Will You Still Need Me...

Ah, yes. Who will ever forget the Beatles' lyrics, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm 64?" Back then, 64 sounded so old, didn't it?? But now we know that 64 isn't old, it's the prime of life; we're still active, we're still engaged, we're...

OLD!!! I never realized it until I tried to keep up with my granddaughter. Babysitting a seven-month-old child is exhausting. It takes both Tom and me to keep up with the feeding, burping, changing, bathing, playing, strolling, walking, consoling, cajoling and napping. When she naps, I nap. I'm not letting this little one get ahead of me; she seems to start out with so much more energy than I. Just this evening before dinner, Tom looked at me and said, "I'm tired. It's really amazing how much energy all of this takes."

I think part of it is the getting up and down. Not from a chair, but from the ground. That's where babies play, you know, on the floor or on the ground. Sometimes on a mat. But way down there. And I'm just not as agile as I once was. Plus my left hip bothers me if I'm sitting on a hard surface, and actually my knees don't bend like they once did, and I'm not even going to talk about my lower back. I can't believe that at home I go to the gym and play tennis several times a week. For Heaven's sake, I'm ancient!!

I think another part of it is the emotional energy it requires: you're never able to let down your guard. Babies are just itching to stick their little fingers in electric sockets, or crawl to the top of the stairs, or taste the cleaning solution under the kitchen sink, or drink from the toilet bowl. Well, that last one pertains more to dogs, but I bet babies would too, especially if they saw their dog doing it.

Despite all these difficulties and despite how old we might be feeling, we've decided that being a grandparent is one of the best jobs possible. Nothing else compares to seeing your grandchild's face light up when she sees you. Her smile can melt your heart and her tears can break your heart. And when she grabs your hand or falls asleep in your arms, then you forget about being old or achy, and only think about the power of love and the great blessing of time spent with the child of your child.

An Up and Down Day

No, the title isn't a play on words, with Juliet enjoying her first carousel ride today. She really had an up and down day...starting with down this morning. She just wasn't feeling well and was very fussy. I wonder if she's starting to teethe and getting some very real pains in her mouth. Or, it could be an illness, since her cough seems to be making a reappearance. She's such a trouper, though, that we ended up having a lovely day.

She was alternately fussy and napping this morning, so after she finished her lunch about 11:30, we decided to take off for the Cineaqua (Aquarium). We figured she could be fussy at the Aquarium just as easily as at home. Tom and I enjoyed the Aquarium much more than she did, although there were plenty of fish to be seen at kids' eye level, and plenty of kids there to see them. Truthfully, Juliet liked seeing the other kids more than she liked seeing the fish, sharks, corals, etc. We spent about an hour there, during which time Juliet probably slept a half hour. And sleep is good, whether your fussiness comes from teething or illness!

Back outside, we found that what was supposed to be a rainy day had turned brightly sunny and hot! After a quick visit to the carousel at Trocadero (Juliet loved her first carousel ride, but the pose on the horse is just that--a pose. She and Tom rode in a carriage.) we stopped at our hotel for some sunscreen and a change of clothes. Then we headed to the park in Levallois, Parc de la Planchette. It was another glorious afternoon amid flowers, happy kids running and screaming, couples stretched out on blankets in the shade, and lots of strollers parked with sleeping babies inside. Our stroller was no exception. Juliet had a lovely long nap in the shade, while Tom and I talked about moving to Levallois, permanently, to babysit.

After stopping at the market and the butcher shop, it was 5:00 before we were back at the apartment and Juliet could have her afternoon bottle. She was fussy again after that, and although obviously exhausted, she wouldn't sleep. When Jeanne got home, we gave Juliet a bath, and of course she fell asleep then, when she should have been eating dinner. Jeanne finally had to wake her for dinner as she was afraid Juliet might sleep half the night before getting hungry enough to wake up. Poor little thing really did have an up and down day, but as usual she smiled through most of it, even eating her spinach with a grin on her face. Tom and I hope Juliet feels better tomorrow; we always have big plans for her day!

Secrets

See these supposedly upstanding grandparents? They look innocent enough, the grandmother "strolling" the child, the grandfather giving "horsey rides". But what are their true colors? What do they let the grandchild get away with, when the parents aren't around?

I never realized this until now, but grandparents, to a certain degree, do delight in seeing their grandchildren do things the parents might not approve of.

I'm saying this tongue in cheek, of course, although we did have a lot of fun with Juliet today, when we thought we were letting her get away with things. We were sitting at the dining room table when she crawled off of her blue pad (where she's supposed to play) and onto the hardwood floor (which is impossible to keep immaculately clean, and might also have splinters). Passing under the dining room table, she looked up at us and grinned a conspiratorial grin. And she was off to the races, making it to the kitchen door before turning around to grin at us triumphantly. We picked her up there, and put her back on the blue pad. Why hadn't we stopped her earlier? We were darn proud of her! "Look at what she can do!" "Look at how fast she goes!" "Isn't she adorable when she smiles?" Somehow her parents' admonitions to keep her off of the dirty, splintery hardwood were forgotten when she wanted to show us just how independent she really is.

We had just returned from a long walk, and Tom and I were drinking water. Juliet saw us drinking from glasses, and she wanted to do that, too. So we helped her drink from a glass, then wondered aloud if she was ready for a sippy cup. Tom read about them online, and we found one in the drawer with her bottles, baby spoons and the like. Online they told you to encourage the child to play with the sippy cup, get comfortable with it, so that when they started using it, it wouldn't freak them out. Tom thought this was a great idea, so he filled the sippy cup with water and gave it to Juliet. Probably would have been a better idea to allow her to play with it empty. No harm done, just a little water everywhere, and a soaked onesie. Easily rectified, and Tom totally learned his lesson until he gave Juliet her baby spoon filled with pureed peaches. Yes, she wanted to try to feed herself today, too. Hey, what are grandparents for if they don't encourage grandchildren to reach for the stars??

Anyway, we shared all these adventures with Jeanne and Matt, who surprisingly took it all in stride. They're such good parents; they don't freak out about anything, unless Juliet is sick. And I think they know we wouldn't do anything to hurt our darling Juliet. Tonight at the dinner table Jeanne mentioned something that Juliet had done as being "normal". Tom spoke right up, "Normal? She is not normal--she's extraordinary!!" Just one man's opinion...shared by his wife!

B-Day or J-Jour

Instead of B-Day, for Babysitting-Day, why didn't I think of J-Jour, for Juliet-Jour? (J-Jour was the French equivalent of D-Day in World War II.) Anyway, today was B-Day, or J-Jour, whichever you prefer. And it all went rather well; a few very minor slip-ups, but nothing catastrophic. Tom and I had a lot of fun, and I think Juliet did, too.

We arrived at the apartment at 8:35, just as Matthew and Jeanne were ready to leave for work. This was the only really difficult time of the day, as Juliet was fairly inconsolable when both of her parents left, and she had to hang around with Grandma and Grandpa, neither of whom she knew that well. We worked through it, though, and managed to get some good play time in before our morning nap. The next big hurdle was the 11 A.M. feeding. Once again, Juliet was not happy that these strange grandparents were going to feed her her lunch. But with these hurdles behind us, the day began to look up.

We walked to a bakery on the east side of Levallois, to get some bread for lunch and dinner. Many bakeries are closed for August vacation, and many others aren't open on Mondays. A long walk to get the bread will help us work off the calories in the bread and the cheese.

