april in paris: day seven

Wow. The last full day of our trip. Got up and had more potatoes, I think ... trying to clear out the kitchen of the food we bought. More cheese and baguette. I think the kids drank what was left of the Geni and Orangina, and even some of the milk. We started very late, but eventually made it out and walked down the Rue de Babylone towards the Sevre-Babylone station. Somehow, this was the first day that we had walked down this street in this direction, and we discovered a cute little florist just around the corner from us, in addition to a hidden urban park -- complete with WiFi. What? How did we miss this? If we only had another week or two ... sigh ... alas, this was our last day, and there was no time to plan a picnic or just hang out with our laptops in this little park. We continued on and also discovered that this is the shortcut to Le Bon Marche, which we now approached from the backside, where there was ... what?!!! ... a Conran Store?!!! How did this hide from me for the whole week? I guess we were focused on sightseeing, not shopping, and so we never really explored the retail options nearby. Le Grande Epicerie was just down the block, and the Nespresso store was across the street in the opposite direction. Boyar watched as the people lined up for their little espresso cartridges, which came all wrapped up in pretty packages. So Japanese. So French. I wish we had this sort of aesthetic as the cultural norm in America, too. Another reason to sigh. (Sigh.) Only one more day here where people in general seem to appreciate pretty packaging and good quality, not just massive amounts of ... stuff. (Sigh again.) But I digress ...

We find a post office so Mika can send her post cards to her teacher (Ms. Jarvis) who requested a postcard as "homework," as well as a postcard she wrote to her friend Perry. Boyar walked down the street and found a restaurant that he had seen on the French version of Yelp. Scoped it out to see what the hours were so we could try them for dinner. Did a little more window shopping as we dashed over to the Metro and on to Montmartre. It was nice to be able to put our little excursion into context, since we had seen Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette at the Orsay, and heard about how artists would go to hang out in Montmartre and live in this creative and more liberated environment. Took the train ride and walked out, got some directions from a local who spoke English when she noticed us looking lost, and marched up the hill toward the Sacre Cour. Since we did not have a valid museum pass anymore, we decided to forego the 5E fee to access the rooftop view. We were high up enough already, being on the highest hill in Paris! The view was good, but a bit hazy. Plus, the kids had already seen the view from the top of the Notre Dame, which was pretty high up, so we all seemed a bit jaded in seeing yet another awesome view of Paris. Walked down the stairs crowded with the audience of the guitar-playing-singing-in-English-and-French guy, as well as said guy, and turned down a little street full of restaurants and shops. Basically, it was like a quaint, charming version of Pier 39. Since we were hungry, we stepped into one of the outdoor seating areas of a brasserie, but after a couple minutes of being overwhelmed by cigarette smoke, we decided to leave. Stepped across the street to one of many creperies and got in line. Had our crepe snack standing on the side of the road, in the shade, and then headed back down the hill to the station. Stopped at a little take-out store where Boyar bought a soda, then kept on walking.

Got on the train and emerged back at St. Germain de Pres, went in search of the Rue de Bonaparte for the Laduree store ... which we found, thank goodness! Ordered a box of eight, went outside, tasted them, then went back in and ordered some more. The rose petal was the favorite, although all of them were quite delicious! We had: rose petal (hot pink), chocolate (darker brown), cafe (brown), caramel (less brown), lime/chocolate (green w/flecks), passionfruit/chocolate (orange w/flecks), citron (yellow), framboise/chocolate (reddish pink w/flecks), vanilla (ivory). Brought home a bunch for omiyage, but realized as we were walking back that we needed more omiyage, so we went to Le Grande Epicerie and bought some more in little boxes with a black ribbon. Between the two macaron purchases, we browsed around the St. Germain de Pres area, stopping in Printemps (Mika got a cute t-shirt and I got a scarf), and we stopped in a Gap Kids store that carried items by Stella McCartney. I wonder if they carried those in the US, too? I haven't spent much time in a Gap Kids lately ... I guess my kids have grown out of that phase. (Wow, that's another reason to sigh!)

