Our family of 4 in Paris (plus a day visiting Vimy)
Jul 2nd, 2009, 03:00 PM
#85
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LOL, I think most any parent can relate to the Orsay events
I think you did great, and especially like the idea of starting over. I need to remember that tip!
Very nice of you to pass the audio guide onto someone else
I think you did great, and especially like the idea of starting over. I need to remember that tip! Very nice of you to pass the audio guide onto someone else
Jul 2nd, 2009, 08:19 PM
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Day 6 – Wednesday June 10th con’t
<b>I’ll be back</b>
We had decided to break up our art museum visits by going to a movie.
Thanks to Kerouac, Cathinjoetown, SallyCanuck and everyone else to contributed to my “seeing a movie in Paris” thread.
We decided to go to the MK2 Biblioteque (which Kerouac had recommended as a good one) as it brought us to a different area of Paris – even if just for a glimpse – and it was a simple, single bus ride from near our apartment. We chose Terminator – though at first B strongly resisted going until he realized that we were saying the movie was going to be English with FRENCH subtitles (he had been thinking we meant French with ENGLISH subtitles).
We aimed for a 2pm show, but bused it over a bit earlier so we could check out the neighbourhood a little. A very different feel – it almost felt more like Toronto then Paris there in the shadow of the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. The library is 4 big corner “office buildings” that are I think supposed to ‘be’ 4 open books. Very big and modern feeling (and I think one of those ideas that may have been better in concept then in practice!). Not that there was anything particularly wrong or offensive about it – just probably like I said earlier, that it felt more like Toronto then Paris (no offense Toronto!) – or at least the Paris I was wanting to think of myself as being in…
The movie theatre itself was nice and big and ‘commercial’. Didn’t get any sense that they saw many English speaking tourists – the ticket counter person only spoke French. Adults were 10E each and the kids were 5E for under 10 and 5.60E for under 18 (or something like that) which seemed in the same ballpark as a similar style of movie theatre in Canada. One note though (if anyone is thinking of going to a movie in Paris!) if it had been any other day then Wednesday, our adult tickets would have been 5E for a matinee (before 3pm) but because Wednesday is the day the schools let out early in the afternoon, there was no special price for the matinee. And like I would expect a mid-week matinee in June at home, there were only a smattering of people in the theatreThere was a giant escalator that looked like it wasn’t working, but then was triggered by the first person stepping on it (which excited the kids).
Nice big movie theatre – slickly modern enough to be the relaxing ‘comfort food’ experience we were looking for, but with enough little differences that it felt like a little (albeit safe) adventure… We all enjoyed the movie (for what it was!) and there was some evidence that something had been learned on the trip when the boys observed that the Kyle Reese and John Connor characters in the resistance against the occupying enemy of machines “were like the French resistance when the Germans occupied Paris”.
As far as the idea of slotting a movie into the middle of our cultural Parisian experience – I have to admit that I was initially skeptical, but in the end I think it worked out perfectly, especially for someone travelling with kids (though I think it would have been a good break if we didn’t have the kids with us.) It was nice to be able to turn our brains off (or at least put them into a different gear) for a couple of hours, and to be forced to sit down! (We didn’t suffer from the blisters and foot problems that I have seen reported on this forum before, but I found that my legs got TTTIIIRRRREEEDDD from the extra walking and standing we had been doing.)
<b>Evening at the Louvre</b>
After the movie, we went back to the apartment for a snack (it felt too early for supper – as we seemed to have been eating on French time of 8pm at the earliest lately!) and then made our way to the Louvre for about 5pm. We took the metro to the Palais Royal/Musee du Louvre station, and then into the ‘back’ of the Louvre from rue Rivoli. We were definitely walking “upstream” against the flow of people leaving the museum at that time. I suppose you could call it a lineup at security, but the line moved at a walking pace, so we didn’t really have to wait – more of a slowdown of our pace then a ‘wait in line’ type scenario. When we were inside under the pyramid, we were able to walk right through, showing our passes. I would say though that even without the pass, all I had read about going in the evening to the Louvre to avoid the lines was correct – there were only a couple of people buying tickets to get in, so I don’t think there would have been a wait even if we didn’t have a pass.
We had come prepared to be overwhelmed by the place and had decided that we wanted to “check off” seeing the Mona Lisa, and that we wanted to see the Raft of the Medusa. Anything after that was going to be gravy, so we could feel free to wander at leisure without worrying about what we were missing. So we b-lined it to Mona Lisa – played ‘swap the camera’ with the other tourists (you take my picture, I’ll take yours!). Because I had heard so many times “it was so much smaller than I expected” the painting was actually larger then I had expected. And I found myself feeling sorry for her – like she was one of the Dionne quintuplets – living behind glass, now more important to far too many people then she should have been; important for what she is supposed to be, rather then what she is – setup to disappoint - but it wasn’t her fault (yes I know that paintings don’t actually have feelings…) Anyhoo…
11 year old A absolutely loved the Wedding at Cana, and couldn’t understand why everyone was taking pictures of the Mona Lisa with that huge painting behind them!
Here is the summary of Louvre art appreciation rules for an 8 – 11 year old boy (at least those related to me).
Big paintings = good
Really big painting = Really good
Nudity = not so good
We opted for the 8E guidebook this time, as opposed to an audio guide, and it was useful in giving some relatively light insights into certain themes or techniques to look for. But again, our goals for the Louvre hadn’t been very specific – we knew we couldn’t conquer it, so we were just there to soak it in. I would say that we found the art that we saw in the Louvre more ‘impressive’ then ‘expressive’. My personal feeling was that it felt much more commissioned then inspired, but that is probably my ignorance of art and art history talking! It also may have been the specific route we took, but the family did find that after a time we found it got almost repetitive (oh another religious scene with a bunch of people looking dramatically pious…). Which makes it sound like we didn’t like it, but I would say that we were impressed rather then moved.
