After the big road trip, we decided to have another mellow day for the kids, so we let everyone sleep in and didn’t plan much of an agenda for the day. We figured shopping and seeing a movie in the evening was a good choice. I was up and ready a little early and feeling my time short in Paris, though. Wendy took advantage of our only day in town this week, and went for a run along the Promenade Plantee. I decided to go city exploring while she was running. I asked the kids if any wanted to go with me, and Dillon volunteered. Mali worked on art projects and gameboy while Hayley worked on Facebook, email, and gameboy.
Dillon and I ended up in the Tuileries gardens (outside the Louvre). The Musee de l’Orangerie was near our metro exit, the lines were super short, and some Americans we bumped into on the Bato Bus on our first day recommended it, so Dillon and I went in. I absolutely loved it! It is a much smaller museum than the rest we’ve been to in Paris, but I loved the artwork and the atmosphere. The first floor has Monet’s Water Lilies. Two large, oval rooms with 4 paintings that cover each wall. It’s plain beautiful. It’s also very relaxing. The rooms are quiet, and there aren’t huge crowds, so you can sit and enjoy the art instead of being trampled, pushed, and cut off. The second floor has a lot of impressionist art. André Derain, who I was not familiar with before going, was my favorite coming out. There’s a good article on the reopening of the museum here.
After that, Dillon and I called home. Wendy was just back from her run (she went longer than expected which never happens when I run), so Dillon and I got to stay out longer. There was a famous chocolate shop, Pierre Hermé, close by. Dillon and I have been going to the famous ones and getting chocolate and macaroons as a hobby. La Maison du Chocolat has the best macaroons so far. I think Pierre has the best chocolate, but the pavés and the atmosphere at Michel Chaudun can’t be beat. Anyway, we got some macaroons (more than we wanted but why argue with the nice lady) and chocolate. We then got some travel books for Venice and Munich and headed home.
Wendy wanted us to get lunch. Turns out our two favorite bread stores are closed for the rest of the summer. The first I knew, the second I found out. We marched down and found another. It had a great selection and really good food, but the lady there speaks French at 100mph and has little patience for clueless people like me. So, we’ll endure dirty looks for the good bread.
After that, the older two kids and Mom took off shopping (more on that later). Mali and I hung out at home, but that got old for restless me, so I talked her into going back to the Musee de l’Orangerie (our tickets were still good). Loved it the second time, and the small and not crowded aspect made it work for Mali. All the walking is tough on her, so this worked out great. We went by the carnival rides, but I was too cheap to pay for myself and Mali wasn’t super excited about any of them, so we opted for gelato. On the way back we decided to stop and look at the ‘Paris Plage’ (man made beaches along the river. I always think Paris plague when I see the signs). It was a sunny day, so the beaches were packed. Mali and I watched a break-dancer and then headed for our favorite gelato shop. Dillon and Hayley were waiting at the entrance when we got home. They left mom to continue to shop.
Once Wendy got back, the family (minus me) went off to see Toy Story 3. I love Pixar, but I’m feeling the time in Paris run out so I decided to explore Paris more. It turns out that Wednesday night the Louvre is open until 10pm and tickets are 6 euro after 6. So, I went to the Louvre while the family did the movie. I hit the French artist section in the Sully wing and saw some cool stuff. Then I went to the Italian and Spanish sections. Late on Wednesday is a great time to go. There are still lots of people, but it’s not insanely packed around the big ticket items. I could actually get to the rope in front of the Mona Lisa without feeling like I was in a rock concert. About closing time is when I started to feel museum burn out, so I headed home and beat the family by about 10 minutes.
Wendy and the kids had fun at the movie. The theater was HUGE and had comfy seats and cool lighting. It was fun to see how the ads/previews were done a little differently than at home. The movie was in English, with French subtitles, so they could understand it. We did the traditional watching of Lost, and then called it a night.
We saw this cool monument while lost by the Place de la Republique
Happy kids after Toy Story III
How cool. Did you see it in French?
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