Why is My Mother-in-Law Acting This Way?...Because She is in Paris!

A few years ago Lindsay and I took her Mother Pat and sister Cathi with us on a late fall European adventure.  Neither Pat nor Cathi had been outside the U.S. (aside from Canada) so we were excited to see how they would react to international travel.  When we arrived in Paris it was late November but they were having an unusually warm week and it was simply beautiful.  When we first arrived to the city via the Saint Michelle metro station Lindsay and I ran up the stairs so that we could watch as Cathi and Pat came out of the station and saw Paris, and Europe, for the first time.  We will never forget their look of absolute amazement and instant love.  On one of our first nights in the city we found ourselves with a few extra hours in the late evening to simply explore.  We were staying in the Latin Quarter area of the city and decided to simply stroll up towards Notre Dame Cathedral which was only a few blocks away.  It was a beautiful and warm (for November) evening and as the sun went down the lights of Paris began to come on.  We made our way past the Cathedral and down along a footpath which follows the Seine river.  We simply strolled along the river looking at the beautiful city of Paris which was all around us.  Occasionally we would stop, talk, laugh, etc.  During this time Lindsay’s Mom Pat was just smiling, laughing, singing, etc and we were all busting up.  She was so giddy that she could hardly contain herself.  We eventually realized that Pat was experiencing a “travelers high” and was overwhelmed with the feelings of being in Paris.  Lindsay, Cathi and myself all got a good laugh but to be honest we were feeling it as well.  There is something magical about the city of Paris and this particular night was no exception.  As the evening came to a close we simply wandered back around to the Latin Quarter and back to the hotel…but not without stopping to get a banana/Nutella crepe first. :)  To this day I think that is the happiest I have ever seen my mother-in-law and it was an evening we will never forget!