Today was our last full day in Paris. We leave this apartment in Paris to head to Disneyland Paris - first thing in the morning.
I think it was fitting to have our last day in Paris be a Sunday. A relaxing day, a day to just soak in our surroundings. After all our weeks of travel - we are masters at traveling with our kids - and we can use that knowledge to have days that keep everyone happy.
We started off by walking to Notre Dame cathedral. The church bells were in full swing. And, the flowers alongside the church were shining brilliantly in the morning light. Gorgeous purples, blues, and later some orange and red. We strolled looking at all that beauty - and enjoying watching Sara and Julia munch on their baguettes as a second breakfast.
[As a side note, Julia is now saying "night night" when she goes to bed. And she also says "bye" when she sees a carousel, since I always say "bye" when she goes to ride the carousel with Dan and Sara. There are quite a few carousels here in Paris - and the girls have given them all a spin! Julia also is the first person ready to go in the morning. She'll stand by the door with her shoes on (she puts her own shoes on) and gives us a look over her shoulder as if to say, "are you guys coming?" and today she took the baguette that was sticking out of my backpack (everyone carries bread around) and she tucked it under her arms just like everyone in Paris does. It was *very* cute and funny! It also shows that she is perceptive, and that she loves a good baguette! She will also hand us her sweater if she is ready to go - and today she took Dan's wallet off the table and went to the kitchen to hand him his wallet! She is very funny.]
Our goal was to do a walking tour in our guide book of the Marais area of Paris. We walked across the island that the Notre Dame cathedral is on, then we walked across the other island next to it (IIe St. Louis) and across a bridge to Marais. I won't recount everything we saw as we walked, but it was small streets (with no cars) and supposedly it is "characteristic of old Paris" -- nice to stroll and go back in time a bit. There are many grand boulevards here, and we were on little side streets so it was fun.
We ended up having some sort of a hot triangle thing from a artesian bakery for lunch and also a falafel that was super tasty. We didn't sit at a cafe - we just stood and strolled and ate. Later we got a big square of pizza for Sara/Julia to share, and also a chocolate eclair (chocolate filling and chocolate on top). We didn't have any ice cream today so we'll have to double our quota for tomorrow!
As we departed the Marais neighborhood we walked on the same side of the river towards the Louvre area. Bingo - we were right at the Tuileries Garden. Never have I seen a more beautiful place. Oh, the flowers were glowing with color, the sky was blazing blue, the planters were ornamental, the sculptures were artistic and even they looked like they were enjoying the day. What a lovely place. I had to stop and just look at it. I couldn't take in all that beauty and keep walking.
The Tuileries Garden is loaded with trees, laced with walking paths, and even several cafes. People were sitting under trees on green chairs, people were sipping coffee at cafes, people were strolling, -- everywhere. It was a much enjoyed park. And everything was harmonious - swirled together it was a sight to behold - and a sight to feel - a sight to savor.
Sara and Julia woke up while we were in the garden. Right by a play ground. Sara went to the playground with Dan. Julia climbed up on my lap and we sat for about 2 seconds. Then she was off to explore. That kid doesn't realize she is just a little kid - she was ready to enjoy the garden on her own terms! That meat walking over to the carousel. She pointed to it - and looked at me - "Mom, look at that!" she said with her expression. We sat/stood together and watched the carousel for probably 30 minutes (Sara was still playing). The cutest thing was how Julia stood there waving at the carousel as it went round and round - she was interacting with the kids who were riding. I didn't buy any tickets I thought she was just having fun looking. Then I walked over to re-join with Dan/Sara and we took Sara to the trampoline.
The trampoline at Tuileries Garden is a kid magnet. There are 8 rectangular trampolines and it costs 2.50 Euro for 5 minutes. Sara bought her own ticket (she likes doing that - she just walks right up to a counter, says what she'd like and hands over the money. She orders for herself at bakeries, icecream places, and also places like the trampoline) and then she got in line. There were only 4 other kids in line so that was nice. She got to go on the very next change over. When the guy opened the gate Sara ran to her chosen trampoline and jumped non-stop for 5 minutes. She did flips/somersaults, she flew into the air, and she skidded around. It was great. And that kid smiled the whole time! Julia had to watch, you have to be 2 years to try. (Next time Julia!)
Sara wanted to try the trampoline again, but I suggested she go ride the carousel with Julia. We bought 6 rides for 10 Euro (steep price, but it is worth it) and they guy gave us 2 rides free. Sara was sweet. She picked rides that she could ride with Julia - things that have more than one seat - including a tea cup type thing that spun around and around! I rode with them - so after 4 rides I was really ready to stop spinning! The only ride Sara did with out Julia by her side was an airplane. Sara was very proud of its colors - and she liked flying high. I put Julia on a nearby horse. European carousels have so much more than horses - there was even a pirate ship - that we rode in too!
After all those rides we got the kids back in the stroller (they were tired!) and kept walking. Those carousel rides were the first time I sat down all day. Taking time to do that kind of thing is what we've learned makes for a successful day. They get to be kids - and have so much fun - and we get to watch them having fun - so it is really a win-win. ;)
Time ticked by and soon it was 3:30. We strolled along the river Seine - right by the river - on the paths down there - along with a zillion other people. They were all having a lovely Sunday afternoon. Some people were at river front cafes, some people were golfing (!), some people were with their kids on scooters, some people were rollerblading, just everyone was having fun - all in harmony with one-another. We *loved* it - just experiencing being in Paris on a sunny Sunday was great. It was warm and sunny, with only the barest touch of a breeze. As we strolled we looked around at everything: the people, the river, the buildings, and the monuments. So much to see! There was music coming from different directions and the girls loved it all too.
By 4:00 we were at the Eiffel tower were we enjoyed it one last bit and got a family photo. Were we nuts to take young kids to Paris? Maybe - but at least we have photo proof of it now.
On our walk back here (we walked 11+ miles today) we talked about our time in Paris - and listened to the girls giggling in the stroller. There is still nothing Sara likes more than making Julia laugh, and that warms my heart.
It is time to end this so I can get to sleep. It is now 8:54 - and we are still sort of packing up. We have laundry drying (there is a washer here but no dryer) so we have our clothes hanging out the window on the iron scroll work that seems to border every window in Paris.
It was a good visit to Paris. Tomorrow is a big travel day - out to Disneyland Paris - with all our luggage. Wish us luck.
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Can I do the trampoline again? Please?"
Me: "How about you go ride the carousel with Julia instead?"
Sara: "Okay! Come on Julia, let's go!"
[Then Julia ran after Sara through the garden to get to the carousel!]
End of Post.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Saturday: Mona Lisa, Cruise the Seine River, Luxembourg Gardens
Sara and Julia have now seen the Mona Lisa!
It is 8:05 PM, we've been up since 6:20. The sky is black at that time. Even Paris thinks that is to early to be awake. As the time goes by, we see more light in the courtyard of our apartment building, and the sky becomes a smear of pink.
Our goal for the day: the Louvre museum. We had read online and in our tour books to get there before opening to avoid lines. So as soon as we fed the girls some breakfast (Dan and I had coffee from our French press, but we just ate yesterday's bagette/bread for our breakfast as we walked) we set out onto the streets of Paris for our Saturday adventure.
It was interesting how there was a total lack of hustle bustle on the Streets as we walked. It was Saturday morning, and no one was walking around and the shops were buttoned up tight. (Many shops don't open 'till 10:30 on Saturday, the French people have a mandated 35 hour work week or something like that.) The quiet streets were great for walking. Dan and I could walk quickly without having to dodge other walkers. It took about 12 minutes before we passed our first bakery. It was a nice bakery. They were very professional, their breads were lovely, and popping in there to gather up our bread supply was a delight. We got a bagette for 1.05 Euro, a 4.50 Euro soft loaf that was round and had nuts on it, and Sara chose a muffin. The people who worked there were so nice, we even noted the location on our GPS so we could go back. And that is saying something since there are a lot of bakeries here!
We kept walking. We eventually saw the Louvre. It is huge. We went into the complex through an enormous door way from the side. There was no one else around so we were wondering if that area was open. It was indeed open. We strolled up into the area of the Louvre with the glass pyramid. That's when we saw the line. It was 9:00 and it opened at 9:00. The line was maybe 100 meters long. It snaked out of the glass pyramid and around a bit.
Sara said, "Sorry Mom, there is a line" since she knew we were trying to get there at opening to avoid a long line. I told her that I actually expected a line, even at opening time, but that by getting there at that time we avoided an even longer line.
Dan got in line, while I said, "I'm going to check to see if this is the right line for people with a stroller." The last thing we wanted was to wait in the line and be told that we couldn't get our stroller into the door. I snapped a photo of our stroller and walked over to the guy in charge.
I smiled, showed him the stroller, said "I have two kids in a stroller, is that the right line?"
He said, "go to the front. You do not have to wait."
Great!
I went back to Dan who was in the same spot where I left him (the line hadn't moved) and told him we could skip the line. We were happy. We were given the royal treatment. Everyone from the line were going in through the metal detectors (on the right) and our doors (which were just left of those doors) lead us straight in! We had our own entrance right to the left of the other people!
Then we looked for the elevator. We were inside the glass pyramid at this point. There was a sign that said "the elevator is available by simple request" so I went down the spiral stair case to request the elevator.
Now -- this is the cool part. The elevator is an awesome space-aged platform that rises out of the Louvre ground floor! Sara and I could have walked down the stairs but we wanted to ride on that cool elevator. Dan said, "this is the coolest elevator I've ever seen" We loaded on to it (we were the only ones on it plus the operator) and we made a grand entrance into the Louvre that we will never forget.
We bought tickets and went in. Our first stop was the Mona Lisa.
Getting there was pretty easy. There are signs to the Mona Lisa on many of the walls. (The signs even include a picture of it for easy identification.) I had read something that said one person had to wait 10 minutes to get into the Mona Lisa room and that their tour guide said that was really a short wait. So we expected to get there and line up to enter the room.
When we got there, there was no line. We walked right in. And not only that. We walked right up to her! There were so few people in front of the Mona Lisa that we just got a front row spot to stand and look at her. It was really amazing.
I asked Sara what she thought of it. She said, "it's small" and she is right. Many of the other paintings in the room and in the museum are as large as a wall - or at least a few feet square. The Mona Lisa is small by those standards. But -- it is the Mona Lisa and undeniably special.
I asked Sara "is she smiling?" She said, "Yes Mom" so that is Sara's interpretation of the "Mona Lisa" smile. We got some pictures of us with Mona, looked at it a lot, and then we continued our tour of the museum.
(Sara doing her Mona Lisa smile with the Mona Lisa behind her!)
With that block buster done, we picked some other things we wanted to see. My favorite painter is Vermeer (dutch) and the Louvre has 2 of his paintings! It took some finesse to take the elevators through the Louvre (an old King's palace) to get there. But we did. And no one else was looking at the two Vermeers. Lucky for me! I got to stare at them from a foot away - all by myself! Vermeer worked in Delft (where we spent a few weeks last October in the Netherlands/Holland) and I've always loved his work. We have two Vermeer paintings hanging in our dining room that we bought on canvas when we were travling one time. I think his work is just lovely - and he only created a hand full of works so they are all the more special (one of his most famous is the "girl with the pearl earring."
We also saw the Greek statues, oodles of French and Italian art, and oodles of everything else. The Louvre is big. It was better than I remember it. The last time we went there I mainly remember thinking about how big it was - this time I really noticed the ceilings (with paintings and even sculpture), the architecture of the building itself, and Dan and I even remember walking down certain halls together -- all those years ago!
Lunch was around 11:30 I think. Lucky us, the whole meal was 20% off due to eating early. We had a ton of food (we've learned to load up so the kids take good afternoon naps!) - pasta, chicken, mozzarella and tomatoes, and a side salad. It was all so good. We sat in the front so we could watch the hub-bub of the museum as we ate. They had great high chairs for Julia to use.
After lunch we explored the "history of the Louvre" area where you see the base of the old building (it feels like you are underground and you get to see the old rocks and stuff of the old foundation - it is fascinating). Julia was awake for that part (she did have a nice nap after the lunch) and she walked all along the ancient structure as if it were perfectly normal for a baby/toddler to see something so magical. She looked so cute and happy. I was glad she was so happy, since I had actually woken her up from her nap by clunking the stroller into the side of an elevator - and I felt so bad that I woke her up - but the best part was that I got to hold a sleepy baby in my arms while we looked at some jewels - and my jewel (Julia) put her head on my shoulder and snuggled in as I looked at the diamonds sparkle on a royal crown. It was nice.
We took the girls through the grand hall and actually ended up cutting through the Mona Lisa room to leave (we saw Mona Lisa probably 6 different times as we walked around) and by the time we left it was about 2:00 PM and we were all ready for some fresh air.
We stepped out of the Louvre into the Pyramid area and just soaked it all in. The Louvre, the Gardens, the Eiffel Tower in the distance -- we are in Paris!
After talking it over we decided to head to the Pont Neuf area to go on a boat cruise. Walking there was fun, as now there were people strolling around - and we got to blend into the Paris vibe. We got tickets to the boat cruise, stepped on, and it left moments later. We were the last ones on - our timing was perfect. Before we got on I got 2 ice creams for the trip. 1 for Sara and 1 for Julia. Oddly, Julia wasn't interested - so Dan held her ice cream and they both shared it. (Usually Julia likes to hold her own ice cream!) They looked so cute together - Dad/Daughter. Just enjoying the ice cream and cruising the Seine through Paris.
The boat cruise was nice - it looped all around - and we were the only ones inside the boat. Everyone else was up top or out front. We tried sitting there but the girls didn't like it. That worked out nicely as we were so comfortable down there in the glass enclosed boat with out our hair and bodies getting blown by the wind as we cruised. We literally had the whole interior to ourselves - like a private tour. It lasted 1 hour then we got off and walked through the Latin Quarter where Dan got a crepe (with Nutella and banana) and I got a slice of pizza of the day (with zucchini and bacon on it, an odd combination but I guess they figure the zucchini healthiness balances out the bacon - whatever - it was good!)
After some more strolling we went to Luxembourge Garden to see it and also to let Sara/Julia play in the play area. Wow. It is a lovely place. We had just left the Louvre where the art showed pretty things, but this real-life garden trumped it. I mean, there were flowers bursting with color, green green green grass, ornamental planters, statues, and people enjoying them selves everywhre. I've seen pretty gardens - but this one was so pretty. I could barly walk in a straight line since I was so busy looking around. It was like a scene out of a painting - happy people sitting on benches, kids sailing sailboats on a small lake, and strollers taking it all in stride. Lovely.
