Wednesday, February 16, 2011

In a Bizarre Turn of Events

Ryan bought us tickets to Paris yesterday. He stumbled upon a ridiculously low airfare, $82.60 each way, $165 round trip. It must have been some sort of error, that price, because it only lasted about 10 minutes. But we got them AND THEY CAN'T TAKE THEM BACK! We're still sort of paralyzed with wonder and confusion. We're taking the kids, plus our hilarious neighbor and her son, Christian's best friend. We leave in about a month.

I told Ryan this is my birthday present. When I told my dad about it, he said, "How are you going to top that next year?" 

I thought about it. Next year for my birthday, Ryan can simply say, "Remember when I found us tickets to Paris for $83?" And I will bask in the awesomeness again. It will be present enough.

I laid in bed last night, unable to sleep, visions of baguettes dancing in my head. I began planning our wardrobes. I'm going to dress myself in black, with a parade of berets and red lipstick. I'm going to dress my children as mimes. I'm going to force Ryan to slick his hair down and don a thin mustache.

I hope some poor Delta employee didn't get fired for accidentally selling flights to Paris for $82.60, but if he did, I hope he knows how much it meant to me that he did it.

Life is so unpredictable.

Now we have to figure out what to do when we get there. Do you have any great suggestions? Tips? Must sees? Must eats? Great hotels or areas to stay? Fun activities for our motley crew of adults, teens, and tweens?

23 comments:

Hannah said...

NO.WAY.

I'm completely jealous. And so excited for you!

Kim said...

Oh. My. Gosh! What kind of luck do you have? My guess is that you'll find some 5-star hotel for $10/night, get "buy 1 get 1" fancy French meals. I'm so jealous! Sounds magical.

The Littons said...

The obvious stuff: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacré-Coeur.
Go to a cheese shop. Eat a croissant. Sit in a café and people-watch.
My favourite areas to wander are Ile-Saint-Louis and Le Marais.

Dede said...

Seriously?! That's amazing-good for you!!

That will be such a great trip. I can't wait to see pictures.

Andrea Mouritsen said...

Say whA?! I'm in utter disbelief. I immediately started pretending like I found the airfare. JEALOUS! You are going to LOOOOVE it. I'll email you some info from my Paris trip that I went on last year. Yay!

Christy said...

WOW! I'm sorta speechless!

Leslie said...

I'm so excited for you! No jumping out of airplanes over Paris, ok?

Annie said...

oh my! i am soooo jealous. enjoy it! there is so much to see and do! you will love it tiffany! love it!

The List Writer said...

Cor - that's less than it would cost me to get there by train from London! Am v envious.

My top tips would be the Cite des Sciences, and the Louvre BUT AVOIDING ALL PAINTINGS - go and see the antiquities instead. Also, the Jardin de Luxembourg for the true Parisien lifestyle - berets, mimes and everything.

Sigh. Paris in the Spring.

Jesse C said...

That is just swell. Nice work Ryan.

James said...

I hear Paris sucks. Not much art. No good food. Smelly. Tall tower that is just in the way of other dumb crap. No culture to speak of. A lot, and I mean a lot of people speaking "French". Good luck it will probably bite.

Meg said...

That's amazing! I admit I'm a bit jealous.

lemoniepants said...

will you please tell ryan to teach me how to stumble upon awesomness!

have fun!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm praying that your tickets aren't for Paris, TX!

But, that would be a little funny, wouldn't it?

Melanie said...

That is amazing! My in-laws have lived in Paris a few times (he was a professor and ran study-abroads) and lucky us - they're coming in town tonight! I'll pick their brains and get good tips. Their tips will likely be good for the bigger stuff though since the city has likely changed over 20 years...

when i get more info. i'll email you. i'm pretty sure i still have your email.

Tiffany said...

Thanks, buddens! You're the best!

Omgirl said...

first of all, WHERE did you find that fare published??? I am gonig to have to haunt that site from now on.

2) Hotels? Hahahah! When hubs and I went we stayed in the top level of a hotel with a stairway so steep that we had to take off our backpacks to fit up the last turn of it. And then our shower was in the hallway outside our room. I can't say I have any good recommendations.

3) Food? You can't miss. No matter what you do. Eat crepes with Nutella from the stands on the street. Order Croissants au chocolat at every bakery. Try all the cheeses in all the cafes. Keep in mind a that "Limonad" is actually sprite, not lemonade. Other than that, just enjoy ever second!

Oh, and go to the Musee D'Orsee if you're a museum goer. it's small and manageable and won't bore you to death by the end like the Louvre. (Also, after you see the price of going up in the Eiffel Tower, you might faint. But it IS worth it to go to the top).

Have fun!!!

Lindy-Lou said...

Tell Ryan if he ever gets tired of academia, he should become a legitimate travel agent.

Becky said...

I am SO jealous! Paris? Mmmmmmm. Sounds so fun!

Angie said...

Paris is beautiful! Really beautiful. The best advice I got before going is that the French are particular about courtesy (I wish Americans were, too). When you talk to someone, open with "Bon Jour" as a greeting. Most of them speak English, so communicating really isn't a problem, but the do want a polite greeting. People were very nice to us. And, take a day trip to Versaille to see the palace. It's unbelievable!

kami @ nobiggie.net said...

Ryan is a mover and a shaker! How exciting! Have a blast!

Ms. Fish said...

Do you just keep staring at the confirmation? Unbelievable!!

You didn't snooze. You didn't lose. Way to seize the moment.

Mia said...

I am so excited for you. I bet you will have a blast.

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