Ahhh, Paris!

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Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097

My plans of getting up early to go to a nearby market were a little altered, when Matt and I woke at 9am! But we were still at the markets near Maubert Mutualite (near the Sorbonne) by 9.30am, and we enjoyed wandering in the little street market looking at cheeses, sausages, fish – though shocked by the whole cows head (shaved) at the butcher's, and equally delighted when the patisserie lady gave the kids each a little pastry for free, with their croissants for breakfast. We had the most wonderful strawberries as well – oh, and true to form, Matt didn't want a croissant so settled for a baguette with slices of salami in it! He really has such savoury tastes! We walked up to the Pantheon, but didn't go in – a tour wasn't what we felt like – then walked to the Jardins de Luxembourg, which were very pretty and gave everyone room to run around in (don't know what Matt will do if he GETS one of those pigeons he is chasing, but he tells me he plans to put it in a pie!) We caught the Metro to Cathedral Notre Dame, where there was a long, but fast moving queue to enter the church – as we arrived, Mass was occurring, so we were able to say a prayer and receive communion. The church was lovely, and we were also grateful to be out of the wind, which had been increasing during the morning. We'd agreed to climb the tower of Notre Dame, but there was a very long queue for the tower climb that wasn't moving (I can't even begin to think what Paris is like in August, if it is groaning under the weight of tourism in April!), so we elected to come home for bread and cheese and an afternoon nap.

Again, we headed out in the afternoon – the sun seems to come out from the haze as the day goes on, and it seems to be warmer at 5pm than at 11am! We set off on an ambitious walk, which I am delighted to say that the kids managed very well (although I know it exhausted them!) We metro'ed to Invalides, where we admired the golden dome of the Hotel des lnvalides (again, didn't go in as we didn't think tombs of dead Frenchman would impress them) then, over the Pont Alexandre III with its fantastic golden statues, admiring the view of the Eiffel Tower. We were, unfortunately, too late to look inside the Grande Palais or the Petit Palais – something to come back to next time, and so we walked down the Champs Elysees away from the Arc de Triomphe in the direction of the Place de la Concorde – optimistically named, given its bloody history as the scene of the guillotining of thousands of people including the king and Marie Antoinette! After the "reign of terror", there was a gift of an obelisk from the Viceroy of Egypt – it is 3200 years old, and would have been seen by Jesus when he was a little boy! The light was just golden – vry beautiful, as we continued through the Jardins des Tuilleries, with its lovely trees, flowers and ornamental lakes, towards the Louvre. I just love the geometry of Paris – that you can see straight up the Champs Elysees to the Arc du Triomphe, and through the Arc to La Defense, and that you can see the Madeleine and the Invalides from the Place de la Concorde – and then right down the Jardins des Tuilleries to the Louvre. Matt was dead keen to go inside “the big pyramid” at the Louvre – I am sure he didn't understand that it was an enormous art gallery inside it! Or that we could walk its corridors for more than the kilometers we had already walked, and still not see all the art inside! Georgia and Tom sure understood, and were more than happy with our decision to leave it until they are older! (Time for a confession – Steven and I have been to Paris on many occasions before, but have still never gone to the Louvre – there are always too many things to do, and it would take the better part of a day to see only part of the Louvre – we've always opted for more manageable sized museums and galleries in Paris! Maybe when we grow up, too!)

By then, the kids were tired, but we pushed on across the Pont des Arts, with its wonderful view of the Pont Neuf (the “new bridge” which is the oldest in Paris) and the Ile de Cite, and then into St Germain des Pres for dinner. You know that you can never go back….I think I was looking for the exact little street where Steven and I ate 15 years ago – luckily, Steven had more sense, and as it started raining, he masterfully maneuvered us into a table at a restaurant, on the footpath with the Parisien crowd buzzing about us. Highlights – Georgia and Tom tried snails and Matthew loved the buttery garlic sauce but wouldn't try the meat of the snail, Steven had the most wonderful duck lasagna, and Tom being selected to perform with a Brazilian capiara (martial arts meets dancing) group, doing their street performance! (And because it really is a small world, the people at the table next to us asked where we were from – they are the owners of Mary Ryan bookshop in Paddington, Brisbane!!!!) What a wonderful night!

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Comments

[emma de roquefeuil]

hi happy travelers.....looks as though you are all having a wonderful time, i would love to be in your shoes. i had to have a laugh though Kaylene with your entry about the first day in Paris and your struggle with the luggage. i did warn
you!! the Uk with lots of luggage is one thing....but Europe is a different kettle of fish. i could just picture it, a struggle through the already overcrowded metro system trying to keep an eye on the kids and baggage, not something for the feint hearted. love to allemma PS: just so that you know, Goldicott went off with a bang last night...we will fill you in on your return.

[stephanie molony]

im there in spirit with you