The Cluny Musuem

After breakfast on Saturday, our first morning in Paris, we walked to the Cluny Museum, the national museum of the middle ages. The museum is housed in unique quarters: Gallo-Roman baths from the 1st-3rd centuries and an abbey from the 15th century. There are many works from Paris, but also from other medieval centers of civilization such as Brussels, Siena, and York. Seeing ancient works of art from cities we've visited or about saints we've celebrated since living here (Martin! Nikolaus!) seemed to make history come alive to me like I've always wanted it to, placing these objects in space and time.

Stained glass window depicting the Resurrection of the Dead

One of the highlights for me was seeing these stained glass windows close up, illuminated from behind and hung down at eye level. Many windows are from Paris' Sainte-Chapelle cathedral, removed during renovations in the 1800's, as is this one above. The surprisingly thick black iron that separates sections of glass helped me believe that this was from the year 1200, but the elegant black paint-brushed embellishments and shading made me wonder if we've really learned so much in 800 years, after all...

These heads once had bodies and were stationed on the facade of Notre Dame. Also from the 1200's, these statues of the kings of Judah were mistaken for plain old tyrannical kings and were destroyed during the French Revolution. The heads were once painted, and traces of color remain. Some tender-hearted group of people buried the heads, which were discovered in a presumably spooky way just thirty years ago. So many decisions throughout history have preserved these artifacts, and for some reason I think more about the hands that buried these heads more than the hands that carved them.

We saw much more that  I could comment on, including the famous unicorn tapestries. I would definitely describe my visit here as a spiritual experience.

Daisy, when she initially saw that we were entering a building that looked like a church or a museum, put her foot down: "I want to stay outside!" Chris and I heeded her request and took turns watching her in the gardens while the other had time to wander and ponder in peace. Besides needing a triple room, we also need to take turns at museums? It really is another stage of our traveling life with a child!

During my play time with Daisy, she taught me the intricate ritual of climbing and jumping she had developed with Chris around the garden. 

Soon, a Parisian family with two small girls arrived to play at the Cluny gardens before pancakes at Lulu's. Excited to have an English speaker around, the other mother brought up songs for Daisy and her oldest to sing together: ABCD, The Wheels on the Bus, etc. If I only had video on my camera, you'd hear the belting tones coming out of these sweet kids: 

I loved talking about raising kids in Paris and began envisioning a permanent life on the Left Bank. And affording designer clothes for little mademoiselles. Possibly coming to the Cluny gardens on Saturday mornings to brush up Daisy's English.

After Chris finished his turn inside, we gathered to leave and - plops! Chris received a gift from a pigeon, on his hair, neck, and shirt. Not the best time for me to bring up living in a large European city, I suppose...

Place de la Sorbonne

Part of how we make traveling affordable is by sharing a bed with Daisy. This is not always comfortable: even with a king-size bed, her little legs often end up flailing against someone's head, and some of you may  know how loud a child's breathing can be at night. In Paris, however, we had a little double bed with barely any room for us all to lie on our backs! The ultimatum arrived - triple rooms from now on. Just in time for our traveling escapades to end...

Anyway, every morning we raced out of our minuscule room, walked twenty steps, and relaxed on the Place de la Sorbonne for breakfast, erasing the discomfort of the night and lapping up Paris at its best. Roaring fountains, the sight of one of the oldest universities in the world, leafy trees...

The cafe we chose on the place our first morning was so pleasant, and the server so charming with Daisy, that we returned every morning. 

Standard yet delicious breakfast at L'Ecritoire 

Daisy scored a hot chocolate - with a straw from aforementioned attentive waiter - on Easter Sunday.

Father/Daughter shot from Easter Monday (another holiday, another hot chocolate?):

Anyway, next time you're in Paris, think of us when you walk through this area. It came to symbolize the Paris that we'd suffer 3-in-a-double-bed to experience. And, while you're there, do a lap (or eighty-five) around this wall in honor of us :)

Les Papilles

After meeting up with Luke, Jenny, and Jack at the Luxembourg Gardens, we walked a few blocks to Les Papilles (Taste Buds) for dinner. This restaurant is known for serving a single menu, different each night: you show up and say, "Yes, I'd like the full dinner." I knew that I would like whatever "gourmet terroir cuisine" they set in front of me. 

It was fun to catch up with the Whitakers. It's nothing like the baths in Baden-Baden, but we were still preparing ourselves for another adventure together!

Jenny provided some enthralling electronic games for the kids. I think they ended up impressing the other diners with how well they behaved (which is a nice way of saying that we received some glares when we first entered).

The first course, a sweet potato soup, was my favorite. I would love to try making it at home, but it won't be anywhere close to what this was:

What, doesn't that look like soup? Well, just ladle some of this creamy delight over it, then - voila!

Next came lemony filets of fish on a thick bed of mashed potatoes.

The third course surprised me, but what surprised me more was how much I liked it. What surprised me even more was how much Daisy liked it!

"Please save some bleu cheese for me,
Daisy!"

Finally, we dug into a cup of pineapple panna cotta with a sort of foamed caramel topping. I could have done without the pineapple pieces, personally. Yup, Daisy liked dessert, too. All four courses were a hit for our daughter, who must have abnormal papilles for a 3-yr-old.

I also adored the food here, but it's hard for me to separate my love of the flavors from the adventure I felt in anticipating each new dish. Whatever the reasons were, I cherished our dinner here and would love to go back!

