I was surprised to see so many Contiki people awake as it was still early in the day. There was a group of girls sitting at our table who had been out till 4:30am. They looked fabulous. Dressed and ready to go with full makeup on. It was only when they spoke that you could hear the tiredness in their scratchy voices. Apparently, they had been on the last metro of the night which abruptly stopped running on their way back. They had been kicked off along with the other passengers and had to walk the rest of the way back to the hotel. Not a short journey. Another couple of girls had stayed later at O'Sullivan's celebrating a birthday. At 4:00am wandering the streets of Paris they flagged down an off duty taxi driver who had stopped just to tell them he wouldn't take them. Desperate, The girl offered the Taxi driver 100 euros to take them to the hotel. The driver took the cash then lectured them all the way to the hotel how they shouldn't be walking the streets alone so late. The Scottish guy sat down next to me and I asked how his girlfriend was this morning to which he reply, "Kirsti's not feeling to well this morning." Nicole and Courtney grabbed plates and took them back to their room needing more rest after ringing in the New Year. All in all, it was still an amazing night despite the rough feel of the morning.
We started off the late morning with a quiet ride to the River Seine. The bus dropped us off right in front of the Eiffel tower, our first time seeing it up close and personal. I stand almost six feet tall and I had never felt so small in my life. With the fog, you couldn't even see the top. Perhaps it reached the heavens above for those fortunate enough to take the journey.
We boarded a River Boat tour and settled into our seats. This amazing woman began speaking in French, then English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and referenced Japanese, and Chinese as well. I expected the view from our seats to be awful but I was amazed at how interesting the bridges of Paris looked from this vantage point.
There were these colorful barges along the way and Josh was fantasizing about us living on one. My husband is a dreamer. Most people think he is quiet because he is so respectful of others. He forms an impression of people before trusting them with his opinions. People are often surprised at how vocal he is once he has warmed up to you. The are few people who have seen just how incredible my husband is. Trust me, I'm a lucky gal! 
After the river cruise we decided to walk the Jardins du Trocadéro that was home to the Christmas Village. Here we found an array of sinful pleasures and ate our way through to the Palais de Chaillot, the optimal place for a famed picture of the Eiffel Tower. The slower pace of this day was just what I had longed for. You would not believe the flavors we encountered.
My favorite consisted of a cookie wafer piled high with a coffee flavored mousse filling that was kissed with a thin chocolate coating. I have no idea what it was called, but it was outstanding. I stood in line and watched as two men made fresh crepes on hot round griddles. They used a small wooden tool to spread the batter as thinly as possible before flipping them to reveal a perfectly golden brown surface. Then comes the Grand Marnier and Sugar. It is folded and served piping hot. The men motioned for me to flip it back and drink the hot liquor from the crepe. A little afraid of the heat, I choose to smile and thank them then walked off and let it cool a bit. Walking and nibbling I came to the end of my crepe which was soaked with a hearty amount of liquor. I kicked it back and had one of those grand coughing fits, a sure sign of really enjoying yourself!
Next we came upon a dish I had seen earlier that day. The largest skillet ever about 4 feet wide filled with potatoes, ham, onions, and cheese with a creamy sauce. They stirred the potatoes to get to the very bottom of the skillet to find the delicately coated richness to serve to me. Once again I was floored by the simple goodness of the dish.
I purchased a couple of handmade scarves and found a woman selling little figures mounted on family plaques. I had to buy one. We had reached the end of the village and the top of the Palais de Chaillot and there stood the Eiffel Tower in perfect view. Our friend Iris snapped our photo together and then helped me to do one of those cheese photos where you are holding the Eiffel Tower in your hands. Enjoying the relaxing pace of the day, we headed back to the Hotel for a nap before another big night out. 
That evening we spent at Monmartre once more only this time we walked all 225 steps up to the Sacre Coeur. A little winded we took in the city scenery glittering below us. We walked through the winding cobblestone streets filled with small cafes and admired the dazzling lights strung above us.
We had reached our destination Auberge De La Bonne Franquette. Our dinner consisted of a black current and white wine aperitif, a vegetable terrine, duck a l'orange, chocolate mousse cake with creme anglaise, and espresso. It was a meal shared with new friends and laughter as some tried escargot for the first time, quiet an experience.
We had a little time after dinner before our next destination so we wandered a bit down to a little cafe named Cafe des 2 Moulin, The Two Windmills Cafe. We sat outside around a small pink metal table drinking our Chocolat Chaud and Cafe Creme. Turns out this little Cafe was where the movie Amelie was filmed. Inside the toilet was a shrine to the film which was quiet an experience going to the bathroom.
There were many people taking pictures while you were doing your business. I'll admit. I couldn't go. First of all, I had a giant white coat on. Second of all, there were no seats on the toilets. Thirdly, I am not a very coordinated person. I couldn't see how one might manage to hold their coat over head, remove pantyhose, and hover above the toilet. Fourthly, there was pee all over the floor already from people failing the high action combo needed to make it in the pot. I can see why French women always look so hot in their mini skirts, stockings, and cropped jackets. It's an outfit born out of necessity for easy access peeing in Cafes. The next time I'm in Paris I will be prepared with the proper clothing and stronger thighs ready to hover and take aim!
