My Gollum

Credit: Douglas Ridloff

Paris was the pinnacle of 2013 in many ways.

July 23: Au Revoir, France

Three weeks had gone by.  It was time to return home to our responsibilities and must-dos.  A friend of mine once wrote that "to travel was the best excuse to do nothing."

July 13-15: A Miscellany of Photos

Our days in Paris began to get comfortable.  I got a little lazy with taking photos.

July 9: Day of the Eiffel Tower

We started the day early and had a simple, light breakfast before heading out.  It was the day of the Eiffel Tower.

July 8: Olivia's Flat

I was unable to blog while in Paris.  Levi essentially went to sleep when we did, woke up when we woke up and napped while we were traveling from one place to another.

La Pere Lachaise Cemetery

We slept in until noon like a group of teenagers.

Biz

Here we are in Paris!

List #23: Levi's To-Do Paris List

Macarons found via favim.com

Incredible.  One week from today we will be flying to Paris.  We depart on July 1st, arriving July 2nd.  Lists are being made--things we need, things we must do before leaving and stuff we need to pack.

Using my book Paris With Children by Kim Horton Levesqu, I created Levi's to-do list.

1.  Take a boat tour on the Seine.

2.  Experience celebrations on Bastille Day.

3.  Visit Jardin des Tuilieries, the oldest garden.  It borders the Louvre.

4.  Brave the Musee du Louvre (to be saved for a rainy day).

5.  Fool around the black and white columns at the Jardin du Palais-Royale.

6.  Create art on level 0 at the Centre Georges Pompidou.  The exterior of the Pompidou is cool also--exposed ductwork.

7.  Revel in consumerism at Au Nain Bleu, the oldest and fanciest toy shop in Paris.

8.  Chase butterflies at the Parc de Paris.

9.  Marvel at the colors (or lack of, depending on which period we're looking at) at the Musee National Picasso.

10.  Sample macarons at Laduree's, an institution.

11.  Skip to L'As du Fallafel for some falafel bites.  Mark Bittman never skips this place.

12.  Ogle at the animals at Menagerie Du Jardin des Plantes.

13.  Hit one of the most fabulous playgrounds at Jardin du Luxembourg.

14.  While in the area, sail a toy sailboat.

15.  Play at Cite des Enfants, a children's museum that supposedly has amazing science toys for toddlers.

When traveling with Levi, I figure we can plan on doing one thing a day.  We have three weeks--let's see how much we get done in between the days of relaxing and doing absolutely nothing!

Should we take Levi to the Eiffel Tower?

List #20: Levi's Paris Reading List

Excerpt from This Is Paris
Found via Tweedleland: The Gentleman's Club

The email I got from Olivia, my stepmother's sister who lives in Paris gave me butterflies--we are truly going to Paris.  I am getting my mind geared up for Paris to make up for the ill-prepared (but fun) Paris trip a few years ago.  I have my own reading list, and am now making a reading list for Levi so he knows the sights when we get there.

Some of those books are not necessarily "age appropriate" for Levi, but the photos are for all ages.

1.  The Red Balloon: We could follow up with the classic film.

2.  This is Paris:  I read This is New York with my first graders.  This is a book with a fantastic vintage feel to it.

3.  Madeline:  Levi has matching yellow rain boots.

4.  Paris in the Spring with Picasso:  A bit dense text-wise, but the photos are great for getting Levi familiar with Parisian sights.

5.  Paris: A 3D Keepsake Cityscape:  Pop-ups are fun.  This is also a small book, 4x4.

6.  Kiki and Coco in Paris:  Gorgeous photographs and also shows the traveling part.  Good for Levi!

7.  Henri's Walk to Paris:  Beautiful book.  There aren't many visuals that are distinctively Parisian, but the text introduces some cultural aspects.

If you have any suggestions, let me know!