After a brief nap, Juliet was awakened by what Tom called a "poop-a-polooza", which means, essentially, a whole lotta poop. It took many, many wipes and two grandparents to handle this little emergency. After this, we all felt a trip to the park was warranted. Turned out to be a good move; a beautiful day, lovely Parc de la Planchette, great tickle-your-feet grass, and nowhere else we needed to be. We saw some other grandparents with grandchildren at the park. And we saw some grandchildren-less grandparents who smiled at us with obvious understanding, and a little envy.

Which brings me to a defense of the French people. I often hear others saying, "The French are so distant, so cold. They're difficult to get to know." The French are very private people, and they respect others' privacy. But if you really want to know the hearts of French people, just tote a grandchild around with you. You will collect smiles, knowing glances, approving nods and sometimes, kind questions or compliments, or a seat on the Metro, or a garden gate held open.

We stopped at the toy store on the way back to the apartment. Tom casually mentioned to Juliet that he loves stacking toys, and she very appropriately chose a darling little trio of stackable geometric shapes. The two of them played with it quite happily the rest of the afternoon. Poor Juliet! We wore her out! By the time Jeanne got home, Juliet had fallen asleep in my arms. She slept through bath time (we found out bath time is "flexible"), had a late supper and bath, and an early bed time. We had a great day, and we get to do it all over again tomorrow!

B-Day Minus One

Yes, it's Babysitting Day, Minus One. Tomorrow we will have Juliet all to ourselves for a good part of the day. We're looking forward to it; Juliet is a little apprehensive. I was supposed to feed her this afternoon, and she would have none of it! I'm sure it will be better tomorrow, when her mother and father are out of sight. I'm pretty sure it will be better. I hope it will be better. She'll eat when she gets good and hungry, won't she??

Juliet is such a good baby in so many ways; she's really easy to travel with, loves her stroller, riding on the Metro, seeing new things. We will take her a few places this week, after clearing them with her parents. I think she might enjoy the aquarium, and we know she loves to sit on the grass in parks, so we'll visit a few of those. Maybe the Luxembourg Gardens, one of our favorite places in Paris, and do they still have puppet shows there? She's a little young but she's so interested in what is going on around her. I'm sure we'll be out and about a lot! Another idea I just had is, maybe she'll eat better when she's not in her usual milieu. Juliet might think, "I don't usually eat in the park. This 'Grandma' lady doesn't usually feed me. So this might be O.K. I think I'll give it a chance."

True to form, Juliet learned something new overnight. Yesterday, she would dump all the beads out of the container, then try to put them back in, one at a time. The problem was, she would hold the bead over the open container, but couldn't seem to let go of it. Today, she very deliberately let go of each bead, and it fell into the container. You could see her thinking about the process of letting the bead go. It was very cool. She concentrates so thoroughly on these little actions, of picking something up, or turning something over, or letting go, that you can almost see her mind working. What a miracle she is, and how blessed we are to witness her growth. I have no great pictures from today; just this one showing her concentration as she works on a new skill.

Reunion

The very long day of travel to get to you, Juliet, disappears entirely once I see your face! I'm not tired any more, and I don't need anything else, like food or water. I just need to feel your baby skin, hold you, grin at you like an idiot, and marvel at all the new things you have learned since I was here last. Of course, I'm delighted to see your parents, too, but they are old hat compared to you. They're not getting cuter every day, and they're not learning new tricks all the time. Whereas you, dear girl, are doing both!

It was a long day of travel to get here. Aer Lingus is less expensive, but you do have a stopover in Dublin, and today we had a four hour layover. We did sleep on the flight, so at least we were relatively rested. It was beautifully sunny and warm in Paris, and after checking in at our hotel (with a nice surprise gift basket of coffee, water, cookies and chocolate from our son and daughter-in-law), we walked to the apartment. Our hotel is only about 8 blocks away, which will be nice during the week when we need to get to our baby-sitting gig by 8:00 A.M. or so.

Juliet was sleeping when we got there, but we managed to be just noisy enough to wake her. She has changed so much in just two short months! She's lost that "baby" look and has a, I don't know, look of an older baby, I guess. The look of a crawling baby, a grasping baby, a put everything in my mouth baby, an I know what I want and now I know how to go after it baby. She just looks older! Also wiser, prettier, hair a little less red, eyes darker than I remember, and constantly changing from blue to green to gray, a little plumper but not fat, fat, and still the same good-natured little girl.

We tired Juliet out with a nice long walk in a park new to us, Parc de la Planchette, not too far from the apartment. I'm sure we'll spend some time there this week. Then a lovely dinner with Juliet's parents (did I mention them?) as she had an early bed time today. Hope the little one can keep up with her grandparents! It's going to be a fun week, reconnecting with our granddaughter!

Saying Goodbye

Have you heard the saying, "My future's so bright, I have to wear shades!"? That's our girl Juliet! Lots of approving glances for the sunglasses, purchased on our shopping trip today. Mom Jeanne was still sick today, so Matt, Juliet and I went shopping, partly because we "needed a few things" and partly to give Jeanne a chance to rest and get better.

The three of us took the metro in to Paris, to the children's shop Aubert. We went with a shopping list, but of course we managed to find several things we hadn't realized we needed before. We found a net bag to hang in the bathtub, to hold our bath toys; a picture album for pictures of our favorite people (actually, relatives) and it's plastic and can be chewed on; a charming little butterfly excellent for teething; and the sunglasses. After all that exhausting shopping, we had to stop for lunch, to keep up our strength! Matt had a club sandwich and fries, I had a salad with warm goat cheese (my favorite), and Juliet had a bottle of formula (her favorite). Juliet kept reaching for her Dad's club sandwich, though; she looks like she's ready to start eating grownup food. What fun that will be!

On our way to the big department stores, Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, we noticed a lot of people eating ice cream. We decided we better have some ourselves, since we had looked in vain for ice cream yesterday! A stop at Haagen Dazs fortified us for the rest of our shopping trip. French Mother's Day is next Sunday, so we had our work cut out for us. I can't reveal here whether or not we were successful, as someone's mother reads this blog. But I can tell you we had fun looking!

Once again, Juliet was so good. She really is easy to take along, and so very interested in everything that's going on around her. It was so hot today, and most French stores aren't air conditioned because they don't need to be; it's usually temperate. By the time we got home at 6:00, we were all three exhausted and sweaty. Juliet got her bath early, then Matt fixed dinner while Jeanne fed Juliet. Both our girls went to bed early. Tom called around 10:00, just as Matt was going to bed. Tom is going to be able to pick me up at the airport in Chicago tomorrow. It will be good to see him again.

I hate saying goodbye to the Paris Mellins, as we call them, but it doesn't seem so bad this time, because I'll be coming back in August to care for Juliet while her day care center is closed. So I'll just say, "A la prochain", until the next time. I love you all and I'll be back before you know it.

Sunday in the Park

A summer-like Sunday morning, and both Matt and I slept too late to go to the market with Jeanne and Juliet. Matt had gotten up early with Juliet, then gone back to bed. I had no excuse. We missed going to the market, but Jeanne bought a beautiful sea bass for dinner, among many, many other things. When she came home she had three or four huge bags of groceries and supplies, plus Juliet and the stroller. I don't know how she does it!

