Paris

Bonjour!!! Join me as I share some details of our trip to the baguette capital of the world—Paris.

Our earlier posts shared my super curated version of homeschooling and it was about traveling to the great cities and "learning" history, culture, geography and art to name a few AND with books at hand to enrich the learning experience. Today, those expectations are long gone because our Unschooling Lifestyle and our whole human experience are better off with massive doses of being present and taking-it-all-in.

I'll tell you why.

I still remember my crazy self and the unwanted expectations I had on my children because without them I wouldn't be able to see how far we have come. How far I have come. It may sound a bit self centered but it's a mere reminder of the evolution we all are capable of doing. And if I can do it, anybody can!!!

The reason why I bring this up is because we visited Paris for two days and it was exquisite to say the least.

I feel joyful about this trip because we enjoyed the time we were there as we are and not how I thought we should be. We enjoyed Paris in the Unschooling Lifestyle kind of way...

What that means is simple—honoring everyone's needs and working together to keep our rhythms in a state of partnership with ourselves and with each other.

Here is the recap of our very first Paris trip as a family.

The Pre-flight

Our departure day started with a short visit to a Michigan cider mill to see some friends and then to the store to buy some well needed shoes for the trip. I was thinking more tennis shoes but my oldest son settled on crocks and I agreed. I wasn't sure how they would work out but we both agreed that he would say something if they weren't what he expected and that we would buy new shoes wherever we were 1️⃣ (read a more in depth version of the event every time you see a number like this one).

So with new crocks at hand and some finger lights we headed home to the inevitable task of "packing light."

I must say that I admire you if you can pack light. As a flight attendant I'm used to packing the day of my trip because my trips are predictable and it's just me but packing for a family is always different. Nonetheless I made sure we had the essentials such as passports, money 2️⃣, airplane blankets, some clothes, some snacks, pull-ups and a whole lot of excitement. And off we were, to the airport and beyond!!

The Detroit Metropolitan airport is our home airport and my absolute favorite. The security line on the second floor is a hidden gem and it took us less than 20 minutes to get through. After security we made our way to Leo's Coney Island for some food and before we knew it the gate agent had assigned our seats 3️⃣.

Bonjour Paris

The flight was smooth and my youngest son fell asleep right after the meal service and stayed asleep until landing. I wish I could say that we all got some rest but only my youngest son had some sleep. The rest of us were running on pure adrenaline. So, we landed in Paris visibly tired and utterly excited.

Airports nowadays are mini cities and the Charles de Gaulle airport is no exception. The walk towards immigration and customs was long but we did it at our pace because slow and steady wins the race 4️⃣. We got through passport control and it was time to find the metro to head to the Voco hotel in Montparnasse. The walk towards the metro was going well until a team of people tried to pick pocket my husband's wallet out of his cargo shorts. Thankfully the wallet was deep in his pocket and the band was unable to get it but it was incredible to see how they work together to distract you by bumping into you and then someone else goes behind you to take the wallet followed by another bump to distract you again. This particular event had a lot of deep conversations within our family as we moved through the city paying close attention to our belongings but also to the different clusters of people around us. We even practiced the pick pocket trick when my phone was in my back pocket and everyone was successful.

After securing our property we found the metro station and off we went to Montparnasse but the metro had an unexpected stop and after a few eye rolls from fellow passengers we understood that it was common and it could potentially last a while. My son suggested we get off the metro and take an Uber to the hotel because sleep was starting to knock on our door. So we grabbed our backpacks and off we went to catch an uber to the hotel. The ride to Montparnasse was long because the Parisian traffic is out of this world!!!! The boys fell asleep during the hour long ride to the hotel and even though it took a while to get there we still arrived at Montparnasse by 11 am. The hotel room was not ready. We were able to check in but the room wouldn't be available until 3 pm and it was a hard lesson to learn—never expect hotel rooms to be ready before 3pm, especially in a touristy place like Paris. We managed to get food but the rain and need for sleep kept us from walking around and it was the longest wait time I have ever experienced because we were all so tired. Once our room was ready we made our way up and into the bed for much needed sleep.

