We were sad to say goodbye to England. We know, strange but true! We found the people really helpful and fun and our days there were charming and unforgettable. However, Sunday came and it was time to head for our next destination, Paris.

We'd been to Paris before but were hoping to share some of the romance with the kids. However, it didn't start off that way. We caught the Eurostar train (that goes through the Chunnel) in plenty of time, thank goodness, but when we got on, we were told we were the only car without air conditioning!! Argh!

We arrived in Paris, a sweltering two and a half hours later, happy to get off the train, only to meet a sweltering Paris! When you leave Paris metro stations, you have to use your train ticket to open the exit gate, but Connor's wouldn't go through. So, there we were, trapped in the subway, possibly for eternity. However, a very large Parisian stopped, looked at the situation, and ordered Connor to crawl through, so he did. Who can argue with the French? Needless to say, when we didn't recognize any street signs upon seeing daylight again, we chased after our saviour, retrieved directions from him, and set off. Six blocks later, we rounded a corner, greeted by the friendly face of Dominique who showed us up to our "home" in Paris, a delightful apartment, perfectly situated and looking out upon the Pantheon.

That evening, we hit a neighbourhood Crepery, ordered crepes for $12.00 per person, only to discovery, too late, that our kids don't like that type of crepe (with cheese, potatoes, etc.) Apparently, ones with strawberries and whipped cream are fine! Sixty dollars later, and somewhat depressed, we got some ice cream and went home. Margaret did laundry so that at the least, we smelled better the next day.

July 16

We have a beautiful bakery less than a block from the apartment. Bloody brilliant. Oops, wrong country. Tres Magnifique! We picked up some "Take Away" and headed for the Louvre. What can anyone say to possibly explain the overwhelming expanse of history fused with art, culture, war, love and religion? It's simply too much to describe, so we won't. We hit Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus De Milo, the Egyptian wing, Greek wing, and a little beyond. Hey, do not get us wrong - Louis XIV was certainly some kind of major egomaniac, to say the least, and we were truly overwhelmed by the ceilings, so much so that our necks hurt the next day from looking up; but, let's face it, art is art. We saw many, many people snapping away at everything in every room and it's a little hard to believe that they all knew everything about everything. So, we happily ambled along, letting our eyes be drawn to the exhibits that, well …drew us. Hey, isn't that what art is supposed to be about, anyway?

After the Louvre, we walked halfway to Pere Lachaise cemetery (perhaps the most famous cemetery in the world), but gave up and decided to conquer the Metro underground of Paris. Our kids have surprised us with how quick they are to read maps, think logically, and point out signs while navigating these underground systems. Paris proved no different. A while later, we stood before Jim Morrison's, Moliere's, and Chopin's gravesites, contemplating the effect these people have had on the people who followed. Rain had descended upon us within moments of entering the cemetery - ironically, a phenomenon that had not occurred in Scotland or England, so we had to take shelter for several moments but, when we re-emerged, the green came to life and the wet tomb stones that surrounded us took on a surreal quality.

That night, we stopped at a tiny grocery store (petite marche) and made a homecooked meal, enjoying it with a bottle of red wine (2 euros) and an awesome lit up view of the Pantheon. C'est la vie de Paris.

July 17

We sent Connor and Tessa into the heart of Paris on a quest for breakfast, armed with 13 euros and some vague instructions if they became lost. That's how safe we all feel here! They returned alive and well with a Croque Monsieur, a croissant, and some cool pastries. Six euros for a brilliant breakfast! We ate, took a deep breath, and headed for our four hour walking tour of Paris armed with comfortable shoes, rain coat (just in case), and our mp3 players. Rick Steves is a travel consultant with a TV program and website (www.ricksteves.com), who has some mp3 tours that we downloaded for free. The tour was fun and easy to follow. We got some strange looks from people who must have thought we were a little dysfunctional, walking through these beautiful buildings while listening to our headsets, but we only felt sorry for them since they weren't getting the same information we were.

We timed our visit to Notre Dame to correspond with noon Mass, so that was a wonderful experience; and the weather throughout our walk was perfect - slight breeze, the occasional cloud.

Having enjoyed our walk so much, we decided to keep going, by walking to the Eiffel tower. On the map it doesn't look that daunting. In reality, "Yikes!" It was a long, long walk. When we got there, our walk didn't come close to comparing with the line-ups to get to the top. We would have walked up the stairs, but the man overlooking the line told us we could only walk to the second floor, not to the top. Connor was devastated when we told him we were not going to wait in line. What do you do? There we were, standing below this famous monument with a 14 year old teenager looking at us. Really, what do you do? Well, three hours later, we looked down upon the amazing city, and told him it was worth it. Of course, besides the view, we also realized how far we had walked and were a little horrified; but we had saved $6.00 Canadian in subway fees!

Three hours up. Three minutes looking around. Half hour down and…hmmm..what to do next?

We headed for Sacre Coeur, this time taking the Paris Subway (another unbelievable adventure - walking too far, and then the ticket machine didn't work; the attendant spoke no English and ignored us; until a French girl came by and suddenly changed him into someone who was very helpful). We got through that and arrived, invigorated by the incredible view and the carnival mood. Every store was colourful and busy. Music flowed from each street corner. Tessa purchased a Paris scarf by bartering and the kids got string bracelets as they entered the grounds of the church. The people making the bracelets were very pushy, and the kids got a quick lesson in how to say "no" and not pay 10 euros per bracelet (they still ended up paying 1 euro which was too much). We are trying to teach them about dealing with street people, and it is difficult because we don't want them to become cynical. So far, there have not been many but the general variety of beggars include:

• people who kneel on a pillow praying and holding out a cup,
• people sitting with their dog and a sign saying, "We are starving."
• buskers who are not very good at their crafts
• buskers who are great, and
• people who come up with a piece of paper saying they are from another country, but their husbands died and they can't get home.

The last situation upset the kids until they saw another woman doing it a few blocks further up in exactly the same way. We don't give money unless it's a musician who seems to be working hard or who cheers us up, like the guitar player who leaped into our car on the subway and sang "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." He was so good that a number of people started to sing along and it made the hot, smelly, overcrowded car much nicer to be in.

The evening ended with an excellent supper, where Margaret had escargot and was not disappointed. However, the restaurant could not process credit cards that night. So, while Barry walked down the street, the kids watched a beating take place (5 guys beating up on 1), but our waiters came out and we felt safe, hoping Barry was, too. He soon returned without any problems and we headed home to watch the end of our movie, Broken Arrow, which we had watched in chapters on the laptop for two nights previously. We also came to the sad realization that we would be saying goodbye to this glorious city in the morning. Quel dommage!