Versailles

(Thursday, April 24th) Palace and gardens aside, the biggest memory Spencer may hold of Versailles may be of going through the security check point. He was fascinated by the baggage x-ray machine and couldn't stop discussing it even days afterward. It may have had something to do with the fact that I mentioned they were looking for bananas. Once inside the palace, we were awed by the sheer size and lavishness of the place. The Hall of Mirrors did not fail to impress. We strolled the grounds after our tour enjoying an incredibly sweet ice cream cone as an afternoon pick-me-up.

We see dead people

(Wednesday, April 23rd) We accompanied Mike on his daily commute to the Cinemathetique Francaise, a building designed by Frank Gehry. The building is located adjacent to the Parc de Bercy, our next stop. Spencer played on the playground pretending that he was at a fire station. A metro ride later brought us to Pere-Lachaise where we made the obligatory stop at Jim Morrison's grave. We walked all the way down Rue de la Roquette back to our apartment. Grandma and Grandpa headed out to the Louvre, their first solo venture, to explore the museum's many masterpieces.

A la mode

(Tuesay, April 22nd) Our original intent was to visit the Musee d'Orsay but upon seeing the lines, we revised our plans, heading instead to the playground at the Tuilleries. Next we walked a few blocks to see Place Vendome and the beautiful Opera Garnier before heading home for Spencer's nap.

With Grandpa to babysit, Grandma and I decided to check out the Parisian department stores, Les Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. Each store had three separate buildings to house all their wares. With all the lovely things to choose from, it was difficult to make a selection but I finally found a birthday gift for my mom, a tea cup designed by Guy Degrenne. The young lady who wrapped up my purchase must have been new because her superior insisted on putting her in her place at every possible opportunity. The way she requested payment, the way she wrapped the package - nothing was up to the older store clerk's standards. It was uncomfortable to watch this young woman being dressed down by her boss. Hazing apparently must be a part of French culture.

The View from the Top

(Monday, April 21st) It was a misty, moisty morning when cloudy was the weather. We chanced to climb the Eiffel Tower to look out over Paris. After an hour wait to purchase tickets, we rode the elevator to the second level only to wait in another serpentine, windy line for the ride to the summit. It was worth the wait. The view at the top truly is spectacular. We didn't have long to enjoy the view however as Spencer was ready to return to the ground. He ended up falling asleep in my arms as I crooned Au Clair de la Lune while we waited for the elevator down.

Giverny

(Sunday, April 20th) A metro, a train and a bus ride brought us to Monet's home in Giverny. The gardens were abloom with a riot of colorful flowers. After exploring the gardens, we rushed through the house itself because Spencer was getting antsy. Nothing a little lunch wouldn't fix. We walked to a friendly hotel down the road for delicious crepes. Spencer erupted in peals of laughter when whipped cream somehow ended up on his nose drawing the amused attention of all the patrons in the restaurant. The whipped cream was funny no matter how many times Daddy acted surprised to see it on his or Spencer's nose. Fed and full of good humor, Spencer promptly fell asleep, waking only when we tried to transfer him to the bus. Two hours later we were back in our apartment. Mike and I enjoyed a night out at the opening reception to the FIAF congress (the reason we are in Paris after all) while Grandma and Grandpa babysat Spencer.

Arc de Triumphe to Tuilleries

(Saturday, April 19th) Having Spencer accompany us to the Arc de Triumphe meant that we were permitted to ride a special elevator to the top. Spencer delighted in shimmying between the large screens explaining the history of the monument and once we were in the open air, pretending to look through the telescopes. A long walk down the Champs Elysees and a short nap later, he jumped at the opportunity to ride a mini-carrousel opting for a fire truck as his vehicle of choice. Spencer was frustrated to be strapped in the stroller instead of being allowed to rome free amongst the throng of people making their way to the Tuilleries. When we arrived, we toured the Musee de l'Orangerie for a view of Monet's splendid Nympheas. Even Spencer seemed impressed although more than anything he wanted to run around. A short stroll later brought us to the circular pond where children were sailing miniature wooden boats. Spencer watched with fascination. What a wonderful way to end the afternoon!

