Paris, je t'aime!

The Oxford Online Dictionary

Definition of SURPRISE 

noun

• an unexpected or astonishing even, fact, etc.: the announcement came as a complete surprise
• [mass noun] a feeling of mild astonishment or shock cause by something unexpected: much to her surprise, she'd missed him
• [as modifier] denoting something done or happening unexpectedly: a surprise attack

SURPRISE, 
I AM IN PARIS!
JUNE 18TH-22ND

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View from the Eiffel Tower... Yes I was scared to death! 

Yummmmmmm! CREPES!

On the boat tour.

Sacre Coeur <3

Unfortunately we were too poor to go in.

Notre Dame

Prayers.

Love Lock Bridge.

Locks of <3.

Tuk Tuk's in Paris? 

Resting our feet... and our stomachs after yet another crepe.

Soon after the surprise :)

Photo credit - Evan Duncan

Baby brother in his favorite city! 

Cider in mugs? Oh la la!

Du Musee Du Louvre.

Moulin Rouge!

I didn't see the hunchback - gosh darn it!

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The surprise was a success and Paris was amazing. I am so glad that I went and I am so happy that I got to spend time with some of the people that are very important to me.

Tuesday early afternoon I got to the hotel before everyone else, put my bag in their room and went for a coffee around the corner. Sitting by yourself seems so boring when you are waiting to complete a surprise trip. Bored of coffee, cokes, and waiting alone, I went back to the hotel and waited in the lobby. My chair was hidden from the front of the door so I could not been seen until I made my self present. When my mommy walked in I said "took you long enough" and she stood there in shock before the tears came. Evan walked in right after and said "who is that" before we all had a nice family hug! The hotel was just down the road from the Arc de Triomphe and once we were all settled in the rooms we went for a walk down the Champs-Elyees before dinner at Oscars.

Wednesday was declared the Eiffel Tower day because the weather man said that it was sunny with clear skies. I am terrified of heights but I wasn't going to wait at the bottom. The last time I was on the Eiffel Tower was when I was a kid with my daddy and William. My only memory is that my daddy's hair was a mess from it being so windy, and he was sweating and nervous giggling in the elevator - yes I get my fear from him. After waiting in line for the tickets we waited in another line for the first elevator. All the lines do not help someone who is scared of heights and the whole experience would have been far less scary if they didn't CRAM you in the elevator that has glass walls. Both elevators had glass walls and both elevators were surely over the limit of people. Once you are at the top you just have to suck it up, move to the edge, and enjoy the view which was truly amazing. Evan and Jake had to use the restroom just so that they could say they peed at the top of the Eiffel Tower - boys will be boys. After taking in the scenes it is lines and glass elevators back down again - no wonder my dad had his nervous giggle when I last went! Crepes and a boat tour followed the Eiffel Tower. After seeing the sites of Paris from the boat we did some more walking and left the mommies to have wine and snacks. Evan, Jake, and I had an interesting encounter with a man in a dress sitting in "no sit" area of a park holding an umbrella over his/her dog to shield it from the sun. Jakes face was priceless. Dinner was delicious at a local family run restaurant where we had more bread, the mommies had more wine, and Evan and Jake demolished three courses.

Thursday we went to see the beautiful Sacre Coeur. We walked around the area with Kathy as our tour guide, no we didn't get lost and yes we laughed about chicken picnics. The square with all the artists around the corner from Sacre Coeur is where we stopped for goats cheese salads to rest our legs and escape the heat. Lots of stairs and large hills are tiring for people who live in flat land areas - on the plus side my calf muscles look great now ;) Before lunch we walked by The Moulin Rouge and Jake got his first look at the Paris "sex area" - really was a laugh when my mom sent his father a picture of him in front of a sex store and Kathy told him not to talk to any women! Again another priceless look on Jake's face. After lunch we headed to Notre Damn but we only saw Jake pretending to be the hunchback. We then walked along the Love Lock Bridge and watched some people lock their love in Paris. It is a pretty cool bridge to see and maybe one day I will lock some love on that bridge - how romantic!

Friday was a rainy day and museums are best done when you cannot enjoy being outside, so we headed to The Louvre after Jake and Evan demolished pain au chocolats for breakfast. To be honest the Mona Lisa was a huge disappointment. It is so small and you can't even see it because of the crowd. Evan, Jake, and I much preferred the bigger pieces that looked like they must have taken years to paint. After leaving the museum we realized that is was Summer Solstice which is celebrated with music on every corner in Paris. Friday night we went to catch the lights go off on the Eiffel Tower after dinner in an area where we "tried" to enjoy some music but the guitar player clearly needed some practice. I will admit I was cranky and my feet hurt from all the walking we had done but it was beautiful to see it all sparkling with lights.

