September 21-27, 2019
Day 27 Saturday, September 21: Oh gosh, I’m getting behind on my journals, so bear with me here! This Saturday was a type of Heritage Days across Europe, known here as Journées du Patrimoine. Various monuments and historical places open their doors for free to be viewed by the public. Let me tell you…I didn’t know where to start. So, I found a science museum that could double as science and history lesson for the kids and I just knew they would love it. To pump them up, we hoofed it on a 30 minute walk to an “American/Parisian Fusion” donut joint I had heard about. It was all that. The biggest, fluffiest donuts (more Southern Made than Krispie Kreme), covered in some interesting sugar concoctions. I had heard about a seasonal fig offering that I didn’t see in the case. So we went for the Classic Beach Haven (cinnamon and sugar), the OG (that’s original glazed) and a decadent Caramel Buerre Sale (salted caramel oozing from every corner, running down my fingers). Yes. As we are preparing to dash across a few more blocks to the museum, the proprietor and pastry chef, brought a hot tray of the infamous Fig Donut. I can say NO to a whole lotta stuff, but a slightly quirky fucshia pink donut with a candied fig on top…that’s a yes. What’s another 6 Euro (Edgar I hope you aren’t reading this)! We exchanged a few quick words and vowed we would be back for their annual Halloween Trick or Treating event. The winner gets a dozen donuts so you can bet we will go big or go home! The sugar helped us bullet through the street to the Musee des Arts et Metiers. Part of the museum is in an old church so the interior was gorgeous, too. There are also 2 miniature Statue of Liberty sculptures here and a Foucault’s pendulum. The exhibits are ordered by time of development and included industrial materials, construction, communication, scientific instruments, mechanics, energy, and transportation. It was amazing! My kids should have totally been into row after row and case after case of these precious examples of how far we have come in the world. Wrong:/ I don’t know if it was the sugar high or the words they needed to read, but I was way more interested than they were…could this be a theme? Ask my family, I didn’t pay attention as a child and I’ve been waiting to have children of my own so maybe I could have a second chance at learning. I’m trying to take advantage and my children are…well they are children! Augh! Maybe I should leave the history in the past. So goes our day, bolting around from place to place to try to see something that can’t normally be seen. We succeeded a few times and failed a few, too. We visited a beautiful church, Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victories, wondered through the most amazing covered passage shopping street called Galerie Vivienne with glass ceilings and mosaic tile floors, strolled through the beautiful Jardin du Palais Royal and chased each other through the surrounding arcade and alleys until we were hungry again. I have to balance my $6 donuts, so we split a Pad Thai from a street vendor like pigeons on a fallen french fry. We made it to the Palais Garnier (the most famed Opera House in the world and the inspiration for Phantom) and after waiting in line for what seemed like hours, we find out that this particular marvel is not on the free tour. I can’t afford it (donuts!). We peak in a few cracked doors and head to the FREE Perfume Museum tour. Loved it and we smell great. We criss cross the Seine River to get to Luxembourg Gardens to see the Palace where the French Senate does their thing. Closed. We throw our hands up, get the $15 dinner at M&S Foods (wine included) and head home with a quick stop at an impromptu wine and food and music event on the banks of the Seine as we cross it again. NINE.MILES.LATER (our highest to date), we fall into bed for family movie night.