I didn’t take good notes on the specific names of the paintings but here were some of our picks for favourite…
A – The one of David and Goliath with two perspectives – one from the front and one from the back
B – A giant picture called something like “the Greeks crossing the river something”
If (when!) I go back, I would definitely take a course or at least a tour to learn some more about what I was seeing – learn enough to be able to take advantage of so many examples in one place to be able to apply whatever it was I had learned to paintings I hadn’t specifically studied. But I don’t think I would be able to plunge into that kind of depth without an initial ‘survey’ like the one we did
<b>The odyssey in search of mosaics</b>
So we were pretty much at our 2 hour time limit, when we remembered seeing a mosaic in the “Up Close Louvre” book we had also read in prep for the trip. Last summer, and again over the March break, DH and the boys had all made mosaics as a sort of project, and so we were pretty eager to see some. And A was pretty eager to do some French talking and ask the security guard / random Louvre room staff guy how to get to the mosaics.
And thus began the odyssey… or wild goose chase… whatever you call it, it involved doing, I think it was 3 laps of the Sully wing in total (is the whole of the 'square' section at the Louvre Rivoli metro station end all called the Sully wing? Because it was that whole square that we lapped...) – including going from the ground floor to the 2nd floor to the 1st floor. A was really focused on the goal – and working hard to navigate us through the map – then ask another staff member (who gave very varied information like ‘no there are no mosaics’; ‘yes… just go straight here and then up a floor’; ‘yes… just go down to there, and then over to there’.). While DH and I muttered to ourselves about the time limit, and ‘should we impose a bail?’ A was absolutely determined to make it to the end of his search… so we kept pressing on (B was a really good sport during this marathon – as it is one thing for a parent to be supportive of a son ‘on a mission’ and another for an 8 year old to be supportive of his brother). In the end, the closest to a mosaic we found were a series of ‘pictures’ at the far end of the Antiquities, that were more out of 6 inch tiles then actual mosaics. And while A was slightly disappointed that it hadn’t ended with the ‘real’ mosaics, he was at peace that his odyssey had ended, rather than be cut short - it was like at some point he realized that there wouldn't be mosaics at the end of the journey, but he wanted to see it through to the end either way. One definite bonus of the trek was that we saw a lot of the antiquities section – something we hadn’t at all planned to visit – and were surprised at how interesting we found it!
What we think now is that the mosaics were in the Islamic art section, which was closed while we were there. Another reason we will have to come back to Paris!
<b>Dinner in St Germain and to bed</b>
It was around 9pm by the time we got out of the Louvre, and we were hungry…
One side note – one of the few specific things that I brought with us from Canada was 4 boxes of the power bars that my kids usually have before hockey games. I figured that if I always carried a couple with me, then I at least had something that I knew the kids would eat, that could help ‘tide them over’ if our eating schedule got of schedule. They came in handy a couple of times, and this was one of them. So while DH and I were pretty peckish (crankily so…) the kids at least had a little something in their belly! So bringing some ‘familiar’ energy bars… that is my tip for traveling to Paris with your kids!
We decided we wanted to ‘eat out’ somewhere, but not somewhere too fancy or expensive, so we ended up back on the pedestrian street just off St Germain, near the St Michel metro stop / Cluny museum. We walked along weighing the offerings of the ‘barkers’ telling us about their 10E menus, 7E children’s menus, “we will give you free wine” etc. eventually settling (and I mean settling!) on a sort of Italian place that had pizza (which B would eat) and spaghetti (which DH and A would happily eat) and I will eat anything. The meal was mediocre, though not mediocre-bad, just mediocre – but it was cheap, fast, and we were full after we were finished, so it did what it had to do!
So… overall… we all thought this was a really good day (in spite of it’s ups and downs!). both museums were unique, amazing, and places I am glad to have visited, and hope to visit again.
Read in bed and then lights out…
Oh, and B finished the Goblet of Fire… so tomorrow – buying Harry Potter is added to our itinerary.
<b>I’ll be back</b>
We had decided to break up our art museum visits by going to a movie.
Thanks to Kerouac, Cathinjoetown, SallyCanuck and everyone else to contributed to my “seeing a movie in Paris” thread.
We decided to go to the MK2 Biblioteque (which Kerouac had recommended as a good one) as it brought us to a different area of Paris – even if just for a glimpse – and it was a simple, single bus ride from near our apartment. We chose Terminator – though at first B strongly resisted going until he realized that we were saying the movie was going to be English with FRENCH subtitles (he had been thinking we meant French with ENGLISH subtitles).
We aimed for a 2pm show, but bused it over a bit earlier so we could check out the neighbourhood a little. A very different feel – it almost felt more like Toronto then Paris there in the shadow of the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. The library is 4 big corner “office buildings” that are I think supposed to ‘be’ 4 open books. Very big and modern feeling (and I think one of those ideas that may have been better in concept then in practice!). Not that there was anything particularly wrong or offensive about it – just probably like I said earlier, that it felt more like Toronto then Paris (no offense Toronto!) – or at least the Paris I was wanting to think of myself as being in…
The movie theatre itself was nice and big and ‘commercial’. Didn’t get any sense that they saw many English speaking tourists – the ticket counter person only spoke French. Adults were 10E each and the kids were 5E for under 10 and 5.60E for under 18 (or something like that) which seemed in the same ballpark as a similar style of movie theatre in Canada. One note though (if anyone is thinking of going to a movie in Paris!) if it had been any other day then Wednesday, our adult tickets would have been 5E for a matinee (before 3pm) but because Wednesday is the day the schools let out early in the afternoon, there was no special price for the matinee. And like I would expect a mid-week matinee in June at home, there were only a smattering of people in the theatreThere was a giant escalator that looked like it wasn’t working, but then was triggered by the first person stepping on it (which excited the kids).
Nice big movie theatre – slickly modern enough to be the relaxing ‘comfort food’ experience we were looking for, but with enough little differences that it felt like a little (albeit safe) adventure… We all enjoyed the movie (for what it was!) and there was some evidence that something had been learned on the trip when the boys observed that the Kyle Reese and John Connor characters in the resistance against the occupying enemy of machines “were like the French resistance when the Germans occupied Paris”.
