une Canadienne en France

At the end of April, Mom and Dad undertook the 12 hour flight to come visit me and see some of France. We met up in Paris at 8am and I forced them to deny their jet lag and spend the day sightseeing. We were staying near the Champs-Élysées, so we spent the day wandering around there. The concierge suggested a great French Bistro close to the hotel and I was able to surprise Mom and Dad with my adept ordering abilities. Highlights:

• Dad’s utter amazement with the traffic circle that surrounded the Arc de Triomphe. The organized chaos blew his mind.



• As we strolled down the the Champs-Élysées, a homeless beggar approached Mom and I holding out a note explaining her situation and asking for money (or so I assume). I shook my head at her and kept walking, my typical approach. About 5 steps later though, I realized that Mom was no longer beside me. I turned around to find her intently reading the woman’s note. I had to go retrieve/rescue her like a mother prying a 5 year old away from a candy store window.
• The first amazing French dinner I have eaten since arriving in January.

The next day, we crammed in as many Paris sites as we could. We visited the Louvre, the gardens next to the museum, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. That evening we went to Paris’ most famous dinner theatre, the Moulin Rouge and returned to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up beautifully against the dark night sky. Moulin Rouge was spectacular; the costumes, dancing and singing were amazing. After a few glasses of wine I was cheering emphatically and Dad even seemed to be enjoying himself.

On our last day in Paris, we went to the Paris Flea Markets and Mom and Dad ate their first French crêpes. The flea market was not as cool as it was claimed to be and we didn’t get to the train station on time because cab drivers apparently don’t work on Sunday afternoons. We had to search for over a half hour to find a cab and I have never seen Dad move with such agility as he darted back and forth across the streets to flag one down.

We missed out train to Grenoble, but were able to catch the next one only an hour later. Once in Grenoble, we spent a few hours of separateness as 3 days in one hotel room was a little cramped. For dinner, I took Mom and Dad out to one of my favourite restaurants in Grenoble, La Ferme a Dede. We had hearty mountain cuisine (plenty of meat of potatoes) and ate so much we had to waddle home.

We stayed in Grenoble for 2 nights, as I had a few classes that I need to attend. Mom and Dad spent their days wandering around the city and practicing their French. They also went up to the bastille (where the GGSB Gala was held) and took in all of Grenoble. Mom’s remarks, “Grenoble is so big; I had no idea. The downtown is so condensed and quaint. I can no longer tell everyone at home that you are going to school in a lovely small French town.”

From Grenoble, we headed to Bordeaux. It was here that I came down with the most atrocious flu. It was so bad that I had to make a hospital visit. The flu kept be in bed for over 2 weeks, causing me to subsequently
miss the rest of our France adventure. From Bordeaux, we drove to Cannes, and before we knew it Mom and Dad’s 11 days were up and we were back on the road for Grenoble and then Paris.

Even though I was unable to act as slight interpretor and tour guide for the second half of our trip, Mom and Dad said they still had a fabulous time. They were so taken by the Riviera, that they would like to return in a few years, rent an apartment and spend a month there. I tried my best to weasel my way into that proposition, as I too love the water, endless beaches and fabulous food that reside in the South of France.

I don’t have anymore pictures to share, because Mom used her camera while I was thoroughly testing out the hotel beds. For the stories of what Mom and Dad were up to in Bordeaux and Cannes (and a recounting of the multiple amazing meals and bottles of wine consumed), you will just have to call them and ask yourself!