An Aaron in Paris

Aaron took an unexpected trip to Paris! A few days before his work's biannual in-person meetup in Chicago, his co-worker called him up and asked if he could travel to Paris to do an important vendor evaluation. We were a little nervous because I was 35 weeks pregnant, but it ended up being fine for us at home and a cool trip for Aaron.

 

On the second day in Chicago, the trip was finalized and tickets to leave that evening were purchased. His work got him a nice business class ticket! He had one of those pod seats that reclined all the way so he could try to sleep. It was in-flight luxury the likes of which we have never before experienced. He caught his last minute international flight with only the backpack he had packed for the Chicago trip and a suitcase full of testing equipment that is now in our bedroom. 

Here's the view out his hotel window. All the buildings are gorgeous! The location was amazing, too- he could see the Eiffel Tower from the roof of the hotel, and the office he was working at was just a few buildings away. 

This was a short trip. With the jet lag and red eye flight, he didn't have much time to calibrate before his big meeting. Then, his equipment testing took much longer than anticipated because one piece of equipment didn't make it into the hastily packed suitcase. His co-worker woke up at 3am US time to figure out some work-arounds with Aaron. 

He had some free hours before and after the long work day. ChatGPT was a huge help in figuring out the best sites to visit that were open and close by. We are usually planners, and everything about this trip was forcing Aaron to just wing it. He managed to soak up a good taste of the city in the short amount of time he had there.

The Arc de Triomphe looks like a giant game of frogger! There are cars driving about with no lane markings, and pedestrians dodging the cars to get close to the monument. Aaron says this was the closest he could get without risking life and limb. 

Aaron is more of an architecture guy than an art museum guy, so ChatGPT sent him walking to Saint-Pierre-de-Chaillot. 

A few blocks away was another soaring cathedral! This one is the American Cathedral in Paris. Even though it was May, it was cold at night, and he only had his light jacket. 

Aaron indulgently took pictures of the food for me. He said they have smaller serving sizes but really high quality. He tried the Creme Brulé, which was incredibly delicious.

Salmon with yummy veggies? An Aaron dream come true!

This was an unexpected adventure, and I'm glad it worked out that Aaron was able to take advantage of such a cool opportunity to see a new part of the world!