Tuesday, July 1

Postcard From France - Parisian Life


We are settling into Parisian life. Paris is much like New York City. It is thrilling and exhilirating, yet it is busy, stressful and exhausting. You come to a big city for excitement and adventure - not rest and relaxation. Big cities and young children are a challenging mix. We have to remind ourselves constantly to keep our plans simple, allow for a lot of extra time and be mentally prepared to spend a lot of money. 
With that said, we are making the most of Paris. On Sunday we went to the Jardin des Plantes where they have a charming zoo. Later we met Henry's pediatritan, Dr. Gopal, and her family. At Henry's recent 4-year old appointment we learned that our trips would overlap. They decided to spend 5 nights in Paris on their way to India. I was impressed with how much they were able to do traveling with 2 girls (ages 11 and 8) and a 7-month old INFANT! They made it to practically every site and museum! We met at the famous Berthillon ice cream shop. Again, I sampled "salted butter caramel."
Yesterday, we raced to get out of the apartment by 8:30 AM. We have been on "vacation time" so that was no easy task. We rode a bus to Henry's school (Bilingual Montessori School of Paris). He is attending a summer program for 3-6 year olds for one week. He seemed to enjoy it. On Friday he will take a field trip to the Centre de la Mer et des Eaux (Aquarium).
Yesterday we ventured to the other side of Paris to visit a special boulangerie and Parc des Butte Chaumont. It was a glorious sunny day... Henry rode the carousel (the French love carousels... they are EVERYWHERE!) and he played a fun carnival-type game where he caught moving plastic fish for a toy prize.

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