We met up with our friends Rachel and Anetta at Jar Din du Luxembourg this morning. Every french family we've spoken to has sworn that this is the Mecca for kids in Paris. Of course you wouldn't know this until you have kids. Ours bounded straight to the playground, which is not free. But we didn't mind the 2 Euro 50 cent entrance fee because this playground is truly all that it's made out to be.
The kids went nuts over the awesome zip line and must have swung across it over 50 times. They played close to two hours, taking turns with the merry-go-rounds and other swings. They also made friends with some french kids, something I've been pushing BB to do in my french immersion crusade.
Speaking of immersion, BB has been practicing his french at the restaurants and I make him ask for directions even if I know where we're headed and push him in front for most transactions. Having said that, I've been polishing my french well too and between us we haven't spoken any English outside the house.
A couple of hours later, we meandered across the Sorbonne university square to a Parisian cafe for lunch. BB got chicken with lemon and rosemary sauce. I don't want to jinx it, but food hasn't been as big a problem as it is typically when traveling with BB. He's not big on croissants or the lovely french pastries but he loves a good baguette with grilled chicken. I'll take what I can get one step at a time. Considering that BB's first act when he stepped foot on French soil was to puke (due to plane sickness), we're doing fab!
Post lunch, we strolled over to the Pantheon and then winded back into the park to rent sailboats. These are similar to the ones in Central Park, only more old-worldly a.k.a not remote controlled. BB rented one with a Canadian flag themed sail but that one broke and when he went back, the US flag themed sail was available, so we figured that it was meant to be! Mom and I settled into the moveable chairs around the lake with a crowd of spectators enjoying all the water action. BB ran up and down the lake, prodding and nudging his petit bateau around. This in my mind is a perfect childhood memory - I hope he feels the same way.
At 4pm the marionnette theater at the park was showing Trois Petits Cochons. Puppet shows starring guignols and Marionnettes have been a tradition in France since the 1800s. It's quite the french thing to do with your kids on a weekend afternoon. The guignol in our show, like all others, was a jovial, friendly-looking wooden-headed fellow with a thick accent. He was the playful and endearing host of the show introducing the story, the pigs, and bringing the big bad wolf to retribution. It was a wonderful 45 minute show in french. BB was of course thrilled. This right up his alley. And of course he wants to come back for more. And we will - in August!
We leave for Venice tomorrow. It's a super early 6:28am TGV to Milan, then onto city of canals and gondolas. So looking forward to Italy!!!
1 comment:
Loved reading. Please keep them coming. And enjoy your time
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