Joyeux Noel!

On the 23rd, just one day after 3 trips to the doctor in one day (and several antibiotic prescriptions), we drove to Paris. I was a little worried about the drive since lately, Lia had been asking, "Are we there yet?" after a five minute drive to church or the grocery store. Somehow, we managed. We checked into our hotel and called Marc's cousin. He and his girlfriend came over and cooked us dinner in our little kitchenette! Marc's grandparents who were also staying in the hotel, came by for a little visit as well. Remarkably, the girls both went to sleep in the same room, and didn't wake up even with all the noise and excitement in the next room.

The next day we went on a little walk around the hotel, enjoying La Bastille and Le Jardin des Plantes which had a few animals (miniature Koala bears and kangaroos). Lia enjoyed chasing pigeons and avoiding Mommy's camera.















































I found a stand selling crepes right by the playground - happy day! - and we chased our ham and cheese crepe down with some real Italian pizza in our hotel room. Naps were followed by a Mass at a nearby cathedral. The kids did well for the first hour, but we left a little early since they were literally running circles around us. That evening we had réveillon* - I like this tradition very much! An exciting thing was that at the mass, Bonpa ran into his cousin whom he had not expected to see, and invited her to join us. So I met another member of the French extended family.

*In France and some other French-speaking places, including Quebec, Northern Ontario and parts of the U.S., réveillon is a long dinner and possibly party, held on the evenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The name of this dinner is based on the word réveil (meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until midnight and beyond. The food consumed at réveillons is generally of an exceptional or luxury nature. For instance, appetizers may include lobster, oysters, escargots or foie gras, etc. Quality wine is usually consumed at such dinners, often with champagne or similar sparkling wines as a conclusion. (from Wikipedia)

Marc's aunt and cousin had prepared all of these amazing hors dòeuvres (the photo shows only a portion of the food presented), including foie gras, champagne, wine, chocolates and many other delicious treats. We did what we could.

The next day was Christmas day! The cousins and grandparents came to our room to open gifts. Kaia took a little while to warm up to Bonpa, and treated him with "The Look", but eventually gave in to a smile...

After a hurried gift opening, we rushed off to the Seine for our lunch cruise. We were quite early, so Lia and I went on a little adventure to see the tower. Very exciting for Lia - she knew about la tour Eiffel, but unfortunately, only from watching Dora! %Where are we going? Tower, mountain, winter palace! We did it! We saved Friendship Day!%

Oh, Dora! Is there anyone you cannot help?

Lia and I also chased pigeons.

At last we were seated, the boat started moving, and we were served our amuse bouches. Lia was not so sure what she thought about French cuisine. We didn't tell her what escargots are, but still, she passed. Thankfully, there was a slice of meat on top, and that went down without question.

The meal was over 4 hours long, and the kids did suprisingly well. Lia found a Venezuelan friend at a nearby table. They were speaking German and Spanish to each other until they realized they both spoke English, and things went better from there. Besides, they were both able to communicate without words through the magic that is dance.

The food was amazing, the scenery superb and the company delightful - what more could you ask for?

After the cruise, we said some goodbyes, and went with the cousins to see another cousin who is a firefighter in Paris. We hung out, heard some stories, and as we were saying goodbye, he gave his patch "Sapeurs Pompiers de Paris" to Kaia - ripped it right off his jacket (it was velcroed, but still, very cool!)

Then we had Reveillons part Deux (still lots of food leftover afterwards!), and we made a gingerbread house (the Canadian contribution)! All in all, a wonderful time! Joyeux Noel!