When we saw the play area in Luxembourg Gardens Sara could barely even breathe. They were amazing. As we got closer we saw you had to pay to enter (2.50/kid, 1.25/adult). The girls loved playing - Sara climbed up a very tall rope pyramid (with Dan watching her) and Julia loved playing in a sandy area with little houses (with me watching her). It was surreally wonderful. After a bit though, we found the French kids to be a bit rough. One boy pushed Julia down (I wanted to push him down!) and then she fell on a slide (and bled). Sara had her own trouble, she ran and fell, hurting her knee. So it was a wonderful place, but a bit crowded, and the other kids were a bit rough. We left. We were glad that we went, but the first 10-15 minutes were the best before things got a bit rough.
We made our way back to the apartment - by walking up one of the shopping streets. No longer was it as quiet as the morning - in fact it was so busy it was a bit less fun. We were glad when we made the final turn onto our street and entered the bliss of our own courtyard. :)
Since then we made dinner, packed a little, and got the girls to bed. We also ate a delicious thing we picked up from "Dalloyau" bakery, which was near Luxemburg Garden.
A great day. We saw the Mona Lisa smile, and many of our own as well.
Quote of the day: (Also above in the text, repeated here since I can't remember any other exact quotes!)
Scenerio: Looking at the Mona Lisa
Me: "Is she smiling?"
Sara: "Yes Mom."
[Who needs to study the Mona Lisa smile when a kid can just plainly see that she is smiling!]
It is 8:05 PM, we've been up since 6:20. The sky is black at that time. Even Paris thinks that is to early to be awake. As the time goes by, we see more light in the courtyard of our apartment building, and the sky becomes a smear of pink.
Our goal for the day: the Louvre museum. We had read online and in our tour books to get there before opening to avoid lines. So as soon as we fed the girls some breakfast (Dan and I had coffee from our French press, but we just ate yesterday's bagette/bread for our breakfast as we walked) we set out onto the streets of Paris for our Saturday adventure.
It was interesting how there was a total lack of hustle bustle on the Streets as we walked. It was Saturday morning, and no one was walking around and the shops were buttoned up tight. (Many shops don't open 'till 10:30 on Saturday, the French people have a mandated 35 hour work week or something like that.) The quiet streets were great for walking. Dan and I could walk quickly without having to dodge other walkers. It took about 12 minutes before we passed our first bakery. It was a nice bakery. They were very professional, their breads were lovely, and popping in there to gather up our bread supply was a delight. We got a bagette for 1.05 Euro, a 4.50 Euro soft loaf that was round and had nuts on it, and Sara chose a muffin. The people who worked there were so nice, we even noted the location on our GPS so we could go back. And that is saying something since there are a lot of bakeries here!
We kept walking. We eventually saw the Louvre. It is huge. We went into the complex through an enormous door way from the side. There was no one else around so we were wondering if that area was open. It was indeed open. We strolled up into the area of the Louvre with the glass pyramid. That's when we saw the line. It was 9:00 and it opened at 9:00. The line was maybe 100 meters long. It snaked out of the glass pyramid and around a bit.
Sara said, "Sorry Mom, there is a line" since she knew we were trying to get there at opening to avoid a long line. I told her that I actually expected a line, even at opening time, but that by getting there at that time we avoided an even longer line.
Dan got in line, while I said, "I'm going to check to see if this is the right line for people with a stroller." The last thing we wanted was to wait in the line and be told that we couldn't get our stroller into the door. I snapped a photo of our stroller and walked over to the guy in charge.
I smiled, showed him the stroller, said "I have two kids in a stroller, is that the right line?"
He said, "go to the front. You do not have to wait."
Great!
I went back to Dan who was in the same spot where I left him (the line hadn't moved) and told him we could skip the line. We were happy. We were given the royal treatment. Everyone from the line were going in through the metal detectors (on the right) and our doors (which were just left of those doors) lead us straight in! We had our own entrance right to the left of the other people!
Then we looked for the elevator. We were inside the glass pyramid at this point. There was a sign that said "the elevator is available by simple request" so I went down the spiral stair case to request the elevator.
Now -- this is the cool part. The elevator is an awesome space-aged platform that rises out of the Louvre ground floor! Sara and I could have walked down the stairs but we wanted to ride on that cool elevator. Dan said, "this is the coolest elevator I've ever seen" We loaded on to it (we were the only ones on it plus the operator) and we made a grand entrance into the Louvre that we will never forget.
We bought tickets and went in. Our first stop was the Mona Lisa.
Getting there was pretty easy. There are signs to the Mona Lisa on many of the walls. (The signs even include a picture of it for easy identification.) I had read something that said one person had to wait 10 minutes to get into the Mona Lisa room and that their tour guide said that was really a short wait. So we expected to get there and line up to enter the room.
When we got there, there was no line. We walked right in. And not only that. We walked right up to her! There were so few people in front of the Mona Lisa that we just got a front row spot to stand and look at her. It was really amazing.
I asked Sara what she thought of it. She said, "it's small" and she is right. Many of the other paintings in the room and in the museum are as large as a wall - or at least a few feet square. The Mona Lisa is small by those standards. But -- it is the Mona Lisa and undeniably special.
I asked Sara "is she smiling?" She said, "Yes Mom" so that is Sara's interpretation of the "Mona Lisa" smile. We got some pictures of us with Mona, looked at it a lot, and then we continued our tour of the museum.
With that block buster done, we picked some other things we wanted to see. My favorite painter is Vermeer (dutch) and the Louvre has 2 of his paintings! It took some finesse to take the elevators through the Louvre (an old King's palace) to get there. But we did. And no one else was looking at the two Vermeers. Lucky for me! I got to stare at them from a foot away - all by myself! Vermeer worked in Delft (where we spent a few weeks last October in the Netherlands/Holland) and I've always loved his work. We have two Vermeer paintings hanging in our dining room that we bought on canvas when we were travling one time. I think his work is just lovely - and he only created a hand full of works so they are all the more special (one of his most famous is the "girl with the pearl earring."
We also saw the Greek statues, oodles of French and Italian art, and oodles of everything else. The Louvre is big. It was better than I remember it. The last time we went there I mainly remember thinking about how big it was - this time I really noticed the ceilings (with paintings and even sculpture), the architecture of the building itself, and Dan and I even remember walking down certain halls together -- all those years ago!
Lunch was around 11:30 I think. Lucky us, the whole meal was 20% off due to eating early. We had a ton of food (we've learned to load up so the kids take good afternoon naps!) - pasta, chicken, mozzarella and tomatoes, and a side salad. It was all so good. We sat in the front so we could watch the hub-bub of the museum as we ate. They had great high chairs for Julia to use.
After lunch we explored the "history of the Louvre" area where you see the base of the old building (it feels like you are underground and you get to see the old rocks and stuff of the old foundation - it is fascinating). Julia was awake for that part (she did have a nice nap after the lunch) and she walked all along the ancient structure as if it were perfectly normal for a baby/toddler to see something so magical. She looked so cute and happy. I was glad she was so happy, since I had actually woken her up from her nap by clunking the stroller into the side of an elevator - and I felt so bad that I woke her up - but the best part was that I got to hold a sleepy baby in my arms while we looked at some jewels - and my jewel (Julia) put her head on my shoulder and snuggled in as I looked at the diamonds sparkle on a royal crown. It was nice.
We took the girls through the grand hall and actually ended up cutting through the Mona Lisa room to leave (we saw Mona Lisa probably 6 different times as we walked around) and by the time we left it was about 2:00 PM and we were all ready for some fresh air.
We stepped out of the Louvre into the Pyramid area and just soaked it all in. The Louvre, the Gardens, the Eiffel Tower in the distance -- we are in Paris!
After talking it over we decided to head to the Pont Neuf area to go on a boat cruise. Walking there was fun, as now there were people strolling around - and we got to blend into the Paris vibe. We got tickets to the boat cruise, stepped on, and it left moments later. We were the last ones on - our timing was perfect. Before we got on I got 2 ice creams for the trip. 1 for Sara and 1 for Julia. Oddly, Julia wasn't interested - so Dan held her ice cream and they both shared it. (Usually Julia likes to hold her own ice cream!) They looked so cute together - Dad/Daughter. Just enjoying the ice cream and cruising the Seine through Paris.
The boat cruise was nice - it looped all around - and we were the only ones inside the boat. Everyone else was up top or out front. We tried sitting there but the girls didn't like it. That worked out nicely as we were so comfortable down there in the glass enclosed boat with out our hair and bodies getting blown by the wind as we cruised. We literally had the whole interior to ourselves - like a private tour. It lasted 1 hour then we got off and walked through the Latin Quarter where Dan got a crepe (with Nutella and banana) and I got a slice of pizza of the day (with zucchini and bacon on it, an odd combination but I guess they figure the zucchini healthiness balances out the bacon - whatever - it was good!)
After some more strolling we went to Luxembourge Garden to see it and also to let Sara/Julia play in the play area. Wow. It is a lovely place. We had just left the Louvre where the art showed pretty things, but this real-life garden trumped it. I mean, there were flowers bursting with color, green green green grass, ornamental planters, statues, and people enjoying them selves everywhre. I've seen pretty gardens - but this one was so pretty. I could barly walk in a straight line since I was so busy looking around. It was like a scene out of a painting - happy people sitting on benches, kids sailing sailboats on a small lake, and strollers taking it all in stride. Lovely.
When we saw the play area in Luxembourg Gardens Sara could barely even breathe. They were amazing. As we got closer we saw you had to pay to enter (2.50/kid, 1.25/adult). The girls loved playing - Sara climbed up a very tall rope pyramid (with Dan watching her) and Julia loved playing in a sandy area with little houses (with me watching her). It was surreally wonderful. After a bit though, we found the French kids to be a bit rough. One boy pushed Julia down (I wanted to push him down!) and then she fell on a slide (and bled). Sara had her own trouble, she ran and fell, hurting her knee. So it was a wonderful place, but a bit crowded, and the other kids were a bit rough. We left. We were glad that we went, but the first 10-15 minutes were the best before things got a bit rough.
We made our way back to the apartment - by walking up one of the shopping streets. No longer was it as quiet as the morning - in fact it was so busy it was a bit less fun. We were glad when we made the final turn onto our street and entered the bliss of our own courtyard. :)
Since then we made dinner, packed a little, and got the girls to bed. We also ate a delicious thing we picked up from "Dalloyau" bakery, which was near Luxemburg Garden.
A great day. We saw the Mona Lisa smile, and many of our own as well.
Quote of the day: (Also above in the text, repeated here since I can't remember any other exact quotes!)
Scenerio: Looking at the Mona Lisa
Me: "Is she smiling?"
Sara: "Yes Mom."
[Who needs to study the Mona Lisa smile when a kid can just plainly see that she is smiling!]
Friday, October 4, 2013
Friday - Notre Dame Cathedral, Historic Paris Walk, Eiffel Tower at night
To start, I'll mention that my pedometer says 28,016 steps (12.24 miles). It was a full day. ;)
We were up around 6:30 and the four of us stepped out into Paris after breakfast. Notre Dame was our goal. It didn't take long to get there - and the walk was a pleasure, through the St. Germain area with the people scurrying around going to work, shops, and cafes. We blended in, sort of. I suppose we stood out - but not really. Anything goes here in Paris, and we were just part of the city's landscape as we walked swiftly to the "IIe de la Cite" island were Notre-Dame is. It is celebrating its 850 year anniversary, so there was a huge platform in front of it.
Upon seeing the Notre Dame cathedral, and the huge platform, Sara said, "lets have a picnic" -- so we did. We found a bakery nearby, got several kinds of breads and such, then we walked back to dine in front of Notre Dame.
It was an electric scene. Everyone was excited - how could you not be excited - we were just feet away from Notre Dame! We ate, relaxed, took in the scene, and let Julia stare at pigeons - she just loves pigeons! If there are any pigeons around forget about getting any attention from Julia - she just focus on them!
After our bakery picnic stop in front of Notra Dame we went inside. It is free to enter. There was a line, but it moved quickly. There was no security, no bag check, just people walking into the church.
It is lovely inside. I remember the Rose Window from the last time we were there, and this time I noticed all the other stained glass too - especially how there are three distinct levels of stained glass - because it is so high. It took 200 years to build! Sara loved the Rose Window. She stared at it to take it all in. She said, "it has lots of purple in it" and it was fun to kneel down to her level to experience looking at the stained glass with her eye to eye. That way we could whisper to each other too - since it is complete silence inside of the cathedral.
Speaking of complete silence, Dan carried Julia inside the cathedral. They were quite the cute pair. Both of them looking around together with her comfortable in his arms. I had the empty double stroller with me - so people who saw me pushing it probably wondered where the kids were. Sara loved exploring around the church. It wasn't crowded, so she could look at the stained glass as she pleased.
"Mama, I don't see any cracks," she said as we looked around Notre Dame. I asked her why she was looking for cracks and she said, "because this place is old." So to her I guess old buildings have cracks.
Sara wanted to buy "the whole Rose Window" at the gift shop. She setlled for a 2Euro gold coin commemorating the 850 year anniversary of the church. She got to obtain the coin herself, putting in a 2 Euro coin and getting out a large golden coin with a picture of the church on it. Lucky for me it has the rose window pictured on it, so I showed her that she did indeed get to take home "the whole Rose Window."
After that we enjoyed the gardens around the church. We even found a play area right along side of it! The girls played, laughing, and giggling, all right in the shadow of Notre Dame. I loved it.
After that we looked for lunch. Notre Dame is on an island in the Seine River, and right next to that island is another island "IIe St. Louis" We crossed over to the other island and amazingly found the absolute perfect lunch cafe. It was the St. Regis and we had a table at the window - but the window was removed because it such a nice day outside. From our window seat we could see Notre Dame! Amazing! That's not all. The St. Regis is a bustling Parisian cafe, with excellent service, and our server gave Sara and Julia each a pack of colored pencils and a coloring book! Oh, glory day! The girls loved it - and they drew and colored (both of them can be busy with that type of thing for a good half an hour) while Dan and I enjoyed being in Paris with our happy kids. It was utterly wonderful.
I had the lunch of the day which was veal with fresh pasta and also mushrooms. The sauce was amazing, and the veal was tender. I gave most of hte pasta to Julia, who was to my right in our travel high chair that we carry around. Sara had an open face toasted ham, cheese, bread thing, and Dan had an omlette type thing. Everything added up to a wonderful experience, the nice server, the view, the coloring pencils for Sara/Julia, and the tasty food. I was stuffed afterwards. And, happy.
