Sunset at the Arc Du Triomphe

It was our final night in Paris. I was jonesing for one last Parisian authentic French meal, especially cassoulet. Sue was still stuffed from lunch, and is vowing to eat nothing but salad when we return.  The kids were moderately hungry, after having had ice cream from their favorite local shop.  Fortunately, everyone needed to get out and exercise, so we ventured to the Arc Du Triomphe - about 30 minutes walk from our flat. It's a great monument to France, and it also houses the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Arc is in the middle of a huge traffic roundabout, and to get there you have to walk through a tunnel under the road.  To keep the kids cautious when crossing the street, I told them the Arc housed the Tomb of the Unknown Pedestrian. 

We had heard the view from the top was equal to the Eiffel Tower, and since we arrived at sunset we took the 267 steps up to the top to view the city from another angle. Especially interesting is the perspective of the Champs Elysee, which runs from the Louvre, past l'obelisk, through the Arc du Triomphe, and then beyond to the skyscraper part of town where a modern arch-like building now stands. You gotta give the French kudos for their sense of aesthetics.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has a simple plaque, and they light a flame every night in his honor.  It was a good illustration to the kids of the sadness and senselessness of war.

 

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Afterwards, we had a decent dinner at a Lebanese restaurant, which had vegetarian food for Bryce, and was crowded enough to appear to be a good place.  The most interesting thing was the rose petal ice cream for dessert.  I'm still sad I missed out on my cassoulet.

Day at the Louvre

With one of the world's great museums just minutes away, we had to pay a visit to the Louvre.  Our kids are tiring a little bit from antiquities, so we had to keep the visit interesting and not stay all day.  We chose to check out the Egyptian section, and also the paintings area that contains the Mona Lisa.

 

Laurel and Bryce outside the Louvre's famous pyramid

The Egyptian area was impressive.  We all enjoyed the Sphinxes, but our favorite place was the Dendera Zodiac - a stone carving for the roof of a temple - made in 50 BC - that mapped out the skies and illustrated the constellations as they were known at the time.  Many of our constellations were based upon the Egyptian renderings.  The coolest thing is that the engraving is dated by astronomers within one month, just by how the various planets and stars are positioned. The other sculptures were very cool too.

 

The Sphinx

 

The Cat Goddess Sekhmet

 

The Dendera Zodiac - a map of the heavens from 50 BC.

The Mona Lisa was also a big attraction. It seemed everyone wanted their photo to be taken with her.  In person, the Mona Lisa isn't that big, but by seeing it up close, you can appreciate the "smoky" coloring technique used by DaVinci and other artists at that time.

 

Everyone is paparazzi to Mona Lisa

Also notable in the same gallery was a painting re-enacting the coronation of Napoleon and his wife Josephine.  The work was commissioned by Napoleon, but was historically altered to be to his liking. The scene depicts Napoleon placing the queen's crown on Josephine, with 200 figures in the painting looking on (75 of whom have been identified). Also interesting is the image of Napoleon's mother watching happily, even though the record shows she disapproved of the ceremony and didn't actually attend.  I guess if you're Napoleon, you can get your royal painter to do whatever you like.

Eiffel Tower Stats

A few days ago we went to the Eiffel Tower. Max amount of tourists you could ever see were there. Here's a few cool facts:

-The oldest female elephant (85 years old) was taken up to the first floor
-The building uses 60 tons of paint every 7 years.
-The whole thing weighs 10,100 tons
-The Eiffel Tower was put together using rivets. The builders used 2,500,000 rivets. One third of them were hammered in on the spot, the rest in the forge.
-The citizens HATED the Eiffel Tower at first and wanted to tear it down. Little did they know that in the future it would become the symbol of France and become known worldwide!
-The third floor has a really cool view!

Ciao!

Laurel

P.S See you in about a week! Maybe more, but probably a week!

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.

Expensive Metro Ride

I like traveling light, but sometimes getting rid of excess paper isn't a great idea.  As we were riding the Paris Metro today, we were stopped at the exit by the local police looking to check our tickets.  I bought a pack of ten, but once we entered the gates I didn't think to save mine, and neither did Laurel.  My rusty French kicked up a notch as I tried to talk my way out of a fine, even referring to myself as a "stupid tourist", but to no avail. We were looking at a 80 Euro fine for possible turnstile jumping, but the policewoman only fined me 40.  It was still a bummer since nowhere did it say you had to keep your ticket. 

We got checked once in Spain, but this was right after the entrance, which was more fair.  Nevertheless, now I know...

