It amazes me how you can start your day in one place, and be in such a different world by nightfall. It's almost like it can't possibly be one single day.
We powered thru the morning, and shockingly we managed to be in the car and driving by 9:15 a.m. No easy feat though. I had to go get the car from the garage two blocks up early in the morning and then parallel park it (on my bad side I might add), into a tiny space in front of our building. We then took about 40 trips up and down the three flights of stairs (ok, maybe only about 4, but it felt like 40). Eventually everything made it into the car, and we were off.
The drive felt long. I listened to music, the kids complained they couldn't hear THEIR music on their earbuds because of my "bad" music. I told them it was either I play my music or I don't and fall asleep at the wheel....which didn't seem to convince them. I laughed to myself at the last time I played this sound track in the car, (when I was with John before he left for work) and the old song "I Can Feel It Coming In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins came on. John said that the song was about someone watching someone else drowning and then coming to a Phil Collins concert. Huh? Where did you hear that I asked, 'cuz it sounds like urban legend B.S. and I'm not buying it. "Oh no, seriously, listen to the words, I'm pretty sure I read it about it somewhere official." OK, time to google check that super not-accurate sounding fact. So, in the spirit of preventing the further spread of this vicious urban legend, I discovered that this song by Phil Collins is most definitely NOT about a drowning guy. No, in fact Phil Collins did an interview on the BBC where he was asked about this rumor and he said that he had no idea what the song was about, it was written during the time he was getting a divorce and he was real, real angry. He also said that he keeps telling Americans during interviews that the drowning person story isn't true but we (dang Americans) just don't seem to listen. Not true Phil, I'm listening and google checking my husband who is part of the rumor spreading faction.
But I digress. Our trip was long, and we stopped a couple of times which made it longer. Once to get gas and that was a major detour because I couldn't find the gas lever release. I mean REALLY couldn't find it. I had to have two different attendants try to help me--it was super aggravating.
The good news is that eventually we made it into the city, and eventually we made it to the apartment, and I did a quick unload of kids and suitcases and then actually found temporary street parking. The apartment is FIVE long spiral flights up. I definitely didn't read the fine print on this listing, it has no elevator and is FIVE, repeat FIVE flights up. You think you've reached the top and then it's another flight...it just keeps going and going, the spirals make it feel twice as long. Once again, not our best pick over all for lots of reasons. I feel like I could write a short book on Airbnb pitfalls and the subtle nuances of picking the right place.
Regardless, I got all the kids back into the car, and we found a public car park which let me tell you, was not easy. They really only have them in the touristy areas, so we had to drive down by the Sacre Coeur where we found a little underground parking garage (which always freak me out, I hate underground car parks.) I didn't even look to figure out how much it was going to cost because it would just be depressing.
We set off to find food after that, but it was tough with everyone's nerves up and hunger levels thru the roof. We walked up the wall of steps next to the Sacre Coeur, and wound down and around into the Montemartre district. We found a restaurant that ranked really high on Trip Advisor and Google, and we plunked down for a nice dinner, complete with an altogether too small glass of red wine for me.
We then proceeded on a whirl wind tour of a few familiar places...Eilffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe and then a stroll along the Seine. It was packed of course, and the Eiffel Tower has been shrouded in heavy security. It's been four, almost five years since we've been right at the base of the tower I think, and I don't remember the huge glass security fence. It's possible it was there, but I sure don't remember it. We were in Paris two years ago as well but I don't think we were at the base of the tower at that time. The place was mobbed by men selling tourist stuff, which I know isn't new but I swear this time it was wall to wall vendors (the kind where they set up a little square patch of fabric that has ropes connected to each corner that cinch up, and their "goods" are laid out on the fabric, I'm guessing in part the cinch is to pack up quick and run if the police show up because I can't imagine that the city allows it.)
I have a picture of the kids as my phone background, which is of them 4-5 years ago when we were in Paris and they are standing in a park area just before you hit the Champs-Élysées street, and we took another photo in the same spot, in the same pose. That shot took about 20 minutes because the kids were arguing, and Lucia pulled Romeo's hair because he was goofing around, and then he started crying, and then it took 10 minutes to calm him down, and then everyone was grouchy. They almost look perfectly happy in the pic too, you'd almost never know (except that I just recorded it in their blog history), and I think the only reason I got semi-smiles is that I said a naughty "potty" word which I won't repeat here even though it's kind of funny all the time.
It was a long night, filled with so much walking...I think even with the long drive during most of the day, we still walked almost 10 miles. We ultimately took an Uber home and we were lucky he even took us because we are a group of 5, and the regular Uber is only allowed to take 4 people. You have to order an Uber "van" for more than 5 people, which I didn't realize at the time I called the Uber. We took the metro from Montemartre to the left bank, but it was a multiple subway switch to get home and none of us had the patience. Mostly me, followed very closely by the kids. It had also been packed on the subway--like the scary kind of packed where you literally can't move an inch. Kids were a little scared. Nothing like being squished up against a million people at the end of a hot day, the smell is insane, people are generally rude and no one is happy.
Love this city, it never gets old seeing the familiar and magnificent monuments. The Seine is always beautiful, the light always surprises me in new ways. I think we could have stayed in a more central area, but my opinion of where to stay changes every time I come here. I haven't landed on where would be perfect yet.
Can't wait for John to come tomorrow, I'm ready for a co-parent, and for the older girls to stop saying, "things are better when daddy is here" which is their go-to anytime anything doesn't go perfectly smooth and I'm solo. Plenty of things don't go smooth even when we are both on parenting duty, but they don't seem to remember that. Teenagers are seriously mean sometimes.
Signed, ME {lv}
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