it's summer vacation

So school is out, kids are home for the next 60 or so days and are looking to me to entertain them!  What!  Since this is the first summer vacation they can remember (oh how I miss you year round school back in N.C.) they are under the impression that like the Y.M.C.A. (miss you too Y.M.C.A.) I am supposed to have this vacation thing all planned out...... you know, crafts, activities, funny songs, blah, blah, blah.  Don't want to break it to them that real life doesn't always come this way ~ sometimes it is boring and there are chores to do (Surprise! even on summer break we must vacuum and do laundry) as Mom doesn't get the summer off!

But thankfully because we are where we are, there are all sorts of new things to do and see.  Only yesterday, I entertained them for about 2 1/2  hours by trying to find a store in Paris (which I never could find!) by taking the bus and getting a wee bit turned around.  Along the way, we saw some things (Eiffel, Seine, etc), bought some drinks since we were thirsty from wandering around in circles and topped it off with a quick trip to the Paris-equivilent of a small Big Lots (thankfully no toys at this store). How's that for fun, kids?!?!  On today's fun agenda kids, we get to wait for the Paris equivalent of the cable guy and if he lives up to his Paris standards, we could be waiting a LONG time (different ideas of time here.  Parisians seem to have a different time zone that everyone else.  More on that another time!).  What?  That doesn't sound like fun?  What could be more fun than letting a stranger in the house while keeping the dogs locked in another portion of the apartment and quiet and playing charades and speaking "Frenglish" with the cable guy?  Come on, where's your sense of adventure?

Max did go to a birthday party for one of his classmates a couple weeks ago.  It was held at a place with mini-golf, go-carts, indoor soccer and a few arcade games.  The kids loved it.  The parents of the birthday boy, Yoon, had arranged for the boys to do 2 sessions of karting and have a one hour indoor soccer match.  There were six boys there so they played 3 v 3 and the place provided a referee so there was no "confusion" as to the rules (as boys tend to make up there own when left to there own devices, I have found out!).  It was a virtual United Nations around the table for cake.  Yoon, the birthday boy, is from Korea and two boys born in Paris but parents from England and Australia, one from Nigeria, one from India, and Max from the U.S.  Samantha and I wandered around some shops in the area and went back to get Max just in time for cake (!) and a little air hockey.

Sam watching Max and Yoon play

Max and Yoon

Samantha is going to spend the night this Friday at her friend Sophie's house.  I am sure much giggling will have to be endured by Sophie's parents.  God bless them!

Sophie and Sam at school's summer BBQ

Sophie Appleyard and Samantha

Since summer is underway, there have been music festivals popping up all over.  There was one held at the Hippodrome that we can see from the apartment.  We could also HEAR from our apartment but only bass tones and the occasional lyric.  It was a three day event and I read later that some people camp out at the place for all three days.  From what I could tell, it looked well attended and seemed to have quite a few tents and other things besides music.

Think the big white tent was the stage

Looks like a good crowd

So what, you may be wondering, are those cranes doing there?  Well they were lifting people up and then dropping them attached to bungee cords!  Called the kids to the window and we watched for a while as two by two people went up and then, wooooooooo, down they go only to spring back up for a couple of time.  Looked like fun!

Arrow pointing to person
(click picture for bigger view)

This is two people boucing

It was a beautiful day and while I was taking these pictures, noticed I could see Sacre Coeur really well so here are some more pictures of it from my bedroom window.

Just below tree line is the Hippodrome and music festival

Soldes (bi-annual sales) are still in full force and we went out last weekend to see if we could find any deals we couldn't live without.  We did find some shoes for both kiddos at good prices and saw lots of people.  I think I like seeing the people more than seeing the sales but there are some places that make me wonder "what?".  Like this one:

Shoe store named after U.S. TV talk show host?
Whatever.....

These are the boots women here wear to run to the bus!
And during this event they are only 25 Euros!

Sometimes things get lost in translation here.....or do they?  Maybe this person has a weird sense of humor or great business savvy because this store was sure getting noticed by everyone who went by!

Good ole Western wear in the heart of Paris!

Off to plan some more fascinating summer adventures for the kiddos.  Let's see, how about walk the dogs without dislocating an arm or trash chute tag......it's going to be a looooong summer! **wink**

I went to the kid's school play

I was going to call this post

"And then.... I saw a bunch of 9, 10 and 11 year olds in a play about Jews struggling in Russia and they all had British accents"

but thought that might be too long ~

The kid's school music department put on Fiddler On The Roof with the fourth and fifth graders.  What a big undertaking!  And as the British mom's say it was "bloody brilliant"!  The kids did great and the leads in the play where suprisingly good.  We were told that we couldn't take video and to please refrain from photography because of the distraction, but I held the i-Phone low and recorded some of the songs! **Shame, shame**

Okay..this is where I was going to have a little sample 

of the music I surreptitiously recorded

but I couldn't get the file to load.  Maybe when Patrick gets back in town....

