Classic Carrousel

Sebastian was very sad not to be able to go on the carrousel, but he was too little. Julien work very hard to catch the hoops on a stick.

Zip line

At first Julien was a little apprehensive to go on the kid zip line, but once he realized some of the kids could speak English, then it was lots of fun. Sebastian enjoyed the red spaceship-like merry-go-round.

Jardin Luxembourg

The boys LOVED the playground at Luxembourg Garden. It is very different then American play grounds. For one thing, you have to pay to get in. But, is is such an amazing playground it's worth it!

Outdoor pet market

When we were walking through the city we found ourselves in an outdoor pet market. Julien was thrilled by all the birds.

The view from the top

It is quite spectacular to view the city from above.

Eiffel Tower

The line to go up the Eiffel Tower was shorter than it can be (when it is at its worst), so we decided to go up tot he second level. It took about 45 min, and several of them with Sebastian complaining, but it was worth it.

The bus

We took the bus to the Eiffel Tower. Sebastian loved it! Usually we take the Metro when we are in Paris, but we enjoyed the bus. It is fun to see the city through the window.

Chez Julien

Images from the streets of Paris

Walking

Around the corner

We went to a wonderful restaurant around the corner from the new apartment. It looked out over a little park with a very nice playground.

Bill and Jan's new apartment

Bill and Jan bought a two bedroom apartment in the Marais district on the rue Elzevir. It is in the in the third arrondissement just a couple blocks away from the Rue Rosier. The apartment is from from about 1895. It is a very quiet street nestled in a bustling area. Their window is the one with the real estate sign in the window. You can see Jan walking up to the doorway. It was a Monday, so almost everything was closed. In the last photo you can just see the apartment building peaking between the other buildings.

Bateau bus

On the first day we took the Bateau Bus. It was fun to go down the Seine in a boat. Sebastian, in particular, LOVED it. He still talks about the bateau.

The Seine

Our apartment had a view of the Seine. Julien loved to watch it at night with all the reflected light. It was, however, a little noisy in the morning when they were loading boats. But very fun for the boys to watch.

Bill and Jan's

Bill and Jan lived near the national library in Paris this last year. Jan was serving as the Director of The University of Chicago in Paris. We stayed in an apartment in the same apartment complex. It wasn't the most typical or beautiful old Paris neighborhood, but it still had some character. There was a comic book store around the corner where Jan and Bill got Julien Tintin and Asterix books and there was an artists squat a couple blocks away. Also, they had an excellent bakery.

Saying good bye

We were sad to say good bye to our wonderful cottage (and Julien was very sad to say good bye to the Tintin books). It was a long arduous drive with bad traffic, although we enjoyed the playground near where we stopped for lunch.

More photos from Julien

Knight

Julien took lots of photos of his new knight.