We strolled a bit. We found the famous ice cream and each had our own cone. I can't remember the last time I had my own ice cream cone. Probably 10 years ago? (At least 4.5 years ago)
Then we decided to follow the walking tour in our book that lead us around the historic streets of Paris. It is really a group of distinct areas, each with their own personality. (Paris is way more than the Eiffel tour and Notre Dame, it really is fun to walk around Paris - and see all the people going about their lives.) I won't describe the walking tour - but Dan and I savored it since Sara slept in the stroller and Julia just looked around. It was a nice leisurely walk.
We ended up down by Pont Neuf on the River Seine. We stood there for a while just breathing. Enjoying being in Paris. No books, no cameras, just looking at the sky, the river, the boats, the buildings, and the people. It made for a fun time.
Then we walked back to the apartment. Walking around is a sight in itself - it isn't about just going from point A to point B. Near the end of the walk back here we walked through a park and Sara spotted a great play ground in the park. She asked "can I play please" (the please was in French) so we let her play.
Sara and Julia played, played, played, with the energy of a rocket blaster for 30-40 minutes. Part of the time they played with a French boy - who had a soccer ball. That poor kid never got to kick it with Sara and Julia around - but I think he loved every minute of it.
Dan had already left to telecommute from the apartment so I was at the park with the girls. It was a sunny, warm, beautiful day. I decided to swing by the Bon Marche for some dinner food (chicken, beef, beans, tomatoes - for 20 Euro!) and then I noticed Julia was sleeping. ZZZzzzzz. So I took Sara to the garden at the Rodin museum - and it was *gorgeous*! Huge roses, huge sculpted trees, and great paths to the art - and a cafe. And it was free! Wow!
We saw "the Thinker" out in the garden, and we also toured his other works, then we had to hit the cafe. Sara got a muffin, and I had an Orangina. It was great fun to be at a garden cafe with our Sara (we had sleeping Julia next to us). We were two happy ladies, just bubbling with the thrill of being in such a pretty place - just enjoying life.
Soon Julia woke up and we wandered around the garden and then we decided to head back to the apartment.
I cooked dinner - they gobbled it up, then Julia went to bed.
After bathtime Sara said she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. So at 7:30 PM, right at as it was beginning to get a little bit dar, we set out into the Paris evening - all by ourselves. (Julia was in bed and Dan was telecommuting).
Sara skipped, leaped, and danced to the Eiffel Tower. It took us about 15 minutes to get there. When we got there I looked up at the Eiffel Tower and in a moment of spontaneity I put my arms in the air and said, "We're in Paris!" - and Sara smiled up at me with twinkly eyes. Then we danced together all the way to the park that leads up to the Tower.
There were a lot of people there. Everyone was sitting on the lawn or even laying down on a blanket. It was a happening scene. Sara lit the whole place up - she began dancing in the twilight and soon she had a fan club - there was someone playing guitar and so she danced to the music. She asked me to dance too, so I let go of my adult inhibitions and danced with our daughter in the moonlight -- all while the Eiffel tower looked on.
The tower was lit - and I had read that it sparkeled at the top of the hour. We saw it the last time we were here in Paris years ago, but this time I got to share it with Sara! We had only a few minutes of anticipation (just enough time to give my Dad a top of the mountain call) and then Poof! If started to sparkle! It was beautiful. Sara was speechless, and that is saying something.
Sara wanted to stay by the Eiffel Tower and dance when it was over (it sparkles for 5 mintues) but it started to sprinkle so we dodged the raindrops and skipped, walked, and ran back here. We weren't in any hurry, but we were happy and excited so we moved quickly. It was nighttime in Paris - the city of lights! Oh la la! We had fun.
So it was a full day. A great day. Thanks Paris for giving us such fun days with our girls.
Quotes of the day:
Scenario: At dinner
Sara: "Julia, I'm going to tell you something. Drink all your milk. You can just pee into your diaper."
----
Scenario: At dinner
Sara: "Tomorrow is clean up day."
Me: "What should we clean up?"
Sara: "Everything, the whole Paris."
----
Scenario: Walking to the Eiffel tower at night with Sara
Sara: "The next time we go to Paris, we should bring bicycles. And a tricycle for Julia."
End of Post
We were up around 6:30 and the four of us stepped out into Paris after breakfast. Notre Dame was our goal. It didn't take long to get there - and the walk was a pleasure, through the St. Germain area with the people scurrying around going to work, shops, and cafes. We blended in, sort of. I suppose we stood out - but not really. Anything goes here in Paris, and we were just part of the city's landscape as we walked swiftly to the "IIe de la Cite" island were Notre-Dame is. It is celebrating its 850 year anniversary, so there was a huge platform in front of it.
Upon seeing the Notre Dame cathedral, and the huge platform, Sara said, "lets have a picnic" -- so we did. We found a bakery nearby, got several kinds of breads and such, then we walked back to dine in front of Notre Dame.
It was an electric scene. Everyone was excited - how could you not be excited - we were just feet away from Notre Dame! We ate, relaxed, took in the scene, and let Julia stare at pigeons - she just loves pigeons! If there are any pigeons around forget about getting any attention from Julia - she just focus on them!
After our bakery picnic stop in front of Notra Dame we went inside. It is free to enter. There was a line, but it moved quickly. There was no security, no bag check, just people walking into the church.
It is lovely inside. I remember the Rose Window from the last time we were there, and this time I noticed all the other stained glass too - especially how there are three distinct levels of stained glass - because it is so high. It took 200 years to build! Sara loved the Rose Window. She stared at it to take it all in. She said, "it has lots of purple in it" and it was fun to kneel down to her level to experience looking at the stained glass with her eye to eye. That way we could whisper to each other too - since it is complete silence inside of the cathedral.
Speaking of complete silence, Dan carried Julia inside the cathedral. They were quite the cute pair. Both of them looking around together with her comfortable in his arms. I had the empty double stroller with me - so people who saw me pushing it probably wondered where the kids were. Sara loved exploring around the church. It wasn't crowded, so she could look at the stained glass as she pleased.
"Mama, I don't see any cracks," she said as we looked around Notre Dame. I asked her why she was looking for cracks and she said, "because this place is old." So to her I guess old buildings have cracks.
Sara wanted to buy "the whole Rose Window" at the gift shop. She setlled for a 2Euro gold coin commemorating the 850 year anniversary of the church. She got to obtain the coin herself, putting in a 2 Euro coin and getting out a large golden coin with a picture of the church on it. Lucky for me it has the rose window pictured on it, so I showed her that she did indeed get to take home "the whole Rose Window."
After that we enjoyed the gardens around the church. We even found a play area right along side of it! The girls played, laughing, and giggling, all right in the shadow of Notre Dame. I loved it.
After that we looked for lunch. Notre Dame is on an island in the Seine River, and right next to that island is another island "IIe St. Louis" We crossed over to the other island and amazingly found the absolute perfect lunch cafe. It was the St. Regis and we had a table at the window - but the window was removed because it such a nice day outside. From our window seat we could see Notre Dame! Amazing! That's not all. The St. Regis is a bustling Parisian cafe, with excellent service, and our server gave Sara and Julia each a pack of colored pencils and a coloring book! Oh, glory day! The girls loved it - and they drew and colored (both of them can be busy with that type of thing for a good half an hour) while Dan and I enjoyed being in Paris with our happy kids. It was utterly wonderful.
I had the lunch of the day which was veal with fresh pasta and also mushrooms. The sauce was amazing, and the veal was tender. I gave most of hte pasta to Julia, who was to my right in our travel high chair that we carry around. Sara had an open face toasted ham, cheese, bread thing, and Dan had an omlette type thing. Everything added up to a wonderful experience, the nice server, the view, the coloring pencils for Sara/Julia, and the tasty food. I was stuffed afterwards. And, happy.
We strolled a bit. We found the famous ice cream and each had our own cone. I can't remember the last time I had my own ice cream cone. Probably 10 years ago? (At least 4.5 years ago)
Then we decided to follow the walking tour in our book that lead us around the historic streets of Paris. It is really a group of distinct areas, each with their own personality. (Paris is way more than the Eiffel tour and Notre Dame, it really is fun to walk around Paris - and see all the people going about their lives.) I won't describe the walking tour - but Dan and I savored it since Sara slept in the stroller and Julia just looked around. It was a nice leisurely walk.
We ended up down by Pont Neuf on the River Seine. We stood there for a while just breathing. Enjoying being in Paris. No books, no cameras, just looking at the sky, the river, the boats, the buildings, and the people. It made for a fun time.
Then we walked back to the apartment. Walking around is a sight in itself - it isn't about just going from point A to point B. Near the end of the walk back here we walked through a park and Sara spotted a great play ground in the park. She asked "can I play please" (the please was in French) so we let her play.
Sara and Julia played, played, played, with the energy of a rocket blaster for 30-40 minutes. Part of the time they played with a French boy - who had a soccer ball. That poor kid never got to kick it with Sara and Julia around - but I think he loved every minute of it.
Dan had already left to telecommute from the apartment so I was at the park with the girls. It was a sunny, warm, beautiful day. I decided to swing by the Bon Marche for some dinner food (chicken, beef, beans, tomatoes - for 20 Euro!) and then I noticed Julia was sleeping. ZZZzzzzz. So I took Sara to the garden at the Rodin museum - and it was *gorgeous*! Huge roses, huge sculpted trees, and great paths to the art - and a cafe. And it was free! Wow!
We saw "the Thinker" out in the garden, and we also toured his other works, then we had to hit the cafe. Sara got a muffin, and I had an Orangina. It was great fun to be at a garden cafe with our Sara (we had sleeping Julia next to us). We were two happy ladies, just bubbling with the thrill of being in such a pretty place - just enjoying life.
Soon Julia woke up and we wandered around the garden and then we decided to head back to the apartment.
I cooked dinner - they gobbled it up, then Julia went to bed.
After bathtime Sara said she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. So at 7:30 PM, right at as it was beginning to get a little bit dar, we set out into the Paris evening - all by ourselves. (Julia was in bed and Dan was telecommuting).
Sara skipped, leaped, and danced to the Eiffel Tower. It took us about 15 minutes to get there. When we got there I looked up at the Eiffel Tower and in a moment of spontaneity I put my arms in the air and said, "We're in Paris!" - and Sara smiled up at me with twinkly eyes. Then we danced together all the way to the park that leads up to the Tower.
There were a lot of people there. Everyone was sitting on the lawn or even laying down on a blanket. It was a happening scene. Sara lit the whole place up - she began dancing in the twilight and soon she had a fan club - there was someone playing guitar and so she danced to the music. She asked me to dance too, so I let go of my adult inhibitions and danced with our daughter in the moonlight -- all while the Eiffel tower looked on.
The tower was lit - and I had read that it sparkeled at the top of the hour. We saw it the last time we were here in Paris years ago, but this time I got to share it with Sara! We had only a few minutes of anticipation (just enough time to give my Dad a top of the mountain call) and then Poof! If started to sparkle! It was beautiful. Sara was speechless, and that is saying something.
Sara wanted to stay by the Eiffel Tower and dance when it was over (it sparkles for 5 mintues) but it started to sprinkle so we dodged the raindrops and skipped, walked, and ran back here. We weren't in any hurry, but we were happy and excited so we moved quickly. It was nighttime in Paris - the city of lights! Oh la la! We had fun.
So it was a full day. A great day. Thanks Paris for giving us such fun days with our girls.
Quotes of the day:
Scenario: At dinner
Sara: "Julia, I'm going to tell you something. Drink all your milk. You can just pee into your diaper."
----
Scenario: At dinner
Sara: "Tomorrow is clean up day."
Me: "What should we clean up?"
Sara: "Everything, the whole Paris."
----
Scenario: Walking to the Eiffel tower at night with Sara
Sara: "The next time we go to Paris, we should bring bicycles. And a tricycle for Julia."
End of Post
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Thursday - Up the Eiffel Tower; Rue Cler
Today was amazing.
It began early. We were all up at 6:30. Two hours later (I don't know why it takes so long to get going in the morning) we were on our way to the Eiffel Tower.
Yesterday I asked the lady in the information booth how to avoid lines. She said "get here before 9:00" I said, "what time do you open?" She said 9:30. So, we aimed to be there at 9:00 (or earlier) as she suggested.
Our walk to the tower was filled with excitement. The tower played peek-a-boo with us as we walked there. Now we could see it, now we couldn't -as we walked around buildings, down streets - it came into and out of our view. Sometimes we could see the tip of it - other times even more. At one point we walked towards it but came upon a large building that was in our way. We had to go around the building. It was like a treasure hunt to a gigantic towering treasure.
We made it. We walked up the park that leads to the tower. The park is grassy, with trees on either side. It frames the tower in all its glory. A lot of people were taking pictures of themselves with the tower. Not us. We were mission oriented: get there early to avoid long lines!
The lines can be 2 hours long just to get a ticket. And we witnessed that yesterday when we stopped by. So when we got there and saw our line we were pleased. Dan and Julia stood in line while SAra and I had a picnic under the tower on a bench --- how often do you picnic under the Eiffel tower? We had baguette and "pain de chocolate," and water to drink. It was like a feast with a golden (or brown in this case) view.
When the line started moving we knew it was 9:30 since the ticket office opened. We had tickets and were going in at 9:58. A perfect start to our visit.
Dan had Julia in the Kelty back-carrier, which we had already verified would be okay (large back-packs are not allowed). We got right through security, but someone else with a large back pack was questioned a lot. He stayed calm though, and the guard eventually checked the bag and let him go up the tower. It was a great lesson to remain calm and hope that someone will be kind even if what you are trying to do is bending the rules a bit. (We were fine, it was the other person with a larger back pack that was stopped by security.)
The first thing you do is line up for the elevator. It didn't take long. We got on the first one. It wasn't even that full. The elevator rose up. Diagonally. The legs of the Eiffel tower are on a slant. Sara loved it, but she was pressed against me (for security?) and she also had a firm grip on a small ball she was carrying (that we bought at the Disney store here in Paris). Zip. The elevator ride was smooth. We savored it - we looked all around the city as everything got smaller as we rose higher.
Stepping off the elevator onto the second level (the first level is being renovated) with Sara holding my hand swept me away with awe. It was a bright sunny morning so just stepping outside onto the platform made us feel like sun flowers opening up on a sunny day -- and the bit of a breeze (I was surprised it wasn't super windy up there) blew our hair back out of our faces so there was nothing to hinder our view of Paris in all its grandeur -- just Paris -- stretching as far as we could see -- until the Earth met the sky.
I said "you did it! You are up on the Eiffel tower Sara!" -- she smiled. A real smile. I was smiling too. A real smile. We weren't walking on the platform, we were walking on air for those first few steps.
As we took in the view we both craned our heads up. There was the rest of the tower - all the way up to the tip. "Do you want to go up there now?" I asked. "Yes" Sara answered. So we all got in the line to go to the summit.
