Awesome week

The Ladies in Lyon!

I need to chalk up the last seven days as being pretty fabulous. The weather has been cooperating and the dreary rainy days of late September have been driven away by the glorious sun of October. We're 8 days in and I am pleased to report that we are having beautiful fall weather in Paris. Which means it's time to get out and walk.

Which is exactly what Celia and I did last Friday. My little Celia loves to sit in her stroller and explore the city with me. Armed with a package of fruit snacks and the Lyon King book, that lady is content to just sit and glide through the streets of Paris. She also enjoys seeing some sites along the way: we saw "Elise's" Tower just beyond our view of the Arc de Triomphe, we watched lobsters crawl through the water of their tank homes at a fabulous open market, and smelled some beautiful roses of many brilliant colors. There was never a dull moment on our walk. And often the fresh air and calming ride lull the little lady to sleep; giving me an opportunity to stroll guiltlessly through the streets at my own pace and do some window shopping and menu reading. Plus, a short nap in between site seeing and park playing never hurt anyone.

So that's my Friday. Awesome, eh? A great walk through the streets of Paris. Catching a few sites, (forgot to mention the fantastic view of Sacre Coeur off the Boulevard de Courcelles. It was a clear, amazing day and the S.C. looked stunning!), great architecutre, and such neat restaurants and shops. I love wandering upon the different pockets of Paris. Each moment out in the world is so great.

I also love the opportunity to just wonder and think. For the first time in my life I get to get lost in my thoughts. I'm not trying to plan the next day's lesson or think about the choir of cooking that night, (I LOVE the 'choir' of cooking now!) I get to enjoy the moment, enjoy the city and this life, this freedom from responsibility. Especially now that there is NO french paperwork and I have NO responsibilites to the world. I'm just out with my lady taking it all in! And LOVING it!!!

But back to this awesome week: Saturday and Sunday were quiet days full of sunshine and relaxation. Sunday was free museum day and Brian and I took turns strolling though l'Orangerie while the ladies played in the Jardin des Tuileries. It was a great team effort that worked out well because the ladies are not yet fans of the art and don't last long in the musee. They were much more content to play on this huge slide/rope bridge contraption and trying to kill themselves than wonder around a museum where they can't touch anything!

Sunday night we were pleasantly surprised by Andy with an offer to babysit. Brian and I jumped at the opportunity to get out sans filles and enjoyed a pleasant evening out in the Marie district. We walked, ate falafel, and enjoyed some drinks at some different and interesting spots.

Now before this blog entry turns into a novel, I'll finish up my glorious week and sign off.

Monday was another great walk and Tuesday we were off to Lyon. After a great train ride we made it to Lyon late and checked in our hotel and headed to bed. Wednesday the ladies and I explored the city while Brian did some conference work. To me, Lyon is a tiny Paris. Fascinating buildings and architchture, beautiful bridges and rivers, and some good elevation to walk up. What defines Lyon from Paris is the Roman theater and ruins. The ladies and I played in the grass of the ruins and enjoyed the amazing structures and small village that was over 2000 years old. It was very, very cool!

We got to enjoy some delicious Lyonnaise food on Thursday for lunch and we continued to explore the city. We played at some parks, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and new city. It was fun to explore and check it all out.

And now we're back in Paris for a few more days before heading off to Austria. We are very excited to go back to Innsbruck and see our friends plus do a little snowboarding on glaciers in the Alps. It will be grand and most likely another awesome week!