As far as the idea of slotting a movie into the middle of our cultural Parisian experience – I have to admit that I was initially skeptical, but in the end I think it worked out perfectly, especially for someone travelling with kids (though I think it would have been a good break if we didn’t have the kids with us.) It was nice to be able to turn our brains off (or at least put them into a different gear) for a couple of hours, and to be forced to sit down! (We didn’t suffer from the blisters and foot problems that I have seen reported on this forum before, but I found that my legs got TTTIIIRRRREEEDDD from the extra walking and standing we had been doing.)
<b>Evening at the Louvre</b>
After the movie, we went back to the apartment for a snack (it felt too early for supper – as we seemed to have been eating on French time of 8pm at the earliest lately!) and then made our way to the Louvre for about 5pm. We took the metro to the Palais Royal/Musee du Louvre station, and then into the ‘back’ of the Louvre from rue Rivoli. We were definitely walking “upstream” against the flow of people leaving the museum at that time. I suppose you could call it a lineup at security, but the line moved at a walking pace, so we didn’t really have to wait – more of a slowdown of our pace then a ‘wait in line’ type scenario. When we were inside under the pyramid, we were able to walk right through, showing our passes. I would say though that even without the pass, all I had read about going in the evening to the Louvre to avoid the lines was correct – there were only a couple of people buying tickets to get in, so I don’t think there would have been a wait even if we didn’t have a pass.
We had come prepared to be overwhelmed by the place and had decided that we wanted to “check off” seeing the Mona Lisa, and that we wanted to see the Raft of the Medusa. Anything after that was going to be gravy, so we could feel free to wander at leisure without worrying about what we were missing. So we b-lined it to Mona Lisa – played ‘swap the camera’ with the other tourists (you take my picture, I’ll take yours!). Because I had heard so many times “it was so much smaller than I expected” the painting was actually larger then I had expected. And I found myself feeling sorry for her – like she was one of the Dionne quintuplets – living behind glass, now more important to far too many people then she should have been; important for what she is supposed to be, rather then what she is – setup to disappoint - but it wasn’t her fault (yes I know that paintings don’t actually have feelings…) Anyhoo…
11 year old A absolutely loved the Wedding at Cana, and couldn’t understand why everyone was taking pictures of the Mona Lisa with that huge painting behind them!
Here is the summary of Louvre art appreciation rules for an 8 – 11 year old boy (at least those related to me).
Big paintings = good
Really big painting = Really good
Nudity = not so good
We opted for the 8E guidebook this time, as opposed to an audio guide, and it was useful in giving some relatively light insights into certain themes or techniques to look for. But again, our goals for the Louvre hadn’t been very specific – we knew we couldn’t conquer it, so we were just there to soak it in. I would say that we found the art that we saw in the Louvre more ‘impressive’ then ‘expressive’. My personal feeling was that it felt much more commissioned then inspired, but that is probably my ignorance of art and art history talking! It also may have been the specific route we took, but the family did find that after a time we found it got almost repetitive (oh another religious scene with a bunch of people looking dramatically pious…). Which makes it sound like we didn’t like it, but I would say that we were impressed rather then moved.
I didn’t take good notes on the specific names of the paintings but here were some of our picks for favourite…
A – The one of David and Goliath with two perspectives – one from the front and one from the back
B – A giant picture called something like “the Greeks crossing the river something”
If (when!) I go back, I would definitely take a course or at least a tour to learn some more about what I was seeing – learn enough to be able to take advantage of so many examples in one place to be able to apply whatever it was I had learned to paintings I hadn’t specifically studied. But I don’t think I would be able to plunge into that kind of depth without an initial ‘survey’ like the one we did
<b>The odyssey in search of mosaics</b>
So we were pretty much at our 2 hour time limit, when we remembered seeing a mosaic in the “Up Close Louvre” book we had also read in prep for the trip. Last summer, and again over the March break, DH and the boys had all made mosaics as a sort of project, and so we were pretty eager to see some. And A was pretty eager to do some French talking and ask the security guard / random Louvre room staff guy how to get to the mosaics.
And thus began the odyssey… or wild goose chase… whatever you call it, it involved doing, I think it was 3 laps of the Sully wing in total (is the whole of the 'square' section at the Louvre Rivoli metro station end all called the Sully wing? Because it was that whole square that we lapped...) – including going from the ground floor to the 2nd floor to the 1st floor. A was really focused on the goal – and working hard to navigate us through the map – then ask another staff member (who gave very varied information like ‘no there are no mosaics’; ‘yes… just go straight here and then up a floor’; ‘yes… just go down to there, and then over to there’.). While DH and I muttered to ourselves about the time limit, and ‘should we impose a bail?’ A was absolutely determined to make it to the end of his search… so we kept pressing on (B was a really good sport during this marathon – as it is one thing for a parent to be supportive of a son ‘on a mission’ and another for an 8 year old to be supportive of his brother). In the end, the closest to a mosaic we found were a series of ‘pictures’ at the far end of the Antiquities, that were more out of 6 inch tiles then actual mosaics. And while A was slightly disappointed that it hadn’t ended with the ‘real’ mosaics, he was at peace that his odyssey had ended, rather than be cut short - it was like at some point he realized that there wouldn't be mosaics at the end of the journey, but he wanted to see it through to the end either way. One definite bonus of the trek was that we saw a lot of the antiquities section – something we hadn’t at all planned to visit – and were surprised at how interesting we found it!
What we think now is that the mosaics were in the Islamic art section, which was closed while we were there. Another reason we will have to come back to Paris!
