Avenue Des Champs Elysees

Our Sunday afternoon in Paris was spent walking along the sights near the Louvre, which we did not go in. Instead, we were content to have walked along the open squares and gathering places. The photos of the Eiffel Tower were taken from "Place De La Concorde" nearby the entrance to the Louvre. Also photographed is Place De La Madeleine and in the distant background between the two girls, St. Augustine's Church.

The sculpture in the last photo was on one of the lawns beside the Louvre. It is by Jean Dubuffet, who also has a sculpture by Embarcadero 4 in Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco.

-JP

Paris at Night

These pictures were taken during our first night in Paris. The second night was spent on the train going home. We arrived at the spot where we took the photo of the Eiffel Tower at 8:10 PM. From 8:00 to 8:10, the lights on the tower flash in a brilliant display. Our picture was taken roughly five seconds after that flashing stopped, unfortunately.

This quick jaunt out to these two landmarks lasted just long enough to take pictures before we returned to our hotel. You can tell by Camille's face that the evening was getting a bit cold.

-JP

The Artists of Montmartre

Despite the seedy night life, which has rather tarnished the reputation of Montmartre, it has managed to maintain its sense of artistry and charm. Nowhere else during our European stay have people been so welcoming and open to conversation. This may be because most of them are trying to sell you something, but there seems to be a genuine interest behind it all. For example, when walking down one of the busier streets on the hill beneath Sacre Coeur, we stumbled upon an artist who was so taken by the girls he insisted they have their portraits done. Strangely, he insisted he not do it himself since he would not be able to properly represent them, so he sought out another artist who he knew could capture children well. During the entire sitting, he (Francois), kept gushing over Pauline and the girls, genuinely interested in what combination of lineage produced such features. Pauline has always felt a connection to her Polish heritage, but to her dismay was told by Francois to ditch this side of her in favor of her German heritage, due to the Polish being too brooding and sad.

Here are Isabelle and Camille during their sitting with the artist who finally drew them. Unfortunately, we never got his name, and his signature on the portrait is indecipherable.

-JP

Paris is flat

The first four pictures comprise the panoramic view at the steps of Sacre Coeur. You can see how extremely flat the city and countryside are. You can barely see the Eiffel Tower through the trees. The flatness of the city made walking much easier, although getting up the steps to the top of the hill was a chore.

-JP

Sacre Coeur

Here's the beautiful Sacre Coeur. It is the second highest point in Paris, after the Eiffel Tower. The weather was amazing during our stay in Paris. Just look at that blue sky.

-JP

Unwinding

After a long train ride, we decided to unwind by taking a walk. We were staying in Montmartre, which was historically an artist community. By "artist," I'm including those who have traded canvas and brush for pole dancing and disco lights. That's right, we were mere blocks from the red light district and the famous Moulin Rouge. Nice family vacation. Despite its night life, Montmarte was wonderful during the day.

The community has maintained a charming atmosphere, and had by far the best restaurants we had been to during our entire trip. On our walk we stumbled upon a carousel that let the girls unwind a bit.

-JP

Welcome to the cheapest hotel in Paris

Pauline found this hotel on the Internet. She booked it because it was one of the few that allowed children and/or four people to a room. Unfortunately, we did not get one of those rooms. The guy at the desk could not give us one room for the four of us, so we had to get two. Luckily, this hotel was extremely cheap. If there was any question to the cheapness of this hotel, it was made plainly evident upon entering our rooms.

The walls were paper thin, and the door locks did not exactly inspire confidence. We were also advised not to take the elevator, which had a capacity of two people (without luggage), being only three feet square. We happily took the stairs.

One of the rooms looked reasonable enough. It had two twin beds and a view of the street. We did not find out until later that the window was directly beside their large illuminated sign outside, which offered the lustre of midday sunlight 24 hours a day.

The other room drove Pauline into a panic. Take a look at the picture of the bathroom above and tell me what's missing. That's right...a toilet. Instead, the bathroom had a tub, a sink, and a bidet. We later found the toilet in the opposite corner of the room in what once must have been a closet.

-JP

Walking to the Hotel

When planning her trip to Paris, Pauline went through a long and exhaustive research process that culminated in a highly detailed itinerary. It went something like this: Step 1, go to Paris. Step 2, walk. Step 3, return to London.