Day 28 Sunday, September 22: It’s no car day in Paris, yay! Well, it doesn’t really matter to us because I don’t think we’ve been in a car since we arrived back from London. And even in London, we never took a ride in those adorable cab cars. But today, this rainy Sunday, we need to get to church early because the kids are singing in the Children’s Choir at the American Church in Paris! We think about a bus, but we don’t really know the route. We opt for our regular Metro route (even though it means a 20 minute walk at the end). Oddly, the train keeps going past our regular stop. Five stops past! Maintenance! We get back on the other direction, get as close as we can, hop off, spot a taxi, hop in, get stuck because of so many barricaded roads. An hour and 25 Euros later we are finally at church, and I guess everyone else had the same transportation woes because my two kids are two in their age choir! So basically, they sang a duet. Seriously though, Carson had a solo part in the song “God is So Good”. She sang “My God is good and ever blesses me. The wonder of creation show God’s greatness. God loves and cares for me and lights the path I tread….and by His light will I be lead.” It was so beautiful and touching and true and worth the rain and everything it took to get to that place. This was our first time in the Sunday service at the American Church and I loved it and the message that in the current climate, God wants us to get creative with our options and freedoms to show love and grace to this world. When life doesn’t turn out like we had hoped, YAHOO. Because of Jesus, You Always Have Other Options. After, we meet up with the McLaughlin’s (our new partners in crime) and agree to go with them to see Hotel de Ville from the Patrimoine event since it’s so close to our house. We wait at the bus stop (because my friend Betsy is an uber-super-navigator), however it never comes and the rain starts to fall. We scurry to the closest Metro willing to take whatever connections we need to, and that station is closed! We slush across Invalides to a final station that is open. We agree to split up and after a few missed stops and connections, we get HOME…soaked to the bone and thankful to be safe and together. What a day! We learned that our cute, think Old Navy “rain jackets” aren’t waterproof, that the best-laid plans can go awry, that there are always Other Options. And we learned that God is lighting our path and we are so thankful we have found some friends to call on in times of need while we are here. We did rally and got out of the house later to see the Hotel de Ville, a historic building in Paris that is now home to the Mayor of Paris and all Paris administration. Kind of like City Hall in Gulf Shores. I use this comparison lightly.
Day 29 Monday September 23: We hit the books again, really trying our best to care about fractions and narratives. While the kids are killing it, I’m running back and forth to the laundromat to do the sheets and such and grabbing groceries from many different stores to cook dinner for our friends tonight. We meet them at the Jardin de Plants and check out the Menagerie Zoo there…lots of cute little owls, strange horned animals, birds snakes and such. Betsy and Will have an acting lesson (yea, they are cool like that), so they jet off and Edy stays with us to finish the tour. We walk home…it looked so close on the map, but it was more like almost 2 miles! Betsy and Will come back and we have fun preparing our first REAL, homemade dinner at our place. It was yummy, and the kids had so much fun showing their friends our tiny home, playing games, etc. I loved the time to just chat. Betsy told me about an amazing mother/daughter project they do in her home town and I am dying to implement it when we get home. Other people have different experiences and different view points, but many of the same issues that we all face and the same desires all mothers have. Isn’t that what we need sometimes? To get outside of ourselves and what is “normal” to us and see through another lense. We introduce our favorite board game, Brandii Dog, to them and play until they absolutely have to go home. What a fun day! Oh, and sidenote: they brought us a DOZEN macarons from LaDuree! These tiny, little jewel-colored almond flour pastry shells with creamy fillings are the best thing going, and I mean that from the bottom of my sugar-coated heart. Could I eat one dozen? Yes I could. Would I eat one dozen? Yes I would. But I do love my children, so I share our delightful gift with them. We save 3 for breakfast. Hey, they truly don’t keep longer than a day so I feel like we did them justice by finishing them off:)
Day 30 Tuesday, September 24: What did we do today? I don’t even know! I think we tried to catch up on school because we played so much on Monday; and Wednesdays are play-days, too! Oh I remember. We got AN EMAIL. An email from Carson’s teacher stating that she is, how can I put this lightly, WAY behind in her school progress. In her defense, she has been working very hard and diligently. So, I just let her. I help when she asks, but she was trucking along putting in the same amount of time as Geer, so I thought all was right in the world. So, we spent this day getting honest with ourselves and trying to chip away at the assignments. I was angry. I mean, she’s a smart enough girl! I said many times, “Carson, you are going to be behind and have to repeat the 6th grade if you don’t get busy!” Or, “Carson, when you get home and have to stay after school to get caught up, or drop out of advanced classes, you are going to wish you had been working!”. Gah, what a terrible mother I am! Those are horrible threats to a sweet little 11 year old. Seriously, I am embarrassed at what comes out of my mouth when I don’t get what I want! So when I say we are getting honest with ourselves, I mean I am getting honest with MYSELF about my expectations and the why behind them. Do I want a straight A student, or do I want my sweet girl to understand the material she should be learning? Do I want an open, honest, supportive relationship with her, or do I want to scare her into doing what pleases mommy dearest? This pain will continue as I uncover my own agenda and hopefully replace it with something that’s a little easier to look at;/. Another mom-fail, but maybe a chance to turn it around, too. NO PICTURES AS WE PRETTY MUCH DIDN’T LEAVE THE HOUSE
