Inquiring Minds

Woke up to a beautiful sunny day, but still didn't leave the apartment until 11 a.m. After the requisite stop at the bakery for a small baquette, Pierce and I were on our way. One of the best things about traveling with a toddler is the insatiable curiosity, which makes you appreciate the undiscovered. P was fascinated by the goings on as viewed thru this mail slot.

Today we explored a bit around the other side of Rue Saint Antoine, a major street about 2 blocks from our apt. Stumbled across an awesome farmers market, some pictures to illustrate. Let's just say that the Paella guy was as hot as the dishes he was selling (shout out to all the single ladies). My personal nirvana was the cheese stand, one of three that went out for a good 25 feet of booth space. And, seriously who knew there were like 30 different types of Oysters?

A farmers market is ideal for Pierce who loves to look at all the food as much as Mom and Dad. A big "oohhhh" comes out of his mouth as we approach the market. The bread not being enough he immediately demands an apple, so he may peruse the offerings on a full stomach. He keeps repeating, 'apple, apple, apple' until he gets one and this lovely elderly lady says in a crisp English accent, "Isn't that clever, he speaks some English." I say to her in French, 'well that would be because he's American' :) She was really nice and cute and loved playing for a bit with Pierce.

After buying some items we strolled over to Hotel de Ville (today is the last day for the ice rink). Did I mention it is near 60 today! Had a great time running back and forth chasing pigeons, laughing at skaters and riding yes, the merry go round.

While Pierce snoozed I devoured another hour of my book, then added to my hat collection with a small purchase at a tiny shop. After nap we were off and running to a neighborhood park, which was packed, but fun. P demanded dinner and since I didn't feel like cooking we ventured to a small bistro, which Mitch and Pierce and I ate at previously. Another great experience and the owners could not have been nicer to Pierce. Outdoor space was at an extreme premium today, so unfortunately we had to eat inside, but the space is so charming it was still fun. Oh, and Pierce occupied himself by petting dogs, so it was all good.

Forecast calls for more of the same tomorrow, so hoping for more quality time outside :)

Parking it in Paris

Pierce and I did the trifecta of park visits today, with another merry go round thrown in for good measure. Mitch left for Ireland this morning and P and I got a slow start, but made up for it with our park exploits. We hit up all the hot spots and Pierce got friendly with some more local gals at his favorite pick up place, the top of any slide. This one little chatterbox of a girl was non stop talking to him, it was very cute, but I think eventually P just gave up and kept telling her "Pierce, Slide!" Like enough already, but not wanting to be rude :)

Naptime found me at a cafe on the Place des Vosges for potage des legumes (bowl of vegetable soup), glass of wine and an hour of solid reading time. The trip moved me to pick up some Paris/French themed books. I first read Paris to the Moon, which I liked, but didn't love. Currently I am reading Luncheon of the Boating Party, which I adore so far. It's a fictional account of Renior's famous painting and really brings to life the whole era. Highly recommend it.

I put down my book for a second, while Pierce continued his snooze, and I somehow landed myself in a political discussion with my table neighbors. First French politics, then on to America and what I think of Obama. Every single French person who has asked where we are from, always follows it with "Obama is from Chicago!". Move over Al and Michael, there's a new American icon to associate with our fair city. At any rate, I felt good at least being able to hold my own in French throughout the discussion. Of course, smiling and nodding goes a long way sometimes on the finer points.

To end our evening, a falafel take away offered plenty of dinner for both of us. We have now tackled 4 of the maybe 10 falafel places on Rue de Rosiers. We'll pick a favorite soon. Le petite food critic would give everything he eats 4 stars, look for his review soon. He is big on writing up his culinary adventures.

Tomorrow is going to be 54 and sunny, so there's sure to be more merry go round mayhem :)

Montmartre Mystery Machine

With the movie Amelie fresh in our minds (had to finally rent it before we left) we trekked over to Montmartre today and got a gander at Sacre Coeur and the surrounding area. It was overcast, but warmish (48F), which meant the tourist brigade was not out in force. To fully appreciate the view, I guess it should ideally be sunny, but then you get the crowds, so I'd rather the overcast and deserted.