The line was quick - another benefit of going so early. When we got off at the top we immediately walked up the last few stairs to get as high as we could go. Whao. I remember going up in the tower the last time we were in Paris, but I remember it being windy. Thankfully, it wasn't windy. Especially on the side where we stayed for a while. As we circumnavigated the top it was breezy on one of the sides. Sara didn't like it to be windy (can't say I blame her) so we stayed on the other side.
The tower is 324 meters high (1,063 feet). We were up high, but I must say that the tower is not scary at all. There is no feeling like you may fall. You can just enjoy the view and not feel skid-dish. We were up there for probably 45 minutes. Julia was perfectly great. She just let her hair blow in the breeze as she looked around and ate her baguette. We had dozens of people comment on how cute and how good she was. Things like "she has the best seat in the house!" "she has a great view" "she sure likes that baguette" "you should get a picture of her!" We smiled at all the comments even though we have heard them all before. ;)
Sara enjoyed the telescopes that allowed you to look closer at the view. She stood up on their podiums and made them sway to where she wanted to look. It was great being up there with a kid - kids just have such fresh view points on everything. She was wearing her Eiffel tower stockings (white with gold Eiffel towers on them that I got before we left home) and her Eiffel tower skirt (also, amazingly found at home) and so every fiber of her was happy to be there. While we were on the top Julia kept pointing at things - as if to say "look over there!" we thought that was funny.
Finally we decided it was time to start our decent. We took one last look at Eiffel and Thomas Edison in Gustuv Eiffel's office (mannequins) and we started back down towards Earth.
Our elevator took us to the second floor. We looked around, and then decided to head down to the first floor. We got in line for the elevator, but it didn't move (at all!) so we decided to take the stairs. Great choice! I'd suggest everyone take the stairs down. You get to step right into the legs of the tower - and you get to pass all the people walking 'up' the tower -- and be glad that you took the elevator up and are now going down! But really, being right in the metal workings of the tower legs makes you want to pause on every step just to look down, out, and up! And we did do that a lot! Sara was great. She enjoyed the stairs down - and took them with the energy of a kid.
Once we got to hte first floor I remembered that the restaurant in the tower opened for lunch at 11:30 "first come first served." The restaurants are hard to get into so we decided to give it a shot as it was 11:28. I'm happy to say that by 11:32 we had a window table, in the restaurant in the Eiffel tower -- WOW! Lucky day!
They had a kid menu, so Sara got a drink, appetizer, meal, and dessert for one set price (12.50). She had apple juice, fresh mozzarella with cherry tomatoes still on the vine, pasta with butter sauce, and a chocolate cake in the shape of the Eiffel tower! What a great kid's meal! (It was enough to feed Julia also)
http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/UK/EIFFEL-TOWER-RESTAURANTS/58-TOUR-EIFFEL/Dinner-in-paris-eiffel-tower.html
I had roasted chicken/mashed potatoes, and Dan had some sort of ham/pasta. It was all good. And, as a major plus, the girls had perfect manners - so we all relaxed - and enjoyed the view and meal in Grand Style. It was a pinch me am I dreaming experience!
After that we walked the rest of the way down the tower. All the way back down the Earth. We walked away from the tower and onto the pebbly path of the park with out saying a word. We were all still digesting the experience of going up in the tower and digesting our wonderful meal.
After a few paces Sara asked if she could have the treat we bought at the bakery earlier. That kid! Julia was asleep at the time (she fell asleep in the Kelty on the way down the stairs) so I didn't want to go in the back zipper pocket of the Kelty to get the bakery treat - since I didn't want to wake Julia up! But I did get it out. And SAra and I sat on a bench - in the park near the tower - and ate that treat. She looked me right in the eye while we were eating it and her eyes twinkled. I took a mental snapshot of how happy she was so I could keep it always.
After that treat we all walked over to Rue Cler.
Rue Cler is a street in Paris that has a walking tour in our guide book. It is loaded with special bakeries, stores, fresh market food, cafes, no cars, and we just loved it. After being in all the small villages on this trip, and then being in Paris for a few days, it was a little slice of "village" life right here in Paris. A highlight of the street Rue Cler for Sara was seeing a huge eclair decoration that was longer than she is - and she got to play on it. The smiles she flashed while playing on that gigantic eclair were priceless. I wish I could capture one of those megawatt smiles on camera!
While visiting "Rue Cler" we decided to get some ice cream and coffee at one of the cafes. Sara got an icecream cone that looked like a flower (due to the shape of the scoops) and Julia got her own cone -- free! Dan and I both got coffee.
At one point as we were sitting enjoying or ice cream and coffee Sara was on Dan's lap. Julia reached out with her spoon to get some of Sara's ice cream. Sara said, "Dad, I have to go other there now to share my ice cream with Julia" and Sara hopped off Dan's lap and came over to Julia (who was on my lap) and let Julia have as much a she wanted from her (Sara's) cone. I was so proud.
We finished up our icecream and coffee (Sara gave Julia the last bit of her cone how nice) and walked back to the apartment. It was about 4:00.
Dan began telecommuting and so I went out into Paris with Sara and Julia. We went to a park near the Rodin museum, where they had the best time playing in a playground with a sand box - with some French kids (who spoke English and French). They had an English nanny, so I talked to the nanny - she gave me tips for being in Paris with kids - while the kids played. It was like a story book it was so pleasant.
We came back here around 6:20 after a quick stop in a grocery market for salad stuff. I made dinner (lasagne from Rue Cler) and we ate 'till we were happily full. The girls played, then Julia went to sleep. Sara played with Lego (making a long boat that was actually very clever) and she also pained a picture of the Eiffel Tower (great job Sara). We bought water color paints and art paper early in the trip, so our France souvenirs will be art done by Sara and Julia over the last several weeks. Many of the pictures are fun to look at!
It was a great day. Totally Paris magic.
Quotes of the day:
Scenario: Right after the Eiffel tower visit
Sara: "That's the tower we enjoyed!"
--
Scenario: walking away from the Eiffel tower
Me: "Sara pause of a moment so I can get a picture of you with the tower."
Sara: "What tower? That one?"
--
Scenario: walking around Paris
Sara: "How long are we here?"
Me: "6 sleeps"
Sara: "Next time we come to Paris, we should stay 15 sleeps."
Me: "Why?"
Sara: "Because 15 sleeps is more than 6 sleeps."
End of Post
[We walked 17,632 steps today. 7.70 miles. Sara easily walked 5 (or more) miles today.]
It began early. We were all up at 6:30. Two hours later (I don't know why it takes so long to get going in the morning) we were on our way to the Eiffel Tower.
Yesterday I asked the lady in the information booth how to avoid lines. She said "get here before 9:00" I said, "what time do you open?" She said 9:30. So, we aimed to be there at 9:00 (or earlier) as she suggested.
Our walk to the tower was filled with excitement. The tower played peek-a-boo with us as we walked there. Now we could see it, now we couldn't -as we walked around buildings, down streets - it came into and out of our view. Sometimes we could see the tip of it - other times even more. At one point we walked towards it but came upon a large building that was in our way. We had to go around the building. It was like a treasure hunt to a gigantic towering treasure.
We made it. We walked up the park that leads to the tower. The park is grassy, with trees on either side. It frames the tower in all its glory. A lot of people were taking pictures of themselves with the tower. Not us. We were mission oriented: get there early to avoid long lines!
The lines can be 2 hours long just to get a ticket. And we witnessed that yesterday when we stopped by. So when we got there and saw our line we were pleased. Dan and Julia stood in line while SAra and I had a picnic under the tower on a bench --- how often do you picnic under the Eiffel tower? We had baguette and "pain de chocolate," and water to drink. It was like a feast with a golden (or brown in this case) view.
When the line started moving we knew it was 9:30 since the ticket office opened. We had tickets and were going in at 9:58. A perfect start to our visit.
Dan had Julia in the Kelty back-carrier, which we had already verified would be okay (large back-packs are not allowed). We got right through security, but someone else with a large back pack was questioned a lot. He stayed calm though, and the guard eventually checked the bag and let him go up the tower. It was a great lesson to remain calm and hope that someone will be kind even if what you are trying to do is bending the rules a bit. (We were fine, it was the other person with a larger back pack that was stopped by security.)
The first thing you do is line up for the elevator. It didn't take long. We got on the first one. It wasn't even that full. The elevator rose up. Diagonally. The legs of the Eiffel tower are on a slant. Sara loved it, but she was pressed against me (for security?) and she also had a firm grip on a small ball she was carrying (that we bought at the Disney store here in Paris). Zip. The elevator ride was smooth. We savored it - we looked all around the city as everything got smaller as we rose higher.
Stepping off the elevator onto the second level (the first level is being renovated) with Sara holding my hand swept me away with awe. It was a bright sunny morning so just stepping outside onto the platform made us feel like sun flowers opening up on a sunny day -- and the bit of a breeze (I was surprised it wasn't super windy up there) blew our hair back out of our faces so there was nothing to hinder our view of Paris in all its grandeur -- just Paris -- stretching as far as we could see -- until the Earth met the sky.
I said "you did it! You are up on the Eiffel tower Sara!" -- she smiled. A real smile. I was smiling too. A real smile. We weren't walking on the platform, we were walking on air for those first few steps.
As we took in the view we both craned our heads up. There was the rest of the tower - all the way up to the tip. "Do you want to go up there now?" I asked. "Yes" Sara answered. So we all got in the line to go to the summit.
The line was quick - another benefit of going so early. When we got off at the top we immediately walked up the last few stairs to get as high as we could go. Whao. I remember going up in the tower the last time we were in Paris, but I remember it being windy. Thankfully, it wasn't windy. Especially on the side where we stayed for a while. As we circumnavigated the top it was breezy on one of the sides. Sara didn't like it to be windy (can't say I blame her) so we stayed on the other side.
The tower is 324 meters high (1,063 feet). We were up high, but I must say that the tower is not scary at all. There is no feeling like you may fall. You can just enjoy the view and not feel skid-dish. We were up there for probably 45 minutes. Julia was perfectly great. She just let her hair blow in the breeze as she looked around and ate her baguette. We had dozens of people comment on how cute and how good she was. Things like "she has the best seat in the house!" "she has a great view" "she sure likes that baguette" "you should get a picture of her!" We smiled at all the comments even though we have heard them all before. ;)
Sara enjoyed the telescopes that allowed you to look closer at the view. She stood up on their podiums and made them sway to where she wanted to look. It was great being up there with a kid - kids just have such fresh view points on everything. She was wearing her Eiffel tower stockings (white with gold Eiffel towers on them that I got before we left home) and her Eiffel tower skirt (also, amazingly found at home) and so every fiber of her was happy to be there. While we were on the top Julia kept pointing at things - as if to say "look over there!" we thought that was funny.
Finally we decided it was time to start our decent. We took one last look at Eiffel and Thomas Edison in Gustuv Eiffel's office (mannequins) and we started back down towards Earth.
Our elevator took us to the second floor. We looked around, and then decided to head down to the first floor. We got in line for the elevator, but it didn't move (at all!) so we decided to take the stairs. Great choice! I'd suggest everyone take the stairs down. You get to step right into the legs of the tower - and you get to pass all the people walking 'up' the tower -- and be glad that you took the elevator up and are now going down! But really, being right in the metal workings of the tower legs makes you want to pause on every step just to look down, out, and up! And we did do that a lot! Sara was great. She enjoyed the stairs down - and took them with the energy of a kid.
Once we got to hte first floor I remembered that the restaurant in the tower opened for lunch at 11:30 "first come first served." The restaurants are hard to get into so we decided to give it a shot as it was 11:28. I'm happy to say that by 11:32 we had a window table, in the restaurant in the Eiffel tower -- WOW! Lucky day!
They had a kid menu, so Sara got a drink, appetizer, meal, and dessert for one set price (12.50). She had apple juice, fresh mozzarella with cherry tomatoes still on the vine, pasta with butter sauce, and a chocolate cake in the shape of the Eiffel tower! What a great kid's meal! (It was enough to feed Julia also)
http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/UK/EIFFEL-TOWER-RESTAURANTS/58-TOUR-EIFFEL/Dinner-in-paris-eiffel-tower.html
I had roasted chicken/mashed potatoes, and Dan had some sort of ham/pasta. It was all good. And, as a major plus, the girls had perfect manners - so we all relaxed - and enjoyed the view and meal in Grand Style. It was a pinch me am I dreaming experience!
After that we walked the rest of the way down the tower. All the way back down the Earth. We walked away from the tower and onto the pebbly path of the park with out saying a word. We were all still digesting the experience of going up in the tower and digesting our wonderful meal.
After a few paces Sara asked if she could have the treat we bought at the bakery earlier. That kid! Julia was asleep at the time (she fell asleep in the Kelty on the way down the stairs) so I didn't want to go in the back zipper pocket of the Kelty to get the bakery treat - since I didn't want to wake Julia up! But I did get it out. And SAra and I sat on a bench - in the park near the tower - and ate that treat. She looked me right in the eye while we were eating it and her eyes twinkled. I took a mental snapshot of how happy she was so I could keep it always.
After that treat we all walked over to Rue Cler.
Rue Cler is a street in Paris that has a walking tour in our guide book. It is loaded with special bakeries, stores, fresh market food, cafes, no cars, and we just loved it. After being in all the small villages on this trip, and then being in Paris for a few days, it was a little slice of "village" life right here in Paris. A highlight of the street Rue Cler for Sara was seeing a huge eclair decoration that was longer than she is - and she got to play on it. The smiles she flashed while playing on that gigantic eclair were priceless. I wish I could capture one of those megawatt smiles on camera!
While visiting "Rue Cler" we decided to get some ice cream and coffee at one of the cafes. Sara got an icecream cone that looked like a flower (due to the shape of the scoops) and Julia got her own cone -- free! Dan and I both got coffee.
At one point as we were sitting enjoying or ice cream and coffee Sara was on Dan's lap. Julia reached out with her spoon to get some of Sara's ice cream. Sara said, "Dad, I have to go other there now to share my ice cream with Julia" and Sara hopped off Dan's lap and came over to Julia (who was on my lap) and let Julia have as much a she wanted from her (Sara's) cone. I was so proud.
We finished up our icecream and coffee (Sara gave Julia the last bit of her cone how nice) and walked back to the apartment. It was about 4:00.
Dan began telecommuting and so I went out into Paris with Sara and Julia. We went to a park near the Rodin museum, where they had the best time playing in a playground with a sand box - with some French kids (who spoke English and French). They had an English nanny, so I talked to the nanny - she gave me tips for being in Paris with kids - while the kids played. It was like a story book it was so pleasant.