Day 31 Wednesday, September 25: We took the bus! It was so much fun:). We found out where we needed to be, we hopped on, and off we went. Wednesday is our day to go to The American Library and The American Church for choir (Geer loves to say he is proud to be an American, especially when I point how incredibly loud we all are). We’ve been several times on the Metro and know that route well, but the bus was totally different. There was so much to see! So many places I want to return to on foot! We really liked this experience, even though there was no one on a loud speaker explaining the monuments to us. We stop for the second week in a row at this little Asian quick-stop. They have interesting things in a glass case that they warm up for you. The kids loved it, and for 4 Euro they both got several things-on-a-stick. I couldn’t bring myself to eat it, but happy they are happy! When I get hungry and can’t find the right thing to eat, I just drink more coffee, which probably accounts for the thousands…no, millions, of words and run-on sentences on this blog. Thank you, tiny cup of espresso!! Anywhoo, we walk toward the Library, snapping photos of the kids holding the Eiffel Tower on the way. We sign in at the front and have a look. I get a book of Rick Bragg’s short stories…nothing makes you feel more like home than a true southern story from the heart, and I think he is LOL funny. I’m also trying to get through the September Vogue before they put it away. This week, though, the kids won’t leave me alone! They keep pestering me and this is supposed to be ME time. You have to be quiet at the library, right? Well, we will have new rules next week. I buy the kids a .50 hot chocolate from the machine and we meet Geer’s friend, Raphael, outside to walk to the church. He lives near the library and so he is going to walk with us sometimes, yay! We sing choir songs, listen to Raphael’s adorable Australian accent, and get to choir just in time for the kids to start their practice. More ME time:) I do love watching and hearing their choir practice. I LOVE their teacher, and she is magical on the piano, and those sweet voices raised together is special. At the end, I get to talk to a few other moms who come in and learn more about what they are doing in Paris. Some are here for a short time. Some are here to stay. We rush off again because Carson has dance:) Running around has always been my specialty. We walk Carson to her class and go explore for a few minutes. I like to get Geer (and maybe me, too) a treat while she’s in dance. We find the BOMB of a mini-cupcake place around the corner and Geer goes for cookies and cream. We run in to our landlord and have a chat with him. We pick up a few groceries and it’s time to get the girl, head home, have a bite and try to finish this school work! Thank you, teachers, for your time and talents and tenacity with these tiny tudents(had to keep the Ts going).
Day 32 Thursday, September 26: When I look back through my pictures to remember what we’ve done, I see that in my spare time, I am constantly looking up stuff to do and see in and around Paris and taking screen shots of it. I have more notes than we could possibly have time to complete. I’m also TRYING to read (I mean, read books, not facebook. I don’t have trouble with that). There is a huge market on Thursdays near the Bastille. So, we hammer out some school and head there around 1pm. The walk anywhere is always fun. Even going somewhere so close, we see many many shops and sites that we’ve never noticed before. We wander through the secret gardens at the Archives, totally surrounded by high walls so you’d never know it was there. We slip into the Swatch Watch store for the one hundredth time, walk through Place de Vosages, where we have been before, but notice a play ground area in the corner that we have yet to explore. The kids climb on the sets meant for ages 6 and under, probably. The local high school kids get out for lunch so they are smoking and vaping in the corners of the square. The kids always laugh because we can tell when we think people are cursing and swearing and talking dirty, but we can’t understand them:) On to the market! This place is a dizzying array of flowers, fruit stands, vegetable stands, honey makers, crepes, pastries, ethnic foods from all over, fish, cured meats. Basically, if you can dream of any raw ingredient, it is here. We don’t really need much but we get a few vegetables and some fruit, crepes for lunch. We are there at the end of the market, and some stalls are spreading out their products that won’t last for anyone to take home. This reminded me of leaving the corners of your fields for others to glean when they are in need. When you have extra, give it away. We also marvel at the work put in to setting up these booths for just a few hours on one day! Then they pack it all up, load it all up, and probably take it to another market either later in the same day, or the next day. Hard work. We stop at the Monoprix on the way home to get the canned ingredients we need to make chili. The kids get the giggles (which is all too common here) in the Monoprix and they are acting all American, drawing looks from all around. I REALLY wanted to make cornbread, but alas, no cornmeal here. We stop in at another church we have passed many times, Saint-Paul Saint-Louis. It is breathtakingly beautiful as well with dizzying domes and stained glass and sculptures and paintings all lit in the glow of candles representing prayers of people. I can’t say that I see much active religion or faith here, compared to the number of people. But the churches are scattered like beacons of hope for the future and represent the faith of the past. I am praying for revival in Europe. Revival for myself and my town and my country, too. I make the chili, we eat the chili. It’s good, but not like home. We miss home sometimes, but remind ourselves how special, even sacred, this time it.