<b>Dinner in St Germain and to bed</b>
It was around 9pm by the time we got out of the Louvre, and we were hungry…
One side note – one of the few specific things that I brought with us from Canada was 4 boxes of the power bars that my kids usually have before hockey games. I figured that if I always carried a couple with me, then I at least had something that I knew the kids would eat, that could help ‘tide them over’ if our eating schedule got of schedule. They came in handy a couple of times, and this was one of them. So while DH and I were pretty peckish (crankily so…) the kids at least had a little something in their belly! So bringing some ‘familiar’ energy bars… that is my tip for traveling to Paris with your kids!
We decided we wanted to ‘eat out’ somewhere, but not somewhere too fancy or expensive, so we ended up back on the pedestrian street just off St Germain, near the St Michel metro stop / Cluny museum. We walked along weighing the offerings of the ‘barkers’ telling us about their 10E menus, 7E children’s menus, “we will give you free wine” etc. eventually settling (and I mean settling!) on a sort of Italian place that had pizza (which B would eat) and spaghetti (which DH and A would happily eat) and I will eat anything. The meal was mediocre, though not mediocre-bad, just mediocre – but it was cheap, fast, and we were full after we were finished, so it did what it had to do!
So… overall… we all thought this was a really good day (in spite of it’s ups and downs!). both museums were unique, amazing, and places I am glad to have visited, and hope to visit again.
Read in bed and then lights out…
Oh, and B finished the Goblet of Fire… so tomorrow – buying Harry Potter is added to our itinerary.
Jul 2nd, 2009, 08:45 PM
#87
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Added some more photos - These ones cover days 5 and 6 (Rodin, Army, Orsay, Louvre)
http://www.kodakgallery.ca/ShareLand...localeid=en_CA
Let me know if there are any problems with the link!
V
http://www.kodakgallery.ca/ShareLand...localeid=en_CA
Let me know if there are any problems with the link!
V
Jul 3rd, 2009, 06:20 AM
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I love the photo of your son in front of the huge painting in the Louvre- it shows the hugeness of the painting very well.
Your scarf is beautiful! It's neat that your guys wanted you to have one, plus buying it is a good family memory. Scarves seem to be getting more popular here in the states now, so maybe you'll be able to wear yours a lot in Canada.
Those power bars were a great idea.
Your scarf is beautiful! It's neat that your guys wanted you to have one, plus buying it is a good family memory. Scarves seem to be getting more popular here in the states now, so maybe you'll be able to wear yours a lot in Canada.
Those power bars were a great idea.
Jul 3rd, 2009, 07:12 AM
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I like the scarf! I am like you and don't ever wear scarves but the men in your family did a great job helping pick out that one. I like memories like that. Everytime you will wear it you will think of something else you all did on that trip! I am enjoying reading your trip report so much. It has been 5 years since we were in Paris and reading this brings back memories. We leave next week for 12 days in Montreal, Quebec City, and Tadoussac and maybe I will try writing a trip report after the trip.
Jul 3rd, 2009, 09:00 AM
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kkukura - make sure that you do write a trip report! I am finding it a great exercise for making sure that I make a record that is fresh in my mind. And at first I was intimidated to start, but I would reccomend just writing it for yourself and people who are interested will tag along. (And post something to this thread when you do - so I can come and find it in case I don't make my way to the Canada forum!)
Efoss - I was happy with that picture too, especially because it was the size I think that appealed to him in the first place!
Efoss - I was happy with that picture too, especially because it was the size I think that appealed to him in the first place!
Jul 3rd, 2009, 05:38 PM
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Wow, thanks for a report that's entertaining <i>and</i> educational. I had never paid much attention to military history and didn't understand the appeal of visiting war memorials, but you described those sites in such a moving, personal way that a tombstone will never look the same again.
re: hiding under the tree during the downpour outside the Rodin Museum--
Some of these moments spent waiting out a storm make the best travel memories, maybe because they force you to stop and just observe.
re: Harry Potter
Would your son be interested in rereading the series in French translation? That's how I learned French (besides the tiny bit I could barely remember from high school). It's great because the first book starts at an eight-year-old's level, and the language in each subsequent one becomes more advanced as the readers grew up over a decade.
re: hiding under the tree during the downpour outside the Rodin Museum--
Some of these moments spent waiting out a storm make the best travel memories, maybe because they force you to stop and just observe.
re: Harry Potter
Would your son be interested in rereading the series in French translation? That's how I learned French (besides the tiny bit I could barely remember from high school). It's great because the first book starts at an eight-year-old's level, and the language in each subsequent one becomes more advanced as the readers grew up over a decade.
Jul 3rd, 2009, 06:17 PM
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Canada V...loving your trip report and wish that we could have taken our three daughters on a trip like that. We can take them now but now it includes their spouses as well and it would mean leaving the grand kids behind. DH and I will be in Paris for a week the end of Aug followed by a week in Holland. Can't wait...we too are Cdn's and will be flying out of Toronto on Air Transat. Love the scarf!!
Jul 3rd, 2009, 10:25 PM
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love your report.
brings back a lot of memories of my trip in april with my daughter.
war stories have never been of interest to me but your report and photos of vimy were very poignant.
your boys are just adorable. love your scarf story and how great you look with the scarf. i think you should add some more to your wardrobe.
brings back a lot of memories of my trip in april with my daughter.
war stories have never been of interest to me but your report and photos of vimy were very poignant.
your boys are just adorable. love your scarf story and how great you look with the scarf. i think you should add some more to your wardrobe.
Jul 5th, 2009, 05:28 PM
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Thanks again everyone
Fifi - reading French is still 'school work' for the boys, but that is a great thought about going for the french translation of Harry Potter - I know we have them in our local library. Actually, I think <u>I</u> will take the first one out to try and expand my high school french!
Jodej - Bring the grandkids too! And enjoy your trip in August (I promise to read your trip report )
abranz - thanks for your comments - and I remember and enjoyed your trip report about your visit with your beautiful daughter!
palette - I hope you do your trip report here (I promise I will read it
Fifi - reading French is still 'school work' for the boys, but that is a great thought about going for the french translation of Harry Potter - I know we have them in our local library. Actually, I think <u>I</u> will take the first one out to try and expand my high school french!