We came back here around 6:20 after a quick stop in a grocery market for salad stuff. I made dinner (lasagne from Rue Cler) and we ate 'till we were happily full. The girls played, then Julia went to sleep. Sara played with Lego (making a long boat that was actually very clever) and she also pained a picture of the Eiffel Tower (great job Sara). We bought water color paints and art paper early in the trip, so our France souvenirs will be art done by Sara and Julia over the last several weeks. Many of the pictures are fun to look at!
It was a great day. Totally Paris magic.
Quotes of the day:
Scenario: Right after the Eiffel tower visit
Sara: "That's the tower we enjoyed!"
--
Scenario: walking away from the Eiffel tower
Me: "Sara pause of a moment so I can get a picture of you with the tower."
Sara: "What tower? That one?"
--
Scenario: walking around Paris
Sara: "How long are we here?"
Me: "6 sleeps"
Sara: "Next time we come to Paris, we should stay 15 sleeps."
Me: "Why?"
Sara: "Because 15 sleeps is more than 6 sleeps."
End of Post
[We walked 17,632 steps today. 7.70 miles. Sara easily walked 5 (or more) miles today.]
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Wednesday: Paris - Eiffel Tower, Garden Cafe, Stroll the 'Champs-Elysses'
What a great city!
When I got up with Julia and Sara the apartment was dark but the sky was pink. Getting up early (6:30) is made a bit better when waking up in *Paris* and you can open your kitchen window and see 10 shades of pink surrounded by clouds that look like they are relaxing in lounge chairs.
Dan slept 'till a bit after 8:00. Soon we were on our way to a cafe for breakfast. The owner of this apartment recommended the cafe for breakfast, which was nice since since we walked directly there instead of wandering around trying to figure out where to eat -- which would be fun -- but there are so many cafes to choose from it may have taken a while. And with two hungry kids going straight to a recommended place was much appreciated.
It was a tiny cafe. The walk was quick - probably 4 minutes. Unlike the outdoor cafe tables we are used to in the smaller villages, this one had one "outdoor" table in the doorway (a large doorway/threshold) and the other tables were inside. It was as if were outside though, the windows were up front were nearly as wide as the front wall. Great for ventilation and people watching. But who needs to people watch the people going by on the street? There was so much to look at and enjoy in the cafe. Including the other people who were there. They were all French. Not a tourist insight. The other people in the cafe didn't even notice us. (And we are noticeable ) They were so deeply in conversation with each other - that they were even barely touching their coffee, which was quickly cooling in the tiny white ceramic cups. No one had food. The other cafe-goers only had coffees. I can see why there are 10 different types of coffee on the menu (of various strength and with and with out various kinds of milk - frothed, steamed, etc).
We ordered two espressos. Then we ordered food. I ordered us 1 breakfast "formula" and 1 pancake type thing. My ordering procedure was to point and also try the French. The server repeated my order (it sounded nothing like my attempt) and then she walked swiftly away - she wasn't being rude - she was being swift at her job - and she was busy!
When the food came I realized I made a good choice. The breakfast "formula" came with fresh squeezed OJ, a hot beverage of your choice, and 3 bakery items. The "pancakes" were not crepes, they were actually pancakes. Delicious ones! Thick and also light - which was amazing. They had some fresh butter (in a huge shapely glob on the side, with some sort of seed implanted within it), and they had 3 different fruits on them. Lovely. The four of us shared everything. We ate every last speck of those 2 breakfasts. (Only the 2nd time we've had breakfast 'out' on the whole trip.) It cost 22 Euro, including a 4 Euro latte "to go" which is the first time we've encountered coffee "to go" on the whole trip! It was worth every penny.
After a trip to the bathroom at the cafe (which was way in the back near the coffee roaster!) we headed out.
Paris is made for strolling. Even with out an agenda, you can just walk around Paris and have fun. A lot of fun! The neighborhoods are just plain gorgeous - like you are walking around in a movie - but it is real! You can look all around - or just straight ahead, and just see so much stuff it is hard not to smile. Pinch me I'm in Paris! We are staying in the 7th area near "Invalides." I'll write more about our location on some other night.
We made our way to the "Champ de Mars" the park that surrounds (leads up to) the Eiffel Tower. Sara said, "wow" when she saw the Eiffel Tour in all its glory. It stands tall - rising to the sky - on its four stout legs - welcoming people to admire it.
We walked over to the Eiffel Tower - then under it. There were long lines - especially to take the elevator up. There weren't as long lines for the stairs. We didn't go up it today, but we may some other time. Right nearby there was a carousel, so we plunked down 10Euro for 4 rides. Sara skipped onto it so happy, and Julia nearly rocketed out of the stroller with her hands flung up to the sky - to ensure she would get to go on it also - Dan took Julia onto the ride, and Sara is old enough to go on alone. They were the only ones on the ride (which was so neat!) and I watched as they went around and around. I took pictures - a bit surreal to get the Eiffel Tower in the same picture as Sara/Julia/Dan on a Carousel! Such fun! And the music was great - I'd buy the sound track if I could. It was so delightful - and was the perfect accompaniment to the merry ride.
The weather was perfect. Sunny and warm. I can't imagine it being better. It was made for making smiles.
We crossed the river to get the "best" view of the tower according to our guide book. It is the Place du Trocadero a 10 minute walk across the river. On our way there, we stopped at a park bench. How could we not? It was a park, lined with trees, and benches - they just beckoned us to stop. We all fit on one bench. It was wooden. It was green. It had some dried bird poop on it. That was okay, it looked like a thousand other people had used the bench and there was no actual poop left - it was dried and flat. Anyway, we sat there just taking it all in. Sara on the end, then Dan, then Julia, then me. Just sitting on a bench in Paris. I'll remember that moment. We ate some stuff from the bakery. But mainly we just sat there. You can sit in Paris and it stimulates the senses, the eyes for all the people and monumental buildings; the ears for the sounds of the city - the cars, the bells, the bicycles rolling by, the people laughing; -- everything -- it was just fun to be on that bench and soak up Paris. We had the Eiffel tower to our left, fountains straight ahead, and a huge set of stairs up to the view to our right.
Soon we went up those stairs. The view of the tower was nice. We got some pictures - though it was hard to get decent pictures in the morning light.
After that we decided to do the "Champs-Elysees" walk described in our book. It starts at the 'Arc de Triomphe' (french spelling). For the walk, the author describes what to look for and we got to know the area by reading the descriptions. Though about mid-way through the walk we stopped reading and just enjoyed ourselves -- skimming the words in the book while we took-in the sights all around us. We had Sara/Julia in the double stroller for most of it, but Sara asked to get out and walk - so she walked for a long time also. My pedometer says I took 20,501 steps today and I didn't even wear it all day! That is 8.96 miles. All in Paris!
For lunch we ate at the Petit Palais. (Site of the 1900 World's Fair) It has a gorgeous interior, and is free. It is an art museum. We went inside looked around a bit, used the bathrooms (I think that is the first time I've changed Julia's diaper on pure marble) and then we had lunch in the peaceful cafe. It is in the garden area of the Petit Palais and we had pasta with goo on it, and a club sandwich. The "club" sandwich was cut into 4 diamond pieces and had chicken, greens, and hard boiled egg slices on it. It also had some sort of dressing (aka: goo) on it - and was good. I ate it all up. Dan and the girls ate all the pasta up. Then I enjoyed the garden (that was adjacent to the seating area) with the girls. Julia walked for a bit on the pebbly path, then she sat down on the granite steps and took off her shoes. She put them together in one hand, walked over to me and handed me her shoes as if to say "here Mom, I want you to hold my shoes now, I'm going to walk in this garden barefoot." I let her. She had fun - chasing Sara, and she also is getting so fast that sometimes Sara chases Julia! They giggle and laugh and stop their play only periodically to hug each other.
After that we walked back across the river on the 'Pont Alexandre III' (bridge) that is "spiked with golden statues and ironwork lamps" -- it was neat --- and lead us back along a park to get to our apartment.
Back here I gave Julia a bath while Sara played on the iPad, and Dan started work. Then a while later I made my first trip out into Paris alone with Sara/Julia. Not to worry about getting lost. I had 2 maps, and one GPS style app on my iPhone.
My goal was to get to "La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marche" which is the best grocery store in the city according to our apartment owner. It is a 10 minute walk away. I was very careful to learn the turns to get there - so I didn't get lost! It was a perfect walk - such wonderful hustle bustle of the Parisians going about their day. I passed cute Cafes (and I mean really cute), shops, businesses, bakeries, -- and I just marveled at how awesome this city is.
When I got to the store I realized I had 5 Euros. That got us a box of pretzels and 6 bananas. Wow. I'm almost glad I didn't have more money. We came back here and Dan dropped 70 Euros down to us (from the 5th floor) and we went back out and stopped at a different grocery store - bought some food to make for dinner -- and made dinner.
I picked up the apartment while Dan cooked. After our arrival yesterday we didn't take time to get organized - so I did it this evening. I put all the packing cubes in a neat stack, and now this place looks much better! We ate together, and then Dan put Julia into her crib and I stayed up with Sara for a while. She ate to much "bed time bite" which was bread with peanut butter. She said her tummy hurt. After a while it was better.
It was a great day. When I looked at our paris map I couldn't believe how much we really did today! And so much more left to do.
Quotes of the day:
Sara: "Lets sit here and have a picnic."
Me: "How about we take Sara's idea and sit on that bench."
Sara: "But you can't take my idea, I want to keep it!"
----
Scenario: Each night Sara gets "bedtime bite" a bedtime snack. Tonight she asked for yogurt.
Sara: "I have to made sure it is not fromage blanc!"
[Wow. Good memory Sara. Back in Viason La Romaine we bought fromage blanc (white cheese) instead of yogurt - and she remembered the words "fromage blanc" and remembered the joke, and repeated it all this time later!
---
Side Note: Sara also ordered a baguette all in French from a bakery! When we were there we could see the baker put the bread in the oven - and he smiled at us so nicely -- making our first experience in a Paris bakery so nice!
----
End of Post
When I got up with Julia and Sara the apartment was dark but the sky was pink. Getting up early (6:30) is made a bit better when waking up in *Paris* and you can open your kitchen window and see 10 shades of pink surrounded by clouds that look like they are relaxing in lounge chairs.
Dan slept 'till a bit after 8:00. Soon we were on our way to a cafe for breakfast. The owner of this apartment recommended the cafe for breakfast, which was nice since since we walked directly there instead of wandering around trying to figure out where to eat -- which would be fun -- but there are so many cafes to choose from it may have taken a while. And with two hungry kids going straight to a recommended place was much appreciated.
It was a tiny cafe. The walk was quick - probably 4 minutes. Unlike the outdoor cafe tables we are used to in the smaller villages, this one had one "outdoor" table in the doorway (a large doorway/threshold) and the other tables were inside. It was as if were outside though, the windows were up front were nearly as wide as the front wall. Great for ventilation and people watching. But who needs to people watch the people going by on the street? There was so much to look at and enjoy in the cafe. Including the other people who were there. They were all French. Not a tourist insight. The other people in the cafe didn't even notice us. (And we are noticeable ) They were so deeply in conversation with each other - that they were even barely touching their coffee, which was quickly cooling in the tiny white ceramic cups. No one had food. The other cafe-goers only had coffees. I can see why there are 10 different types of coffee on the menu (of various strength and with and with out various kinds of milk - frothed, steamed, etc).
We ordered two espressos. Then we ordered food. I ordered us 1 breakfast "formula" and 1 pancake type thing. My ordering procedure was to point and also try the French. The server repeated my order (it sounded nothing like my attempt) and then she walked swiftly away - she wasn't being rude - she was being swift at her job - and she was busy!
When the food came I realized I made a good choice. The breakfast "formula" came with fresh squeezed OJ, a hot beverage of your choice, and 3 bakery items. The "pancakes" were not crepes, they were actually pancakes. Delicious ones! Thick and also light - which was amazing. They had some fresh butter (in a huge shapely glob on the side, with some sort of seed implanted within it), and they had 3 different fruits on them. Lovely. The four of us shared everything. We ate every last speck of those 2 breakfasts. (Only the 2nd time we've had breakfast 'out' on the whole trip.) It cost 22 Euro, including a 4 Euro latte "to go" which is the first time we've encountered coffee "to go" on the whole trip! It was worth every penny.
After a trip to the bathroom at the cafe (which was way in the back near the coffee roaster!) we headed out.
Paris is made for strolling. Even with out an agenda, you can just walk around Paris and have fun. A lot of fun! The neighborhoods are just plain gorgeous - like you are walking around in a movie - but it is real! You can look all around - or just straight ahead, and just see so much stuff it is hard not to smile. Pinch me I'm in Paris! We are staying in the 7th area near "Invalides." I'll write more about our location on some other night.
We made our way to the "Champ de Mars" the park that surrounds (leads up to) the Eiffel Tower. Sara said, "wow" when she saw the Eiffel Tour in all its glory. It stands tall - rising to the sky - on its four stout legs - welcoming people to admire it.
We walked over to the Eiffel Tower - then under it. There were long lines - especially to take the elevator up. There weren't as long lines for the stairs. We didn't go up it today, but we may some other time. Right nearby there was a carousel, so we plunked down 10Euro for 4 rides. Sara skipped onto it so happy, and Julia nearly rocketed out of the stroller with her hands flung up to the sky - to ensure she would get to go on it also - Dan took Julia onto the ride, and Sara is old enough to go on alone. They were the only ones on the ride (which was so neat!) and I watched as they went around and around. I took pictures - a bit surreal to get the Eiffel Tower in the same picture as Sara/Julia/Dan on a Carousel! Such fun! And the music was great - I'd buy the sound track if I could. It was so delightful - and was the perfect accompaniment to the merry ride.
The weather was perfect. Sunny and warm. I can't imagine it being better. It was made for making smiles.
We crossed the river to get the "best" view of the tower according to our guide book. It is the Place du Trocadero a 10 minute walk across the river. On our way there, we stopped at a park bench. How could we not? It was a park, lined with trees, and benches - they just beckoned us to stop. We all fit on one bench. It was wooden. It was green. It had some dried bird poop on it. That was okay, it looked like a thousand other people had used the bench and there was no actual poop left - it was dried and flat. Anyway, we sat there just taking it all in. Sara on the end, then Dan, then Julia, then me. Just sitting on a bench in Paris. I'll remember that moment. We ate some stuff from the bakery. But mainly we just sat there. You can sit in Paris and it stimulates the senses, the eyes for all the people and monumental buildings; the ears for the sounds of the city - the cars, the bells, the bicycles rolling by, the people laughing; -- everything -- it was just fun to be on that bench and soak up Paris. We had the Eiffel tower to our left, fountains straight ahead, and a huge set of stairs up to the view to our right.