The next day we woke up kind of late and made our way out of the hotel by noonish. The Eiffel tower wasn't too far and we walked at our own pace taking in the buildings, the people and everything else in between. We found a bakery and bought baguettes and a few fancy pastries that looked like they belonged in a museum and we made our way to find the Eiffel Tower. I had a general idea of where to go but nothing prepares you for when you turn the corner and there it stands La Dame de Fer with all of its glory and poise staring at you. Inviting you to get closer and becoming part of your life forever. So off we went and as we got closer we found some cool places to explore and even a made up Go Kart experience.

I can say that it has taken me a while to let go of my conditioning of revering the sites that people believe are worthy and ignore the rest. Yet, children are in tune with their intuition and Eiffel Tower or

not they were working towards what works for them. And in this case, the Go Kart experience was a hit! The cost was 5 euros for 7 laps but you could get one or two extra from the man that was running the whole thing. Our boys spent almost an hour the first time before we made our way to the tower but not before we had agreed on coming back after the tower experience.

The tower experience was absolutely worth it and I have my flight attendant/travel agent to thank for because I just showed up and they scanned my tickets. The top was crowded but we saw a man getting on one knee and proposing to his girlfriend. It was supposed to be romantic but it looked rushed to me. Either way the boys had a blast looking at them and clapping with everyone else. You can enjoy a flute of bubbly wine but the line was long so we headed for the elevator to meet up with my husband who knew did not wanted to go up. And that was totally ok! The boys and I made our way down the stairs from the second level because the elevator line was long. The process was fun and tiring at the same time but we all made it! We found my husband and made it back to the Go Kart experience and we also found a carrousel tucked in that we could not leave without trying so we went wild and closed the place down. The day was finished with dinner at a nearby restaurant with a view of the tower. The boys were just hungry but it was nice for my husband and I to have that experience. We walked towards the hotel to have a quiet night and get ready for our train trip to London.

Au Revoir Paris

I can say that going to Europe for the first time was a big event but working from unrealistic expectations would have been extremely catastrophic for all of us. I find that when you are in a very historical city with a tremendous amount of energy from the past and present can alter even the most calming person in the universe. So it was imperative that I remained calm, cool and collected so I could pass that on to everyone else. My oldest son walked all over Paris (and London) with his crocs and there was no need for us to buy anything else. I learned then, yet again, that trusting him is the most important thing that I should be doing. Trust the Process, Trust the Children!!!!!!

I hope you enjoyed this extra lengthy post and that it supports your journey of exploring all of the places that this beautiful earth has to offer! Feel free to leave us a message or share our post if it resonates with you! Happy Travels.

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As you know I'm long winded so here are some of the expanded explanations.

1️⃣ The Unschooling Lifestyle (TULS) practicality is in the agreement. I honestly thought tennis shoes would be better but him knowing that he wanted crocks was enough for me (not at first because I must have suggested tennis shoes 3 or 4 times 😝). The other important piece is that in Human Design both of the boys have a sacral authority. What that means is that their first instinct or their gut instinct is true to how they feel and it helps with staying in alignment with themselves.

2️⃣ We exchanged money into euros and pounds but we also had to use our bank cards. The exchange fees through our bank were a bit much and will be looking for a different card for our future trips. The transactions over $800 USD (only our train ride) were declined by Chase (our bank) but quickly fixed by paying cash and bringing the card amount to less than $800 USD. The United Kingdom recently changed their currency and a large majority of places preferred cards unless you have exact change. The currency exchange business that we used was extremely helpful in sharing the look and feel of the British pound banknotes to avoid getting bills that are now worthless.

3️⃣ It's worth noting that I'm employed by a major airline and my employment comes with some flying benefits. We are considered "non-revenue" passengers and our seats are given towards the end of the boarding process if seats are available. This way of life is all we have ever known and it works for us, but I know it's not for everyone. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about what to expect or how to land a job in the aviation industry.

4️⃣ TULS Practicality — My dad makes fun of my mom and I because he says we are always running and in a rush. Well, not this time! We made our way closer to the wall and allowed rushing travelers to get by. We were taking it all in AND we had major jetleg syndrome. This is the way we have approached the whole trip because nothing good comes out of rushing people, especially tiny humans with short legs. We have walked slowly but we have walked more than we usually do and the slow pace has been key to our enjoyment as well as exploring what interests us.

5️⃣ As I mentioned before Paris was a last minute add and I was lucky to find a flight attendant travel agent that helped me book the hotel and our Eiffel Tower tickets.