My Dad’s Paris bucket list item was very specific: sit in a café on the Champs-Élysées and do a bit of people-watching. With this goal in mind, we boarded the TGV in Zurich on Monday morning and headed for Paris.
Armed with my eight-page itinerary, I felt confident that I had everything under control. I was particularly pleased with our hotel, just 800 metres from the Eiffel Tower.
Those 800 metres had been the goal of my “Paris Training Programme” with my parents. For months, we had been training to walk the distance without a bench stop. They did brilliantly, so naturally I thought we were prepared.
But, as I was about to discover, walking isn’t the only factor to consider when travelling with parents in their eighties.
Regular meals are another.
On our first evening, we checked into the hotel, unpacked and, according to my carefully curated itinerary, set off for the Eiffel Tower. The plan was to walk the 800 metres, get our first glimpse of the tower and then find somewhere for dinner.
We got closer and closer.
But then Mum stopped. She was done. Seeing the Eiffel Tower was no longer a priority. In fact, it was the last thing she wanted to see.
She was hungry.
Negotiating with a Ferociously Hungry Mother is generally not advisable, and I’m ashamed to admit that I attempted it.
“But Mum, it’s literally only a few metres! It’s just around the corner!”
Nope.
She was not moving another inch before she had a crust of bread. So we abandoned the Mission: Eiffel Tower, sat down in the next restaurant and ordered dinner instead.
And yes, the Eiffel Tower remained unseen that evening. We had somehow travelled all the way to Paris, walked to within 100 metres of one of the world’s most famous landmarks and still managed not to see it. Clearly, there was a flaw in my eight-page itinerary.
The next day, we made up for it and saw the Eiffel Tower in all its splendour.
And from then on, Paris (and the upgraded itinerary with plenty of stops) delivered. We took a boat ride on the Seine, did a bus tour, visited Montmartre, wandered through little cafés and shops, watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle and, most importantly, Dad got his coffee on the Champs-Élysées (he opted for a non-alcoholic Spritz instead).
Meanwhile, Kai and I went running every morning along the Seine, with the Eiffel Tower providing a rather spectacular backdrop. My coach had kindly given me a special Paris training plan with only 30 minutes a day.
By Friday, we had successfully navigated Paris for a week and were ready to head home.
We had allowed ourselves an hour to get to the train station Gare de Lyon.
However, our Uber got stuck in traffic and our carefully planned margin quickly disappeared. I looked at Kai in the front seat, frantically checking Google Maps.
Trying to sound calm, I asked the driver if we would make it.
“Mais oui, Madame.”
He then proceeded to demonstrate that Parisian Uber drivers can perform miracles. Through a combination of gap-jumping, creative manoeuvring and some impressive swerving, he somehow got us to the station. We jumped out and ran for it.
That’s when all those months of Paris Training finally paid off: I’ve never seen my parents move so fast. They literally sprinted across Gare de Lyon.
We made the train with seconds to spare. We had barely boarded when it pulled out of the station. I have never been so happy to catch a train!
Somehow, the slightly dramatic departure was a fitting end to our Paris adventure. We came home with a bagful of memories, a successfully completed Champs-Élysées coffee mission and, most importantly, everyone très heureux.
- How do you look for running routes in a new place?
- Ever missed a bus, train or flight?
I am linking up with Jenny from Runners Fly and Jenn from Runs with Pugs for Tuesday Topics as well as Runners’ Roundup with Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs!
Da geht mir das Herz auf, wenn ich sehe, wie liebevoll du mit deinen betagten Eltern umgehst ! Paris – immer eine Reise wert !!Wie schön, dass du es deinen Eltern ermöglicht hast. Dazu noch ein Lauf mit Kai unter besten Bedingungen, wann hat man schon den Tour Eiffel laufend im Blick !!
Erinnert mich an meinen Paris-Marathon und bin so froh, dass ich immer wieder mal in Paris war – ca vaut la peine !!
Everyone très heureux, was gibt es Schöneres, liebe Catrina !
Wirklich wahr! Paris hat mich tief beeindruckt – es war schon eine Weile her, seit wir dort waren. Die Reise mit meinen Eltern war nochmals etwas ganz Besonderes. Und dass Kai und ich jeden Morgen mit Blick auf den Eiffelturm laufen konnten, war natürlich das Tüpfelchen auf dem i! 😄
Dein Paris-Marathon muss auch ein tolles Erlebnis gewesen sein. Ich muss sagen, nach dieser Woche habe ich plötzlich auch Lust bekommen, den Marathon dort einmal zu laufen. Das muss wirklich wunderschön sein!
