Paris

Now that a week has passed since we returned, I think I can safely say Ed and I have acquired the necessary distance in perspective to evaluate our trip. The verdict is that it was enchantingly beautiful and a lot hotter than Cambridge. We will probably not attempt another city break like that until Maria turns seven but we're very glad we went. During the trip, Maria learned three new words which are now in constant use: walk! fun! and happy! In many ways, they perfectly describe the trip.

Walk!
The hard part about Paris was getting around with a loaded push chair and exuberant baby. We would leave our hotel most mornings not intending to return until late afternoon/evening. That meant we had to bring along all our worldy goods and chattel: three liters of water, four nappies, wipes and fragrance bags, juice for Maria, snacks for all of us, coats in case it got cold, Maria's blanket so she could nap, Lion to keep her occupied in her push chair, the camera, sunscreen, money, and tons of other bits and pieces I won't bore you by listing. Pile all this onto the push chair and then add a very sturdy little girl and the result is rather heavy. Now carry this push chair up and down stairs in the Metro with a sturdy little girl desperately trying to get out and 'Walk!' We avoided over-using the Metro as a result and walked miles every day as a result. It felt really good to be so active and food tasted wonderful when we stopped. But Maria didn't like the long confinement at all and almost as soon as she was strapped in we would hear her squaky little voice from the front: walk! (don't feel too bad for her. We went to every park we could find and let her play. Our visit to the Eiffle Tower consisted of playing in the children's sandpit at the bottom.)

Fun! Happy!

We did some lovely things in Paris which we wouldn't have done had we not had a baby with us. For one thing, we visited a beautiful park called the Bois de Vincenne, towards the east of Paris. It had a large lake in the middle with paddle boats and ponies to take the children around on. Maria stood with her nose pushed through the chain link fence staring at them for at least half an hour. Next time we're there, she'll be bigger. We did take her on her first carousel ride in the park and bought ice cream cones. The sun drenched everything. Everyone in Paris seemed to be jogging around the lake. I (Beth) felt a strong yearning to run around the lake too, and watched the joggers with not a small bit of envy. If Ed ever gets his wish to live in Paris, I won't lack for fellow joggers. What was especially pleasant about our day was that it felt like an authentic place for a Paris family to go. If there are other days as splendid as that one, I certainly could see myself conceding Ed's wish.