Ottie & Lula Come for a Visit

 One of the perks of living in one of the most-visited cities in the world is that our friends come to us rather than us having to go to them. Shortly after Christmas we welcomed Ottoline and Tallula MacIlwaine to our rather humble abode in the City of Lights for their first ever trip to Paris. I lived with the MacIlwaine family last year in Aix en Provence while teaching English part time. They were British expats in France, and my duty was to help the girls with their French homework. Unlike many such 'au pair' situations these girls became more like little sisters rather than charges as they are two of the most delightful 10 and 11 year olds that I have ever met.

After having lived two whole years in France and moving back to England, the girls had still never been to Paris, and that was something that their parents and I agreed that we needed to change. For two and a half days we traipsed around the city seeing sights, eating delicious food, and trying to keep warm in the wintry cold. We climbed the Eiffel Tower where they ice skated on the rink on the first level. We indulged in macarons from Laduree, and we saw the city from the giant Ferris Wheel that is put up every Christmas season.

                                     

In our day to day routine here in Paris we rarely go into the 'touristy' parts of the city. We are more likely to be found underneath them zipping around on a metro to get to work or school. Seeing the girls' wide-eyed amazement of everything here reminded me of my own first trip to Paris which I will always remember well. There is nothing like taking in this magnificent city with fresh eyes, walking down its tree-lined boulevards, or partaking in a real French pastry for the first time. 

As we prepare to leave Paris and move on to Boston in just a few short weeks, it's hard for me not to want the days to go more quickly. It's difficult to settle in somewhere when you know how temporary it's going to be. However, it was so good to rediscover this wonderful city alongside Ottoline and Lula and remind myself exactly why I love it and will miss it.