Juliet seemed much better today. She spent the morning and early afternoon catching up on her sleep and her formula intake. We had planned to go walking in the Bois de Boulogne, but mid-afternoon Jeanne started to feel crummy. So we changed our plans, and Matt, Juliet and I headed to Parc Monceau instead. The Bois de Boulogne is a great park, but it's a little further away and much larger. It was a very hot day and we decided to go to a closer, smaller park. I was amazed when we got there; there were hundreds and hundreds of people! Families with children of all ages, young people, old people, people everywhere, laying on blankets on the ground, walking the paths through the park, kids playing soccer, throwing tennis balls, riding scooters and tricycles and bikes, families picnicking, sleeping, reading, talking.

Even with all the people there, it was quiet. No one was playing loud music on a radio, there were only occasional high-pitched squeals from a child or two, and though the blankets were not that far apart, you couldn't hear the conversation of the people nearby. I really like this about the French culture; they are quiet and respectful of others.

Juliet was in her element. She loved feeling the grass tickle her feet and hands (see above photo), and she loved laying on her back and watching the wind move the tree branches back and forth. When that happened she would just giggle! She also loved watching other small children playing nearby. We fixed her stroller so that she was almost in a sitting position, but even then she held her head up off the stroller the whole time. She has gotten really good at that. She's not close to sitting up by herself, but she's really good at holding her head up if you support her back.

We stayed at the park for a long time, since Juliet was having such a good time. Matt and I were, too, as we had a chance to talk and enjoyed the cooling breeze on a hot day. By the time we got Juliet home, she was good and tired. She made it through bath time and her bottle, but she had a little trouble falling asleep. I think she'll sleep well tonight though, because she had a lot of fresh air today. Jeanne barely made it through dinner because she wasn't feeling well; I hope she feels better because she says she has to go to work tomorrow. Matt has the day off for the holiday, so he and I will take Juliet shopping and out to lunch. My last day in Paris for a few months, but I get to spend it with two of my favorite people. Then I'll have to see if I can fit everything back in my suitcase for the trip home. I better not buy too much tomorrow...

All Juliet, All The Time

It's Saturday, and the headline in the paper says, "A Taste of Summer". Parisians will go crazy this weekend because it's unseasonably warm, sunny, and it's a three-day weekend. Yes, it's another May holiday! I know you're wondering how many holidays can fit in one month. This time it's Pentecost, seven weeks after Easter (which is celebrated on Monday here), the time when the Holy Spirit descends on the Apostles, giving them the ability to speak different languages so that the word of Christ can be spread around the world. And, as the clerk in Denmark noted, "It's a day off."

Beth and Charlotte stowed their luggage at the hotel and arranged for a taxi to pick them up there at 5:00. Since their flight to Denmark is at 7:45 P.M. they have the whole day to enjoy Paris. Then the three of us, and my luggage, took the metro to Levallois to see Matt, Jeanne and Juliet. I'll stay with them until my flight leaves early Tuesday.

Juliet was alternately sleeping and being fussy this afternoon. Very un-Juliet like! Matt and Jeanne attributed her fussiness to immunizations earlier in the week; the doctor had told them it can take up to ten days for symptoms to appear. Beth and I thought she might be teething, although she would be a little young for that. But she was drooling a lot (Juliet, not Beth) and Matt thought he could feel a little ridge on her upper gums. Later, when we took her for a stroller ride, I could see her eyes were red, and wondered if she might have allergies. So here we were, four otherwise sane adults, trying to figure out what could be wrong with our Juliet, and hypothesizing all over the place. I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow to see how she's doing. It's just so hard, not knowing how to help her feel better. This afternoon I asked Jeanne what she wanted for Mother's Day (another holiday--May 30), and she said, "I want Juliet to be well."

Beth and Charlotte stayed for lunch; Matt and Jeanne made a pasta salad, and we had goodies from the bakery for dessert. Conversation kept Beth and Charlotte there until almost 3:00, when they left to see the modern art at the Pompidou Centre before they met their taxi for the airport. After they left, Jeanne went to run some errands while Matt and I stayed with Juliet, and she was alternately fussy and sleeping again. Poor little thing! Finally about 6:30 we took her for a stroller ride, and she fell asleep on the way home.

Tonight we had a late dinner; a lovely quiche made by Matt under Jeanne's direction, a green salad, bread and cheese. Simple and delicious. Laundry, computer work and conversation kept us up way too late; I'm hoping Juliet will sleep in past her normal 6 A.M. wake up time. But that's probably wishful thinking. Today was a great day; I didn't do anything but wash a few dishes, but I got to hold my granddaughter, take her for a stroller ride, change her, help bathe her, kiss her sweet head and feet and tummy, and spend some time talking to her parents. I look forward to another quiet, wonderful day tomorrow. A day of all Juliet, all the time. Except hopefully not at 6 A.M.

The Louvre

Yes, we saw the Louvre today. And here is my sister, standing next to the statue she posed for; it's now in the garden area next to the Decorative Arts building. I think the likeness is quite good.

When we were walking down our first hallway this morning, Charlotte said, "Oh my God you guys, we are in the Louvre!" And it should have that kind of effect on people; the building itself is a work of art, and then there are the thousands of paintings, sculptures and objets d'art, including furniture and jewelry. The sheer volume of items can be overwhelming so you have to decide what you want to see, and then stick to it. We decided on European painters, which of course is way too broad a category, because there are several floors in several buildings dedicated to paintings. I think Charlotte would have gone on forever if Beth and I hadn't begged for a lunch break. While we bought lunch, Charlotte went to see the Mona Lisa. Beth and I didn't want to fight the crowds.

Refreshed after lunch, we did a little shopping in the museum shops, then went to the main entrance to see I.M. Pei's masterpiece glass pyramid. It still manages to delight and amaze me after all these years. Then followed a stroll through the Tuileries Gardens, stopping to admire the beautiful purple iris in full bloom, Parisians and tourists sunning themselves on chairs by the pond, and children riding the merry-go-round. I think summer has arrived in Paris.

Back in the Marais, we shopped at BHV for an hour. Have to get those last-minute gifts, or remembrances of Paris. In my case, I had to get some short-sleeved tops; it's suddenly gotten very hot! Tomorrow Beth and Charlotte fly back to Copenhagen, for their flight to America on Sunday morning. And I will move in with Matt and Jeanne for two and a half days, before my flight early on Tuesday morning. It's been a great trip so far, and I'm looking forward to spending time with my granddaughter this weekend. Poor Juliet isn't feeling well due to immunizations she had last week; today she had a fever and wasn't eating or sleeping well. I so hope she'll be much better tomorrow. My sweet Juliet; my beautiful, hold her head up, talk, talk, talk, help Grandma turn the pages of the book, splash in her bath, sweet Juliet.

Versailles

This morning Beth and I awakened to the sound of knocking on the door of the room across the hall. It was only 8:30; had the maid gone crazy?? As we gradually woke up we realized that the knocking sound was on our own door, and when Beth answered it, it was Charlotte. She woke up at 7:30, so excited to be going to Versailles. She went down and ate breakfast and didn't bother to take the key because she was sure we would be up by the time she was finished. We quickly got up and got ready to go!

