Disneyland and Grandparents

We survived our day of Disney...and it was awesome! I woke up a tad earlier than usual- a bit of anxiety/excitement. The kids got up and we fed and dressed them quickly and our group of 6 (Matt, Rob, Grandma Ya-Ya, Cory, Addy and me) all managed to get out the door at the time we were hoping for. We had to catch two trains, and we arrived with a few minutes to spare before the park opened. We made a rookie "picture stop" at the entrance and then we were off to Fantasyland.

The guys had taken the kids to Asterix- a French theme park- a few weeks ago, and I was worried they would think Disney was the same as any other theme park...but they commented immediately upon strolling down Main Street that Disney put Asterix to shame. Phew. We went straight to Peter Pan (well, I detoured to grab a couple of fastpasses to Space Mountain)...I was a little concerned about the rest of the day because Cory was scared of the Peter Pan ride. He is not a fan Captain Hook. So I took them to It's a Small World next...surely nothing to scare Cory there. And they absolutely loved it...sooo cute. They learned the song immediately, and Cory was waving at all the dolls while Addy just sat with her mouth hanging open. They decided to ride a second time while Rob and I dashed off to Space Mountain...which broke down while we were in line...boo.

We met everyone else back on Main Street for the Mary Poppins show. I am fairly certain Cory and Addy are the biggest 2 and 3 yr old Mary Poppins fans around. They perform the songs and dances just about everyday. So needless to say...they were in heaven when Mary, Bert and the penguins danced their way out on the street and sang all the kids favorite songs. There was a particularly quiet moment when Cory yelled out "I love you Mary Poppins" so funny. They got to meet Mary and Bert and get a picture after the show. Their day was absolutely made.

We had lunch in Frontierland at this quick service BBQ place that is pretty darn tasty. We sat at picnic tables outside...and several different characters came out to say hello- rather steal people's drinks, pretend to eat their food...all the silly things those trouble maker characters do. Cory was terrified! Not a fan at all. At one point, Brother Bear pulled a bench away from a table, around a bush, climbed on top...and then belly flopped over the bush onto a picnic table. It was one of those moments I reminded the guys of the differences between Disney Paris and Disney World/land.

There are a couple of playgrounds in the park that we spent a bit of time on, we went on the pirate ship. We took Addy on Pirates of the Caribbean- knowing Cory would flip. I have never been so tense during that ride before! Turns out, it is a pretty life-like, scary ride...especially when you are 2. Addy sat on my lap, squeezing my hand...she never cried, but said she was not interested in doing that again.

The kids were amazing all day long...Addy decided her favorite was Dumbo, Cory's was the Astro Orbitor, Matt's was the Mary Poppins show, Rob's was Space Mountain (he went on a few more times after he and I went), Ya-Ya loved watching the kids faces during the parade, and my favorite moment of the day was on It's a Small World...I knew the magic of Disney found the kids.

The kids each picked out a stuffed animal souvenir- Addy got a baby Minnie and Cory got a Wall-E...which he hugged and kissed the entire train ride home...and is now sitting on his bed with Cory's favorite Thomas the train t-shirt on it. So cute. The dad's took lots of pictures, which I will get soon and post a few. Promise.

In other news, Grandma Ya-Ya has returned to South Orange. She spent a few days here- it was her final visit before everyone heads home. She has been so great to have around. On top of the fact that she visits with the sole purpose of spoiling her grandchildren (which generally gives me a little bit of extra time off), the kids just feel so much more at ease having her around...like they are home. You should have heard the SCREAM that came out of Cory's mouth when he woke up from his nap and realized Ya-Ya had made it here...it was just priceless...he was so excited. This morning, Matt's parents arrived- Mimi and Papa. Cory was all over the place- he wanted to show them EVERYTHING. I just love how excited kids get for their grandparents...it is such a cool relationship.

Finally, I just want to reiterate my love for Paris. I have had a couple of just amazing evening walks lately...the weather has turned pretty cool in the last week, but the sun has been out...creating some gorgeous sunsets over all the unbelievable monuments and buildings in Paris. I love that I can just walk along the street- full of cute shops and yummy cafes, turn my head and see a huge, old, historic building, and then stroll along the Seine- people riding their bikes- a couple kissing on a bridge (I know, sounds gross, but somehow just adds to everything here), and then take a curve in the river- look up and see the Eiffel Tower. I love going running and finding myself in a new park that is more well kept and lovely than anything I have run through before...it is hard not to slow down and enjoy it (okay, okay...I usually stop and walk for awhile...it's too great). I had a moment the other night while I was walking where I realized what I cool opportunity I have been given. I will (most likely) never have the chance to experience Paris the way I am now...getting to casually enjoy all (actually, definitely not all) that Paris has to offer. I had a brief thought that I should stay and live here...but then remembered how much more important people are than places...and I like you guys at home too much. But I can definitely understand how people that have grown up here would have a hard time living anywhere else.

