Tag Archives: dad

le fin

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“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Today we depart France and mark the close of our Summer 2013 family vacation in Europe.

As I reflect on the past 19 days, the words I wrote on May 10 and all my reasons for taking these two young travelers on their second European trip, I’m reminded of Maya Angelou’s words:

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”

I sought to expand their view of this world, of the people on this planet. I sought to give them a glimpse into life outside suburban San Francisco. I sought to show them how others live. I sought to show them history. I sought to make our own history.

I sought to show them why this Californian has fallen in love with Paris, in love with traveling. I sought to show them they are the two most important people in my life.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” ~ Miriam Beard

If their world is just a little flatter,

If they are a little more tolerant,

If they are inspired to learn a new language,

If they are, simply, inspired,

If they seek to understand,

If they understand that the best route between two points isn’t always the quickest,

If they know that God’s treasures are always at the end a long (2km!) walk and sometimes it’s turquoise,

If they see turquoise and remember kayaking,

If they have a passion for writing and sharing their experiences,

If they wake up one day and realize they have friends who span the globe, who speak different languages and who have differing cultures,

If they hear “Mona Lisa” and are instantly transported to an afternoon at the Louvre,

If they see 100 year old buildings in San Francisco and are reminded of the 1000 year old buildings in Paris,

If they are forgiving when Dad has to stop to have (some more) gelato,

If they made memories,

If they had fun,

then this was a fantastic summer vacation.

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” ~ Samuel Johnson

from ajaccio to cargèse

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“Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.”1 ~ Antonio Machado

Road side dropoff

Here’s what it looks like when you get dropped off on the side of the road.

We followed our harrowing adventure to get to the ferry with an equally adventurous trip to get to Club Med.

Pro tip #1: There is no taxi stand at the ferry port in Ajaccio.

Pro tip #2: A taxi from Ajaccio to Cargèse is a lot of money, 120€. Take a bus.

Pro tip #3: The bus doesn’t actually take you to Club Med Cargèse. Close. But 2km, by some young travelers, is not “close“.

Here’s what it looks like when you’re walking 2km past horses and cows dragging luggage:

2km. Past cows.
Past horses.

Pro tip #4: this was our pot of gold at the end of the 2km rainbow:


1. “Traveler, there is no path, the path must be forged as you walk.”

montmartre

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“Two of the greatest gifts we can give our children are roots and wings.” ~ Hodding Carter

4 shoes in front of Sacré Cœur.

Montmartre. Sacré Cœur. Rue Foyatier.

Mountain of the martyr.

For two years this place has been on my “Paris To-Do” list.

For two years I’ve wanted to see where Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh worked. Where Le Chat Noir and Moulin Rouge were.

Monday I finally made it.

After a ridiculously fabulous breakfast at Ladurée and a Metro to Anvers, we walked up towards Sacré Cœur. It stood, at the top, beckoning in its travertine splendor.

Despite the overcast weather, the view from the top was incredible.

A view of Paris ~ a sea of buildings with Centre Georges Pompidou (mere meters from our apartment in Le Marais) in the distance on one side and La Tour Eiffel on the other.

William had this to say:

Eiffel Tower from Montmartre

Then we went to a church on a hill and went inside. It was much prettier than Notre Dame but still pretty dark [inside].

We ended the day with a stop at Mariage Frères for, perhaps, some of the best iced tea I’ve ever had. Violette French Summer Tea.

musée du louvre

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[This is a special three-author post. The Dad had an opportunity to visit before the other shoes arrived.]

The Dad (Sunday, June 16, 2013)

Pyramid at the LourveI’ve been to Paris many times.  I’ve walked around the Louvre Palace and the Pyramid.  I’ve imagined Robert Langdon discovering that the Grail is buried under La Pyramide Inversée.

But I’ve never been inside the Louvre.

I had the opportunity to visit the Louvre with someone who studied art history.

Four hours and 37,228 steps later we were both out of energy.

Layli

Winged Victory

Naked Aphrodite!

We went to the museum. We saw lots of nice things like a picture of Mona Lisa and Winged Victory [Winged Victory of Samothrace]. There was a section for everything. My favorite sections where the Egyptian and Persian sections.

William

The museum that we went to was okay. It’s also kind of cool because all the statues and things were real. There were mostly naked statues so that was boring. Then we left and had hamburgers for dinner and then we came home and started typing this.

ge • la • to

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Paris, mon amour,

Pistacchio & fragola.No visit with you is complete without gelato, without a trip to Grom.

Despite visiting Italy twice some 13 years ago, I became insanely addicted to gelato on my first trip to Buenos Aires. Insanely addicted.

There’s a certain anticipation that builds up on the walk to Grom, as I cross the padlock covered Pont des Arts, as I cross over and look out at the Seine, as I get closer and see the street sign, “Rue de Seine” and finally the blue and white banner of Grom in the distance.

And so I indulge. I order from a menu written in Italian. Moyen. Pistacchio. Fragola. My first spoonful is simply the taste of cold pistachio. My second is pure strawberry.

No walk is too long for a gelato this good.

Pont des Arts, collage

~ The Dad

ode to paris

Paris! City of Light! La Ville-Lumière!
Paris, my friend,

You and I first met in July 2011, my first trip to Europe in 10 years. You impressed me on that very first night, walking down, and then back up Rue Montmartre, grabbing a crêpe from the cart at the corner of the street.

The electric energy you showed me that July has been etched on my soul.

In two years I have returned to you more times than I can remember. You remain my most favorite city in the world, outside my own San Francisco (for my heart really does belong to her). You have shown me a different side of yourself every time I have visited.

la Tour Eiffel

You compelled me to walk at midnight – in the rain – along la Seine just to see the sparkling lights from votre Tour Eiffel from l’Esplanade du Trocadéro.

You allowed me to take refuge from your August heat in a boat, through the Saint Martin canals from Parc de la Villette to Musée d’Orsay.

You showed me amazing chocolate from Michel Chaudun and happiness that comes from bringing chocolate home to friends.

I returned last summer with my family for a visit that was simply too short for all you have to offer. So we return this summer and ask that you entertain and bring us adventure as only you can, before we make our way to Marseille and Corsica.

~ The Dad.

i am that dad

What is life if not for a series of experiences?

When I was little and we moved to Chicagoland we’d often spend the summers vacationing back in California. We drove. Never flew.

Along the way we’d have our adventures. And we’d keep our journals.

ArgentinaAlong the way I’d capture my own memories.

Sometimes it was discovering the Eagles by finding a lost cassette tape in Las Vegas and falling in love with “Hotel California“. Sometimes it was discovering there’s a limit to how many times I can reasonably listen to Fiddler on the Roof’s “If I Were a Rich Man“. Sometimes it was listening to LL Cool J’s “I Need Love” in the middle of the night while Dad was driving. Or Madonna’s “Borderline” while driving through New Mexico.

One of the joys of parenthood is making my children do the things my parents made me do (as I’m sure they will do to their own children).

But this is 2013. And in 2013 we don’t keep paper journals. We blog.

I invite you to follow as I take my children to places around the world. Two travelers. A brother & sister. Four shoes.