My first
stop was Brussels for a layover. I took in my surroundings slowly, appreciating
the carpet, the clean bathrooms with automatic faucets, the smoothie bar, and
the departures and arrivals screens, displaying up-to-date information. Then I
sat down and enjoyed a real cup of coffee with bread and cheese that was left
over from my first flight.
 |
| Eiffel Tower and Alexander III Bridge |
When I
arrived in Paris, I got my baggage and then saw my parents waiting for me. We
ran (in slow motion) towards each other and embraced. No really, it was quite
precious, smile. Then, we
proceeded to navigate a train and multiple metro cars with our rolling
suitcases to our hotel (with super-fast Wi-Fi!)
We spent
the next ten days exploring Paris and making a few day trips to nearby towns.
We saw churches, all with their unique features, museums, parks, looked out
over the city during the day and at night, took tours by bike, bus, and boat,
ate delicious food for every meal, shopped, navigated the city by foot and my
metro, and chatted at cafes. I reveled at the architecture of the buildings, pondered
at the nonsensicality of Versailles, smelled the falling leaves, listened to
Parisian French (much different from the accents in West Africa), and savored
truffle cream, nutella, cheese, strawberries, crepes, and gelato. I also made a
point of using the Laundromat to have my clothes cleaned by a machine!
 |
| Rouen |
I was
surprised to see a great deal of West Africans in Paris. During our first metro
ride through the city, I recognized their traditional outfits and vibrant
fabrics instantly. On this particular day it was a Sunday, so everyone was in
their Sunday best for church! On one of my last nights, we walked around a
neighborhood where many West Africans live. There was a market starting to pack
up for the night with women sitting on the side walk selling small eggplants, smoked
fish, and boiled corn (yelling out “maïs chaud!” or “hot corn!”). Hair dresser
shops lined the streets with women getting weaves, and there were even shops
selling West African fabrics. It was Little West Africa!
 |
| Dahomey Kingdom throne |
We
visited the Branly museum which has artifacts from Asia, Africa, and South
America. We went specifically to look at
the items from Africa, and sure enough, they had an exhibit from Benin. They were items from the Royal Dahomey
kingdom in Abomey (Dahomey was the name before it was changed to Benin). It was
great to see Benin in the spot light.
The trip
was incredible for many reasons, not the least of which was being able to spend
so much time with my parents. My dad was our fantastic tour guide, navigating
us through the city on foot, by train, or with the metro. Mom was our time keeper,
making sure we didn't dilly dally too much and keeping us on schedule. She was
also our planner, fitting in everything we wanted to do at just the right times.
I was just along for the ride, trying to soak in as much as I could on our
short stay together. We had some “firsts” for this family vacation. It was our
first international vacation and our first one without Grace. But, it was
successful all around! Sadly, the trip did eventually come to an end and I made
my way back to Benin. After a few days of adjusting I’m back and ready to
finish out my service.
I
appreciate everyone’s support, encouragement, and prayers!