Perhaps I should mention that my niece Charlotte has studied and read about the kings and queens of many nations, but most particularly England and France, all of her life. She is certainly the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to who was married to whom, and when they lived, and who their children were, and how they exited the royal life: divorced, died off or beheaded, all the gory details. So visiting Versailles is kind of like the Holy Grail for her. I felt honored to be able to take her there.

Well, I almost didn't take her there. Matt and Jeanne got our tickets online for us last night, and gave us instructions about getting there. We were to take the RER C train to Versailles Rive Gauche. From there it was just a short walk to the Chateau. We found the train easily and were confidently watching the station names go by. Another tourist asked us in broken English, "Are you going to the Chateau?", and we said, "Oh, yes, just follow us; we know where we're going!" Then a French woman seated near us said, "You are going to the Chateau? Then you have missed your stop." The stop was named Viroflay Rive Gauche; there was nothing about Versailles, nothing about the Chateau. So we got off at the next stop. The woman assured us we would be able to walk to the Chateau, although it would be quite a hike.

Getting off at the next stop we were still in the town of Versailles. It was the three of us and the middle-European tourist we had conned into trusting us. But now a new problem: people were inserting tickets into the turnstyles, to exit the train platform. I had never seen this before. We didn't know what to do and were trying to find someone to ask, when another French lady, leading a group of confused tourists, approached. She was talking (in English) about what a shame it was that they didn't have better signage, and how confused all the tourists got about where to get off the train for the Chateau, etc., etc. Then she talked with the station master (?) and told him these tourists had to be let through the exits because it wasn't their fault they missed the stop, the country didn't have good signage and what a terrible reflection this was on the French people, etc., etc. Anyhow, we just silently joined the group of people she was helping. Thus began the formation of a strange little tourist group: the four people the French woman was helping originally, the three of us, and the middle-European guy. Off we set to find the Chateau, with the French woman cheerfully leading our rag-tag little band.

Of course we did make it to the Chateau and we had a wonderful day there. The opulence, the sheer beauty of it all, the size of it all, the names: Mansard, LeNotre, Marie Antoinette, the Dauphin; it's as if history has come alive. Charlotte was a wealth of information, and many times she began her stories where the audio guide left off. We had a great time.

I have to say, though, that even at the Chateau, the signage could use some work. We got lost twice trying to find the Trianon area, with the smaller chateau where Marie Antoinette preferred to live, and where she and Louis XVI had beautiful gardens with plants and trees from all over the world. We did manage to find a nice place to have lunch, midway between the Chateau and the Trianon. By that time we needed to sit down and rest our feet.

We finally headed back home at 5:00 after a full, full day. The ride home was a lot less eventful, to say the least. It's pretty easy once you know the routine. Back at the hotel we soaked our feet in hot water, took long showers and rested before going out to dinner. Matt had made reservations for us at Enoteca, an Italian restaurant near us. It was great just sitting (!) and eating dinner, and talking about the day and what we had seen. Charlotte thanked us for being troopers and walking as far as we did; we told her we'd be recovered enough to go to the Louvre tomorrow. Yikes! I might need some more foot-soaking.

We totally forgot about our feet as we ate Enoteca's excellent desserts, all of which are made in the restaurant. Beth had hazelnut ice cream with hot chocolate sauce (drowning in hot chocolate sauce, actually) and Charlotte and I had little chocolate cakes with ginger ice cream, strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. We were floating along on a sugar high on our way back to the hotel; a beautiful, balmy night, 10:00 and not fully dark, the cafes brimming with people drinking, smoking, laughing, talking. Paris.

Ile de la Cite

We awoke to blue skies and warm sun again today. The perfect day to spend on Ile de la Cite with all the other tourists, and the pickpockets and beggars. Seriously, it was a gorgeous day, and after breakfast we walked down to the island where Paris began so many centuries ago. Our first stop was the conciergerie, home to kings as well as prison or holding cell for many waiting to be guillotined during the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette was probably the most famous prisoner. One can't view her prison cell any more because it was turned into a chapel, but there is a very good reproduction of it.

In one room of the conciergerie there is a list of all the people guillotined during that time; there was one "Melin" on the list. The list was interesting because it gave the names and in many cases, the occupations of the beheaded. Some on the list were "wife of" or "widow of" so I guess in that case you were damned by association. There was a comedian on the list; either his jokes weren't that funny or he was joking about the wrong people. Apparently anyone could make the list and lose their head if they associated with, talked about, supported or were married to the wrong people!

After the conciergerie we visited the Sainte Chappelle, which has to be the most beautiful chapel in the world. Of course the upper level, which has the unbelievable stained glass windows, was reserved for the king. The lower level was for the regular folks, and while it's pretty, it's not spectacular. It's hard to believe that during both World Wars, the stained glass was removed from the upper chapel, numbered and stored to be replaced after the war. Staggering to even think about the logistics of a project like that!

Next we walked to the Marche des Fleurs, the Flower Market. I believe this market goes on every day of the year, and they sell flowers, and trees, and vases and garden ornaments and tools, and much more. One day of the week, it becomes a bird market instead of flowers; I've never been to that but I'll bet it would be interesting, and noisy.

Before seeing Notre Dame we decided to get lunch. Of course there is no cafe in the whole area that isn't touristy, so we chose one a little bit off the beaten path, on a small side street. Called "Le Tango de Chat" or The Cat's Tango, the sign features dancing felines. That should have been our first clue that this place was a little wacky. Actually the food was just fine, but the service was what you would think of if Laurel and Hardy ran a cafe. We were seated outside, and a young man came out of the restaurant and gave us menus. We waited quite a while, and no one came to take our order. Then we saw this man walking toward the restaurant from about a half block away. When he got to our table he asked if we were ready to order. We gave him our order even though we didn't think he worked there; maybe they just called him in for the 3:00 rush? Well, he didn't communicate too well with the chef or the other waiter. They brought out a steak though Charlotte had ordered chicken, then tried to give it to Beth, as if saying, "Well, somebody has to eat this!" When it came time for dessert, both Charlotte and I had ordered chocolate mousse. They had run out of mousse and asked what we wanted in place of that. I ordered ice cream and Charlotte ordered apple tart. They brought the tart and asked what kind of ice cream I wanted. I ordered chocolate; they brought the ice cream and asked Charlotte what she wanted for dessert, even though she was just finishing her apple tart. Yikes!! Good thing the food was good. And Jeanne said it is kind of a famous place.

Notre Dame was a treat as usual, although there were hundreds of people walking through the church, and outside in the area in front of the church. One really does have to watch for pickpockets. We walked inside the church, marveling at its beauty; you can't help but feel reverent, no matter what your religious views. Walking around the outside, you cannot even believe that this huge structure was put together so long ago. The technology is incredible as well as beautiful. A most enjoyable walk both inside and out.

After that a short walk to Shakespeare and Company, an English bookstore nearby. We don't buy anything but it's a neat place to just browse. Then back to the hotel for a very short half hour rest. On the road again, to Levallois, where I buy dinner (takeout) because we're all too tired to cook! But we do manage to reheat some quiches, and throw together a salad and some bread and cheese. Juliet is tired, and after her bath and a little play time, she falls asleep for the night. We only had time to read "Pat the Bunny" about 10 times, but I'm sure we'll get the chance to read it again this weekend; Juliet is fascinated with little books.

Matt and Jeanne are tired, too, so we make it an early night. Beth, Charlotte and I are going to Versailles tomorrow, so we need a good night's sleep and an early start. A demain--until tomorrow!

