Paris, je t'aime beaucoup!

Je viens de rentrer de Paris, la meilleure ville dans le monde entier!  Quelle semaine magnifique! 

Just over a week ago, Maman and Papa took me on an amazing adventure to Paris, the City of Light!  Boy, oh boy, do I have so many things to share.  It truly is the City of Light, and lights happen to be my favorite things in the world right now, so I was immediately ecstatic. 

It all started with some long plane rides, but I’m used to those and I was my usually happy self, even sleeping for long stretches.  Maman and Papa were pretty smart to start me with this travel thing so early, because now it doesn’t even faze me.  We landed in Paris late the day after Thanksgiving, and were greeted by our friends Bill and Cara, who were anxiously awaiting our arrival.  The apartment had a perfect large front room for me to test my new walking skills, and was in the fashionable and central 5^th arrondissement (district).  After a few minutes of exploration, I went straight to bed. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep had I known what I was going to see out my window in the morning.

I slept well, and then woke to an amazing sight.  My conversation with Maman went something like this:

Big Church outside my window

Me:  “Wha dat?” Pointing frantically at an enormous building right outside my window.

Maman:  “Big Church.  Notre Dame”

Me:  again pointing frantically at the same building, “Wha dat?”

Maman:  “Big Church”

Me:  “Wha dat???”  (it must be more than “big church” right?)

Maman:  “Big Church, Notre Dame”

Me:  more frantic pointing, climbing on top of suitcases, banging on the window…”Wha dat?  Wha dat?  Wha dat?”

Maman:  laughing…”Really really really really big old old old Church Cathedral called Notre Dame.”

Me:  “But Wha dat?”

(repeat)

My mind was already blown…

Day 1:

Wake up, exclaim about Big Church,  drink milk, eat French cheese for breakfast.  Why is cheese better in France?

I was summarily bundled up into about 15 layers of clothing, placed inside my sleeping bag in the stroller, and the group set out for La Tour Eiffel.  Now, that thing is not as cool as Big Church, but it sure was a lot taller!  I loved playing in the park around the tower, while Papa commenced his week-long never-ending barrage of photo taking.  He was like the freaking paparazzi…and he couldn’t figure out why I kept walking away from him instead of looking at the camera! 

            Then we walked and walked and walked and walked.  In fact, that was the theme of the whole trip.  Apparently that’s what people in Paris do…walk!  It was a great way for me to get the layout of the city and to learn the names of all the landmarks.  We walked along the Seine, ultimately ending up back near our apartment, where I was let loose to roam in front of Big Church.  I met my first of many quirky French people…the Bird Guy.  I found it a little strange that he walked around with birds all over him, but he was still pretty cool.  He helped me feed the pigeons, which was super fun, but Maman wasn’t too happy at the prospect of pigeon poop on my new outfit.  (It should be mentioned that Maman spent too much money on an entire Paris wardrobe, not for herself, but for me!)   Then, into Big Church we go.  What amazing windows!  My favorite part, though, was trying to steal all the candles that were lit as offerings and prayers…I really love lights!  Papa carried me all the way up to the top of Big Church through tiny winding staircases (were people smaller back when Big Church was built?).  What a sight!  Paris from the sky!  I kept pointing to everything, “Wha dat?”, “Wha dat?”, “Wha dat?”!!!!!  

            After a long day, and a relaxing dinner, it was time for all good dudes to fall asleep dreaming of foie gras and croquet monsieurs.

Papa & me at La Tour Eiffel

One of my awesome Paris outfits

So glad I learned to walk in time for Paris

Getting my balance 

Big Church!

By Big Church

Daddy being artistic with the camera

Me and Bird Man

Auntie Cara and me

Trying to steal the candles at Big Church

Pretty Windows!

We're how high up?  ...at Big Church

Papa showing me the gargoyles

Day 2:

Still in love with Big Church from my window!  Today we saw another Church, but I wasn’t too impressed with it from the outside…it was much smaller than Big Church.   We walked inside and Maman took me out of the stroller to walk up a small set of stairs.  Holy smokes!!!!!  Light, light, light!!!   So many beautiful windows…why don’t we have any of these in my room at home?  Declan wants!  Je veux!  Maman tells me that this place is St. Chappelle…built a super long time ago to house the “Crown of Thorns”.     There were other tourists, who definitely liked the windows too, but I was the star of the show.  I kept toddling around and everywhere I went, throngs of tourists took my picture.  This was my first experience on this trip, but it was a central theme of my vacation;  Maman tells me not to get a big head though.