An Eye-ful of the Tower

Sue has been great about getting us out of our Spanish wake-up-at-noon schedule since leaving Spain, and because we have just a few days here in Paris we want to make the most of them.  Sue also hates crowds (as does the rest of the family), so we got up at a reasonable hour today to climb the Eiffel Tower.

Our flat is a short walk away, and as such we get to see the Eiffel Tower up-close every day and night.  But it still beckoned to be conquered, so we paid for our tickets, and humped it up the 704 steps to the second platform.  From there, a quick elevator ride got us to the very top.  It's quite dizzying up there, and both Bryce and Sue start feeling dodgy when confronted with heights, so we stayed only about ten minutes or so before dismounting.

The structure itself is incredible.  It was built in the late 1800s, in just 2 1/2 years, and was the tallest structure in the world for about 30 years.  Charles Eiffel was a master of steel structures, having build several bridges before attempting this feat.  Once completed, he installed an office for himself at the very top, where he would meet special guests.  The office remains, and there are lifelike figures of himself, Thomas Edison and an assistant which you can see through the glass (reenacting a meeting he had with Thomas Edison). The Eiffel Tower is an inspiration to anyone who is considering creating something audacious, and this has become the world famous symbol of Paris.

The Eiffel Tower is also a photographer's dream.  Here's some of Sue's pix:

 

From our neighborhood at night

 

From across the Seine

 

From Arc du Triomphe

 

Looking down from the top. Note the shadow.

 

Looking up at the elevator.

 

Bill is 281 meters tall in this photo!

Les Coquottes de Christian Constant

We have a limited time in Paris, and also a limited capacity for food.  I wanted to experience some real authentic French cuisine, and the kids were hungry, but Sue felt she had enough Parisian food for one day from lunch so I took both kids to dinner myself.  We settled on a neighborhood restaurant called Les Coquottes de Christian Constant.

First, some background.  A coquotte is a special cast iron pot, known for heating evenly and helping food retain its flavor.  Christian Constant is a Michelin starred chef (with three restaurants all next to each other).  We had walked past his Coquottes restaurant several times already, and it didn't seem pretentious or overly priced, especially compared to his top-of-the-line restaurant next door. I had seen kids eating here as well, so it seemed like a winner to me.

Bryce enjoying the ambiance in Les Coquottes de Christian Constant

Bryce has been the tricky one to feed in Spain, but here in France it seems we can always get him something with bread and cheese, or something with vegetables (since he is a mostly-vegetarian).  He ordered a minestrone soup, and a coquotte with "young vegetables".  Laurel had an awesome mushroom bisque-like soup.  And I ordered bass with clams, cooked in coquotte.  (Actually, I think I may have initially ordered a "coquette", but after a funny look from the waiter I quickly corrected myself.)

The kids all enjoyed their meals, as did I.  Laurel even sampled some of Bryce's vegetable dish.  Bryce's minestrone soup actually had shrimp in it.  The coquotte cooking style definitely worked for us.

 

Bass en Coquotte with clams

 

"Young Vegetable" Coquotte

 

Insane mushroom soup with smoked duck

Desserts were awesome too. (How can you go to Paris and not order dessert?) I ordered the namesake "Chocolate tart of Christian Constant" which was superb - it had a velvety texture, and was rich without being overbearing. The whipped cream on the side was a nice touch. Bryce got an amazing chocolate mousse (which we voted best dessert).  And Laurel scored with a waffle with caramel and salt. 

 

The "Tarte de Christian Constant"

Earlier in our trip, dessert time would almost become a free-for-all when we attempted to share, but now it seems our family has become more civilized.  Before dessert arrived, we agreed on the following mechanism: take one bite, and then pass the dessert to your right.  Both kids were on their best manners with this system, and everyone got to enjoy all three desserts.

In the restaurant, I noticed Christian Constant walking around (recognized by the photo on his book displayed in the restaurant).  I chatted him up a bit in my still rusty French, and got him to pose for a photo with Laurel and Bryce.  I'm sure he notice their impeccable table manners as well. It's their first celebrity chef photo!

 

Laurel, Christian Constant, and Bryce

Update: Both Bryce and I forgot our hats, which you can see on the wall behind us. I hope they are still there for us!

Exploring Notre Dame

With just a few days here in Paris, we want to make the most of our stay without overdoing it for the kids.  We've visited plenty of religious sites while on our Spain adventure, and even though the kids are just about maxed out on churches, we had to go see Notre Dame.

We purchased tickets to board one of the river ferries, and cruised our way down the Seine towards Notre Dame.  Along the way, we enjoyed seeing the river barges that people live on, and wondering what life on a barge would be like.

