Bragging Rights
As mentioned, traveling with boys becomes a
unique adventure of its own (see “Traveling with
Boys” from November 2011) and excursions with little people, especially boys, require an extra level of preparation. Inevitably, the left hook parents never see coming can waylay a family vacation, an entire tour group, or the memories of springtime in Paris. In my case, Son #1 rocks as a travel companion, and even at the age of four, he appreciated the loveliness of each new place or activity. So when he came at me with his right hook, it did not pack too much of a punch since four-year-olds don’t qualify as heavy hitters. Nonetheless, I didn’t see this coming.
As mentioned, traveling with boys becomes a
unique adventure of its own (see “Traveling with Boys” from November 2011) and excursions with little people, especially boys, require an extra level of preparation. Inevitably, the left hook parents never see coming can waylay a family vacation, an entire tour group, or the memories of springtime in Paris. In my case, Son #1 rocks as a travel companion, and even at the age of four, he appreciated the loveliness of each new place or activity. So when he came at me with his right hook, it did not pack too much of a punch since four-year-olds don’t qualify as heavy hitters. Nonetheless, I didn’t see this coming.
I deem certain structures and sites in the world
as iconic: the Grand Canyon, the Great Sphinx, the Great Wall of China, and Big
Ben – even their names identify them as being extraordinary. Amazing sites worthy of travel across an
ocean include the Coliseum, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Acropolis, the Sydney Opera
House, Machu Pichu, and the Statue of Liberty.
Son #1 has tagged along through a half dozen countries, passed through
nearly thirty states, swam in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, posed in front
of all five Great Lakes (see “The 5th Lake” from March 2012) and the
Gulf of Mexico. He only made it to Grand
Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and Niagara Falls once, but he has gazed upon the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and posed in front of the Washington Monument
twice.
In The Eyes Of A Child
The one-day bus tour of the City of Light begins at the Arc de Triomphe followed by a drop-off at Notre Dame with, “Sanctuary!”screaming through my head, since it probably would not be Americanly appropriate to yell it out loud. The gargoyles, the flying buttresses, and the magnificence of the building inspire a circumnavigation of the structure, and the Rose stained-glass windows illuminate any art aficionado’s heart simply because the interior is too dark to truly appreciate anything else. What
better way to soak in the southern end of the Parisian island than a boat ride
along the Seine.
The one-day bus tour of the City of Light begins at the Arc de Triomphe followed by a drop-off at Notre Dame with, “Sanctuary!”screaming through my head, since it probably would not be Americanly appropriate to yell it out loud. The gargoyles, the flying buttresses, and the magnificence of the building inspire a circumnavigation of the structure, and the Rose stained-glass windows illuminate any art aficionado’s heart simply because the interior is too dark to truly appreciate anything else. What
better way to soak in the southern end of the Parisian island than a boat ride
along the Seine.
Disembarking near the foot of the world’s most
noteworthy structure, the sun peeks out from the clouds behind which it has
been hiding. On the nearby hilltop Sacre
Coure gleams in the sunlight. Just a few
minutes’ walk and we will ride to the lower risers and see the city from the
finest vantage point on the most famous tower on the planet. But then a right hook swings at us and delays
our plans because, with just four years of experience, Son #1 does not realize
the magnitude of the place where we land.
No, through the eyes of a child he sees the most perfectly wonderful
site ever: a merry-go-round. Sorry, Mr.
Eiffel, your structure just doesn’t hold a candle to a couple dozen painted
horses and the melody of a calliope in the eyes of a child.
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