Jodej - Bring the grandkids too! And enjoy your trip in August (I promise to read your trip report
)abranz - thanks for your comments - and I remember and enjoyed your trip report about your visit with your beautiful daughter!
palette - I hope you do your trip report here (I promise I will read it
Jul 5th, 2009, 05:43 PM
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Day 7 – Thursday June 11th
<b>Modern art and time apart</b>
I was up early again this morning, this time taking my early morning stroll up into the Marais. This stroll was particularly charming because it was obviously at the same time that parents were walking their kids to school. Sweet little groups of well dressed children, their scarf-wearing mums, or their ‘on my way to work’ suit wearing dads. I have one mental picture of a two little girls – around 7 and 8 – the older one on her scooter, and dapper dad sharing her sisters scooter just behind. It was a very neighbourhood feel – one of the reasons I liked these early morning walks was that there were very few tourists around – for some reason though, every morning I would always come across a couple (different couple and different ethnicity each morning) up early with the lady reading out of a guidebook, and the man taking photos… The other sure bet tourist first thing in the morning at least one or two little family groups loading their bags into a waiting taxi, obviously on their way home (or perhaps to the next step of their journey!). With my scarf and shopping cart, I am <u>sure</u> that anyone seeing me assumed, of course, that I was local (I chose to ignore the fact that size 11 Birkenstocks are not found on very many (any?) Parisiennes…
I was feeling suitably oriented enough to try some random wandering (i.e. even though I hadn’t brought a map, I had a mental picture of a couple of main streets, the location of a good handful of metro stations, and a general sense of where the river was that I figured I could find my way home). So I wandered, ending up ‘scoping out’ the location of the Picasso museum – planned for Friday - and then eventually the Pompidou centre – on the agenda for today. I really liked the streets and buildings in the Marais, and was again delighted at how Paris seemed to have so many styles or flavours. We had originally planned to go to the Pompidou centre, and then come back to the apartment to each lunch (to avoid taking a chance of undesirable hungry wanderings looking for something suitable), but by ‘casing the joint’ I was able to report back that there were LOTS of options in that area depending on how we felt at the time (cafes, crepes, fast food, sandwiches), so we could safely plan to eat there rather then try and come back home.
<b>the Pompidou centre</b>
The Pompidou centre didn’t open until 11am, so there was no pressure to have a super early start. We took the bus to near Eglise Saint Eustache, and started off the morning watching the kids have a great time playing on the “big head and hand” statue in front.
Side note: We found that although we all got a “good workout” with all the walking, standing and stairs, that the kids still needed that chance to burn off steam. The dampness earlier in the week had, well put a damper on the opportunities for visiting parks, so we had to find other ways for them to have their energy release. This statue ended up being one of the things that both kids usually mentioned when asked for “what are things you liked in Paris?”. As a rule, we give our kids a fair amount of freedom – with the overriding caveat “as long as you aren’t bugging other people!”, and the little square of seats/steps and grassy areas, and the very accessible statue was a very relaxed place. I really liked the juxtaposition of the old church, and the modern sculpture. Someone had graffitied something on the hand, which was a shame… I had originally planned that the kids would spend an hour at the Jardin des Enfants des Halles (though I hadn’t said anything to them) but a combination of everyone getting moving a bit slowly in the morning, and the fact that when we did poke around we couldn’t find the entrance meant we just sort of eyeballed it, but didn’t go in. What we did see seemed like a pretty extensive and intriguing playground (though I fear that if/when we come back, the kids will be too old to go in).
There was only a very short lineup to buy tickets for the museum when we arrived just at the 11am opening time, and for us and our museum pass there was no lineup. By mistake we first went to the very top floor, and then one floor down, in both cases to be turned away from ‘not included in the museum pass’ temporary exhibits. (Well turned away sounds too harsh – ‘chose not to pay extra for’ would actually be correct).
I didn’t know quite what to expect myself, or for the kids, from the modern art, but it turned out to be a big hit all around. DH and A rated it top of the “big three” (B and I both picked the Orsay). Everyone liked both the permanent collection – and I found that the kids were better able at saying why they did or didn’t like a particular picture. It was almost as though our ignorance was empowering ;-} Here’s my theory - we didn’t know what we were supposed to like, and we knew that there are people who don’t like modern art, so it gave us the freedom to like or not like what we wanted! There was also an exhibit featuring women/feminist artists. And again, the kids were (I will admit surprisingly!) interested in figuring out what the artist was trying to say, and then making a decision on whether or not they thought they had been successful. The whole thing – having now seen all 3 of the different ‘eras’ – sparked quite a bit of discussion on what everyone had liked and why, and we seemed to come to the conclusion that we tended to find more appeal to an ‘inspired but failed experiment’ more then a ‘technically excellent, but commissioned’ piece like some of the ones we remembered from the Louvre. Again though, it also highlighted that there is an awful lot about art that we didn’t know... So again… we will have to come back!
Outside, the kids liked the Stravinsky fountain, but not nearly as much as the sculpture at St. Eustache. There was also one of those “painted grey and not moving” type mimes, which A really liked – trying to get him to move, and copying his movement. He earned A’s ‘busker contribution’ for the day!
<b>Lunch, and the afternoon itinerary</b>
Well, the only time we eat at McDonalds at home is when we are making the 10 hour drive to northern Ontario to visit the grandparents (a drive that takes us through the middle of nowhere, and the McDonalds with a playland makes a good break spot!), but of all the options, the kids picked McDonalds – so A did the ordering. I opted out… and went to a Pomme de Pain and had a yummy Nicoise sandwich (it was really quick… as well!). We took our fast food back to Saint Eustache, ate in the sun on the step/seats, and the kids had another chance to play on the statue.
