The last stop on my family's upcoming trip to Europe will be Paris. This will be our second visit to the City of Light. We all loved it, but Kelsey loved it most. Her persistent requests are what prompted us to add Paris to our primarily Italian itinerary. She is a certifiable Francophile. I have a number of fond memories of Kelsey in Paris. Here are a few: her determination to sample escargot (which she liked...mostly), her obsession with the tiny little cars (like Inspector Clouseau drives in The Pink Panther--once you see the parking places, you understand the distinct advantage of having a car you can lift into a spot--Jk--sort of), sharing her lunch with the birds who would sit on the bench beside her in the courtyard behind Notre Dame, buying French perfume, her lovely silhouette as she sat in the window of the hotel room she and I shared.
Jake is eagerly anticipating revisiting the boulangeries. He and I share an affinity for Viennese rolls--these soft, yeasty rolls with tiny chocolate chips, often served while still warm. Yum! He also looks forward to returning to the Louvre. Jake is a gifted artist, and appreciates the unique privilege of personally encountering significant works created by artistic geniuses. When we were on the flight home from our last visit I asked him what his favorite moment was. He said, in this breathless, almost reverent voice, "standing in front of the REAL Mona Lisa". My favorite recollection of Jake in Paris was watching him at the Pompidou Centre. The Pompidou is primarily the home of 20th century works of art. Some of them are very challenging. He moved reflectively from one work to another...completely engaged...studying...responding. It was a beautiful thing.
Joshua keeps talking about climbing the towers of Notre Dame again..all the way to the Bell Tower...visiting with the gargoyles along the way. He is with Jake on the boulangeries and is a big gelato fan as well. He also looks forward to seeing Mona Lisa again and "the painting of that guy holding John the Baptist's head by the hair, you know, with the blood dripping down". Hey, don't try to tell me my children aren't cultured. The painting is in the Louvre for crying out loud! My favorite Joshua moment from our prior trip was visiting the Eiffel Tower. Joshua has a remarkable capacity for wonder, and the Eiffel Tower is a pretty wonder-ful place. Every increase in altitude...every new vantage point...was an occasion for "Mommy look!". I can hardly wait to see it all again...with him.
The adventure begins in one week. The memories...the moments. I will do my best to share them with you. Meanwhile, you can see exquisite photographs of Paris by Q.T. Luong HERE. All the artwork in this post is by Marc Chagall who was infatuated with Paris. Who could blame him?
aren't you just the most cultured family! i love it.
Posted by: kendra | 01 June 2007 at 11:02 AM
will you be doing camp this year, lovely?
Posted by: kendra | 02 June 2007 at 07:36 PM