Made it back to the restaurant we had checked out in the morning, and the guy said, "It would be my honor to serve you, but we have no seats," and he suggested another place. Went in search of the other place and couldn't find it. Kept walking around and decided to try the Hotel Lutetia Brasserie. The had read somewhere that the interior was designed by Sonia Rykiel, so I was curious to go inside and check it out. I figured that if we got turned away, at least I could see what it looked like inside! Fortunately, they had plenty of seats and we had a lovely server who spoke English well, so we settled in for a nice last-night-in-Paris dinner. I think we had more escargot as part of the starter, then I had the beef entrecote (rib eye) with pomme frittes. Unfortunately, I was expecting skinny frittes, but they were big steak frittes, which was a good thing for Boyar, who likes those big steak fries. Mika had the kids meal and ordered salmon pasta ... I forget what else the kids' meal came with (besides a cute "valise" of crayons and a coloring menu), but it was pretty impressive. We decided to pass on dessert, since we were holding macarons, and got the bill. The bill brought the biggest surprises of all, with a deduction of the 13 Euros for the kids' meal -- apparently, kids eat free at the Hotel Lutetia! What? We should've come here every night!!! It was a nice surprise to have a discount that we were not expecting. Talk about ending on an up note!

We walked back out into the Paris night and took some pictures on the corner near the Sevre-Babylone station with the Hotel Lutetia in the background. An English-speaking woman stopped and offered to take a family picture for us, which was very nice (and actually turned out pretty well). As we were walking back, Boyar suggested we try to catch a glimpse of the Tour Eiffel, so we hoofed on over to the Boulevard Invalides (I think) and managed to see it! Tres cool!

We found ourselves at the Velib bicycle station at the end of Rue de Babylone, and Boyar said, "Who wants to take a bike ride out to the Eiffel Tower?" It was very late, but it didn't matter. We were going to be jet-lagged anyway. Jubilation all around! Then, reality. How the heck do we use this Velib kiosk thingie? After several attempts, we realize that the kiosk is not working properly and we need to find a different bicycle station. We walked down to the Rue Vaneau kiosk, and ... success! We check out two bicycles, and Miles is off to the races. He had been wanting to ride one of these bicycles for the duration of the trip, and he was displaying some serious youthful exuberance riding up and down the little street. We had Mika try out the bicycle on its lowest setting, and unfortunately, it was still a bit too big for her. I took one bicycle up and down the street, and then came back to the kiosk. I decided that I needed to start packing, anyway, and so Mika and I would go up to the apartment and have our macarons while the boys did their Velib adventure. Personally, I think this was an excellent trade, since those macarons were soooo good! The guys had a tres fantastique time riding over to the Tour Eiffel, and got to see it light up again.

Back at our apartment, Mika and I were quite content to eat our macarons and get into our pj's. I knew I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, since there was packing and cleaning to do, but I wanted to be comfortable while I was doing it. After we had settled in, I was surprised to see Miles, out-of-breath from running up the stairs. "Hi, Miles! How was it?" I asked. "It was sooo much fun, Mom. Do you want to go? Dad still has the bikes out! Please, please, please -- you should go! It's soooooo fun!" From the dining table, Mika said, "But what am I supposed to do? Stay here all by myself?" As tempting as it was, I was feeling very relaxed in my pj's, and wasn't really up for cycling at this point. I was, however, really touched that my son had come back to get me! This trip has been wonderful in so many unexpected ways.

I finally convinced him that I was fine without doing a midnight ride around Paris, and sent him back to return the Velib bicycles. They came back after a few minutes and had some macarons and whatever beverages were still left to drink. We were all tired, yet energized, trying to enjoy every last minute of our final night in Paris.

Good night, moon.
Good night, Tour Eiffel.
Good night, Velib.
Good night, edible snails.

Good night, French ambulance siren.
Good night, patisserie.
Good night, little red restaurant and the Lutetia Brasserie.

Good night, balcony.
Good night, family -- and thank you for taming me.
I go to sleep with bon memoirs.
Au revoir, Paris.