In the afternoon, I was planning to go on a classic walks ‘Paris in WWII’ walking tour. I asked if anyone else wanted to go and nobody was too keen. I hadn’t expected them to want to go – and was actually looking forward to doing it solo - but would have been more then happy if one of the kids said they wanted to come. So we divided up like this… I was going to go on the walking tour, which left from Pont Saint Louis between the two islands at 3pm, and the boys were going to first go to WH Smith on rue rivoli behind the Louvre (thankful once again for having a computer and internet access in the apartment to be able to research where to find english language books in Paris!) to get “Order of the Phoenix” for B, and then walk over to the Musee d’Armee, which A wanted a chance to visit again. So off we went!
First we had to get the boys on the metro, so we pulled out our map to figure out how to get to the closest one. <i>Side note</i> Any time we found ourselves standing on a street corner consulting a map with a puzzled look on our face, some Parisien (or Parisienne!) would stop and ask us if we needed help. There wasn’t a set demographic for who would stop – men and women stopped; young people and older people stopped; people on their own or with a friend stopped. In one case, the young lady pulled out a very detailed map from her purse which she said she had ‘because I don’t know all the streets, and it is very helpful for the tourists’. Whether they were looking to practice their English, or wishing to give a good impression of their city to visitors, or probably a bit of both, it was a very positive phenomenon.
<b>The walking tour</b>
It took me a little longer then expected to walk from the Pompidou to the apartment – I wanted to change as the weather had cooled off a bit – so I ended up sprinting down rue Saint Louis en L’Isle, making it to the bridge pretty much exactly at 3pm. There was a large group, obviously a tour, as the leader was holding a long stick with a sparkly tassle thingy on the end. It didn’t seem quite right, but then I saw a young man holding up a little Classic walks brochure. He didn’t really look like a tour because, well, there were only 2 people standing by him. I went over, and yes, I had the right place, so it looked like the tour would be me, and two Americans who had just arrived in Paris from the states about an hour earlier – a women and her 15 year old nephew. They were taking the tour because the nephew was interested – apparently (as came out over the course of the walking and talking) she has several nieces and nephews, each of whom she has brought to Europe when they turned 15, to visit the country(s) of their choice. This particular nephew was the last one it seemed, and the first one with a real interest and appreciation for the history – in particular WWII - and they were visiting Paris, then Normandy, and were then going to Munich. (Discovering that she was about to run out of nieces and nephews, I lobbied hard, but was unable to convince her that, if she was recruiting that I could pass for 15… in a very very dark room, if I didn’t speak… if she was recruiting). The nephew was as chatty as most of the 15-year-old boys that I know are around unfamiliar adults (i.e. not so much) but at the end when we parted, and I said that he was very lucky to have an aunt like this, he agreed wholeheartedly, and I could see that he was truly grateful and appreciative of the opportunity.
The tour itself was about 2 hours long, and we traveled about 4.5 kms. We ended up at the Place du Concorde, after visiting the Deportation museum, discussing the key historical events at or overlooking their physical locations, stopped at the Louvre courtyard to talk about the thefts and recovery of artwork during the occupation, and because the group was so small, got to ask lots of questions, as well as ‘chat about the facts we were learning’. I’m not actually a ‘war history’ buff, as much as having an interest in what peoples everyday lives were like during the time, and while the focus was (naturally…) on those ‘history buff things’, I definitely found it interesting and worth it – back to the layers, each piece of information layering onto an overall understanding and perception.
I had never been on a walking tour before (unless you count the bike tour from earlier in the week… but I don’t think you can!) and while I had already discovered that I wasn’t an ‘on-site guidebook’ person, I think I am a walking tour person. I think I like the idea of going somewhere ‘independently’ first, and making some initial impressions, and then revisiting them with an ‘expert opinion’. So I was very glad to have taken the tour, but wouldn’t have wanted to take any others on this trip (as I was still in the ‘making my own initial impressions’ stage), but if (WHEN!) I come back, and I envision myself going on more then one of the various tours focusing on a specific area or theme.
<b>The boy’s afternoon</b>
They made their way to the WH Smith with no problem, got the book, and made the trek over to the Musee d’Armee (though DH did say that he was even more appreciative of the ‘directing and navigating’ I had been doing after having to do it without me!). It seemed as though everyone was happy to have a little bit of solo time – B found himself a spot overlooking the courtyard and got started on his book; A went into the museum to revisit the WWI and WWII exhibits on his own; DH spent some time taking photographs (and experimenting with the camera) around the courtyard. They went to a flower market on the way home and brought me flowers when they got home around 6:30pm.
<b>Dinner at a restaurant!</b>
OK, so it wasn’t yet the French restaurant meal I was still craving, but it was a start! <i<(for some reason, the spaghetti we had in St Germain isn't registering as a meal in a restaurant!)</i>
We walked up to the Bastille area to try and find a restaurant – the boys had pledged to have an open mind and to try and find something a little outside their comfort zone. I had asked my walking tour guide for a recommendation within 15 minute walk of our apartment, and he had pointed me to a rue Lappe (or Lippe… curse you teeny tiny Moleskin font!) (<i>argh! Back when I talked about the guide books that we used I had said that one of the shortcomings of the Moleskin was that it didn’t have a metro map… but when I went to look up the street near the Bastille, I just discovered where it was hidden! So sorry Moleskin people – you DID have a metro map after all!</i
. We found it, but perhaps because it was still ‘happy hour’ I couldn’t find something that I was comfortable would suit the family. So we walked around a bit, and finally decided on Leon de Bruxelles for mussels – they had a kids menu from which each kid agreed they could eat (and probably enjoy!) steak hache. But surprisingly (shockingly if you know him…) A said that he would like to try mussels!! I was definitely apprehensive (of all the things to try, mussels seemed a bit risky, and weird looking… for my finicky eldest) but lo and behold… he really enjoyed them! So even though it was a ‘chain’ and therefore a pretty ‘safe’ out of the comfort zone step, (and I wonder if French mussels are in season anyway, or whether we were actually eating Canadian mussels! Though note… I don’t want to know the answer… just let me position this in my mind as French as possible!), it was a satisfying family meal all around!