So, here we are pictured walking to our hotel from the train station. This was a nice 20 minute walk that took us through a few neighborhoods that we would revisit for their playgrounds and restaurants. We managed to get around using a map we bought at the train station, and another map from the hotel that had good local sights to see. I'm not kidding about Pauline's itinerary, which, by the way, was presented to me after we had boarded the train. We literally made it up in the train station on the first day, and then again over breakfast on the second day.

-JP

Riding the Train to Paris

We rode on the Eurostar train from London to Paris. The trip takes less than three hours, thanks to the train being capable of speeds up to 198 mph. It was a nice, smooth ride, and the girls handled it fairly well.

The pictures are listed in the order the trip progressed: London suburbs, English countryside, inside The Chunnel, playing Go Fish, and finally, the French countryside (pardon the camera's reflection; it was the only picture that came out).

-JP

The Beer Aisle

Here's the beer aisle at Waitrose, a nearby supermarket. The store has an impressive selection of fresh produce, prepared foods and cheese. The British are crazy about their cheese. I spoke with a woman the other day who, when traveling, always brings along a supply of tea and cheese. The hell?? I've got to hand it to them, though. The cheese is pretty damn good. So is the beer for that matter.

It is surprisingly difficult to find a store that has a decent beer section. Most corner stores, which are equivalent to a 7-11, sell Beck's, Corona and Budweiser at absurd prices. I can only guess the shortage of beers in the stores is due to there being a pub on every corner. Why would you buy beer for your refrigerator at home when you can walk one block and have three pubs to choose from? Anyway, these two pictures make up the entire Waitrose beer section. I've posted them in particularly high resolution so you can open the picture and pick one you'd like me to bring home.

-JP

A Slow Degradation

Here are the girls modeling two new dresses they bought at Mark's & Spencer, which is a both department store and grocery store. The moment quickly degraded into hysteria.

-JP

The Royal Courts of Justice

Pauline and the girls stumbled upon the Law Courts one day. There are 88 courts in all, laid out in a labyrinth designed to keep judges apart from counsel, and juries from prosecution and defence. Built in 1882, it is considered a triumph of Gothic style.

-JP

The Tube

Here are the girls on one of the myriad outings with Pauline. Isabelle is eating some sort of disgusting fruit stick.

-JP

Nerd Alert

While here, I've been keeping track of the various cultural differences that make life interesting here in London. There's the obvious, like driving on the wrong side of the street. I say "wrong" side, not "other" side deliberately. I'm not convinced the Britons are altogether comfortable with passing each other on the left, as evidenced by the catastrophe they're all faced with when walking down the street. Sure, they know the rules of the road suggest they pass each other on the left, but they can never seem to maintain those rules while on foot. Some of the more steadfast (especially the over 60 year-olds) will unwaveringly pass you on the left. However, everyone else is at a loss, which results in countless near collisions, not to mention those ridiculous mid-sidewalk dances that people do when they're trying to find out which side to pass on.

Pictured above is a cultural difference I was not prepared for until I tried to type a sentence including a quotation mark. You and I know this button to live adjacent to the Enter key. In the UK version, it's the #2. Note also the left Shift key. I, for one, solely use the left shift key, and to have it at only half the size of a standard Shift key, I'm constantly typing a \, which I'm used to being above the Enter key. Take a close look at these two keyboards and you'll see how different they really are. For those of you who are curious, the Alt Gr key is for the Euro symbol on the 4 key.

-JP

The Apartment

It occurred to us we have yet to post pictures of where we're staying. This is the flat the firm rented for us. To have been given this flat to stay in has been the greatest gift of all. A hotel can never feel like home; not with cleaning staff coming and going at unknown hours, and having nothing more to your room than the minimal essentials to sleep and leave again. This apartment has given us the luxury of truly experiencing what it would be like to live in downtown London. We go grocery shopping, do laundry and wash dishes, while a cleaning staff comes once a week to vaccuum and such.

It is strange to think that going across the ocean to escape chores is not nearly as comforting as having those same chores waiting for you in London. Pauline and I would never trade this place for a hotel where our chores are taken care of. Can't explain it. It just makes one feel more human and at home.

-JP

Skipping along

Isabelle has settled into the London scene quite well. She makes it a point to speak with a British accent when in public, and here can be seen making the most of walking down the street.

-JP