Yes, it's worth the trip

Ok, so we've been here a few days and haven't written very much. Chalk it up to exhaustion: by the time we get back from running around all day, eat, and then go out again, we're totally spent, to say nothing of the fact that it's usually around midnight by then. So we've got plenty of photos, but not a lot of spare time to write it all down. For anyone who may care about what we're actually doing, sorry about that. We'll get it all up here eventually.

Anyway, last night was an amazing adventure...the Eiffel Tower. Obviously it's the stereotypical landmark of Paris, but in person it is truly amazing. We went out around 10 pm (the recommendation that the night views are gorgeous was spot on), got there about 10:30, rode all the way to the top, came back down, rode the carousel across the street, got a crepe and ate it sitting by the Seine, went to the subway only to discover it closed, and then took a cab home. By then it was 2 am and we were completely wiped out. Our (well, my) dream of sleeping late was then disrupted by a call from our "landlord" who wanted to meet and give us some recommendations for things to see and do, which we had asked for in the first place. Then again, that's probably the start of a separate entry, so here's some photos/video of last night's trip. (I know the ladies both have tons of photos/video too, so we will probably post better stuff from this trip later).

just off the Metro, target spotted

getting closer...

almost there...

I know, enough already, right?

ohhhhhhh, another carousel!
but this one was two stories tall!

finally there! now to get to the top.

going up!

wait, this is only the second level?

this was in a tiny room at the top, a wax recreation
of Eiffel receiving Thomas Edison as a visitor
when the tower opened in 1889

back on the ground (whew!),
cool view from underneath

did I mention this is the 3rd carousel we've ridden?

  

fun fun fun!

the ostrich was my favorite

crepe making magic!

do you see how happy she is?
a delicious (past) midnight crepe,
sitting riverside in Paris with the family.
finding moments like this is why we came.

every hour on the hour each night the tower goes dark
and they light it up with sparkling lights for five minutes.
this is the last showing at 1am before it went dark for the day.
words can't describe how beautiful it was to watch together.

(Ok, I'm having trouble getting the videos to upload and it's getting late. I have another one of the elevator rides to the top, but will try to get it up later)

A New Columnist!

We are pleased to announce a wonderful new voice to our bloggy little indulgence, the one and only Goldilocks! We've been making here keep a daily journal of her trip (a habit she seems to be enjoying), but she's here today with a soon to be regular column; the differences between Paris and Home. So without further fanfare, here is her inaugural piece:


Differences

#1: There are no fire hydrants whatsoever in Paris from what I’ve seen so far.

#2: Dogs are everywhere here in Paris, and most are small and they’re all so tame that a few (most! - Jack) of the dogs we see here aren’t on leashes and still don’t go up to you, like in the States.

#3: There are two separate bathrooms in the apartment, one called the bathroom, where you take a shower or a bath and wash your hands, and then there’s a toilette where you go to the bathroom, and, of course, it has a sink.

The French are so clever with #3!

-Goldilocks

do you know how hard it is to get a photo of a
leashless dog, without looking like a weirdo?
-Jack

Farmer's Market and Picnic in Parc de Bercy

Our first full day started off being awoken by a very loud, annoying pigeon that has nested outside our bedroom window...it made for a more effective alarm clock than any we've had prior. Every time we shooed the bird away, it would return after a few moments (like Mother Nature's evil snooze button - Jack), a rather interesting way to wake up. 

After waking, we met our "landlords" for coffee and a hello, which was amusing because they spoke minimal English and we spoke even less French. Of course they spoke enough English to express the opinion that American's were lazy with languages. Oh, and the pigeon belongs to them, it's name is Josephine, and they helped hand feed it's recent hatchlings (so killing the pigeon is out...seriously, have you ever heard a pigeon squawking 10 feet from your head while you were sound asleep? - Jack).

Down the street from us on Sundays and Thursdays is a wonderful Farmer's Market. We enjoyed walking from stall to stall to see the different offerings and even managed to converse in French well enough to pick up a few tasty treats for a picnic. Based on our day and a half, so far we'd concur the French know good food...and wine of course. Goldilocks has fallen in love with roti poulet (rotisserie chicken) from the boucherie and baguettes from the patisserie (because even the simple things seem to taste so much better - Jack). However she did not enjoy the croissants au beurre we foisted on her for breakfast this morning, stunning we know!

a soon to be Sunday tradition

mmmmmm, good food!

In the early afternoon we walked to the Parc de Bercy for our picnic lunch - which seems to be a very popular French past-time, one we will be happily adopting as our own. It is a fabulous park with lots of shady green spots to lay down a blanket and spread out. After our picnic we explored the grounds, discovering koi ponds, a maison au du jardin, a carousel, a modern waterfall, and even a skateboarding area. At the Carousel, Goldilocks had the biggest and fluffiest Cotton Candy we've ever seen, and I indulged in some fraise ice cream. (Jack enjoyed many bites of both treats.) In the maison au du jardin, we found one of Goldilock's favorite books from when she was younger "Dix Petite Graines" (Ten Seeds), it was fun to be able to read a book in French and completely understand it.

your standard big field, but the rest of it is winding
paths, shady glens, flower beds, and waterways.

all the picnickers hang out in the shady nooks
and crannies scattered through the park

awwww, aren't they so cute when they're asleep?

bonjour monsieur, ca va?

a Paris tradition since 1900. the boat was
a nice touch, since it rocked back and forth.

freshly made and completely awesome!

note the stepped water channels, 

to prevent les infants from turning it 

into a giant water slide.

we only read this 10,000+ times in English,
so the French version was a snap to follow

After spending the day in the park/gardens, we walked home for a light dinner and a quick rest. Most likely we'll head back out tonight, as it's now almost 9pm and still bright daylight. We discovered last night it doesn't get dark until after 10:30, which on the one hand is very cool (seemingly endless days); on the other hand, no one has been getting to bed prior to midnight.

Truly a bon journee!

Jill

(photo captions by Jack)

...and a special video bonus! 

We've arrived!

What Should We See?

Keep in mind, these are in addition to the nine guidebook/map apps that are on my phone. I think we may have overdone it a bit! We're also taking a side-trip to London for a few days, although that's pretty much mapped out already. With Paris though, it's still a blank slate. Certainly there are the biggies on every list (Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsey, Montmartre, Notre Dame, Versailles), but we also plan on doing a lot of it laissez faire style..."hmmm, looks nice out, what should we do today?" Which is why it will be nice to have all these maps and guides to flip through.

So, if you've got any recommendations (or even better, favorite spots), don't be shy!

Anticipation

It's amazing how time flies. Jill has been thinking (fantasizing - notes Jill) about this for years, planning (fantasizing - Jill) it for almost a year, and Goldilocks has been counting down the weeks for the past three months. And here it is, we leave in four days!

FOUR DAYS, HOLY CRAP!