From D-Day to Orsay

I've been very busy playing tour guide for the last two weeks with first my parents coming for a week, followed by a week with my very good friend Wendy. It's been a lot of fun seeing Paris again through the eyes of those who had never been here before. I have also gotten to see some of the key sites here and around France that I was saving for just this time. What I had forgotten was just how exhausting being a tourist in Paris for one week can be!

My parents arrived on a Sunday morning - Mother's Day in fact - and after a brief respite were raring to hit the town. We had Mother's Day dinner at Le Pied au Cochon - but none of us were inclined to sample the house namesake and speciality - two steaks and a salmon filet s'il vous plait. Have I mentioned my distaste for "Traditional French Cuisine"? Give me a croissant or a croque monsieur any day over terrine de foie gras.

Day 2 with the parents was a marathon visit of the Louvre. After a bite of lunch I left them to take a bus tour of the city and visit the Eiffel Tower on their own. That night, we went up to Montmartre to visit Sacre Coeur and admire the view, and fortified ourselves with dinner at an Italian restaurant.

Normandy

Day 3 we took the train out to Caen, Normandy. To lure my father to France (Mom was an easy sell), I had to come up with something I knew he couldn't resist. This lure took the form of a tour of the D-Day beaches in Normandy. Since this was also something I had wanted to do on this trip, and I can think of no one I would rather visit the WWII sites in Normandy with, it seemed the perfect plan. And it worked! We toured the Musee Memorial de la Paix in Caen the morning on Wed. which is a spectacular museum of the events leading up to WWII through to the Liberation of France following D-Day, June 6th 1944.

In the afternoon, we tour a van tour of a few of the D-Day sites along the coast: German bunkers and the artificial harbour built by the Allies at Arromanches;

Omaha beach where the Americans had no hope of surviving on the 300 m open beach; Point du Hoc, a key point of land which would have been fascinating but for the thunderstorm that crashed down on us. And we visited the American Cemetary which was a very visual reminder of the huge sacrifice the Allies made over just a few short days in a spectacular military strategy to turn the tide in WWII. It was a trip I will always cherish and remember. The only disappointed part of the day (except perhaps the inclement weather) was that the tour did not go to the Canadian section at Juno beach. Something to visit another time.

My parents and I also visited Bayeux and its famous tapestry with the story of William the Conqueror, and sampled some local apple cider (yum) and Calvados or apple brandy (yech) before heading back to Paris. My parents last day in Paris was another marathon of the Musee d'Orsay (one of my favorites) and Notre Dame Cathedral. I had to leave my parents on their own for dinner as I had to go out to the airport via train to pick up my friend Wendy that night.

All in all it was a fabulous week with my parents. It was great to spend Mother's Day in Paris with my Mom. My dad had a thoroughly enjoyable time and reversed all his pre-conceptions about France and Paris in particular. This place will do that to you. It has a certain magic to it for sure.