Ça vaut vraiment la peine! Und ja: Everyone très heureux – mehr kann man sich wirklich nicht wünschen! 😊
Liebe Catrina,
danke für diesen morgendlichen Lacher, den du mir mit diesem Beitrag beschert hast. Ich bin so begeistert von deiner Mutter, denn sie zeigt, wie Lebenserfahrung jeden Plan besiegt! Und recht hat sie. Sie kennt ihre Prioritäten und wie sich gezeigt hat, war der Eifelturm ja am nächsten Tag noch immer da und ihr konntet ihn (ganz ohne Loch im Bauch) glücklich besichtigen. So nämlich! 😀
Was für ein wundervoller Ausflug – sogar mit Schlusssprint deiner Eltern – der sicher unvergessen bleibt!
Haha, genauso ist es, liebe Doris! 😂 Mein 8-seitiger Reiseplan kam nicht gegen die 85-jährige Lebenserfahrung meiner Mutter an. Und sie hatte Recht: der Eiffelturm läuft ja schliesslich nicht über Nacht davon!
Am nächsten Tag konnten wir satt und glücklich unsere Fötelis machen und den Rest genauso gelassen angehen. Und mein Trainingsplan hat sich beim Bahnhof-Sprint ja auch noch ausbezahlt. So war am Ende nichts umsonst! 😄
Es war wirklich eine wunderschöne Woche und wird uns allen sicher noch lange in Erinnerung bleiben.
Bravo Mom and Dad!!! The training really paid off! What a fun memory for the four of you.
It definitely was a special trip, Birchie!
Ah oui, Paris! C’est incroyable!
There’s nothing like the fear of missing a train to really get the heart pumping! I’m glad the training paid off. I had no idea there was such a thing as a non-alcoholic Aperol spritz!
I love Paris so much, what a beautiful city. And all your French lessons paid off!
I really like your dad’s main goal – there is something perfect about just soaking up the atmosphere.
Haha, the train sprint was definitely the ultimate test! And yes, the virgin Aperol is apparently a thing – I went with a very un-French cup of tea instead.
Paris is simply the best city to visit – I was saying to Kai I could even imagine living there. And I was surprised they managed to decipher my butchered French!
So true! We could have sat in the café and people-watched for HOURS!
Your parents are so adorable! I am so glad the trip was a success. I had to laugh at your foiled attempt at the first ET sighting due to hunger. That is so relatable as a mom of small children. We all are really toddlers deep down inside when we are hungry.
You saw so many beautiful sites and it looks like you stopped and smelled the roses, too. That is one benefit of small children/being around those who move at a bit slower pace. It pushes you to really enjoy your surroundings.
I am glad you made that train. How impressive that your parents ran across a train station!! Wow!!
I almost missed a flight out of CDG on my last trip to Paris because the metro service stopped on the way to the airport for reasons I could not understand because they explained it in French. We were in a small outer suburb where very few people spoke English. And this was before uber (not that uber would have helped with the huge crowd that needed a ride somewhere). Luckily I was eventually able to share a cab with 2 other people who were going to CDG. It was so stressful, though!!
Haha, yes, we really are all toddlers deep down when we’re hungry! 😂 And you’re absolutely right about the slower pace – it did force us to stop, look around and enjoy Paris rather than rushing from one sight to the next. There was something lovely about that.
And yes, I’m still amazed that my parents’ sprint! Clearly, all those months of Paris Training finally had a purpose. 😂
Oh wow, your CDG story sounds even more stressful! Being stuck somewhere with announcements in French and hardly anyone speaking English must have been unsettling. Thank goodness you found those two people to share a cab with. I think I would have aged about ten years before reaching the airport!
Very well executed! You had the perfect itinerary, but were able to tweak it when needed. That was quite the grand finale…nice sprint to the finish!
Ha, yes, Kim! It was actually nice to slow down a bit and savour the moment a bit more. Sprint training for the win!
this is so funny Catrina, your mom stopping to visit Eiffel tower because she’s too hungry. hahahah…. that’s why I always pack snacks when traveling, to avoid grumpy kids or husband interrupting my plans.
and the last bite shows how their training paid off to catch the train.
i’ve missed flights before for business trips because i’m so reluctant to wait at the airport. but when traveling with family, I prefer to arrive earlier to avoid rushing everyone.