After much consumption of liquid I was ready to head to our next meeting place, O'Sullivan- that swanky joint from last night(ha,ha), where I knew that there were seats on the toilets. Much relieved and standing straighter, we met the rest our of Contiki group and headed next door to the Moulin Rouge! Pretty much every group activity in France was a fire hazard. You should have seen the line to get into the Moulin Rouge.
A staircase 6-8 people wide up and back down the other side full of people squished together like sardines. The wait wasn't terriblly long and we learned the good news that one couple from our group had gone to the Eiffel Tower the night before and gotten engaged! They were so cute, ahhh... Young Love. There is nothing like it! The line began to move and we got our first glimpse of the inside of the theater. We checked coats and handed over our cameras as no photography is allowed inside the theater and were seated. The tables seated 6 and were arranged in a crescent facing the stage with tiered levels so everyone has a good view of the show. We were on the far left of the theater one table away from the stage. At first I was disappointed that we didn't have a spot on center view of the stage, but I quickly learned that we had some of the best seats in the theater. We were served 3 bottles of champange, and the birthday girl from last night was seated at our table. These were the girls that had paid 100 euro to get back to the hotel. We toasted to her birthday as sat back to enjoy the show.
Never have I been as enthralled as I was that night. I knew the Moulin Rouge had topless dancers in it, but I was unprepared for how tastefully it was done. That's not to say that you didn't notice the obvious, they were hard to miss. The costumes were as much the star of the show as the dancers were.
Every act was mesmerizing with an endless array of sequins and feathers. We were so close to the dancers, you could feel the breeze coming off the feathers as they spun about. My face hurt from smiling. There was one act in particular that was difficult for Courtney to handle. She quivered behind me and I held her tightly as a giant glass box rose from the stage filled with water and snakes. A woman danced about grabbing a snake and wrapping it around herself.
She then dove into the snake filled water. Courtney's nails were digging into my arms and I thought she was going to draw blood. Her face was turned into me as she couldn't bare to look. The glass cage dissented into the stage and the frightening scene was over. Nicole told Courtney to look up and there was a man hovering above us on a wire. Courtney thought it was someone with snakes and screaming once again dug her nails into my arm. It really was just a guy flying, no snakes, no need for panic. I assured her it was okay now and she stopped trembling and let go. Upon arriving back in the States I had to have my arm amputated from the extreme flesh wounds. Maybe it wasn't that bad, but I probably could have used a band-aid at least. Next up was a ventriloquist.
A man who made me laugh so hard I though I was going to tinkle myself. He even had a real dog in his act. I don't know how he did it, but it was awesome! There was a juggler who defied all jugglers ever seen before and the strongest man in the world. He balance a woman's entire body weigh on his neck, then went on to show just how strong his biceps were. They were a dynamic pair, balancing, inverting, posing, the coordination and timing was impeccable. They must have been married. The dancing, the singing, the beauty of it all... It was a night I will remember forever, always returning a smile to my face when I think of it. We had gone to the 11:00pm show and it was now well past 1:30 in the morning but there was a feeling of electricity in the air. We were all so elated, taking pictures together after the show. We didn't want the night to come to an end. The bus ride back to the hotel was cheerful and free as Ben entertained us with an array of songs to top off the evening.
It was our last night in Paris. Back at the Hotel we said our goodbyes to our new friends. Already missing people we had just met. Back in our room we just couldn't sleep a wink. We packed and repacked. Set both our alarms on our phones, afraid that my phone still wouldn't work we instilled a backup plan including Josh's mom calling us at 11pm her time for us to wake up at 6am. We had a long day of travel ahead of us and were already worrying about getting to the airport on time. Finally the exhaustion set in and we fell asleep. Goodbye Paris, Goodbye Moulin Rouge.
Goodbye Sacre Coeur, Goodbye Cafe des 2 Moulin.
Goodbye Eiffel Tower, Goodbye Christmas Village.
Goodbye Champs Elysees, Goodbye Arc de Triomph.
Goodbye Louvre, Goodbye Saint Michel.
Goodbye Notre Dame, Goodbye River Seine.
Have you ever awoken with your heart pounding, knowing something just isn't right? Our alarms failed us and so did our backup plan. I don't know if we were just too tired to hear them or if they really didn't go off again. I flew out of bed and Josh awoke with a start. Thankfully it wasn't as late as I had feared but it wasn't as early as we would have liked it to be. Thank goodness we still had time for breakfast! I tried to eat a hearty meal sad to be eating my last peach yogurt in France. The dairy is just amazing in France, it's made everything I've consumed since being back home seem a bit off. I was sure too have bacon too, salty foods are always good for flying. Chocolate croissants were a must, and jam and bread. Okay, I ate a lot that morning. I was proud of myself for putting nothing in my pockets but regretful later at the airport when I was hungry again.