Soon we went up those stairs. The view of the tower was nice. We got some pictures - though it was hard to get decent pictures in the morning light.
After that we decided to do the "Champs-Elysees" walk described in our book. It starts at the 'Arc de Triomphe' (french spelling). For the walk, the author describes what to look for and we got to know the area by reading the descriptions. Though about mid-way through the walk we stopped reading and just enjoyed ourselves -- skimming the words in the book while we took-in the sights all around us. We had Sara/Julia in the double stroller for most of it, but Sara asked to get out and walk - so she walked for a long time also. My pedometer says I took 20,501 steps today and I didn't even wear it all day! That is 8.96 miles. All in Paris!
For lunch we ate at the Petit Palais. (Site of the 1900 World's Fair) It has a gorgeous interior, and is free. It is an art museum. We went inside looked around a bit, used the bathrooms (I think that is the first time I've changed Julia's diaper on pure marble) and then we had lunch in the peaceful cafe. It is in the garden area of the Petit Palais and we had pasta with goo on it, and a club sandwich. The "club" sandwich was cut into 4 diamond pieces and had chicken, greens, and hard boiled egg slices on it. It also had some sort of dressing (aka: goo) on it - and was good. I ate it all up. Dan and the girls ate all the pasta up. Then I enjoyed the garden (that was adjacent to the seating area) with the girls. Julia walked for a bit on the pebbly path, then she sat down on the granite steps and took off her shoes. She put them together in one hand, walked over to me and handed me her shoes as if to say "here Mom, I want you to hold my shoes now, I'm going to walk in this garden barefoot." I let her. She had fun - chasing Sara, and she also is getting so fast that sometimes Sara chases Julia! They giggle and laugh and stop their play only periodically to hug each other.
After that we walked back across the river on the 'Pont Alexandre III' (bridge) that is "spiked with golden statues and ironwork lamps" -- it was neat --- and lead us back along a park to get to our apartment.
Back here I gave Julia a bath while Sara played on the iPad, and Dan started work. Then a while later I made my first trip out into Paris alone with Sara/Julia. Not to worry about getting lost. I had 2 maps, and one GPS style app on my iPhone.
My goal was to get to "La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marche" which is the best grocery store in the city according to our apartment owner. It is a 10 minute walk away. I was very careful to learn the turns to get there - so I didn't get lost! It was a perfect walk - such wonderful hustle bustle of the Parisians going about their day. I passed cute Cafes (and I mean really cute), shops, businesses, bakeries, -- and I just marveled at how awesome this city is.
When I got to the store I realized I had 5 Euros. That got us a box of pretzels and 6 bananas. Wow. I'm almost glad I didn't have more money. We came back here and Dan dropped 70 Euros down to us (from the 5th floor) and we went back out and stopped at a different grocery store - bought some food to make for dinner -- and made dinner.
I picked up the apartment while Dan cooked. After our arrival yesterday we didn't take time to get organized - so I did it this evening. I put all the packing cubes in a neat stack, and now this place looks much better! We ate together, and then Dan put Julia into her crib and I stayed up with Sara for a while. She ate to much "bed time bite" which was bread with peanut butter. She said her tummy hurt. After a while it was better.
It was a great day. When I looked at our paris map I couldn't believe how much we really did today! And so much more left to do.
Quotes of the day:
Sara: "Lets sit here and have a picnic."
Me: "How about we take Sara's idea and sit on that bench."
Sara: "But you can't take my idea, I want to keep it!"
----
Scenario: Each night Sara gets "bedtime bite" a bedtime snack. Tonight she asked for yogurt.
Sara: "I have to made sure it is not fromage blanc!"
[Wow. Good memory Sara. Back in Viason La Romaine we bought fromage blanc (white cheese) instead of yogurt - and she remembered the words "fromage blanc" and remembered the joke, and repeated it all this time later!
---
Side Note: Sara also ordered a baguette all in French from a bakery! When we were there we could see the baker put the bread in the oven - and he smiled at us so nicely -- making our first experience in a Paris bakery so nice!
----
End of Post
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Sara's Post
0;;;;;;;;000001,000000000000000gggfsdhgdhcgclkkhhvhcehdfgsatersasfagfafad11643653738847466463w89t984e77fyydigdy;,/.';/l/km;lxjfll/';'/l;';plt-polglkkkrghtirhhdwdfgufyrrurgdftsara;0thv
The above was by Sara.
"Mom, look at the fancy words I did."
;) ;)
End of Post
The above was by Sara.
"Mom, look at the fancy words I did."
;) ;)
End of Post
Tuesday - To Paris!
We made it!
Paris!
It took a 2 hour drive, a 3 hour TGV high-speed train ride, and a 10 minute taxi ride ---- and we are now in the city of lights.
Dan and I have been here before, but I have a feeling this will be a very different visit!
Sara has now seen the Eifel Tower. We drove past it in the cab. It was as if the cab was on rollerskates, gliding past the tower giving us a gorgeous first glimpse of it. "There it is! I see it!" Sara said. She has been waiting a long time - and now we are finally here!
The drive was easy. The train ride was mostly easy, but it is a bit hard to manage a 3 hour train ride with 2 squirmy kids. They were constantly busy. Trying to be normal active kids within the confines of a family bank of train seats (they faced each other with a table in the middle). We survived.
The taxi ride was harried. We have a lot of stuff, so I took Sara and all the luggage and Dan walked with Julia. Thus I got here long before he did, met the owner and got a tour of our Paris apartment. Compared to the house we just left, this place is a shoe box. We have a tiny kitchen (with a clothes washer), a bathroom, a bedroom, a dining room/living room, and a bed for Sara. We'll share our room with Julia in her travel crib that we brought.
The owner is nice, he is English, so there is no language barrier (he lives her now and also speaks French). He shares the same birthday with Dan. I mean the *same* birthday - turning the same age as Dan on the same day!
Even though it is 7:37 PM as I write this, Julia is playing next to me (with clay, legos, and a small strawberry shortcake doll). Sara is making up stories (and recording them) on the iPad.
Earlier Sara typed this:
sara :)
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Julia and I had fun playing two years ago. She was littler then."
End of post -- Can you believe we're in Paris!?
Paris!
It took a 2 hour drive, a 3 hour TGV high-speed train ride, and a 10 minute taxi ride ---- and we are now in the city of lights.
Dan and I have been here before, but I have a feeling this will be a very different visit!
Sara has now seen the Eifel Tower. We drove past it in the cab. It was as if the cab was on rollerskates, gliding past the tower giving us a gorgeous first glimpse of it. "There it is! I see it!" Sara said. She has been waiting a long time - and now we are finally here!
The drive was easy. The train ride was mostly easy, but it is a bit hard to manage a 3 hour train ride with 2 squirmy kids. They were constantly busy. Trying to be normal active kids within the confines of a family bank of train seats (they faced each other with a table in the middle). We survived.
The taxi ride was harried. We have a lot of stuff, so I took Sara and all the luggage and Dan walked with Julia. Thus I got here long before he did, met the owner and got a tour of our Paris apartment. Compared to the house we just left, this place is a shoe box. We have a tiny kitchen (with a clothes washer), a bathroom, a bedroom, a dining room/living room, and a bed for Sara. We'll share our room with Julia in her travel crib that we brought.
The owner is nice, he is English, so there is no language barrier (he lives her now and also speaks French). He shares the same birthday with Dan. I mean the *same* birthday - turning the same age as Dan on the same day!
Even though it is 7:37 PM as I write this, Julia is playing next to me (with clay, legos, and a small strawberry shortcake doll). Sara is making up stories (and recording them) on the iPad.
Earlier Sara typed this:
sara :)
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Julia and I had fun playing two years ago. She was littler then."
End of post -- Can you believe we're in Paris!?
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday - Last day in this region (Domme)
Wow, our time here went by fast. We leave for Paris in the morning.
We decided to head to the nearby village of Domme today. It had a lot of things going for it - it is near by (short drive) and our guidebook made it sound interesting. I got to sleep 'till 8:00 today since Dan got up with Julia and Sara. I joined them for breakfast when I climbed down the spiral staircase from upstairs to downstairs.
Julia put her arms up for a hug while still seated in her high chair. I gave her a good morning hug. Sara was interested in the iPad, but say 'Hi Mom' - we normally don't allow electronics at the table, but no one is perfect. ;)
It started as an overcast day, but grew to be sunny and nicely warm. I'm still wearing shorts but Sara and Julia are wearing pants and long sleeves these days. It keeps them cozy and I don't have to work so hard to keep sunscreen on them!
Domme was a perfect decision for our last day in this area. It had a fortified gate to drive through - like we were driving into a town that used to have a "wall" around it. (It reminded me a little of York, England). Dan drove through the gate and up, up, up, to a parking lot. We didn't know it, but we were right by the panorama that has the best view in town. A great way to start our exploration of the town. The view was wonderful - the river went right through it and then the valley was all a checkerboard of green fields. The view is far up - overlooking everything. Even the girls enjoyed it.
Then we got a town map and wandered around. (Well, we went to a bakery first of course.) The walk lead us to a superb public garden - that was charming, beautiful, and fun! It had a play ground for Sara and Julia - and also a long promenade for us to walk on to enjoy the view. The promenade was lined with trees on one side and had a cliff (sheer down) on the other side. Not to worry about falling, there was a 3 foot wall to prevent that. After laying on the play ground we strolled the promenade - and then Sara and Julia played in a set of three trees. They darted around them, they ran through them, they laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a great travel moment - everyone happy, enjoying a park, a sunny day, with an amazing view.
After propping up the camera on the rock wall to get a family picture we walked to the windmill. Then, we walked all through town 'till Julia fell asleep.
Around noon we were at the top of town again. Julia was still sleeping (like a baby) and the noon bells started. Dong. Dong. Dong. 12 times! Then the bells went non-stop for what seemed like forever. Even Dan laughed - it was funny - here we had a sleeping baby, right beside the church bells - when we'd spent the last hour trying to be quiet for her. The bells did not wake her up.
We got a seat at the recommended restaurant with the panoramic view. Our table was right on the rock wall overlooking it all. They made space for Julia to sleep (in the stroller) right by us, and we got through 90% of the meal with her sleeping. I had steak, salad, and french fries. Dan had duck, duck, duck. Duck is *huge* in this area - and he got a plate that included dried duck, roasted duck, and some sort of duck slices that looked gray to me. I was happy with my beef. ;) I had to choose between onion sauce and nut sauce and nuts are a big thing here so I went with that.
By 1:00 we were in the car to head back here. Dan stopped at the grocery store and took Sara and Julia in with him so I could take a short snooze in the car. I fell asleep right away. 15 minutes was all it took and I was reinvigorated. It is good for me to try to catch a nap like that to power me up to share my afternoon and evening with Sara and Julia - and have all the energy possible!
When we got back here Dan telecommuted and Sara/Julia/I went to Sarlat for one last walk around. What a fun time. There are not alot of tourists, just a few people strolling. The town was ours to enjoy. I wandered over to the garden and let them play on the play ground with some French kids. Julia *loves* getting a chance to play, climb, swing, and run. She just lights up. Sara loves being the big sister to show her things. I explained to Sara that I was a little sister - and it took her a while to process it. She just said, "I'm the big sister" and that was that!
Sara helped me by walking up/down the big hill that is between us and town. She jumped out of the stroller all on her own to do it. Thoughtful kid. ;)
Back here I made dinner of pork, green beans, and tortelini pasta. Sara ate so many green beans Dan said she was going to turn into one.
It was a fun day. Perfect blend of exploration and savoring a characteristic village of this region. Easy logistics were a plus. Tomorrow is a day with a lot of logistics: drive, high-speed train, taxi, and finally to our Paris apartment in the evening. After being in the countryside for so long are we ready for Paris? We'll see!
Quotes of the day:
Scenario - Leaving Domme Dan asked Sara to do the Domme dance (we often request dances from her - and then she makes up a dance for us and performs it)
Sara: "Okay Papa, here is the dance for this town. It has all French moves."
----
Scenario - Eating dinner. I put herbs on the pork.
Sara: "I do not like this stuff on the pork. I want to delete my herbs."
-----
End of Post
We decided to head to the nearby village of Domme today. It had a lot of things going for it - it is near by (short drive) and our guidebook made it sound interesting. I got to sleep 'till 8:00 today since Dan got up with Julia and Sara. I joined them for breakfast when I climbed down the spiral staircase from upstairs to downstairs.
Julia put her arms up for a hug while still seated in her high chair. I gave her a good morning hug. Sara was interested in the iPad, but say 'Hi Mom' - we normally don't allow electronics at the table, but no one is perfect. ;)
It started as an overcast day, but grew to be sunny and nicely warm. I'm still wearing shorts but Sara and Julia are wearing pants and long sleeves these days. It keeps them cozy and I don't have to work so hard to keep sunscreen on them!
Domme was a perfect decision for our last day in this area. It had a fortified gate to drive through - like we were driving into a town that used to have a "wall" around it. (It reminded me a little of York, England). Dan drove through the gate and up, up, up, to a parking lot. We didn't know it, but we were right by the panorama that has the best view in town. A great way to start our exploration of the town. The view was wonderful - the river went right through it and then the valley was all a checkerboard of green fields. The view is far up - overlooking everything. Even the girls enjoyed it.
Then we got a town map and wandered around. (Well, we went to a bakery first of course.) The walk lead us to a superb public garden - that was charming, beautiful, and fun! It had a play ground for Sara and Julia - and also a long promenade for us to walk on to enjoy the view. The promenade was lined with trees on one side and had a cliff (sheer down) on the other side. Not to worry about falling, there was a 3 foot wall to prevent that. After laying on the play ground we strolled the promenade - and then Sara and Julia played in a set of three trees. They darted around them, they ran through them, they laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a great travel moment - everyone happy, enjoying a park, a sunny day, with an amazing view.
After propping up the camera on the rock wall to get a family picture we walked to the windmill. Then, we walked all through town 'till Julia fell asleep.
Around noon we were at the top of town again. Julia was still sleeping (like a baby) and the noon bells started. Dong. Dong. Dong. 12 times! Then the bells went non-stop for what seemed like forever. Even Dan laughed - it was funny - here we had a sleeping baby, right beside the church bells - when we'd spent the last hour trying to be quiet for her. The bells did not wake her up.
We got a seat at the recommended restaurant with the panoramic view. Our table was right on the rock wall overlooking it all. They made space for Julia to sleep (in the stroller) right by us, and we got through 90% of the meal with her sleeping. I had steak, salad, and french fries. Dan had duck, duck, duck. Duck is *huge* in this area - and he got a plate that included dried duck, roasted duck, and some sort of duck slices that looked gray to me. I was happy with my beef. ;) I had to choose between onion sauce and nut sauce and nuts are a big thing here so I went with that.
