A Place Like This......

Meanwhile Back at the Casbah

While still in Paris, one day we decided to go for Moroccan food. All of us are huge couscous fans and we had heard that this little place was like stepping back in time.

As I was trying to have a conversation with my family, I couldn't help but notice that my children were very distracted, unable to participate in our table talk.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

And there I saw them, these two cute litte birds sitting on the chandelier.

My very Swedish self panicked a bit because on the island of Gotland, birds inside a house or building means somebody's going to die soon. ( In case you didn't know, I have a very strong and keen superstitious side. At times it can be annoying.)

"Mom, it's not that. These birds live here, I don't think they've even been outside. They're free living indoor birds." 

This inquiring mind wanted to know,"What makes you say that?"

At just that moment the table next to ours got up to leave. After they departed, those same cute little birds flew down from the chandelier and started eating couscous crumbs. They got a fairly good meal before the waiter came over and really wiped down the table. 

What went through my mind wasn't, "Oh my word what a health concern." The first thing that ran through my mind was, "If they eat this much couscous all day long, why aren't they fat and how do they keep flying with all of that weight?"

So much for logic. 

I'm happy to say the meal was fantastic and that no one died after having seen living birds inside a building or eating off a table.

We did discuss that if "bird flu" were prevalent in Paris at the moment, that it would be the most incredible death story ever. "I went to Paris, died of bird flu, caught while eating couscous at the Casbah."

Fortunately that story will just have to remain in the minds of this creative family. :) 

 

In the Garden of Versailles

On our unexpected, unplanned outing to the Palace of Versailles we were totally mesmerized by the interior. No one mentioned the upcoming picnic lunch on the terrace or that soon we would be enchanted by a magical spring like day in March.

 As far as the eye could see the garden went on. The long set of stairs led us down onto the garden path. Our goal was to reach the place past the grass because we heard that there was a four channel man made lake where one could rent a boat. The idea of rowing ourselves around a garden had a us moving quickly.

   

On our way to the lake little or big things kept popping up that would capture our imaginations. Look at the way this horse and chariot just rises out of the water.  We walked around this fountain alone for about 15 minutes really looking to see how the sculpture had thought this idea up. Our conclusion is that he was a fan of Greek Mythology.

  We were heading for that 4 channeled lake I promise we were, until we came to this little shack/kiosk that was renting bicycles. Oh how I love to ride bicycles and this was all on flat terrain. 

"Let's just rent a bike for an hour and take a ride, then we can come back and rent a boat." I said.

Everyone was game for the adventure. The day was nearly 70 degrees and sunny. There was a light warm wind and that little euphoria that sets in during the beginning of Spring hit us. I think of it was allowed, we would have rode our bikes to Amsterdam.

We followed this path through the garden until we could go no further and had to park our bikes. We had arrived at a manor house. A house which was actually the first building on the Versailles property, built as a hunting lodge by King Louis the XIV. Later the Trianon became the manor house of Marie Antoinette. She hated court life and this allowed her some breathing room from it all. 

"Happiness is doubled when shared with a friend...." In those words are contained the value she placed on friendship as being intrinsic to her happiness. Indeed, the queen had a great capacity for friendship.

As we came through her house, there was yet another magnificent garden which called us to walk along its pathways  until we reached this little village. It is known as the Hameau, the Hamlet. Along with not liking French court life, Marie Antoinette loved playing peasant. She had a complete village built which housed a fishing pond, vegetable gardens, life-stock, grain fields, and anything and everything a village needed to survive.

 

 The house above would sleep Marie Antoinette and her friends. There is a lovely vegetable garden in the back. The buildings were constructed in the mid-1700's. 

 

 This building was the dining hall. We loved looking in the windows. One can really imagine what life was like here. It was really fascinating the way history comes together and what we think of as facts and dates in a book, actually took place in the company of many historical figures. I was so surprised to learn the Marie Antoinette was dear friends with the Swiss philosopher Rousseau and that he inspired the hamlet gardens which reflected his "back to nature" philosophy. He also helped decorate two of the buildings along with his brother.

