Most of you know that I love Disney and you probably know that I have a lot of Disney loving friends! Well, it just so happens that one of those Disney friends was traveling in Europe with her husband and three children. We emailed back and forth before our trips and discovered that not only did our trips overlap in Paris, but we were staying in areas very close together. We decided to meet for dinner.
The kids and I headed out to the Bastille Opera, we'd made a plan to meet on the steps. It was an easy 10 minute walk from the hotel. The kids were a little surprised how hectic the streets were. Ali commented that it sure seemed like we were in Chicago. I reminded her that these beautiful buildings were a lot older than the ones in Chicago. Paris is pedestrian friendly but you need to be aware of your surroundings, cars race around and they don't seem to care too much if people are in the way. My kids are used to our sleepy little town with one stoplight where things move a little slower.
When we arrived at the steps of the Opera I spotted Annie and her family right away. We live in Wisconsin and Annie's family lives in Calgary, this was the first time we'd met in person.
We did quick introductions and then we were on our way to find dinner. Annie took the lead and I was so grateful, after being up for 24 hours I was ready to be a follower. Ali jumped in right away and was chatting with Annie's daughters. The boys were a bit more quiet but that is always how Connor is when he meets new people.
We headed to a cafe on then Place de Vosges. The cafe was very busy and we discovered quickly that finding a table for 8 would be difficult. We decided to order take away and have a picnic in the park. Take away food was perfect for my kids who tend to be kind of picky eaters. Connor ordered a Croque Monsier and Ali and I ordered baguette cheese sandwiches. Annie's family was a bit more adventurous with their orders. The restaurant had wonderful sweets and we all ordered macarons. I really should have taken a picture, they were so pretty!
It was a bit of a wait for our food so Annie's oldest daughter took all the kids across the street to the park. This ended up being great because settling the bill was a lot harder than it should have been. Even through we ordered separately the server put it all on one bill, we offered to figure it out on our own but the server insisted. It took a long time and I was totally clueless, I was so thankful that Annie spoke French. We finally got the bill settled and headed to the park. Annie's lovely husband went to find a store with drinks for everyone. As we were passing out the food we realized that 3 sandwiches were missing. Oh my! I walked back to the restaurant and the sandwiches were up on the counter.
Finally we had all our food and we settled down to a lovely picnic. Connor loved his Croque Monsier and Ali took the cheese off her sandwich but was happy eating buttered bread. We ate and talked and ate some more. It was so great learning more about Annie's family. Her kids are amazing, so polite and interfering to talk to. Her youngest daughter is always smiling, I think she was a good influence on Ali!
The kids had fun playing in the park. The two youngest girls were practicing gymnastics. A little French boy was very entertained and decides to join them, he tried to mimic their tricks and he screamed with excitement. It was very cute! The same little guy ended up joining our picnic later, his parents were of watching from a park bench. He couldn't have been more than 3. The children played some running games over in the trees and I had a great time chatting with Annie, her husband and her oldest daughter.
The kids
Doesn't Annie look so Parisian in her skirt and scarf! I on the other hand look like I've been up 24 hours, maybe because I had been!
The tiny elevator 
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