Nerdy Kind of Day

The weather turned a bit crisp and cold this weekend, with the smell of spring rain in the air.  Ashleigh and I started Saturday at the sewer museum.  Yes, the Paris underground sewer museum.  It was quite a steep admission price, considering you were going to see rats, water, and pipes, but something that has been recommended by several people so we paid and went down.  The stench was the first thing I noticed...but hey, what did I expect?  You were given a guide pamphlet with corresponding numbers to describe each place.  We walked through several demonstrations before finally reaching the pipes, trenches, and wiring.  Until the Middle Ages, all of the drinking water came from the Seine.  (Yuck! Was what we immediately thought.)  In 1370 the first basic sewer was built under rue Montmartre.  Over the next 500 years, people continued to get their water from the Seine and other tributaries, but it wasn't until 1850 that Haussmann designed and constructed the Parisien sewer system that we have today.  Including the installation of two separate underground pipes, one for drinking water, and the other for sewage.

There are right at 2100 kilometers of tunnels of sewer system in Paris.  Much of the eastern side of Paris uses "Seine water" and most of the sewage and water used in the whole of Paris is treated and put back into the Seine.  Although it is perfectly safe and is monitored 24 hours a day, it does make you wonder!

The sewer system has been a tourist attraction since 1892.  Tourists were taken down into the tunnels and given a tour in a locomotive drawn wagon.  Neat, huh?  The sewers basically follow the streets along exactly, there are even street name signs underground that match the ones above ground!  Although the short distance that we got to see underneath didn't go to far under (thank goodness) we got a good feel for how our water gets to us.  And honestly, when I got home that night to fill up my glass...I did think twice about drinking the tap water.

After the most enlightening and informative underground tour, we went to the Champ de Mars for a little grass lying before deciding on our evening activity.

Last night was a special night in Paris.  It was the "Night of the Museums" all over Europe. Free entrance, and late hours, plus many of them offering special exhibitions and activities.  Most museums in Paris were open until 12 or 1 am.  Of course we wanted to participate in this annual occasion!  Since we have done all the regular museums (and even some of the irregular) we looked at the list and decided on the "Musée de la Poste" or The Post Office Museum.  Yes, it was a nerdy decision, but we both prefer letters and snail mail over email any day.  And I'm not sure I knew it even existed until yesterday!

I turned the internet on my phone and type in the address we were going on my directions and map page.  We got off the metro and began to walk toward Rue Vaugirard.  34 Rue Vaugirard to be exact.  We walked and walked and walked to what felt like forever until we reached 36 Rue Vaugirard.  We walked further down the street and back to retrace our steps....nothing.  I scratched my head with confusion.  "I know the website said 34 Rue Vaugirard," I told her.  She pulled out her Lonely Planet guide to double check.  I read it in her guide.  "BOULEVARD Vaugirard!" We exclaimed at the same time.  Oh man, big huge mistake for Maggie.  Where is Boulevard Vaugirard we asked?  I looked on the map...not TOO far, so we decided to just plug on and go for it.

Feeling a bit sluggish, we finally found the entrance to the museum.  Considering the less than mediocre service we have received at all the Poste branches here in Paris, we had little to no hopes for this museum.  We walked in and were greeted by a very happy woman who handed us the itinerary for the evening.  An itinerary for the Poste museum?  She shuffled us over to the elevator and wished us a good museum visit.  On the elevator I told Ashleigh that that was the nicest welcome I've ever gotten in a museum.  She quickly came back with, "That's the nicest welcome I've ever gotten in France!"  ha....

Once we stepped off the elevators we were asked if we wanted to participate in creating postcards?  Before saying yes, we peeked our head into the room to see exactly who was participating.  No, it wasn't only children, but adults as well so we kindly obliged.  We were sat down at a table with a blank postcard, construction paper, funky scissors, glue, stickers, magazine clippings, markers, crayons....oh man, it was great!!!!!

After a good 30 minutes of cutting, gluing, and coloring, we took our finished products to the mail bag so they could be sent to the address of our choice.  I sent mine to Marie-Césare, not only because it was the only address I knew off the top of my head in France, but because she would enjoy my use of bright colors and flowers.  That 30 minutes of therapeutic crafting also immediately lifted our moods!

The rest of the museum was very interesting...and so much more than we expected!

  

There were ladies of the ancient "poste" that would occasionally come up and read you a poem about the older post office times, demonstrations on how stamps are made, and even a costume show about how the uniform has evolved over the years.  All in French of course, but I was amazed at how much I understood.

