Paris album

What would you do in Paris, if you had a day there with young ones in tow? It's easy to take it easy here with them: go to the park, shop together for yummy foods, perhaps take a boat ride.

I didn't go that route. You could say I did a Paris marathon, in the heat of the warm sun, ambitiously wanting to get to things I think at least one and possibly two might enjoy.

In the end, we did not fall apart! And there were plenty of smiles throughout. Still, I am quite sure I underfed them (in terms of nutrition), overtired them, taxing their stamina and their ability to take it all in, to say nothing of overheating them on what happens to be another warm and very sunny day here.

I put aside thoughts of feeling old-ish. I was on a Paris roll!

The day begins with my usual walk to get breakfast treats and also lunch foods. Street scenes of Paris in the morning:






(the cafes are starting to fill with locals, returning from their vacations. I see plenty of tanned faces and rested, relaxed demeanors...)






I pop into a scent and cream store. Just because, it's on my way home. Ed doesn't like perfume on women, so I never use it. Still, here, I am drawn to it. A spray on a wrist... mmm!

At home now. Breakfast...






We abandon the parents then and go off, both kids strapped into the mega stroller. You can tell I am aiming to cover a lot of ground!






Our first destination is the garden of the Rodin Museum. Snowdrop is fascinated by the sculptures. We have our own titles for all of them! Naked dancer! Woman with a load of cheese on her shoulder! Grumpy artist!






(I'd say Sparrow is a fan of the garden too, though perhaps for different reasons...)






(Snowdrop concludes that The Thinker is the best of the best... many would agree.)





So long as we are here, we do a walk through the museum itself. But I quickly retreat. For little ones, it's a Rodin overkill.


Next goal: make sure Sparrow knows about the Eiffel Tower. He never sees it on our walks and so he hasn't a clue how important a marker it is for this city. So, let's get close to it!

(is he pointing to it? or does he think the cannonball is the Eiffel Tower?)






We're there! It's getting really warm. We look for a shady spot. A photo please!






I take out the foods I had packed for a picnic.





It's too hot and too out of the ordinary for anyone to really dig in with gusto (well, I do! I'm hungry! That stroller pushing? It's something else! I'd never noticed how tilted the sidewalks here are. They lean to the curb and so you are fighting the inclination of your big-time stroller to roll right into the gutter.) But a baguette never fails. Everyone loves a good chunk of bread!





I ask someone to take a photo of the three of us. It's a classic! Eiffel Tower, growing right out of your heads!






We walk along the river's edge. Snowdrop is impressed by the number of (tourist) boats...






Sparrow should be home napping. But we have too much to do! He cannot keep his eyes open. A blissful few minutes of respite for him...






We cross the river...





I have a destination in mind: the Tuileries Gardens merry-go-round. I think it's the best one in Paris. It's never crowded, the location is serenely beautiful and many of the perches go up and down.

I am surprised to see the ticket seller. I know him from when we were here before! I ask -- could it be that you were here two years ago? And the year before that? He laughs: I've been here for eight years and the other guy who does this job-- twenty years.






I ask for three rides, he gives us four. Snowdrop wants the airplane. She remembered it and she does not want to change. All those animals and she chooses this!






And Sparrow? I try him on my lap, in the "car." He seems fine with it...






So I aim higher. I sit him down on a horse. Right next to Snowdrop's airplane.






That's asking too much. I settle for riding the horse myself, and keeping him on my lap. Everyone is happy.











Just a few steps away, there are the trampolines. Gym class has really boosted Snowdrop's confidence here!






Sparrow adores sitting at the edge and watching all the jumpers...






Just one more set of minutes, Snowdrop! We'll wait for you in the shade.






Perhaps I should have gone home after this. I tell Snowdrop -- we can go home and play, or read while Sparrow naps. Or we can go to the Musee d'Orsay.

She chooses the latter. I get why. I'd gotten a child's book about it last time I was here and she has been reading it with us on this trip.

I thought it would be an easy visit. I have a year's pass, so that I do not have to wait in lines.

