A Tower and a Toddler

Behind a day in the blog, but the birthday wore us all out yesterday. Yes, it is true, Pierce is now 3. And, I must say that we may be setting the bar a little high for birthday celebrations. The P man woke up joyfully and to much sunshine. His first question "Mom, is the Eiffel Tower open yet?"

Another very brisk day, but unlimited sun makes it tolerable. We arrive to no line at the big tinkertoy. It may have something to do with the time (9:30 am.) or the fact that it is pretty darn cold and windy. Either way, no complaints, as lines are one reason we visit Paris in the off season.

Whisked away in the cool elevator and Pierce is in heaven. A bit of haze, but otherwise an amazing view. Wind forces us to retreat inside and the P man delights in his chouchettes. Little round pastries that he has nearly every morning, which on this day morph into his 'cake' for a birthday celebration atop the tower.

Back down on ground, we head for part two of Pierce Fest. The Jardin d'Acclimatation. The best amusement ever for the under 8 set. This 150 year old attraction steals the show again this year. The newly minted 3 year old takes pride in being able to make age for many new rides. The place is empty and Pierce continues to ride over and over again on his favorites.

Pure exhaustion follows, unfortunately we miss the nap window during our stroll :( . We take a break at the apartment and cross our fingers that P man will nap. He finally goes down and we rest as well.

Up and at it again for the culinary piece of the birthday celebration. We round the corner to one of our favorite (and kid friendly) bistros. A tarte Brettone (spinach, chicken, artichokes) is the birthday boy's selection. Duck for Mitch and tomato soup for me. All very suitable. The food is not the highlight here. The atmosphere is warm and friendly and the beer and wine is always reasonable and flowing pretty freely.

Pierce gets his present just before dessert and is instantly smitten with Annie and Clarabel (see Thomas the Tank Engine). I bring a candle and ask the owner to light it for Pierce.

The owner/manager is the nicest man in Paris and easy on the eyes for the gals out there (I am thinking like a slighty older Gerard Butler). He recognizes us from last year and turns on the charm. Very graciously he also surprises Pierce with a chocolate cake and comes out singing. As we are the only ones save for one other table at the tiny spot, it's perfect.

Following dinner the owner buys us a round of beers (Leffe) and we meet a wonderful Italian guy who stops by for a beer and brings his adorable dog. Pierce takes an instant liking to the dog and frolics around the restaurant as happy as can be. Truly a perfect celebration of an exhuberant 3 year old.

Winds of Change

A bright day ahead, but still brisk. The wind rivals Chicago. The forty five degree temp would be perfect without the windchill. We attempt to walk past Pompidou without Pierce knowing. Unfortunately (or fortunately) he is smarter than us. He recognizes the building immediately and declares "hey that is the funky building with all the elevators." So much for keeping it low profile.

After a half hour of elevator and escalator play Pierce is good to go. We go to BHV in search of kiddie gloves. Yes, we lost Pierce's a few days ago :( As a previous posts suggests I LOVE BHV. The fact that they are in midst of a their 6 day sale, which actually goes 10 days(?) is a bonus.

No luck on the mini gloves. But a Brio train table is enough to placate P man. Mitch and I recall the wonderful meal we had last time and immediately redirect to lunch. An awesome assortment awaits.

Following a meal, Pierce is adamant that we visit Notre Dame. Good thing, since we are only a few blocks away. A tour of the inside reveals his incredible delight at the stained glass windows. He is in awe. A deeper understanding than last year is clearly evident and it is remarkable to watch him.

An overwhelming need to nap overcomes P and Mitch and I enjoy our afternoon at a local cafe.

Awake from his slumber at about 4:30, P man directs us to the Notre Dame park. This area consists of one swing and a crazy French spinny merry go round.

Much play continues then we abort to our neighborhood. Mitch and P head to Places des Vosges and I buy wine and hit up the apt.

Discovering that that the local fish market is closed on Mondays alters our plans. We decide on Coreeen BBQ....otherwise known as Korean BBQ. It is actually excellent. Following dinner we all devour the caramel and walnut confection that I get at the neighborhood bakery earlier in the day.

The P monster turns three tomorrow. My, how time flies :)

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!

Hidden Treasure

In my ultimate quest to uncover overlooked treasure, I made a major find today. A venture over to the Bastille outdoor arts market proved fruitful on many fronts. On Saturdays, the area hosts an art market akin to a Well Street Art Fair, only instead of once per year it is EVERY Saturday. While some impressive artists did beckon, I am taken with a purse and clothing designer with amazingly inventive wares. As always though I am wary of the impulse purchase and did a good look without buying (knowing they are open until 7 pm).

Following a day of contemplation and knowing Pierce would love to return to the on-site merry-go-round at the Bastille I opt to venture forward with the purchase.

Evidently, Parisians are in full discovery of said young designer since 90% of his wares are sold upon my late return. I manage to snap a small handbag and it is delicious. Not sure if this is an appropriate term, but I do love it. Sharp and chic is the best description. Perhaps a picture will be in order down the line.

Feeling flush from my 'one of a kind' find we attempt to parlay this luck into scoring a dinner table. Easier said than done on a Saturday night. But, really it is 6:45 so can there be that bad of a wait. Answer, YES! At any rate, after multiple rejections, we find nirvana. SIDE NOTE: Some of the establishments have 9:00 p.m reservations. Umm, hello, I have a three year old in tow, I think we are vacating before 9:00 pm.!!! Response: Madam: we would never rush you :). Ahh, France. Home of the leisurely pursuit, even with a kiddo.