            Then back into my sleeping-bag-stroller, to lunch for a croque monsieur – my new favorite!  And, then time for my nap.  When I awoke, my mind was blown…again.  “Wha dat?”  I awoke in the courtyard of a very cool, old building that had a glass pyramid in front.  But the most amazing thing of all was this water that shot straight up into the air!  I hollered “out!” so Maman would set me free.  I raced as fast as I could to the water’s edge – trying to climb in a few times in my mohair sportcoat – and finally settled for standing by the water, mesmerized. 

            More walking, playing in the Tuilleries Garden – again, why doesn’t my backyard look like this?  I saw my Hercules likeness in marble in the garden, but due to construction, we couldn’t get close enough for a picture.  Walking, walking, down the Champs Elysees where the Marche Noel is going on for the holiday season.  People watching from my safe warm place was so thrilling that I couldn’t sleep!  We found a cool playground and I got to meet some French children (and by meet, I mean steal their sandbox toys).  I roamed around the sand and the slides for over an hour until it was time to continue WALKING!  Papa and Uncle Bill did a funny thing and raced each other on a slide that was clearly not meant for grownups, but it was fun to watch anyway. 

            We ended up at L’Arc de Triomphe for another amazing view of Paris, this time at dusk.  At this point, I’d had enough, and it was time to return to my apartment for bedtime with my babysitter while the grownups went out to a fancy French dinner at La Truffiere. 

St. Chappelle

Look what I found!

Regardez!  

Regardez encore!

My fountain by the Louvre

Big Wheel!

Cafe in the Tuileries

Playtime in the Tuileries

Uncle Bill & Papa racing down the slide 

Vive la Revolution!

Arc de Triomphe with Cara &Papa

Regardez La Tour Eiffel

Day 3: 

After my morning hello to Big Church, and the ritual wrapping of Hercules in 18 layers, we headed out the door for a croquet monsieur and soupe a l’oignon gratinee.  Yummy!  The French really do know how to cook!  Then the grownups let me run loose for a long time in Les Jardins de Luxombourg. Tres beaux!  More fountains, this time with duckies swimming.  Actually, my favorite thing here was a set of drains – yes – you heard me right, I love drains!  Maman tells me that I can find them back home in Napa, but French drains must be so much cooler because everything else is cooler in Paris!  I had a huge breakthrough in walking today – basically I learned to navigate the uneven ground and decided that I can handle walking pretty long distances.  I also decided that I would be fine staying in the Gardens for hours, and probably wouldn’t even notice if the grownups left…I was having too much fun. 

            Time for my nap in the stroller while the grownups did a self-guided walking tour of “Lost Paris” that Cara organized.  I overheard them talking about the old architecture, the Houssman changes, lots of dead Kings and Emperors, lots of guillotines…sounds like the French couldn’t make up their minds which kind of government they wanted to have…way too confusing for a little dude, so I pretended to sleep.  Of course, I “woke up” every time we passed a playground so the grownups would let me out to play. 

            Then more time with my babysitter that night, so the grownups could do “grownup things”.  Tonight, they went up La Tour Eiffel, sipped champagne at the top, and then to a nice modern French dinner.

Luxembourg Gardens

Check out the classic French scene happening behind me...

Another awesome outfit!  Thanks Maman!

Walking tour with Bill & Cara

French children have playgrounds too!

Grownups night at the Eiffel Tower

Day 4:

Hello Big Church!  Wha dat?

Maman and Papa had promised me something grand for Day 4, and they delivered.  After a 45 minute train ride, we walked down the street, turned a corner, and I saw…HOME!!!  Ma maison!  Chez moi!    We had arrived at Versailles, home to many a French King…and now me!  We toured room after room of glory and beauty and art.  It got better and better until…the Hercules Room!  That’s right, the central “party and banquet” room at Versailles is called the “Hercules Room” – the ceiling has a giant painting of ME staring down on all the party-goers.  The other tourists couldn’t quite figure out all the fuss, but Maman and Papa were pretty excited.  To get photos of me with the ceiling painting, Mama had to lift me way up in the air while Papa was on his back on the ground.  I’m pretty sure that more people were taking pictures of this spectacle than they were of the actual room.

            Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we turned the corner and I saw 1,000 Declans!  Aside from lights and Big Church, I love myself.  I therefore love mirrors…and this hall had so many of them.  I used my newfound walking skills to walk up and down the Hall of Mirrors several times, appreciating myself from every angle. 

