December Twenty-second part 2

When we visited my aunt Joy a few days ago, by sheer happenstance, Dusty pulled out her scrapbook/journal of our Paris trip of 1999-2000. We started looking through it and I asked her if I could borrow it as I could see she had some things that I wanted to scan... oh how I would have kept more things if I had gone there today. ( and probably bought a lot more today too if we're being honest).

That night in bed I flipped to the journal section and started reading through it. I realized that it was exactly ten years ago tomorrow that we made our big excursion. My sister, myself, and my aunt. We left for Paris on Dec. 23, 1999 and arrived home on January 10, 2000. 18 days of living in and breathing the Parisian air. Looking back I realize several things: First, my parents were extremely brave sending their two teenage girls to a foreign country with their responsible but more than slightly spontaneous auntie. Secondly, we traveled right during Y2K, which if any of you remember, had lots of people pretty freaked out. Thirdly, we were so lucky to have the freedom of wandering and planning however we wanted; not being with a tour group. Also on that note, not being with a tour group, we were pretty vulnerable and lots could have happened to us.

In my aunt's journal she talks about lots of times, as she calls them, little "guardian angels" who helped us out and watched over us. These angels were random people in airports, or on the streets, who seemed to take us under their wing. In my seventeen year old naiveté, I wasn't super concerned, just along for the ride. I never remember feeling frightened. Mostly exhilarated. The only time that was sketchy was during New Year's Eve/Day when we ( and four million other Parisians out celebrating) couldn't return to the hotel because all the metros had closed down due to random tear gas episodes. So, we laughed and wandered and admired the Tour d'Eiffel glittering in the night sky.

Pardon my rambling, but having read the journals has me reminiscing, and dreaming. Over the years, sometimes the smell in the air will remind me of walking the streets, or the way the sunlight streams in through the window near twilight time wheels me back to soaking in our enormous bathroom tub during that time of day (thank you time differences and the weird things you do to traveling).

Mostly I remember trying to be brave speaking French, or how chic the ladies were, or wishing I was rich enough to go buy something in that Chanel store....... So many good times.

For your enjoyment, mostly because of our hideous apparel, I scanned some of the scrapbook pages I created when I got home. (is it possible to love and hate something you created?) I promise that I returned home with a dramatic change in clothing taste and never wore that coat again.....

On a side note: when I returned home, my parents gave me the most fabulous black wool coat for Christmas. Just a thought, but why didn't they give it to me early? I shall never know.... nudge nudge parents..... I'm only teasing.

(click on the pages to see them bigger)




We had such fun dining experiences.... how hard is it to understand that you don't want any alcohol in your drink? Mostly we stuck to the same meals. Croissants, chocolat chaud, croque monsieurs, a surprising amount of Sprite, assortments of pastries. Thank heavens we walked everywhere.

These pictures are still hanging in my parents house.

I was taking a photography class at the time and had loads of the old-school black and white film. When I scanned it, it turned more sepia toned, but the pictures are fun.