Paris Part Deux?

I had been bitten by the Paris bug.

My mission, and I chose to accept it, was to turn this 'once in a lifetime' opportunity into a repeat performance.

I gave myself a year to plan and set a date of August 15, 2011....for a 7 day stay.

This time would be different. I would be taking my kids (daughter 21, son 14) alone to a foreign country where we knew no one. I knew that I would have to be smart and prepared (I had the email addresses of our previous guides, so I had a backup plan in case of emergency). But I knew I would have to have a good plan:

1. I chose August because it is the holiday for the French and not as busy. 
• Thereby increasing our changes of getting a flight (remember, flying standby - trois)
2. Realistic budget.
• It'll be 3 of us now, so $400 US won't do it this time.
3. Place to stay in safe part of town
• I was familiar with and loved the 1st arrondisement, so stay there or in the 4th (Marais)
• I wanted us to stay in an apartment instead of a hotel to experience Paris as a Parisien
4. Itinerary
• I wanted us to take our time and explore the ciy but to also see key parts of the city I felt would interest and inspire them
• I would also be doing research for a class that I teach :-)
5. An open mind
• Nothing goes as plan, so be ready for ANYTHING!

So, now a year of diligent planning and saving goes into effect with 2 objectives in mind, bring my kids back alive and have fun.

I'm going back to Paris.....YAY!!!!!