Early morning Paris

---

Today jetlag hit pretty hard. I woke at 3am along with Mykenzie but unlike her I couldn’t go back to sleep. I laid awake for hours listening to the girls make noises in their sleep until around 5.30am when Edyn woke up. Not being able to sleep again, I decided to take Edyn for a walk so Jas and Mykenzie could keep sleeping.

We walked out into the morning darkness and drank in the silence. I walked towards what I thought was the Seine but having spent most time on the metro it’s quiet disorienting being above ground. We walked for about half an hour and came to the Saint Germaine region. I came across a boulangerie that was so quintessential; I just had to stop for a croissant!

Early morning Paris is so different from lunch time and dinner Paris. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people are all different. Some are setting up for markets, some are putting out the piscine (fish), some are unloading the produce! It’s amazing to see the activity and it is quite hypnotising! Having taken Edyn for an early morning walk, I went out sans kids, for a run. I retraced my steps up to St Germaine Bvld, along St Jaques Bvld up to the Latin Quarter and along the Seine. I ran past Notre Dame, I ran through the 6th and 7th arrondissment, past Concorde and towards the Eiffel Tower. I made it to the Grand Palais as the sun was rising. It was so magical to be out at that time of morning I felt I could run forever. As it was, I ran for 9km along the banks of the Seine. It was so peaceful and a great way to start the day.

This morning we took the girls to the Hotel De Ville with the intent to take them ice skating. That didn’t open until later but there were two free merry-go-rounds which of course had Mykenzie’s interest piqued! So we spent enough time on the merry-go-rounds for our fingers to freeze and then went to look for a place to thaw them out. We ended up in a department store which in itself wasn’t very appealing but then when we found a kids area with face painting and colouring we decided to slow down and have some lunch. It’s funny how when you have kids your whole itinerary is based around sleep times and playgrounds. Is there a playground there and if not, where is the closest one, and will we get home in time for their sleep! It’s a whole new way of travelling. Not necessarily a bad one, just different and one that we have to get used to.

Today, Edyn’s sleep wasn’t so good. I think the poor baby girl was finally coming to terms with the lost blankie! It still breaks my heart to think that I was the cause of her heart breaking sobs!

This morning we had shopped at the local markets and got some yummy, local produce including cheese, olives and wine. We had Alana and Brett over to our massive (!) apartment for nibbles and wine instead of having a big meal again. We had an early night because tomorrow is a big day!

---