Paris — Week 1

Saturday

We drove from the chateau to Paris first thing Saturday morning.  We were in a hurry to return rental car before 2pm, so Keller dropped the us off at the Airbnb and then attempted to figure out how to return the rental car.  Since it was a different location than we started at, he was flying a bit blind.  Fortunately the employee at the desk took pity on Keller and checked him in even though he was 5 minutes late.  Hertz definitely needs to improve their signs!

Meanwhile, the kids and I were working on lugging all our luggage to our apartment.  In Europe, the ground floor is floor 0.  And our apartment is on the 5th floor.  There are exactly 99 steps to reach our apartment.  And boy do my legs feels it around step 70!  Thankfully the woman checking us in helped carry the bags, so it only took me three trips.

First impressions about Paris include it feeling a lot like NYC, with a lot of people and constant hustle and bustle.  Keller is SO glad that we no longer have a car to drive and park.  There was one intersection that acted like a massive 4 lane round about, with parking along the outside.  And you have to yield the right of way to the cars coming into the round about from the right.  And there are stop lights for pedestrians.  It is NUTS!

The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking and getting settled in our new place.  I also went to the supermarket down the street and bought groceries and basics for the next few days.  We’ll be here for three weeks, so that’s long enough to unpack fully.  We’re well aware that we have brought too much stuff and we’re already mentally making lists of what we can leave at home next time around!

We ate dinner just around the corner at Il Posto — a local pizzeria.  The pizza and desserts were all tasty.

Saturday happened to also be Night of the Museums in France, where most of the museums are open late and offer free admission.  Keller encouraged me to check it out, so I took the subway to the Arts and Metiers Museum.  There were a lot of people there, but it was a neat museum focusing on the development of technology in transportation, energy, manufacturing, etc.  Unfortunately there was limited information in English, so I mostly wandered around looking at the models.

I ended the day with six total round trip trips up and down the stairs!  I think we were all glad to go to sleep that night!

Sunday

For our first full day in Paris, we decided to explore our little area and take it easy.  Our AirBNB host kindly left a list of local markets and there was one scheduled!  We picked out a lunch place in the general vicinity of the market and headed that direction.

We were surprised to find that today was a second hand / rummage / flea market day on the street.  Vendors and regular people were all set up with tables and blankets all along the sidewalk with items for sale.  Everything from clothing to records to silver and glassware to phone chargers and ancient cameras were for sale.  We slowly wandered through the market, hunting for something that would call to us.  There were several vinyl record vendors set up, so we looked through the selections to see if we could find a particular record that Payton is on the hunt for.  Unfortunately we didn’t find it, but Keller did see a lot of really great music.  Keller said he would have bought some of the records if we were at home and thus didn’t have to lug them home with us in our suitcases.

We eventually made it to the market for fresh produce and then lunch at a Thai restaurant.  Again, it didn’t feel very authentic Thai, but it tasted pretty good.  It did need more spice though!  After lunch we dropped the produce off at home and then took the subway to the Bois des Vincennes Park.  There is a massive chateau there in addition to a large park with playgrounds, gardens, sports fields, and even a zoo.  We only saw a fraction of the gardens and spent some time at the playground.  There’s plenty left to explore!

Monday

We decided to split the kids up and do a one on one day.  The kids are nit picking each other and need space.  Their patience with each other is pretty short and both just needed to get away from the other.  Keller and Kamy teamed up and Caden and I were a pair.

Keller and Kamy attempted to visit the Grand Palais, but it is currently under renovations, so only the temporary exhibits were available.  Instead they went to the jail, called the Conciergerie.  They had lunch at a restaurant that really struggled to get their steak cooked correctly.  First it came out over done and when they sent it back, a new steak was returned practically cold.  Strike two!  They then checked out the exterior of Notre Dame — the long line to enter dissuaded them from seeing the interior.  Kamy stood at Point Zero — the middle of Paris where all road distances are measured from.

Eventually they worked their way back to the apartment, but only after stopping for some praline bread and chocolate bread from the same bakery we found in Villefranche-Sur-Saone.  They needed dessert after all, right?!

Caden and I went up to the permanent market on the north side of Paris.  It’s the most famous market in Paris — Les Puces de Saint-Ouen.  As it was Monday, only about half of the shops were open because Saturday and Sundays are the big days.  We didn’t find anything that had to follow us home, but Caden bought a little Eiffel Tower souvenir and key chain.

We made our way down to the center of Paris, near Ile de Paris, and ate lunch at Frogburger.  It was really good and I was impressed!  We also got ice cream at Amorino.  I recognized the name from a gelato place we visited in NYC last summer.  Sure enough, it is the same chain.  It was quite tasty.  While eating our ice cream, we saw a Google street view car go by.  Perhaps in a few months we’ll be able to see ourselves standing near the Seine River in Paris!

