Paris ~ Tenerife
All around the town
This was the last week of school before 2 weeks of holidays.
Perfect time for a bit of wandering and appreciating sights & sounds of Paris before being away for a while.
Spring was finally well and truly sprung in the Jardin des Tuileries, and horse-drawn carriages out in the streets.
You never know what you might see come out of the tunnel when you’re waiting for your regular metro…
…or what you might find on the supermarket shelves.
And sometimes it’s nice to just walk and take in the sights.
New Sneakers & New Playdates
With Aisling growing like a bean, it was time for new lighter boots for the summer months. Niamh ordered them online.
To mother’s horror and daughter’s delight, they arrived with sparkle lights on the side that twinkle around with every step!
Not only that, but we soon learned we could get them going pretty good on our scooter just by aiming for bumps in the footpath…
Charles meanwhile excited for his playdate with school friend Deniz from Turkey. Soccer in the champ de mars, anyone?
Sculpting & Plastering
Seems not so long ago that heading to sculpture class on a Tuesday evening was under starry skies with the Tour Eiffel lighting up the sky (see Week 7 blog).
Now it’s bright afternoon light at the same time of day.
Focus of the moment is getting the wire-frame figures completed, ready for their plaster bands.
Fiddly work with pliers, particularly getting their sizes right, in proportion to the rock faces and waves.
Much swearing and use of google images for inspiration, but got there in the end.
Speaking of plaster, did we mention that we also decided this was a good time to fully renovate the family apartment at Honoré?
Are we mad?
Certifiable.
Happy family days
Despite all the fun times out exploring the countryside and the region, some of the best times are family days in and around our neighbourhood.
Walking in the sun, enjoying an after-school treat.
Aisling reading her toy sheep a story.
Since of course sheep don’t understand English, Aisling thoughtfully was reading the entire story in “baas”…
Learning new skills, focusing this week on the “P”s: piano playing and peeling.
Or just relaxing in the couch in our own special way, and having a bit of fun with mum…
Bastille markets
Simon and Niamh managed an outing to the Bastille street markets. Great selection of fresh food from all around the region, from mushrooms to fish to…
That’s got to leave you feeling a bit peckish, so time for a stop off for some lunch at a local bistro, courtesy of recommendation from handy fourchette app.
Glass of burgundy with that? Don’t mind if we do…
Le “Fitness”
In France we have started to embrace “Le fitness”. This is a new thing for us, but we are determined to give it a go.
We also like gadgets.
So this seems like a nice little opportunity to experiment a bit. Here are three options within 3 blocks from where we live. Drumroll please…
#1: Melt the fat and build muscle with this fully digitised alien antenna zap-o-metic machine! You are guaranteed to feel weirder and never tell your friends what you just did:
#2: Always liked the idea of biking, but worried about the chafing? Well, you’re in luck. Presenting… aquabiking! For the scuba/cycling enthusiast in your family:
#3: Ultimately the question you need to ask yourself is: am I seriously committed to jolting myself out of my ordinary regime and willing to sacrifice the ability to feel my fingers and toes? If so, the Capdetente “EMS full body electrostimulation” program could be just the thing for you! Conveniently located next to your local electrical sub-station:
Ah, la France. Endlessly inventive.
Mind you, there are also an increasing number of more normal gyms where you can just try to get fit the boring old-fashioned way.
At Simon’s gym you could almost be anywhere else in the world, except for the occasional YSL monogrammed backpack gym bag in the change rooms (see previous post), or the music system which is interrupted only for critical announcements: the time (on the hour), and your personal horoscope (every 20 minutes).
Happy lifting, Capricorns. The alignment of the planets is just right for some killer squats today. Allez, let’s bend!
International day & dinner
Friday was International Day at Aisling’s school. And international it was indeed. At least 20 countries represented.
All the kids brought a dish from their country.
Aisling’s dish of choice following our recent trip to the Somme was ANZAC biscuits which she proudly made in the kitchen with her mum.
Delighted to be offering them around to all and sundry.
Flags of all nations proudly on display.
Note the strategic proximity of Australian and Irish flags on the left.
Very proud to show our parents our creations from class, and also experience a bit of everything on offer…
Somehow or other, made it to the end of another busy week and Friday night dinner.
High excitement as we celebrated the end of our first term at school in France and got ready for the…
Holidays!!
Saturday morning and off on holidays!
Kids excited for their next adventure.
This time we’re off to Tenerife, part of a small string of volcanic islands off the coast of Africa which is a little outpost reminder of Spain’s once sprawling world empire.
Now a favourite spot for many Europeans for a bit of sunny weather and sandy beaches when the northern winter has been grinding you down for a while (like now!).
Few hours in the air and soon sunshine and Pacific islands coming into view…
Found two great baggage handlers in the airport…
Rented a car and bumped our way along the coast to the hotel in time for a quick explore and some dinner.
Bueno!
Then time for some sleep to prepare for the morning attack on the kids club… Hasta la vista, baby!