Adventures in Paris, part deux
Without a doubt, the worst thing about a trip to Paris is leaving. Saying goodbye to some of her favorite people is something Avienne is starting to get used to. She understands that we live in a large world and far away from family, but it doesn't stop her from asking why Nana has to stay in France or why Tata can't come with us back to Texas. It's always heartbreaking and never seems fair, but we explain as best as we can and try to remind her throughout the visit to make every moment count.
Adventures in Paris, part 1
The thing about vacationing in Paris is that we spend a large part of our time catching up with friends and family that we don't always have time to completely enjoy some of our favorite parts of the city. We usually stay with family just outside the périphérique and spend a good deal of time in the car going around to see people and getting back to the suburbs for moments in-between. So, this time around, we decided to stay in a hotel right in the middle of Paris instead of outside the city center with family. This way, we were really able to take advantage of our down time by catching up with our people in Paris and being a short metro ride away from the home-base (which turned out to be really convenient at nap time).
Saint Cézaire in the summer
We’re in France for a couple of weeks, making our way around to see family in the south and bouncing around Paris for the rest of our time here. We were in Paris for Christmas last year, but it feels like such a different place in the summer than in winter. It’s been a year since were last in the south of France, and as usual, it’s all pretty much awesome in the summer.
For the last few days, we’ve been staying on the Côte d’Azur at Guillaume’s grandparents’ property in the tiny town of Saint Cézaire-sur-Siagne. It’s a picturesque French village, reminiscent of that little town Henri describes in one of Avienne’s favorite books, Henri's Walk to Paris (although, I’ve never actually seen a bus come through this place).
Christmas in Paris
It's hard to believe we're already 2 weeks into a new year! After two consecutive Christmases spent stateside, we headed to Paris this year for the holiday. It was a short but sweet whirlwind of a trip, and we left with full bellies, hearts and an extra checked luggage. Avienne is at the age where she actually grasps the idea of Christmas, so it was really fun to introduce some of my and Gui's favorite traditions with her this year.
We had our fill of all the traditional and seasonal French fare, including foie gras, cheese, buche de noel and of course way too much champagne. I really enjoyed not having an agenda for the trip, focusing instead on spending as much time as possible with family and relaxing whenever possible. Avienne played lots of games, baked cakes and indulged in so many goodies, it was hard to convince her to get on the plane back home!
We were able to catch up with some friends we hadn't seen for a good while, and the weather was so mild for December that we were able to spend a day out at the local Christmas market and a bit of time at the enchanting park where Amelie was filmed (that swan!). Paris is truly magical this time of year, and I know we're all pretty grateful that we get to bask in its magic from time to time.
Ice skating in Texas!
Avienne's been asking to go ice skating for months now, and I finally got around to taking her with some friends a couple of weeks ago. Whole Foods puts a rink up in their mezzanine area every year, and it was our first time checking it out. I haven't been ice skating since I was a kid and fearless enough to actually enjoy doing it. Even though she was super excited about going, I was a little nervous that she would be scared about falling or actually hurt herself and call it quits (which, sadly, is totally something I would do). But, to my surprise, she braved through a few falls and kept a smile on the entire time. I love that she saw enough joy in the activity to push through her fears, and her attitude was so motivating and inspiring to me. I'm also hoping this means that she inherited her papa's athletic genes because goodness knows I don't have much to offer in that department!
Chamonix avec les amis
So, we spent some time in the mountains a few weeks ago. Some of our best friends from Austin were visiting La France and hooked us up with a slightly extravagant chalet tucked away on a hill in the Alps. I'm not much of a mountain (or nature) girl, but it's hard not to feel the magic that radiates from being in a valley full of sunshine surrounded by colossal, snow-capped mountains. Our visit there definitely brought out my inner hippie.Being the city folk that we are, we opted out of any major physical activities and settled on sightseeing from the lift's drop-off points (and eating all the traditional cheesy, meaty specialties in the area, of course). We explored a bit once we reached a good point on the mountain and couldn't stop watching all the brave paragliders jump off of the mountainside with only an oversized umbrella on their backs. Although I opted out, Guillaume, Avienne and the rest of the group put on their big-boy pants and took an open-air lift across one of the mountains to get a good look at the great Bossons Glacier. The pictures they took were beautiful, but after seeing the flimsy little chair lift, I'm definitely glad I sat that one out.
Together again
It occurred to me last week that I'd been pretty vague about what we've been up to lately and the plans we've been making & following through with over the past few months. Even to close friends and family, I hadn't been publicizing our plans because the truth is, we weren't really sure how or if they'd all unfold the way we wanted.
So much to do and so much time
Exploring Paris with a toddler is interesting. Avienne has a pretty hefty appetite for physical adventures and human interaction. She enjoys social settings so much, even if only to sit and observe others. Riding the métros, busses and trams all over the city with her by my side has been a much different experience than what I remember from my past solitary commutes. She treats everyone like someone she knows and it makes for a somewhat shocking experience for some Parisians. On our very first métro ride together, we sat across from a woman who made it known that she was very offended that I allowed my kid to sit across from her AND that I crossed my legs which she felt extended into her "territory." I couldn't help but laugh at the poor woman, but managed to keep my cool. Another woman sat down across from me who was extremely and abnormally kind to both me and Avienne, and I reminded myself that Paris is full of extreme personalities such as these. I mean, isn't the whole world somewhere between very kind and very rude? We've thankfully avoided other encounters with the rude since that last atrocious one, but I'm sure it won't be our last.
Besides our adventures on public transportation (and there have been many), we've been bouncing around from café to café in hopes of finding our new coffeeshop hangout. Our weekend mostly consisted of discovering new-to-me restaurants and coffee shops and enjoying delicious meals and beautiful places in the process. We spent most of Saturday writing on walls and admiring the Jeff Koons exhibit at the Pompidou museum. We found a nice brasserie [not so] nearby for a very French lunch, followed by a long walk through the Tuileries with a sprinkling of a mini brass band concert and some fountain-side sailboat watching. According to my iPhone, we walked over 9 km (over 5.5 miles) that day, and boy, could I feel it!
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