Luxembourg Gardens

When we searched for a hotel in Paris, I targeted the area around the Sorbonne. Besides the nearby attractions of the university, the Pantheon, the Cluny museum, and the Latin Quarter, I was anxious to relax as much as possible in the Luxembourg Gardens. You know how it is when you're traveling, though - the three full days we spent so near to the gardens yielded only two visits. Our first was on Friday right after we dropped off our bags at the hotel, and the second was on Easter morning before church. 

Luxembourg Palace / French Senate

The gardens lie behind the Luxembourg Palace (1600s, Medicis, modeled after Pitti Palace in Florence), which now houses the French Senate. These 60 acres are filled with opportunities for recreation and people of all ages enjoying themselves, making the gardens rank as one of the best public places in the world.

Shall I take you for a walk in the park? Down these paths you'll find shady lanes with flowering trees.

Kids can rent toy wooden boats and push them across the octagonal fountain in the center of the gardens. Watching such a leisurely activity is super relaxing.

If you cut across the kids going for a horseback ride, there's some boules players who dress like they must be regulars.

Before we go any further, I need to point out these chairs. They scream "Luxembourg Gardens" just like the chairs at the Memorial Union scream "Madison, WI." Any random person can arrange these chairs, which are scattered generously across the gardens, wherever and however they want for the best view, sun, or makeshift bed. 

Over here, beyond the tennis courts and the marionette theater, there's a vintage carousel with wooden animals to ride, dating from at least 1900. 

And right next to the carousel, there's an expansive playground (you have to pay to enter, though). If you're lucky like Daisy, you'll have arranged to meet your friend there and have an hour to run around before dinner reservations.

If you're tired of chairs, find the benches.

If you're tired of hurrying, find the Luxembourg Gardens.

A Spritz of Cologne before Paris

Since our train to Paris connected in Cologne (Köln), we broke up the journey by staying a couple of hours on Good Friday to revisit the city and its cathedral. Chris remembered his first trip to Europe in 2005 to a chemistry conference in Cologne, and it was startling to realize how much we've changed since then.

The hour of travel seemed short by train; it's really a great way to get around with Daisy. I think she likes how we can completely focus on the book we're reading or a picture we're drawing when we're away from the distractions of home.

Happy train traveler

We stopped across the bridge from the cathedral so we could walk across the Rhein. 

 People "lock up" their love here like on other bridges in Europe. People with names like Nadja, Manfred, and Birgit left their marks here, leaving us to imagine their stories.

I counted the number of times I've been here: at least 10. Many times, I didn't even take out my camera. I often think about what it would have been like for medieval citizens to become so familiar with religious artwork filling these cathedrals, to see in shapes of colored glass what they couldn't read. Although a dozen visits hardly stacks up against a lifetime of religious services, the images on the windows and the figures hovering over the arches have ingrained themselves in us deeply.

When I see space used so confidently like this, it inspires me to create:

Why do people travel to see this cathedral? Is it because it's old? (If so, there is a Romanesque church a few blocks away that is much older and still in excellent condition.) Is it the artistry and technique? (We can surely do those same things today - however, we never would spend such funds.) It must simply be a time capsule of history that preserves the style, the values, and the craftsmanship of the era.

In the train station, Easter decorations combined with a shop store sign to spell "Daisy Charlotte." Very random.

Happy Easter!

Here are some belated pictures of Daisy painting Easter eggs. We were invited to Hanna's family garden on Thursday and had a great, sunny time with the gang. It was even hot enough to let the kids play with the hose and the kiddie pool afterwards. The next day, we went to Paris for the weekend! More pictures of that soon...

It's Like Riding a Bike

Since we're currently agonizing over how much of our stuff we can ship to Atlanta, now is definitely not the time to buy a bike for Daisy. Luckily for us, our friend Trixi wanted to lend us little Konstantin's bike for a short while, since he's graduated to something with pedals.

Daisy loves joining the rest of the 3-year-olds on the continent and riding her Laufrad (training bike). It's not a piece of equipment that I was aware of back in the US, but it's brilliant, right? The kids learn how to balance and to steer this way, and can learn how to pedal separately on a tricycle. Maybe the reason that Europeans are so confident on bicycles is the early maneuvering education!

The pink flowering trees (what are they called?) provided a great backdrop for our morning bike ride yesterday.

When the wind blows, the confetti-like petals make me feel like it's my wedding...

...or that I'm a queen, walking on plush carpet.

More fun with weeds flowers:

Anyway, back to the bike:

It's amazing to watch Daisy learn how to ride this thing. For a few days, all she did was a slow waddle-walk, not even letting herself rest on the seat. But then, it started to click, and each day she gains confidence and experiments with longer stretches of rolling.

She could do this forever - yesterday morning, she "biked" a mile and a half before I reeled her in for lunch. Near our apartment, there's this fun kids' course where Daisy likes to "choose a street."

Well, all these pictures are good, but a video would be better, right? Here's some footage from yesterday with a special bonus song. (The other day, I had her sing some songs for the camera and flipped the viewing screen over so that she could watch herself - that's what she wanted this time, too.) The text of the song, a classic for kids here, is translated something like, "All my duckies swim on their lake, swim on their lake - little heads in the water, little tails in the air." Enjoy!

Video: