Marionettes, Sail Boats, and an Amazing Playground

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!!!

Arc de Triomphe and Champs Élysées

Last evening I convinced BB to give up his park time for something a bit cooler - going up to the top of the arc de Triomphe. Thanks to mom, we all rode up on the ascenseur (elevator) and only had to scale the last 46 steps. Small feat compared to the daily stair master routine we go through using the metro.

The views are spectacular and everyone was blown away by the radiating streets, Sacre Coeur and of course the tour Eiffel. BB went photo crazy again soaking in all the views.

We ended the night with a stroll down Champs Élysées where the highlight for BB was the (hold your breath)...Disney store! Take the kid out of America but you can't take America out of the kid :)

Chateau de Versailles

First palace of BB's life! I was excited about taking the boy who lives in his own fantasy bubble to the magnificent palace in Versailles. Our apartment is very close to RER C access but the metro line near our house is shut for renovations. The guy at the metro station was particularly helpful and I'm so proud that I could converse with him in French without sounding like an idiot (or so I think). Anyway, here we were an hour later.

To say that Versailles was swarming with humanity would be an understatement. I think the world is getting overcrowded. There's hardly a place devoid of the hordes or of selfie sticks. And so we jostled with thousands first to gain entry and then to be able to take in any of the palace chambers, tapestries, and paintings. The heat only compounded the madness as we flowed with the streams towards the famed Hall of Mirrors. As you can see, it was tough getting a single photo without a someone's head or butt or elbow walking into the frame.

After two hours of gawking at the luxuries in the life of Louis XIV, we were ready to get some fresh air in the gardens. Vast is a word too small to describe this sprawling estate. I wish the fountains had been turned on for this hot summer day. We wondered how Louis XIV got around. BB promptly said by horse carriages, of course. I wondered how he got around that palace without getting exhausted. I'm sure kings had their way!

A happy lunch later, we were on our way back to Paris!