At the base of Sacre Coeur, Pierce does what he does best and whined until we let him ride the Carrousel. Actually we don't even fight it in anymore. My new career my involve writing a review of Paris merry go rounds, as I am now a classified an expert, along with my trusty horse riding companion.

A quick trip to the top to check the view, followed by a slow walk back down to get Pierce in nap mode, yielded a nice walk through the neighborhood for Mitch and I. A lunch stop for foie gras salad (Mitch) and a delicious crepe (Jen) and post nap brought us yet again to a merry go round. Are you sensing a theme here?

This was not just any carrousel. It was particularly built for wee ones and was one wacky ride. I got a lump in my throat since Pierce could go on alone and all Mitch and I could do was stand around taking pictures. He looked so big on the ride and loved his spin in the Mystery Machine. Yes, he rode as the 'driver' in the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine Van. I told you it was a different sort of merry go round.

The carrousel resides in front of a Metro stop that features one of only two remaining original and ornate 'Metropolitan' signs. Gorgeous. Wish more would have survived over the years.

Mitch leaves on Friday for his Stag party in Galway, Ireland but no rest for the blog. Pierce and I will be doing our duty to continue the Gordon family invasion of Paris.

Seine-sational

Le Petite Napoleon was born again today as happy go lucky kid, much to our extreme delight. Such is the mercurial nature of a toddler I suppose. The best day yet, weather wise. Low 50s and sunny, absolutely beautiful. The sun inspired an early start (10:00 am) and we headed to the Jardin des Plantes, a beautiful outdoor and indoor bontanical garden only a couple metro stops from our neighborhood. This is one of those spots in Paris that you'd miss in a week long visit here. There's nothing famous about it, like Luxembourg Gardens or other Paris hotspots, but it is equally as compelling and a local favorite. There's a wonderful small zoo, that resembles Lincoln Park Zoo, although this one is 7 Euro a person. Pierce loved it and since it is quite small you can get very close to the animals.

Again the playgrounds at this place were fantastic, perfect for the 2-5 year old set. After a park bench lunch Pierce happily crawled into the stroller for a nap and Mitch and I ate lunch in the nearby Latin Quarter. Against better judgment, Mitch ordered Andouillettes, yes it was the 'suggestion du jour' and yes it sounds and looks like it would be andouille sausage but incased meat here is on an entirely different level. Yuck. And when Mitch says something is nasty, that means the rest of us would get sick right then and there, because this is a man that regularly dines on brain tacos.

The afternoon brought an unexpected delight for Pierce. We took a boat ride on the Seine. Pierce loves to shout "River! Boats!" each and every time we cross the Seine and frequently accompanies this with "Pierce in there!". So we put it altogether and hopped aboard a 'commuter' boat, not the tourist one. No commentary, but great time.

We had a babysitter tonight and indulged in Thai food. When I say indulged I mean it, it was our most expensive meal. It was actually very, very good and a quaint, dare I say romantic setting. Thai food here is like a 40 degree day in Chicago this winter, you know we should have more of them but don't.

Looking forward to more 50s this weekend. Fingers crossed :)

Doggy Bag

Pierce decided today was the day to become the reincarnation of a petite Napoleon. He put on his best almost two year old tantrum and tried it out on us. Needless to say by Noon we were exhausted and decided to keep things low key today. Luckily the P man was defeated near Places des Vosges and succumb to a nap in his stroller yet again. Mitch and I had lunch at the most charming bistro a few blocks from our apartment. Gorgeous interior and sumptious olives on the table, slathered in garlic. My hat obsession may only be trumped by my love for olives. A bottle of the 'vin du mois' (wine of the month) soothed our nerves. The bistro steak I had was delicious, while Mitch enjoyed a chicken dish.

As we are dog people (hello Quincy!) , we adore seeing all the pooches around town and are quite happy to share our restaurant space with them as well. A rather friendly Husky gave us the 'scrap staredown' at the bistro today. Although this restaurant was very French, complete with non-touristy vibe (ie... Don't even think about speaking English), I could not resist taking a picture of said dog with Mitch.

After a trip to the local park, where Pierce got bullied by a little Parisian kid, (no international incidents quite yet, Pierce decided to play negotiator instead of instigator), we retreated home and Mitch cooked up some tacos. Yes, tacos. We love spicy food and it is severly lacking here. A quick trip to the Monoprix grocery store earlier in the day yielded some tortillas, meat, avocados, tomatoes etc. The most expensive delicacies in the store! We managed to score some hot sauce as well, not bad all in all.

