So... we spent a little more time at the Arc than intended. That's ok, we would hurry down to the metro to catch our train to Versailles, spend a couple of hours there, and head back to Paris to catch our train home. We would still move forward with our plan.
The trams in Paris are NOTHING like the trams in Switzerland. Nothing. We ran down to buy tickets to catch a tram to the train station and by the time we had the tickets figured out and which tunnel to walk down to get on the right side of the tracks, we were seconds away from missing the tram. Had to run.
We made it to Versailles and walked around and behind the palace to the beautiful gardens that awaited us. I was a touch nervous at this point, because the clock was ticking a little too quickly. But Jen captured this and my heart just melted:
Kate and Gracie & Jake and Brik. Together. Finally. Life couldn't get any better. My heart aches so much sometimes at the physical distance that spans between these friends.
Bikes were rented and all 11 of us were off to explore (well, 10 of us...one was trying his best to catch up on some much needed rest)!
This was the highlight last year for us and quite the experience again this year! I could ride around these grounds for hours and never tire of them.
Why Ben is fun to have around:
Someone was LOVING all of the attention he was getting from his aunt. She had special Mack treats in her purse and all sorts of fun surprises. He was in heaven.
Mastering the Selfie
I miss Brett in this:
It was at this moment, when we should have let go of our desire to try and bicycle to the Paris LDS Temple. But... I have a hard time letting things go that are soooooo within reach. Jen was on the same page, and so after fixing a couple of chains, we were off and pedaling again. This time not quite so casually-- we had a train to catch at 4:00pm to get us back to Paris.
We almost bicycled right by the Temple! It was right there on the main road, in between apartment buildings! Just beautiful.
We had only a few minutes to take a couple of pictures and then we were off and running.
We were pushing the clock at this point. Jake took a spill but was being brave. We cycled all of the way back to the gardens to return our bikes, and started making the long walk out of the grounds, to the palace and back to the train station. Stopping, of course, for a couple of crepes along the way. You just can't pass those up!
Except, unintentionally, we headed in the direction of the bus station. By the time we realized the direction we were heading (90 degrees off), we corrected our course and realized that we had to RUN to the station. We only had 7 minutes to get there. It was the kind of panic...hysterical... pee your pants running as all 11 of us (with the stroller) weaved our way through the streets of Versailles, in hopes that we could catch our train. I was in full panic adrenaline mode now, because we could not miss this train. I'm weaving Mack through crowds of people, Kate was complaining that her heels were killing her, and someone was pleading for water.... I ignored them all and we pressed on. Julie in front with google maps, Joe in the back motivating any child who needed to pick up the pace, and everyone else in the middle.
Somehow, we managed to load all of us on the train with 1 minute to spare. We collapsed into the chairs with sweat running down our faces and I realize that I had completely soaked through 4 layers of clothing. Soaked through. (I attribute that to my Columbia Raincoat that does a fabulous job of insulating, but not so great with the breathability!)
As the kids rehydrated, the adults looked at the bleak situation ahead of us. When we reached Paris, we would need to catch a tram that would take us as close as possible to our hotel, run back to that hotel (which would be 3/4 mile), pick up all of our luggage, and then run to another tram that would eventually get us to the train station, where we would depart on the final train of the night to Basel.
Could we do it? Would it even work? As the train arrived into Paris from Versailles, we were like Olympic sprinters waiting at the line for the gun to go off. As soon as those doors opened, we took off running. Carrying the stroller up and down way too many stairs, and getting more tickets for each tram we had to catch, getting stuck in the doors of those trams, do to the sheer number of people unwilling to move as we entered... By the time we were above ground and running that quarter mile back to our hotel, we were losing shorter people in our group. They had run enough and felt like another step would do them in. We were yelling anything we could to inspire. "DIG DEEP! YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU HAVEN'T GOT A CHOICE!!!!!" I could barely voice these phrases as my throat was burning and my bladder was full.
We made it to the hotel, grabbed way too many pieces of luggage, and were off sprinting again. We had to catch that tram that would take us directly to the station. As it neared in sight, I checked my watch and thought, we might just make this! Down more steps. This time with a LOT of heavy luggage and carryons and our stroller. We made it to the platform, 30 seconds before the tram arrived, and we all hooted and hollered... until the tram doors opened. IT WAS PACKED. I mean packed. But if we didn't get on this tram, we would miss our train. And so, we started pushing ourselves in with all of our stuff. Crazy, loud, sweaty Americans. That's what we were. The doors started closing as Kate was pushing Mack into the tram. Matt, Gracie and I were still outside of doors. Kate was stuck. Joe pried the doors open and got her in, and I jumped in behind her, as the doors slammed closed with me inside and my backpack outside....
Now, I might take a moment here to explain a little something about me. A long time ago, when I was in high school, my dear friends, Will and JB, came to see me play a basketball game against the girls team at their school. I had no idea they were in the stands. I was pretty vocal on the court and a touch competitive. I didn't trash talk, but I may have grunted and growled fighting for jump balls and yelled to try and distract my opponents. Shock value more than anything and often it worked. But after that day, I had a new nickname. To them, I was "Animal" from then on. It always made me laugh, because anyone who knew me and heard that, thought it was ridiculous! I wasn't a wild beast! But they had never witnessed me on the court. Haha! YEARS later, our family walked into church one Sunday, only to hear, "Oh my gosh, Animal!!!!!" Joe and the kids looked at me strangely as Will came up gave me a big hug. They had just moved into our congregation, and needless to say, he needed to explain my nickname ;)
I was stuck in the doors of a Paris Metro, and it hurt. I unintentionally let out a noise that was much louder than planned, much like a beast, and with enough physical force, I freed myself from it's grasp. But now, all eyes were on me, as the sweat, again, started to pour. Joe and I turned around in time to see the doors close, only to find that Matt was on the other side of those doors. He threw his hands up in defeat. "Oh well," he seemed to say. He had run from one door to the next, trying to get on. Well, Joe and I were NOT going to let that fly. What happened next is still a bit of a blur, but with shear force, Joe and I pried those doors open for a third time, as I let out an animal sound that resembled, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" And I grabbed the luggage and Joe grabbed Matt as we pulled them both into the safety of the Metro, piled together like sardines.
And then we began to move. It was SILENT in that car and everyone was staring but refused eye contact. I didn't want to meet their gaze either as what just occurred sunk in! I was just trying to keep the sweat from stinging my eyes. I still had those 4 layers on, and it wasn't helping! To say we were a spectacle would be an understatement. After texting each other to make sure all were accounted for, we reached the stop for the train. Again, we ran. I witnessed a Hercules strength in my daughter than I have never before seen. As we approached a lengthy set of stairs up to the next tunnel, I went to grab one side of the stroller so we could carry Mack up together. But before I could, in one incredibly smooth swoop, she whisked the stroller up in her arms and started charging up those stairs. Water bottles and umbrellas fell out and rolled down the steps, but she kept charging, and the SWEETEST WOMAN who had pointed us in the right direction, and was cheering for us, followed behind her and picked up every lost article.
"Good Luck!" The angel called, as we sprinted to our platform-each person carrying more than their share of luggage! The Hansens were in car 8 and we were in car 6. As we ran to the train, the Hansens loaded up in car 6 and we headed for car 8. Wrong cars!!! Quick! Again, we hurried passed each other in hysterics and we got to the right cars and loaded the train.
We made it. It was nothing short of a miracle and a lot of blessings from above. Welcome to Europe, Hansens! Sometimes our trips can be a little hairy at times, but it makes for some great memories :).
The fun was just beginning. And we were tired of running.
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