april in paris: day six

Started the day as we might on a Sunday back home, except with a French twist. Boyar made French "special" for our Sunday breakfast. The frozen potatoes had potatoes, onions, sausage and bacon, and the potatoes tasted sweeter are more glutinous. Yum. And, of course, a baguette and more of the super-intense camembert. Started the morning with some Milesisms, like, "If I see one more seventeenth century painting, I'm going to melt" and "I'm Louvred-out" and "Louvreinitis: an excessive amount of pre-19th century art ... or something like that." We told Miles that he was in luck, because we were using the last day of our Paris Museum Pass to go to ... the Pompidou! Modern Art! Made our way to the industrial-looking Pompidou and took in the view from the upper floor. It was another day of good weather, although a bit chillier than previous days. We all had a great time taking in the modern art, with some of the highlights being from Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Rothko, Pollock, Calder ... and more. I will have to look at our photos to remember the rest. After we made our way through most of the upper floor, we walked across the large concrete plaza to Amorino Gelato -- which was quite delicious. Had to use the "my son is allergic" note, which was very helpful, since the clerk realized why I was frantically waving for her to stop giving my son the Nutella gelato. I'm glad Miles was being alert then! After that, we strolled towards the Bastille, passing through Le Marais. There were a plethora of boutiques and shops, some of which were closed, but it was fun to gaze in the windows, anyway. The streets were busy with twenty-somethings, looking hip and stylish. The vibe was like a sunny Sunday in the Castro. We noticed a few restaurants with take-out windows and long lines in the Jewish quarter, and it turns out these were all Greek places -- the lines were for falafel and gyros. We passed on the Greek faire and kept walking, with me stopping in a few shops as we went along. I wish I could remember the name of the French "Anthropologie"/"Gap" store, which had a home store, as well. We stopped at the cacao + chocolat store where I exercised some serious self-restraint and did NOT order a mocha in a take-away cup. The store was vibrantly decorated in lime green and brown, with pretty chocolates all around. We had seen another one of these stores on the Ile St Louis, I think. We stepped into a medieval building/landmark courtyard, took some photos, then emerged onto the little street where a five-piece band with a little four year old dancing around for money was doing their best to work the tourists. A large crowd had gathered, and it was good entertainment for a few minutes. After that, we moved onward and eventually made it to the Bastille obelisk-type monument.

At that point, we decided to make full use of our museum pass and hopped on the Metro back to Saint Chappelle. We came out of the famous Metro station in the plaza facing the supreme court/st. chappelle building, then got in the short line for security to get into the chapel. The stained glass was beautiful, but it was not very sunny outside since it was late, so we marveled a bit, then really ooohed and aaaahed when the sun broke for a few moments. We then dashed over to the Notre Dame, where we were nearly the last ones to get in to climb the stairs. It was a challenging climb, but we made it. We saw an older Japanese woman resting on the side of the stairwell, and I told her, "Gambatte!" and she and her friends pulled themselves together and made it to the top. They were really close, so I'm glad they forged ahead. We went all the way up, even up to the bell tower. We talked about the Hunchback of Notre Dame and looked at the gargoyles from close-up, and the Parisian skyline from our rooftop vantage point. It was pretty incredible. And cold, but that was okay. Very windy. Made our way down as they were closing it down, and the descent was much easier than the ascent. We all tried to count the stairs, and we all came out with different counts. It was somewhere close to 300, I think. After that, we went along the touristy stores nearby and thought about how hungry we were. Tried to decide on a place to eat ... perused the guidebook and tried for a place on Ile St Louis, which was full up, but recommended another place down the street. Headed over to this little restaurant down the block and we were seated in the faux-medieval basement, which was pretty cool. We gobbled up the little slices of salami that were sitting on the table, then ordered. We had a couple starters: escargot and duck leg risotto, smoked duck terrine, and of course, some good bread. For our main course, I ordered the filet of beef, which was excellent. I think it was served with a tiny bit of potatoes. I know Miles also had the beef, but I can't remember what Boyar and Mika had. I do know that Boyar had the prix fixe menu, so he had a dessert (chocolate cake) which we all shared.

We figured out how to get home and eventually found the Metro. Made our way back and collapsed into our beds. Just another day in Paris!

april in paris: day five

Okay. Boyar seems to be the only one on schedule so far. He woke up and got ready for the day while we all struggled to get going. I put one load of laundry in the dryer and started another in the washer. He went down to the patisserie and returned with a chocolate eclair (filled with chocolate), pain au chocolate, pain au raisin, some other pastry, and an apple pastry. Made some tea and we had a little continental breakfast before venturing off to Versailles. Looked at the map more carefully today and discovered there is a Metro stop closer to the apartment than the ones we have been using. We walk towards it (St. Francois Xavier) but we -- okay, I -- decide we should walk to the RER at Invalides. It is a sunny, glorious day, and we are fresh and energized! We make it to the RER station and get our tickets, then wait for the train with the rest of the tourists. It only takes about ten minutes before the train arrives, and we pile in. We get seats and settle in. I watch the scenery go by for a while, then snuggle up to my husband's shoulder and just as I am getting cozy and drifting off ... we arrive at Versailles.