I also snuck a few pictures as the kids were filing in.

No, the other children aren't evil....
red eye reduction fail!

Max in back row, second from the right

I overheard some of the parents before the play discussing how they thought Fiddler was a strange choice for the music teachers (two older, very dynamic men) to pick.  I mean, why not a play of persecution, poverty, and the struggle to hold on to one's beliefs in the midst of a hostile and chaotic environment?  I mean what 10 year old can't relate to the constricting customs required of them by Judaism within Russia on the brink of revolution and Jews feeling increasingly unwelcome in their villages?


But seriously, I applaud them.  The music is fantastic.  Great songs like "Sunrise, Sunset", "Matchmaker", "If I Were A Rich Man" and my personal favorite "Do You Love Me?".  The play also has wonderful comedic scenes which the kids played to a "T".  Great choice by these guys!  Not traditional, but really how many times can parents sit through "The Music Man" or terrible (and in my opinion, too mature content!) renditions of "Grease"?  And most of all, the kids had fun and were proud of their production.  **claps all around**


I wish I could have recorded the whole thing!  Patrick unfortunately is in Prague and missed it, but I anxiously await next year and have put in a request that he not travel the last two weeks of school next year.  Too much to miss!


And now ~ Wet Dog, Part Deux

Einstein says, "This is SO not cool"
(sorry about picture quality ~ dark hallway plus laughing at the poor, pitiful creature!)

this is what you get when it rains in the morning

Our dog Einstein has never been partial to being wet.  She is a fastidious little thing when it comes to being dirty or wet, especially her paws.  We call them her "royal feet" because she won't let you touch them and pulls them away quickly if you do.  So when it rains in the mornings, like it has been doing here, she is not a happy camper.  And then even after the rain has stopped, she will do anything to avoid stepping in the wet grass!  I think if she could "hover pee" she would.  So you can only imagine her dismay when it was really coming down yesterday......but they had to go......

"I am displeased and shall now pout"
"Someone get me to a day spa, STAT!"

And then there's Morgan.....

".....raining?  Was it raining"

......Soldes are upon us

This is the first official Soldes since we have arrived.  Here is a brief definition of Soldes in Paris:

Sales are state-regulated in France and generally run during two periods of the year: once in summer, just before the massive exodus toward the sea and sun, and once in the winter, shortly following Christmas. Department stores, boutiques, designer outlets, and even hardware shops clear out items from the previous season, gradually slashing prices over the course of the sales period.

Patrick and I experienced one when we were here last December.  Well actually I think it was pre-Soldes since we were here before Christmas.  We have been told it is the equivalent of Black Friday only these biannual sales last 6 weeks with discounts going up each week but if you want the "good stuff" it will go in the first weeks.

Now herein lies the problem.  People in Paris do not know how to form a line!  I have been to Black Friday sales in the U.S.  Yes, people will try to "cut in" the line, but there is a line. It should look something like this:

The "lines" (or queues) here look something like this:

But increase it by two more people side to side and then add the people who linger around the sides and front.  These "lines" are not just for sales, but can be seen at the Metro stations, bus depots, checkout counters.

I imagine that when the Soldes start the line might look like this:

"Ve Vant fashion"

Even when angry, U.S. crowds still keep in line, but might appear like this:

Just a short post for now.....got to go make dinner.  Patrick is in Prague for the next two weeks and the kids are in their last two weeks of school.  I doubt I will be checking out any sales myself, but there are some stores that offer online deals...might have to check those out from the comfort of my own home....no line!

....we make some friends

We are starting to meet people here through our children.  We made some great friends in N.C. like this. We met the Beck family through the same daycare and even when our kids went to separate schools, we kept in touch. Even though we are scattered around now, I can see us continuing to play a part in each other's lives.  Max and Charlie email each other now, usually just a couple of lines,  but keep abreast of each other and things going on.

On Friday Max had a friend, Hathorn, come over to the apartment after school.   They ride the bus together and Hathorn is in Samantha's class.  They had already hit it off at school and since they ride the bus together, we knew Hathorn lived in the area.  As it turns out, he is a short walk from our apartment.  Hathorn is one of 5 children, the rest being girls (Lilly 12, Peony 7, Sapphire 5, and Giselle 1).  We had briefly met the parents, just long enough to say "hi", while dropping the kids at the bus stop, so when Patrick and Max walked Hathorn home, Patrick was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome he got from the the dad, Rupert.

