With Special Guest Blogger: Mom!

I thought this would be a special way to keep track of all that we do on "The Mother and Son Euro Tour." So Justin is letting me be the guest blogger!

My best bud, Kay, picked Justin and I up from my house Friday AM, and graciously dropped us off at the Amtrak station in Blm/Normal. Good thing we had our tickets already as there were quite a few Cub/Cardinal fans that decided to take the day off and take the train to Chicago for the game. What a way to travel. With all the driving I do in a week, sitting back and riding was a great thing. Of course, we also had to rely on my sister to pick us up in Joliet. That all went off without a hitch, got a Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's, then on to the airport. All flights left on time, and except for an aborted landing in Paris because another plane was in our way, travel was good. I am not sure how much Justin and I actually slept, as it was a very full flight, probably 400+ people, and it was hard to get comfortable. I swear I will bring my pillow as my carry-on the next time I have to try to sleep on a plane.

We arrived at his apartment around 11:00am. After dropping off our bags, we hit the streets. It was a cloudy, drizzly day, but around 55 degrees with no wind. We first stopped for some food, which, for me, consisted of a ham and white cheese crepe made by the crepe street vendor near Justin's place. He also makes paninis on bagette bread. If one of those was near my place, I would be a regular. Yummy!. On to sight seeing. We took the Metro train, aka the subway, to the Arc de Triomphe. It is so massive, it is hard to get your mind around it. No picture does it justice. We then strolled down the Champs Elysees, a long street with high end shops and places to eat. On the recommendation of one of my docs, we stopped at LaDuree. This is a place known for their pastries and multiflavor macaroons. We had hot chocolate and a macaroon each. The hot chocolate was the richest, thickest hot chocolate we have ever had. Truly decadent, mmmmm. Then we headed down to the Grand and Petit Palais, which are museums. We checked out the Pont Alexander III bridge and statues around it. Past the bridge, in the distance, we could see the Hotel des Invalides, which is where Napoleon's tomb is located. We then walked more to the Place de la Concord. This is the round-about, where there are no lanes, no traffice signals, and insurance companies don't even bother to investigate claims. If there were lanes, it is probably wide enought to have at least 4 wide. On to the Place Vendome. This is the square where the very tall statue with Napoleon on top is located. I was going to do some shopping at Dior, Chanel, and Bulivar, but decided to hold off on that. We strolled some streets. Amazing to see shops so exclusive that only one person can go in at a time. You have to ring a bell to be let in, then they personally show you gloves, perfume, or jewelry. Gotta have some bucks. The Louvre was our next stop.

The size of the Louvre astounded me. Again, until you see it up close, you cannot imagine how large and spread out this building is. Lots of people there on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Saw the traditional things, Mona Lisa, Venus, etc, etc. Was very impressed with the ceiling art, and the sheer size of some of the paintings.

At this point, it is about 4:30, and we were dragging. Back to the apartment for a power nap before showering and going to dinner. Thanks to Mom and Dad, we enjoyed dining in a high end restaurant. Absolutely worth every euro. Had some great wine, white asparagus for an entree, which in France, is the appetizer. Then I had duck with a crushed pistachio sauce and some sort of garlic potato gratin. Then the best part of all, dessert. I had creme brulee for the first time, and for sure, need to learn how to make it. The carmelized top tasted like roasted marshmellows and was a nice crunch to go with the creamy smoothness of what was underneath. Justin had tiramisu, which was also to die for. After dinner, we took a stroll in front of Notre Dame, lit up at night. Breathtaking! We did a bit of shopping for gifts to take home, then went back to the apartment to crash.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring? We are thinking of doing a catherdral tour, and checking several out. The rain is supposed to last through tomorrow, but the rest of the week looks great. Will post again tomorrow. Having a great time, and cannot believe I am seeing things in person I have only seen in history books. Thanks to all who helped me to make this trip possible.

Maman (french for Mommy)