We finished packing our bags and walked down to the Metro. There was a crazy drunk couple arguing and no attendant on duty to purchase tickets from. Uh oh. Back to the hotel to ask the front desk a few questions about how to get to the airport and then back to the Metro again. As luck would have it, there was an attendant on duty. I was a little flustered by now and not thinking in French when I asked for our tickets. Bad news. I had forgotten if you don't at least first try to speak french to begin with you get no response or help. I calmed myself even though I was panicked on the inside. Now were are standing there with our luggage so I know this guy has to know that we are traveling somewhere. "Charles de Gaulle , S'il vous plait?", I calmly said. To which my response was, "OUI Madame! Charles de Gaulle... oh la la la... Charles de Gaulle... Oui!!" So we got our tickets. Yippee and we were off. We had to switch to the RER line which took us all the way to the airport. We narrowly caught the train. Josh's luggage got caught in the door with him on the outside and I had no idea what to do when a lady pressed a button next to the door which opened it and he was able to step inside. ShhWoo!
We made it to the airport and started an epic day of travel. First the line to check into American Airlines, then security. At security we were asked if we had anything on us, "No,no, nothing on us." I walked through the sensor and all the alarms went off. "Crap!" What had I done? A women asked if she could search me and of course I said yes, I had nothing to hide from the world. She began feeling me and patted my belly asking, "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Dang it, I had forgotten I was wearing a money belt. I had worn it the whole trip and become accustomed to the feel of it. I reached to take it off and I think she thought I was trying to detonate explosives or something because she started yelling at me in french while I yelled, "No,NO! Money Belt, MONEY BELT!!" I froze with my hands in the air and she grabbed it from my waste to put it through the scanner. OK, every thing is good now right? Wrong. She continues to pat me down and finds something in my pocket. "Qu'est-ce que c'est?", again she asks. I'm a girl who's always prepared. I had a tampon in my pocket. So I'm shouting, "Tampon!", and she doesn't understand me, "TAMPON!, TAMPON!" I'm trying to gesture the motion(Which there really isn't a universal sign for tampon that you can use in a airport in front of security without having a really invasive search done.)but she doesn't want me to move at all so I go to take it out of my pocket when suddenly it dawns on her... "OH, Le Tampon!" Yes... Tampon. "OK!", she waved me on and my search was over. I was free to take my euros and tampon in all my glory aboard the plane.
All that stress had worked up another appetite so we had a bite to eat before our flight, again delicious. We ran into the couple who had gotten engaged at the airport and said a quick hello and goodbye. I must just look like a terrorist because the woman in the gift shop didn't want to sell me postcards without my boarding pass. They were postcards for crying out loud, What am I going to do with them? I was glad to board the plane home until I realized I had the middle seat next to a man much larger than me with elbows of iron and breath of fire. It was a long flight. I would fall asleep for 5 minutes at a time and wake up looking at this guys face and be frightened every time. By the time we got to Chicago I was delirious and we had a 6 hour layover. Boo! We sat down at Chili's for a bite to eat, no rush on time here and up walks my friend Dana from work to the bar to get a beer. Josh says, "That girl looks so much like Dana." I say, "That is Dana. Those are her jeans!" I walked up beside her and got right next to her until she turned around and scream,"Ah.. AH!!" She sat down with us and I shared our photos. I tried to talk but I'm sure nothing made sense because I had gotten about 12 hours of sleep our entire trip.
We said goodbyes and began the remaining 5 hour wait for our 30 minute plan ride home. Yes, we could have driven home faster. I bought a neck pillow and tried to sleep. I walked around a lot and peed about 20 times reveling in the fact that there were seats on the toilets. They even had the fancy rotating seat covers, Divine! We finally boarded the plane home and there was a flight attendant aboard but no pilots.
A ground crew guy came aboard and flirted with the flight attendant for a good half hour as she told him all about her New Years, getting sick, her obsession with chap-stick, yadda yadda yadda. 45 minutes later the pilots show up and she goes to close a door and breaks it off it's hinges. Great. A guy gets up and tries to help her fix it. 15 minutes later it's fixed. Then we wait to take off. Eventually we arrived at the airport where we greeted the kids and fell in bed to sleep for a week. 
It's good to be back home, adjusting to real life. Today my bubble popped and I realized vacation was over as I was paying bills. In all honesty a lot of time was spent missing our kids while we were in Europe. I even began missing them months before we left. Traveling the world is incredible but I'd still take cuddling up with the kids and hearing I love you mom over it any day. I hope everyone has someone to love them because we all need it, be it from a parent, a spouse, or a child. We all need love.
I might continue blogging in the future. Life is an adventure every day and there are always stories to tell! Thanks to my new friends who put a little action to in our adventure making the story more interesting, I give you an honorary High Five!
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