By 1:00 we were in the car to head back here. Dan stopped at the grocery store and took Sara and Julia in with him so I could take a short snooze in the car. I fell asleep right away. 15 minutes was all it took and I was reinvigorated. It is good for me to try to catch a nap like that to power me up to share my afternoon and evening with Sara and Julia - and have all the energy possible!
When we got back here Dan telecommuted and Sara/Julia/I went to Sarlat for one last walk around. What a fun time. There are not alot of tourists, just a few people strolling. The town was ours to enjoy. I wandered over to the garden and let them play on the play ground with some French kids. Julia *loves* getting a chance to play, climb, swing, and run. She just lights up. Sara loves being the big sister to show her things. I explained to Sara that I was a little sister - and it took her a while to process it. She just said, "I'm the big sister" and that was that!
Sara helped me by walking up/down the big hill that is between us and town. She jumped out of the stroller all on her own to do it. Thoughtful kid. ;)
Back here I made dinner of pork, green beans, and tortelini pasta. Sara ate so many green beans Dan said she was going to turn into one.
It was a fun day. Perfect blend of exploration and savoring a characteristic village of this region. Easy logistics were a plus. Tomorrow is a day with a lot of logistics: drive, high-speed train, taxi, and finally to our Paris apartment in the evening. After being in the countryside for so long are we ready for Paris? We'll see!
Quotes of the day:
Scenario - Leaving Domme Dan asked Sara to do the Domme dance (we often request dances from her - and then she makes up a dance for us and performs it)
Sara: "Okay Papa, here is the dance for this town. It has all French moves."
----
Scenario - Eating dinner. I put herbs on the pork.
Sara: "I do not like this stuff on the pork. I want to delete my herbs."
-----
End of Post
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday - "Grotte de Rouffignac" (pre-historic cave art)
Today we were in the car by 9:30ish to head to a cave 45 minutes away. It has the oldest cave art - and the best part is that you ride a train into the 6 mile long cave. Once Sara heard about the train she kept asking "are we going to the one with the train?" -- So today we could say "yes."
I got up with Julia at 6:20. Dan slept 'till 9:00. Still a pretty early start, we actually got to the cave entrance at 10:30, and I believe they opened at 10:30. And when I say cave entrance, I mean, cave entrance. Right in the side of a rock, in the middle of a dense forest, there was a cave - and to buy a ticket - I walked right in holding Sara's hand.
We got tickets to the 11:00 train. We hung out in the cave waiting for our tour to start. The cave is 6 miles long, so we were just in the very beginnings of it. Julia loved running around in the cave. Her footsteps echoed and made a pretty cool sound.
At 11:00 ish they called for our tour to start. We were let in a door built into the cave wall that lead us deeper into the cave. After we rounded the corner we saw our cave-train. We got seats. We were all on one bench. Sara, Dan, Julia, then me. I knew it was best to give Julia a seat - versus putting her on my lap. That way she was sitting on her own terms. It worked. The train lurched forward to begin our journey into the cave.
It was dark. Cold. Not creepy. Majestic. This was *undoubtably* a cave that was inhabited 17,000 years ago. By early man! And they left behind art. Etchings and paintings of animals - wholly mammoths, deer, horses, etc. Incredible. Our train stopped several times to show us the amazing ancient cave art. No one talked. The girls didn't move. Sara was mesmerized. Julia pointed to the art -- even our little 1.5 year old really pointed to it -- as if she was saying "look at that!" -- I thought that was pretty neat. And it was amazing. To think that we were in a cave where they were living thousands of years ago. Bears also lived in the cave (not when man did) and left behind hibernation evidence. You could see where the bears slept and where they sharpened their long claws on the cave wall when they woke up after winter.
The paintings were awesome. Simply beautiful. It was dark in the cave (naturally!) but the train had lights and the guide had a flashlight. He showed us all the etchings - and seemed to have a passion for the sight. My favorite was when we got off the train deep in the cave. I wasn't expecting it. The tour was in French, so Dan said, "get off the train" to us when the tour guide said it in French - and I grabbed Julia and stepped off the train and onto the cave floor. Dan took Sara.
We walked over to where the guide was taking us. I was shocked. There -- all around us -- above us, and on the walls were cave paintings. They were everywhere. Huge ones. There was a horse painting that must have been 10 feet. And mammoths with long tusks. From people that saw them! Wow! I had Julia in my arms and she kept pointing at the walls - and I shared a moment with our baby -- as we were both in awe of the art - right before our eyes.
Beyond the art - it was just mind-blowing to be where these people were thousands of years ago. I mean we were excited about the 2,000 year old Roman bridge -- and these were 17,000 years ago. Not even really modern man - but our ancestors beyond that. They left behind these pictures for us to have, these were their visions - that we get to see on a rock - not on a memory card - but on a rock deep in the Earth. Un real.
We got back onto the train and it took us back. I don't usually buy things at gift shops, but I bought the 4.50 Euro English book describing the cave. That way we can show it to Sara and Julia - since pictures were not allowed. We did take a family photo at the cave entrance. Amazing.
After that we had lunch. The town where we ate had huge rock formations clinging to the cliffs along the road. And you could tell people once lived there -- there were holes in the rock -- that looked like windows - probably because once upon a time people lived there and they actually were windows. Wow. We had pizza right along side one of the cliffs. It was a great meal with two happy kids and thus two happy parents!
When we got back here I packed a bit (we leave Tuesday, but tomorrow is Monday so getting a jump start is a good idea). Dan played with Sara and Julia outside. Then he made dinner (lamb, pasta, strawberries) and it was time for baths and bedtime. Great day.
Quote of the day:
Scenario: After the cave we went to a local pre-historic welcome center, then we got ice cream. Sara got her usual strawberry, chocolate, and we got a second cone with mango. We let Sara/Julia have the cones, but we shared with them. Just as Dan was having some of Sara's ice cream Sara said:
Sara: "You know Papa, you should get your own next time."
[The tone of her voice was just so funny as she said that!]
End of Post
I got up with Julia at 6:20. Dan slept 'till 9:00. Still a pretty early start, we actually got to the cave entrance at 10:30, and I believe they opened at 10:30. And when I say cave entrance, I mean, cave entrance. Right in the side of a rock, in the middle of a dense forest, there was a cave - and to buy a ticket - I walked right in holding Sara's hand.
We got tickets to the 11:00 train. We hung out in the cave waiting for our tour to start. The cave is 6 miles long, so we were just in the very beginnings of it. Julia loved running around in the cave. Her footsteps echoed and made a pretty cool sound.
At 11:00 ish they called for our tour to start. We were let in a door built into the cave wall that lead us deeper into the cave. After we rounded the corner we saw our cave-train. We got seats. We were all on one bench. Sara, Dan, Julia, then me. I knew it was best to give Julia a seat - versus putting her on my lap. That way she was sitting on her own terms. It worked. The train lurched forward to begin our journey into the cave.
It was dark. Cold. Not creepy. Majestic. This was *undoubtably* a cave that was inhabited 17,000 years ago. By early man! And they left behind art. Etchings and paintings of animals - wholly mammoths, deer, horses, etc. Incredible. Our train stopped several times to show us the amazing ancient cave art. No one talked. The girls didn't move. Sara was mesmerized. Julia pointed to the art -- even our little 1.5 year old really pointed to it -- as if she was saying "look at that!" -- I thought that was pretty neat. And it was amazing. To think that we were in a cave where they were living thousands of years ago. Bears also lived in the cave (not when man did) and left behind hibernation evidence. You could see where the bears slept and where they sharpened their long claws on the cave wall when they woke up after winter.
The paintings were awesome. Simply beautiful. It was dark in the cave (naturally!) but the train had lights and the guide had a flashlight. He showed us all the etchings - and seemed to have a passion for the sight. My favorite was when we got off the train deep in the cave. I wasn't expecting it. The tour was in French, so Dan said, "get off the train" to us when the tour guide said it in French - and I grabbed Julia and stepped off the train and onto the cave floor. Dan took Sara.
We walked over to where the guide was taking us. I was shocked. There -- all around us -- above us, and on the walls were cave paintings. They were everywhere. Huge ones. There was a horse painting that must have been 10 feet. And mammoths with long tusks. From people that saw them! Wow! I had Julia in my arms and she kept pointing at the walls - and I shared a moment with our baby -- as we were both in awe of the art - right before our eyes.
Beyond the art - it was just mind-blowing to be where these people were thousands of years ago. I mean we were excited about the 2,000 year old Roman bridge -- and these were 17,000 years ago. Not even really modern man - but our ancestors beyond that. They left behind these pictures for us to have, these were their visions - that we get to see on a rock - not on a memory card - but on a rock deep in the Earth. Un real.
We got back onto the train and it took us back. I don't usually buy things at gift shops, but I bought the 4.50 Euro English book describing the cave. That way we can show it to Sara and Julia - since pictures were not allowed. We did take a family photo at the cave entrance. Amazing.
After that we had lunch. The town where we ate had huge rock formations clinging to the cliffs along the road. And you could tell people once lived there -- there were holes in the rock -- that looked like windows - probably because once upon a time people lived there and they actually were windows. Wow. We had pizza right along side one of the cliffs. It was a great meal with two happy kids and thus two happy parents!
When we got back here I packed a bit (we leave Tuesday, but tomorrow is Monday so getting a jump start is a good idea). Dan played with Sara and Julia outside. Then he made dinner (lamb, pasta, strawberries) and it was time for baths and bedtime. Great day.
Quote of the day:
Scenario: After the cave we went to a local pre-historic welcome center, then we got ice cream. Sara got her usual strawberry, chocolate, and we got a second cone with mango. We let Sara/Julia have the cones, but we shared with them. Just as Dan was having some of Sara's ice cream Sara said:
Sara: "You know Papa, you should get your own next time."
[The tone of her voice was just so funny as she said that!]
End of Post
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Saturday - Market day, Relax day
Today I was up with the kids and headed off to market day before Dan got up. He is up late working, so I thought we may as well give him a quiet house and give us some time at the market while it was still being set up.
Sara and Julia are fun to go on adventures with. Julia looks around at everything as we walk - taking it all in. Sara observes (and shares her observations and questions (asking follow-up questions based on the answers) and it all adds up to fun being with our kids.
I had Julia in the Kelty back carrier. Dan makes it look so easy, but it is heavy!
The market was enormous. As soon as we got to the base of the hill we saw market umbrellas. The market engolfed the entire town. We strolled. It was not crowded at all (and it actually stayed that way, while the Wednesday market did get crowded) - and by the time we met up with Dan I was delighted to give him a chance to carry Julia. We just happened to see Dan walking down the street - so that was a great way to meet up. Otherwise we had plans to meet at the cathedral at :00 or :30 past every hour 'till we met. I didn't know what time he'd get up - so we left our meeting time flexible And with out phones we had to have set meeting times to make finding each other possible.
We splurged on a cafe for some coffee. We asked about food, but the kitchen wasn't open. It is funny how US kitchens are always open - why wouldn't you serve breakfast at breakfast time? But these people (and all other cafes) just had coffee and drinks. Even though Sara asked for pancakes (yeah right) we had to go across the street to the bakery to get food. That worked fine. For 3 euro we had more than enough fresh bread (with raisens, chocolate, and so forth) to enjoy while we savored our coffee and Sara had apple juice. She shared some juice with Julia via a spoon. ;)
Soon Dan went with Julia back to the house to change her diaper and give her milk and more food. Sara and I stayed and enjoyed the market. I let her lead. If she wanted to stop, we stopped. Thus, we stopped at the jewelry and the toys. She likes jewelry a lot. She tries on rings. She looks at necklaces. And today she wanted to buy me a ring (so sweet) since the last time we bought a ring for her - I guess she figured it was my turn. It was a sweet notion that she was shopping for a ring for me. Thanks Sara.
At the end of the road there was a carousel. Sara skipped over to it. I dug 2 Euro out of my pocket and she paid the vendor. She picked out a bicycle to ride (the carousels here don't have horses, they have fire trucks, bicycles, animated characters, chariots, and other animals, etc) She was so happy as she spun around and around on the ride.
She wanted to ride again, so I forked over another 2 Euro and she picked out a "daffy" duck type thing to ride in (still on the same carousel). After a few spins, she rose up! She had figured out that the duck thing could fly! The look on her face as she rose into the air was priceless. It was a look of wonderment combined with a look of accomplishment! Way to go Sara! You are a pilot!
She *had* to ride again. So now in for 6 Euro she spun around again. This time she was a pro-pilot and relished going up and down as she went around and around. She kept her hands on the controls. She looked proud as could be - looking at me (I was smiling at her), looking at the other kids (who were just going around and around on their Earth-bound ride objects), and looking at the view. It was great. We both loved every minute of it!
After that we walked back through the streets of Sarlat. She wanted to go into the cathedral, so we did. Twice. We looked at the stained glass - whispering to each other which color was our favorite. Finally we sat on the cathedral steps and waited for Dan and Julia. We didn't have long to wait. Within minutes we spotted Dan carrying Julia and we were all together again.
We toured around a bit, and decided to get lunch. Sara picked the place. She found a table and we sat. I got the 12 Euro lunch. Dan got the 15 Euro lunch. Sara had the 8 Euro kid lunch. The lunches are all sort of like pre-packages - where it includes 3 courses (or 4 in Dan's case) and you pick what you want. A bargain. Sara's meal ended up being pizza, a hamburger, and ice cream! (She loves France even more now!). I had beef, lamb, then chocolate mouse. Dan had salmon, ham, cheese, then ice cream. Julia had a bit of everything. We were outside at a cafe table under an awning. A splendid meal.
After that we wandered in town, went to the public garden (very pretty, with perfect grass, and really pretty flower beds), and let Sara and Julia play on the playground. They did the swings, they did the slide (together!), and also the tetter-totter. It was great fun.
After that we walked back here. Sara told us stories the whole way. She can tell great stories. She tells about great events from her life - with great flourish and dramatic effect. "I'm going to tell 5 stories, are you ready Mom, are you ready Dad?" -- then she does. It is truly funny.
Dan found a lounge chair from the pool and napped. I played with Sara and Julia. They like playing on the hill in our back yard - so we did that a lot.
Dan made us dinner once he woke up (I think he slept for 2 hours!) and we ate outside. Then, I put Julia to bed, and later Sara to bed.
It was a fun day. A simple, relaxing day, full of fun.
Quote of the day:
Scenario - right after Sara rode the carousel twice, she used the following very convincing words to get me to let her ride one last time:
Sara: "Mom, if I can ride again, I will be happy."