Hard to believe it's halfway through our adventure.

In Louvre With Paris

Our first rainy day. Well, actually just about 2 hours of drizzle in the morning. We thought we'd try our luck and go to the Louvre while Pierce did his stroller nap. Started with our 'daily bread' from a bakery across the street. This is an adorable tiny shop that I'll snap a picture of soon. Maybe three people can fit in it, and there's always a line out the door about 10 deep.

We decided to walk halfway to the Louvre, which puts us at Hotel De Ville, or Paris city hall and let Pierce burn off some steam before nap time. Yet another merry go round ride, this time on the double decker one! Pierce is obessesed with the merry go round, which he calls 'playground' because they have them in so many Paris playgrounds. Boy is he going to be disappointed when we go back to Chicago parks :) A quick side note about Paris parks, they are unbelievable, so many cool contraptions, none of it would fly in the states, we'd be suing the pants off the park district for injuries. We'll take some pics and post at a later date, but the stuff on playgrounds here is a far cry from ordinary. Let's just say trampolines built into the ground surrounded by concrete and some spinning devices that look like they might propel a kid 200 yards across the park. It's a good thing we are mellow parents :). A 'traditional' slide appears with Pierce in this pic.

Back to our day. After a quick trip of elevator and escalator riding at the Pompidou Center (Pierce loves the glass elevators), we had a nice lunch at a nearby Italian place. This is only the third lunch here that Pierce has been awake for. He enjoyed his Caprese Salad and pizza. He fell asleep like clockwork and we ventured into the Louvre. Pretty crowded for a February day. We made it into two of the galleries (Richelieu and Denon). Mitch hit it on the head when he mentioned on this visit he is so much more fascinated by the architecture of the interior, the lighting and the security than the artwork. I guess it's a combination of been there, done that and just seeing a different perspective this time around. Did the requisite swing by the Mona Lisa in the Denon gallery. She's been moved since the last time we were here back in 2002, complete now with a 30 foot view. The rope was at least that far back, with likely about 200 tourists clamoring for a view. We were more interested in the people than the piece. It's a far cry from previous visits. Honestly if memory serves me right, back on my first trip to Paris in 1989 (20 years ago, yikes!!) it wasn't even behind glass yet.

Back to the apartment for a wine, salmon quiche and fresh salad dinner. Another pleasant Parisian day.

Birds Of A Feather

Today we had actually had a goal in mind, make it to the bird market near Notre Dame. It is held exclusively on Sundays, on other days there is a flower market in the same space. We figured Pierce would love watching the birds and he did. Other little creatures were also for sale including bunnies, guiney pigs, chickens, ferrets, etc. Some may be for consumption, others for pets. At any rate, it is a colorful place for a quick visit. On our meandering walk over there we stopped for a while to take in 2 local jazz/blues bands who set up shop on a bridge. One of the best things about Paris is that on Sundays, they close many streets and leave them open to only bikes and pedestrians. It's like having "Bike the Drive" every week, so cool. The bands provided a great soundtrack to the beautiful background.

Lunch brought us to a intimate spot over in the Latin Quarter, a short walk from Notre Dame. Mitch enjoyed a 3 course meal with Rabbit and I had fondue. Yes, I am a total sucker for it. Love, love, love it. A nice Burgundy wine complemented the meal.

A milestone of sorts was reached today in our quest to be considered 'temporary' Parisians. Two different groups asked us for directions, (in broken French of course). I think the stroller makes us look like locals :). Happy to oblige in both cases and excited that I actually knew both places they wanted to get to.

A quick afternoon shopping trip netted a very cute new hat, a red fedora. Yes, my hat obsession seems to have been brought to life in Paris. Following a trip to the park for Pierce, where he made some new friends, we headed home and bid adieu to Steph, who is headed back to Mexico on Monday.

Lovely Sunday.

Take Two

As promised we went to our local farmers market to partake in his sandwhiches today. Truly exceptional (if we haven't mentioned that already?). We spent a quiet afternoon wandering our neighborhood. It seems we say this a lot, but I kid you not, we could spend a month alone in the marais. When Pierce napped we visited a local art show, that was held inside a gymnasium. It was all painters who currently reside in the marais. Some decent stuff for sure. We then had some Belgium beers and relaxed at the ultimate people watching spot, in the heart of the neighborhood. We for sure thought we'd witness a smart car crash :), no one yields here!