Paris At Last!

Yesterday was a travel day, and you know how those are...even the best ones are stressful and tiring! Last night I had no wifi, so no blog. Tonight I'll try to cover two very busy days in one blog. Here goes: The day started well on Monday as we made our way to the Copenhagen airport. We arrived in plenty of time, which was to be a blessing. (I just know Tom and Brian are shaking their heads and saying, "See? See? It pays to be early so that when The Horrible Thing happens, you have time to fix it.")

I checked in and was waiting for Beth and Charlotte to finish their check-in and join me. I waited, and waited, and waited, and then realized that something was wrong. What was wrong is that Air France now has a 20 kilo baggage limit per person. Not a per bag limit, a per person limit. And Charlotte, having spent four months in Denmark, was quite a bit over that limit, and the airline was going to charge her 300 and some dollars each way. So $600 plus, when a passenger ticket was about $200. After standing in the check-in line for twenty minutes or so, they were told they had to go to another counter to pay the fine. At the other counter, my sister told the man, "We don't even need to take the stupid bag and I don't want to pay $600 to take it! I won't have any money left to spend in Paris!" So the guy said, "Well, maybe you could store it with the lost luggage, down the hall. But you only have ten minutes to either store it, or get it on the plane, so you better hurry." Charlotte frantically repacked her bag so she had all she needed, leaving her books and souvenirs in the bag we would leave behind. She and I then ran down the hall, found the storage place and left the bag, ran back to the check-in counter so that Beth could check the one bag, which was now under the weight. We then collapsed in a heap (figuratively speaking), sweaty and nerve-wracked, and went to our gate where the plane was already boarding. A little too much excitement before lunch. But at least the rest of the day seemed smooth by comparison!

Our flight went well, taxi ride to the hotel went well, and we even had time to stop at a cafe for tea and coffee before meeting Jeanne at her work at 6:00, as she was leaving. We got to go with her to pick Juliet up from the daycare center. It was great to see the daycare center, and meet the very caring young woman who cares for Juliet during the week. But, oh my, seeing Juliet again was incredible. I have been thinking about her every day, but here she is, in the flesh, so to speak, and she has changed so much, and grown so much, that she's like a different baby girl. She is fatter (in a good way), and more responsive, and she smiles more and she laughs now!! She holds her head up and her eyes follow movement much better, and her hands reach for things and grasp things, and oh my goodness, she's just changing every day and I don't like missing that!

Juliet likes her bath now; she doesn't scream at all, in fact she splashes a little bit and seems to enjoy the feel of the water on her skin. She doesn't stare at the mobile over her diaper changing place; she looks instead at the face of the person doing the change. When she takes the medicine for her reflux symptoms, she starts making a face as soon as she sees the tube of medicine. Then she does an artful job of pushing the offending medication out of her mouth with her tongue. She has a few tiny baby books, and she reaches for the pages and seems to be trying to turn them, although this could just be the opinion of her doting parents and grandparents. Grandpere Jean said, "Look! She can read!" So we might be a little overboard.

We had a lovely dinner with Jeanne, Matthew and Juliet Monday night, and we stayed late talking with them. Consequently, we didn't get up very early this morning. We went to breakfast after 10:00 and got a bit of a late start on the day. We made up for it, though. Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe, always my choice for the first thing to do in Paris. First of all, it's a very neat monument. Secondly, from the top one can see all of Paris, the avenues radiating out from the Arc like spokes. Seeing Paris from up there always makes me want to jump right in and go exploring in this fabulous city.

We set off down the Champs Elysees, stopping to glance in a few of the elite shop windows. We went to the Grand Palais and peeked in at the beautiful art deco glass roof. The exhibit there was closed on Tuesday. Across the street at the Petit Palais, there was an Yves St. Laurent exhibit, and the line was so long we didn't even get in it. We just continued our walk down the Champs Elysees, to the Place de la Concorde, with the Egyptian obelisk and beautiful fountains. Only one fountain of the two was working; in fact, most of the fountains were not working. It seems they should be working already, as there are lots of tourists around!

By this time we needed a rest stop for lunch, and we chose Angelina so Charlotte could have their world-famous hot chocolate. Charlotte and I ordered lunch, and then pastries, and Beth was smart enough to just choose coffee and a pastry. By the time we left we were all on a sugar high. We walked through the Tuileries gardens on our way to the metro, arriving back at the hotel with enough time to rest, shower, and leave for dinner with Jeanne's family and a few friends. The dinner was a sort of surprise birthday party for Matthew, arranged by Jeanne so that we could be there, too.

We had a wonderful evening with family, friends, good conversation in French and English, great food and a lot of smiles all around. I am happy; I am in Paris, the weather is beautiful, my granddaughter is brilliant, the wifi is working, and tomorrow will be another day full of adventures.

Tivoli, 39 Years Later

It's our last full day in Denmark. We're on the move again, from Helsingor to Copenhagen. Breakfast at the Hotel Marienlyst affords us the opportunity to taste Danish cheeses; at least, we think they're Danish. One is a blue cheese, which could very well be Danish, and the other is called "ost" which sounds Danish. They're both OK, not anything to write home about, but good. I think I am spoiled by having eaten so many French cheeses. We will try Danish pastries again later today, just to settle the "which is better: Danish cheese or a cheese Danish" question. At breakfast I also get to try "Danish bacon" which is just like those little cocktail wienies you dip into chili sauce at cocktail parties, except without the chili sauce.

Charlotte has managed to cram four months' worth of clothing, books and souvenirs into two suitcases, a backpack and a laptop case. We struggle, but we make it onto the train in Helsingor and off again in Copenhagen. An even bigger struggle is getting the luggage onto the bus to our hotel. Isn't there some travel rule that says your suitcase shouldn't weigh more than you can lift??

Once more safely ensconced at the Avenue Hotel, we set out to see where Charlotte has been attending school here in Copenhagen, and to get some pastries at the shop she likes best. Her classes are held in a really nice part of town, and it's great to see where she's been the past four months. Unfortunately, the bakery isn't open on Sunday, so we miss out on the "best pastries [Charlotte] has ever tasted". We settle instead on Andersen Bakery back at Tivoli. It is here that the cheese/pastry debate is settled once and for all: Danish pastries win. It's no contest.

Beth and I were at Tivoli, the famous amusement park, 39 years ago. After my junior year abroad study program in Madrid, my family joined me and we visited Copenhagen and a few other cities. Beth would have been 9 years old, but both she and I recalled being at Tivoli and a few other places around Denmark. I don't think Tivoli has changed that much. We remembered the lake, the rides and games of skill. I can clearly recall watching Beth and my Dad paddle a little boat around the lake. Or maybe I don't remember it, but I've seen pictures of it so many times, it seems like a memory. That's probably it. Memory is such an odd thing; experts now say that our memories change constantly.

It's not important to me that the memory I have of that day in 1971 is accurate; rather, I am glad to have that memory because it helps to define my feelings about family, and it reinforces the bonds that tie me to my sister, my brother, my Mom and my Dad. My Dad has been dead for almost 19 years now, but he is still a part of my memory bank. We are connected through our shared stories even more than our shared DNA.