I should have packed snacks, Coco! It definitely would have lifted the pre-Eiffel Tower mood!
I was amazed (and happy) how they managed to sprint across the station.
That’s very wise – there’s nothing wrong with being at the station/airport early when travelling with family – you can always sit and chat together.
Liebe Catrina,
wow, da habt ihr euch ganz viel Mühe gegeben, deinen Eltern eine wunderschöne Woche zu bieten. Dass deine Mutter den ersten Anlauf zum Eiffelturm nicht mitging, kann ich nachvollziehen, deine Eltern haben da glaube ich altersbedingt andere Möglichkeiten. Aber immerhin, den Zugsprint am Ende haben sie mitgemacht. Oh man, das war wirklich knapp. Ich habe Gottseidank noch nie eine Fernverbindung verpasst, das wäre der Horror!
Bei fremden Orten schaue ich gern im Netz, was es an Laufmöglichkeiten gäbe. Ihr habt da ja eine Wahnsinnsumgebung gehabt!
Der Marathon in Paris ist quasi eine gelaufene Stadtbesichtigung, an ganz vielen Highlights geht es vorbei. 1x pro km Livemusik, gut organisiert. Nur eines gab es nicht: Stimmung an der Strecke. Starten auf den Champs Elysees ist ja noch toll, aber dann … kaum Zuschauer bzw. desinteressierte Großstadtmenschen beim Ausführen ihrer Klamotten oder Hunde. Aber egal, wenn du Lust drauf hast, nichts wie hin! Hier gibt es noch das Video meines Paris-Jahres, da bekomme ich jetzt noch Gänsehaut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgsL-4WiRDQ
Liebe Grüße
Elke
Oh, danke für das Video, liebe Elke! Da bekomme ich auch gleich Gänsehaut! Jetzt habe ich noch mehr Lust auf den Paris-Marathon – Paris kommt DEFINITIV auf die Must-do-Liste! 😄
In Zürich hat es auch nur sehr wenig Publikum, und irgendwie stört es mich gar nicht, wenn es etwas ruhiger ist an der Strecke. Es muss ja nicht immer so laut sein wie in London! 😅
Der Zugsprint war tatsächlich der perfekte Abschluss unseres Paris-Trainings! 😂 Ich glaube, meine Eltern hätten gerne auf diese Trainingseinheit verzichtet, aber zum Glück haben sie den Zug noch erwischt. Ich hätte es auch ziemlich traumatisch gefunden, wenn wir den TGV verpasst hätten – und teuer wäre es obendrein geworden. So kurzfristig hätten Ersatztickets wahrscheinlich über 800 Euro gekostet. Da läuft man dann plötzlich freiwillig etwas schneller! 😂
Jeden Morgen an der Seine mit Blick auf den Eiffelturm zu laufen, war schon ziemlich spektakulär. Da kann man sich wirklich an eine Laufstrecke gewöhnen! 😄
Na, da habt ihr ja Glück gehabt, dass die Brüder Kassaleck den Auftrag damals doch angenommen haben 😀
https://youtu.be/2_GbLyt3P5E?is=-4N-kSGC3XzjGEDD
Wobei ich ganz bei den Prioritäten deiner Mutter bin – irgendwann weiß frau eben, was wirklich zählt im Leben, da gebe ich Doris absolut Recht. Und gesprintet wird eben nur dann, wenn‘s wirklich auf was ankommt. Auch damit gehe ich komplett d‘accord.
Was für ein schöner Familienurlaub! Danke für‘s Teilen.
