November 1-November 7, 2019
Day 68 Friday, November 1: Well, I have put off exercising as long as I can. I had good intentions, really I did. But when we finally got settled in Paris, I just didn’t feel comfortable leaving the kids alone to go exercise, nor did I feel like I had time or that it was the best use of it. But honestly, the real reason is that I’ve been L-A-Z-Y. Many days, we walk more than 5 miles and the 3rd floor stairs get me every time, but I haven’t done any real exercise (unless you count curling the large Evian bottles after I fill them). There is a Bikram studio about 3 blocks away and I sign up for a 10 day pass, thinking I can jump start my way back into shape. I run there so I won’t be late, which means I’m almost sweating before I even arrive. Then, once I get set up in the room, I remember what I felt about Bikram when I tried it years ago in Hawaii. It’s hot. And it’s hard. Maybe some of the hardest stuff I’ve even done. My tights and workout shirt make me stand out against the swimsuit-clad yogis. I can understand why that’s what they wear. When you’re done, it’s like you’ve been swimming. It’s 105 degrees, 26 poses and 90 minutes long. Thank goodness it was in French so if I felt like taking it easy, I could act like I didn’t understand the instructions. I swash home after…the trail of sweat behind me. We gear up for something fun today and decide on the Cite des Sciences et de I’Industrie (the science museum). This is a pretty cool, hands-on museum, but it is so crowded because of the holiday. We wait (well, I wait while the kids play) in line for 60 minutes to see a show in their Planetariumre. Then, when I get to the front of the line, the kids aren’t back yet so we wait another 30 minutes! Alas, when we finally leave and the golden arches are right outside the museum doors, I cave and that is dinner my friends. Kids are happy!
Day 69 Saturday, November 2: It’s a cold-ish, grey fall day here in Paris. The kind of quiet day that is perfect for today’s activity. We wrap up and head to an area of town that is new to me for lunch at one of those out-of-the-way-but-amazing spots (thank you Robert McKee for the suggestion). This small spot is dedicated to being creative with whatever is seasonal and whatever they have left over. Today’s dessert was a beautiful upside-down plum cake. After, we walk the short few blocks to Pere Lachaise, Paris’ most famed cemetery. It’s really more like a museum, to be honest. There’s not a ton of elevation change in central Paris, but the cemetery is set on a block of soft rolling hills, which add even more dimension to the markers and monuments. A few notables buried here include Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison. On the first row, we find many WWII monuments and statues. They are grand and startling in their form, as you can see. I’m reminded again that we must never forget. We walk through, the kids in a playful mood, but still trying to honor the dead and marvel at what their loved ones erected to remember them. It is a beautiful place, but don’t worry about me when I’m gone. I’ll be home sweet home! After the cemetery, we stop anywhere that looks interesting and try so many different sweets. Finally, we come to a shop I’ve been wanting to visit. It’s a restaurant, fromagerie, butcher, market all rolled into one. The guy likes the kids (who doesn’t) and has them try so many different cheeses. Geer even picks one he likes, and his preferred cheese is either on a pizza or a chip. We go with a traditional French trio starting with Comte, unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese that has been aged for 18 months. This is sharp and hard and basically something I could live off of. Geer picks a sheep milk cheese that is just right. We round it off with a wonderful creamy goat cheese and dinner is served! We try to go to be early because tomorrow we start the last leg of our marathon touring before we depart.
Day 70 Sunday, November 3: How do these Sunday’s come around so fast? Being the first Sunday of the month, many museums are free (though many museums are free for the kids any day). I decide we will take full advantage today. We start out at the beautiful Musee d’Orsay, housed in an old train station with beautiful windows arched all the way across the top. The Edgar Degas at the Opera exhibit is on, and that’s what we’ve come to see. We read a book about the little dancer sculpture and we loved seeing her in person. And the impressionistic paintings, saturated with color, of the orchestra and stage and dancers were all so beautiful.
We left there and went straight to church. Following the service, we met our Australian friends for our last lunch to see Raphael. We had pizza and salad at a lovely Italian spot, and I had my first Cafe Gourmand, in this case a trio of mini desserts of the chef’s choosing with a coffee. Yes, please. The kids played Uno at the table while trying not to disrupt the proper diners. I loved talking to Laure and Andrew and trading stories about family and school and vacation and work in two worlds apart. I really hope we see them again one day. At their advice, we head to the Rodin museum after, and the sun even came out to warm us up a little. The Rodin museum had a treasure hunt for the kids via a pamphlet and an audio guide. We had a good time checking things off their list and viewing the many sculptures and information in the museum and the gardens. I especially loved seeing the Thinker and the Gates of Hades and the 5 men sculpture from a story of the 100 years war called The Burghers of Calais. We really enjoyed this lovely museum and gardens. On our way home, we stopped by Carson’s new favorite shop, the Lush concept store that opened just across the street from our apartment. They are considering hiring her. We decide on a face mask we will both enjoy and head home to pamper ourselves after a long day of touring around.
