Photo diary: Project 365, week 15

 Eventful, that's how I would describe the past week.

In the last couple of years we have enjoyed short holidays in Paris several times. My husband has been working in Paris these couple of  years, and rents a teeny tiny apartment in the Marais. 

I was a very impressionable 25-year-old when I visited Paris for the first time, romantically inclined to see everything through the rose-tinted glasses. 

Fast forward thirty years, my idealistic views have changed, perhaps not entirely, as now I'm discovering it through the eyes of my boys. 

Sasha loves travelling by train, and he keeps showing me his social story about our trip to Paris (many thanks to his disability team who created, printed out and laminated the story, Sasha absolutely loves it). He knows what he wants, yet he doesn't understand the costs, or how much planning it takes.

Sash was so happy when we got on the train, radiating joy and excitement.

We arrived to Paris in the evening, walking from the metro station to the apartment where we stayed.

While my husband and Sasha stayed in the apartment to relax after the trip, Eddie and I ventured out to buy something for dinner, and Eddie practiced his French, ordering a bao bun from the Chinese food vendor (my French is about Mr Bean's level, if you remember Mr Bean's holiday, well, maybe a tiny bit better).

We haven't had any particular plans in mind for Sunday. I was hoping to see Notre Dame at some point, but you cannot book a slot in advance, like I did with the exhibition tickets. They release slots on a daily basis, and you need to keep checking if there are any openings. The reservation slots are free. 

After a quick lunch at the cafe Beaubourg near the Centre Pompidou (five minutes walk from where we stay), we walked towards the Notre Dame to see if there was any chance of getting in without the reservation. The queue was endless, and we didn't bother. Sasha cannot do queueing.

It was a sunny day, and we decided to have a river cruise. We had to wait for twenty minutes, and goodness me, didn't Sasha let us know that he doesn't want to wait. My husband had to leave the queue and take him away. When it was time to get in, I made a quick call and asked if they were still around, and perhaps could join us.

Once on the boat, Sasha was as good as gold, smiling and enjoying the ride. 

It was warm, but not too hot, the sun was shining, the scenery was pretty amazing. I would have loved it much more, if not for the obnoxious Italian woman behind me. She must have been one of the so called influencers/TikTokers, totally oblivious how it might spoil the trip for anyone else, taking video of herself and shouting so loudly that I could hardly hear the guide.

The tour took about an hour, we reached the Eiffel Tower, and then travelled back. 

If you think of taking this tour, you can book tickets in advance, but then you still have to wait in the same crowd before getting on the boat. Tickets cost 17 euros per person. 

Later that day we popped into the Lego store, and admired the Eiffel Tower made of Lego bricks. I was surprised when Eddie asked me if I could get him a small Fortnite/Durr Burger set. 

I booked tickets for Artemisia Gentileschi exhibition at Jacquemart Andre Museum well in advance. She was an important artist in the Baroque, and a true hero, a survivor of rape, who showed a great strength of character. Her works are imbued with rage against male dominance and violence. A powerful exhibition.

Having a pause in one of the rooms at the museum... Can you spot my Hunger Games badge?

My husband has been promising to take me to see Ralph Lauren in St Germain. While there, I took a few photos and shared them with my family. My sister-in-law commented that we were very brave, venturing to the posh boutique store. I replied that we were not brave but brazen. The personnel looked at us with an air of superiority, however, I'm not easily intimidated. 

It's a beautiful house, more like a museum of fashion, with lots of portraits on the walls. 

I loved that suit on the standing mannequin. Such elegant lines. No idea how much it would cost, as they don't display the prices (so vulgar!) and we didn't ask. :)

From fashion to gastronomic pleasures. We had a hot chocolate at Cafe de Flore, apparently, this is one of the top three places in Paris to have a hot chocolate. It is one of the oldest coffeehouses in Paris, and has become iconic as it's associated with Sartre, Camus and Simone de Beauvoir.

Another day, another museum... Eddie and I had tickets to the Degenerate art in Musee Picasso. The term was coined by the Nazis to condemn the modern art. It is an educational exhibition, which makes you think about propaganda and distortion of reality. Topical, and sadly on point, as people are so easily led by all sorts of political agenda, and propaganda is rampant.

We also saw the permanent collection at the Museum. This portrait of Picasso's son is one of my favourites.

Bachir ice cream is all the rage at the moment. We passed by this Lebanese ice cream place a few times, and the queues are unbelievable. By pure chance, we happened to pass it one afternoon, when the queue was considerably shorter. Here is my happy child with the famous pistachio ice cream. It was so big, he struggled with it. It is tasty, but my advice, if you're not hungry, don't go for the grande version. 

More food pics, this is a very pretty avocado toast.

Every morning I checked the Notre Dame site, hoping to get a slot for our visit. When one of the slots became available on Wednesday afternoon, I couldn't believe my eyes. I quickly filled in the form, but by the time I finished, the slot was already gone. Drat. Back to the start of the page, and thankfully a later slot appeared. I booked us in as fas as I could.

For me, the visit to Notre Dame was the highlight of our trip. They've done an amazing job of restoring this historical place after the inferno. 

We moved slowly, and Sasha was very calm and thoughtful. For some reason he feels safe in churches, and loves visiting them. I lit two candles, asking whoever listens up above to be kind to my boys.

In the evening we had a short walk along the river, and talked about our short holiday. 

Sasha was super excited to go back home the next day. He was beaming, getting on the train. 

I was feeling a bit sad to say Good bye to Paris, but also glad to go back home to my comfortable bed. The sofa bed where we slept in the apartment is the most uncomfortable bed ever. Plus the lights outside keep going on and off all the night, like a blinking disco. 

On the train I had a beer, haven't tried Two Tribes brand before, and apparently Nomad is only available on Eurostar.

Friday was the day of unpacking, laundry, groceries and a bit of ink drawing. 

And now back to "normal"... 

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