Mimi and I couldn't help but comment that we could really feel the queen in this place. It left us with many questions which we would later have to answer. Was Queen Marie Antoinette the selfish extravagant of French history or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Our research would show us that she got the raw end of the deal and was a victim and not an oppressor. She was completely unaware as to what was happening in the outside world. From being born an Austrian princess to marrying the King of France, her life was actually imprisoned in the palace and she had no clue what life was like outside it's walls.

In spite of its idyllic appearance, the hamlet was a real farm, fully managed by a farmer appointed by the Queen, with its vineyards, fields, orchards and vegetable gardens producing fruit and vegetables consumed by the royal table. Animals from Switzerland, according to the instructions of the Queen, were raised on the farm. For this reason the place was often called "the Swiss hamlet".At some point we looked at our watches and discovered it was almost 5 pm. We had 15 minutes to get our bikes back and then it was the long walk out of the palace gardens. We never did see or make it to the man made lake. That we will have to save for another time. Walking out of our reverie but fully contented that we had an impromptu day which delighted us in the most magical way. 

To the Palace of Versailles

He had that look in his eye. The one where a bevy of questions are about to be unleashed.

 

"Mom, is Chateau de Versailles just a metro stop or is there a palace there?"  O asked.

" Oh,there's an incredible palace there. Remember the French revolution sites we visited? This is the Palace that King Louis and Queen Marie-Antoinette lived plus two kings named Louis before that."

"Wouldn't it be great, the boy said, if we could go there? Just to look at it from the outside. I just want to see what it's like. Is it a long metro ride? It must be really something incredible." 

"Not only can we go there but if you'd like we can go inside."

"Are you kidding me?" The boy bellowed.

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No I wasn't kidding, and when you're on vacation you have all the time in the world. So with that, I put two children and myself on a metro heading for the Palais de Versailles.

I cannot describe how massive this palace is. We came off the train, took a right hand turn, and were met by a huge alleyway of trees with the most spectacular golden palace at the end.

As we waited in line to go into the palace we were just completely overcome by all of the "real" gold lurking in the most incredible places.

Once the golden gates were behind us,

There was no place to go but inside.

 

As we walked down the hallway of this old and beautifully preserved palace, one couldn't help but think about who else walked these halls, and what were they thinking about? The halls and stairs went on forever as we headed to the beginning of our sojourn into the palace of Versailles.

Like kings, queens, aristocracy , and visitors before us, we came to the place where all visits begin at Versailles. These golden doors opened, waiting for us

to enter this glorious beauty of a chapel. It was called upon all people at court to begin their day at the mass known as matins. It is a double tiered "chapel" that champions a small cathedral.

I never did see the floor of this palace, which I hear wasn't anything special, because I just couldn't get over the celestial views in each room. The ceilings were just a wonder to behold.

As I was looking up, the children were looking out, as in out for where the king and queen lived. Though Marie Antoinette's apartments were being renovated, King Louis XVI's were fully furnished. The joy of seeing the actual place where the king played cards, ate, and slept was almost too much for the kids to bear.  

 

Coming around the corner there was the most beautiful crystal chandelier.

It was then that I realized that we were in the most famous room of them all, The Hall of Mirrors. Even with people inside, it was just awe inspiring.

From within we could see the garden that awaited us . It was time to grab some lunch and head outside.

(to be continued)

Eiffel's Tower

Though we are back from Paris, I haven't yet finished sharing the most magical moments of that trip. The initial reason I started blogging was to save moments my family and I shared. It came from a place of longing, wishing I had captured the incredible moments with my family growing up. So that my children would not suffer the same fate, I started blogging. They will now have this snapshot of our lives together and the special times we shared.

"The Eiffel Tower? Really Mom, I don't want to do touristy things. Can't we go see Napolean's Tomb and the Military Museum?" 

"Well they're in the same neighborhood and you know dear boy that for one who loves to construct things the Eiffel Tower is a marvel? Let's compromise? We can do both" 

And with a bit of prodding, a metro ride, and a walk, we arrived at what became known as "The Tourist Attraction".

As we came out of the metro there was silence and heads craning upwards to have a view at one of the most famous sites in the world.