Day 71 Monday, November 4: School days again! We planned to stay inside all day, but guess what? It’s GORGEOUS out. So, we pack a picnic and head to Place des Vosges for a yummy picnic lunch and window shopping. Then back to the books!
Day 72 Tuesday, November 5: We have been waiting for this day! Nan wanted us to get something special in France, but we are out of room in the inn, so we decided to DO something special. A Macaron class and tour of the Garnier Opera House! The class was family style, so parents and kids participated and we learned secrets of the carefully-crafted, 2 euro macaron. I just LOVE these cookies and could eat a dozen at a time, which means 24 euro, uhoh! I have made them before (some may recall my attempt at Geer’s 3rd birthday party, after we returned from Paris 7 or so years ago), but now I feel ready! We leave the class feeling confident, grab some lunch and play around in the beautiful Galeries Lafayette before heading over to the Opera House. This impressive building was commissioned by Napoleon III as part of Paris’ reconstruction in the 1860’s. There was a competition for the design, and an unknown Charles Garnier won. He spared NO expense, and 15 years later it was inaugurated. It’s a super lavish place…a place to see and be seen. Kind of like the Flora Bama, amiright? A falling chandelier, the building itself, the underground lake and cellars inspired the novel The Phantom of the Opera. Because of a performance that evening, we were unable to see the actual theater, but I loved this tour!
We meander home, and head over to our playground friend’s house for another Raclette dinner. Two of her grandchildren the same age as C&G joined us, and the kids had a blast! They laughed and laughed and ate their weight in cheese and potatoes. I was able to talk more with Pauline and her husband and hear about their life. Pauline (like my mother-in-law) knits. She (like my mother and my mother-in-law) is busy and spends much of her time helping the less fortunate in her midst. She teaches a free knitting class every week to homeless students and she serves food to homeless and paying customers as well. She does this at a place called Le Troisieme Cafe. After asking some questions, I find out that this tiny cafe employees a few staff that truly need this work. Volunteers come daily to serve the food to the paying customers and, later in the day, any homeless who need a meal. Supporters buy a yearly membership to help cover the cost of the mission, then they have the option to come dine here. They also contribute by offering their skill and knowledge to the homeless in the program with classes and clinics. What a neat combination of outreach and commerce. Naturally, I want to go, so we make plans to meet there tomorrow.
Day 73 Wednesday, November 6: We pick up Pauline and head to the Cafe. It’s tiny. Maybe a counter with 6 seats and another 18 or so seats at tables. On Wednesday, a talented volunteer makes the desserts, so I’m excited! For 50 euro, all 4 of us have lunch, wine, cokes, coffee and dessert. Any tips are saved for the mission. The food is DEVINE. Probably the best lunch I had. I am so thankful for this experience. This place, and their outreach, is totally off the map. It’s not flashy, not drawing much attention that I can see. But they are quietly, and happily, plodding along to enrich and hopefully change the course of life for some that are not as fortunate as others. Love it! We say our goodbye’s to Pauline, and vow to see each other again in Paris and/or in New Orleans, where they visit often. Did I mention that Pauline was a Lawyer? And a pilot? And a snow skier and a mother at age 18. And a yogi? She is one interesting lady. We head to our last choir practice. The kids had a great time. Geer, the only boy at this practice because Raphael is out, finished the practice chasing the girls all around the church with squeals of delight. He’s a charmer. We walk to the YSL museum. We enjoyed learning about the life of the famed designer and seeing some of his creations. See the photo below: a facebook picture I thought maybe my MIL could knit and then one of YSL famous runway costumes. Not much has changed!
We walk the Champs-Elysees towards the Carousel to meet the McLaughlins for a special dinner at Le Souffle. Recommended by a friend at home, this French gem did not disappoint. Almost everything was souffle, and I had a hard time explaining it to the kids-just something you have to try! So, we all got the menu, featuring 3 SOUFFLES. Yes, 3. A starter, a main and a dessert. We played the manners game, giving and subtracting points for good and bad manners. This was needed as we were at a fine dining establishment. It was a long, delicious meal. Was I surprised I finished all of my food? Not really:)
Day 74 Thursday, November 7: Davinci Day! We bought tickets to this new exhibit at the Louvre and have been looking forward to it. Most of Davinci’s great works all in one place. We notice a special virtual reality station while we wait and I go to check it out. It’s by appointment only, and you must be over 13, but because they are so special, she let us all do it! This was one of the highlights for me. It was better than the Avatar ride at Disney. I can’t explain the detail of the Mona Lisa and the setting of the imagined sitting for the portrait. 365 degrees of images come to life about his most famous work, then a flight through the region. It was indescribable and I know I’m not doing it justice. Just amazing. Then the exhibit itself was short and sweet, accompanied by an audio guide that gave many details of the artist and his works. I think the kids liked it, too. We had treats and shopped in the museum gift store and headed to the Tuilleries for our last playground fun. Kids found a gangle of French girls and Geer pushed them all on a merry-go-round thing while they laughed and laughed. We had dinner at our landlord’s Italian restaurant…Carson wanted one more Burrata. At home, we try to wrap up some school, but our desire to keep is fading and our desire to be in the real classroom is growing.
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