And with that confession of my current love, I'm off to wander some more.

Wow, it's mid-September!

Oh man, seriously…is it already mid-September? When did that happen?! Wowza…

So what is new in Paris? Last weekend I visited one of the famous cemeteries…the one where Jim Morrison’s grave is. The weather was great and the cemetery was beautiful…I took so many pictures, fully knowing the camera just wouldn’t be able to capture the atmosphere…but I tried. There was quite a little group gathered around Jim Morrison’s grave- which was tiny, especially in comparison to the huge family sites all around. There were cigarettes and alcohol bottles and flowers scattered around his grave, and people paying their respects…a few tearful.

Last Sunday was the first Sunday of the month, which means free entrance in to the museums. I got a bit lost on my way (you never REALLY get lost in Paris though…just a roundabout way of getting where I was going). I visited the Cluny museum, only to discover, it does not do the free first Sunday thing. Boo. And then went to the l'Orangerie. It is a small museum, but the main attraction is Monet's "Nympheas"...some really beautiful art there. Then I had to race off to meet Rachel at the train station…pastry in hand, ready to hand off!

The kids started school last week. They go to a little English-speaking (phew!) program from about 2-4pm 4 days a week. The school is 16 metro stops, and a transfer away…yeah. The kids and I have quite the metro adventure every day. We have ditched the stroller for these trips, because there are so many staircases and no escalators or elevators…it would be more of a pain with it. I was nervous about taking them without some kind of restraint, so we talk about the rules each day before we leave the house. They name them for me- no running away, always hold hands, and always LISTEN. They have actually been fantastic. The walking at the end of the day is a bit much for them- it usually takes us 50 minutes to get to school and an hour and ten minutes to get home because they need to sit and rest every two minutes (only a slight exaggeration). But the school is lovely, and they are really enjoying it- I think they have really been missing the interaction with other kids. I have been trying to figure out what to do with myself for those two hours. It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I thought I found a track close by, that I could walk to and do my workouts…but after attempting the walk, I realized it was too far and I would never have time to get any kind of substantial workout in. I found a café that I like nearby…but I can’t do that everyday…it is just too expensive. A café au lait is about 4 euros (aka $6) and that is just ridiculous.

Rachel was in town for the week. She just flew in to Leeds for her brand new school year and hopped a flight for a visit. I stayed with her in a hostel a couple of nights…which was quite the adventure. We had to lug sheets with us back and forth, and we were in a different room each night because of the availability. And then she stayed at the apartment for the last three nights. She was great about going out and exploring the city on her own while I was working and then meeting back up for an evening adventure. What did we do….hmmm, we enjoyed many-a- pain au chocolate (choc croissant…yumm). We went to the grocery store for wine, cheese and fruit..and to the boulangerie for baguettes and delicious pastries a few times.

One of the evenings we decided to just picnic in the park near our house. I have seen people picnicking with wine all the time, but wasn’t sure if it was actually legal…but we decided to go for it. As we were sitting there, a man in some sort of suit started walking toward us…oh dear, could that be a police officer. Yes, yes it was. He said “oh you are strangers here. You should know you can not drink wine in the parks. But since you already opened it, feel free to finish it. Next time just put the wine bottle in a bag.” Yeah, the police officer told us how to break the law. So French. And then he returned to invite us to his church…a flyer with his phone number.

Another night, we were going to picnic in the Place de Vosges, one of the oldest squares in Paris. We bought all our stuff and headed out with our blanket…and, typical Paris weather- it was beautiful all day and then the black clouds rolled in. It started POURING. Like, crazy Florida rain. So we grabbed our stuff and sat on a bench under the trees with our blanket over our head. Hey, we are from Seattle…a little rain isn’t going to keep us from enjoying our cheese and wine. And we stuck it out like pros…I was very proud of us.

We also enjoyed several crepes throughout the week. I tell you what, if I ate all the time, like I did this week…oh man, bad news bears…it will take a lot of running to burn off those calories.

Our last night we went to the Eiffel Tower to watch the evening light show. I have been putting it off because it gets dark so late, and it is quite a ways away…but the seasons are changing and the evening comes sooner now. So we saw the 9pm show…and it was beautiful. Such a Paris cliche. I loved it. Rachel did too. I think it took her a little while to warm up to Paris…she didn’t seem overly impressed…but the Eiffel Tower worked its magic.

This morning she did some last minute shopping and I pointed her off to the airport…hopefully she managed to make it back to Leeds!!

Ya-Ya is in town for a few days…we are all going to Disneyland Paris on Monday…should be an experience…none of them have ever been to any Disney’s before. Yeah…I am feeling a bit of pressure to make it amazing.

All for now…later.

More picture problems...hopefully soon- sorry. :(

A visit from Grandma and Amsterdam...

