Playgrounds and Rollerblades

It's daffodil season in the Paris parks. We've had enough sunshine and warm temperatures that the daffodils are blooming. Many parks around Paris have had daffodils re-germinating for years which means planters and fields are full of these bright beautiful flowers.

With the sun shining, even though the temperatures haven't been too warm, we have been exploring different playgrounds around Paris. First we journeyed to the Bois de Vincennes near our 2006 apartment. I feel I could start an Instagram thread of "Things in Paris the US would never allow.

There were several play areas but the one the boys enjoyed the most was a 2 story spider web climb. It was supposed to be for 11 years and older. They did a good job in making the low ropes far enough apart that small kids can't reach to get started so they can't climb partially up and get stuck.

Kenyon quickly found a loop hole an just chin-uped his way on at a place he could reach the different parts. Yes that's Kenyon in the red shirt at the top.

Scott took the boys to find a park with a giant slide. Technically, the playground was Covid-closed but US parents aren't the only ones partaking in a little civil disobedience to use Park play equipment.

If the slide stairs are roped off, just climb up the slide and then slide down.

We introduced the boys to one of our favorite activities when we lived in Paris in 2006, The Snails on wheels. This is a 2.5 hour rollerblade "hike" through the streets of Paris. The police lead the pack, closing the streets down about 6-8 blocks at a time, and ambulances bring up the rear to help with any injuries. The city has supported this even with Covid (of course everyone is masked).

Today was about 200 people but Scott and I have been when the number is close to 1000.

We had a bit of a parenting fail. The boys didn't have enough time to practice before the trip started and Kenyon only lasted about 100 feet. Quimby lasted to the first corner but wasn't having fun. It was their first time on rollerblades so they weren't quite at speed. They practiced in the flat plaza of the Bastille and were doing great after about an hour.

We finished the day with fancy popsicles from a near by shop and "driving" the metro train home.

Back to school tomorrow!

Comments

Market success and failures

Things are blooming. Its been a little warmer; not as wet, and I've been a little more willing to venture out. I made my first trip to the poisionier otherwise known as the fish monger. Very friendly place. I asked for sole fillets for 4 people. They only had 3 fillets ready, so the guy grabbed a whole fish, took it into the back and brought out the 4 fillets. One got added to my order and the others were but into the ice. Might be the most expensive fish I ever bought but it was absolutely delicious. I'm getting better at the produce stand. In many ways it's fun to eat seasonally. I still get in trouble with the pounds kilogram conversions. I ended up with a lot of asparagus. Luckily, it went well with the fish! We also tried a brandy made from Normandy apples. Very strong. We found it went best with a little ice cream.

Summer in the states

During the Paris lockdown in April, I had to plan something that could absolutely not be cancelled. So in August, when France all but shuts down, I took the boys back the the states to see family and friends. We visited the LA area and spent time with Granny Joan and Uncle Dale. Spent lots of time at the pool and beach with family and friends. It was great to see everyone. After LA, we met up with the Morlan side of the family in Winter Park, Colorado for more mountain adventures. There was alpine slides of course, with Mom's high school best friend and her son. We also found a 3 story ropes course that the boys loved. Kenyon taught a whole new group of people that he has no fear. Our younger Sweet cousins joined us for a few days and as a special treat, Gigi and Papa rented a pontoon boat for the morning. It was a great morning out on the water and each kid took a turn "driving" with Gigi. Of course all the planned and coordinated activities w...

Mykonos

Was horrible! This is a major party island. We were close to the "most family friendly beach" of the island and the club promoters were making their rounds at 4:30. It is also 3-4 times more expensive than any other island. We also had some issues with our hotel- AC wasn't working, no hot water, internet password wasn't left for us, and no management on site. All of this lead to me using the free wifi at a restaurant in downtown Mykonos to completely rebook the last few days of our trip. Needless to say, since we were on the island only about 24 hours, not a lot of pictures to share.

Branching Out: Paris edition

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