Vielleicht sollte ich doch nochmal in Erwägung ziehen, mir Paris anzusehen …? Aber ich hab‘ ja noch ein paar Jahre Zeit dafür, hoffe ich. Ohne, dass der Turm umfällt oder sonstwie verschwindet, die Seine austrocknet oder Notre Dame ein weiteres Mal abbrennt …
🤣😂🤣 Lizzy, wie um alles in der Welt hast du denn dieses Video ausgegraben? Das ist ja herrlich! Das muss ich gleich meinen Eltern weiterleiten. Danke vielmals! Und die Brüder Kassaleck haben ja schon ein bisschen Recht: Wer hätte damals gedacht, dass dieses Metallgerüst einmal so eine Furore machen würde? 😂
Mit dem Alter kommt offenbar doch Weisheit (oder so ähnlich): Der Eiffelturm ist am Ende nicht davongerannt, und wir hätten von Anfang an einen viel ruhigeren Abend haben können. Da hätte ich vielleicht besser auf meine Mutter hören sollen. Und wenn ihr dabei gewesen wärt, natürlich auch auf dich und Doris! 😄
Paris: unbedingt! Du warst schon so oft in Frankreich, da kannst du Paris doch nicht ewig auslassen! Also irgendwann Wohnmobil in Richtung Hauptstadt lenken, ein paar Tage durch die Strassen ziehen, in einem Café versumpfen und sich von der Stadt berieseln lassen. Und natürlich erwarten wir dann den Beweis in Form eines Eiffelturm-Fötelis! 😉
Die Comedy-Truppe habe ich irgendwann über diesen Sketch kennengelernt (den ich immer noch für ihren besten halte):
https://youtu.be/3Ob2tpG5h3E?is=h7n3VsBmy67apbIF
Und gucke ab und zu bei ihnen rein. Viele schwache Dinger … aber ab und zu sind richtig gute dabei 😉
So oft war ich noch gar nicht in Frankreich und gestehe, dass ich mit Großstädten allgemein erstmal fremdele. Mit dem Mobil dürfte ich da überhaupt nicht hinfahren aber mit dem Zug, entweder alleine oder in einer Gruppe, hinter der ich größtenteils nur herlaufen muss und wo mir jemand alles zeigt und erklärt mit der Möglichkeit, auch mal abzuweichen …in einem … ich sage mal … persönlichen Schutzkokon gegen die Flut der Eindrücke abgeschirmt nur das reinlassend, was mich nicht überflutet, das könnte ich mir schon denken. Mal sehen. Aber wie gesagt: Lärm, Autos, Menschenmassen … ab einem bestimmten Punkt bin ich reif für die Psychiatrie.
Ha, Lizzy, danke auch für den! Super! Den werde ich auch gleich weiterleiten. Rein schon die Idee, dass die vier zusammensitzen und überlegen, wie man die Biographie Bestseller-tauglich hinbekommt – herrlich!
Und was Paris betrifft: Ich glaube, dein “persönlicher Schutzkokon gegen die Flut der Eindrücke” ist eine gute Strategie! Die Stadt kann schon sehr “überstimulierend” sein. Mit dem Zug und jemandem, der die Führung übernimmt und dir das Ganze in verträglichen Dosen serviert, wäre viel angenehmer, als sich alleine durchzuschlagen. Und du könntest jederzeit sagen: so, jetzt brauche ich ein ruhiges Café! 😄
Das stimmt, was du über das Wohnmobil in Paris sagst, daran habe ich gar nicht gedacht. Aber eben: mit dem Zug rein, Schutzkokon organisieren und geniessen!
What a fun trip! Had your parents not been to Paris before? I had to laugh that your mom wouldn’t walk one hundred meters to the Eiffel Tower because she was hungry. I get that–when I’m hungry, I’m hungry. Glad you got to go the next day. It looks like you had beautiful weather and that it wasn’t super crowded! And yes, in fact, we missed our flight back to Chicago from Denver last week…
They had both been to Paris before, but it was many years ago, so this was really like seeing an old friend again. And yes, while those unfinished 100 metres were a little frustrating, they were also hilarious! You’re absolutely right, Wendy: when you’re hungry, you’re hungry! 😂
We were really lucky with the weather, and I think going at my parents’ slower pace actually helped us enjoy the city more. We weren’t rushing from one sight to the next and had plenty of time to take in the atmosphere.
And reading about your missed flight from Denver in your last post immediately made me think of our nearly missed train! It would have been a costly affair for us too – over USD 900 for new tickets. 😱 I’m very glad the sprinting worked out and we made that train!
Ha ha! When your parents were “sprinting” for the train, were you thinking YOU COULDN’T HAVE WALKED THAT EXTRA 100 METERS TO THE EIFFEL TOWER??? But- it sounds like all the training paid off (for the most part) and this trip was a success. Well done!
Hahaha, EXACTLY, Jenny!!😂 “Ah, so you COULDN’T walk another 100 metres, but now you can sprint across Gare de Lyon?!” Apparently, it’s all about motivation, haha!
I’m so glad the trip was an overall success – and I learnt some important lessons (e.g. allowing for more travel margins!)
