I love my family. And when my mom and two sisters said they would join me at the beginning of this new adventure I was thrilled. I had been living with my mom and dad since I got back last October, so I had spent a lot of time with my parents. But, I only saw my sisters and brother (his son graduated from high school the week were going so he couldn’t come…Congrats John!) a handful of times since I had been back, so I was excited to spend some time with them before I headed on my own. And I was excited to see my family in Paris.
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The Family’s First Meal In Paris
We arrived a little jet-lagged and tired, but we were all set to enjoy our first day in Paris. I checked my family into their AirBnB and we were all starving. So, we found this cute brasserie called Le Circus that had a great view of The Centre Pompidou, which is a modern art museum I still have yet to visit.
I haven’t traveled with my siblings since we were kids. So this first meal gave me a little insight into how this trip would be. My sister Angie likes things a certain way. She likes basic food. Not saying she’s basic, but she wants fried shrimp with cocktail sauce. Whereas my other sister is more adventurous. I’m a little in between. I love adventure obviously, but if it doesn’t go how I planned I can get a little upset. This is foreshadowing people.
So when my steak tartare came to the table, Angie looked in disgust, as Jenny wanted to try it. I loved eating with Angie because she has a dry sense of humor and the faces she would make at some of my food throughout this trip were hilarious. We enjoyed our meal and even got a free show across the square where a bunch of goth kids played the same song over and over while dancing and punching the air. So off to a good start.
Exploring With A Local
If you’ve read my post in the past I have a wonderful friend that I have known since my first trip to Paris 6 years ago. Berty is the person that inspired my “10 Unique Things To Do In Paris” post. He’s an amazing person and I love him so much. My mom and Angie were a little tired so they went back to take a nap. Jennie wanted to just keep going so she would be on Paris time the next day. We met up with Berty and he showed us a few places.
The thing I love about walking around a city with a local is you get little tidbits that you wouldn’t normally get. And they aren’t mindblowing, but just cool little things like the oldest department store in Paris or seeing something you may not have noticed walking around. That’s what it’s like every time I walk around with Berty. It makes Paris just so much cooler. So, if you become friends with a local hang-on to them, they are going to show you some cool things every time you visit.
We finished our time with Berty so my family could get ready to meet up for dinner with him later. I’m a gay man. So I’m not surrounded by women all the time. But, the old cliche joke about women taking forever is kind of true. I mean granted, they are staying in a little studio apartment sharing one bathroom. Which, side note, if you are 3 or less this Airbnb is great, CLICK HERE for booking. But, I get it, make-up, hair, the right outfit…I just slap on a hat, a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt and I’m ready to go. But, they get ready, we meet Berty at Brasserie les Petits Carreaux (a favorite of mine) and have a lovely evening. My mom and Berty have a great relationship since he came to visit us in Minnesota, so it was nice to see them reunite.
The Jet-Lagged Family In Paris Head to Montmartre
My sister Jennie may have been a little excited for our first day and drank a few beers and some wine. So, she woke up not feeling the greatest. I had originally planned on going to the Louvre and doing a Hop-On Hop-Off bus, but since she wasn’t going to be ready till noon Angie and my mom went and explored a little on our own. Remember above when I said I love adventure like Jennie but like things a certain way like Angie. This was my first time getting little frustrated with things not going as planned. I wasn’t mad at Jennie, I’m glad she had a great night. It’s a flaw of mine, that I worked on as the trip progressed.
Around noon Jennie was ready to go, and we headed to Montmartre. I’m a former New Yorker, walking for 30 minutes uphill to me is like walking to the corner store. My sister Angie and my mom have heart conditions and I didn’t realize this walk was going to be a struggle. The Hop-On Hop-Off bus used to go to Montmartre, but they cut some of their lines since Covid. So I want to openly apologize for ignorantly thinking this was an easy walk.
But with a few stops to sit along the way we made it. This neighborhood is one of my favorites. You’ll get great outdoor cafes, beautiful snapshots, hear some amazing music, and one of the best views of Paris. If you’re a family in Paris for the first time, this is a must…Even if you’re not a family it’s a must.
Seeing The Main Sites With My Family In Paris
This is the day I made my sister Angie cry. Yep, I’m that brother. But, I’ll get to that in a moment. Because I saw my mom and sister struggle the day before, I knew a Hop-On Hop-Off bus was necessary today. We were going to go to the Louvre, but the lines were out of control. I made the decision to go on the bus first, and then go towards closing because the line would be shorter.
