Wonder and Wander

It was hard to say goodbye to our friends in Germany, old and new. However, we were all excited about finally getting to the country where we would be spending fully half of our sabbatical: France. We decided to take a little stop in Paris to kick off our time. Accommodations in Paris are breathtakingly expensive, and Bordeaux was calling, but we could take two days to see the City of Light.Our travel day started well, but began devolving rapidly into a series of delayed, missed, and rerouted trains. We unexpectedly found ourselves eating pretzels in front of the huge Cologne cathedral facade, and breathed a collective sigh of relief when we got on the high-speed train to Paris. We were safely on our way.Famous last words.In the rural fields of northern France, our train slowed to an unexpected stop on a low bridge. Never a good sign. Over and over, the intercom would chime and our conductor would keep us up to date with the current non-news. After two and a half hours of flickering power, tests, and my mounting claustrophobia, another train finally arrived to tow us to Paris. We ended up four hours late, rolling into our AirBnB just before 2am. It was exhausting, but we made it with our good humor mostly intact. I think we all have achieved a higher level of flexibility in this wandering life.The next morning, we were all pretty tired. But there was no food in the house, so hunger got us out and about. We walked a few blocks to the local boulangerie, and sat down at the outside cafe tables to order croissants and coffee. It wasn’t the healthiest breakfast I’ve ever served my children, but it was pure delight.We ducked back in the shop after breakfast, heroically avoiding eye contact with tempting tarts, opera cakes, mille feuilles, and pastries, and picked up just one baguette. We walked down to the Seine and ripped into the shattering crust and chewy crumb of our first baguette. I swear their eyes all brightened. I think Isaac was the one who said spontaneously, “I just love Paris”. That was a powerful baguette!We walked by the stately Hotel de Ville, and then crossed over to the Île de la Cité, saw the barriers surrounding Notre Dame, wandered through the flower market, and queued to enter Saint-Chapelle. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds while we were inside, and the panorama of medieval stained glass sprang to life in red and blue and gold.Paris for me is about half the allure of museums and architecture and tree-lined boulevards, half food heaven. It all adds up to the ambiance and elegance of Paris. We hunted down macarons at Pierre Hermé, walked to boulangeries to try the best baguettes, and sampled delicate, airy pastries. Don’t try to eat low carb in Paris (not that I can imagine anyone wanting to). It was all wonderful.After hours of exploring, the kids and I took a break in the Luxembourg gardens under a lowering sky. It’s one of the best-loved gardens in Paris, expansive and shady. We got caught in a heavy thunderstorm, and ran laughing to the nearest Metro station (it was not close).We were staying in the Marais district, which is the historically Jewish neighborhood. We got some great Israeli felafel for dinner, and then took the bus to the Eiffel Tower. It was early June, but the lines were shockingly short. We found ourselves at the top at the magical sunset hour. Thee night before had been our train disaster, but despite our fatigue we couldn’t tear ourselves away early. We stood on a bridge to watch the lights sparkle in the Tower. Vance proposed to each of the girls (“will you be my daughter forever?”), and we ended the day with full hearts.The next day was harder. Our expensive flat was tiny, we were more tired than the day before, Isaac was getting a cold, and our adrenaline was wearing out. The croissants were still amazing, though! We explored the Paris Opera (setting of the Phantom of the Opera), and spent the afternoon at the Louvre. I’ve already established that going to museums with my energetic and inquisitive children is exhausting. This was no different, but we still saw so many amazing things. I find Mona Lisa too swarmed with pushy tourists to be enjoyable (both my girls were so shoved around that they left the gallery in tears), but there’s so much more to see.We ended the day with crêpes from the friendliest guy in Paris.So many people have asked if we liked Paris, and if it smells–every time, it takes me by surprise. Where are all these Paris-haters, anyway? I’m not interested in converting anyone to the magic of this city, but yes, we have found that there is so much to love. Paris is a true lady, and don’t apologise for falling under her spell. We enjoyed our whirlwind trip, even if we had just barely scratched the surface.