We get out with the rest of the hordes of tourists and shuffle on out of the station. We walk by a flower clock which I can best describe as looking like something that inspired the big Mickey Mouse planting of flowers that greets you when you enter Disneyland. We cross the street and follow the flow of the tide toward the palace. We turn on our iPod/Nano/iPhone devices and do as the podcast tells us. Or, at least, we try. It's a bit confusing, but we figure it out and make it through the various rooms -- war room, peace room, Hall of Mirrors -- and then head out to the gardens. We pay the extra fee (weekend fountain show and music) and march on down. Just another glorious day of sunshine! We listen to the podcast and stroll along ... fountain with the frog/people ... colonnade ... orange juice vendor ... petit venis (Little Venice) cafe and Grand Canal. We stop for panini (which are on long baguette-like bread but are pressed in the panini grill) and eat our picnic lunch along the Grand Canal, feeding the ducks and getting splashed a bit in the process. I'm glad I wore sunscreen, because it's hot out here! It's good to get something in our stomachs, although that does not do much for our feet. We continue on with the podcast tour ... Petit Trianon ... Grand Trianon ... glimpse of the Temple of Love from a distance ... glimpse of the sheep of the Hamlet (I think) also from a distance ... return to the main gardens to watch the fountains in full-blast mode. The horses-with-Louis XIV fountain is very impressive, as is the frog-people one. More photos in the glorious sunshine. Incroyable!

We trudge our way back out and decide to eat in Versailles. Mika wants to eat at a creperie, so we set out to find one. We go to the square and come across a boulangerie/patisserie called Darras that is very busy, and I decide to get some macarons and a baguette (so we can eat the smelly camembert from our first night). It is quite busy in there, but the lady is very pleasant and helpful, especially with my little "my son is allergic" note.

We find a creperie, although it's not the one in the guidebook, and it works out fine. The waiter suggests we sit outside, so we end up being a bit cold and smoky, but that's okay. It adds to the experience. The food itself was so-so, but the prices were also pretty inexpensive, so that was about what we expected. The kids wanted dessert crepes, too, so we splurged and had those, too. We ordered one for Mika with chocolate and bananas ... but it arrived sans chocolate and I had to go inside and ask for the chocolate ... and the waiter came back with the plate drenched in chocolate sauce, peered under Mika's Paul Frank hat at her smiling face, and even took off her hat and put it on his head and did a little dance. It was very cute.

Walked back towards the station and passed by the creperie that was in the book. Oh well. It didn't look crowded, so who knows if it would have been any better? Got back to the station area and looked at postcards, then checked out (visually) the "McCafe" which seemed to sell only coffee and pastries, and the Starbucks -- the only one I've seen so far, so I was a bit disappointed that they had one here at all! The interior looked just like any other Starbucks, even though the exterior looked more French. They had a huge chocolate cookies & cream ice cream cake and a white donut drizzled in chocolate, which looked quite good, and Miles jokingly said, "Yeah, but do they have Lemon Loaf? What? No Lemon Loaf?!!!" Too funny. I am glad I find my kids' humor so amusing. We left French Starbucks without buying anything and got on the train. Fell asleep on the train ride back. Got to Invalides RER and then used the same ticket to get on the #13 Metro. When we got off, there were four burly official looking guards who checked out tickets -- thank goodness we all still had them on us! Walked back and looked at the Velib bicycle kiosk, since Miles is very interested in those. Did not rent one since it was pretty late already. Walked back past the Pagode on Rue de Babylone, past the many closed businesses, including the one with the cool bathroom sinks. Stopped at the little market and got some milk, ground coffee, and Lu Petit Ecolier with cream inside for take along snacks. Came back "home" and settled in. Got the laundry into the dryer. Boyar made coffee. Mika wrote postcards. Miles read his book. We had our macarons for dessert, as well as some of our baguette and another quarter of the camembert (still half a round to go, and this is only a 3 - 4 inch round!). The kids drank their Geni soda, which they really like. They did not like the milk, which tastes like pure cream -- it's organic whole French milk, not the non-fat American stuff they are used to!

