Herbstferien Part 3 (Oct. 12-15, Paris)

Friday, October 12

Paris, here we come! We gathered our things, packed the car, and headed to the city. We weren't expected at J's cousin's place until late afternoon, so we checked the map and decided to go to the Tuilerie gardens since the sun was shining. We found a parking garage not far from the Tuilerie, squeezed the car in, and headed through the busy shopping sector. The sun was out and lots of people were about! We took our time going up and down the whole length of the park, stopping to ride the carousel, play at the playground, and buy a better map of Paris at a tourist shop.

A glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the distance!

The Louvre--we didn't go. It seemed enough to tell the girls that the Mona Lisa was inside and they'd have to come back when they were older to appreciate the whole museum. :)

GE chasing pigeons: a time-honored tradition!

GE on the playground in the Tuilerie Gardens.

ME and HR had some sort of complicated pattern that they were following leaping from these giant lilypad things.

Playing soccer with a horse chestnut shell.

The Louvre in the background.

A carousel, yeah!

Yee-haw!!

 

J remembered that one of our favorite gardens was somewhere near the Louvre, but off the beaten path and after studying the new map, we decided that it must be the Jardin de Palais Royal. We headed that way, stopping at a souvenir shop to get each girl their collection item and some berets! Sure enough as we came towards the Palais Royal, I recognized a cafe we used to sit and have coffee at. The jardin is just as we remembered: quiet, but full of people sitting on the benches among the flowers, art students busy sketching, men playing boule on the gravel paths.

After finding "our favorite garden", we headed back to the car and drove to cousin LlG's in the 16th arrondisement. 

HR started a spinning game on the posts lining the street as we walked back to the parking garage.

GE had to join in the game too!

Ah, if only I could live my life multiple times!

For those of you who haven't known us that long, J worked for a law firm in Paris during the summer between his first and second law school years which was also the summer we were married. We spent the first 2.5 months of our married life in a student house in the suburbs of Paris, taking the Metro into the city for work and play. We haven't been back since then (1999)! It was a funny feeling trying to remember where things were, having a sense that we ought know and yet not knowing our way around at all anymore!

J's cousin, LlG, is married to a Frenchman and they recently moved to Paris. We planned to stay with them and see a little of the city with the girls too. Our ambitions were pretty simple: Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, and some gardens. We also reconnected with some friends, the N's--we learned to know them through an extended family connection. We had not seen the parents since our summer in Paris in 99 and the daughter in 2000 when she visited me in Virginia. Fun to see where J's cousin lives now and to reconnect to the N's!

If you know anything about Paris geography, you'll realize that to drive from the Tuilerie to the 16th arrondisement involves going down the Champs Elysee and around the Arch de Triomph. No small feat when you're not used to driving in a city, let alone a foreign city like Paris! The round-about around the Arch was absolutely insane and I'm still amazed we managed to get through it unscathed!  Then we had a little trouble finding the parking garage near their apartment and even more adventure parking the car in the teeny-tiny parking space... Mission accomplished, we carried as many bags as we could manage according to our size and age (even GE carried her own backpack) and walked the rest of the way to LlG's. The daughter, R, arrived soon after (coming home from school), and we soon sat down for a lovely meal.

View from LlG's living room balcony window! So envious!

Rainbow over the rooftops looking out from their livingroom--wish it had been a portent of better weather, but no such luck.

The view back up the street in the other direction.

After dinner we walked to the Eiffel Tour in the dark and watched the lights sparkle at 9 p.m., then home and tucked girls into their floor-beds. Rain moved in again and showered us while we watched the light show.

Lights!

Saturday, October 13

We slept in. I went out mid-morning for some Pain au Chocolat and Croissants and a few other food items. We grabbed the umbrella bag and snack/water backpack and headed back to the Eiffel Tower. We wanted to get there before the crowds got too thick, but we still had to wait at least 30-40 minutes to get tickets for the lift and then another 10-15 minutes to get on the lift. At the mid-level we got in line again to wait for the lift to the top. It was cold and we weren't ready for the amount of wind involved, but we made it to the top without too much complaining from the girls, oohed and ahhed and then got the lift back down! Walked back through the rain to the apartment and ate a late lunch, then spent a quiet afternoon inside.

MK and GE with cousin R

Sacre Coeur in the distance.

J used to work in the area with the skyscrapers, La Defence.

Dramatic skies and mist!

The Louvre

Notre Dame

At 4 we headed to the car and drove out to Marcoussis to visit our friends the N's. We enjoyed a lovely "tea" with them (cakes, chocolate, and tea/coffee), then headed back to Paris for a late dinner--not exactly a traditional French meal, but it involved a fabulous selection of French breads and cheeses, meats, fruit, and jams. Yum!!

With the N's at their home in Marcoussis.

Sunday, October 14

We ate brunch at 11 a.m. and then took the Metro (subway) to the Notre Dame Cathedral. I never get tired of the old Gothic churches and the Notre Dame continues to be a favorite of mine. I don't know how much the girls get out of it, but we got ME an audio guide again and let her go through at her own pace. MK wanted to just wander and look. I kept GE with me and we lit a candle for Grandma. J got an audio guide and took HR. Cousins LlG and her daughter R, walked through too.

Rain, rain, go AWAY!

It continued to rain and was cold and blustery, so we took just a short walk along the Seine River and then walked to a different Metro station to return to the apartment. After LlG returned from the evening church service we all went out to eat at a restaurant (we tried to find a creperie that was open Sunday evenings, but ended up at a lively bar restaurant instead--perfect for our tired, hyper little girls; found food to please everyone and the service was quick and friendly).

Monday, October 15

We got up a little earlier so we could make the most of our last morning in France. The sun came out and after packing up the car, we took the Metro to the Parc Butte de Chaumont on the eastern side of the city. The park was created in an area that used to be a quarry. There is now a great look out point over the city, lots of walking paths, a man-made river and pond down the middle, and just plain pretty to be in. We walked for a while, found the look-out, then returned to a playground to let the girls let off some steam. Ate our last picnic on a bench: baguettes, cheese, salami, apples, clementines, wine (for us), and the last chocolate treats.  Then took the Metro back to where the car was and piled in for home. We got back just in time for me to drop everyone off at the apartment and head to the Aldi for a few things for Abendbrot and breakfast. Now to sort the laundry, put things away, bath everyone, and try to return to "normal" for a few days before we go to Hamburg on Friday!

The lookout point.

Who needs a professional photographer for portraits?! I'm *loving* my camera.