Never get between a hungry woman and food! This sounds like a great time in Paris for the four of you. The UBER ride sounds stressful. I often look for bike paths when I’m in a new place and want to run, or a park or river/coastline, which often have paths beside them. We have had some great runs in Europe beside canals and along old rail trails. Sometimes run groups also post run options which are helpful.
Absolutely, Melissa! Never get between my mother and her dinner! 😂 The trip was really wonderful, and despite the slightly stressful Uber ride at the end, everything worked out perfectly.
I love your idea of looking for paths along rivers, canals and coastlines when travelling. That’s pretty much what we did in Paris: the Seine was our running route every morning, with the Eiffel Tower thrown in as a rather spectacular bonus. And I agree about local running groups: the first time we were in Cape Town, we used that option a lot until we felt more comfortable doing it alone.
Sounds like a fun trip! I’m glad you eventually got to see the Eiffel Tower even if it wasn’t exactly how you planned! I bet the runs there were amazing!
It was so enjoyable, Lisa, despite the “mishaps”. You would have enjoyed the runs – and there were so MANY runners out, too. A great vibe!
It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! And that the Paris training regime you had your parents on paid off… just not in the situation you expected!
All your photos on Strava of your runs looked beautiful. And nice to be able to get some speedier runs in when you knew you would be walking rather slowly the rest of the day.
Haha, exactly! 😂 Imagine training for the 800 metres to the Eiffel Tower, only for the actual running event to be an unscheduled 200-metre dash across Gare de Lyon! It’s like training for a marathon when, in fact, you end up running a 5K. 😂
And yes, those morning runs were lovely. We made so many photo stops! It was nice to have 30-minute runs to get the energy out of our system. The rest of the day was nice and leisurely.
And I’m glad to hear your foot is holding up!! 🤞
This makes me miss Paris so much! Your pictures are so perfect. I’ve done the Paris Marathon twice (last time 25 years ago!) and we went for our honeymoon. I wish I was train distance away! Your parents are awesome and I’m so glad they had a wonderful time.
I remember you mentioning that you ran the Paris Marathon! I just went back to your blog to look at the photos — amazing! It looks like such a fantastic way to see the city.
I’d love to run the Paris Marathon one day. Seeing as it’s only about four hours from Zurich, I really have no excuse not to! 😂
I hope you get the chance to visit Paris again one day, Debbie!
I love how you trained your parents so they could walk the distance! I should have done something similar when we took my parents to Italy to celebrate their 70th birthdays. I worried more about how they would tolerate the hot weather, but that was only a problem at night, and mostly for my stepfather.
Other than the hangry mother, it seems like they had a blast, they look so happy and I love all the photos. Running there must have been nice! Have you been to Paris before?
Haha, yes, the Paris Training Programme may have been a little over-engineered, but at least it paid off in the end! 😂 Apart from the brief episode of being hangry, my parents really did have a wonderful time. I’m sure your parents had a wonderful time in Italy too, despite the warm nights.
And yes, I’ve been to Paris before, but it was many years ago, before I was running. So this time I got to discover a completely different side of the city. Running along the Seine with the Eiffel Tower in view every morning was pretty hard to beat! I could definitely get used to that as a running route. 😊
Your parents are absolutely adorable. I adore them. And I love that your mom was like “nope. Feed me.” The Eiffel Tower has been there for years. It can wait until she has her meal. And your dad with his spritz!!!
Love that you were able to spend time with your parents and get in some running in such a gorgeous city! I’m sure there were plenty of amazing places to run and explore!
Haha, exactly, Jenn! 😂 My mum had her priorities absolutely straight: food first, Eiffel Tower later. And she was right! The tower had been standing there for years and wasn’t going anywhere. My dad, meanwhile, was perfectly happy to sit on the Champs-Élysées with his Aperol Virgin. Clearly, they both had Paris figured out! 😂
It really was such a special week. And yes, the running was pretty spectacular! A morning run along the Seine with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop is a pretty hard running route to beat. 😊
How wonderful you could take this trip together with your parents. I had to chuckle though that you didn’t get to see the Eiffel Tower on the first night… haha, stubborn mom! LOL But really, it sounds like a fantastic time overall.
And I love that you made the train (even when your parents had to sprint to catch it!).
