Paris, day one! We didn't leave the apartment till after 11am because the kids slept in. We woke them up at 8:30am and had a nice slow start to our jet-lagged day. We are staying a fifth of a mile from the runner's haven of Paris: le Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, and Jeff and I joined the throngs of runners there this morning. It was lovely to run through the grotto and see the hilltop views without worrying about getting lost or dealing with loud city traffic.
For our first outing, we went to the Hotel de Ville to pick up our pre-ordered Paris Museum Passes, which allow us in the short lines and give us entry into 60 sites and museums across the city. It took a while (15-20 minutes) for Jeff to wait in line to pick up our museum passes, and I waited outside with the kids. They were so bored, I was cracking up at their dull tired faces! Right after that errand, we found a small grocery store and got some baguette, cheese, and carrots for lunch. We walked around the nearby Centre Pompidou modern art museum building and sat on the ground in the courtyard outside it to eat. Amber kept getting up to chase pigeons.
After our Pompidou picnic, we went on a grim pilgrimage to walk around the exterior of Notre Dame. It was tragic to see the old beautiful giant under construction, but it was also fascinating to see what they have done already to preserve it--the wood supports underneath the flying buttresses were works of art in themselves! We continued along down the Seine, resting at least 4 times along the one mile walk to the Tuileries Garden. We rested in the shade on the cold stone steps there while Jeff got us some more much-needed water.
Then we walked straight down the Jardin des Tuileries to L'Orangerie museum at Place de la Concorde. Monet's waterlilies were fascinating and beautiful and peaceful, in spite of the somewhat full room of people. I loved looking up close at all of the colors in each layered thick brush stroke, then moving away and admiring the effect as a whole. Even the kids liked it a lot. The Orangerie museum was just two rooms full of water lilies: perfect size for our combined attention spans. It helped that we had watched a Rick Steves video about these paintings before our trip, so the kids were familiar with them.
The Orangerie had a basement gallery full of Renoirs and other paintings, and everyone was doing well so we decided to take a look before leaving. Amber got a bit overtired and wild almost the minute we descended to the lower floor. She ran away from me down a long gallery and I had to go power walking past gorgeous Renoir after gorgeous Renoir to retrieve her. We used the bathroom there (public restrooms are few and far between in Paris) before heading back out into the sun and catching the metro homeward. We had to change lines once and it was crowded and not ideal (aka kind of stressful) with the kids. They did pretty well, although Amber did not like how we held onto her arm whenever the train doors opened. We did not want her bolting out of there or getting swept along with the crowd-tide without us!
Overall the kids did really well on our first big Paris day. Jay liked the t-shirts with a picture of Mona Lisa "dabbing" (dance move). Jay is so mellow! He always wanted to know what our plan was and where we were heading on our walk, but once he knew the plan, he went with it calmly. He relished rest stops and dashed away from us in the Tuileries to chase some big bubbles a man was blowing (donations in a hat, s'il vous plait). When Amber was being thrashy and contrary on the metro train, Jay offered her his seat so she'd stop trying to get away from our restraining hands at every stop. She accepted his offer and actually talked with a nice French man about how her boots were on the wrong feet. Actually, two French men commented on Amber's wrong-foot pink rubber boots. Jeff told them "Elle les prefer comme ca."
Rose was amazed at the details on all of the building exteriors. I pointed out a few details to her and told her to look at the buildings while we walked past to see what other details she could find, and she loved it. Rose has actually been the hardest kid so far because she is too proud to listen to us and/or acknowledge/obey us when we need her to. We are constantly telling her to freeze when she hears her name and to be kinder (and quieter) with her tone and comments in public.
Amber dug in the dirt behind Notre Dame and threw tiny pebbles into the Seine. She actually has been doing very well at listening to us when we need her to. A few times today she did scamper worryingly close to the curb near fast-flowing traffic, but she did stop and come back when we called out to her (until she was done with the day in the museum). I loved taking pictures of my KIDS in some of my favorite places. Jeff and I agreed that it is very different being here in Paris with people who need us (aka our kids) but it's still fun. Just slower.
Waiting for our museum passes. HAH, this is every kid ever, waiting for their parents to do something boring. Paris was off to a roaring start for these three!
Pictures from my morning run at le Parc des Buttes-Chaumont:
The cave at le parc...smelled like urine in the corners and there was a homeless man sleeping inside, but it was still a delightful change of scenery in the middle of Paris.
Our first outing in Paris:
Leaving the gate of our apartment.
Waiting at the bus stop.
Rose at the Hotel de Ville (city hall).
Pompidou Picnic with pigeons.
Walking past modern art and an old-school cathedral towards the Ile-de-la-Cite.
Amber posing like Marionette from Miraculous Ladybug in front of the Hotel de Ville. There were beach volleyball nets set up, complete with sand and old man in a speedo spiking the ball, out front.
NOTRE DAME, poor burned Notre Dame!
Scaffolding and netting and supports everywhere.
This wall made the side road next to Notre Dame a tight crowded squeeze.
The buttress has a buttress!
The backside was the most noticeably damaged. Sob. Sniff.
I am better at framing pictures than the average bystander...
...but the guy we asked to take our picture tried his best. People don't know what to do when you hand them a real camera (not a cell phone) these days! Haha. Still, I loved sharing my favorite building in Paris with my kids, if only from the outside.
Resting by the Seine with my M-I-L. She has been doing alright keeping up with our energetic family. We are a formidable group to follow, and Leslie has had at least one low point every day where her energy ebbed and did not match her expectations. Jeff is a good son and helps as needed.
Rose-sur-Seine.
Fighting along the walk...
Hello, Louvre! We didn't go in; just used the shade to rest before heading into the Tuileries.
Walking through the Tuileries gardens
La Place de la Concorde across a pond.
The Orangerie: Monet's waterlilies:
Grama takes selfies!?!
Running home: up a hill and to the stairs! Our Paris Airbnb apartment was on a staircase walkway rather than a traditional street: quiet and cosy in the middle of a big city.
Decompressing time with Netflix back at our apartment.
The front porch of our Paris Airbnb apartment.
The view out back of our Paris apartment.
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