Milk To Go: Paris Again!

The Kuhnlein’s have arrived in Paris for another European adventure…

This is the first time in 9 years of travel with kids that it really feels easier. MJ and Phia each have a small roller suit case with their clothes and a backpack. And they can carry them -- All By Themselves! Dude… it’s a whole new world. We had a straight flight from Seattle to Paris; it was wonderful to arrive not overly tired and strung out. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel about 11am, we headed out with my parents, who had arrived 6 days before us, to walk along the Seine.

In years past, we never traveled with our usual toys or books. I would have a series of new small toys and books gift wrapped and ready to give at different intervals during the trip. New toys have much longer interest-staying-power for little ones… which is handy for a long trip. However, the girls have reached an age where shopping for something new themselves and the significance of it being from another country has finally hit. They had a couple of new books and a little bit of coloring, but Paris Day 1 included letting them go to a store and pick out a couple small new things. And who wouldn’t need a gorgeous fan, a travel perfume sprayer to hold water (“to cool me down Mommy”) and a flashlight decorated with roses:

After our walk along the Seine and a little shopping, we needed a nap. I woke up after just a couple hours however and headed out with my parents for a glass of wine. As we got ready to leave the bistro which was located on a quiet, sweet little cobblestoned side street, I used the toilet. As I was waiting for my turn a little 8 year old girl came in with her mother. We established quickly that we all spoke English and then discovered we were all American. The conversation was as you probably guessed until we got down to the specifics. They started telling me about the small city they were from in Washington State. It’s about an hour and half north of Seattle… it’s called Bellingham. !!!! Small world. They had just moved to Paris back in December and the little girl and mother were still in process of learning the language and the city.

Response from my girls when I told them I had made us some new friends in the city? “Mommy! ONE day in Paris and you have already made new friends? CLASSIC MOMMY!!! That is so you!”

The next day, we met our new friends and went to the Jardin du Luxembourg. The girls played at the playground, had a pony ride and ice cream. I think our new friends enjoyed some good ol’ Pacific Northwest company after several months of Parisians.

We are staying near the Place des Vosges in the Marais area of Paris.

I picked this area because we had just two nights in the city, plus jet lag -- I knew we wouldn’t be doing much sight seeing. This area is good for food, unique little stores and good people watching. Just today as we sipped a beautiful white from Burgundy we had a whole interesting array of characters… the skinniest man alive with a curly, grey beard down to his chest, decked out completely in black, the tallest traditional top hat I’ve ever seen drinking a Red Bull. A round man with a foot high, bleach blonde mohawk, ink all over his body, draped on a purple hair tiny woman with piercings all over her face. A six foot transvestite dressed in an elegant suit with hair in a sophisticated bob. On Rue des Francs Bourgeois, we met a sweet mother of two boys with jet black, perfectly crazy-curly haired woman with bright red lip stick, riding a motorized Razor scooter in four inch heels.

All this interesting sightseeing, plus being fully pampered with purchases from my family at unique little boutiques in the Marais... it was a good 41st birthday party.