Local's Day

Nina and family have no school on Wednesdays, and they invited us to enjoy a part of their typical off day.  We met their nanny Emily at a metro stop near Parc Monceau, and enjoyed mixing it up with the other Parisians.  The amazing thing about this day was the sheer number of people in the park mid-week.  And not just school kids, but lots of adults too. I've never seen a park so crowded in my life.  It's amazing the French ever get anything done.

 

Borrowed scooters. Scooters are popular in Paris.

 

Playing Tug of War.

 

Good tree climbing was to be had.

Ina had a dance lesson later that afternoon, so we all returned to their apartment, left Bryce to play with Nevin while Voya was working, and the rest of us took the journey over to Ina's dance studio via taxi. Visitors are not allowed to watch, so we went to a low key cake shop (I can't remember the name), and enjoyed an awesome carrot cake, some sort of gooey chocolate decadence, and a heavenly pistachio and cherry torte.

 

Sue nicely showcases the simple interior.

 

Pistachio torte with cherries.  Heavenly.

Laurel waiting patiently to start eating her chocolate tart.

After our snack, we went to check out Paris' version of Whole Foods supermarket: Bonne Marché.  This place had it all, and more.  Not only was everything impeccably arranged, but they had an amazing cheese section, a very complete international foods area, some fantastic looking pre-prepared foods, and even a counter dedicated to Fois Gras. We bought some cheese and bread to consume in the near future.

Nina and Ina have different opinions of transport in Paris. Ina likes the metro, and Nina prefers the bus.  Even though the bus is slower, it's little cleaner, and you get to enjoy the sights of the city as you go from one place to another.  We snagged a bus back to the family's apartment, and as Nina said, it was really enjoyable. Besides, I was still a little peeved at my metro citation, and didn't really want anything to do with it for a while.

We had a glass of wine with our friends, and then bid them adieu until San Francisco.  We were grateful we had their guidance and to be able to experience a little bit of what it's like to live in Paris.