parents in paris

this past week, my parents visited me in paris.  honestly, it was one of the best weeks of my life.  it started last monday.  upon arrival, tons of hugs, and the giving of my carefully prepared gift basket, my parents were whisked off for "hallie mitnick's tour of the louvre."  now, i'm no rick steves, however, i think i did a pretty good job showing them the highlights.  their first parisian meal was salad and hot chocolate at angelina, then we were off the famed rue st. honoré for some shopping.  tuesday, after lunch at la durée, we attempted to go to the musée d'orsay.  finding it quite crowded, we decided to come back and took a leisurely walk along the seine to the latin quarter, where we spent the afternoon.  we dined at le grand colbert with some of my parents' friends.  wednesday, my roommate, brittany, who's studying in milan, came to paris to spend the day with me and my parents before her parents arrived.  after a breakfast of crepes, we met my parents at notre dame, which never seems to lose its magic.  then we were off to the lesser know saint-chapelle to see the ornate stained glass.  we took the metro to the arc de triomphe and then walked down the champs-elysées and avenue montaigne.  we dined at the local wine bar, a personal favorite.  thursday, we made our second and much more successful attempt to go to the musée d'orsay where we also saw the new manet exhibit which was excellent!  we then went to bon marché, a classic parisian department store, and then went up to the eighteenth to see sacre coeur.  last stop was the musée d'orangerie for a little more impressionism.  friday, we were up with the sun to get to the palace of versailles, which was just as if not more extraordinary than the last time i was there.  back in paris, we spent some time in the marais, with a lunch of falafel.  we drank champagne with my host family and then were off to the classic brasserie, bofinger.  saturday, we went to the invalides and then lunched at the lovely rue cler, a street full of food shops and cafés.  we attempted to go the opera house and found it closed.  sunday was my birthday!  i woke to a showering of good wishes and some gifts, and then we were off to my local market to make up our picnic lunch.  dinner was exceptional at le jules verne, the restaurant in the eiffel tower.  surely, one for the record books.  there's something special about switching gears from tourist to tour guide, especially when you're guiding the two people who not only influenced you in every way possible but also shared in and celebrated your dream of going to paris.  my parents did everything they could and then some to help me achieve this dream, and it was an honor and a delight to share my life in paris with them.