A Parisian Christmas

"Christmas in Paris" sounds a bit ostentatious for those of us from Georgia and Ohio. But Paris, as the crow flies, is not actually that far from Beirut (it's closer than Los Angeles is to Atlanta). Paris was also a good half way meeting spot between the U.S. and the Middle East. So we ran with the idea of spending our Christmas with the Kotas in Paris, a holiday that we'll never forget.

For nearly two hundred years, people have stood on this spot and posed next to L'Arc de Triumph. The Kotas decided to spice up the picture a bit by holding Emily, who developed some kind of undiagnosed ankle ailment as a result of being forced to walk hours in the Parisian streets.

No trip to Paris is complete without making fun of Napoleon's height. That's what Mike is doing next to the the little Emperor's jacket at an exhibit in Les Invalides.

Nancy and Meg walking around a very cold Notre Dame Cathedral.

Megan demonstrates the go-to pose in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Emily and Wade read about the wonders of the 13th century's Sainte-Chappelle. The chapel helps you understand how stain glass windows were the Hulu.com of the Middle Ages -- hours of entertainment right there in front of you.

Visiting the Chatres Cathedral was a highlight. It may seem like Wade and Megan are hugging one another as a sign of affection -- we were actually just trying to stay warm.

One of the most exciting days of the trip in Paris is when the boys (Mike and Wade) split off from the girls (Nancy, Megan, and Emily). The women went shopping while the men wondered the streets of Paris looking for interesting historical sites. Here is Wade along the Seine next to the great Thomas Jefferson. Wahoowa.

Wade insisted on stopping by the location of the Bastille and Mike humored him. You have to use your imagination to recreate what it must have been like on July 14, 1789 -- in place of those cars there would have been angry sans-culottes firing guns at a medieval prison.

Perhaps the coolest moments after this picture. There we were, standing on the tip of the Ile St. Louis, in the heart of Paris. Mike gave the trademark thumbs up pose with the Seine River behind him. That's when we turned around and noticed...

...a cedar tree. Sure enough, the plaque underneath explained that Rafiq Hairiri planted the tree with Jacques Chirac in 1995. It was the joining of our two worlds.