Day 33 Friday, September 27: It’s Friday, YAY! I am super-pumped because my friend, Mary-Alison, and her hubs Andy, are going to be here later today. I get the kids going on their schoolwork. I do some laundry, kind of jogging around town while I do it. I don’t like to leave the kids for long, so I’ll run to the laundry mat then run back up to the apartment. Then I’ll run to the fruit stand, then run back up. Then I’ll go put the clothes in the dryer, then run back up to the flat. If anyone cared they would think I’m crazy! I.am.so.excited. I SHOWER! I fix my hair! Wow! The kids are in awe:) I clean up to show off the best of what we have to offer:). They get here and the kids run down the 3 flights to escort them in. We have a great visit, catching up on home and what they’ve been doing in Paris so far. The kids talk and talk and I realize that Carson & Geer might be bored of just talking to me and each other:/. Hmmm. Andy and Mary-Alison took a food tour in my neighborhood because that’s how cool our neighborhood is…isn’t that just…cool!?! I ask for their notes because I’m not cool and I think going to some of these places might help me. I leave the kids and we go across the street to the non-stop sidewalk cafe and split a bottle of lovely wine, thank you Bauers! It was such a nice break and a connection to home. They leave for their Louvre tour and the kids wrap up their school. We are feeling alive and electric so we have to a REAL restaurant…where they actually sit you down and take your order! This place, Breizh, is not far from where we let Mr. Jingles free a few days ago. I hope he doesn’t show back up. Breizh is on a lot of lists…one of the best creperies in Paris. The Chef has a restaurant with a Michelin star, which is supposed to mean something, and there are now multiple Breizh restaurants in Paris and Japan. My friend told me Breizh means Brittany, and the restaurant is representative of that area of France, near the North coast, I think. The cider is a big deal. They have a soft apple cider for kids and harder one for people who have to deal with kids. It’s a casual, quick cafe and perfect for us. I order a special savory galette (more of a buckwheat thin pancake) with cheese, fried egg, seared duck breast and tiny green beans. It was interestingly delicious. Kids went with ham and cheese plus an egg on top. But the dessert crepe list was insane! I really wish we had eaten dinner at home and come for dessert alone. We had the seasonal peach crepe featuring slightly caramelized peaches, fresh cream, homemade ice cream, strawberry compote and a crunchy almond brittle topping. Ummm, yea. The problem with this night is the kids. They are in to tickling me lately, and the few times I am ticklish, they go wild. It was kind of cool out, so I’m bundled up in the few cool-weather items I brought. And it is a tight squeeze into this restaurant (and into my clothes considering the food I’ve forced myself to indulge in). They start tickling me. And the WON’T STOP. I am dying and I can hardly move. I am giving them ‘the look’. I say “really”, stop it. That’s always been our serious word. But they have changed it to FartPoopDoodie (Geer is 9). I even say this to get them to stop, but if you can say FartPoopDoodie with a straight face then you are a better woman than I am. Needless to say, I don’t know that we will be welcomed back to Cafe Breizh anytime soon, but we loved it! On the walk home there is an art shop in the community hall. We walk through, awkwardly viewing all types of art including lots of body parts. The kids still have the giggles. There is one artist who has a table full of jewelry. It is all so clever. She finds, or makes from clay, tiny miniatures and puts them on pens, necklaces or earrings. Tiny little art pallets and tubes of paint. Tiny little donuts and cups of coffee. Tiny doll heads. Tiny pencils and rulers and anything you could think of, brightly colored and often hand painted. This was the kids favorite booth, and we enjoyed talking with the artist. The kids already had the idea, but a pair of her earrings sealed the deal. For Halloween, they want to be Nutella and A Spoon. Fitting, since this has become a regular meal in our Parisian household.
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