"I didn't know it was so large. How big is this thing?  How did they build it? Can we go to the top? How many visitors does it get a year? What to the Parisian's think about it? Was Eiffel a person? ...... and on and on went the questions. So now he was interested. (mother smiles :)

As big sister actived her smart phone to get some answers for the inquiring mind, his attention diverted to the fact that all he really wanted to do was go underneath the tower to look up inside the giant structure.

I was happy with the close up view but I knew this would not work for my husband Fiber Boy. Tradition has it that he likes the long range view which throughout family vacations has had us hiking miles at times to be able to turn around and say "Wow ! Look at that".  And there it was.....the suggestion...."Let's cross the Seine and walk up to Troccadero so we can get a good view.". 

While we make our way to the "good view" let's share some of our discovered Eiffel Tower facts.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, is nicknamed 'The Iron Lady', and is considered to be the most-visited monument in the world. 

The Eiffel Tower was built as the entrance arch for the 1889 World Fair - Exposition Universelle, which marked the centennial celebration of the French Revolution. It was said to be the 'symbol of our achievements in the field of science and engineering'. Out of a number of designs submitted as part of a competition, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel won, and was responsible for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. It was a temporary structure with a permit of 20 years, after which it was to be demolished - and that nearly happened in 1909. Had it not been for its use as a telecommunication tower, the Eiffel Tower would have had been long gone!

• Construction of the Eiffel Tower began on January 26, 1887, and was eventually completed on March 31, 1889. It took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days, for the 300 workers involved, to complete the Eiffel Tower.
• Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (the person who had created the internal frame of the Statue of Liberty in 1885) was the main architect.
• The Eiffel Tower stands 1063 feet tall, inclusive of the 24 m antenna, and weighs 7,300 tons. With that height, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world when it was built - and continued to be so until 1930.

• The Eiffel Tower was built using 9441 tons of wrought iron (puddle iron) of the highest quality. A total of 18038 pieces of wrought iron were joined together to create it. The base of the Eiffel Tower covers a square area of 100 m.
• The Eiffel Tower is painted every 7 years, in 3 shades of brown with darkest shade at the bottom. Approximately 60 tons of paint is required to paint it. Even today the Eiffel Tower is painted using mere brushes.
• The Eiffel Tower has a total of 1710 steps to the third level small platform at the top, 674 steps to the second level, and 347 steps to the first level, all counted from the ground.
• The names of 72 prominent French scientists and famous personalities are affixed on the sides of Eiffel Tower just beneath the first platform, 18 names per side.
• The Eiffel Tower belongs to the city of Paris, and is given a renewable contract to a limited company named Societe d'exploitation de la Tour Eiffel.
• In clear weather, you can see approximately 42 miles from the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

• During gusty winds, the Eiffel Tower sways up to 15 cm at its summit.Due to the height of this structure and gusty winds, the chances of accident during the construction of Eiffel Tower were high, but precautionary measures ensured that there were no accident-related deaths during the  construction. 
• The temporary relocation of the Eiffel Tower to Montreal, wherein it was to be used as a landmark and tourist attraction during 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, was attempted in the 1960s. However, the company which was in charge of operations ruled this move out of  fear that the French administration may deny them  permission to restore it to its original place.
• You can use the steps or elevator to reach the top, but these stairs are only available to the second platform, and the third platform is accessible only via elevators. 

•  Victor Lustig, a con artist notorious for his scams all over the world, posed as the deputy director-general of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs, and sold the Eiffel Tower to scrap dealer - Andre Poisson, citing that the city could not afford the maintenance of this structure anymore. Lustig is widely known as 'The man who sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice.'
• The Eiffel Tower has restaurants on the first and second platforms. The restaurant on the first platform is 'Altitude 95' and faces the river Seine. The restaurant on the second platform is named 'Jules Verne' (prior booking is a must in this restaurant).

Over 200 million people have visited the Eiffel Tower Since its inception, with the 200,000,000th visitor arriving on November 28, 2002.

Now let's turn around for our long view shall we?

Up On The Roof Top

As Emily and I went roaming around Paris discovering the most amazing knit shop, and having coffee and molten lava cake at the Louvre, nothing could have prepared us for our re-entry into our domestic bliss. 

"Mom, the girls were on the roof and they could have killed themselves. Why didn't you tell them not to do that?" Little "O" stated rather perturbed and frantic.