For dinner tonight we went to the Restaurant Akropolis near our hotel, and had a fantastic dinner. We talked a lot about our itinerary in Paris, what each of us wanted to see or do. We're going to have a great time there, weaving our lives together for a short time before we have to return to our own realities. We're going to make more memories; each of us will remember the trip in her own way, but together we will have new stories to share and to cherish. I can't wait to get started on our new memories!

Helsingor

After another great breakfast this morning, we set out for the town of Helsingor and Kronborg Castle, probably the inspiration for Shakespeare's Hamlet. I have to admit that the bad weather is getting us down a bit; it's in the 40's and rainy a lot of the time. This morning it was pouring when we left the hotel, so instead of the bus we took a cab. More expensive, but we didn't get soaked. The forty-five minute train ride to Helsingor took us through many small towns, with lots of glimpses of the sea through the trees and between the houses. They didn't check our tickets; Charlotte says the fine is quite steep if you can't produce a ticket, so that probably keeps most people honest.

Charlotte met us at the train station and we went straight to Kronborg Castle. The castle has a huge moat and imposing ramparts; had it been a nicer day we would have walked around the ramparts. Today we decided to just go inside where it was warmer....barely. The Royal Chambers are not very impressive; there are some nice paintings and gorgeous tapestries on the walls, but there is little furniture and though the rooms are large they seem cold and unwelcoming. Little wonder the royal families stopped coming here in the late 1600's or 1700's, I forget which.

The chapel is truly beautiful--lots of carved wood on the pews and the altar. By contrast with the rest of the castle, it was never destroyed or damaged by fire. Seeing the chapel, one can imagine how the rest of the castle must have looked at one time. Another highlight was the ballroom. It was the largest royal hall in Northern Europe, bigger than any I have ever seen, and lined with gorgeous pictures on the walls. There is a black and white tile floor as well.

We also went through the casemates, not knowing what they were. These gloomy, dark and dank underground passages were used as soldier quarters during times of war. It's hard to imagine that up to a thousand men and their provisions were quartered here, sometimes for months. Beth and I kept walking and walking through these twisted, convoluted underground rooms, thinking we'd never get back to fresh air. Visions of rats and snakes and possibly dead bodies kept crossing my mind. When we finally made it out, Beth said she noticed they didn't collect our tickets for the casemates, and she was pretty sure that if we had gotten lost down there, they wouldn't have come down to find us.

Cold, a little wet and tired, we went to a nearby cafe to have some tea and coffee, and get a sandwich for Charlotte. We stumbled onto a perfect place in an old home, that felt like your neighborhood bar or coffee shop. Lots of different beer bottles surrounding the top of the bar; on the bottom of the bar, the end panels from different wine boxes. Bric-a-brac everywhere; fun, kitschy stuff on counters and table tops; a really nice owner who spoke English (of course) and brought a tray of cookies even though Beth and I only ordered coffee and tea. Charlotte's smorrebrod, which is an open-faced sandwich, had lightly fried fish, shrimp, homemade mayonnaise, fresh dill and caviar. She said it was very good.

After an hour or so spent in a warm, dry place where we enjoyed watching the local men play snooker (we think), we were energized to walk into Helsingor and look around. There is a nice downtown shopping area, with cobblestone streets and some promising shops. At this point it was after 4:00 and the shops were closed, as they will be tomorrow. We said goodbye to Charlotte and headed back to our hotel. Charlotte has a farewell dinner with her friends from the school tonight, then she'll have to pack up all of her stuff from her last four months here.

On the recommendation of the hotel desk clerk, Beth and I went to Amici Miei, an Italian restaurant in Helsingor. We had an incredible dinner (pizza Margherita for Beth, sea bass for me), over which we lingered until we ran out of conversation. I love that about European restaurants; they don't hurry you in the least. They never bring the check until you ask for it, even if you talk for hours without ordering anything else.

Tomorrow we will return to Copenhagen for one last day before flying to Paris on Monday. Hold on, little Juliet! Grandma will be there soon.

Cheese Danish

One of my blog groupies asked if we could find out whether or not Danish cheese is better than a cheese Danish (just to let you know what type of discerning readers we're dealing with here). And, of course, we will certainly have as a goal trying some Danish cheese over the next two days. My niece, Charlotte, who has been in Denmark "studying" for the past four months, tells me that the Danish pastries, cheese and otherwise, are delicious. Charlotte and her mother Beth, my sister, are pictured above, studying the guide book to decide where we'll go to dinner. My family is always concerned about where their next meal is coming from; I don't know why that is. We've always had enough to eat, but our favorite subjects are usually 1) the meal/snack we've just eaten, 2) the next meal/snack we will have, 3) food in general.

And that brings up one of the main reasons I was so excited to go on this trip: Denmark is part of my heritage. My maternal grandfather and grandmother came to the U.S. from Denmark. So I was eager to learn a little about the character of the Danish people. My helpful sister told me that she read recently that the Danes are the most satisfied people in the world, perhaps mainly because they have very low expectations. This actually fits with a prevalent attitude in my family, sort of an Eeyore outlook on life: "Well, things aren't very good, but what do you expect, it's probably what we deserve..."

I've noticed a few things about Danes. Their language, for one thing; they have no words for "please" or "excuse me". I don't think they're rude, because I've had some very nice encounters with Danish people. I've asked for directions and they've asked to look at my map, and together we've found the right way to go. They could have just said, "I don't know where that is." Maybe they're just blunt, and they don't need all these niceties. The other thing is, everyone speaks English, maybe with the exception of really old people. I haven't encountered anyone yet who didn't slip easily into English when I spoke a few words.

They have bike lanes on all the streets in Copenhagen, and lots of bikes everywhere! Stay out of the bike lanes unless you have a desire to be run over. I prefer to think the Danes are healthy and 'green', but maybe they just don't have the gas money. The hotel rooms, restaurant bathrooms and other public areas are spotless, yet there's a lot of litter in the streets. I can't explain that. They seem to dress for comfort; it's been very cold here, and I'm not seeing flip-flops, but rather good, sturdy boots, coats and scarves. I've seen a lot of drinking (almost everyone in the restaurant has some kind of alcohol), but I haven't seen any drunks.

So a lot of contradictions, and no real good feel for the character of the Danes. Just a wonderful place to visit; another good day today. After changing hotels today (we decided not to go to Sweden since there was so much we had not seen in Copenhagen), we headed to the National Museum. It's Danish history, a free museum, and well worth a visit. We spent hours there, and especially enjoyed the "prehistoric Denmark", and "Denmark, 1660 to 2000". Excellent.

Then we met up with Charlotte, did some shopping and had a nice dinner. We walked Charlotte back to the train station where she got her train for Helsingor and we got our bus for the Avenue Hotel. We didn't realize you had to press the button when you wanted the bus to stop, so we went a little beyond our stop but had a nice walk back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will go to Helsingor to see the castle and Charlotte's school for the past four months. And we'll try some Danish cheese.

It's May! It's May!! It Must Be a Holiday!

It's May in Europe and not much time goes by before there's a holiday. Today was a holiday in Denmark (also France), for example, and last night we were discussing what the holiday was. We asked our charming hotel desk clerk, and she wasn't sure either. Something to do with Easter, she thought. Then she shrugged and said, "Well, it's a day off anyway..." Of course, being in the tourist industry, she didn't get the day off. But all the shops were closed, and a lot of Danish people were out and about today.

