Paris

It's already started.

While waiting to board the plane in Vancouver, Steve starts telling the girls random facts about Paris. He does this. I think it's the professor thing. You can't go for a walk in the forest without him pointing out all the types of trees and the berries, and getting a lecture about when they'll be ripe, so I suppose it's not surprising it's happening now, since we're all pretty excited about embarking on this European vacation. We're going to be gone for a month.

"Did you know there used to be a shanty town in the middle of the open area where the Louvre is? Where the glass pyramid thing is now? And did you know that people used to find Paris so confusing that they'd grow up in a certain arrondissement and never leave it since they couldn't find their way back home? And that there were no ancient maps of Paris?" he says.

I actually think this is pretty interesting, but Sophie just raises one eyebrow and looks at me. "Is this how it's going to be for the whole month?" she asks me.

"Is this how what's going to be?" I ask.

"The talking. Dad."

"Yes," I admit.

Steve hears this, but doesn't care. "And did you know that the french fry was named after a French lord with the last name 'Fry' in 1771?" he continues, unabated.

"Really?" Hannah asks.

"Uh, no." I say.

"Too bad. That would have been so cool."