End of Post
Sara and Julia are fun to go on adventures with. Julia looks around at everything as we walk - taking it all in. Sara observes (and shares her observations and questions (asking follow-up questions based on the answers) and it all adds up to fun being with our kids.
I had Julia in the Kelty back carrier. Dan makes it look so easy, but it is heavy!
The market was enormous. As soon as we got to the base of the hill we saw market umbrellas. The market engolfed the entire town. We strolled. It was not crowded at all (and it actually stayed that way, while the Wednesday market did get crowded) - and by the time we met up with Dan I was delighted to give him a chance to carry Julia. We just happened to see Dan walking down the street - so that was a great way to meet up. Otherwise we had plans to meet at the cathedral at :00 or :30 past every hour 'till we met. I didn't know what time he'd get up - so we left our meeting time flexible And with out phones we had to have set meeting times to make finding each other possible.
We splurged on a cafe for some coffee. We asked about food, but the kitchen wasn't open. It is funny how US kitchens are always open - why wouldn't you serve breakfast at breakfast time? But these people (and all other cafes) just had coffee and drinks. Even though Sara asked for pancakes (yeah right) we had to go across the street to the bakery to get food. That worked fine. For 3 euro we had more than enough fresh bread (with raisens, chocolate, and so forth) to enjoy while we savored our coffee and Sara had apple juice. She shared some juice with Julia via a spoon. ;)
Soon Dan went with Julia back to the house to change her diaper and give her milk and more food. Sara and I stayed and enjoyed the market. I let her lead. If she wanted to stop, we stopped. Thus, we stopped at the jewelry and the toys. She likes jewelry a lot. She tries on rings. She looks at necklaces. And today she wanted to buy me a ring (so sweet) since the last time we bought a ring for her - I guess she figured it was my turn. It was a sweet notion that she was shopping for a ring for me. Thanks Sara.
At the end of the road there was a carousel. Sara skipped over to it. I dug 2 Euro out of my pocket and she paid the vendor. She picked out a bicycle to ride (the carousels here don't have horses, they have fire trucks, bicycles, animated characters, chariots, and other animals, etc) She was so happy as she spun around and around on the ride.
She wanted to ride again, so I forked over another 2 Euro and she picked out a "daffy" duck type thing to ride in (still on the same carousel). After a few spins, she rose up! She had figured out that the duck thing could fly! The look on her face as she rose into the air was priceless. It was a look of wonderment combined with a look of accomplishment! Way to go Sara! You are a pilot!
She *had* to ride again. So now in for 6 Euro she spun around again. This time she was a pro-pilot and relished going up and down as she went around and around. She kept her hands on the controls. She looked proud as could be - looking at me (I was smiling at her), looking at the other kids (who were just going around and around on their Earth-bound ride objects), and looking at the view. It was great. We both loved every minute of it!
After that we walked back through the streets of Sarlat. She wanted to go into the cathedral, so we did. Twice. We looked at the stained glass - whispering to each other which color was our favorite. Finally we sat on the cathedral steps and waited for Dan and Julia. We didn't have long to wait. Within minutes we spotted Dan carrying Julia and we were all together again.
We toured around a bit, and decided to get lunch. Sara picked the place. She found a table and we sat. I got the 12 Euro lunch. Dan got the 15 Euro lunch. Sara had the 8 Euro kid lunch. The lunches are all sort of like pre-packages - where it includes 3 courses (or 4 in Dan's case) and you pick what you want. A bargain. Sara's meal ended up being pizza, a hamburger, and ice cream! (She loves France even more now!). I had beef, lamb, then chocolate mouse. Dan had salmon, ham, cheese, then ice cream. Julia had a bit of everything. We were outside at a cafe table under an awning. A splendid meal.
After that we wandered in town, went to the public garden (very pretty, with perfect grass, and really pretty flower beds), and let Sara and Julia play on the playground. They did the swings, they did the slide (together!), and also the tetter-totter. It was great fun.
After that we walked back here. Sara told us stories the whole way. She can tell great stories. She tells about great events from her life - with great flourish and dramatic effect. "I'm going to tell 5 stories, are you ready Mom, are you ready Dad?" -- then she does. It is truly funny.
Dan found a lounge chair from the pool and napped. I played with Sara and Julia. They like playing on the hill in our back yard - so we did that a lot.
Dan made us dinner once he woke up (I think he slept for 2 hours!) and we ate outside. Then, I put Julia to bed, and later Sara to bed.
It was a fun day. A simple, relaxing day, full of fun.
Quote of the day:
Scenario - right after Sara rode the carousel twice, she used the following very convincing words to get me to let her ride one last time:
Sara: "Mom, if I can ride again, I will be happy."
End of Post
Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday - Hike to a Castle ruin
Here is how Dan described today to his co-workers (the pictures that he gave links to are 360 views he made while we were there. I'm in one of them):
For anyone who liked castles as a kid, we went to Chateau de Commarque this morning (http://www.commarque.com/#!come-to-commarque/ck9h): http://360.io/5MwAzg http://360.io/wPHyhv http://360.io/zhhbCw http://360.io/JtgBRb) The truly incredible thing is that there is evidence of human residence in this valley for the last ~100,000 years. And it was largely forgotten after the 16th century, so when someone bought it and started researching / restoring it in the 1960s, it wasn't wrecked by modern man. There were cave dwellings right on the surface level…but when those dwellings were built, the ground level was 20m below present day!
Here is how I'd describe the day:
We wanted to make it a low-key day, so we decided to drive to a nearby place where we could walk through the woods to a castle. That sounded perfect. And, it was.
The name is "Chateau de Commarque." A 15 minute rural drive brought us to its parking lot. It was so empty I said, "is this open?" We put Julia in the Kelty back-carrier, and Sara on her own two feet- and set out into the woods. The path to the castle is entirely wooded. The only light was patches of sunlight that managed to swivel around the trees and reach the ground. It was all natural. (No pavement etc) We marveled at the many shades of moss growing everywhere. On the trees, on the fallen branches, and carpeting the ground.
Sara skipped, hopped, walked, ran, and hiked with us. She chatted (or sang) the whole way. A common question was "where are we going?" followed closely by "why?"
I didn't time the walk, it was probably 20 minutes. We weren't in any rush. No one was around. It felt, and was remote. When we finally saw what looked like the site, the first thing we noticed were rock walls with notches - as if they were used for something. Then the castle appeared on our left. It rose up towards the sky. While our eyes took in the castle, our ears took in the babbling brook, which was the loudest brook I've heard -- maybe because everything else was so quiet.
We paid admission at the tiny hut. 7 Euro each (kids free). The cute French guy in the hut handed us our English multi-page brochure and we went on our merry way. The first thing we did was walk towards the other castle you could see - up on a nearby hill. It wasn't open, but as we walked towards it and turned around you could get a good view of the castle we were there to see. Sara declaired it was picnic time, so we stopped on a wooden log bench for some pretzels and water. Then she sat by the brook for a while. I loved seeing her do that, she looked so happy. The water was clear. Super duper clear. You could see every pebble at the bottom, and the swishing tails of every tiny fish frolicking in the streamy/dreamy water. Even they looked like they were having fun.
After we enjoyed the view of "our" castle we walked over to it. There was no tour, and no real map, so we were free to wander around a castle! How much fun is that! So much!
The first stop we made while exploring the castle was the caves beneath it. Cave art is a big thing around here. People used to live in caves in the cro-magnon era. Well, at this castle we got to go into such a cave! It was like having a link with people who were cave men --- literally. It felt a tad cold, but I don't think the shivers up my spine were from the temperature, they were from the mind-blowing reality that cave dwellers one stood and lived where I was now standing. Whew.
We continued on. We wandered around the castle - stopping at the chapel, and any bit that could be explored we did. A high light was walking up into the tower - climbing all those steps to the highest point in the castle. Since we were amongst the few there (and the only in the castle at that point) it felt special. I said to Dan it felt not only like a highlight of our time in the Dordogne, but of the whole trip to France. It was a picture perfect day - and here we were exploring a castle, cave dwellings, and enjoying a pretty hike to get there and back.
We spent hours there. By the time we did the walk through the woods and back to the car it was 1:00. We wanted lunch, but didn't want the time it takes to "eat out" or the time it takes to make something at our house. So we went to Mc Donalds. There is one (exactly one) near the grocery store just out of town, so it was easy. It may seem lame to go to Mc Donalds, but around here, it is just about the only way to get food fast. And, it was packed with locals - so we weren't the only ones! It had a nice interior, and was 20 Euro, so for some reason Mc Donalds is not cheap (we only got 2 meals, and one drink). The food is different - different burgers with different sauces. The experience is different also - and it worked. Within 15 minutes we were fed. Then we went to the grocery store for several days worth of food for 60 Euro.
Back at the house (which really feels like 'our' french country home) I put Julia down for a nap, played ball, did art, lego, and so forth with Sara. When Julia got up we played by the fish pond (the girls love it - it has little fish in it and a stone bench to watch it), we played on the hill (the girls love running up and down the hill - it is dotted with yellow flowers), and we also swam in our little blow-up pool that I bought back in Uzes. It is warmer (and easier) than going in the big in ground pool. I hand-carry warm water to fill it up. The girls appreciate that versus just 100% frigid hose water. I get in the pool with them - and we splash around laughing while giving dinosaurs swim lessons (they have toys here, some of which are dinosaurs).
Dan made dinner. We ate it on the back deck. Peaceful and nice - we are getting used to this! Of all the places we've stayed on this trip - this feels the most like we are living here - the house is nice and the yard is lovely.
Well, it is time to head to sleep.
Quote of the day:
Sara: "I ran a marathon when I was three and I tripped."
[I had other quotes but they are voice memos on Dan's iPod and he is using it!]
End of Post
For anyone who liked castles as a kid, we went to Chateau de Commarque this morning (http://www.commarque.com/#!come-to-commarque/ck9h): http://360.io/5MwAzg http://360.io/wPHyhv http://360.io/zhhbCw http://360.io/JtgBRb) The truly incredible thing is that there is evidence of human residence in this valley for the last ~100,000 years. And it was largely forgotten after the 16th century, so when someone bought it and started researching / restoring it in the 1960s, it wasn't wrecked by modern man. There were cave dwellings right on the surface level…but when those dwellings were built, the ground level was 20m below present day!
Here is how I'd describe the day:
We wanted to make it a low-key day, so we decided to drive to a nearby place where we could walk through the woods to a castle. That sounded perfect. And, it was.
The name is "Chateau de Commarque." A 15 minute rural drive brought us to its parking lot. It was so empty I said, "is this open?" We put Julia in the Kelty back-carrier, and Sara on her own two feet- and set out into the woods. The path to the castle is entirely wooded. The only light was patches of sunlight that managed to swivel around the trees and reach the ground. It was all natural. (No pavement etc) We marveled at the many shades of moss growing everywhere. On the trees, on the fallen branches, and carpeting the ground.
Sara skipped, hopped, walked, ran, and hiked with us. She chatted (or sang) the whole way. A common question was "where are we going?" followed closely by "why?"
I didn't time the walk, it was probably 20 minutes. We weren't in any rush. No one was around. It felt, and was remote. When we finally saw what looked like the site, the first thing we noticed were rock walls with notches - as if they were used for something. Then the castle appeared on our left. It rose up towards the sky. While our eyes took in the castle, our ears took in the babbling brook, which was the loudest brook I've heard -- maybe because everything else was so quiet.
We paid admission at the tiny hut. 7 Euro each (kids free). The cute French guy in the hut handed us our English multi-page brochure and we went on our merry way. The first thing we did was walk towards the other castle you could see - up on a nearby hill. It wasn't open, but as we walked towards it and turned around you could get a good view of the castle we were there to see. Sara declaired it was picnic time, so we stopped on a wooden log bench for some pretzels and water. Then she sat by the brook for a while. I loved seeing her do that, she looked so happy. The water was clear. Super duper clear. You could see every pebble at the bottom, and the swishing tails of every tiny fish frolicking in the streamy/dreamy water. Even they looked like they were having fun.
After we enjoyed the view of "our" castle we walked over to it. There was no tour, and no real map, so we were free to wander around a castle! How much fun is that! So much!
The first stop we made while exploring the castle was the caves beneath it. Cave art is a big thing around here. People used to live in caves in the cro-magnon era. Well, at this castle we got to go into such a cave! It was like having a link with people who were cave men --- literally. It felt a tad cold, but I don't think the shivers up my spine were from the temperature, they were from the mind-blowing reality that cave dwellers one stood and lived where I was now standing. Whew.
We continued on. We wandered around the castle - stopping at the chapel, and any bit that could be explored we did. A high light was walking up into the tower - climbing all those steps to the highest point in the castle. Since we were amongst the few there (and the only in the castle at that point) it felt special. I said to Dan it felt not only like a highlight of our time in the Dordogne, but of the whole trip to France. It was a picture perfect day - and here we were exploring a castle, cave dwellings, and enjoying a pretty hike to get there and back.
We spent hours there. By the time we did the walk through the woods and back to the car it was 1:00. We wanted lunch, but didn't want the time it takes to "eat out" or the time it takes to make something at our house. So we went to Mc Donalds. There is one (exactly one) near the grocery store just out of town, so it was easy. It may seem lame to go to Mc Donalds, but around here, it is just about the only way to get food fast. And, it was packed with locals - so we weren't the only ones! It had a nice interior, and was 20 Euro, so for some reason Mc Donalds is not cheap (we only got 2 meals, and one drink). The food is different - different burgers with different sauces. The experience is different also - and it worked. Within 15 minutes we were fed. Then we went to the grocery store for several days worth of food for 60 Euro.
Back at the house (which really feels like 'our' french country home) I put Julia down for a nap, played ball, did art, lego, and so forth with Sara. When Julia got up we played by the fish pond (the girls love it - it has little fish in it and a stone bench to watch it), we played on the hill (the girls love running up and down the hill - it is dotted with yellow flowers), and we also swam in our little blow-up pool that I bought back in Uzes. It is warmer (and easier) than going in the big in ground pool. I hand-carry warm water to fill it up. The girls appreciate that versus just 100% frigid hose water. I get in the pool with them - and we splash around laughing while giving dinosaurs swim lessons (they have toys here, some of which are dinosaurs).
Dan made dinner. We ate it on the back deck. Peaceful and nice - we are getting used to this! Of all the places we've stayed on this trip - this feels the most like we are living here - the house is nice and the yard is lovely.
Well, it is time to head to sleep.
Quote of the day:
Sara: "I ran a marathon when I was three and I tripped."
[I had other quotes but they are voice memos on Dan's iPod and he is using it!]
End of Post
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