A Day for the Kids!!

By now you can see I am devoting all of today to catching up on our days last week in Paris when  Brad was working and it was me and the kids with the gparents.  It is Monday and we are saying goodbye to the gparents as they head off on their adventures through the south of France by way of Bordeaux and then down to Spain where they fly out in Madrid.  We on the other hand have 7 days left.  Brad is working today but will be off tomorrow to spend the remainder of our time checking out Paris together.  We have several days planned that will take us to the Science Museum, Paintball for J, and a nighttime boat trip to the Eiffel Tower(I am pushing for this one, we'll see if it happens).

As for our day for the kids we headed to Le Jardin D'Acclimatation...a 150 year old park/amusement park/water park/play ground/ theater/ zoo/ horse farm!!  Wow...and adorably french in every way...and just a mile away from where we are staying!!!!

This is an old pigeon coop...from Victorian times...no longer in use.

 Punch and Judy type puppet show that held A&J's attention for a second...lots of call and response!

 No place but France would have a carousel decked out in Roman images...complete with nudity!!

Notre Dame and the EIffel Tower...we pushed it!!

 Everyday we are out and about we ride the metro...almost space agey with a smooth ride.  Fortunately we have only had a few rides when it has been really crowded.  For the most part it looks like this.

 As we stepped out of the metro station I turned around and saw this...the Destruction des Animaux(exterminator) that displays what they catch!!!  It was featured in Ratatouille!!  I had just been reading a Paris blog that morning about this shop...what a surprise!

 Our first stop of the day...Norte Dame.  I thought the audio guide would capture my kids again but no go on that today...it was very dry and a bit boring!!!

                 There was a mass going on so that was cool...just had to be very silent the whole time.

 After lunch, despite some protests and maybe our better judgement, we headed to the Seine for a boat ride on one of the jump on and off boats.

 Despite the scenery the boat was really hot and crowded...but it took us to the Eiffel tower which is amazing to see!

 We did not have tickets to the tower itself so we just jung out at the park and had ice-cream and a nap! A played horses in the grass and read books to herself.

The Pompidou...Modern Art Day

 The Pompidou...I was well aware of the impact of Modern art on this building but wow...a true take on contemporary architecture...despite the fact that the front is basically useless...facing a busy street and strewn with garbage in all its nooks.  The facade facing the plaza is flanked by a cool escalator that takes you right to the top.

 My first mission was to find the Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture in water dedicated to Stravinsky.  It is surrounded by a side of adorable outdoor cafes and a wall of street art/graffiti.  Niki de Saint Phalle had an amazing display at the Garfield conservatory a few years ago and I still use one of her images for my Facebook picture.

Lunch consisted of savory and sweet crepes...finally found something the kids really like!!

I dragged these guys through 2 major floors of galleries...the first was contemporary and the second was modern...seeing some of my fav paintings was such a thrill...Matisse's cut outs, Picasso's portraits, Delauncy paintings, both wife and husband, 2 rooms devoted to their awesomness!

 We ended the day in the kids area...that overlooks the center of the museum.  They had a focus on telling family stories...presented by video in 4 languages...so cute.  A and J made a video telling a story about our cat Minou which they miss very much.  I signed a waver so it may be showing right now at the museum...we are heading back here this week with Brad so we will check it out and see!!