We went to the contemporary service at the American Church of Paris today instead of Hillsong.  We've been wanting to try it out so today was just as good of a day as any.  The church has been around since the early 1800's, is a non-denominational Protestant church, and everyone was very welcoming.  The service was much more subdued than Hillsong and honestly if I went back, I would probably attend the traditional service in the morning.  Ashleigh and I agreed that we enjoy the worship at Hillsong and the message at the ACP.  Too bad we can't mash them together!  

Ashleigh's parents are arriving tonight and I am just getting ready for another week with Marie-Césare and Gaspard.  Always enjoy weeks with Gaspard but they wear me out!!! Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend, oh yes and a special Happy Birthday shout out to my Papaw today!!! I love you! 

Laine's Prom

Thinking about my sister, Laine, on her senior prom night tonight!!! I wish I could be there to take pictures, fix her hair, and be at promenade, but I know she is the most beautiful girl there anyway!! Their theme this year is "A Night in Paris"...how ironic!  Our prom was probably one of the best nights of high school and I hope that it's the same memory for her.  Wishing you the most fantastic night, Laine-Loo....I'm thinking about you!  Be safe!!! 

Today wasn't as fabulous of a Wednesday as the last...but it was still a good day!  Manon came by this morning after a week of having the chicken pox.  Marie-Césare has already had them, so there shouldn't be any reason for her to catch them....we hope!  Poor Manon still had places on her face and looked terrible!  

Art class went well, they made some clay sculpture that will be ready to be picked up 3 classes from now.  Chloé always wonders why she pays so much for her to go to class when she brings home just drawings on paper....can't say I blame her!  We made brownies after class and before lunch, some that I had received in a package from someone over the past couple of months.  Chloé got home tonight from her trip to Qatar and tried one and the first thing she said was, "Hmm...how did you make these?  They taste very....American."  BAHAHA.  I love it when they say things like that, because its so true.  And they are pretty bland!  And yes, I told her I just dumped the mix, eggs, oil and water in a bowl.  C'est facile, non?!

Marie-Césare's school is selling these aprons as a fundraiser.  How CUTE are they?!  

Each child drew a small picture and their name, and the company turned them all onto an apron.  What a precious idea!  And what parent wouldn't want one of those?  Franck even bought me one.  I have somehow acquired several aprons since I've been here...but I wouldn't want to miss out on this one for sure.  

We took a quick nap and planned to meet Ashleigh and her girls at a movie theater between us for an afternoon showing of Winnie l'Ourson.  Winnie the Pooh.  Ash and I got our communication screwed up so it was just Marie-Césare and I at the movies.  It was weird having a different version of "The Wonderful Things About Tiggers" and not hearing, "Oh bother..." but it was still cute.  And the perfect length for the little ones to sit through.  And just like I remembered it!  

We went to the park for just a little bit to play with Manon and Cléo, but its really hard on those girls when there are 3 and not just 2 of them.  So, we left early to go see if Chloé was home.  She spent a week in Russia, and has been gone since Monday to somewhere in Qatar.  She came home tonight just dragging her feet and so tired.  Can't say I blame her.  I have lots of questions to ask but I could tell tonight was not the night! ha! 

Tomorrow is another school day and if its sunny going to lie in Parc Monceau.  All of my sun from Italy is going away and I need to not let that happen!  Enjoying a delicious American brownie complete with vanilla ice cream and HERSHEY'S syrup and whipped cream for dinner.  Yep, for dinner.  YUM. 

Fontainebleau

Yesterday while Franck was at school, Didou and I did a switch out with the kids until he got home.  I babysat from around 3 until 7, then went to see "De l'Eau pour les Éléphants" with Ashleigh (which was an extremely good movie by the way...).  

Charlotte, Ashleigh, and I got up early this morning and got on a transilien train towards Fontainebleau.  In Fontainebleau is of course, the Château de Fontainebleau.  Similar to Versailles, but not so crowded.

 The weather was perfect.  Warm enough to wear shorts, but not so hot that you sweat all day.  It was free for us to get in (yay!) so we said what the heck to a one euro audioguide, slid it around our necks, and off we went.  The audioguide was a little more descriptive that it probably needed to be, as we found ourselves just turning it off after 3 or 4 minutes in each room.  The first references to the château date back to the 12th century, since then, all of the kings of France have lived there.  Each king added to and embellished the palace, adding to what it is today.  It is the only château in France that was continuously inhabited for 7 centuries.  Many of the state apartments are decorated by Italian artists in typical renaissance style.  There was a great showcase of Napoleon's things...clothes, jewelry, furniture, china all dating back to the beginning of the 1800's.  But once again I find the ceilings most impressive in these palaces.  Just like at Versailles.  Therefore, I made a little selection of my favorite ceilings for you guys...ha, get excited!

