Musee, Jardin; Jardin, Musee

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Le Marais has so much to offer, you could spend a week in this arondissement alone. We are walking to the Paris History Museum - Musee Carnavalet - and the girls are drawn like moths to a flame by a shop called Cos. The kids and I wander around the streets nearby and notice armed soldiers outside a standard looking building. We go for a closer look. It is unmarked but across the road from a synagogue. No signage whatsoever, but the noise of chlidren playing behind the walls and steel gates cries out school - ecole. It appears that the soldiers are a hangover from the Charlie Hebdo and Koscher supermarket shootings and security is still very tight in the Jewish part of Paris. It's easy in such a beautiful city to forget that ugly religious hatred is never too far away.

The Musee Carnavalet is itself a remarkable building and dates to the 16th century. It houses a history of Paris across a number of floors. Some of the exhibitions are in French only but the French Revolution section is in English also. A very interesting time in history and a time when monarchs and the aristocracy across Europe were shitting themselves at the uprising in Paris. We moved through the Museum pretty quickly and it left me wanting to know more. Luckily Maggie bought Paris - A Secret History and I look forward to reading it when she's finished. Should only take her a week but me a year!

We could see a cute cafe/restaraunt from the Museum windows and stopped in for a cafe au lait, hot chocolat and jus de pomme for Milla. Jules and Maggie chatted to some Americans and they praised us for taking the kids overseas so young and predicted that this would be just the start for the kids travel bug. We wandered through the streets some more and bought sandwiches and salad from the Monoprix (French M&S) to eat in the park - Square Louis XIII.

Sacre Coeur and the State of Origin get scratched from the itinerary as we are fast running out of time. We jump on the 1 at Bastille and change for the 4 at Chatelet. The metro is really busy and Milla says "This one's packed! All I can see is butts!" There's a few smirks on the metro before we jump of the 4 at Odeon. It's close enough to the Jardin du Luxembourg and we have no problem at all just strolling through the streets. You quickly become immune to the beauty and granduer of the place and have to remind yourself to stop and appreciate it.

The Jardin du Lxembourg (and the Palace) are something to behold and the manicured lawns and tree lined paths make you forget you're in the middle of the city. The ornamental pond - Grand Bassin has toy sail boats for hire and the $5 for half an hour is a bargain. We all have a turn at guiding and waiting for the boats to cross the pond. Milla selected the blue and red Australian skiff and Deaks selects the blue and yellow sweden. It's great fun and gives us a adults a chance to relax in the sun and take in the scenery. More fun is to be had in the kids playground and we drag the kids away passed some old blokes playing boule, bocce or petanque and make our way for the next Musuem. While they are playing, Milla's confidence grows with Deaks chaperoning her through the various rides. She eventually clims a web of rope herself and slides down the big slide solo. He looks up at me and says "She's doing really well now. These aren't tears of pride...I've actually got something in my eye." 😊

There's still a bit of a tight arse in me and I'm aware that admission to the Musee D'Orsay is reduced after 4.30. We arrive at 4.35 and save just enough Euros for a happy hour beer back in Le Marais after 6pm. We peruse the impressionist and post impressionists at pace in the hour we have available and marvel at the Van Goghs, Monet, Manet, Cezannes, Renoirs and one Picasso. The veiw of Sacre Coeur through the Gare D'Orsay clock will have to do and we'll give it the time it deserves next time.

We cross the Seine and sit on a bench on the footbridge near Jardin des Tuileries and stop to appreciate the sights all around us. Even the less renowned buildings, like the Musse D'Orsay - the old Gare D'Orsay train station with two enormous clocks and statues on it's terrace, are stunning. Crossing through the Jardin des Tuileries we look right to the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe and to our right is the Louvre, while just above the trees behind us is the Eiffel Tower. Words don't do it justice.

Have I mentioned our neighbourhood is awesome? We settle upon a little bar/cafe (Au Tibourg) and grab some seats facing the street for an afternoon bevvy and a snack that may well be dinner. Happy hour pints and Mojitos, chocolate milkshakes, deep fried mozarella sticks, calamari and a platter of cheese and undisclosed cured meats and we are pretty fulfilled. Just enough room for a sweet crepe on the roll home.

The almost perfect day only soured by the kids choosing Vin Deisel's "The Pacifier" on netflix. So close...

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