Paris

Bonjour! Boston to Paris was the first leg of our journey.  We decided to spend a few days in Paris before heading to Spain, because... well... crepes and towers.  

We thought the thrill of the city would help all of us recover from the jet lag, and it worked like a well-buttered baguette.  We figured out the subway system with only a few dashes through wrong gates but quickly learned what Sortie means (EXIT) and life got easier. The sparkle of the Eiffel Tower in the background and our girls are realizing just how amazing it is to travel.

This fancy little French girl  proclaimed after dinner, "The funny thing is that I just ate snails, the funniest thing is that I liked them!"  We have had a lot of new and different food these past few days, and the girls have jumped right in.  Food is something that can really give you a sense of place.  A hot bowl of French Onion soup on my first day was all it took for me to realize this different was going to be ok.  My girls don't finish everything they try, but they will try anything, and we can work with that.  Plus you know Paris, they know a thing or two about food.

Charlotte is learning about World History this year, and we heard a lot about Napoleon, and his arcs and triumphs...Our only concern is that the French didn't make fun of his height, not once.  In fact, I don't think she even knows how tall he is which is the ONLY thing I think I knew about him in Junior High.  So we might be missing a few things from the curriculum. The museums have been great and really making this travel schooling just about the easiest thing I have ever done.  Ok, so you need to learn about hieroglyphics- hey look here are some that are from 300BC, let's look at these with a commentary from the guy that found them.  History✔️

The history has been great, but there are few things in life cooler than walking through the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay with an Art Professor, who also happens to be your dad.  Charlotte still thinks her Dad knows things so they talked about Impressionism, Flying Buttresses, and bohemian conditions for arts to flourish (or not) all day. Art ✔️

Jake was on his game, even convincing the girls that maybe the Mona Lisa isn't the greatest painting in the world.  Here they are giving their best Mona Lisa smiles.

 

We also ran into some Parisians which was pretty awesome.  Jake's sister Abby and her boyfriend Alex made our day wonderful. Familiar faces are as welcome as French Onion Soup on a journey, and when they are this cute, it really helps make this transition.

So here we are!  On the front steps of Notre Dame, you can find "Zero".  The official start of the Camino de Santiago and the point at which all distances in France are measured. We head from this beautiful Cathedral to the Cathedral of Santiago.  It will take us some time, but we are getting closer and closer to Saint James one Kilometer at a time.