Still, inside -- it's crowded. There are two elevators to my knowledge and I am not the only one in need of the lift. By the time we reach the Impressionists, Sparrow is beginning to protest, even as Snowdrop really loves finding the paintings from her book and studying them intently.






There is a solution, but it's a tough one: I take the guy out of the stroller (he loves being held) and push the girl with my free hand. In a sense, it makes for a memorable visit for her. She always gets tired in museums. Not this time. She could go on like this for a long long while.










Grandma, on the other hand, needs a week or two on a couch, with eyes closed and a lot of ice cold lemonades at the side.

(one of the big clocks at this former Paris train station...)





Okay, I think we all need a pick-me-up. I ask Snowdrop -- home, or a return to our favorite ice cream shop? She chooses the latter and it turns out to be a good choice for us all.

(my pick: raspberry rose ice cream on a cone...)




For Sparrow, milk chocolate. I figure it's got some nutritional value and he absolutely loves it.






Snowdrop chooses chocolate and lemon.





By the time we get home, it's after 5. We have a dinner reservation for 6 and it's a bit of a walk. Sparrow gets a very late and very short nap!

I thought hard about where to take them for our evening meal. In the end, I chose Les Editeurs. If you read Ocean, you may remember it, because I often (almost always!) eat breakfast there. I'd also eaten lunch and occasionally a familial dinner. It's lively. It's comfortable. They have pasta. And they have a high chair. And you can eat earlier, before Paris turns into a frenzy of serious, adult eating.

The kids are heroic. Sparrow enjoys the comfort of his own roost...





Snowdrop is thrilled to have pasta with great big slivers of Parmesan cheese and her beloved french green beans.




And both have learned what works in this city. Sparrow dishes out the smiles, Snowdrop is full of bonjours and mercis. And in the end, she brings out the burst of laughter with her request for l'addition.






We walk back by the St. Sulpice church. This, like everything else we pass, brings out the questions from Snowdrop. Sparrow listens, though I doubt he takes it all in at this point. Or maybe he does. The evening light, the fountain with the sound of rushing water -- it's all part of the magic, no?





To say that the kids are overtired tonight is an understatement. Still, what a day they gave me! What a totally Parisian full and beautiful day...

Paris

I think most people have heard about the two big heat waves that percolated through France this summer. Record breaking temperatures settled over this unairconditioned city. I believe 108.6F (that's 42.6C) was registered here in July.

We're not anywhere near those highs now, but we are slowly climbing and I do think this will be thought of as a kind of small after shock: by Sunday, the city will be at a toasty 92F (33C). We will be leaving Sunday, but still, many Parisians will be returning from their summer vacations on that day. They will be greeted by very hot apartments. One has to remember that anything over 90F here has been extremely rare. Up to now.

The one significant difference in this mini heatwave is that we are close enough to fall that the evening temperatures do go down to very comfortable levels. When I went out breakfast shopping this morning, people were wearing sweaters.


*   *   *

My morning saunter was to Bon Marche's Grande Epicerie (the food halls of the big department store). It's only a 7 minute walk and I can pick up fruit and yogurts as well.

What perhaps stands out this morning is the lateness of the hour when I do my shopping. Both kids slept until after 9 -- certainly unheard of for Sparrow and I think for Snowdrop too. We tuckered them out good and solid yesterday! (I of course got up early, expecting everyone else to follow suit. They didn't.)

(Leaving our building for breakfast shopping...)





On this morning walk, I get a full view of the Hotel Lutecia. It's the Left Bank's only luxury grand hotel and it recently underwent a complete face lift. Can you tell?






I cut through the park where Snowdrop played yesterday. Today, I pay attention to the flowers...





At the food halls, I stop first at the macaron counter.





Here's anecdotal proof that these delicate cookies are really superior here: back home, any number of places now sell macarons. But they're all too sweet. All I ever taste is the sugar. Here, if you buy a cherry-chocolate macaron, you'll appreciate the dark fondant and you'll really taste the fruit! The slight tartness of a cherry comes through. Snowdrop can't stop at one macaron. She begs for a second and then a third. At home, she'll nibble around just one and push it away. (She does not have a strong sweet tooth.)

I of course mainly pick up bread products. And those cute little jars of yogurt. And fruit.