We finally found a list of holidays in our guide book. It turns out this is the Day of Prayer, 40 days after Easter. Matthew has told me there are quite a few holidays in May, which make it a great month for taking a little time off from work. When a holiday comes on a Thursday, like it did today, you can also take Friday off, and faire le pont, or "make the bridge" between the holiday and the weekend. Numerous holidays seem to make a happier, more mentally healthy work force.

We started our day with a big, healthy breakfast at our hotel. Included with the cost of our room was a generous breakfast: coffee, tea, juices, breads, ham, cheese, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, coddled eggs and maybe more (that we didn't try today but will tomorrow). With this meal under our belts, we were fueled for the day. We walked toward the center of town and stopped first at the Dansk Design Center. It's part museum, part gift shop and part exhibition space, showcasing Denmark's best design talent. Really fun place to look around, and to see the award-winning designs from decades past.

After the Design Center we headed across the street to the NY Carlsberg Glyptotek, or the Carlsberg Collection. In 1897, the Carlsberg brewing family donated a beautiful building, an unsurpassed collection of ancient sculptures from Greece, Rome and Egypt, and a large collection of French and Danish paintings, to the city of Copenhagen. This collection is worth a few hours of one's time; plus the cafe is a great place to take a break for coffee or tea and a wonderful pastry! Take it from us...

The pastries fueled us for a long walk down one of the main shopping streets. Although only one or two shops were open, the people-watching was great! We saw where the National Museum was, as well as Christiansborg Palace, both of which we plan to visit tomorrow, before our Copenhagen cards run out, and we leave for Malmo, Sweden.

Back to our hotel to rest up before dinner. We decided to try one of the cafe's in our area: called Bang and Jensen, it's a hot spot for young people. We knew we'd be the oldest people there (sure enough, we were) but it sounded like fun so we went! We got there and all the tables were full so we just stood in the doorway like dorks until someone left their table and we were able to sit down. Once we were seated, we saw that others did pretty much the same thing; you just had to stand around and wait for something to open up. Then we didn't know how to order dinner, but finally figured that out by watching other people, again. So we're not exactly hipsters...but we did all right. The food was great, and inexpensive, too. A very fun spot for the young...at heart. That's us!

Copenhagen

Tom got me to O'Hare Airport in good time. For the first time ever in my life, I walked right up to the SAS counter, showed my passport, hefted my luggage onto the scale and walked away 30 seconds later with my boarding pass. With three hours and five minutes before our flight, I headed over to Terminal 1 to intercept my sister, flying in from Phoenix. It's really fun being able to go on this trip with her, and share these memories with each other and with her daughter and my niece, Charlotte.

The flight is uneventful, if quite bumpy. I'm usually good about sleeping on the plane, but I seem to be keyed up this time; I do get a few hours of sleep, and Beth does, too. We won't be total zombies when we get to Denmark!

Going through customs is easy; as in every other country in the world, just go through the door marked "nothing to declare". The other door is marked "idiot". Of course, we really don't have anything to declare...other than we're happy to be on this trip together, and eagerly awaiting exploring a whole new country.

It's a cold, rainy day in Copenhagen (pronounced with a long "a", according to Charlotte). Getting the train from the airport to the Central Station in Copenhagen turns out to be very easy. We have purchased the 72-hour Copenhagen Card, which will give us free access to buses, trains and the metro as well as most museums and other tourist sites. Once downtown, we easily find our hotel, the Savoy, about five blocks from the station. It's in an area that is vibrant with restaurants, bars and shops. Tomorrow we will do a lot of exploring; for now we just take a short walk after checking in to the hotel.

After that we meet Charlotte so the poor girl can get something to eat. She has had finals all day long and is starved! She looks tired and I imagine she is! After her finals and final papers due, we will have to help her pack up and clean up before we leave for Paris. For now, conversation with her mom and aunt, and a little pizza, pick her up. As she leaves to return to school to work on papers, Beth and I head to the hotel for a little R and R before our dinner.

Dinner at Restaurant Spicylicious turns out to be excellent! I would never have chosen it because of the funky name--sounds like a tourist trap, doesn't it? But my chicken curry is spicylicious, and Beth's tofu thingy is spicylicious, so trust your guide books rather than my intuition. With our stomachs full, we return to the hotel for a good night's sleep before our first full day in Copenhagen. Sweet dreams.

Back Home Again in Indiana

I can't believe I've been home for over two months now; not a day goes by that I don't think about my sweet Juliet, and miss her. I'll see her again in a week, and I can't wait! I know she has grown and changed a lot. She won't remember me, so I'll have to be patient until she feels comfortable with me again. Matt and Jeanne tell me she has a bit of stranger anxiety; I hope she won't cry when I hold her.

I received the most wonderful gift from a dear college friend, Sue, the other day. It's a silver frame with a picture of Matthew, Juliet and me, and a poem by Jacqueline Shaheen. The poem is titled "Between Mother and Son", and it brought tears to my eyes when I first read it, and in fact every time I've read it. Here it is:

My heart is younger, higher

Than any time since I held

Your beginning life against it.

The mirror does not lie.

I am as my mother was,

As I, of course, would never be.

On this day of days, time is gracious.

It has, I think, a special fondness

For first-time grandmothers.

And so leaves one thing unchanged...

I love your daughter as I loved

The son cradled in my arms,

That long ago yesterday,

When I was you and you were she.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Holding Juliet takes me back to the days of Matt's infancy, but without all the fear and uncertainty of being a new parent. Holding her is pure joy, fascination and love. Being a grandmother is the best job I ever had.

My Last Day

Friday, February 26th: my last day in Paris for awhile. It was nice today, sunny and spring-like. It's been warmer the past few days, and I know I'm going home to snow and 28 degrees Fahrenheit. But it's still home.

My cold has gotten worse today, and all of a sudden I realized I'm tired. My legs are tired (I've done so much walking), and I'm tired of living in a one-room apartment and I'm tired of wearing the same clothes all the time and I'm tired of being alone at night and alone when I wake up in the morning. I'm ready to go home.

I had a good last day with my granddaughter. I brought sandwiches for lunch today, and Matt came home from work to have lunch with us. In the afternoon Jeanne had made an appointment to get a massage; her mother had given her a package of massages for her pregnancy, and she hadn't used them all. So we set off to do some shopping, and then I was planning to stroll Juliet around while her mother got a massage. This was not what Juliet had planned! Actually, I think she may have gotten cold, and then upset. Sometimes when she gets upset you just can't get her calmed down. Today was one of those days.

Five minutes into Jeanne's massage Juliet was crying and nothing I could do would appease her. We strolled around for another twenty minutes, but she was only getting more upset. So I took her back to the massage parlor, thinking I could get a bottle from Jeanne there. Of course, Jeanne heard her crying and came right out. By this time Juliet was really mad, so it took Jeanne a while to calm her down. And that was the end of the massage.

I came back to my apartment to meet the owner and get the deposit check back, then went back to Levallois to go out to dinner for our last evening. We had a great dinner at Mandalay, an Asian-fusion place. Juliet enjoyed herself there, too, and received lots of admiring looks from the other customers. I got to hold her quite a bit (see above picture) so I was a happy grandma.

I said goodbye to Jeanne and Juliet; in some ways it was harder to leave Jeanne than Juliet because we've become quite close over the four weeks. But we'll see them this summer. Matthew is driving me to the airport in the morning, so it's time to get to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day.