We had the babysitter again tonight. Mitch and I went on a local bar hop first then off to dinner at a small bistro (Yet again :)). Good food and super friendly service and so nice to be out and about as adults. Pub crawls are fun :)

Hangin' In the Hood

Yesterday was pretty exhausting, tons of walking, so we decided to just hang out locally in the neighborhood today. We rarely leave the apartment before 11 a.m and today was no exception. (photo on left is in front of our apartment building, which leads to the courtyard) We headed over to the Marches Des Enfants Rouge, the local farmers market. The same guy who runs the crepe stand there and gives Pierce free pastries also does sandwhiches. We got one for the little guy to eat in the park today and honestly it was one of the best meals we've had here. The thing was amazing, from the bread to the seasoning and ingredients, it was as fresh as can be and very unique flavors in the herbs he used. I ordered Ham, Cheese, Tomatoes and Avocado for Pierce, but what made it truly great was the 'secret' spices and other veggies he used. We could eat these daily and just might :) Plus Pierce is obsessed with watching him making everything and loves to stand on the counter and groove to his tunes.

After playground time at at the nearby Temple Square Park, Pierce took his afternoon repose and we enjoyed lunch by Hotel De Ville, which is the Paris City Hall. Gorgeous building currently with a big ice rink in front of it. In the summer they are doing beach volleyball there. From there, Steph and I split off from Mitch and Pierce to do a bit of shopping. As all the girls out there know, there's something great about shopping with a girlfriend and even better in Paris. Really we were there to keep each other in check. We did the big department store, then off to the small boutiques. Lots of fun stuff and in the end we kept it under control. I got an amazing green handbag (yeah, I know I don't need anymore, but this is tres chic and for everyday wear) and a very fun hair accessory. Don't plan on other purchases, my travel shopping philosophy is to never buy something you can get at home. In the case of my two purchases, they are unique to Paris, which obviously is exceedingly rare.

As we eat dinner, prepared lovingly by Mitch (fresh tortellini with garlic and tomatoes), he is lamenting his own cooktop. Just not quite the same here, but getting by in the kitchen so far. Actually some darn good things coming out of there, so can't complain.

The Big Tinkertoy and Paparazzi Round Two

A gloriously sunny day and near 50 so it definitely took the chill off. We ventured over to the Eiffel Tower (didn't go up) really no compelling reason, been there, done that. Pierce had a blast at the Champs de Mars park in front of the tower, tons of cool stuff for him to do there, including feeding Pigeons, much to my dismay. I hate those things! Mitch and I had another great lunch at a small bistro on Rue Cler, while Pierce napped again. Perfect timing! Wandered over to the Tullieres after the tower and Pierce took advantage of the Merry Go Round. Fortunately he wasn't too keen on the donkey ride so we didn't have to indulge that. While at the Tullieres a French Child/Toddler Magazine asked to take Pierce's picture, the kid might need an agent. As skeptical as I am about these things it actually turned out to be legitimate. We'll let everyone know if Pierce makes his debut in France.

Mitch and I had a babysitter tonight, which was awesome. It was wonderful to get out for an evening and just relax. Went to a very small bistro (8 tables I think) near our place and enjoyed a quiet and slow meal. We got our sitter here through our landlord David, she is the nanny for his 3 year old. The experiment was a success and thankfully she's coming back for a few more days over the course of the next few weeks. Not sure Pierce will even know we've left the premises :)

A Big Hand For Paris

A bit on the chilly side today. That sort of bone chilling dampness that makes 40 feel like 30. It didn't dampen our routine in any way though. Headed to the Les Halles area right by the Pompidou Center. At night this area is SEEDY; think ladies of the night. But during the day it's a nice park, go figure! Pierce had a spin on the merry go round and once again fell asleep in his stroller to allow the adults some bistro time. A leisurely lunch was followed by a stroll to the Louvre. When Pierce awoke he played in the gardens and we warmed up by heading to the underground mall. Didn't go in the Louvre, we'll save that for another day. Had a fabulous street side meal for dinner tonight. Got falafels to go from a Jewish place about 2 blocks from our apt. The Marais is known for three things, a vibrant Gay scene, a thriving Jewish culture and Haute Couture. Sounds like a good trifecta to us.

