Killorglin ~ Paris
Easter in Killorglin
Easter Sunday and kids up early as is traditional :-). Also traditional is the Easter egg hunt, with both children eagerly dissecting clues that lead to the chocolate egg surprise…
Of course, chocolate gorging is inevitably closely followed by chocolate coma…
Lots of fun had with aunts, cousins and nan, from dancing to balloon tennis to hugs aplenty.
We
We successfully persuaded Stephen to tow us all around the house in our pirate ship…
Mike, Róisín, Martha, Hannah and Michael were down for the holidays from Galway,
Girls infinitely patient with Aisling as always, and all up for some crack, as we say in Ireland.
Galway Brosnans in fine form.
They even brought Aisling a “Mini Cooper” to remind her of the real thing. See if you can pick which is which…
And in the end, as always, Easter was really just about spending time with family…
Back to Paris (and Nina)
After our long weekend in Ireland it was back to Paris and school, but with the promise of more fun with cousin Nina.
Great times had scooting around the neighbourhood (“I’ll be the mum, you be the Aisling”):
We explored the rue de commerce markets with food from all around France and Spain, including a pretzel even Charles might take more than an afternoon to make his way through…
…and had great sightseeing in the sunshine all around the town:
Charles stumbled on a vintage Ferrari he liked the look of…
Des Artistes et Robots
Our first cultural interlude for the week was a visit to the Grand Palais and the “Artistes et Robots” exhibit.
All about the question of whether machines can create (worthwhile) art – either on their own, or by augmenting human artists.
Aisling contemplating the concept…
Lots of interesting exhibits, and more than a few of them bizarre. From number pattern generators to freaky monk animations to fractal-like 3D paper tower sculptures that were printed and layered:
There were virtual dandelions you could blow the seeds off of, with a little platform for younger visitors to stand on. In a very French moment, Aisling roundly told off by a security guard for having the temerity (and curiosity) to step onto the platform for exactly this purpose!
The artist we’re sure would have been horrified at a child being kept from the experience.
No such trouble at the exhibit where virtual buzzing bees would approximate your outline as you stood in front of a panel equipped with a camera.
The artists were on hand, delighted to observe how participants interacted with their art.
Here is the outline of Simon and Aisling as interpreted by bees:
A fun exhibit and great fun had by all. Kudos to Nina for suggesting the visit!
Pina at the Palais
We hardly ever go to dance, but this week there was a production of Pina Bausch’s “Orphée et Eurydice” in the beautiful Palais Garnier opera house, so we took the chance for a night out with Noel and Geraldine.
It’s a stunning setting, both inside and out, worth it just to see the building let alone the show…
So we put our game faces on and headed in.
Noel probably had the greatest idea of what was going on, but he cheated by studying the program guide during intervals.
Following along with an opera interpreted largely through dance with occasional sung parts is no small feat, but the choreography, staging and production were amazing.
The production was edgy as always with Pina, and always engrossing.
We highly recommend seeing a Pina Bausch production if you get the chance.
Signs of spring & sculpture in the park
Meanwhile a few tiny signs of spring starting to appear in Paris.
Tiny green shoots on the tree-lined avenues of the garden des Tuileries.
Perhaps we’ll emerge from winter soon after all!
Simon meanwhile taking advantage of the improving weather to do a little outdoor sculpting.
Working on his wireframe “personnages” in the champ de mars…
Musée de l’armée
A little less high brow on the cultural side was a visit to Les Invalides where Napoléeon I is buried (along with a few others besides), and where you can find the musée de l’armée.
Plenty of Vigipirate action here, along with plenty of marble.
We dutifully visited the tomb, and made our way around the museum, which us small enough to navigate with young kids. You can see most things french military related, from tanks to rifles with periscopes for firing out of trenches.
In the end though, it’s really just all about the hats…
On the way home a brief patch of rain and squally winds put paid to Niamh’s own scimitar, much to the delight of the kids…
Batobus!
With the waters of the Seine finally returning to normal, we at last took to the river. Beautiful sunny day – bordering on warm under the glass-topped boat.
Kids challenging dad and each other to thumb wars as we floated past the major landmarks…
One of those being the willow tree at the end of the isle de la cité where Niamh and Simon got engaged some little time ago 🙂
Looks like the willow survived the inundation.
An advantage of the Batobus is the ability to get on and off around paris.
We jumped off in the sculpture park near the jardin des plantes, made our way over the the picturesque little isle st louis, and wandered down the main street, stopping in to the puppet shops, galleries and stopping off for some lunch and a scoop of the irresistible “fraise des bois” Berthillon ice cream.
Always worth a detour if you’re in the area!
After the excitement, a quick stop-in to the next door neighbour’s son’s birthday party.
We’ve come to know our landlords and neighbours well.
They have two boys the same age as our kids and it’s great to have some local french friends for them to hang out with.
Barbarians at the gate
Unfortunately spring also comes with its downsides – an army of tourists who descend on the city!
In the course of 10 days, the champ de mars turned from vacant to packed – the transformation was stunning.
Part of this of course was due to the Paris marathon which was on the next weekend, with various other races going on in and around the city at the time of it – including a “cross country” race finishing outside our apartment. on Saturday morning.
Paris is going to feel a bit different from now on. We’re glad we had 3 months of quiet time so far…
Friday dinner & Saturday relaxing
Made it to Friday!
Dinner out at Suffren with Nina and Geraldine, as Noel had headed to Boston with his twin brother Stephen to celebrate their joint 50th birthdays.
Tired children delighted to have made it to the weekend. Time for some Saturday relaxing…
