Paris Answers--Part 2

{Click on photos to enlarge}

Kristi--What was your favorite token you brought home?

I'm happy with the card of buttons I bought at the flea market, but I think my favorite token is my awesome Paris journal (made by Jenn and Amy) because I wrote in it and put things in it during the trip. I've never had a journal like this before and it feels rather great to have such an item from such a great trip. I've got receipts and things in the envelopes and will add photos and more thoughts when I functional like a normal person again.


What did you find yourself wishing you could buy but didn't want to spend the money?
I didn't really shop for what-if type items. We were on the move so much that we weren't really shopping to shop. I didn't have anything in mind (the way Amy had a mission for fabric or Jenn had a long list of specifics from her kids) so I really didn't buy much at all.



Was there any building or piece of art that made your heart skip a beat?
I felt palpitations in Musee D'Orsay because there were so many artists I recognized and had studied. It was humbling to be in room after room of amazing paintings and to be able to stand so close to them that I could see the layers of paint and individual brush strokes. It was awesome and definitely made my heart skip a beat or two.


Did not knowing French seem like a barrier?
Not too much. My year of French as a freshman in high school came in handy for the basics so I felt like I could figure things out pretty well. I wasn't able to speak it very well, but was definitely able to get by without too much trouble, though it was much easier to have Michelle with us, especially at restaurants (oh and the dryer, what in the world?).


What was the first question your kids asked you when you got home?
The first thing the kids asked me was which French words I had to say. I explained that we said "Merci" about 100 times a day, along with Bonjour, Bonsoir and Pardon.

What was the best thing you ate?
The Mousse au Chocolate I got for dessert at one of the restaurants we ate at was exquisite. I almost didn't get it because I feared it would be dark chocolate and not my thing, but oh my goodness it was heaven in dish, definitely no regrets there.


Did you buy any stamps when you were there?
I bought 6 stamps to send postcards back home, and they weren't cool looking at all and cost .85 Euros each ($1.25).


Heather--Did you guys ever get into the chocolate bar?
No! We passed it twice and then specifically sought it out only to have it be closed every time! Jenn was particularly crushed by this news. I had no idea what we would do in a chocolate bar, so I wasn't too crushed that we didn't get to go in.


How did you control yourself and not buy all that beautiful ribbon?
It wasn't very difficult because the shop was so fancy and expensive that it wasn't fun for me. I wandered through and looked at it more as art than as something I could actually buy. I tend to want lots when I buy ribbon, so I wasn't going to be happy with a tiny piece of one or two kinds. I mean really $15 a meter?? My all or nothing mentality reared its ugly head.

{Photo by Michelle}

What souvenir did you bring home for your family?
A two-headed dragon toy and Dinosaur card game for Whitney, an art book for Landon and a t-shirt for Randy. I couldn't find anything fabulous to bring them, though Whitney LOVES the dragon.


Did you have crepes every day?
I didn't have ANY crepes. I don't enjoy egg-type foods so I don't like crepes. Sad, but true. I probably still should have had a real French crepe, but once again we were on the go so much it never occurred to me to seek one out. I know Collette got a sugar crepe while she was out on her own, and that sounded pretty good to me.


Kelly--What was your favorite smell?
As we were walking back to the apartment from the Eiffel Tower in the rain we paused on a sidewalk for some reason and I got a whiff of the most fantastic smell. There was a potted tree that we determined was Honeysuckle. I don't know if that's what it was, but the combination of the rain, the breeze and the unexpected waft of goodness ended up being my favorite smell. (I'm totally bummed I don't have a photo of this, but I feared getting my camera out in the rain.)

What did you see/do/experience and immediately know it had changed you forever (in a good way)?
I think the fact that I went at all has changed me forever. I don't know why I've had such an international-traveling phobia for so long (probably fear of the unknown) but it's over. I loved going, had no problem on the flights, and didn't want to leave so I this is a huge change in me that will make a big difference in my traveling future. I totally feel like "what's next?"


Melanie--If you could have stayed longer, how much more time did you need to soak it all up?
Probably another week. It would have been nice not to feel like we had to cram so much in to each day so that we were running on empty. I would have liked to go out in the morning, gotten something for lunch, then gone back to the apartment to cool off and rest, and then headed back out for an evening activity. Two weeks would also have allowed for much more time in the museums.


Did Randy's blogging make your heart hurt for home or make it better that you knew what was up?
My heart never hurt for home. I tend to think time freezes at home when I leave (weird and self-centered, but true) so I never fret about what goes on at home. Randy is an excellent dad, so having him home from work all week was a treat for him and the kids. It was definitely fun to read his posts and to see what was going on, but it didn't make me want to come home any sooner.


Will you miss the pastries? And can Michelle bring you a couple home on her short 19 hour flight?
I already miss the pastries and keep asking myself why we didn't get more? We kept saying we were going to have 3 desserts a day, but were so busy that we never did. We were walking and climbing so many stairs that there was no guilt involved so we really should have taken advantage of that and eaten more. I guess we were just too busy to do that. I don't know how Michelle would be able to bring any pastries home, it's best not to even think about it. Ha.


Carlo--What surprised you most about yourself on this trip?
How easygoing I felt and how good I felt most of the time. I know I have mentioned/complained about my blisters and sore feet, but really while we were out walking all day I did fine. It was the standing in lines and the weariness at the end of the day that seemed extreme. I felt happy and into everything while we were actually doing it so this was surprising to me. (I feared I would be irrational when so tired.)


Where are you off to next?
I'm hoping to go to Michigan to visit my friend Betsy. I haven't actually voiced this until now, but it's been almost 2 years since I've been back there to see her, and I love Michigan.


Was it difficult to be away from the kids and Randy?
Not really. Talking to the kids on the phone gave me a couple pangs, but in a good way. It was nice not to be the mom for 8 days.

**Are my answers thorough enough,
or am I leaving things out?
P.S. I have no photo documentation
of my jet-lagged cinco de mayo stupor.**