At last, we end our hunger strike at Le Cafe de Musee. It is on the corner of our street and always highly sought after (darn good food critic reviews :) With a bit of luck and promising to be out by their next reservation at 8:45 we find food. Steak tartare for Mitch and Entrecote (Rib Eye) for me. Pierce licks the bowl of his carrot soup and life is good again.

Back at the apt. we hope for a silent night.

Wanderlust

We hope that jet lag left us last night. Pierce manages to get 8 hrs in, unfortunately that somehow translates into no nap today. C'est la Vie. Another beautiful sunny day greets us and we take it as a sign to head to Montmartre. The two Metro line switches are enough for Pierce to enjoy the day from the start. A giant poster of Pierce's favorite entertainer (Lady Gaga) at our metro stop sends him into overdrive.

He channels his Gaga energy to bolt up the stairs to Sacre-Coeur. But not before a quick stop at the merry-go-round. His reward at the top is a one man band playing the Beatles, coincidentally his second favorite band.

With about 200 people in the 'audience' P can't supress his urge to bust a move and soon becomes part of the show. The video Mitch took will be in high rotation as he ages.

We continue the day with a walk through a gorgeous neighborhood of homes about 1 mile from Sacre-Coeur. Some seriously stunning places and interesting architecture. The benefit of no plans is that you can wander at will. This largely residential area would have never been on our initial radar.

Back to the metro and we make our way to the Tullieres, yes again. Pierce's sailboat addiction continues to grow. He jumps for joy the entire time and for 2 euros for a 1/2 hour boat rental this may be the best entertainment value in Paris.

A dinner of leftovers and wine on the couch is a relaxing ending to the day.

Set Sail

A late start is in order after a fretful nights sleep. By the time we leave the apt. it is Noon. No matter, as we are only steps from Place des Vosges, which the P monster loves. We head over and P proceeds to chase pigeons, hang on the seesaw and generally harass the other kids. To be honest, he really fancies a young French girl and is dismayed when she neglects to accept his invitation to seesaw.

It's rough going getting P to nap. After a trip to Notre Dame and a few moments spectating some insane roller bladers, we manage to roam to Hotel de Ville, Paris City Hall. We know this is trouble because of the huge carousel on the grounds. We relent and I ride with Pierce on the top level. After this, he naps. Mitch and I aimlessly wander and have a our afternoon date at one of our favorite local bistros.

A metro ride is on the top of Pierce's wish lists. If we succumb to his wishes, we would ride the metro 23 out of 24 hrs per day. We disembark at the Tullieres and catch the glamour of the fashion week tents. What I would not give to check that out :) Equally as appealing is watching Pierce's face when he and Mitch rent a small sailing boat to commadeer. Pure joy.

Dinner calls and we opt for a rotisserie chicken from a street side vendor. Kronenbourg offers the perfect complement. Not sure what awaits us this evening. Likely another book fest. Hopefully the last one of the trip. A bientot :)

We're Back....

Before I get flamed for not doing the favorites list from our last trip, I promise to do it after this one :) In the meantime, on to the new adventures. We arrive in Paris this morning after an uneventful flight from Chicago. A quick seven and a half hour passes easily with Pierce and I sleeping and Mitch checking out the in-flight movies. Thankfully the flight is fairly empty and we spread out over six seats. Two for one!

Close to 50 and gloriously sunny, the day could not wait. A stop at our apartment (the same one we rented last year) elicits immediate memories and had a crack-like affect on Pierce. The kid literally runs around the apt. for an hour highlighting in precise commentary everything he loves about the apartment, in a frantic, hyper voice. A final declaration of "I love Paris" was enough to get us out the door and exploring.

First order of business....the Bell Park. A smallish park near our apt that Pierce favors due to the church bells which toll above it every 30 minutes. A few games of soccer with the local kids and hunger sets upon us and we retreat to the streets. We miraculously score at table at Breizh Cafe, unbelievably good crepes and just what we need to settle into Paris. It is at this point we break our cardinal rule of Paris and dining out. Pierce is still awake and on verge of meltdown. We scarf down as quickly as possible and manage to make an escape with just a minute to spare before Defcon One (sp?). On the way out Pierce receives some 'warm' french sentiment in the form of stern stares.

Thankfully, true to his stroller naps of past, Pierce passes out about 10 minutes following lunch. Mitch and I stroll for a bit and I pop into the neighborhood church. I'd be remiss not to say this day is hard for me, as my mom passed away on this day in 1994. It gives me great comfort to keep her memory alive in a place that lightens my soul as Paris does

After a few Affligems (beer is good for jet lag), we head to Monoprix. I could spend hours there and probably have. Between the clothes, makeup and food, it's a complete delight of the senses. I have a momentary lapse in french speaking ability and cannot think of the word for garlic, which I somehow cannot locate at the store. After some comical descriptions, the clerk says to me in French "Ah yes, why didn't you just tell me it is used to ward off Vampires, like on Buffy?" Okay so this guy is clearly a man (well a slightly awkward teenage boy) after my own heart. We stock up on the basics and head home to collapse on the couch.

A mellow dinner is in order with our Monoprix goodies. Foie Gras and cheese for appetizers are first up, followed by Pesto Pasta with mushrooms.

One of two scenarios await us this evening, a Thomas the Train marathon if Pierce can't sleep or a lovely wine induced slumber. Guess which one we are hoping for.

UPDATE: Neither a nor b played out last night. But we did manage to avoid a Thomas marathon and instead settle for endless book reading and lots of 'why isn't the sun out yet', 'is Monoprix open yet?' The joys of a toddler and jet lag :)