Parisian Weekend

I am back from my whirlwind weekend in Paris,

and what a whirlwind it was!

The reason for this awesome but short weekend?

This summer a couple of fellow teachers and I

are traveling to Italy & Greece with our students.

My weekend in Paris was in preparation for that trip.

The weekend was set up to be a mock tour for first time leaders,

so we could get a feel for what it will be like

when we have our students traveling with us.

Brilliant? I think so.

As I have mentioned before, I have an anxious heart.

After this weekend, I feel so much more confident

 traveling with 25+ students to Europe.

We did a lot of sightseeing but we also had meetings.

We discussed pertinent issues like:

money, procedures, emergencies,

lodging, food, pickpocketing, passports

and much more.

All discussions that eased my anxious little heart.

I also had the pleasure of missing my Thursday flight to Paris,

which honestly put me in a complete panic at the time

but taught me such a valuable lesson.

I won't bore you with the story of how it happened

but I did arrive in Paris an entire day late.

It was not a pretty sight to see me bawling in the Minneapolis airport

after finding out there was no way I could arrive to Paris on Friday.

BUT, God is good and I walked away feeling much more confident

that if our flights are delayed/canceled when traveling with our students,

I will know how to handle the situation with calm confidence.

Okay, maybe that is a stretch {definitely the calm part}

but I did learn a valuable lesson about what to do if you miss your international flight..

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Hope you are having a wonderful week.

Arc de Triomphe

Versailles Palace with our tour guide Terry

The Hall of Mirrors in Versailles Palace

King Louis XIV's luxurious bed

Marie Antoinette's Headboard

Marie Antoinette's lovely bed

Marie Antoinette's bedroom
I became obsessed with the chandeliers

Looking like a grand tourist in the Gardens at Versailles

Bernar Tenet's modern installation

Commemorative column celebrating Napoleon's military victory
inspired by Trajan's column in Rome

Eiffel Tower

Nutella Crepe & Espresso

The creperie
*Really cute DIY -- the lights just have lace glued on the top*

Notre Dame



Flamethrower outside Notre Dame Cathedral



Break dancer in front of St. Michel Fountain in the Latin Quarter

Basilica of Sacre Coeur in the heart of Montmarte

Toasting with a fellow traveler on the Seine River night cruise

Eiffel Tower at sunset

Notre Dame at sunset

Macaroons in the airport