            It was finally too exhausting and I napped in my stroller while the grownups toured the enormous gardens and Marie Antoinette’s house.  We enjoyed the train ride home, and then we had one final dinner with Bill & Cara before they left for the states. They had been there long before we arrived,  but at least we got to stay 2 more days in my new favorite city on Earth!

Papa and me at Versailles

Home at last!

A painting of Hercules at Versailles

My special room!

Hercules & Hercules

My Hall of Mirrors

Too much excitement!

At Marie Antoinette's "cottage"

Day 5:

It was just us now.  Time for some museums!  After hours of walking back to the Eiffel Tower because Maman wasn’t happy with the prior photos of me there.  Papa indulged in another long photo session of me, and I got photo-bombed by a large group of Japanese tourists.  As we were walking away from the tower, I saw movement and flashing lights and music.  Wha dat? Wha dat?  Je veux!  A carousel!  I had never been on one of these magnificent rides before…now it was my chance.  I cajoled Papa into buying me a ticket, and then we went around and around while Maman snapped photos.  I had a blast! 

A quick nap on our way to the Musee Branley – a relatively new Paris museum specializing in non-European art.  At the request of my Gran, I spent a long time in the African section.  It was a really great museum, designed with children and little dudes in mind…there was very little that I could break even if I tried.  I learned all about our ancestors and was amazed at how different their art was for each of the tribes. 

            Mama and Papa dropped me off with the sitter a bit early that night and went out for a night of their own.  I guess they deserve it!  From their descriptions the next day, they had “the perfect night”.  They went to the Louvre at night, when it was nearly empty, and after a few hours, they taxied to George V for cocktails.  Then a walk along Parisian streets light with Christmas Lights on their way to dinner overlooking the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. Papa ordered foie gras for the 5^th night in a row (he’s trying to make up for the fact that its now illegal in California)!  Some after dinner drinks, and bed overlooking Notre Dame…not a bad day!

Japanese tourists surround me

The photo we went back to get...

Loving the carousel!

Musee Branly

Masks like the ones that Gran has

I stole the descriptions off the wall...oops!

Papa and the Mona Lisa

Maman at the Louvre

At George V

Can you see the Eiffel Tower out the window?

Day 6: 

Vive la Revolution!  To learn more about French history, we embarked on an all-day self-guided Revolutionary walking tour.  This took us past many of the monuments that we had already seen, but also through the Bastille monument, the Palais de Justice, the Conciergerie, and a very cool Revolutionary museum that I can’t remember the name of.  We gained a little more clarity on the confusion that is the series of French Revolutions and governments. 

            Of course, Maman insisted that we finally end up in St. Germain-des-Pres for a little shopping.  She managed to refrain from buying herself anything, but she bought me two of the most awesome French Little Dude outfits in the world.  Papa also splurged on a huge hunk of foie gras and some gourmet chocolates. 

            Dinner was two kinds of cheese fondue at a little hole-in-the-wall place.  Holy cow (and sheep and goat!)…the French have good cheese!  I think I’ve mentioned that already, but it cannot be overstated.

Maman picking out my outfits

At Jacadi

Love my new outfit!  Thanks Maman!

Papa and his chocolate

Chocolate Hippos!

Day 7:

Our last day.  I was sad already at the prospect of leaving my new home, but I didn’t want to miss out on my last full day in Paris, so I sucked it up and pretended to be happy.  Hello Big Church, wha dat??  20 layers of clothes (it was getting colder daily).  Sleeping bag stroller…attempt to see the Catacombs, but they were closed because of air circulation problems!  I guess it would be bad to be around dead people if the air conditioning doesn’t work!   More croquet monsieurs, then off to Montmartre & Sacre Coeur…a part of the city that we hadn’t conquered yet.  We hired a private tour guide to walk us all around the hill, learning more about French history and the cool old buildings.  We saw painters on the street and all sorts of vendors selling souvenirs.  We watched a very cool street performer while sitting on the steps of Sacre Coeur at dusk, watching the sunset and the lights of Paris come on. 

            We enjoyed our last French meal and packed all our treasures back into their over-stuffed suitcases. 

At Montmartre with the tour guide

Sacre Coeur

Artists at Montmartre

Sunset with the Eiffel Tower in the distance

A perfect vacation

Day 8:

Au revoir Big Church!  A bientot!  I cannot wait to go back to the City of Light!  It fills my revolutionary spirit with such joy  to be there…maybe I will study abroad in France like Maman? 

The ride home was long and painful, but I was so good again, and made friends with everyone sitting near us. We’ve been back for about 9 hours, but I slept all night last night and am already back on Pacific time.

Hercules sleeps

Until next time…