I have a funny Paris train story… my parents traveled to Paris by train with friends many years ago for a long weekend. On the day of their departure, my Dad decided he needed one last Parisian crepe before boarding the train… and, you guessed it, it left without him but with my mom, his luggage and his wallet. All he had was a credit card and some cash in his pocket. He ended up catching a flight back to Cologne (luckily, they let him travel without ID!) and almost made it home at the same time as my mom with the train. Haha… and that went down into the family history books as the “paris Crepe Story”.
Oh my goodness, San, that Crepe Story!!! Hilarious!! Your dad prioritising one final crepe that he was willing to risk the entire journey home… that’s a level of gourmet commitment I can only admire. And somehow, the fact that he arrived home the same time as your mom makes the whole story even funnier. 😂 The “Paris Crepe Story” is absolutely the right name for it! That’s the nice thing about things going wrong: it’s such a funny story to share in the family.
I am so glad we made our train! Buying new tickets would have cost us 800 euros… not to mention the stress of organizing new tickets.
And yes, the Eiffel Tower episode was definitely a case of stubborn mum meets hungry mum. In the end she was completely right: the tower wasn’t going anywhere, and we had a much more relaxed evening once we stopped trying to get there. 😄
It really was a fantastic trip, and I’m so glad we got to experience Paris together. 😊
As you may renumber, Paris is my favorite city in the world.
I asked the hotel concierge for running routes that last time I was there – 2018. He was great.. I did run a 20k race too.
Haven’t missed a train or plane… yet.
So nice to be able to spent time there with your parents.
Of course I remember that, Darlene! And I understand why you love the city – it is amazing!
I would love to do the Paris Marathon one day – maybe we should coordinate that so we do it in the same year!
Since you were there in 2018, I think 2028 is calling your name!
Ah, j’aime Paris! Those Eiffel Tour views are fantastic!
LOL at your Mom’s Ferocious Hunger. I’m glad you were able to find a spot to eat right away.
We missed a train in Germany — or missed an announcement that our train was canceled and we should take a different train and missed that train. Luckily we were just heading to an airport hotel the night before our flight home, so catching the next train didn’t ruin any plans.
Oh no, that German train story! 😂 That’s exactly the kind of thing that would happen to me, too. At least you were only heading to the airport hotel and it didn’t mess up your flight. Imagine!
We were much less lucky with our TGV. Missing it would have meant replacing four tickets for 900 USD, so that 200-metre sprint across Gare de Lyon seemed very worthwhile! 😂
And yes, my mum’s Ferocious Hunger was not to be underestimated! On the way to the Eiffel Tower, we were passing lots of restaurants with people sitting outside enjoying their dinner, which I think contributed to the hanger… but it also meant that we quickly found a spot to eat!
Sounds like your mom was hangry, and we all know there’s ONLY ONE WAY to treat someone who’s hangry! How frustrating for you that you were so close, but yet so far from seeing the Eiffel Tower that first day. At least it all worked out the following morning!
I bet the four of you sprinting for the train was a quite a sight to see! I can almost hear you coaching your parents as you ran, “Pick up your knees, pump your arms, don’t trip!” Were there high fives all around when the train doors closed behind you?
To answer your question, for our bike rides in a new place, my husband looks on Ride with GPS for routes or looks at the cycling heat maps to see where popular places are to ride and then creates a route from that.
Hahaha, yes, there was definitely some hangry energy going on! 😂 And you’re right, the only treatment is FOOD, immediately! Thankfully, that was the only blip in our Paris trip. Well, that and our rather hasty departure!
Haha, I only had time to scream “RUN!” at my parents, and they did! 😂 We basically threw ourselves onto the train as the doors were closing. Definitely the most unexpected workout of the trip! Instead of high-fives, there was a lot of very relieved laughter.
Thanks for the Ride with GPS link, Debbie! I just checked it out, and it could be really useful for future trips!
Liebe Catrina,
zu allererst war es eine tolle Idee das gemeinsam zu machen und dann auch auf die Ideen deiner Eltern einzugehen! Sag mal bitte deinem Vater, dass ich die Idee von einem Café on the Champs-Élysées am besten fand. Nichts geht doch über einen gepflegten Café in Paris!!! 😉
Aber auf eine hungrige Mama muss man schon hören, sonst klappt sie evtl. noch unterzuckert zusammen! Aber ihr konntet ja dein 8seitiges ‘Dossier’ noch erfolgreich abarbeiten! 😆
Laufen in Paris, in der Nähe zum Eiffelturm, war doch bestimmt irgendwie erhebend, oder!? Gut, dass dein Coach flexibel auf die Reisepläne reagiert hat. Nicht auszudenken, du wärst mit schlechtem Gewissen heimgekehrt! So hat euer Zielsprint das Training dort abgerundet!
