Brisk with a Side of Fallafel

The day begins with a run. Not us, rather watching the Semi de Paris, the half marathon. Mitch attempts to register a few weeks back but the 20,000 person plus race is full and he opts not to run as 'unofficial'.

We dutifully man a baguette station and watch the hordes of runners pass. As the only people cheering, it is a fairly funny sight. I smile to think the reaction if I had brought my cowbell.

It's a brisk day with a bit of a windchill. Thankfully the sun is shining bright with no clouds. Still in all, you think we'd be tougher as Chicagoans, but I was freezing today and it was upper 30s.

We wander to an area of new exploration for us, the Canal St. Martin neighborhood. The canal and locks are pretty cool, as are the bridges crossing the canal. Alas, on this quiet Sunday there is not much activity. It's odd that we even leave the Marais on Sunday, since this is the place to be. The only arrondissement where practically everything is open. Most importantly, this means the fallafel places are open tonight.

Pierce snoozes and we eat at a little bistro along the main Marais shopping drag. The P man wakes up to find himself in the restaurant and delights in being able to consume even more food. As in Chicago, the boy is an eating machine here.

A bit of window shopping for me is the perfect cap to lunch. A white dress (presumably wedding) stops me in my tracks. Simply stunning. I am reminded I'll be missing the red carpet tonight.

An afternoon repose at the apt is in order. Following the downtime, a racous playtime at Places des Vosges ensues. The little guy excels at playground French, with all the essentials of 'wait', 'go' and 'move' as staples in his growing French vocabulary. He makes several new friends today and insists that they all shake his hand upon departure. With a quick Merci and Au Revoir, he fits in fine.

On to Rue des Rosiers, street of the fallafels. A stop in at King of Fallafels and we satisfy our yearning for the delicious treats. Baklava from a Kosher bakery completes the night. Maybe we should have run today!