Day Two in Paris

Playhouse Disney in France has some shows in English and some in French. It also has some shows from PBS on its channel, like Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine. While Thomas is in French, I thought it was funny that Bob the Builder was translated from American English to British English. It was really funny to hear all of the characters speaking English, but with different voices and British accents!

Hypocritical moment of the day: Staci's three year old really wanted a Dove dark chocolate first thing this morning while I was eating breakfast. I said to her, "Oh, I don't think we need to eat chocolate so early in the morning," at the exact same time I was spreading Nutella on my baguette. Oops!

I went to bed at 8:45 last night. I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, and laid in bed until 5:00 when I finally fell asleep. I didn't want to get up and do anything because I didn't want to get my mind working, but it didn't really help because I still just laid (lay or laid? Annette, please help!) there. Then I slept from 5:00 to 8:00. This morning, I ate a yaourt vanille (vanilla yogurt - YUM; yogurt is much better in France than in the States) and half of a baguette, part slathered in Nutella and part slathered in camembert cheese. I read the French newspaper and watched a bit of Disney channel in French. Then Staci and I talked and talked and caught up on life since we saw each other last (in Iowa for those of you who don't know). Then we took her daughter to school at 1:10, and started walking. I'm pretty sure the ball of my left foot is growing a blister, but I don't care. We first walked to the FNAC, which is a huge bookstore chain in Paris. They sell electronics and music and dvds too. The store has five floors! I didn't find anything I couldn't live without, but I did buy a couple of kids' books in French. I think Ethan & Aidan will like them, even though they are in French. (Wall-E and Transformers. And yes, my boys love them. Even though they are in a "strange" language.)

After we left the FNAC, we turned a corner and two blocks away - voilà! There was the Arc de Triomphe! So we walked over to it - no easy feat considering y ou can't reach it above ground. Surrounding the Arc is l'Etoile, the mother of all roundabouts. Imagine 6 or 7 lanes worth of a roundabout. Even with only one lane someone is bound to cut you off. Anyway, we went down to the metro station and found an entryway to get to the arc. We walked around it and took pictures. 12 different streets converge at the arc, the biggest one being the Champs-Elysées. (At the other end of the Champs-Elysées is the Louvre). Then exactly in the opposite direction from the Champs is another road, I don't know what it is called, but at the end of it is the business district with la grande a rche, or square perched directly behind the end of the street. And underneath the arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I talk about it so much because the top of the arch is my favorite place in all of Paris. I am in love with this area of Paris. I even like it more than the Eiffel Tower because you can actually see (the top half of) the Eiffel Tower from the arc. You can't see the Eiffel Tower from the Eiffel Tower! And part of the magic of Paris is seeing the tower in the skyline. Anyway, because it was an impromptu decision to go visit the arc, we didn't have time to go up to the top. That is okay, because I am completely content.

Then we stopped at a boulangerie/patisserie and got a mille feuille (Napoleon) dessert. YUM! Then we took the Metro to the Parc Monceau station - my first time on the Metro this time around. It wasn't nearly as scary as when I went in 1994. Cuz you know, I'm older now and stuff. Then went to the Parc Monceau and ate them (I took pictures, so yummy), and shortly after that Staci's kids got out of school. It's a 20 minute walk each way from their house to the school. I have definitely walked more in the last two days than I have walked in the previous year combined.

For a before dinner snack, I had another crêpe avec jambon et gruyère. And for dinner, ratatouille and salmon with mango. And pain au chocolat for dessert. I hope to gain a few pounds while I am here. I am going to enjoy every bite of delicious food I eat!

I turned the corner outside of FNAC and...there it was!

Obligatory touristy photo

Up close and personal with the Arc La grande arche de la Défense. Picture taken from the center of l'étoile. Check out the traffic in the roundabout.Tomb of the unknown soldier directly under the center of the arc

School children walking back to class from recess. They were so cute!One of the cutest stinkin' pictures I have ever taken. Staci's daughter made this at school.And, of course, my mille feuille. Although it is shorter than the other ones I ate while there (usually they have 2-3 layers of pastry), it was the tastiest one. I'm pretty sure it's manna from heaven.