We walked across the river to check out Notre Dame.  Caden saw a souvenir medallion machine and bought one.  While he was doing that, two women came over and asked if we had coins for change to purchase one as well.  Caden happily gave them the coins they needed.  Then when I took a photo of him in front of the church, one of the women came over and asked if he wanted her to take his photo as well.  She had a polaroid camera, so Caden said yes please!

From there we trekked back to the apartment.  The kids did quiet time and screen time while I made dinner.  After dinner, we walked north to check out the local park.  Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is in an old quarry and has a tremendous amount of elevation change.  We found the playground, including a very hard to climb structure.  There wasn’t a ladder or climbing wall in sight!  The kids also loved running down the grassy hills.  Once again, Paris has some massive parks that will require several trips to fully explore.

Tuesday

The kids had a much better day yesterday, so we are moving forward and trying to figure out how to make traveling altogether work as smoothly.  Today we’re trying “designated child” day!  Essentially we are splitting up the responsibility of each kid — Keller and Caden teamed up, while Kamy and I were a pair.  It meant they only really got instructions and correction from one parent instead of both, and nearly eliminated the contrary  input from the other kid.  Overall we think it worked pretty well for the kids, but it did mean that Keller and I did not interact as much together.  However, it was much easier on my brain keeping track of just Kamy than trying to keep an eye on both kids simultaneously.

We went to the Palais de Decouvertes (science museum).  There were quite a few exhibits, but very little content was available in English.  Keller and I were able to muddle through the overall principles that were on display, but I am sure we were missing many of the finer points and explanations.  Fortunately since we had split the kids up, they were each able to move at their own interest level.

While heading to lunch, we got our first straight view of the Eiffel Tower.  We took a photo of Miss Kamy to send to her friend Emma, who is currently in love with all things Paris.

We had lunch at La Scarpetta — an Italian restaurant run by a couple from Sri Lanka.  It was pretty good!  We went back to the apartment for quiet time, screen time, and dinner.  It ended up raining most of the evening, so we were unable to go to the park.  Instead we stayed home and played Dominion before bedtime.

Wednesday

Today we swapped designated children.  Yesterday was a successful first attempt, so we decided to continue the strategy.  First thing in the morning we went to Musee d’Orsay — I particularly wanted to see the impressionist paintings.  Kamy and Caden saw several paintings that we have studied, including Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Degas.

There was also quite a bit of sculpture on display, a favorite of Keller’s, as well as a model of the Palais Garnier opera house.

The museum was in an old train station — what a neat setting for a museum!

We had lunch at Les Antiquaries.  One of our best meals so far, we enjoyed steak, risotto, cesear salad, and duck.  For dessert we tried the creme brulee, molten chocolate cake, and french toast.

Afterwards, we walked by the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries to check out the playground and carousel.

Back home again for quiet time and screens before dinner.  We had nice weather once again, so we went to the local park and playground again.  This time the kids brought an inflatable ball and made some friends to play with.  It was an evolving game as there was definitely a language barrier, but it was some iteration of keep-away and tag and run to whomever had the ball at the time.  They had a lot of fun and were worn out by the time we needed to head home.

Thursday

I bought tickets for a guided tour of Palais Garnier, but we didn’t have to get going quite as early in the morning.  The Opera house was beautiful!  It was built for Napoleon III who was concerned about security at the existing opera house.  The foyers and intermission spaces were just as grand and elaborate as the actual theater space.  In fact, at the time going to the theater was a social event and it was more important to “see and be seen” than to actually pay attention to the performance.

Also, Palais Garnier was the setting and inspiration for the opera house in Phantom of the Opera.  It even had a water reservoir under the opera house to cope with the water table below ground!  We saw “box 5,” which was the Phantom’s box and talked about the massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

After the Opera house we found lunch at a Thai place near by, called Meiwenti.  It was extremely quick service — we had our entrees on our table within 5 minutes of ordering and we had our main dishes within ten minutes.  It definitely did not follow traditional French timing.  The dishes were all tasty but we are still missing the spicy flavors we are used to.  Needs more heat!

The kids each chose a scoop of ice cream for dessert and Keller picked up two beautiful eclairs.  Our afternoon followed the usual routine — quite time, screen time, dinner, and then a walk to the playground.  Some of the same kids were at the park again, so everyone was able to run around and play.

Friday

We have planned big days on both Saturday and Monday of the coming week, so we opted to have a more relaxing day today.  We slept in, ate breakfast, and then read in the apartment.  Kamy found an interesting position to read …

For lunch we headed to Les Papilles, the favorite restaurant of a Parisian culinary blogger that I follow.  It is his favorite restaurant, so we knew it had to be good!  I called ahead and arranged a reservation, so we knew we’d have a table.

