in their eyes when you tell them they can't go?  She looks for another route, walks an additional mile to get them where they need to be, and sends them on their way with a hug and a good luck!

Waiting for the RER C to take them to Gare de Lyon

A selfie on the train!

Most importantly, they met each other exactly where Edy and Will directed them to be.

Once they taxied to our apartment, we set off right away on one of our favorite walks to view the Eiffel Tower.  We go through our neighborhood in the 16th arrondissement and then down to the Seine.  We then cross a bridge to get on the most beautiful island, called the Isle of the Swans, on the river.  It actually has a miniature Statue of Liberty on it, as well as a pedestrian path.  Once you get on the other side of the island, you come upon the first really great view of the Eiffel Tower.  We then head up to Trocadero for my favorite view of the Eiffel Tower.  If anyone in the group is interested, we usually grab a crepe from the best creperie stand.  

Edy is enjoying her grandparents on the Isle of Swans! 

View from Pont du Bir Hakeim 

Love!

View from Trocadero

The next day, we shared with my parents the wonderful market that comes to our neighborhood every Wednesday and Saturday.  We loaded up on fresh fruit and veggies, meat, and tasty olives.  We then headed out to Versailles.  It had been years since I had been there.  I had forgotten how grand it was.  Since we didn't arrive until after noon, we were lucky enough to see all the fountains around the gardens turn on at 3:30.  We also didn't have a long wait to enter the palace.  (We had heard that the line could be an hour to two hours long!)  This was all good news because it ended up being such a hot day. 

Learning the ropes of the Metro from Edy and Will.

From the Metro, we took RER C out to Versailles.  Does this platform look familiar?
Edy and Will were on the other side of it yesterday, heading to Gare de Lyon.  

All together!

Does it look hot?  It was much hotter than any of us anticipated!

What is most amazing to me, is that on the other side of this impressive palace is a busy cosmopolitan town,
with then Paris just 7 miles past that!

Before the fountains were turned on.

In this picture, Will is trying to show us where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, on the second floor of the palace.

When in Versailles...

This garden was built for people to come and sketch or paint.

My favorite was the garden with three fountains!

Finally, Will got to see where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, in the Hall of Mirrors!

The rest of the days together were filled with sightseeing and delicious food!  We introduced mom and dad to Amorino and they both fell in love with the gelato.  We also got some good one-on-one time as well.  Edy and I took Granmama shopping on the Champs Elysee and  Galeries Lafaytte, where we dined at the roof top restaurant overlooking all of Paris.  I even got treated to some new sneakers that I have been eyeing.  Will took Pappy to the new Liberation Museum and The Army Museum inside Les Invalides.  But I know Will's favorite part of that day was showing Pappy around the Metro.  

Grandmama having her first Amorino.

Lunch at Creatures on the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette.

We were just up there!

I love my new Vejas!  

Meanwhile, these boys were enjoying an adventure of their own!

The Army Museum at Les Invalides

The last day was bittersweet knowing that they would be going home the next day.  So we showed them some of our favorite places, including The American Library and the trampoline park at the Jardin du Tuileries.  We also tried the famous hot chocolate at Angelina's Tea House.  Yum.

The dreariness of this picture reflects our mood on their last day.

That was some thick hot chocolate!

Hosting my parents here in Paris really made me reflect upon why we are able to do this.  I think it is because of the adventurous spirit of those who raised us, that Jeff and I both feel so compelled to travel and share the world with our children. Walking with my parents, I was reminded of the cross country motorhome trips we all took with my grandparents; the paths we explored on horseback at Lost Valley Ranch; the mountains we skied; and the lakes we criss-crossed, all in an effort to not only spend time together, but to show us that there was more to life then what surrounded us in Springfield, Ohio.  Because of that, it is engrained in me to do the same.  

I want Edy and Will to have an even deeper appreciation for the world around them.  I want them to know that there is more than just Northfield, Minnesota, and that the world doesn't revolve around them.  I want to teach them to be global citizens, to think about others and be sensitive to their realities.  I want them to see that what we do in the United States isn't the ONLY way - or even at times the Right way - it is just ONE way to do things.  I want them to see that they belong to a world that is bigger than boundaries, religion, or political ideologies.  I want them to be compassionate citizens of humanity.  And thanks to our adventurous upbringings, I think we are doing just that with them.  

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for all you have done and continue to do in shaping and supporting us.  Please come see us again soon.  

Je vous aime beaucoup!

Betsy