Bon Jour

Well it's been a while since I've updated my blog but that is because Dean and I were on vacation. We're back now so I will let you know how it was. We were fortunate enough to make our way to Paris. The fun of it was that my parents, my brother and some family friends were able to make the trip also. We had a blast. We made it around to see all the sights of Paris and since Dean and I had a harder time getting there than most (the joy of flying standby) we were able to see London for a day too. We left last Friday, the 15th attempting to get to New York and then Paris. But of course with my luck of flying standby, we were unable to get on the flight -- overbooked. So we decided to head directly to London and then take the Eurostar to Paris. It was pretty neat to take the train but since I hadn't slept in almost 24 hours, I only saw the backs of my eyelids for most of the trip. It only takes about 3 hours from point to point which isn't bad at all. To top off my unluckiness, both of our luggage were unable to be found for a day or two. I was able to get mine after a day, but Dean had to wear his socks for another day. We did go out and buy him some shirts and jeans and socks too, only to see that his luggage was there when we got back. Oh well, at least he got his bag back. Other than that, everything else went well. We were able to eat all the french bread and cheese we wanted and wash it down with wine. I couldn't ask for anything more to eat in France. It's funny because a glass of wine is cheaper than a coke. They wanted 4.50 euros for a coke which is about 5 bucks. Nevertheless, we stuck to wine most of the time. As a a group we took some excursions to Giverney which is where Claude Monet lived and completed some of his most famous paintings. (Waterlillies) We also went to the Palace of Versailles which is quite a site. It's hard to believe that the Louvre was not big enough for the King so he had to have a new palace built. It was quite breathtaking. I would have a hard time remembering where I last saw my shoes. The last excursion was to Normandy. This was probably the most emotional. You can read all about WWII and the invasion at Normandy but to actually see the beach and then the memorial with all the white marble tombstones was pretty overwhelming. There are about 12,000 US soldiers burried there and it's amazing that as far as you can see are tombstones. It really puts everything into perspective. We stayed in Paris for a week and made our way back to Cleveland on Saturday, the 23rd. Sunday and Monday were days for recovery and sleep; and to spend some quality time with Alexis. She stayed here with Dean's sister Mary for the week. I'm sure she had so much fun that she didn't even miss us. It was a wonderful trip but it is always nice to get back and sleep in your own bed. I'll attach a few pictures of our stay while in Paris.