Day 1
I’ve been dreaming of Paris ever since I was a little girl, and I can’t believe I’m actually here. The journey here was quite exciting; Owen and I had dance breaks on the plane every few hours and our family had to sprint across the Dallas Fort Worth airport to get to our connecting flight.
So, Paris. Our family decided to rent a vrbo in order to cook dinners in and spend more time together. The apartment is charming, with a balcony and big windows. The four floors of stairs in between us and the pedestrian street below not only offer us a great workout, but also some privacy from the street below. Typing this, I can hear strains from a live smooth jazz band and the clinking of silverware and glasses. People here speak softer, so one can just barely hear the rise and fall of voices.
Our apartment is about a block away from Notre Dame and the Seine, so we enjoyed a long(9 miles!) walk around downtown Paris thus afternoon. One of the best kept secrets of Paris is the garden adjacent to the Eiffel tower. Follow a shaded path and you will find yourself by a quiet duck pond and a large spread of grass. The grass is the ideal place to have a picnic, but my brothers and my dad were so jet lagged they passed out on the grass. For lunch, we had pizza from the restaurant below our apartment. I don’t think I have ever had better pizza. Maybe that’s the fatigue speaking, but wow, it was great.
We just ran into some friends that go to my school, which is crazy! They were renting an apartment just half a block away from us. Funny how these coincidences happen.
I’m still getting used to the time difference, a whole nine hours. I have my watch set on San Diego time still, which keeps me on track. I am so excited to explore more of Paris tomorrow, hopefully not under the influence of jet lag anymore.
Day 2
One of the best things about Paris at this time of year is the length of the day. It is light out from 5 am to 10pm, which makes for lots of walking. Another tradition I am a big fan of is the French nap time: from four pm to six pm the streets are quiet as people retreat to their apartments to rest before going out for the night.
Back to day 2. First thing in the morning, Early in the morning, Mom and Dad and I went for a walk along the Seine. Morning in Paris is one of the best times to take photos; the light is a pale gold and it illuminates all of the architectural features of the buildings. From Notre Dame, we walked south a couple blocks until we got to the market. Across from the market there was a cute little Starbucks. I say little, but it was two stories and actually quite large. The second floor had a nice view of the Musée de Cluny and its gardens. On the way back to the apartment, Dad found a printing store that had an antique Heidelberg printing press and he was very excited(he worked at Heidelberg for 16 years before coming to California).
After we got back to the apartment, we had a small breakfast with the boys and headed out for the day. Our first stop was the Musée d’Orsay. If you only have time to go to one museum in Paris, I would recommend the d’Orsay.This museum houses one of the most extensive collections of Impressionist artwork in the world. Also, children under 18 are free! The Impressionist paintings(the permanent collection) are on the fifth level. I highly recommend finding the escalator. Parisians have a strange proclivity for taking the stairs, so the escalators shouldn’t be too crowded. On the second level, there is a beautiful ornate room which is tucked away in a corner. On the fifth level before the Impressionist exhibit, there is a cute café that looks out over the Seine and the Louvre. The view from the clock face is amazing!
After touring the Impressionist collection and the Van Gogh exhibit, we were feeling hungry and were looking for a café to enjoy a late lunch at. Wandering farther south from the d’Orsay, we found some cafés, but there was a lot of loud construction nearby. By chance, we ended up in Monoprix, a grocery store selling food similar to Whole Foods, but much much less expensive. I got an amazing salad with a generous portion of smoked salmon, goat cheese and lemon slices with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It was amazing. We sat right outside; the Monoprix was close to a busy intersection, but had places to sit by a corner garden. The people watching in Paris is so much fun; the street fashion is unbeatable and their conversations are very lively.
We ambled back to the apartment after lunch for the mandatory French nap time. Legend has it, if you’re spotted on the streets between 2 and 6, you’ll be arrested. Bail will be set at 2 baguettes. So after our nap, we headed out again. We walked through the courtyard of the Hotel de Ville, which was really pretty. There was live music and people sat everywhere: on the ground, by the fountains, near the fountains. From there, we walked north to the Pompadour Center. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to go inside, but I would highly recommend checking it out if you have the time. The courtyard by the Pompadour center is also very lively. There are many outdoor cafés and an enormous pool with sculptures spouting water. Artists sell their wares along the sides of the plaza, and music fills the air.
Walk a couple blocks to the northeast, and you will find yourself in a lively gay section of town. There are many delicious falafel places scattered in this district also. The Place des Vosges is a quiet garden surrounded by beautiful buildings. The trees provide welcome shade from the warm Parisian summer. There is also free WiFi at almost all public parks(you must provide information about yourself in order to comply with the anti terrorist measures here). We had dinner at a cute brasserie(a less formal restaurant) called Le Royal Turenne. Be aware that the portions served are quite large; we chose to split a bunch of different items. Also, the outdoor seating is normally the smoking area so make sure you can tolerate smoke if you want to sit outside. We ate dinner at 9:45 and it was still clear blue skies. It didn’t get dark until around 11, which is about the time we left.
Walking home, we stumbled upon a movie shoot on the smaller of the two isles in the Seine. After watching for a while, we decided to keep going back to our apartment as the boys were starting to have trouble keeping their eyes open.
The biggest surprise was what we found in front of Notre Dame at 11:30: fire dancers. There were three acts- two men and a woman. The first act was a man, who worked with the double ended sticks. He seemed to be an apprentice of some sort; his moves were not as advanced as the other two. To segway into the next act, the man lit five oil-covered balls on the outside of a hula hoop. The woman started to spin the hula hoop quickly, around and around. It was absolutely entrancing. The fire started to blend in a circle as she rotated it fast and faster. The first man lit steel wool and started to spin it. Glowing embers illuminated their concentrated faces, made even more dramatic by Notre Dame lit up in the background. The man lit the second man’s nunchuck-looking fireballs. The whole while, the DJ played music according to the speed at which the fire moved. It was mesmerizing the way the second man moved the fire. He toyed with it, letting it dance across his fingers, whirling it and releasing it 20 feet in the air before catching the unlit end of the nunchucks. Then he blindfolded himself and replaced his nunchucks with sage branches that looked dangerously ablaze. For his last spectacular act, he picked up another nunchuck and started whirling it over his bead. Instead of embers, fireworks started popping, fizzing out when they hit the cold stone. The night ended with a final bang, then deafening applause by the large crowd that had gathered. We tipped the firedancers, then headed off to our apartment across the Seine(a short five minute walk). It was midnight. Mile total for day 2: 12.74. A day well spent by any account.
Always,
Paige Finn