Birthday Weekend!

I have the sweetest friends ever.  Because of my crazy change of plans with my family/weather/having enough time we had to postpone my birthday celebration until Saturday.  We all met at Opéra, and gathered together to have our traditional Saturday morning pain au chocolat on the steps of the Opéra.  It was a lovely day, maybe even too hot to be sitting outside all day, but we pushed through and no one made it out with too bad of a sunburn.  Whatever we were going to do was a surprise to me, although I assumed they had something up their sleeves when I was asked to go sit by myself for a few minutes so they could sort some things out.  ha!   

I returned to the group and was handed a cute little note that had "Arc de Triomphe" written on it and was instructed not to open it until we get there.  After we arrived under the arch, I was told I could open my note and on it was written, "Be the triumphant arc..."  So, I assumed this meant either I was going to double over and be an arch or someone was....and then I was told I could use any of my friends to complete the tasks.  So, I made them double over....ha....I used Flora and Rozy to make the top, and Laura bent down to create the actual arch, and I stood on top trying to look as triumphant as possible...not really knowing what that means.  

Use your imagination here....first challenge completed.  

We then went on to the second challenge which was to sing the chorus of the cheesy song, Aux Champs Élysées.  Haven't sung it myself since Mrs. Thompson's French 2 class in high school, although people play it frequently on the metro thinking it will please the tourists.  So I gathered everyone together, we stood under one of the famous street signs and we sung the chorus while an unfortunate innocent bystander stood to video us for the short 30 seconds.  (Video to come.)  We caught the eye of some tourists who stood to watch and some even taking photos so we're thinking of taking our tour on the road....

..or the metro...

My next challenge was at Place de la Concorde, my most favorite place in Paris.  I am certainly glad it made our list of pit stops.  The clue read, "Spell out Paris using our bodies as the letters."  So, after trial and error and figuring out who would work best depending on height and what we were wearing, I think we got it right.  

Again, imaginations please.  

We then walked down to Tuileries for a picnic they had planned, with my favorite olives and sun-dried tomatoes from the Italian épicerie in the 19th, comté cheese, baguettes, and ending it right with 5 spoons and a jar of crunchy Speculoos.  It. was. amazing.  Tuileries doesn't offer much shade...so we were all nice and hot and sweaty by the time we got up to leave.  The sun was beating down in full force and I'm pretty sure they had all applied sunscreen 3 or 4 times whilst sitting there.

My next "challenge" was to touch the top of the Louvre, and as much as I wanted to attach suction cups to the bottom of my feet and climb the glass pyramid, we chose the more practical option, to touch the top.  I have avoided such a touristy pose because I always seem to mock those who do it...and here I was in the position that I couldn't make fun of anyone.  C'est la vie!

I jumped off....it is much farther down than I expected.  Don't judge me.   

We took a quick bathroom break and came back out for a splash in the fountain before moving on.  It was an excellent escape from the heat!  

So refreshing, I could have stayed there all day!  

We walked through the Louvre over to Pont des Arts, where my next clue was waiting for me and this sweet sign Laura made.  

My cute clues that Alison and Laura made!

After I bought 2 bottles of water and everyone else an ice cream (yes, it was that hot) we got on the metro to our final destination...Montmartre.  On the way we were to hop in a metro photo booth and take a silly strip of photos...but unfortunately the ones we stopped at didn't have a photo booth!  We decided to postpone that one to a later date.  My challenge for Montmartre was to pretend to be in love with someone on the steps hinting at a petit bisous.  I did plant an air kiss on an innocent bystander as well as an unplanned bombardment by a man looking to hang out...unfortunately he was not cute and sort of creepy and sort of appalled after he found out I was American (should take that as a compliment that my French now really sounds French...) but either way I would consider that challenge met.  If not by the first one then wayyyy over by the second one.  It was funny though and they of course saved the best for last.  

My favorite stuntman climbing from the street lights on the steps of the Sacre-Coeur.  

So what are they going to do with all those photos?  Well, my sweetest of sweet friends are going to compile a book of all the photos and send them to me via mail in America.  Aren't they TOO kind?  It was certainly a birthday never to forget...with friends never to be forgotten...in a city that we have all fallen in love with.  

Birthday lunch picnic Thursday afternoon on the Champ de Mars.

I am so grateful for them each and every day.  Not to mention my most amazing, amazing host family.  We had dinner Thursday night at La Maison Mère, so we all met at the house before going.  We of course popped in the florist as a family and Marc had prepared a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me for my special day.  Dinner was terrific, and Marie-Césare was much better behaved than last year.  The restaurant is a French twist on American classics: hamburgers, fish sandwiches, barbecue, tacos, etc.  I ordered a fish sandwich or "fish burger" as they called it which came with fresh cut fries, homemade slaw, a *dill* pickle, and homemade tartar sauce.  (I finished off everyone's dill pickle that they didn't eat....with joy.)  The fish was some of the best I've had in a really long time.  It was a thick piece of fish, pan fried with an herb breading....not too thick but still crispy and not soggy.  The bun was homemade, and slightly sweet...and even Franck commented on its deliciousness.  We shared wine and champagne and cocktails, and pain perdu for dessert.  Although not as good as last years, it was still quite delicious and topped with a boule of vanilla ice cream and a pink candle.  I was given a beautiful Yves Saint Laurent scarf and a cute neon pink nylon YSL tote.  Chloé knows of my love for a touch of neon pink and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time in the season.  Didou and Padi had thought ahead and left my gift, a crocheted bolster pillow from Fragonard, one of my favorite places in Paris for gifts.  

I love spending moments just the 5 of us, I love our French/English dinner table conversations, I love the fact that Gaspard thinks of me as his older sister, I love that I have been welcomed into their family...rightly now so as Maggie Philpot Lachaize, I love that they took the time out of their busy schedules to celebrate my birthday.  I am truly the luckiest girl in the world.  I don't take it for granted, and I am appreciative for everything in my life.  My wonderful family(ies) and friends (on now every continent except Antarctica..) mean everything to me and this birthday celebration was no exception.  I love you all so dearly.  I am sad to leave my European friends behind, but I am certain Paris is not the last time we will all meet...and I am so very excited to get back to my friends and family in the States I can hardly stand it.  Mixed emotions are running at an all time high!!!!