Mitch was kind enough to play babysitter and Steph and I went out to a lovely dinner last night, fantastic risotto starter and nice pork main course. We followed dinner with a trip to a hole in the wall English pub. Very fun. Again, you wouldn't notice a recession anywhere here, every place we walked by for both dinner and drinks was packed last night.

Tomorrow night is babysitter night so Mitch and I will be hitting the town.

Fun at the Gardens

Perfect Parisian day. Weather was near 50. We had grand plans of going to the Musee D'Orsay but opted for the Jardin du Luxembourg instead. Steph and the Gordons had a fabulous time at the picturesque setting. It also inspired Mitch and I to get back on the running regime after seeing where all the joggers go in Paris. Well, we were inspired for a few minutes anyway, we'll see about tomorrow. After strolling the grounds, Pierce napped on a full stomach of Jambon et Fromage Crepe and the adults enjoyed a leisurely stop at a nearby brasserie for beers. Had some amanzing paninis from a tiny Italian shop near the Odeon, Steph and Jen had triple fromage ones, while Mitch munched on a salmon concotion. Amazing flavor! Honestly, exceptional! Steph and Jen are off to a wine bar tonight. Then we have a babysitter tomorrow night.

Paloma Picasso and Pierce Papparazzi

Our landlord here informed us that Paloma Picasso owns the first floor in our building. Of course it is one of many properties she owns and is not spotted here very often, but it still compelled us to visit the Picasso Museum today. This is about 1.5 blocks from our apartment. Did I already mention that the apt. location rocks?! There's a nice little courtyard in front of the museum, along with a huge mirrored wall that reflects the courtyard and building, a bit like the bean really, but not as cool. At any rate, Pierce enjoyed running around the courtyard before we ventured into the museum. Because of his international diplomacy skills, he became an immediate hit with the other tourists. Enough so that a few of his 'fans' decided to take photos with him. Italians love children and Japanese love taking pictures so he was receiving ample attention from these groups. The photo on this blog is Pierce with his Japanese fan club. We are thinking of putting a little beggars cup in his hand, we figure he could finance a few dinners each week :)

The other big news of the day is the arrival of Stephanie from Cozumel. Many of you know Steph as the wedding planner extradonaire down South of the Border. We can hit her hotel with a stone if we had to as it is just across the street from our apt. We christined her first day here with a beer at a brasserie down the street. Back in our Edelman days Steph and I used to share an office with 2 other people, so we'd speak French to each other to communicate without being 'heard' by our office mates.

What Recession?

Sunday brought us to the famous Paris flea markets 'Marche des Puces'. Really extradordinary collection of everything from vintage Chanel to amazing clocks and anything in between. We browsed a bit and got some prices on clocks. Mitch has been coveting a vintage wall mount piece for years. One thing that is clear is that France is apparently not in a recession. The stores are packed and the flea market prices were pretty staggering. The area surrounding our apartment is filled with independent designer shops and between yesterday and today there were the type of crowds you would see at Taste of Chicago or the day after Christmas at Woodfield. And, people were buying tons. It was almost a frenzy. I poked around in a few shops and the selections are amazing, but the prices are obscene (said the recovering shopohalic).

Oh well, C'est La Vie. Glad to see that the whole world isn't feeling the pinch :)

Culinary Curbside

So it is day three here and we've yet to address food. The Gordon family is down for trying anything culinary wise, especially our little Anthony Bourdain in training, Pierce, who can almost out eat his Dad now. As we have the apartment most of our meals will be home cooked, in what is a fairly well equipped kitchen. We have found an awesome outdoor market that operates daily to pick up most of our supplies. The French shop nearly every day since the idea of 'frozen' food and even refridgerated supplies are not culturally common. The market is called the Marches des Enfant Rouge and is about 3 blocks from our place. There are about 20 vendors serving everything from fresh fish to rotisserie chicken to morrocan specialities. Exceptionally varied and beautiful produce and flowers round out the mix. An added dimension to markets here is the ability to procure booze. There are two stalls at this market who sell locally made wine, beer and liquors, all very small batch stuff. Overall it's a shoppers delight. We brought home a local microbrew and chowed on couscous for lunch. Good stuff! Earlier at the market we enjoyed pain au chocolate and other pastries that the bread guy was all too willing to let us sample. Pierce enjoyed jamming to his music (Credence Clearwater Revival) so the guy was extra nice to us. We picked up some salmon for this evening. This will likely be our go to spot each morning for food.

