French days..

My father has boarded a plane for a trip to France. Tres tres jealous.

It was a few years ago now that U2 and I boarded a plane with an 18month old and headed to gay paree. I must admit that I had never had a burning desire to see Paris. I definitely liked the idea but it was not on my bucket list! However, SIL, BIL and DJ (sister-in-law, brother-in-law and their then 18 month old son) were going and we needed a spoily holiday as my Mum had died a few months earlier. What better place to be distracted than Paris so off we went!

We spent a week in Paris and I loved it. It is such a beautiful city with so many beautiful things. I cant exactly pin point one thing in particular that I liked it, it was just the vibe of the place. I remember wandering around the streets, absorbing the atmosphere and feeling content.

A market street we frequented near our apartment

We then spent a week in the French countryside. Drinking wine and eating well. Particularly cheese and baguettes! The owners of the house lived next door and we enjoyed some great wood fire pizza's and limoncello (yes, we were in France not Italy!).



 

Besides having my eyes opened to the beauty of France and learning that it is good to enjoy good things I also loved spending time with SIL and BIL. Mixing four adults and two 18 month olds for two weeks in a foreign country could have been a disaster but it was the total opposite (well for me, might have to ask SIL and BIL for their opinion yourself!). They had great ideas on things to do and places to see, we babysat for each other so we could enjoy Paris at night, we were all sympathetic to the difficulties of travelling with a toddler (there were some particularly noisy car trips), we shared meals, we shared a car, SIL and I looked in the 'girly' shops together, MiniMe had her favourite companion to play with and we came home with great shared memories. Great friends and great people!

While I may not have had a burning desire to visit France originally I now have a desire to return. Hopefully I will have some more French days before I kick the bucket!