Run Fox Run

Cheer for the Bronx Zoo

July 28, 2006 on 9:09 pm | In Travel | 1 Comment | Written by Toby

Friday was a good day. Jenn and I took Leda to the Bronx Zoo to enjoy all the animals. And, brother, they’ve got plenty. We took the train and then the subway up to the Bronx. The zoo has lots of great exhibits/areas. We enjoyed the bear habitats (both polar and grizzly), and watched them swim and frolic in their pools. We repeatedly yelled HEY BEARS, GO!, but we were rebuffed without even a GRRRRAHH. Maybe next year.

The zoo really has a lot of *amazing* exhibits. They really do a good job of displaying both the animal and its habitat in a very large scale. Of note were Tiger Mountain, the butterfly exhibit, and the children’s zoo. But the most extraordinary exhibit is that of the lowland gorillas. This fantastic viewing area looked in on about 3 acres of land which housed at least 15 gorillas (with 2 babies!). They did it all: playing with each other, swinging in the trees, climbing, and sitting about 1 ft away from the glass. Great photos are available in the gallery.

Le Tour de Leda

July 23, 2006 on 9:29 pm | In Leda and Cleo, Travel | 1 Comment | Written by Toby

As an extension to our trip to Paris, we journeyed on the TGV to the Pyrenees (near the French-Spanish border) to catch two stages of the Tour de France. I am a huge fan of the race and was thrilled to see it live. We also got a feel for the race and an area of France that is not very widely visited by foreign tourists. For example, I had no idea that amateur bike riders like to ride up the same climbs as the professionals on the day of the race. Since these roads are closed on race day, they don’t have to dodge any traffic. Each day, we saw over 500 cyclists in intense pain going up these mountains. Even hiking up them was really tough.

The first day we started in a small town, Lurbes St. Christau (pop. 400), and hiked about 4 miles up the Col du Marie Blanc. This is one of the steepest mountain roads in the tour and the cyclists pass by fairly slowly (only about 15mph!). Leda really enjoyed two facets of the race other than the moment that the race passes by. About one hour before the cyclists arrive, there is the Caravan. This seemingly endless chain of cars is related to each of the sponsors of the race (it’s on the same level as NASCAR in terms of advertising). All of these vehicles have swag (hats, bracelets, noise makers, etc.) to give to you as they drive by. But, because they have to cover the course at a good clip, they throw these items at your feet as they drive by. Leda was so excited at all the stuff, she constantly yelled “More, Please!”. The second great thing about the race is the international set of fans. We hung out with some Basque fellows from northern Spain who where there to cheer their national team, Euskatel Euskadi. But they really enjoyed playing with Leda and entertaining her until the race came by. For my part, I have never been so excited for a sporting event as I was when the cyclists were approaching. Even though your direct experience with the race is less than 10 minutes long, it is vibrant and thrilling.

The second day, we stayed in the ski resort town of Luz St. Saveur, at the foot of the Col du Tourmalet. This mountain road is very narrow and ascends about 3000 ft over 12 miles. We drove up the road about 8 miles before pulling off to the side of the road for our picnic lunch. The mountains are breathtaking, not very tall but extremely steep. It’s incredibly exciting as the race passes by. First of all, there are two helicopters which hover about 100 ft above the ground to catch the action from the sky, so you always know as the race is appraoching. Second, you can get as close as you want to the riders. You can even pat them on the back as they go by while shouting encouragement. The internationally accepted cheer is “Allez” in French, meaning “go”. Leda learned to say this at any bike rider she saw. She yelled it this morning at a 45 year old woman on a mountain bike near our house. So, it’s clear that she’s caught the Tour fever. See the photos in the Tour album.

Paris

July 22, 2006 on 9:29 am | In Leda and Cleo, Travel | No Comments | Written by Jenn

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.