Were I to live here, I would not buy these berries for daily consumption: they are insanely expensive. The raspberries and strawberries are exquisite, but who can afford them at nearly 6 Euros for a tiny container?

As with all foods here -- the French eat them in small quantities. Definitely the berries are not something I would throw over my bowl of oatmeal every the morning!

*   *   *

When Ed first came to Paris with me, he was astonished at how quiet a street can be. He'd tell me that in all the childhood years he spent in New York City, he never found a block where you could hear a pin drop.

Get off the beaten track in Paris and you'll be surprised at the pin-drop quietness of some of the streets.





*   *   *

Breakfast.





*   *   *

This morning, my son-in-law has stuff to do and so the four of us -- the two kids, along with my daughter, and the old gogs -- set out for the Luxembourg Gardens. We take the long way there, stopping at shops where I tell them I have so often shopped for them. Today, I'm not looking to stuff my suitcase. Still, I can better anticipate their needs and preferences in the future, listening to their comments and exclamations of delight (or tepid indifference!) today.


*   *   *

Finally, the park that I love so much!






Hey, the old merry-go-round, which had been closed the last two times I was here with someone who would want to ride it, is up and running once again!






Sparrow isn't particularly in love with this kind of ride (I believe he rejected the "offer" to ride an animal on a Madison merry-go-round), but still, we thought we could coax him into it.

It's a no go. On this particular merry-go-round, the horses are suspended over the ground. There is no platform for an adult to stand on and he is obviously too young to manage on his own. He watches as his sister whizzes by repeatedly.






Because today's high is just 80F (26.6C), it's a good time to go to the kids' big playground. I was impressed how the older kids accommodated Snowdrop's less daring see-saw technique. Playground behavior I can live with!






Sparrow is a bit too young for all this and Snowdrop is at an age where a lot of the structures are either too easy or too tough for her, nonetheless, the girl finds exciting balancing and climbing opportunities. This is what she loves to do most.






(Sparrow practices walking. It's a challenge for him, but he tries his utmost today.)






The whole visit to this oasis of shade, sunshine and blooms (delightful, despite the drought this year) is one slice of heaven.






(I tell Snowdrop that I always manage a picture by the pond... She strikes a pose...)






Afterwards, we walk through the park toward the exit that is right by my usual hotel. In other words, there isn't much that I don't know about these set of blocks, including where to get an outstanding buckwheat crepe for lunch. The Breizh Cafe, on rue de l'Odeon!

Snowdrop digs into her art ('I'm drawing an outdoor restaurant" -- she tells us)






Sparrow eats his crepe with cheese enthusiastically!






(oh, these kids!)






Everyone is tired now. Sparrow is long overdue for his nap. The rest of us could use a nap too, I'm sure.

But we do not nap. We pick up a pastry to split many ways back home. (I remember taking this very picture at this very pastry shop three years ago. Back then, I didn't ask which one looks best. This time, the girl has strong preferences!)





*   *   *

In the later afternoon, we go out as a threesome. Sparrow is finally napping, his daddy is watching him. My two girls want to visit the department store. And why not. It's pretty to look at, if a bit expensive for significant shopping purposes.











And it gives Snowdrop the opportunity to practice her few French words and phrases. I am surprised how willing she is to give it a go. At home, I can't get her to plunge into this language. Here, she is eager to use it to the max, reinforced always but the appreciative comments that follow.





(waiting for one thing or another...)





*   *   *

Our evening meal is at La Pie Noir. I'd never tried it and it's a bit of a walk, but people spoke highly of its food and friendly atmosphere. Was it wise to listen to their collective approbation?





Oh, yes, it was! In general, I have found wait staff in Paris to be very nice to families eating out. We always eat as early as is possible at a given establishment -- typically 7, tho today, we were able to show up as early as 6:30. Few French people dine then, but it hardly matters. We have other targets for these evening eating adventures: I want to get peacefully get through a good meal, typically a long one, with now two very young kids. That's a tall order, but doable! I look for places that are informal and jovial rather than romantic and serene. But food quality is important (as is the cost!), so there are many factors to balance. La Pie Noir was pretty much perfect for us. The kids were a tad fragile at first, but the owner won them over, one by one.