We've already indulged in street food and our favorite curbside culinary here in Paris has always been and remains crepes. We start the day with a savory one, maybe a ham and cheese, then move on to Nutella by afternoon.

Hanging out at home while Pierce naps right now and we think (knock on wood) that he is adjusted to the time change as he slept a full 8 hours last night. I guess the third night was the charm.

On the language front I've fallen back into full speaking mode (for the most part) which is great. You can't beat the immersion. Mitch is holding his own after his Rosetta Stone training.

Overall, life is good here. We'll report more on food and wine restaurant wise when we get a babysitter and venture out sans le petite garcon.

Overhead Projectors Are New Again

Pierce and I at the Pompidou Center.(modern art museum, library etc) They have a nice section for the wee ones called Gallerie des Enfants. Here we are playing with the overhead project. Hey, what's old is now new again. Pierce loved the glass elevators and managed to fall asleep in his stroller after going up and down the escalators a million times. Fun stuff!

Here is a picture of Jen and I in front of the whimsical fountain outside the Pompidou. It does not have the same vibe in the winter when all the water is drained out. Notice the big smiles on our face, that is because Pierce is sleeping in the stroller. We where able to get in a few pints of Heineken at a street side cafe and some more grocery shopping before he woke up.

Supermarket Discoveries

Returning to France reunites me with one of my favorites beers..1664 by Kronenberg. One of our favorite Belgium beers, Leffe, is sold as widely as Bud in the U.S. but comes in three varieties here. And we thought we'd only be drinking wine?! Today we woke up late, hung out around Notre Dame and a few playgrounds then embarked on one of my favorite pastimes....grocery shoppijng. I think one of the most fascinating parts of travel is visiting the local supermarket, great insight into the culture and so cool seeing all the different foods. Pierce managed to make his presence known by pushing a bottle of beer off the shelf, which promptly shattered. In typical French fashion, no one even batted an eye, much less the six workers who saw it happen. The one woman in the aisle said to Mitch who was attempting to clean it up "Leave it, not your problem" in French. Kinda like the way they feel about picking up dog poop :)

Pierce and I at Notre Dame today.

Smooth Sailing

It was one of those once in every 10 year travel days that go so smoothly you keep waiting for a blip in the plans. I guess we got those out of the way yesterday. Our flight out on Tuesday evening was empty and left early. Pierce slept for 4 of the 7.5 hours and was content to chill out watching George the rest of the time. Paris greeted us with sunny skies and about 35 degrees which seemed a lot warmer with the sun. Our good karma continued on the drive into Paris, as we somehow managed to skirt rush hour.

The apartment is perfectly parisian, with immense charm but still all the modern conveniences you need. As they say, location is everything and this apartment is smack dab in the middle of the Marais, about 50 yards from the Places de Vosges. Pierce treated Mom and Dad to a relaxing 2 hour wine soaked lunch while he napped in his stroller. Pure heaven! We, in turn treated him to a local park when he woke up and he promptly charmed the local ladies who were clamoring to help him on the 'big kid' equipment.

Yes, it's been only the first evening and Paris has indeed cast her spell again. Or maybe that is the Kronenbourg that we stocked up on at the market. Damn drinking and writing. :)

GROUNDED

We are packed with nowhere to go. Due to high winds at the Paris airport our flight was cancelled. Good thing we got the news before heading to the airport. Hopefully we'll be jetting off tomorrow on the same flight. On the plus side, we'll get to enjoy the 60 degree day in Chicago tomorrow.

Last Minute Packing

Some last minute packing.

Almost Ready to Leave

The countdown is on. In 3 days we will endure the ultimate mind/body test on an 8 hour flight with a 23 month old. Elmo and George, check. Favorite snuggly toy (Raffy), check. Food of every possible appeal, check. Will it be enough?! We'll see and more on that after we land.