You guys, we made it! And I only yelled at the kids… maybe 7 times? In my world, that’s an achievement.
Before a flight. I RAN home from work at three, took a quick shower, changed, and we zoomed to the airport. Arrived with plenty of time, even had time to have at least three arguments and break the division barrier: you know, those ribbons for crowd control?.. R broke two.
The flight itself was fine but I haven’t slept a wink. The kids slept plenty – especially R. He was out pretty much after two hours into the flight. So I am writing this on our first day, while the kids are on their iPads. I nodded off in our taxi for a while and that took an hour – so much traffic getting into Paris! But, the driver was professional, kind, and helpful.
The airport does a wonderful job making it so clear to you that you should NOT hire people inside the terminal. Instead, follow the signs for taxis, and a professional taxi will take you into Paris – at a fixed rate of 56 euros! I did take a taxi mainly because of that reason – I felt like I am being charged fairly.
Our waiter for lunch in a spot on Île St Louis was very to the point, not tremendously friendly, but I liked him. He tolerated my poor French without jumping in with English. And he did speak English! Instead, he listened to what I tried to express and continued the conversation in French. My French is workable but poor. He probably did see my effort and felt bad lol
Lunch was a miss for the kids. I ordered quiche with salad and bread covered with melted cheese. While I loved both, because the dishes were freshly made, and I needed that after plane food the night before. But the kids were pretty much like “no, thanks.” A bummer. So I brought the left-overs home. Apparently, doggy bags are a no-no in French culture but it is slowly changing to reduce food waste. I asked for a box with just a little guilt 😉
What did we see today, on day 1? In spite of being dog tired, the kids were hyper, so we got out into some sun and clouds shortly after checking into our Airbnb in Le Marais. The airbnb checkin was a breeze- a person met us outside of the apartment. The apartment itself is tiny, but has everything we need. So, after we got out, we just started walking. Walked down to the river, crossed over the bridge into Île St Louis, found a play ground, found a café, ate, slowly walked around Le Marais and Île St Louis, found some stores, browsed around, went into a small supermarket, bought some groceries for the week. Milk (I drink my coffee with milk), and cereal and stuff. Oh, and detergent- the apartment has a washing machine. Will do the laundry tomorrow. Below is a mishmash of pictures from today… Ultimately, it was cold but it was still enjoyable. I give credit to R – he walked. For a while. From Bastille to Île St Louis to Le Marais. Very happy for him! Again, that was not without cajoling from my part.
We came back around 2PM Paris time and man, oh man, the kids were tired. L deposited herself into bed stating she needs a nap. A rarity! R soon followed, then me. We woke at around 5PM. R had milk and cookies, while L lounged. I made reservations at Le temps de Cerises, a neighborhood bistro. I honestly don’t know what the kids will eat but I certainly will order some dinner.
Mom of Children 