Ding ...

Even though Sunday is usually our down day, we decided to make a run for the Jardin du Luxembourg to for our second attempt at seeing the puppet show at Théâtre des Marionnettes.  Although these shows are all in French, we had heard that they guaranteed a giggle whether you understand the language or not so we decided to give it a try.  We chose the Three Little Pigs so the girls would have some idea what was happening although, I’m not sure that their previous knowledge of the story really helped them here.  This was the most bizarre rendition of the three little pigs that I've ever seen including a prince, an ostrich and someone who looked very much like little red riding hood.  The second act was even more off-book featuring an electrified apple, an attack snake and a heart-breaking solo by the wolf as he repents his past transgressions and dedicates himself to living kosher.  The girls didn't mind at all - Charlotte just kept saying, "That wolf is so silly" Apparently, she's not afraid of the big bad wolf.

Since you can’t find a swing anywhere in Paris, we decided to splurge the E3 and give the girls a spin on the old-fashioned swing boats.  They really got some air on these things.  No wonder they are under such tight control.  The staff even takes a short length of rope and ties your child onto the swing - understanding gravity as I do, I can't believe that this measure would make any difference at all.

We metro’ed home and everyone enjoyed a late lunch and a little nap before heading out for the evening.  We promised the girls that we would take them with us on date night tonight and they were very excited.  We planned to walk along the section of the Canal Saint-Martin which is closed to traffic on Sunday afternoons until we reached Pink Flamingo pizza.  You can order a couple of pies from this kid-friendly restaurant and they will deliver them to you at your picnic spot along the canal.  We checked it out thoroughly before we dragged the whole kit plus the Humvee across town … Is it open on Sunday? Yes.   Is it closed for summer holidays? No.  What we didn’t think to ask was … Does it open before 7 freaking pm?!?  We showed up at 5:30 and were bitterly disappointed.  We fed the girls the scraps that we had packed to supplement their pizza meal and quietly endured the ensuing histrionics.  To try to placate them, we walked over to the Paris Plages so they could play in the sand for a few minutes.  Once we were home and they were all tucked in bed, we reminded ourselves that this is a part of traveling and that every day can’t go perfectly.  Then we heard a ding – our frozen pizza was ready.

Imagine ...

Everyone slept in this morning past 8:00 - it seems the pace we are keeping is even tiring Natalie out.  Once everyone was rallied and fortified, we hopped the metro for Parc Andre Citroën - a fun garden in the far southwest corner if the city.  It was a lovely morning - sunny and temperate - so we packed a couple of fresh baguettes and some stinky cheese for a picnic. When we arrived, the first thing we saw was a hot air balloon (helium, actually) so we took a ride and the girls loved it!  After that, we wandered through the small, color-themed gardens trying to pick out plants and bugs that we don’t have at home.  Feeling a bit rebellious, we set up our picnic on the grass  - which is forbidden in city center parks.  The girls soon succumbed to the siren song of squealing children playing in a nearby fountain and soon happily joined the ranks of the soaking wet.  We took the metro home and everyone enjoyed a little downtime in the afternoon.

We didn’t make it out for date night until 5:30 and, as such, we were hungry.  We started off with a little refreshment and people watching at the classic cafe and brasserie Cafe de la Paix which offers a nice view of the opulent Opéra de Paris Garnier.  Next, we wandered to the movie theater and saw ‘The Trip’.  We thoroughly enjoyed it but this may partly be because we are starved for English-language media of any kind.  It was also ironic that we had abandoned a reservation at a fine dining restaurant tonight in order to see a movie about eating in fine dining restaurants!  The movie experience was mostly as it would be at home except the popcorn was truly terrible (and I consider myself a connoisseur).  First problem was it was not being popped there - it appeared to have been popped in some central location, treated with a salt substance and then shipped to theaters across the city.  They didn't even have butter!  This is perhaps another reason the French are so trim - their snack foods suck.  

After the movie, we decided to climb up the hill to Montmartre and get a couple of crepes for dinner.  We found the area around Sacre Coeur quite busy and festive on this Saturday night and we were happy find our spot on the crowded steps leading up to the church and take a moment to appreciate the spectacular view of the city.  We then sat down at out favorite creperie and were pleased to find that a singer was just returning from break  - he belted out classic French songs, the odd Beatles song and a couple original pieces.   I'm sure that a similar scene has played out for hundreds of thousands of tourists over the decades but it felt so fortuitous for us to be in this restaurant on this warm Paris evening enjoying this simple food and good music.  We are so very grateful for this trip.

Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?

After our morning routines, we piled the girls into the Humvee and rolled down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées leading up to the The Arc de Triomphe.  I’m sure at one point this was a very charming thoroughfare.  Now, not so much.  We took our rightful place among the herd of lowing tourists who were making their way to the Arc de Triomphe.  The girls were happy to walk up the 284 stairs to the top but, once up there were less interested in the view. By the time we were ready to take the obligatory family photo with Eiffel Tower in the background, the girls were done.  A couple of unsuccessful attempts proved frustrating for everyone until Daddy shooed me away to 'have a talk with the girls'.  I overheard the word 'treat' and all of a sudden it was all co-operation and smiles ... not a tactic I would normally condone but Jack is a results-oriented kind of guy and sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do!  

Our cupboard was bare this morning when we were packing up for our picnic lunch so we ended up at the bottom of the  Arc de Triomphe with 2 hungry girls and faced with the search for a restaurant that would satisfy our varied pallets. After a quick scan of the menu at Fouquets, we decided that we were in tourist-trap-land and needed to move far away from here to get a decent meal. We walked up toward Parc Monceau and stopped in at Cafe de la Poste where we got a little room all to ourselves and a very yummy and well, earned meal.

After another little siesta (this is becoming a habit ...), we went off to Bercy to the La Cinémathèque Francaise for the last day of the Stanley Kubrik exhibit.  We planned ahead this time and downloaded the audio guide onto our phones before we got there so were not stymied by all the French captions.  It was a fascinating visit into the mind of this gifted director and reminded us of a few movies we must make a point of seeing again ... 

We finished our evening off with a meal at Itineraries in the Latin Quarter and a walk home through the lively streets of the Left Bank.

Le Patisserie Smackdown

Due to the amount of food related content on today's blog, I've brought in Jack as a consulting blogger.  With the August shut down deadline looming, we decided we'd better check some if the patisseries off the list before our favorite pastry chefs pack up to spend a month in their summer homes in Provence.  We started with Pierre Herme to try their Ispahan croissant (lychees, rose and raspberries) which they don’t make in the summer (strike 1) but we settled for the same flavors in a pastry.  Gerard Mulot is already closed for the summer (strike 2) so we will have to wait for our next trip to France to try his raspberry chocolate croissant. We stopped in at Poilane for our second visit but they did not have what we were looking for so we picked up an apple tartlet and some croissants (can’t leave empty handed).  Next stop was Maison du Chocolat and got 2 éclairs: caramel and chocolate (of course!).  Next stop was Christian Constant for his signature chocolate tart.  Hugo et Victor rounded out the contenders where we picked up the 'Hugo' a log of caribe chocolate and tonka bean mouse and lime soaked cake with a decorative, gold tonka bean right on top. The tonka bean is not legal in US because it contains a neurotoxin that is harmful in large quantities - of course we did not know this and cut it in half and gave it to the girls.  There goes mommy of the year award.  

We walked to Luxembourg Gardens this morning so the girls to take in the Marionette show at 11:00 but, when we got there, we discovered that they have changed the schedule and these classic French puppets now only make their appearance on weekends (strike 3).  The girls enjoyed their second visit to the playground there though and were happy to have so many English speakers to play with.  It seems that the tourists have arrived in earnest now.  Jacqui overcame her fear of the zip line after her success at the Jardin du Dunes so she spent a good part of the morning winging around and giggling uncontrollably.  

We had lunch at a small bistro and rushed home so Natalie could take her nap at home and we could have a pastry party with all of the spoils of our morning pastry hunt.  We cut each one into pieces so everyone could try everything.  Tasting them side-by-side really allows you to distinguish between something that is sublime and something that is merely awesome.  Charlotte cleaned her plate but Jacqui, the girl who poured over the Patisseries of Paris book and in large part inspired this blog, tried a molecule of each one, turned up her little nose and asked 'What’s next?'!  Although she has the interest, I don’t think her palate is ready for anything but macaroons and pain au chocolat - maybe next year.  After our scientific taste testing (see pictures below) the general consensus was the Hugo bested all of the other pastries with the Ispahan a close second.  Charlotte offered a dissenting opinion, judging the caramel eclair the champion.

In the evening, we went to the Pinacothèque de Paris museum and on to Sur Measure for dinner.  This was our best meal yet in Paris!