My Parents in Paris

My parents arrived in France on Sunday afternoon with huge smiles, (thankfully) small suitcases and lots of fatigue. I don't think they truly knew what they were getting themselves into. I somehow forgot that my parents are not city people. I don't know how I overlooked this small detail. France, in addition to this large metropolis called Paris, is proving to be quite the culture shock.

• My dad ordered coffee. I told him it would be small but I don't think he was expecting a tea cup sized portion. I also don't think he was expecting his small cup to taste so strong. My father, the notorious coffee drinker, couldn't finish his coffee. Me, I can't enough of the stuff; I finished his'.
  
• There are two spiral staircases associated with our apartment rental. My parents risk their lives with every accending/decending step.
  
  
• My parents knew about the Lourve before coming to France. But not because they know what the Mona Lisa is or because they read that bloody hyped-up book by that Brown guy. No, they knew about the Lourve because Moab's Stone rests within its halls. Of all the quirky things .... Moab was a king of Israel btw.
  
  
• I took them to a choir concert at Notre Dame. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. The sound was INCREDIBLE. I sat, awestruck, in the middle of my sleeping parents.
  
• I bet my parents never realized how much they were like my grandparents until now. My grandparents have to eat dinner at 5:00 PM everyday or else the sky might come crashing down from the heavens. Eating late every night (i.e. after 19:00) has been an experience.
  
• We traveled to Versailles. They loved it! Score!
  
  
• Went to my host mother's for dinner the other night. Mom and dad wanted to meet this crazy lady whom I had been living with for the past 5 months. Mom took off her shoes and I thought Madame was going to faint. Actually, I may have laughed if she had fainted. Anyway, Madame rushed us into the living room; from the living room to the dining room; from the dining room to the car; in the car through the streets of Paris. Madame insisted on a tour of Paris at night. Fine. Although, I'm sure my parents could have cared less than to see the Hermes store on faubourg Saint-Honoré.
  

So as it stands at this moment, the parents are having a nice time. Paris may not be their favorite place in the world, but it's an experience and THAT is what matters. It's good to see them.