I stay up to finish reading The Little Prince and write down some notes on our trip, and ... here we are. I think I've caught up enough so that I will have some bon memoirs instead of non memoirs by the time we get back. I have no idea what we are doing tomorrow (or I guess it's today, since it is now 1:40 am, French time) except for making breakfast and seeing more sites in Paris. I asked the kids to read The Little Prince, which Mika did, and I think it is a really good book for kids. Hopefully, they take away something from it that grown-ups do not, or something that they will process as they become grown-ups. It made me feel reflective about this trip and my family, who has tamed me, and whom I have tamed. I think about the glorious Parisian sunshine, and how the sunshine of Oakland will now remind me of the sunshine I felt on this trip, and the happiness and warmth I have experienced here. I hope the kids and Boyar will someday feel it, too.

Good night.

april in paris: day four

One word: chocolate. This is how we began our day, which was just a wonderful, wonderful way to start the day. Took the Metro to the Tuilleries station, emerged into the glorious sunshine and walked over to Angelina on the Rue de Rivoli. Ogled the fancy pastries and then went inside. Sat down in the belle epoque style salon with not-very-comfortable-but-very-French-looking furniture. Miles ordered a croque monsieur, Boyar ordered the "Angelina Breakfast" which had bread/jam, a pastry, an omelet, coffee ... and maybe something else. Mika had the Choc Africain cake. I had the Mini Macarons -- cafe, vanilla, dark chocolate, caramel. And -- Mika and I had the L'Africain hot chocolate. To call it "hot cocoa" does not do it justice. It is hot chocolate, like a liquid candy bar, thick and luscious, served with a side of chantilly (whipped cream). I enjoyed it thoroughly, but it was definitely thick. Super thick. It was served in a pitcher, and Mika didn't even manage to finish her one cup. I gave my last cupful to Miles ... who chugged it down, to my utter amazement and amusement! The waiter was very French and very nice, speaking in English to us and making us feel very welcome.

Tore myself away from the place, once again emerging into the glorious Paris sunshine. We crossed the street and strolled into the Jardins de Tuilleries, where we found a few chairs to sit on and soak it all in. The tulips were in bloom, looking Easter perfect, and everybody was enjoying the weather. Everything seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. We decided to walk up the Champs d'Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe. Stopped at the Place de Concorde with its gold-topped obelisk, walked by the Petit and Grand Palais which were built for a world fair, the Nike store, and Laduree. Then we made it to the Arc. Zipped up to the entrance, since we had our Paris Museum Passes (yatta!) and started up the stairs. The young woman ahead of me got dizzy and had to pull over to the side ... and I contemplated joining her, but my kids were still full of pep and I had to keep going (since I was in front of them). Finally made it to the landing! Woo hoo! What? Are you serious? This is just the mezzanine? Sigh. More stairs to go. After I have a sip of water. Want some, Mika? Miles? No? Okay. Several more stairs, and we emerge -- once again -- into the glorious sunshine, this time with a view of all of Paris. In spite of the ominous, vaguely medieval-looking railing, it was very cool. We could see the Sacre Cour at Montmarte, the Notre Dame cathedral, the Invalides, and of course, the Tour Eiffel. More photo ops. Then, down the stairs.

Spilled out onto the ground floor and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before we climbed back underground to the Metro. Back towards Tuilleries, this time all the way down to the Louvre. Made it out to the street after a few attempts to find the Louvre's Metro entrance that we read about in the guidebook, then crossed the street and entered at the Richelieu entrance. No line. Awesome. Turned on our podcasts and did the tour: Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Coronation of Napoleon, Michelangelo's Slaves ... lost in the Egyptian Antiquities ... fell asleep on a bench while my family moved on, deserted among Egyptian artifacts ... where, oh where, is the sortie sign? ... French sculptures, pyramid, sortie! Back outside. Sunset over the Jardins Tuilleries. Back underground. Metro back to the light blue #13 line, exit at Duroc. Everybody is hungry. But all the stores are closed! Even Shopi is closed! We go to the tiny market next to Shopi and grab a few items to cook for breakfast -- frozen potatoes, eggs, drinks -- and rush back to the apartment. I check to see if the little red restaurant is still open, and thankfully, it is. Boyar takes our groceries upstairs while I take the kids to the restaurant. "Bon soir -- trois?" the gentleman asks. "Bon soir -- ehhh, quat, s'il vous plait?" I attempt. Fortunately, he understands. "[Some French words that I do not know] ici?" he says, and I reply, based on context: "No, [we are not all here], my husband is coming now." "Upstairs, big table!" he says, English. We go. I look around, and find the Big Table, which we share with a gentleman and two women who seem to be British. They are friendly enough and we catch some interesting conversation they are having about Avatar, The Wire (and how you must see it with the subtitles because the slang is so heavy), and how the man used to live on Corsica (when he chimed in on Miles's comment about how Napoleon supposedly died of arsenic poisoning when he was in exile on some island).