Rupert shared the story of how he and his wife came to Paris about 16 years ago with the intent to get a little "cross cultural experience" for a few months and ended up staying.  Patrick told Rupert that at times it feels like it's not "real" that we are here in Paris and Rupert stated that he still feels like that too at times even after 16 years!  He then invited us to go with him (his wife and oldest daughter were out of town checking out a boarding school in London) and the other kids to Hathorn's cricket match at the club they belong to.  Even said Max could play if he wanted!

So we met up at their house and caravanned over to the Standard Athletic Club.  It was great.  The Club in primarily English speaking (WOO HOO!) and offers all kinds of sports and even has an outdoor swimming pool (something kind of rare here).  Max and Hathorn went off to practice cricket and Samantha, Peony and Sapphire (the littlest one, Giselle, stayed home with the nanny) took to the playground and ladybug hunting. Max was a little leery of pitching and batting during a game, but volunteered to field (much like baseball fielding).

A little practice

Max on the side waiting to field errant balls
(white shirt, black shorts)

Samantha swinging 

It was a beautiful place.  Large, grassy fields and great play areas.  The pool was set in a wooded area surrounded by lounge chairs.  After the game, we had some lunch at the clubhouse (not a fancy affair, but nice!) and parted ways as Rupert then had to take Peony and Sapphire to birthday parties.

Patrick and I looked at each other and thought, "hmmmmm, maybe we are on to something".  It is a little pricey and does require a car to get there as it is surrounded by a huge natural park with trails, etc. but an English speaking, pool-having, sports-playing place 20 minutes or so from the apartment?!?  We might just have to tighten our belts.....we'll see.....

Game over

Deep in conversation about cricket, probably

Happy boys

....I had a birthday

.....but enough about that!

We did go exploring on Sunday and decided to try our hand at some of the brocantes (kinda like giant yard sales with many vendors).  It was very interesting.  There was your usual junk (but one man's junk is another's treasure...so they say) and then there were the lovely antiques.  You could basically go from some questionable looking stuff to vintage treasures.  It was fun looking at all the stuff.  The kids even enjoyed it.

After that we decided to get some lunch.  We could hear music from some street performers and as we turned the corner to get a better look, we saw lunch!

Advertised in the window
Tex-Mex cuisine

It was perfect.  It had burgers for the kids and mexican for Patrick and me.  We sat outside (cafe style) and listened to the music which only lasted about 20 more minutes, but that was fine 'cause it was kinda loud!  It was kind of ironic because although it was my birthday, Indiana is where Patrick was born!

I had a yummy beef brisket burrito with rice
and light "white" beer

The cafe was near the Bastille.  The old location of the fort is now called the Place de la Bastille. The large ditch behind the fort has been transformed into a marina for boats.The original outline of the fort is also marked on the pavement of streets and sidewalks that pass over its former location paving stones.

Monument in the roundabout

...some theories

The question has been asked "how do French women stay so skinny and eat all that bread, cheese, etc."  Now first of all, there are plus size French women of all ages.  I have seen them with my own eyes.   That being said, there does seem to a disproportionate number of thin women to plus size women here.

I think that part of the reason French women stay fit is that they walk EVERYWHERE.  And because they walk everywhere, they carry all their possessions with them.

Kinda hard to tell from this picture (taken on the down low!).  This lady is pausing to eat her breakfast of some kind of pastry before she gets back up and lugs her purse, rolling suitcase,briefcase and purchases to her next destination.

This lady is walking to work lugging a huge, stuffed backpack, an overflowing briefcase and a bag of unknown items (it could be bricks for all we know).  And not only is she lugging al this stuff, she is wearing heels.








Okay, that's another thing.  These women are walking everywhere but still have to be "styling" so they are walking in high heels!  This place is probably a podiatrists dream!

Even summer sandals have heels

This lady actually ran for the bus in these shoes!

They also drink, drink, drink lots of water.  I can understand this.  When a 12 oz. can of Coke costs on average about $2.00 and a bottle of water is .60, it only makes economical sense.  Plus they have these great syrups over here (kinda like Starbucks flavor shots) in all kinds of flavors.  At bottle of syrup on average costs $2.00 but can flavor about 30 glasses of water.  They come in fruit flavors (strawberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, gernadine......) and the very odd mint.  I had to try this one.  Well, not my best purchase because what it makes is the equivalent of a glass of mouthwash!  Oh well, live and learn.

On a side note, as I was walking in Paris doing some errands, I saw what had to be one of the oddest (and largest) ad placements ever.

This is on one the side of the Louvre!

Can't really do justice to the size of this ad in pictures!

Then right by the Metro entrance there was this fountain........

Okay, I know "art" comes in all styles, but really.....
water vomiting pharaohs?

Didn't his Mummy tell him it's not nice to spit?!?!
(snicker)

Stay tuned, I'm working on a theory for why the French don't smile....... maybe for the women it's because of the pain from the high heels and sore shoulders from carrying everything they own........