Ich bin immer wieder mal vor Ort losgelaufen und hab mir unterwegs die Route zusammen gebastelt. In der Regel aber hab ich mir in der Unterkunft eine gute Strecke erklären, oder hab mir einen Plan geben lassen. Schon zuhause hab ich eher in späteren Jahren Strecken rausgeguckt.
Fernverbindungen habe ich nur bei Umstiegen durch Verspätungen der Bahn verpasst. Ich glaube, dass ich nichts selbstverschuldet verpasst habe! – Aber wie habt ihr es mit dem Gepäck bei dem Sprint gemacht? – War das per Kurier unterwegs?
Bei uns ist es ewig her, ob wir aber nochmal hinfahren, keine Ahnung! 😆 Eine Sightseeing-Tour haben wir zusammen gemacht, vorher war ich noch bei einem kirchlichen Fußballturnier als Torwart dabei. Da konnte ich von unseren Gastgebern lernen wie man in Paris Auto fährt und andere Autofahrer anschubst, wenn sie nicht schnell genug bei Grün losfahren! 😛
Ich hoffe, dass deine Eltern noch lange davon zehren können!
Liebe Grüße Manfred
Lieber Manfred,
ich werde meinem Vater ausrichten, dass du seine Café-Idee ebenfalls für die beste Idee hältst! 😂 Er wäre bestimmt einverstanden. Wobei ich mit meinem Tee daneben natürlich ziemlich unfranzösisch unterwegs war. 😉
Und ja, eine hungrige Mama sollte man wirklich ernst nehmen! 😂 Zum Glück konnten wir den Eiffelturm einfach auf den nächsten Tag verschieben und unser 8-seitiges Dossier trotzdem noch erfolgreich abarbeiten.
Das Laufen in Paris war tatsächlich sehr schön. Jeden Morgen an der Seine mit Blick auf den Eiffelturm loszulaufen, war schon etwas ganz Besonderes. Und der Zugsprint war dann quasi der krönende Abschluss des Trainings! 😂
Unser Gepäck war übrigens brav dabei… Kai hat mit übermenschlichen Kräften heldenhaft den Grossteil der Taschen übernommen, während wir anderen uns aufs Rennen konzentrieren konnten! 😂 Zum Glück mussten wir damit nur etwa 200 Meter sprinten!
Und deine Geschichte vom Pariser Autofahren hat mich zum Lachen gebracht. Herrlich!!
Liebe Grüsse!
Wow, what a fun trip with your parents! They look like they had a great time- and so did you.
When I’m traveling, I’m often scared to run someplace new – I stick to teh treadmill usually the first few days until I’ve done some walking/exploring and seen other runners – and then I just do it! It’s such a great way to see a new place!
Thanks, Melissa! We really did have such a fun week together, and I think my parents enjoyed the adventure as much as we did. 😊
I am the same! I don’t like running somewhere new… I like first to explore the place. And you’re right, once you’ve done that, running is such a brilliant way to explore a new city. Paris was especially hard to beat with the Seine and Eiffel Tower as our morning backdrop! 😄
Bless your heart, Catrina. I think of my own mom in her eighties. Loved her deeply, but she definitely had her ways. She was very hunched over with osteoarthritis and used a walker. I used to take her grocery shopping and we probably actually walked 800 meters. Her list grocery would have items in 2 or 3 aisles, but she wanted to walk every aisle. It would take 2 to 2.5 hours. Looking back 15 years later, I miss those times.
This is really wonderful of you and Kai to do this trip to Paris with your mom and dad. On top of the “sit in a café on the Champs-Élysées and do a bit of people-watching”, it sounds like there so many other wonderful experiences.😊
Oh, I can completely picture those 2½-hour grocery trips! 😂 Your mum clearly knew how to make the most of an outing, even if you were technically only there for a few items. And I love that, 15 years later, those are the moments you miss. Funny how the ordinary things often become the memories we treasure most.
We really did have such a wonderful week with my parents. And you’re right, there were so many little experiences beyond the official sightseeing. Dad’s Champs-Élysées café mission was definitely one of the highlights! 😊