So another really good day in Paris - we are all really settling in (though that means... not much time left before we have to leave
)
<i>next… our last full day in Paris before we leave for the south</i>
<b>Modern art and time apart</b>
I was up early again this morning, this time taking my early morning stroll up into the Marais. This stroll was particularly charming because it was obviously at the same time that parents were walking their kids to school. Sweet little groups of well dressed children, their scarf-wearing mums, or their ‘on my way to work’ suit wearing dads. I have one mental picture of a two little girls – around 7 and 8 – the older one on her scooter, and dapper dad sharing her sisters scooter just behind. It was a very neighbourhood feel – one of the reasons I liked these early morning walks was that there were very few tourists around – for some reason though, every morning I would always come across a couple (different couple and different ethnicity each morning) up early with the lady reading out of a guidebook, and the man taking photos… The other sure bet tourist first thing in the morning at least one or two little family groups loading their bags into a waiting taxi, obviously on their way home (or perhaps to the next step of their journey!). With my scarf and shopping cart, I am <u>sure</u> that anyone seeing me assumed, of course, that I was local (I chose to ignore the fact that size 11 Birkenstocks are not found on very many (any?) Parisiennes…
I was feeling suitably oriented enough to try some random wandering (i.e. even though I hadn’t brought a map, I had a mental picture of a couple of main streets, the location of a good handful of metro stations, and a general sense of where the river was that I figured I could find my way home). So I wandered, ending up ‘scoping out’ the location of the Picasso museum – planned for Friday - and then eventually the Pompidou centre – on the agenda for today. I really liked the streets and buildings in the Marais, and was again delighted at how Paris seemed to have so many styles or flavours. We had originally planned to go to the Pompidou centre, and then come back to the apartment to each lunch (to avoid taking a chance of undesirable hungry wanderings looking for something suitable), but by ‘casing the joint’ I was able to report back that there were LOTS of options in that area depending on how we felt at the time (cafes, crepes, fast food, sandwiches), so we could safely plan to eat there rather then try and come back home.
<b>the Pompidou centre</b>
The Pompidou centre didn’t open until 11am, so there was no pressure to have a super early start. We took the bus to near Eglise Saint Eustache, and started off the morning watching the kids have a great time playing on the “big head and hand” statue in front.
Side note: We found that although we all got a “good workout” with all the walking, standing and stairs, that the kids still needed that chance to burn off steam. The dampness earlier in the week had, well put a damper on the opportunities for visiting parks, so we had to find other ways for them to have their energy release. This statue ended up being one of the things that both kids usually mentioned when asked for “what are things you liked in Paris?”. As a rule, we give our kids a fair amount of freedom – with the overriding caveat “as long as you aren’t bugging other people!”, and the little square of seats/steps and grassy areas, and the very accessible statue was a very relaxed place. I really liked the juxtaposition of the old church, and the modern sculpture. Someone had graffitied something on the hand, which was a shame… I had originally planned that the kids would spend an hour at the Jardin des Enfants des Halles (though I hadn’t said anything to them) but a combination of everyone getting moving a bit slowly in the morning, and the fact that when we did poke around we couldn’t find the entrance meant we just sort of eyeballed it, but didn’t go in. What we did see seemed like a pretty extensive and intriguing playground (though I fear that if/when we come back, the kids will be too old to go in).
There was only a very short lineup to buy tickets for the museum when we arrived just at the 11am opening time, and for us and our museum pass there was no lineup. By mistake we first went to the very top floor, and then one floor down, in both cases to be turned away from ‘not included in the museum pass’ temporary exhibits. (Well turned away sounds too harsh – ‘chose not to pay extra for’ would actually be correct).
I didn’t know quite what to expect myself, or for the kids, from the modern art, but it turned out to be a big hit all around. DH and A rated it top of the “big three” (B and I both picked the Orsay). Everyone liked both the permanent collection – and I found that the kids were better able at saying why they did or didn’t like a particular picture. It was almost as though our ignorance was empowering ;-} Here’s my theory - we didn’t know what we were supposed to like, and we knew that there are people who don’t like modern art, so it gave us the freedom to like or not like what we wanted! There was also an exhibit featuring women/feminist artists. And again, the kids were (I will admit surprisingly!) interested in figuring out what the artist was trying to say, and then making a decision on whether or not they thought they had been successful. The whole thing – having now seen all 3 of the different ‘eras’ – sparked quite a bit of discussion on what everyone had liked and why, and we seemed to come to the conclusion that we tended to find more appeal to an ‘inspired but failed experiment’ more then a ‘technically excellent, but commissioned’ piece like some of the ones we remembered from the Louvre. Again though, it also highlighted that there is an awful lot about art that we didn’t know... So again… we will have to come back!
Outside, the kids liked the Stravinsky fountain, but not nearly as much as the sculpture at St. Eustache. There was also one of those “painted grey and not moving” type mimes, which A really liked – trying to get him to move, and copying his movement. He earned A’s ‘busker contribution’ for the day!
<b>Lunch, and the afternoon itinerary</b>
Well, the only time we eat at McDonalds at home is when we are making the 10 hour drive to northern Ontario to visit the grandparents (a drive that takes us through the middle of nowhere, and the McDonalds with a playland makes a good break spot!), but of all the options, the kids picked McDonalds – so A did the ordering. I opted out… and went to a Pomme de Pain and had a yummy Nicoise sandwich (it was really quick… as well!). We took our fast food back to Saint Eustache, ate in the sun on the step/seats, and the kids had another chance to play on the statue.
In the afternoon, I was planning to go on a classic walks ‘Paris in WWII’ walking tour. I asked if anyone else wanted to go and nobody was too keen. I hadn’t expected them to want to go – and was actually looking forward to doing it solo - but would have been more then happy if one of the kids said they wanted to come. So we divided up like this… I was going to go on the walking tour, which left from Pont Saint Louis between the two islands at 3pm, and the boys were going to first go to WH Smith on rue rivoli behind the Louvre (thankful once again for having a computer and internet access in the apartment to be able to research where to find english language books in Paris!) to get “Order of the Phoenix” for B, and then walk over to the Musee d’Armee, which A wanted a chance to visit again. So off we went!
