Our European Adventure: Paris

At last! Three weeks after bidding farewell to Canada, Michelle and I, along with our three sons, arrived in Paris. It had been sixteen years since Michelle and I had visited Paris on our honeymoon, and now we were eager to share it with Brett, Keegan, and Joel. With a rich history, charming cobblestone streets, beautiful parks, stunning architecture, and world-class museums, there was no shortage of things to do. As a result, we had a busy four days planned, which included strolling down the Champs-Élysées, exploring the Orsay Museum and the Louvre, climbing the Eiffel Tower, admiring the Notre Dame Cathedral, and touring the Palace of Versailles.

We had booked two rooms at a Formula 1 hotel located near a subway station on the outskirts of Paris. Formula 1 is a budget hotel with small rooms, tiny sinks tucked in the corner, bunk beds, and shared washrooms for each floor. Michelle and I wished we could afford nicer accommodation in central Paris, but our sons never complained; it was all part of the experience of traveling in Europe. Besides, our schedule was so packed that we barely spent any time at the hotel.

The first full day in Paris went well, despite the cold blustery weather that followed us from northern France. The highlight of the day was the Orsay Museum, where we viewed its collection of impressionist paintings from artists like Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. It was my first opportunity to see a Van Gogh painting, and out of all the paintings in the museum, his artwork captivated me the most, leaving me with an appreciation for his artistic brilliance. Joel found the works of art equally impressive, prompting him to buy a paint set to create his own masterpieces during our time in Europe.

We ended the day by splurging for dinner at a nice cafe to celebrate Brett’s fifteenth birthday, a welcome change from the chain restaurants we had been dining at during most of our trip. Michelle and I surprised Brett by offering to cover the cost of getting his ear pierced. We thought he’d wait until we returned to Canada, but he was so excited to receive the gift, he had his ear pierced the next day, in not one, but two places. To wrap up the celebration, we returned to the hotel to sing Happy Birthday to Brett and enjoy the cake that we purchased earlier that day from a French bakery.   

The next day warm spring weather arrived, which made walking the streets of Paris much more pleasant. Our itinerary for the day included visiting the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Everyone got into our walking formation that had developed earlier in the trip. I lead the way, trying not to get us lost, followed by Michelle holding Joel’s hand with Keegan chattering away next to her, then Brett taking up the rear. Michelle and I wanted to walk together occasionally, but we had to be vigilant to be sure that no one was misplaced.

The Louvre is the world’s largest museum, housing over 380,000 artifacts, and takes days to fully explore. Since we had one day, and were traveling with children with varying attention spans, we viewed only its major attractions: the ancient Egyptian and Roman displays and, of course, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. When Michelle and I first saw the Mona Lisa in 1986, it was during the peak traveling season, and we had to peer through throngs of tourists to glimpse the famous painting. This time, we could walk right up to the painting and truly appreciate da Vinci’s work of art. However, I still didn’t understand why it’s the world’s most valuable painting, worth almost a billion dollars. I admit it is amazing how her eyes follow you when you look at her from different angles, but it’s small and I think the colors used are dull. I’d rather own a Van Gogh painting for a fraction of the price.

After exploring the Louvre, everyone was eager to see the Eiffel Tower. Constructed for the Universal Exposition in 1889, the tower faced criticism from Parisians who deemed it a threat to the city’s aesthetics. However, the tower endured and has become a symbol of France and Paris. Brett and Joel took the elevator to the top, while Michelle, Keegan, and I kept our feet closer to the ground and enjoyed views of Paris from the second level.

On our last full day in Paris, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Palace of Versailles. The Notre Dame Cathedral is renowned for its Gothic architecture, and the Palace of Versailles was once the French monarchy’s seat of power. It was an enjoyable day, but everyone had grown weary of learning history, admiring architecture, and examining ancient artifacts and artistic works. It was time to leave Paris and drive to Euro Disney for some fun.

However, we had to first safely drive fifty kilometers east of Paris to our new hotel room. We had two possible routes: drive through central Paris, around the Arc de Triomphe, or take the Boulevard Périphérique, the 35-kilometer ring road around Paris. We chose the Boulevard Périphérique because of our nerve-wracking experience of driving around the Arc de Triomphe during our honeymoon. The Arc de Triomphe has up to ten lanes of traffic circling the monument, fed by twelve major boulevards. I remember clutching the steering wheel as I drove towards the boulevard I needed to exit, and miraculously, the cars separated to allow me through. The Boulevard Périphérique, with four lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, was not a pleasant drive either, but we safely made it to our hotel near Euro Disney.

To our surprise, the European Disney was much smaller than its American counterpart. However, there were plenty of attractions to keep our sons entertained. Their favorite ride was the Space Mountain roller coaster, which simulates traveling to the outer reaches of the galaxy. Michelle and I hate terrifying, nauseating amusement rides and stuck to watching parades and keeping an eye on our sons.

Little did we imagine on our honeymoon that we would one day be in Paris again, watching our three boys have a blast on amusement park rides. We also never imagined leaving work and school behind to spend four months traveling to Europe with our family. Next up: Switzerland.