Hard to guess those are ceilings if you're just looking at a partial photo, huh?!  And although it took hundreds of years for everything to finally be finished, I'm sure those ceilings took a good chunk of the time.

After the tour, we went outside to find a sandwich and a nice bench to sit on.  The gardens were lovely!  There were plenty of places to sit so we passed away a good hour just chatting next to the fountain.  The sky was so blue behind the château, it almost looked like a painting we were in!

We were back in Paris by 5, just enough time for Charlotte to make it to her weekly Sunday night family meeting.  I also want to wish a very special Happy Mother's Day to all of my moms and bonus moms, grandmothers, and bonus grandmothers.  You ALL are so special to me, and I wouldn't be who I am today without each of you.  I hate I am not there to spend the day with you...but know that I have been thinking about each of you all day!  Love you!! 

Just Another Day

My favorite busker is now back on the line 2.  He's been on a 3 month hiatus and he provided me with a lot of entertainment on my way home at night.  He's this guy who looks like one of my friends from Bulgaria (actually, had to do a double take) and he carries around his stereo on a cart like all the others.  He plays rap music (karaoke style of course so you can hear his words) and sometimes throws in a little beatboxing for kicks.  When he sings you can't really tell if he's singing in English or French because he sings so close to the microphone that the words are all fuzzy.  Not to mention his fuzziness is off key.  I also forget how much I enjoy my metro ride to Courcelles every evening.  There are so many cute, young, business (French) men traveling to and from the 16th arrondissement that I just hope one will step on my toe or bump into me so we can strike up a conversation.  Silly?  Yes, I think so.  

Before I explain my day, I must tell you that Chloé is somewhere in Russia for the week.  She left Tuesday, and is coming back tomorrow.  Didou has been staying with them all week and we have been taking turns taking care of the kiddos.  Now, my boring story of today!  

I arrived at the Lachaize household around 4 this afternoon, veggie shopping from Naturalia in hand.  I love bio veggie shopping....Didou was there sewing some curtains and Susanna was ironing and cleaning as normal.  Gaspard came home and asked if he could go with me to pick up Marie-Césare from school.  Of course!  It would have been more exciting for Gaspard except for when I got there Franck was already there to get her!  Quelle surprise!  So the whole family was there to pick her up and she was very excited to see us all.  We all walked to the park together holding hands as we crossed the street and had goûter.  We met up with Cléo, like always, and Franck and Gaspard went back home.  We stayed at the park until 6:15!  A pretty good afternoon at the park I'd say.  Franck and Gaspard were sitting on the couch when we walked in BOTH on separate computers.  The little geeks.  Susanna and Didou were still there as we left them.  I like it when there are a lot of people at the house.  Not for long periods of time, but for an evening its nice!  We goofed around for about an hour with the kids and Franck and Gaspard left for the cinema around 7.  Boy, did Didou have some things to say about that.  She was preparing to cook a nice dinner for everyone....so I quickly volunteered to stay around and eat whatever she was going to cook!  haha....Didou, Marie-Césare and I played together before and after dinner which was fun.  We ate the last of the Peeps that my mom sent in an Easter package, and finished the evening with an episode of "La Petite Maison sur la Prairie."  

Didou brought me a little trinket for my bijoux from Morocco.  So sweet.  She is always so sweet, and although my Mimi and Granny are not here, and NO ONE can ever fill those shoes (pretty big shoes to fill I might add)......she does a pretty good job of trying!!

A Table

My family went to Belgium the weekend after they got home from Morocco.  Okay, cool.  They went to visit friends and to shop at some antique stores and funky furniture stores that they don't apparently have in Paris.  They have been looking for a dining room table.  I can't imagine that it would be easier to buy a table in Belgium and have it sent here...versus just looking in Paris-but, what do I know?!  So, they went to Belgium for a table and what did they come back with?  

These.  

Giant flamingo birds that now stand in the corner....just something else weird for Susanna to have to dust around.  

