We started off our day with our usual 10:30 breakfast pastries and coffee. We really are on such a late schedule. Then we made our way to the Natural History museum. The first was the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie comparée, which displayed the skeletons and anatomy of many animals both current and prehistoric. The sheer number of specimen they have is incredible. Also, with it being our last day, there wasn’t TOO much to read since it was all in French so we were able to walk through in about an hour.
We took a walk through an ecological garden, where Caroline made notes of flowers she liked, such as Fairy Kisses Sweet Lemonade. No lie. That was literally the name of some plant.
The garden led us to the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, which housed taxidermied animals. This museum was a bit bigger and had a few more exhibits in English. English or not, it didn’t seem to bother the kids who would still sit down and watch whatever film was playing in French. The displays were really great.
We left a little before 1:00 and decided to walk towards the Pantheon, stopping somewhere along the way for lunch. We didn’t get far frok the museum when we smelled the best smells and stopped at a Moroccan restaurant, La Mosquee de Paris, which is actually housed in the Grande Mosquee de Paris. I got the couscous kebab meal, which consisted of a wonderfully marinated beef kebab, a plate of plain couscous, and vegetable soup. We had never really eaten Moroccan like this before, so it took me a bit to realized I was supposed to spoon the soup into the couscous. It was seriously so good, I think I’ll be craving that meal for a while. Bennett and Caroline got chicken kebab and fries, while Joel got some grilled meatballs with a side of green beans. He said it was good, but I don’t think he enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed mine. The kids are their chicken, neither said they liked it or hated it, but we definitely had to force Caroline to finish her’s.
As soon as we left the restaurant, Caroline started complaining that she was tired. She actually complained at the museums too, but mostly found ways to entertain herself. Now walking in the sun and humidity, the elements were breaking her down. It was so frustrating, especially since she insisted on walking with me 97% of the time. The walk was probably a good half hour to the Pantheon, and when we got there, realized how much it’d cost to get in and passed. It was about 10€ per person, which isn’t outrageous… but is if most of the party doesn’t care to go in.
We decided to head towards the Latin Quarter, to do more souvenir shopping and search for crepes and ice cream. Joel also wanted to stop at Victor Hugo’s house along the way. Well, we found crepes and ice cream but never made it to Victor Hugo’s house. At one of the parks we passed, there was a person blowing giant bubbles. Bennett didn’t hesitate to run around to try and pop them. It was so idyllic, of course. Wandering through the streets of Paris, coming across a beautiful flower garden with big bubbles floating across it. As Joel said when we stopped to watch the bubbles, “Of course this would happen. Only in Paris.”
We finished ice cream sometime after 3:30 and decided to make our way to the Galeries Layfette. We scheduled a French macaroon making class at 5:00, so we had plenty of time to look around. Of course, we walked there, as it was only 15 minutes away. Of course, this made Caroline very miserable. As athletic of a child as she is, it’s surprising how much she hates to move her body and sweat. At the Galeries, we showed the kids the Art Deco ceiling. Even they were impressed. Then we made our way to the top floor, for one of the best views in Paris. Joel and I went to the Galeries on our last trip to Paris because we were chatting with a flight attendant and she said it was her favorite place. We loved it when we went back then, but it was completely deserted, with astroturf laid on the roof. Cute but simple. Well now the secret is out becsuse the place was packed. There was a restaurant up there, which neither of us remembered before, and a big light up sign reading J’adore Paris. It was so crowded up there, we didn’t get a chance to take a photo with the sign.
Then we made our way to the macaroon class. It was nice but definitely not what I expected when I booked the class. We basically watched the chef mix the macaroon shell ingredients, then we all took turns piping the macaroons.Then we learned how to make the filling, and made macaroons using shells she had previously prepared. It was still a good learning experience, as I’ve tried to make macaroons and have horribly failed, but definitely not as hands on as I was hoping. I have to say, for the kids, it was probably the right amount of involvement. The class only lasted 1.5 hours so I can understand how difficult it’d be for each child/parent group to make batches from scratch. In the end, we did get to eat the freshly baked shells we had piped. They tasted like brownies, they were great. And since we were the last people leaving, the chef told us to take them all, which Caroline and Bennett eagerly did. Caroline was a big fan.
We shopped for a bit and admired a beautiful staircase called Steps to Heaven, or something like that. Galeries is such a great place, very similar to Harrods. And both remind me of how casual, boring and cheap I dress. That being said, if I did wear clothing from either place, we would be incredibly poor.
After the Galeries, we decided to go to Sacre Couer. It was a 30 minute wak, or 25 minutes of waking with a 5 minute train ride. It’s really out by itself. So we started walking and Joel suggested stopping by the hotel, since we would pass it on the way. Of course at the hotel, we realized no one REALLY wanted to go to the Sacre Couer. The kids were adamant about not going from the beginning, and joel and I really only wanted to go so the kids could say they have been. The church is less spectacular than what they have already seen, and all it has are great views of the city, which we have seen from the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, and Galeries. Granted, it would be a totally different view, it just didn’t feel necessary. So we decided to grab dinner nearby, which would also give Joel a chance to wash a load at the laundromat.
Dinner was at an Italian place called Vale and Ale. Joel and the kids had pizza, while I had seafood spaghetti. We also got bruschetta to share. The food was phenomenal. The pasta was perfection. It’ll be another dish I’ll be hoping to find in Minnesota. I’ve had similar dishes but the flavors were so much better then anything I’ve had at home. Joel’s pizza had pistachio, ham and buffalo mozzarella. He said it was amazing and never thought he would’ve liked pistachio on pizza. Truly such a great restaurant. For me, this was the best day of eating overall this whole trip.
After dinner, which ended at 9:30, we made our way back to the hotel. Bennett played some video games while Caroline played with my hair and watched the BBC news. I’m always surprised she will willingly watch the news over watching some shows on the iPad. I don’t know if it is because the news coverage has been all about the Queen or what, it she never complains about it. Watching the coverage, she was able to pick out King Charles. When we saw the Queen’s casket, she noticed that her coronation crown, which we saw previously during our trip, was on the casket. She even recognizes pictures of Queen Elizabeth as a girl, becsuse we had learned so much about it. Who knows how much she’ll actually retain, but I’m happy to see that.
Tomorrow we leave for Disney, which I anticipate will feel just like all of our other Disney trips. Joel and I were saying earlier today that sometime over the weekend, maybe Sunday, we both thought about what a long trip this will be. At the time, we were only halfway through, and we had seen so much in Paris right away, it felt like the vacation was too long. Now that we’re nearing the end, and the kids don’t want to leave, Paris really flew by. I think 2 weeks is the longest trip we’ve taken with the kids, but it really hasn’t felt that long. The kids definitely get in our nerves, and I’m sure once we get home, we’ll all find our own space to get away from one other, but still, it has been a lot of fun!
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