We have the canard and mashed potatoes and beef entrecote and mashed potatoes. My canard has some nice crispy skin and good flavor. This place is all about simple, down home food, which suits me just fine! I eye the desserts the other people at our table are having; would love to try the tarte tatin, which they say is quite good. We excuse ourselves after we eat, in relative silence (mostly because it is all relative and they are quite chatty while we are quite tired). Speaking of tired, I am quite tired now. But I will go on. Got back to the apartment and did some laundry. Used shampoo since I didn't notice the guy had finally come by with some laundry detergent. Okay, I've gone on long enough. Good night.

april in paris: day three

Where to begin? Let's begin with ... a late start. I think the kids had some snacks for "breakfast," which was at about noon. Decided to get a Paris Museum Pass and headed out to the Musee Rodin, which is a little walk up the Rue Vaneau, then a left on Rue Varenne, and there is the museum, right before you hit the Boulevard de Invalides. Entered the sculpture gardens and were met by The Thinker. Took a ton of pictures, some with the Invalides and/or the Eiffel Tower in the background. Icons of Paris, all in one place! Pretty amazing. It was nice to see how the kids viewed the artwork, and how interested they were in it. Not the way I would look at it, trying to analyze it like I learned how to do in art history class -- but just through a child's eyes, just seeing what they see, being drawn to what interests them, finding humor and amusement, beauty and disgust. What was so fantastic was ... they were actually interested. I am so glad we made this trip!

Finally got past the Thinker and Balzac, then I went to check out the cafeteria, since I was very hungry (and I'm sure the kids were, too). Got some baguette sandwiches, which hit the spot. Outside for more picture taking of sculptures. Miles was fascinated with the Gates of Hell. Boyar took a picture of me by a fountain -- I hope he remembers me like this, always. Mika took photos of many of the sculptures, while I hovered at a distance. Eventually made it inside the actual museum, where there were more photos taken and lessons learned in bronze casting and a brief history lesson about Victor Hugo and Camille Claudel. Saw "Hanako" who was some Japanese woman whose name may not have actually been Hanako. Saw "The Kiss" and many others ... too many to name or count.

Crossed the street to take a quick tour of the Invalides. Ha. Not so quick. The Invalides was actually very interesting, if a bit morbid (with Napoleon's tomb, among others), and there was quite a display of medieval armor and weapons, all they way up through WWII items. I was impressed by the intricate details on the suits of armor, and thought they were reminiscent of the Japanese armor -- which they actually had there! Japanese armor was from the 1500's, French versions were from the 1600's, so who knows? Perhaps there was some influence there. In any case ... we eventually extracted ourselves from there and walked a bit more to the Musee d'Orsay. It was the night where the museum is open late, so we were not in a big hurry. Turned on our Rick Steve's podcasts and ventured inside ... only to find that the Impressionists had been moved around for renovation, which made for a very confused podcast tour. It was still good, though. Saw more Rodins, some Renoir, Degas, Monet, Manet, Pissaro ... and much, much more! Overwhelming. Tried to eat in the Orsay restaurant, but seating was very limited and we decided to just eat in the cafe instead since we were hungry again.

Walked out of the museum at about 9:30 pm. Took a stroll along the Seine, with me trudging along about fifty paces behind everybody. So tired. Legs will not walk any faster. Suddenly, Mika runs back to me to get the camera -- which I don't have -- and the Eiffel Tower lights up in a frenzy of disco-inspired chaser lights, like a giant string of Christmas tree twinkle lights on steroids! Very exciting, especially for Boyar! It was fun to see the Tour Eiffel's flamboyant p.m. persona, and to feel the carnival atmosphere of the area at night. We rewarded ourselves for our long walk with chocolate crepes, hot chocolate au chantilly, a cappuccino and cafe allonge. In the chill of the nighttime air, it was the perfect snack. After our dessert, we continued walking and made it back to a Metro stop (Bir Hachiem), where we bought a carnet of "t" billets and went back to our place on the Rue Vaneau.

april in paris: day two

Breakfast at the little patisserie/boulangerie around the corner on Rue de Babylone. Boyar and I had pain au chocolat, Mika had a brioche au chocolat, and Miles had a pizza-like flatbread. Had little cups of espresso that I don't think were what Boyar thought he ordered. It was very good though, and felt very French. A man and his toddler daughter had stopped by on the way home from swimming lessons, and he struck up a conversation with us. He was from the Presidio in the City, and lives here now. I asked him for some recommendations, which was helpful. He said the little place across the street was good, and that's where we ended up at tonight for dinner. Very cozy and felt very down home. Simple and French. I ordered a paté so that the kids could try it, but I ended up eating most of it. Wait, I skipped from breakfast to dinner. Backtracking. After breakfast, we bought some sandwiches to go, then got on the Metro for Rick Steves' podcast Historical Walking Tour of Paris. Started at the Notre Dame cathedral, which was very impressive. The day was a bit overcast, so that added to the ominous feel of the gothic architecture. After Notre Dame, we went for ice cream at Berthillon where I thought I was getting a scoop of "poire" but ended up also with a scoop of "peche" when Boyar asked about it, and this was a very good thing : ) Both flavors were really good. Walked back along the same little street and went to a fancy cookie shop, which was beautiful, and also a place called Pylones where I got some cute wallets. I figured this would be my souvenir, and maybe a couple of birthday presents. Got a cute one for Miki. Also stopped at a blown glass shop that had adorable animals that the kids bought, along with lots of cool jewelry (which I looked at but did not buy). Took a picture of a couple of guys posing by the Berthillon truck that was parked outside; very nice and appreciative, they offered to take our picture, too, but then a car swerved by and I thought - no, that's okay! We are standing in the street! Cars drive fast even on these little tiny alley streets. (Boyar: How do you know they are a couple?) After ice cream ... onward to the Left Bank part of the tour, which was confusing but interesting. Walked through the Latin Quarter, which had things like a "patisserie tunisien" (which, I think, means Tunisian pastry shop) and lots of "ethnic" food. This is the "artsy" area of town, according to our podcast. Ate our sandwiches in the little park with the oldest tree (acacia) in Paris, and watched the pigeons trying to get food. Went across to the Saint Chapelle and Palais de Justice, but we did not go inside because the lines were long and I did not want to wait. Walked up to the Pont Neuf bridge and over to the Louvre. Impressive from the outside, we'll probably go there tomorrow (since it is supposed to be rainy).

Eventually found the Metro and figured out how to get back to Vaneau; walked up to the Bon Marche and the Saint Germain area, which I really liked. Nice shops, not as touristy. Almost ate at a place that was in the Access guide, but it was very, very empty and seemed dubious. Went into a store called Bathroom Graffiti, which had those cool Pantone chip items, like folding chairs, and Hello Kitty items and a t-shirt that said "I'm not a tourist, I live here!" and some cool headphones. Miles was looking at these ones with a big star on the outside, which seemed really cheaply made, and the salesclerk showed him some other ones by some Swedish company that looked very cool and had a better length cord than the one Miles has now. Although I had been discouraging him from buying new headphones (since Boyar had just bought these for him for his last birthday), I let him go ahead and get these because they made him so happy and he had been moping around for the past hour, and he said he would pay with his own money. As soon as he told Boyar about it, he had buyers' remorse. It was actually pretty touching. He said he did not feel happy if it made his dad upset. I am guessing that there are plenty of kids who are actually happier when they annoy their parents, and I am relieved that this is not the case with our son (at least not at the moment). Things seemed to smooth over, or at least I am hoping that's the case, since Miles is pretty happy about his new headphones. By this time, Miles was now happy (because his headphones made him forget he was tired and hungry), Mika was eating her leftover half-sandwich, and Boyar and I were famished and tired. Went to the big La Grande Epicerie across from Le Bon Marche and checked it out. It was very late by this time, and it was pretty slim pickin's. Almost bought some roast pork, but then I realized it would be about $20 for one pound ... which seemed a bit high to me. Mika found a bottle of Coke with her name on it. Literally. Pretty funny. It was some special edition bottle with the singer-Mika's name on it, but since it looks the same as our Mika's name, we bought it anyway. She also wanted chocolate mousse, which we got from the refrigerator case.