Saturday was the day I was given my first Hermes scarf by my mommy! I am one very lucky girl :) Oh and we ate A LOT! Kathy's motto was "when in Paris you eat as much as you can" and we certainly did! I don't think I will be able to look at another baguette again for a while. We walked along the Champs-Elyees one last time laughing about all the funny stories from the last few days and enjoyed our last hours in Paris. The goodbye was not fun as it will be a while before I see them again and it was hard to hold back my tears in the taxi to the airport. It was a great long weekend in Paris and I enjoyed every moment of it, even the pull out bed was comfortable! My surprise long weekend in Paris will be one I cherish for a very long time.

Beautiful :)

Surprise - I am in Paris!

Blog post to come!

I have successfully surprised my mommy and baby brother in Paris for a longgggg weekend! :) 

You know have lived...

There have been a lot of shared posts on Facebook recently about an article consisting of situations that follow the "you know you have lived in Qatar for too long when..." theme (Article link - "Fifteen signs you have lives in Qatar too long.") Loads of people have made lists like this and so after 20 plus years in the Middle East, I thought I would give it ago. Here is my very own... "You know you have lived in Qatar for too long when..." list. Feel free to comment with any that I have missed.

You know you have live in Qatar for too long when...

• You start saying YANI instead of LIKE.
• You see something in the store that is from America or the UK so you buy five (or 20) because you know it won't be there next time.
• You follow the Land Cruiser in the "new lane" so you get to the roundabout faster.
• You use your horn when it is not needed just because you can. However, please don't be the jerk 10 cars back at a red light that honks THE MINUTE the light turns green. You sir, are not helping.
• You can sing a long perfectly with the song that plays before the news on QBS. Da da dumm dilla dumm da da dum dilla dum - singing it now?
• You see a camel in the back of a truck and think - "wow that looks better than economy class on Qatar Airways."
• Seeing a sheep/goat in the back of a truck doesn't surprise you. Instead you think - "someone is having a feast tonight."
• You know to avoid malls on weekends/during Ramadan/nights. You go as early as you can because shopping is a task and no longer fun.
• You leave your car running when you are getting gas because it is way too hot to sit there without the AC blasting.
• You do not get mad anymore when you find out about something after it has happened. Maybe next time you will catch the event - inshallah.
• You know that bukra inshallah means something will never ever happen. You smile when someone just says inshallah because it is more reinsuring than bukra inshallah.
• You are not surprised when you realize that you have not once stopped at the stop sign near your house. Whoops. 
• You know which speed cameras are where, and when to slow down on what road.
• You flash your lights at the slow car in front of you, which politely means - MOVE OVER. Please note this is a regret of mine and I hate that I have done this.
• You are driving in another country and you realize that you are not following any rules. You park like an idiot, you are the only one speeding, you flash your lights at slow people, and you barely pause at stop signs. 
• You laugh at someone new because they actually use the name of an area and they don't say "you know, I live by post office roundabout" or "take your 2nd right after the big mosque."
• When it is hot and humid outside you turn your car on 10 minutes before you leave your house.
• You find it funny when you have a guest from another country visiting and they complain about waking up at dawn because of the multiple mosques around your house going off for the Morning Prayer. You stopped waking up to those a LONG time ago.
• A hot PINK matte *insert expensive car here* passes you and you look in only to see a GUY is driving it - nice color bro.
• You are shocked how much a car wash is back home because it should only cost 15 QAR.
• You then start complaining about how expensive everything is back home until you realize it isn't that cheap in Qatar either.
• Rain is a good thing. Joking! Rain in Qatar is only good because it cleans away the dust. When it rains people forget how to drive, places flood (once or twice when I was growing up we were sent home from school because the school was flooded), and people just act crazy.
• Weird things on menus don't faze you.
• It is acceptable for you to buy your weekend taxi driver a meal from Hardees on your way home from a night out.
• You start wishing you could wear an abaya because then you could wear your PJs to work.
• You find it funny that people back home think a sand storm automatically looks like a scene from "The Mummy."
• You leave your car running when you stop in at a corner store to grab a diet coke.
• You are not shocked by the people who honk outside a corner store because they are too lazy to get out, walk in, and grab what they need for themselves.

Lists!

Can't sleep so I am making some travel lists and looking at flights. Summer is almost here! 10 days in London is just around the corner. Can't wait to be in my favorite city with some of my favorite people. Plus the count down is - 46 days until MUMFORD & SONS (Gentlemen on the Road Stopover Tour). Also have started researching Thailand and the surrounding travel locations for a future SE Asia trip after my teaching is done. I love getting excited about traveling!

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list!"

Susan Sontag