We had a great morning and afternoon. Because we got the front seats we decided to do the whole tour first, then we would go around again and hop off. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and and got macarons at Laduree, it was a beautiful day. I was still set on going to the Louvre. It was the first time for my family in Paris, I want them to see the Louvre. But we didn’t get back till almost an hour before they closed and decided it wasn’t going to happen.
Well, this is when I made my sister cry. Remember when I said she has a dry sense of humor. She had been making jokes that I was purposely going the long way to torture her. I had said we were going to get off at Notre Dame because it’s closer to the apartment. She made a similar joke and said the Louvre was closer. I kind of snapped at that point and said “Fine. We’ll do it your way”. I said let’s go, and got off at the Louvre. She knew I was mad, and started crying. And again, I wasn’t mad at her. I had planned this trip for months, and I felt like I was failing their experience. My perfect two days in a city I love so much, wasn’t going how I wanted. But what THEY wanted was to just be in Paris. It didn’t matter where we went.
Ending Our Last Night On A High Note
While our time in Paris didn’t go as I had planned, we ended up having a great final evening. After I apologized to my family for getting angry we went to meet Berty for dinner. We met him at Bouillon Chartier. It was actually the first place Berty and I had lunch on my first trip to Paris. It’s a great place to eat and really affordable. I highly recommend it. We laughed and had a great time. Angie again got grossed out by me and my sister eating snails. But it’s one of those moments when you realize everything didn’t go perfect, but this moment is.
My family said goodbye to Berty and my mom was ready for bed. So the three of us decided to hang out for a little longer. The great thing about family is, yes, you can bicker and get upset with each other, but you can get past it and have a great night together. We had some serious moments, we shared stories we hadn’t told each other before, and we laughed a lot. And that’s what I’m going to remember.
My Family In Paris Drama Continues…
We had this plan that we would get a cab to the airport. We gave ourselves plenty of time to get there, we would have two hours at the airport to get checked in. It was perfect. Until we couldn’t get a cab ANYWHERE. Seriously, over a half-hour and not a single open cab came by. I shift gears and decide we’re taking the train. Was going to be tight, but we could make it.
Then when we arrive at CDG we have to dash to the ticket counter. My mom than is looking through her purse and can’t find her wallet with all her cards and money. I go into emergency travel mode and say “It’s fine. I have plenty of money saved, and we’ll look once we get to Athens”. The woman checks our bags and we’re off.
I’m sprinting through the airport like the family in Home Alone, as my mom and sister try to go as fast as they can. Luckily we make it on time. I was seated a few seats ahead of them, and I’m sitting there worried for my mom. There’s nothing we can do about it now. We’re off to Athens. Not exactly how I wanted my time with my family in Paris to end, but there was nothing we could do about it.
Dum Dum Dum…Tune In Tomorrow
I feel like if this was a tv show I would say “Tune in next week”. But, I’ll share about our time in Athens tomorrow. While our time in Paris didn’t go as planned or as smoothly as I hoped, I like to be honest with people when it comes to travel. I’m not going to sugarcoat it so it looks like everything was perfect. This is what happened. This is what happens when you travel with other people. You put four very different jet-lagged people together and there are going to be fights and frustrations.
It’s important for people to know that it’s okay if things go wrong. It makes for a better story in my opinion. And a year from now, this trip will come up at the dinner table and we’ll laugh at the bad stuff, but more importantly remember the good. I got so focused on this leg of the trip on making everything perfect. But the most perfect parts of this trip were the things I didn’t plan. Spending time with my family in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And who can complain about that? I’m very grateful for being able to spend time with my family in Paris. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.
Mom
Paris was great even with a few set backs. I love seeing Paris and Berty again. If I ever go again I will listen to Johnny about packing light! No one will remember what you have worn a few days before. Love my time with them, but did feel my age a little more this time. Johnny you did a wonderful job of planning the trip for us.❤️🍾🍷
Johnny
It was a good time. Loved spending time with you three in one of my favorite cities.
YVonne Graham
I love reading your family adventure! My family would be the same.
Mary Jo
Loved your honest down to earth log.
You have created lasting memories for your family…with the ups and downs of travel. Thank you