To top off our day, we dined at Bofinger, a neighborhood brasserie located across Place de la Bastille that dates from the 1860s. Spencer's menu d'enfant consisted of an "apertif" with an apple juice base, escalope of veal with mushrooms and mashed potatoes followed by a dessert of chocolate fondue for which Mommy composed an original song. Everyone enjoyed their traditional French meals.

Bienvenue a Paris

(Friday, April 18th) Our first full day in Paris was spent strolling the lovely Places des Vosges where Spencer enjoyed testing the temperature of the water in the fountains and playing on the slides with French school children. He was struck by the beautiful music emanating from the interior of Notre Dame but fell asleep before we could make it inside the Sainte Chapelle. Even though our bambino was dozing, we were thrilled by the intricate beauty of the stained glass windows that make this chapel so deservedly famous.

Bonjour Paris

(Thursday, April 17th) Despite being bleary-eyed after a sleepless night for everyone except Spencer who managed to catch a few hours of shut-eye, we arrived in Paris happy and ready for our next adventure. Our ParisShuttle minivan inched along through heavy traffic depositing us directly in front of our apartment. We manuevered all our luggage up the curving wooden staircase to our home for the next nine days where Sylvie awaited to give us a brief tour of our apartment overlooking the hip and happening Place de la Bastille. After a nap, we bought groceries and headed out for a walk through the quartier to the Vedettes des Pont Neuf for an evening cruise along the Seine.

Oh Canada

Our journey to Paris via Toronto began pre-dawn (4:30am!) with a quiet taxi ride to LAX. Spencer, amazed to be awake while it was still dark outside, was in surprisingly good spirits considering we woke him from slumber. We brought along breakfast and a change of clothes (Spencer's I Heart Planes t-shirt) to pass the time in the airport before our flight departed. Spencer was charming everyone with his enthusiasm for throwing things away in the trash can (I made it!) and his pretend phone calls from the pay phones.

The flight itself went smoothly. Spencer loved his two new books, Curious George takes a Trip and Amelia Bedilia as well as his new set of lacing cards. He watched a couple of children's shows on the inflight seat back player with the sound off, narration provided by Daddy. Fatigue eventually got the better of him leading him to doze off for about an hour.

Upon our arrival in Toronto, Spencer insisted on pulling his own suitcase to our next gate which slowed down the process considerably. Good thing we had a five hour layover which we spent eating unappetizing fast food, watching Spencer climb the leopard statues in the children's "play area" and receiving misinformation from the Air Canada customer aide desk. Grandma and Grandpa showed up just in time to change Spencer into his pajamas for our overnight flight.

Fire Station No. 5

Spencer loved visiting Fire Station No. 5 in Westchester with his school class but was disappointed that he was not able to climb aboard one of the trucks. Our visit happened to coincide with the funeral of a local firefighter who died in the line of duty. One thing we were able to do was watch a firefighter put on all of his gear in three minutes flat. Spencer tried a hat on for size.

Blowing bubbles

One of Spencer's favorite new pasttimes is sitting on the ledge in the backyard while blowing bubbles.

Easter

We hosted Easter dinner this year serving traditional fare such as ham and oven-roasted potatoes. Dessert was a delectable carrot cake. Nana and Spencer burned off a few calories by dancing a jig.


Spencer, ever the center of attention, feels the love of his mama and Aunt Bobbi.

The Great Easter Egg Hunt 2008

Lindberg Park was the setting for Spencer's first Easter Egg Hunt. He lined up with his friend Sophia, looking stylish holding her Easter basket and wearing shades, and the other toddlers until the time for "Ready, set, GO!" Given that his age category comprised walkers to two-year-olds, Spencer had a bit of an advantage. He gathered a half dozen eggs before rushing off to the playground. Meanwhile Mommy managed to replace the contents of his plastic eggs with dried apple slices with no one being the wiser.