The short story is that I got conscripted with a couple of weeks’ notice to escort two of my grandchildren (Emma, 13 and Daylen 9) to Paris where their parents are teaching in a study abroad program for a month.  The kids were to spend the last week of November with them in Paris, but my daughter discovered at the last minute that they could not travel alone. Alas, the duties of a Nana!

I have in recent years on suggestion by  son Jonathan been using Day One to travel journal. Thought I’d just include my journaling here in my blog.

We arrived in Paris without incident on Saturday morning, November 21 though a bit of worry on my part about close connections in Toronto, baggage, etc. Got a lovely Uber driver right away for a mere 50 E right to Allie and Stan’s door.
After checking their place out, (6th-floor walk-up)Stan and I walked down the street to meet Ben my Airbnb host. Lift out of order here too (!), so more walking to the 4th floor. He is so nice, and I am very happy in my wee abode.

  
  
After much ado and putting together of clothing etc, we set out with the 3 kids: 1 in stroller and 2 jet lagged, and 1 jet lagged Nana to go to Sainte Chappelle. I got a bit accosted on the Metro, a man I sat near was apparently harrassing me for money, quite drunk. I told him politely I did not speak French and could not understand him, and this seemed to inflame his anger. A man nearby came to my rescue telling him to stop yelling! Then Allie pulled me into another seat.
The weather was close to freezing, raining hard, and windy. Perfect to knock out that jet lag! I soon had very wet feet, which I kept the rest of the day. 😦
When three adults, two kids and a large raincoat covered stroller blew in the door of the tiny security office for Sainte Chappelle, cold and wet to the bone, the kind man took one look at us, and ushered me and the three children straight through with a smile…..“ Not terroriste, not terroriste!” Haha, we loved it.
Ste Chappelle is worth as many visits as you can get in a lifetime. It never fails to awe completely. Its beauty was lost only on Daylen, who found an ancient bench and promptly went to sleep sitting up.
Afterward we headed to a nearby cafe for chocolat chaud and ended up with a croque monsieur and some escargots! We are surely in Paris.