On Satuday afternoon, we set out for Jardin (gardens) du
Luxenbourg (in Arr #6). We'd read good things, but would have probably skipped
it if it wasn't for E -- we really wanted to take him to their marionette puppet
show. As luck would have it, E fell asleep just as we got there, but we had a
great time nevertheless. It's an amazing park. It's design is
ingeneous. It's sort of broken up into several areas... one area for kids,
several for quiet reading, a big area for socializing and people watching, etc.,
all interconnected with paths, some of which head off to cool statues or a pond
or flower garden. It's a great public space. I haven't seen anything like it in
the States. If you have kids, you have to go. There are pedal-car races, pony
rides, rope swings, stand-up swings, model sail boats for rent, ... makes you
want to be a kid again. We'll try taking E again next week and bring ourselves a
book.
On the way to the park, we stopped for lunch at Les Editeurs
(4 carrefour de l'Odéon, Arr #6). We sat out on the sidewalk, had a great meal
(a "like" on the
tastingmenu scale), and people watched. This was yet another
example of the French knowing how to live the good life. Also, I have to admit
that this was the first place I saw someone paying with the Amex Centurian card
(aka "amex black"). It's hideously expensive and definitely a status symbol (it
went really nicely with his Prada shirt), but I'm told that the perks are nice.
;-)
Afterwards, we walked over to the excellent market at
the Bon Marche (22 Rue de Sèvres, Arr #6) and got a bunch of
little bites to nibble on for dinner. We tried lots of things we hadn't had
before, including chicken encased in gelatin -- a form we see everywhere -- it
was not good.
We spent Sunday
on chores at the apartment and exploring our neighborhood. It's funny having chores on vacation, but with laundry, groceries, cooking meals (and making baby food) and diapers to buy, they are just part of the plan.
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Posted on October 16, 2005 |
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We spent Friday and Saturday strolling around town. We
explored the Marais some more, walked around Ile St-Louis, then took the subway
to the Arc de Triomphe and walked the length of the Champes-Elysees and ended up
snacking at the fancy food shops in the Opera quarter. E is becoming a pro at being put to sleep in his stroller on our long walks.
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Posted on October 15, 2005 |
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Our apartment is kitty corner to the elaborate Hotel de Ville, which isn't a
hotel but the city council building. It seems ironic that the square in front
was once the site of executions (like Henry IV's assissin who was ripped apart
by 4 horses). These days, it's a delightful place to sit and people-watch,
especially at night.
Our first morning, we put E in his stroller and walked west along
the Seine river, past the Louvre museum and thru the Jardin des Tuilleries
(garden), then turned around and meandered thru little side streets. We noticed
a crowd at a boulangerie (bakery) selling several different kinds of baguettes.
There are LOTS of bakeries here (like Starbucks in Seattle), but whenever we see
a crowd, we have to stop and investigate! The baguettes were still warm and the
"traditional" variety was the best we'd ever tasted. When we got home, we looked
it up and sure enough, the bakery had won several awards. It's called
Gosselin (125, rue Saint-Honore, Paris). Their pan au
levain is also suppose to be great.
In the afternoon, we strolled around the Marais, east of our
apartment. The narraow streets and buildings here are very cool. We had the best
fallafel we've ever had at
L'as du
Fallafel (34 rue des Rosiers, Paris). Again, we noticed a line up
and had to try it. Amazing. The Jewish bakery across the way was also great. The
shop window with the words "La Grand Tradition du Miel" caught D's eye because
we both love honey.
Les
Ruchers du Roy (37, rue du Roi de Sicile) has something like 50
different kinds of honey and they had something we'd never seen before...
jam-with-honey -- incredible stuff. D wants to go back and get more.
The next day, we strolled thru the Il de la Cite, a small island in
the Seine. Notre-Dame is here as well as Sainte Chapelle wiht its spectacular
stained-glass windows. We spent a little time exploring the Latin quarter, only
enough to know that we have to come back. We had a great lunch at the Ze
Kitchen Galerie (4 rue des grands augustins, paris), known as one of the few restaurants in Paris doing innovative and modern french cuisine (rather than faithful execution of the old standards)
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Posted on October 11, 2005 |
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We just arrived. It's dark already, so we cooked a simple dinner and are
going to bed.
The first leg of the flight, from Seattle to London (9 hours), was a breeze.
E slept the entire flight (we count ourselves very lucky that he sleeps on
flights) and both of us got to sleep several long stretches as well. I had compared the biz class features of all the airlines we could
cash-in miles with and determined that British was the best. Several things were
especially nice:
- they had a mini-crib for E, so he was super comfortable and, as an added
benefit (if that wasn't enough), he was out of our way,
- our seats reclined completely flat (into sleepers). It has to be said that
this is a wonderful thing. The extra 10-15 degrees makes all the difference,
- the cabin temperature was perfect. I'm usually shivering on flights and
the blankets seem a couple inches too short to keep warm, and
- the staff was super friendly, though that may have been because I was one
of the 11 lucky passengers to be selected to fill out a satisfaction survey.
which I kept prominently displayed ;-).
The second leg didn't go as well. The flight crew couldn't help themselves
from using the PA system and we were stuck under an overly-loud & scratchy
speaker. Everytime they spoke, E got startled and woke up. To make matters worse, when we asked the stewardess to store E's baby milk, she left it on a counter and another stewardess picked it up and heated it instead, rendering it unusable after a short time.
By the time we got to the apartment, it was dark. As expected, the apartment
is tiny. Even tinier than the pictures suggest, if you can believe that. In
fact, I'm convinced that one of the pictures was taken from the outside. It's so
small that it feels more like we're living in a hallway. ;-) C'est la vie. At least the place is clean and well kept. We
can't wait to explore tomorrow. There are tons of little shops and restaurants
in all directions, the river is just a block away, and lots of people strolling
about.
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Posted on October 10, 2005 |
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It's hard to believe, but we'll be in Paris next Monday! We rented a
tiny apartment in the Marais.
Here's how GoNomad
describes the neighborhood:
Once a mere swampland, the Marais (meaning swamp) is now one of the
most sumptuous and surprising quarters of Paris. Who would have ever thought
such splendor could arise from the murky waters of a marshland? It is one of
the few places in Paris that nourishes the eccentric, mixes classic beauty
with quirky charms, cradles tradition while breathing life into creative minds
that cherish innovation.
I like quirky ;-). As for the apartment, well, we just have these photos
to go by -- I hope it's not any smaller than it looks.
Looking back, here's the trip timeline:
- Feb 7: decide to go to Paris
- Feb 22: book plane tickets
- Feb 27: confirm the apartment
- April 7: E is born
- April 12: Call British Airways and add Everest's name to our itinerary (and pay the 10% lap child fee.
- Sept 1: D starts making lots of to-do lists
- Oct 1: start packing
- Oct 9: leave for Paris
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Posted on October 3, 2005 |
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