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.