Exploring Paris

Although it was drizzly and wet on Monday, April 30, 2018, Stephanie, Tanner and I headed into Paris after getting the other kids off to school.  We were going to Musee l'Orangerie to see, among other paintings, 8 large waterlily murals by Claude Monet.  I was especially fond of the purple, green and gold work of art near the entrance.

 

Monet was founder of French Impressionist painting during the 19th century.  His works remain fresh and current even in our day.  A sampling few other works of art from the small museum are shown below.

From the museum, we wandered toward the Louve and surrounding area.  Having visited there previously, we did not enter the museum.  We stopped into a large cathedral and chuckled at the seemingly out of place cartoonish model of a gathering at the local market.

We wandered past the Arc de Triumph but saved that visit for a clearer day.  Before we knew it, it was time to pick up kids from school and we were ready to dry off at home.  The next day was another school holiday for Ben and the kids. (We are in Europe, afterall!)  The big park, Jardin du Luxembourg, was the place to go and spend the day.  The expansive park was created in 1612 by the widow of the good Kin Henry IV.  We especially enjoyed the playground with the kids.

One of my (and Emma's) favorite features of the park was the kid's zipline!  Why don't we have these in the U.S.?  I was also fascinated by the new leaf growth on the trees - so Dr. Seuss looking!

It was back to school the next day, but we made several visits to the school over the course of the week.  The kids showed me around their beloved American School of Paris, and Bob made it just in time on Friday to participate in Emma's individual research project demonstration.  She collected cookie recipes, baked and had people sample and provide reviews. The winning recipe was then shared with the students.

On Saturday, Ben coached Emma's baseball team at the school, while Paige played soccer.  Emma is the only girl on her team, but that doesn't seem to bother her!

A Popsicle cheer for fun in France!