(asking our one year old Sparrow if he'd be drinking wine ...)





And it wasn't fake: the man had a real curiosity about us (and all the other customers there). By the time we were done, he knew exactly where we were from and where we were heading next. He said he remembered well traveling with his own kids when they were little. By evening's end, Snowdrop was asking him for "l'addition" (the check) and we were full of the warmth you want to feel after an evening out.

The food? Oh, superb! Razor clams from Brittany, and for me -- scallops on a bed of perfectly cooked risotto, and then to share, the biggest and yummiest eclair pastry with ice cream and chocolate sauce I'd ever seen.

(not fragile at all!)






(The long walk home begins with a lively sprint by one of us -- a little girl feeling comfortable in the city that has been really kind to her.)





[Tomorrow's post will be tricky, as I will have no free time at all. The young parents have stuff to do and so I will be on my own with the kids from morning til way past their bedtime. A new set of adventures awaits us, that's for sure!]

Paris

So how is it here, in this great big beautiful city (that could not be more different than my home base at the farmette)? How was the travel? The arrival? First hours on this side of the ocean?

Well, in a sense, predictable, with a few unexpected stresses, greatly outnumbered by the joyful moments of watching Paris unfold before our eyes.

Chicago's airport, our departure point, wasn't chaotic. The young family ate a pizza supper...






... and then Snowdrop and I visited different corners of the airport, enjoying the views of the big planes (including ours).





This is why you shouldn't be apprehensive about travel (with kids or even without): the punches are never ones you would have anticipated, and you spend too much time fretting about matters that, in the end, aren't significant at all.

For example, I did not expect us to be strapped into our seats for the first two and a half hours because of strong turbulence. With kids, this is always a problem. No food, no movement, no bathrooms. And you don't know how long it will last. Five minutes? Five hours?

In the end, most of the 7.5 hour flight was very smooth, and I'm happy about that, but it surely got off to a bumpy start!













Finally, in our AirBnB apartment. On this street:






We chose it for its size and location. Period. I wanted to be within a short stroll to the Luxembourg Gardens and all those other Left Bank nooks I've grown to love.

The apartment does have a large set of rooms....






Three bedrooms for the five of us. (We would have settled for two, but three is very nice!) Sparrow gets to sleep in the bathroom. He is still noone's favorite sleeping buddy.






I don't even unpack. I go out immediately in search of lunch for us all. So many places are still closed this week for vacation, but there is a bread store/pastry shop just a couple of blocks down the road and it has everything that I'm looking for.






This girl joyously proclaims it to be the best baguette ever! I believe it. The croissants, too are delicious. Or is it that we will them to be so? Because we're so hungry and our love of these breads runs so deep?






While Sparrow takes a very very long nap, and parents doze off as well, Snowdrop and I set out to the tiny park that is just a four minute walk from here. Small but delicious. It has it all!






How this child has grown over the years! She'd rarely climbed wobbly ropes before. Now she goes in full speed and she doesn't care that there may be a bunch of older, more energetic climbers vying for the same. Sleep deprived? You wouldn't notice, looking at her.












After a while, I steer her to the  pastry section of the mega Food Halls of the Grand Epicerie.






I don't mean to offer her any macarons now, just before dinner, but the sales clerk wants to keep this little one smiling and so she gifts her one. I don't want to sound rude and say no!






We pick up some fruits and a bottle of rose for our fridge. And I am agreeable for another  small treat: on this beautiful, sunny day, you can't resist Berthillon ice cream. The French do not overload your ice cream cone (or cup).











Finally, dinner. I'd toyed with going to a "real" restaurant, but this is tricky in Paris with kids in the evenings, for any number of reasons and especially when everyone is terribly sleep deprived and potentially fragile.

In the end we go to the nearby Cafe de Flore on St Germain. And everyone is exceptionally good natured, and the food is just fine and we all leave smiling (and Sparrow tries, for the first time, sitting at the table without a high chair... he is that big!)






I'll leave you with this boy's happy grin (back home now). His verdict on Paris thus far? Well, I would say this: