Paris, Day One

Once we finally got access to it, our apartment was quite charming:



Two bedrooms, kitchenette, living room, and balcony overlooking the courtyard. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of it until the end of the trip, and my memory cards were all full. But at least you can see the exposed beams of the living room ceiling...

Our little neighborhood was terrific, also. We stayed just around the corner from Place de la Sorbonne:



We spent a fair bit of time in one or the other of those little restaurants.

*****

We had planned to visit the Louvre on our first evening in town, and after naps, that's just what we did.



For reasons unfathomable Garrick was very keen to see the Mona Lisa, but it was the Greek and Roman statuary that really engaged the kids. Partly due to their knowledge of mythology, partly due to partial nudity, I'm sure.



After trying and failing to get a decent photo of La Joconde, we meandered through the galleries, letting the kids' interests guide us. We spent a fair bit of time in front of this monstrous canvas.



The museum was un-crowded enough that we didn't have to hover over the kids, which was nice. Travelling with two Asberger boys can be challenging, in that they have a hard time adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings and to using appropriate behavior for said surroundings. Add jet lag and a foreign language (and at three other control-tendencied adults) into the mix, and I ended up doing a lot of situational managing. It's a very fine balance between making sure the kids are a) safe, b) behaving appropriately, and c) not being micro-managed. I'm not sure I was able to achieve that balance as much as I would have liked, but after a few hiccups, we didn't do too badly.

My kid brother and his girlfriend (who live in Singapore) had been traveling in the south of France, and were driving up to Paris that first evening. Thanks to international cell phones, we were able to all find one another in time for a late supper:



It's a crummy picture, but a true reflection of how strung out and faded we were all feeling. Poor Garrick actually fell asleep while waiting for his dinner:



Next up: Le Jardin des Plantes and La Tour Eiffel.