Run Fox Run

After the success of the Erosion 2005 tour (Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyons, with a little Capitol Reef on the side) with Lynn and George, we were eager to travel with them again this year. Our 2006 location was Paris, France. We stayed in a top-floor apartment in the 6th Arrondisement, a short walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg. This is a fantastic park with a large fountain in which one can sail rented wooden boats, a wading-pool-and-sandbox area for young kids, a playground, marionettes, and beautiful grounds — flowers, trees, sculpture — throughout. Also, wonderfully, there were not many tourists there, allowing us to experience a more genuine and lived-in Paris than the succession of monuments and baroque buildings it can seem. We shopped for food at the local markets, both open-air and surprisingly Whole-Foods-like La Grande Epicerie de Paris.

We became regulars at the local cafe, Le Nemrod, and the patisserie.

It was terrific to see Leda interacting with the Parisian kids at the park. (Although, as a mom, I was challenged by the realization that when I say to Leda, “please share,” and “that’s not yours,” I am saying it as much for the other parents as for my daughter’s benefit — I want them to know that I’m trying. I found myself actually translating these things into French as best I could, saying to Leda “please give that back to her,” then “donnez-moi, s.v.p.” Fortunately Leda was mostly magnificent, so I didn’t have to worry about the French for “Stop biting him immediately, and remove your knee from his mid-section.”)

We find ourselves telling people how “travel is different” now: our greatly reduced pace, our frequent breaks for croissants or crepes, our need to provide appropriate naptime and bedtime situations. That’s all true, of course, and it was wonderful to have the apartment, so that Leda could go to bed at her usual time in one bedroom, and the rest of us could then have dinner (prepared by George and his sous-chef Toby with ingredients found at the market that day), watch the World Cup, and talk. But what’s really different about traveling now is how I experience so much of it through/with Leda: my favorite moments from this trip were not the museums that she slept through, although I enjoyed them; the highlights are the things that made Leda smile or laugh. The Metro (a.k.a. “Choo-Choo”), the Jardin du Luxembourg, the parade of dogs past our cafe table each morning, the baker at the patisserie waving happily when Leda said, “au revoir, bye-bye.” Our favorite paintings were the ones that she responded to, like the water lilies at L’Orangerie.

Leda didn’t really “get” the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame, but she liked walking and playing in new neighborhoods, the flowers and pond at Giverny, and spending time with Grandma and Papa. There are not a lot of 21-month-olds who get taken to Paris, and after doing it I think I understand why, but this particular one helped make my vacation unforgettable.We took a LOT of photos on this trip, and a signficantly edited library is available in the two Paris albums here and here.