"Well I didn't think not to." I said with a bit of a dumb-founded look on my face.

It was only after we had returned home and I saw these that it became so much clearer.

Zuzu, Mimi, and cousin Lauryn wanted to know where that sky-light window in the ceiling would take them. It took them out into the world, on top a building built in the 15th century, with a beautiful view of the Sorbonne I might add.

From there one of the "coolest" adventures of their life unfolded and that was getting back into the apartment. 

Try not to be shocked, appalled and terrified and know that all ended well. Young brother however is still ranting and raving about it and feels that we need to write a rule book. :) I don't have the heart to tell him I don't think that is going to happen nor do I think they would obey anything with a rule in it. For this is a group of free-thinkers.

Here's a look at their antics. Sorry you'll have to view it on my facebook as this is the only link I have to the video. Feel free to add me as your facebook friend. Link in the right hand sidebar.

A big thank-you to "my girls" for letting me pilfer their photos. Love you much !

Shared Moments

I love catching little glimmars of when they come together. 

Brother and Sister meet after 3 weeks of being apart.

After flying all night, Zaina arrived in Paris during the early morning hours. The stillness of this moment and the three of them together brought a happy beat to this momma's heart.

A couple of days later, cousin Lauryn came in from Lille France to just see her cousins and spend a couple of hours with us before she had to head home again.

Just to be together, is the most precious of gifts. What shared moments have you captured today?

Locked on the Bridge of Love

I was teaching my sweet daughter the art of the flanneur.  Flanneur in French means to stroll and it's one of the things I love to do the most when I'm in Paris. As we were strolling along the Seine, I noticed this tree, the same tree that spits out hundreds of little spikey pods back at home. The same spikey pods which send me collapsing to the ground whenever I step on them in the garden. "Why" I thought would such an annoying tree be on the banks of the Seine in the middle of Paris?"  Even Paris has it's thorns. There I stood taking a photo to remember this moment of the annoying tree.

It was after the photo was taken that I noticed these locks on the bridge in front of me.

Each lock held the names of two people. Some, without locks simply wrote their names on a ribbon tying it to the bridge. "What is this?" I thought. 

"MOM, look over here !!!!

And that's when I knew, it had to be love. 

On the other side of the bridge there isn't a spot to be found except for the locks of love. It started a few years ago. Those in love would come with a lock, names engraved with a date, linked to the bridge and the key thrown over into the Seine. A love that will last forever, never to be undone.

In 2010, the city of Paris announced that it would  be taking off all the locks on it's bridges because it was ruining the asethetics of the City of Lights. One night as the city slept all the locks were removed. The city of Paris fained ingnorance and said it was probably junk collectors who had done it. The people of Paris were so outraged that within the course of one week 2000 locks went back up on the bridges, more than had originally been there.

Now, when you come to the City of Lights, which is also known as the City of Love, bring a lock with the name of you and your love's and be entwined forever or at least linked. 

 

This Evening in Paris

 

 

Good Continuation

These days between Christmas and New Year's in the Swedish tradition are known as "Good Continuation". Why end all of the merriment? Our huge family gang is still together moving in tribal form around Montreal, that is until I took a look at our travel schedule. Thinking I was leaving tomorrow December 29th, I soon learned that I'm leaving today. The question now is "How fast can you pack to make it to the airport on time? How fast can you say good-bye to 30 something relatives who all went back to work today? Is a text message considered inappropriate? How do I get myself into these messes?(Oh that question I can ask myself when I'm in my airplane seat.) Though these days should be calm and merry, the next few hours are going to be wild. My mantra? Be Calm and Carry On.All Will Be Well.

For all of you my friends, I wish you a happy continuation of the holidays with family and friends. I'll be back tomorrow or the day after, with some unusal  tale of the Traveling Tribe. Until then be well.

Our Friendly Neighbors to the Sunny North

Usually this time of year sees me baking like a fiend. It has had to be postponed due to the fact that we're heading to Montreal to be with our family and friends for the holidays. We're travelling today but we'll be back soon with views from beautiful Montreal Canada., which no doubt, will share images of me and us preparing and baking like a fiend. Be well.