Brenda Baker Productions

The episode of Gilmore Girls known as "French Twist" makes more sense now that I know what it's like to travel to Paris. Basically, Lorelai and Christopher arrive at their hotel and fall asleep--only to wake up at 5:00 a.m. ready for dinner. I totally get it now. We left Seattle at 1:20 p.m. on a Monday afternoon and touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. It took us a couple of hours to get through passport processing, to buy French SIM cards and a pre-paid phone plan , and to figure out how to buy the right train tickets to get to our hotel--all the while trying to ignore the security guards with machine guns. The train ride took at least another 45 minutes, and then we had to find our way from Metro St-Michel - Notre-Dame to Hotel Marignan (as my boss who recommended the place clarifies, "the one-star, not the five-star" 😆), finally arriving there at about noon. The hotel is great, by the way. Quiet at night, friendly staf...

Day two: Well, almost. I w oke up at 11:49 a.m. feeling like I had a full night's sleep. I was convinced that my phone hadn't adjusted to the new time zone. I woke again at 3:00 a.m. At 4:00 a.m. we watched an amazing thunder and lightning storm and watched a video my brother Dan sent us. I'm sure our hotel neighbors wondered why we were giggling in the wee hours of the morning. At 6:00 a.m. I finally gave up on sleep, got up, showered, and went for a walk. I just couldn't look at the ceiling any longer--no matter how pretty it was. We stayed in a quiet little area near the Sorbonne so it felt safe to wander rather aimlessly. The nighttime rain had washed the sidewalk clean, and the quiet morning offered a good chance to begin to get my bearings. Here and there, I was able to notice fun little details that I didn't expect like this color wheel on the pavement. We grabbed a quick croissant and cappuccino at Parisienne, 52 bd Saint-Germain, 75...

Day three: We took the Réseau Express Régional train (RER)  to Disneyland Paris in Chessy, France, and spent a fun-filled day at paradis sur terre . Sleeping Beauty's Castle features a fire-breathing creature in la tanière du dragon Pirates of the Caribbean is a swashbuckling adventure in any language. Doesn't Johnny Depp have homes in France? The French version of Space Mountain:  De la Terre à la Lune was a wild ride My all-time favorite is The Tower of Terror. I screamed in French. We loved the multi-sensory experience of Ratatouille: The Adventure , a 4-D experience that immerses you in the sights, sounds, and smells of Gusteau's famous Parisian restaurant. The a"maze"ing Alice's Curious Labyrinth was full of surprises. We ate dinner in the courtyard of the Coco-themed Fuente del Oro Restaurante Did you know It's a Small World puts on a little outdoor show that tells the time on ...

Day four: We kicked off another day with croissants and coffee at  Boulangerie Saint Michel , 31 rue de la Huchette, 75005. We purchased our five -day Paris Museum passes at the Cluny Museum near our hotel. The trick is to purchase the pass at a less crowded participating museum so you don't have to stand in line forever to buy your pass. On our way to  Musée d’Orsay, we visited Paris' oldest art supply store,  Magasin Sennelier, 3 Quai Voltaire, 75007. What a treat. I loved exploring every square inch of the store. From there we walked to Musée d'Orsay which primarily showcases artwork from 1848 to 1914. A mini-Lady Liberty Walking on an encased model of the Paris Opera District Model of the Paris Opera House Femme étendant du linge by Camille Pissarro, 1887 La rue Montorgueil à Paris. Fête du 30 juin 1878 by Claude Monet L'asperge and Le citron by Éduoard Manet, 1800 After a fabulous exploration ...