Les Papilles has a set menu.  You have the option of a 4 course meal or either entree with plat or plat with dessert.  We ordered two 4 course meals and one entree with plat.  The entree was a carrot veloute soup and it was delicious!  The plat was veal shoulder that had been slow cooked for six hours with vegetables and a sauce reduction.  It felt like a very decadent dish.  Keller and I both really liked the blue cheese fromage course — to our surprise!  I’m usually not a fan of blue cheese because I find it is often too strong and bitter for my taste, but it was good!  Dessert was a strawberry panna cotta, which everyone enjoyed.  Overall, this was Keller’s favorite French meal we’ve experienced!  The kids thought it was okay, but they did not really care for the veal.  I think the flavors were a little father out of their wheel house than they were interested in.

After lunch we walked over to the Luxembourg Gardens.  We walked past the pond with the remote controlled boats and headed to Poussin Vert.  Poussin Vert was a massive enclosed playground area.  It does have an admission fee, but the kids and I only cost about 6 euro.  Keller went back to the apartment for work and the kids proceeded to play for the next three and a half hours!

Their favorite activity was the zip line!  Instead of the standard straight line, the zip line makes a loop and includes inclines to speed you up.  They went around and around and around so many times.  I did not count, but I’d wager Kamy did it AT LEAST 50 times!

It rained lightly for a while, but that did not dissuade the kids from playing.  There were many international travelers visiting the playground, so the kids had no trouble finding other English speaking friends to play with.  They probably played the longest with Dessa — a girl from NYC.  By watching which kids they played with and identifying their families, I was able to find other moms to sit and visit with.  I talked with families from Missouri, Chicago, and NYC.  Apparently Poussin Vert is where the US tourists end up.  =P  To be fair, I heard about the playground in advance and had it on my list.

The kids liked the little carousel just outside the playground.  The kids are given a mini “lance” they can use to collect rings as they go around. They thought that was pretty fun!

Saturday

Today we had tickets to visit Versailles!  This has been on my Must Do list since we talked about coming to Paris.  Plus it is the epitomy of opulence and grandeur and Kamy would love it.

We bought timed entry tickets for 10am, so we left the apartment at 8 and made it to the Palace by 9:30.  We got in the (mercifully) short timed entry line and were inside right at 10.  I was glad we didn’t have to wait in the regular line!

We bag checked our picnic lunch and picked up our audio guides.  Apparently the rule is kids under 8 can’t have an audio guide, but we knew that was going to be a problem for Caden.  I may or may not have gone back to stand in line for the guides to get an extra one.

The Palace itself was stunning!  There was a nice series of rooms that explained how Versailles evolved from a hunting lodge to a chateau to a palace to the massive complex it was under Louis XVI.  I wish it wasn’t quite as busy, as it felt like we were in a herd of cattle at times.  I loved all the massive paintings on the ceilings, Kamy loved the Hall of Mirrors, Caden’s favorite was the Gallery of Battles.  Keller was most impressed by the enormity of the gardens and woods.

After finishing the Palace, we went out to the gardens.  The gardens are immense!  The entire grounds covers almost 2,000 acres!  A significant portion is the formal French gardens, with hedges and sculptures and topiaries and fountains.

Another portion is the Trianon estate with a smaller palace, a chateau, and a working farm and village hamlet.  The rest is an enormous public park and forest with trails.  It stretches as far as you can see!

The fountain shows were running today, so there was a lot to see!  We started by the Mirror Fountain and were watching the fountain show until we were told we couldn’t eat our lunch in that area.  We moved and ate lunch in the shade by another fountain.  Next we walked through the public gardens up to the Petite Trianon Palace.  We wandered through the English gardens and the hamlet and farm that was built for Marie Antoinette as a means of escaping the chaos of court life.  Ultimately we walked all the way back through the gardens to the chateau and saw several more fountains on the way.

I hit a new high on my daily step count — 27,777 or 11.5 miles!  All our feet were tired by the time we made it back home.  We all took a quick shower before getting dinner at Bodega Potxolo.  We muddled through the menu on the wall before the owner invited me back to the kitchen area where he pointed out all the different things they could prepare.  Ultimately we asked what his favorites were and he suggested a series of dishes.  We just said yes!  The food was hot and tasty.  I remain thankful for the French practice I did prior to our trip — it made this process much easier and I could actually decipher at least the main ingredient in each menu item.  =P  I am not fluent by any means and I struggle when someone is talking to me, but I can read okay, which helps a lot!

Keller’s started working on Spanish as a head start for another international trip in the future.  We think it would be helpful to divide and conquer and try to get at least a functional knowledge of several languages if we continue to travel internationally.  As such, Kamy has volunteered to be our Italian “expert.”  She loves the idea of being the one to teach us something and order off the menu.  Since she’s interested in visiting Italy (and eating pasta and pizza), it seems like a good incentive!