Hi again, I know I promised a blog at the end of last weekend, and here we are- another weekend come and gone, and I still haven’t written. I could give you some excuses, but mostly it is because either my internet is being a pain or I get home too late to be able to spend the appropriate amount of time writing for you. I’m sure my readership has gone down dramatically due to my lack of promise fulfilling…thanks to you dedicated few who still care to check up on me…I appreciate it.

So I last left you anticipating the arrival of my Grandma Cary and Grandpa Don. They had been traveling around Europe for the past month and scheduled a special weekend trip to Paris- a city which neither particularly like due to bad past experience- to visit me. We had a great time…I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see people I know. I got done with work about an hour and a half early and skipped (truly) my way down to the metro stop to meet them. There was hugging and excitement. We all walked back up to the apartment, they sat and had a g&t with the dads and had a chance to meet the little darlings I take care of…who put on a couple of singing performances for us…and called them “Eryn’s mom and Grandpa Don”. Then we walked through my neighborhood and had dinner at my crepe place. We headed back to their hotel (a little bit of a commute…we def learned and became quite comfortable with the metro).

Saturday we got up and had the free breakfast and coffee at the hotel. We decided to do the batobus- the boat that is a hop on hop off throughout the city, along the Seine. We went to the Musee D’Orsay, Notre Dame, St Chapelle, walked along the Champs-Elysees, visited the Arc de Triumph and had a stop at the Eiffel Tower…it was a full tourist day.

Unfortunately, we had my first rude Paris experience…of course when I am with the people that already aren’t thrilled about Paris…I was so mad. We sat down to have dinner at a restaurant on the Champs-Elysees- a very touristy spot- and our waiter just ignored us…took forever to get a menu, and then several attempts to get his attention to take our order. Finally, after about a half hour, Don managed to flag him down, he came over…started talking to some guy on the street behind us, so we patiently waited…and then he said “I’m waiting. Are you planning on ordering” like he had been waiting on us! I said no, and we got up and left. Went somewhere else. I was so mad.

We didn’t end up traveling up the Eiffel Tower…the line was so unbelievably long, but Grandma and I did eat a dessert crepe while looking at it…which I think was probably just as good.


Last week was a pretty typical work week- nothing too out of the ordinary. Friday morning, my friend Roseanna, from Barcelona (well, she is from Australia, but we met in Barcelona) arrived on the train and hauled all of her stuff into my room. I had my usual work day, and then at 5:30 we jetted to the train station to get our train to Amsterdam. Well, we learned a few things. First, it takes a little longer than expected to get there, navigate through the Friday evening people-traffic, get our tickets and find our train…so we missed the 6:30 train and had to wait for the 7:30- no big deal. Second, turns out if you get your tickets ahead of time, they are significantly cheaper. We had previously looked online and had the price figured out, but figured we would just buy them day of…yeah, prices went up. Sad. But we got there.

And Amsterdam was adorable. A really pretty city. I’m definitely a fan. We got in pretty late, so we walked to our hotel and got some rest. We woke up fairly early on Sat and ate breakfast. We also did the hop on, hop off boat through the canals. We went to the Rijksmuseum…which has several Rembrandts and other great stuff. Then we jumped on the boat over to Anne Frank’s house. That was hard. I mean, it was really amazing to be able to actually go in the annex and see where the family hid, but it is so strange to think that this house is now a tourist spot, you know. It was pretty powerful, and we left feeling fairly somber. After that we did a bit of wandering, both because there isn’t a ton to do in Amsterdam and we were a bit museum’d out…not to mention that the city is a bit difficult to navigate and we got last more than a few times. Luckily, it is a beautiful city and wandering is not a bad thing to do. Later, we checked out the Red Light District. So bizarre. This completely friendly, and tourist loving city has this whole district just available for prostitution. There was glass door after glass door of prostitutes posing in the window, waiting for someone to go in. And while that was strange, it was stranger that it just wasn’t that big of a deal. There weren’t people shouting out obscene comments like you would expect. And then, of course, the coffee shops with the pot menus. You walk along the street and can smell pot everywhere…and then you go in these coffee shops and, of course- we are in Amsterdam…people are just a-smoking away. I am sure you will all be thoroughly disappointed to learn that I did not participate. I know, how could I not in Amsterdam…it is legal. But I did sit in the coffee shop and had a yummy hot chocolate…so I think that should count for something.

Sunday I woke up bright and early, and got in my Human Race gear, sent all the way from Philadelphia, and went out to run my own personal 10k. I was planning on doing the Nike Human Race 10k in Paris, but went to Amsterdam instead. So I mapped out a course and did the run on my own. I had the entire city to myself at 8am…there wasn’t anyone up…it was a gorgeous day. Roseanna and I cruised the canals and did some souvenir shopping , and then caught the train back to Paris. We managed to get in the first class cabin- for some reason, it was actually cheaper. So we got a meal and wine…lovely. It was a great trip…really glad I was able to head out and do some world exploration…there will definitely be a few more weekend trips in the future.

Hope you are all well. I miss you.