La Défense

This weekend was spent doing a whole lotta nothing.  Which, I am okay with!  After a really good week with Marie-Césare, Ashleigh and I went into the weekend with not very many plans.  We went to see 2 exhibitions going on at Hôtel de Ville.  One on the history of the French Revolution in Paris and its effect on the city via paintings/photos/art.  The other was an exhibition of impressionism.  Since they are doing renovations on the Musée d'Orsay they took all the important works by Monet, Renoir, etc. that wouldn't fit on the walls to this exhibition.  They do tend to rotate many paintings in the city from museum to museum. So much so, that I have seen Monet's "Gare Saint-Lazare" painting in 3 different museums now.  

After a crêpe, some ridiculous crowd fighting, and laziness, we ended up at Tuileries.  The weather was so strange, it was sunny yet drizzling, so under the canopy of trees at Tuileries we sat and enjoyed a macaron framboise.  Lovely.  

I stopped in H&M on the way home, only to find a few things I don't really need (as usual).  Sunday started off at church, then Ashleigh suggested we pop up to Montmartre for a crêpe.  "Sure" I said, not really thinking about that decision.  As soon as we stepped of the metro I knew we probably would regret it.  Montmartre was COVERED OVER in millions of people.  It is normally a popular spot on a sunny day, but boy, did we forget its beginning to be tourist season!  Bleh.  Tourists.  

We waited in line for our favorite crêpe man in all of Paris, jammed our way through the crowd to the steps of the Sacré-Coeur and found a tiny spot near the trash cans to enjoy what was left of our crêpes.  No wonder people think this city is dirty when they come during the summer.  Tourists are dirty!!! They just throw trash everywhere whenever they want!  At one point during our crowd fighting I turned to Ashleigh and said, "Okay, time to be French....elbows out!" and we just shoved our way through.  Now I know why they're so good at it!  The crêpe was worth it, and a little bit of sun...but we decided to go somewhere a little less crowded and chose Parc des Buttes Chaumont.  

These are what I'm told are "Black Hero" tulips.  I had never seen them before.  

After class on Monday, Chloé called and said she was picking up Marie-Césare and taking her to the doctor to have some bloodwork/x-rays.  She has been perpetually sick, not to the point where she can't go to school, but always coughing and has a runny nose.  I feel pretty sure she is tired of being sick, so Chloé took care of that.  They don't think its anything serious, but better safe than sorry!  I had today and tomorrow off anyway, because Didou is spending the week in Paris.  Chloé is somewhere in Russia, and Franck has to work late every night and will be in Belgium Thursday and Friday night.  So, hopefully between the two of us we can pass the kids back and forth enough!  I will pick her up from school Thursday and Friday, but Didou will stay the night.  

Ashleigh skipped school today and we went out to La Défense.  We have been wanting to go, but never on a weekend because it is apparently dead with no business people there.  Which, after today, I can see why that's true. Line 1 on the métro takes you straight out at the arch, which is quite convenient for those who commute in.  La Défense is the largest purpose-built business district in Europe.  It is the farthest point on Paris' historical axis, which starts at the Louvre, continues along the Champs Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, and finishes with the Grande Arche here.  Around 180,000 workers commute in to this area daily.  That's a lot of people.  Built mostly throughout the 60's and 70's, the 72 highrises reflect this style throughout the Esplanade.  

Looking at the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.  

The Grande Arche.  The last arch on the historical axis of Paris.  

There are strange, "modern" sculptures and feats of architecture throughout the Esplanade leading up to the Grande Arche.  Including this gargantuan thumb.  Pretty weird huh?  Fairly good example of Parisien humor.  

You can go up the arch, by elevator of course.  I'm not sure the reason, but it was closed today.  Unfortunately we didn't get yet another "best view in Paris." Thinking it would take at least a few hours to cross this off our list, we looked at our watches to find only an hour had passed.  We went back to Ashleigh's for a little while until she had to go pick up her girls.  I stopped by the Lachaize household to pick up my check (which I hate to admit that I never really earn...) and Didou was already there.  She quickly handed me a small package which of course, were a couple of things she had brought back for me from Morocco.  We chatted for awhile about my vacation and hers, and about Marie-Césare and Gaspard, and how Franck and Chloé work too much, and how she is worried....you know, the usual grandmotherly things to worry about.  She is always so sweet and thoughtful, and really wants us to come to Provence while they are there the end of May.  I have planned to go to Disneyland Paris the weekend before my birthday to celebrate so I hope she's not thinking the same weekend!  (Yes, of course...what 23 year old doesn't want to spend their birthday at Disney???!)  Hopefully Kerry is taking the train up, Charlotte will come, and maybe a few other girls we can recruit.  Excited to spend my birthday with Cendrillon and Blanche Neige.  And yes....I will be wearing a pink pointy princess hat with tulle and ribbons!!!