Kept looking at other restaurant menus on our way back, wanting so badly to find a restaurant that seemed to welcome us. It is then that I found I had a hidden talent: deciphering French, even though I really don't know any French. It is very handy to know words like "tartare" (raw) and "cheval" (horse) -- especially when they are on a menu. Together. We kept walking, and found ourselves back in our neighborhood at the little red restaurant. Ultimately, eating here was perfect for us -- nice, friendly and very French. No CPK or Pasta Pomodoro tonight!

I amused myself with the realization that we ate all three meals from one block near our apartment: breakfast and lunch from the patisserie/boulangerie, and dinner at the restaurant. Supporting the Vaneau-Babylone economy!

Okay ... very tired ... everybody is asleep ... time to join them. Au revoir.

april in paris: day one

We got lucky and managed to get four tickets to Paris for spring break, using our frequent flyer miles! C'est bon!

*****

Arrived in Paris via Air France 83 -- Business Class provided more legroom than needed, especially on the bulk head row! Food was very good and plentiful on the flight. Had some wine at the encouragement of our flight attendant, who seemed puzzled and shocked that we were not drinking any. He was very encouraging about it, and said, "Try a few. Few, few, few, then many! Like me!" I have the menu somewhere ... we started with an amuse bouche that was a small paté tart with a grape slice and almond slices on top, then there was a salad and a fish terrine (which I was surprised that Miles liked), then we had our main course (chicken, fish, beef or risotto)(we had the chicken and the beef), dessert trio and gelato (caramel macaron was incredible!). Since the flight attendants were not sure about the nut content, we were cautious about the food on the plane -- which Mika got to enjoy, unfettered! -- but we did decide Miles could try the macaron and the lemon tart. We all tried to sleep in our fully extending chairs, with mixed success. Boyar seemed pretty good. I slept for a bit then woke up and Mika came over to say she couldn't sleep. I gave her my seat, and then I went to hers and tried to sleep with her books, game boy, Miles's DS, Miles's book, and her crocheting all in the seat, too. No wonder she couldn't sleep in this seat! Miles was resting but not asleep; he finally dozed off just before the "morning" and slept through breakfast service (Miles and I got ours later - French toast w/vanilla and berry sauce).

Arrived and got our bags, no customs check (!!!), and then I decided we should take the train so that it would be more of an adventure, rather than the recommended cab. I think it was the right decision. We made our way, with the help of the Tourist Information desk, and got onto the RER. After a few minutes, one of the young men on the train stood up with his accordion and started playing. With the backdrop of the industrial outskirts of Paris flashing by, he played some Parisian sounding tunes as we watched, intermittently, and I asked Miles to film him. If I had the Euros change, I would have given him something, but I didn't have it. Boyar didn't realize that he actually had the money, and he thought I had the money. The guy moved on to the next car. I filmed the graffiti, since I thought it looked cool. Got to Paris. Figured out the Metro transfer. Got to the Vaneau metro stop. Took a wrong turn and ended up at the Bon Marche ... which is how we knew we took a wrong turn. Got to our place. Met "Michael" and gave him the Thin Mints. He is from Michigan, and seemed happy to get the cookies.

Got settled, then walked around for a couple of hours ... which felt like four ... but we managed to stay awake and in good spirits, even though we were tired. Saw the Invalides, the Tour Eiffel, the Seine and its riverboat tours -- all in their sun-drenched glory! Walked back through the Rue Cler and went into the cheese shop (which was stinky and overwhelming), picked up a roast chicken (which was on sale for 10E), some potatoes Dauphonois (which were tart and tasty), some Camembert (which was stinky and tart and meaty tasting) ... followed up with a baguette and a quiche at a boulangerie on another street ... and some drinks and toilet paper at the local convenience store near our apartment. Boyar and I prepped dinner in our tiny kitchen, and we all had a good meal. Miles really enjoyed the cheese (as did Mika) and ate about half the baguette. Showered, played Bananagrams, and went to sleep.

Taking a while to get moving this morning. Slept till about 7 am, when the city noises started up (and the upstairs neighbor turned on the TV). Kids continued sleeping till Boyar woke them up at about 9:30 am. He is out and about, foraging for a patisserie or cafe for us to eat breakfast. I better get dressed before he gets back! Oops -- too late! Au revoir!