First we had to get the boys on the metro, so we pulled out our map to figure out how to get to the closest one. <i>Side note</i> Any time we found ourselves standing on a street corner consulting a map with a puzzled look on our face, some Parisien (or Parisienne!) would stop and ask us if we needed help. There wasn’t a set demographic for who would stop – men and women stopped; young people and older people stopped; people on their own or with a friend stopped. In one case, the young lady pulled out a very detailed map from her purse which she said she had ‘because I don’t know all the streets, and it is very helpful for the tourists’. Whether they were looking to practice their English, or wishing to give a good impression of their city to visitors, or probably a bit of both, it was a very positive phenomenon.
<b>The walking tour</b>
It took me a little longer then expected to walk from the Pompidou to the apartment – I wanted to change as the weather had cooled off a bit – so I ended up sprinting down rue Saint Louis en L’Isle, making it to the bridge pretty much exactly at 3pm. There was a large group, obviously a tour, as the leader was holding a long stick with a sparkly tassle thingy on the end. It didn’t seem quite right, but then I saw a young man holding up a little Classic walks brochure. He didn’t really look like a tour because, well, there were only 2 people standing by him. I went over, and yes, I had the right place, so it looked like the tour would be me, and two Americans who had just arrived in Paris from the states about an hour earlier – a women and her 15 year old nephew. They were taking the tour because the nephew was interested – apparently (as came out over the course of the walking and talking) she has several nieces and nephews, each of whom she has brought to Europe when they turned 15, to visit the country(s) of their choice. This particular nephew was the last one it seemed, and the first one with a real interest and appreciation for the history – in particular WWII - and they were visiting Paris, then Normandy, and were then going to Munich. (Discovering that she was about to run out of nieces and nephews, I lobbied hard, but was unable to convince her that, if she was recruiting that I could pass for 15… in a very very dark room, if I didn’t speak… if she was recruiting). The nephew was as chatty as most of the 15-year-old boys that I know are around unfamiliar adults (i.e. not so much) but at the end when we parted, and I said that he was very lucky to have an aunt like this, he agreed wholeheartedly, and I could see that he was truly grateful and appreciative of the opportunity.
The tour itself was about 2 hours long, and we traveled about 4.5 kms. We ended up at the Place du Concorde, after visiting the Deportation museum, discussing the key historical events at or overlooking their physical locations, stopped at the Louvre courtyard to talk about the thefts and recovery of artwork during the occupation, and because the group was so small, got to ask lots of questions, as well as ‘chat about the facts we were learning’. I’m not actually a ‘war history’ buff, as much as having an interest in what peoples everyday lives were like during the time, and while the focus was (naturally…) on those ‘history buff things’, I definitely found it interesting and worth it – back to the layers, each piece of information layering onto an overall understanding and perception.
I had never been on a walking tour before (unless you count the bike tour from earlier in the week… but I don’t think you can!) and while I had already discovered that I wasn’t an ‘on-site guidebook’ person, I think I am a walking tour person. I think I like the idea of going somewhere ‘independently’ first, and making some initial impressions, and then revisiting them with an ‘expert opinion’. So I was very glad to have taken the tour, but wouldn’t have wanted to take any others on this trip (as I was still in the ‘making my own initial impressions’ stage), but if (WHEN!) I come back, and I envision myself going on more then one of the various tours focusing on a specific area or theme.
<b>The boy’s afternoon</b>
They made their way to the WH Smith with no problem, got the book, and made the trek over to the Musee d’Armee (though DH did say that he was even more appreciative of the ‘directing and navigating’ I had been doing after having to do it without me!). It seemed as though everyone was happy to have a little bit of solo time – B found himself a spot overlooking the courtyard and got started on his book; A went into the museum to revisit the WWI and WWII exhibits on his own; DH spent some time taking photographs (and experimenting with the camera) around the courtyard. They went to a flower market on the way home and brought me flowers when they got home around 6:30pm.
<b>Dinner at a restaurant!</b>
OK, so it wasn’t yet the French restaurant meal I was still craving, but it was a start! <i<(for some reason, the spaghetti we had in St Germain isn't registering as a meal in a restaurant!)</i>
We walked up to the Bastille area to try and find a restaurant – the boys had pledged to have an open mind and to try and find something a little outside their comfort zone. I had asked my walking tour guide for a recommendation within 15 minute walk of our apartment, and he had pointed me to a rue Lappe (or Lippe… curse you teeny tiny Moleskin font!) (<i>argh! Back when I talked about the guide books that we used I had said that one of the shortcomings of the Moleskin was that it didn’t have a metro map… but when I went to look up the street near the Bastille, I just discovered where it was hidden! So sorry Moleskin people – you DID have a metro map after all!</i
. We found it, but perhaps because it was still ‘happy hour’ I couldn’t find something that I was comfortable would suit the family. So we walked around a bit, and finally decided on Leon de Bruxelles for mussels – they had a kids menu from which each kid agreed they could eat (and probably enjoy!) steak hache. But surprisingly (shockingly if you know him…) A said that he would like to try mussels!! I was definitely apprehensive (of all the things to try, mussels seemed a bit risky, and weird looking… for my finicky eldest) but lo and behold… he really enjoyed them! So even though it was a ‘chain’ and therefore a pretty ‘safe’ out of the comfort zone step, (and I wonder if French mussels are in season anyway, or whether we were actually eating Canadian mussels! Though note… I don’t want to know the answer… just let me position this in my mind as French as possible!), it was a satisfying family meal all around!So another really good day in Paris - we are all really settling in (though that means... not much time left before we have to leave
)<i>next… our last full day in Paris before we leave for the south</i>