Along the way, some of the wire fences on the bridges were covered in locks.  Apparently, if you attach a lock to a bridge in Paris, it means you'll be back.  We decided to test this theory, and bought our own lock to attach to the bridge, along with the colorful mosaic of thousands of other locks in all shapes and sizes.

 

Our lock

 

Bryce and Laurel on a lock bridge with Notre Dame looking on

 

The mosaic of locks

Notre Dame was surprisingly easy to get into, mainly because they don't charge admission.  After having come from the Sagrada Familia, and some other amazing places in Spain, Notre Dame wasn't nearly as impressive.  However, when you consider that is 850 years old next year, putting it into that context makes you appreciate it more.  The kids are becoming jaded though, but they did suspend their biases long enough for us to go in and get a quick tour of the inside.  Sue snapped some nice photos:

Friends in Paris

One of the drivers of our trip was to visit our friends from San Francisco living in Paris.  Voya, Nina and their kids Ina and Nevin (also known as "Guy") took a year off from the USA, and enrolled their kids in an International School in Paris.  Ina and Laurel were classmates and friends from Burkes, so it was cool for them to reunite.  The family is Serbian, and are all really nice. We had a great visit.

 

Ina and Laurel

They are living in a spacious apartment, in a nice looking neighborhood.  Voya is a computer entrepreneur like me, and Nina is a marketing and branding specialist, so like us they can live and work anywhere.  Nina has some interesting insights into the culture of living here, including:

1. Nobody plans ahead in Paris.  It's unheard of to schedule a play-date two weeks in advance.  Example: They went to a birthday party this afternoon that was organized just two days before.

2. Nobody exercises in Paris.  But nobody's really overweight either.  Nina says the Parisiens know how to not overdo anything, so they eat sweets, drink, smoke, etc. , but not to excess.

3. Ina's school meets four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 9 to 4.  They have a couple weeks off every six weeks.  But apparently Ina works like crazy while school is in session.

4. If Ina is late to school - even one minute late - the gates are locked and they have to go through an inconvenient process to get into the school.   Being late is apparently a big deal. Nina said they have never been late.

More will come to me, but I thought these were interesting.

A Parisian Kind of Day

There are many reasons why religion is popular in Europe, but even hard core atheists can appreciate the fact that Christianity begets a plethora of holidays.  This Monday was a new one for me: "Second Easter."  It's also known as the Pentecost, and it occurs six weeks after Easter. Both France and Spain celebrate it, so the weekend gets extended one extra day.

Since we figured the museums and other attractions would be extra-crowded, and since Sue hates crowds, we decide to make this a "what's it like to live in Paris" kind of day. We took a long walk to the Tuilerie gardens from our house, in search of playgrounds and trampolines.  When I was here last, I remembered a long in-ground trampoline here, but now it appears there is just a smaller structure, mainly for younger kids. Nevertheless, the Tuileries had a great playground, and Bryce and Laurel got to mix it up with a few French kids with a game on some platforms with springs underneath.  The object was to jump from platform to platform, knocking the other kids off.  We really haven't been able to interact with too many other kids on this trip, so it was nice to see our kids still had their peer group social skills intact - even with a language barrier.

 

Bryce (hiding Laurel) on a spring platform

Once the kids got too hot, we wandered farther down the Tuileries until we found a pond with several handmade wooden sailboats in it.  The kids begged us to let them rent their own.  Since this was low tech and non-electronic, we didn't think it would be very interesting to them, but we agreed anyway.  To our surprise, they played with these sail boats for almost an hour.  The vendor assigned each of them a sailboat, and gave each a stick.  They would position the boat, and then push it with the stick so that it would sail to the other end of the pond, propelled by the wind.  Getting your boat to go through the fountain in the middle was worth extra bragging points.  It seemed like this game had been here for hundreds of years, and about ten other kids were doing it as well.

By the time we were done, it was close to 3 PM, so we went in search of a light lunch that everyone would eat. We settled on a cafe, and ordered the "mixed cheese board".  Not expecting much, we were pleasantly delighted by what we received: a selection of some of the tastiest cheeses ever, with some Spain-like ham to boot.  In particular, the Camenbert and one of the Brie variants were outrageously good.  The Camenbert was just blue-cheesy enough to have a bite, but super smooth and not overpowering.  The Brie was just right creamy but not heavy.  All of us enjoyed sharing this feast of cheese, not wanting it to end.

Later that night, after visiting our friends, we sought out the lit-up Eiffel Tower. It is magnificent during the day, but at night it's even more awe inspiring.  And once an hour it gets a sparkling light treatment for five minutes or so, making the visual even more special.  We were fortunate enough to catch the sparkle show. Photographs don't really do it justice, but here goes anyway: