France Scavenger Hunt

I have this amazing friend who has been in my life for 23 of my 31 years. Our parents, who remain close friends, brought our families together almost every Friday night for years. We don't see each other very often any more, and neither of us likes to talk on the phone, but when we do get together, it's wonderful to catch up, rejoicing in the good - and helping each other through the tough - stuff in our lives. I went to the Teaching Music History Conference in Denver (which was terrific! more on that another time, maybe) last week, and stayed with her in Colorado Springs. When I got there, she gave me the neatest gift for our trip: a scavenger hunt!

It's so great that I couldn't help but share it here. I'll re-post it with the pictures when I've accomplished it all! Thanks, Em :)

TAKE A PHOTO OF:
Someone/thing joyful.
Something magical.
Someone/thing sad.
Someone wearing a beret, smoking a cigarette and riding a bike with a baguette (or some combination thereof). Bonus points if you can photo bomb.
Someone riding a bike with a basket with a cat looking out.
A New Orleans style jazz band.
Interesting graffiti.
An original art nouveau Metro entrance.
Someone getting in or out of a taxi with their dog.
An artist sitting and painting a picture (Montmartre not included). Bonus points if he or she is wearing a beret.
A mime.
The most beautiful display of flowers for sale on a street corner.
A protest.
Display of cheese at a street market.
A Paris street name up on the corner of a building
A handwritten menu de jour outside a café or restaurant.
A newspaper or book kiosk on a street corner.
One of Paris's Sapeur-Pompier firetrucks.
A gargoyle NOT on Notre Dame.
A patisserie window with at least one cream puff swan.
The display with the greatest variety of oysters outside a restaurant.
The most elaborate window display from a chocolate shop.
The car parked farthest onto the sidewalk.
Lily of the Valley.

TO DO:
Eat steak frites with a glass of wine at an outdoor café.
Steal a kiss on the banks of the Seine.
See the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night.
Have a picnic on the banks of the Seine.
Visit Hotel Majestic, Avenue Kleiber (16th), where Gershwin worked on An American in Paris and take a picture of something musical.
Go by "La Closerie des Lilas" in Montparnasse (Hemingway's favorite café-restaurant) and write a six-word story. Hemingway was famous for his story "For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn."

This thoughtful gift has really helped me stay excited about our trip when parts of it are starting to seem overwhelming. After all, we're leaving in 22 DAYS. TWENTY-TWO DAYS. Lots to do, but LOTS of fun to be had.