Parents in Paris

Parents in Paris

Last weekend my parents came to Paris and as I was able to find a cheap flight, I decided to meet them there. They arrived early on Thursday morning and I flew in that same night. I have been to Paris on several occasions before (once with my sister during the Christmas holidays and another with Jose during our honeymoon) but ended up having a very different experience with this visit. It was pretty great!

My parents got a hotel in the Latin Quarter, one of the 20 arrondissements (neighborhoods) that is pretty close to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Since it was too expensive for my vacation budget, I decided to find a youth hostel within walking distance. I have stayed in many hostels before but it has been a while since my last time. This hostel was right on a busy street lined with bars and restaurants so it was fairly noisy at night. Add to that 5 more people in my room who came in at all hours of the night and the result was not much sleep before waking up early every morning to get a jump start on other tourists. Staying at this hostel was my only complaint during the whole trip. Otherwise it was an amazing time with my parents in Paris.

On the tour bus

Day 1

During our first full day together we took advantage of the on/off bus tickets that Mom and Dad had bought after having gone inside the Notre Dame Cathedral. There were four separate routes that took us all around the different sections of the city. I have never done this kind of tourist bus tour before and have to admit I rather liked it. We got to see lots of Paris that I had never visited before and didn't end up exhausted from walking. You can get off wherever you want but the first day we pretty much just stayed on the top, enjoying the sights and the sun. 

When my parents travel they also enjoy stopping in lots of restaurants and cafes to try the local food and of course to have a beer. While my Mom and I were sitting, chatting close to their hotel while my Dad had a nap, a French woman started talking to us. She was quite interesting and recommended going to the LaFayette stores which we ended up doing on day two. LaFayette is a big department store with only the most exclusive brands. Chanel, DeBeers, Longchamp, all designers with the prices to match. My Mom and I walked through but didn't buy anything of course.

Tiny Mona Lisa

Day 2

On our second day we got up quite early and made our way to the Louvre museum in an attempt to beat the crowds. Once we were inside we went to see the Mona Lisa (a must-see) which already had a crowd of admirers as you can see in the picture that I took at right to give an idea of perspective of her size. Then we walked around a bit longer, getting quite lost on our way to see the Venus de Milo statue. My beef with the Louvre is that it is difficult to maneuver. There are lots of half floors and staircases that don't lead to where you think they will. In any case, after a few hours we decided to leave as more and more tour groups started to arrive.

Sacre Coeur

We also visited the Sacre Coeur church and the seedy, touristy area around it. The church sits on top of a big hill and has good views of the city but it was crowded and we didn't stay long. As you can see from the photo, we were quite lucky to have beautiful weather during the entire weekend. In fact, I got a bit of a sunburn from just walking around.

Day 3

On our last day we first went to the Les Invalides which I had never visited before. Les Invalides is a complex of buildings which include several military museums and a church with Napolean's tomb in it. My Dad seemed to enjoy walking through the World War I and World War II museums and we all had a laugh at how BIG Napolean's sarcophagus actually is. No wonder there is an inferiority complex named after him.

Chapel of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides

My mother and I also went to the Rodin museum with its famous statues. I honestly think that sculpture has to be one of the most difficult art forms because even making one little mistake can be disastrous. There may be no way to fix it. Perhaps Rodin's most famous work is the Thinker, a version of which sits in the gardens outside the museum.

Later that day we visited the D'Orsay Museum which has a great collection of Impressionists. It may be one of my favorite museums because Impressionism is probably my favorite movement. The building itself is quite beautiful as well. It was once a train station. I love seeing Degas especially but you can also see Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, among others.

To top off a great last day we had dinner with Jose's sister, Miriam. It was fun to catch up with her, though next time I want to go back to the Disney park where she works!

At the end of our visit I was sad to leave since I had such a great time with my parents in Paris. Though we did see every kind of tourist scam possible (like a pickpocket walking up to you to ask if you dropped a ring while another robs you), we were all pleasantly surprised by how helpful and kind all of the Parisians we encountered were. This was not the case on my previous visits. The food was good but very expensive. In general I can't imagine how people afford to live within the city. I think my parents enjoyed their visit and it was easier saying goodbye knowing that I will see them again in a few short weeks.