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!?
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