Four Weeks

Juliet with her daddy


Tom reminded me tonight that four weeks ago today I got on the plane to come to Paris. Four weeks! In some ways it seems like I've been here a long time, and in other ways it seems too short. I haven't gone to...I haven't done...I didn't buy any...We never ate at...

But it's definitely time to go home. I woke up with a cold today, and then my umbrella died. You can live with a cold, but you can't live without an umbrella in Paris. I think I'll buy a beautiful new one to take home with me. Because as much as I love my granddaughter, I miss my husband. It's time to go home and be with him.

Tonight I got the most beautiful gift ever! Jeanne's sister, Marie, composed a book of photos of Juliet and her extended family, and she had it printed by a company called mypix.com. It's like a photographic history of my month with Juliet. The photos were taken by Marie's husband, Stephane, and they're wonderful. He has a real eye, and Marie has a great artistic gift of putting the photos together. It will be a treasured keepsake.

Matt and Jeanne are planning a trip to Tunisia the week after next. I innocently inquired a few days ago, "Will Juliet need a passport?" Turns out, she does. So Jeanne and I spent the afternoon getting Juliet's photo made, buying the special passport stamps at the Tabac, then going to the Mairie (Town Hall) to get the emergency passport. That is good for one month, then she'll get her real passport after that, in plenty of time to come to the U.S. for Thanksgiving. For now, Juliet is all set for her first trip outside the country! She'll be eight and a half weeks old when she goes to Tunisia; she's getting a good start on travel. Knowing her grandparents and her parents, she'll probably travel a lot!

For me, travel is one of life's great pleasures. Going home again is another great pleasure, and I'm getting myself ready.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Not one, but two, new items appeared in Juliet's repertoire Tuesday. First, she slept from 10:00 last night until 5:30 this morning!! An all-time record and a good portent of things to come. And second, she seems to have finally found her thumb. She has been attempting to put her entire fist into her mouth; today she put her thumb into her mouth and left the other fingers outside. Unfortunately, her thumb was so far into her mouth that she gagged herself, and spit up a little bit. But we still see the thumb as improvement, as she'll be able to comfort herself when she gets hungry or upset. Two giant leaps forward today!

It's our last day in Morlaix, and Jeanne wants to visit her good friend Emilie, who lives in Brest. Juliet and I are always up for a road trip (I like to look at the French countryside, and Juliet likes to sleep in the car), so after lunch we set off to visit Emilie and her little girl, Margot. Margot was born prematurely five months ago, so she's a little smaller than Juliet right now. Developmentally the doctors think she's doing very well, and so far they don't foresee any problems. What a miracle! She was just over a kilogram (2.2 pounds) when she was born.

It's fun to see the two little girls together. They do look at one another, but they don't seem to have any particular interest in the other little face. When laid side by side in a play area, they pay more attention to the mobiles overhead than each other. When one cries the other doesn't even seem to notice. Probably in a few months they'll have a lot more curiosity about each other. How fun it will be for Jeanne and Emilie, who have known each other since they were 12, to see their daughters grow up, get to know each other and maybe become friends.

After Emilie's we went shopping. Jeanne got a few nice things at H & M, and I bought some flowers for Jean and Marylise. After returning to Emilie's to pick up the bottles I had left by the kitchen sink (oops) we headed back to Morlaix for our last dinner with Jean. Marylise was on a late flight to Brest, maybe because of the airport employees' strike this week, so she didn't get home until 10:30. We said our goodbyes and I tried to thank them for their generous hospitality. They are truly like family and I feel so blessed--for myself, Tom and especially Matthew. Jean said he and Marylise might see us at Thanksgiving. What a good surprise--they are thinking of coming to the States with Matt and Jeanne in November!

Wednesday was a day for travel, one of those days where you just put your head down and do what needs to be done. We spent the morning getting ready to go, and left about 12:45, bringing our lunch with us. It was pouring rain, of course; the one day you really would like good weather. While we were in Morlaix, I practiced driving for about 10 minutes. That was a good thing, since every stick shift drives a little differently. Juliet was very good in the car, but she was worn out by the time we got back to Levallois. The last half hour on the Peripherique is horrible for anyone, let alone a hungry baby. But we made it back and had dinner with Matthew, and even found a parking space right in front of the apartment. Not a bad day's work.

Journeys

Just when I think I'm Miss Technology, along comes Reality and trips me up again! In Morlaix I couldn't hook up to the internet, so I wrote my blog in a Word file and then transferred it to another computer that was hooked up. Well, Matthew helped me do that. When he left on Monday night, somehow the ability to transfer that material left with him. Try as I might, I couldn't do it on my own. So following is some semblance of what I wrote on Monday night. It sounded a lot more eloquent then.

It's Monday, and it's raining. We must be in Morlaix! Actually, for Morlaix it's not raining that much, and it's not very windy; it's a great day to be inside and to catch up on some last-minute post cards, and write my to-do list for the rest of my trip. A to-do list which consists mainly of spending time with Juliet.

I've been a little teary-eyed today, thinking about leaving on Saturday, and how much I will miss seeing Juliet every day. But she, Matthew and Jeanne have their own lives, and so do I. Soon Jeanne will go back to work and Juliet will be in day care. I have been lonely for Tom, and missed my tennis and my gym, and I have a hundred things to do for the Democrats when I get home. So I'll be okay; I'll just look forward to my next visit, to see how much Juliet has grown and changed.

We went shopping for a few things for Juliet and her parents today: a bottle brush, a "Baby on Board" (bebe a bord) sign for the car, baby food containers, and a new sleeping gown. I bought a Winnie the Pooh mobile for her bed; Matthew, Tom and I used to love reading the Pooh books. After shopping Jeanne took Matt to the train. He will get home about midnight, but at least he was able to spend almost the whole day with us. The train is really so convenient.

I've been thinking about journeys today, with Matt leaving and my own journey next Saturday. Life is really a series of journeys. There are everyday journeys: going to work, going on vacation, going to a wedding, going to a funeral. Then there are the more difficult journeys: leaving your parents' home for the last time, moving from a familiar place to a new one, sending a child off to college. There are life-changing journeys: marriage, divorce, having a child, losing a parent. And when a grandchild is born, we discover that some of the very best journeys are saved for the last part of our lives.

Sunday in Primel

Sunday—a little sad, as it’s my last Sunday in France for awhile. Vincent arrived in the morning, to join his family. Jean went out hunting with his dog, and the rest of the family went to Primel to eat crepes at Le Gouter Breton. It’s a small creperie restaurant about a block from the family’s house. We had lots of fun at lunch, and many photos were taken of darling, dramatic Romane, Juliet in various people’s arms, and Vincent and Lukaz and their chocolate mustaches.

After lunch we took a long walk on the beach, and I couldn’t help but think that this is why the French stay slim—they walk, and walk and walk. It was a perfect day to be at the beach. It was warm (for February) with not much wind. As we walked and talked I thought again about how Jeanne’s family has made me feel at home here.

Back at the beach house, we received our Sunday visitors: Herve and Martine and their daughter Charlotte, and Vincent’s best friend Tony. Herve is pictured above, with Juliet and Jeanne. We had coffee, tea and conversation. On the way back to Morlaix we stopped at two antique shops. Matt told me that the furniture sold there would be five or ten times as much in a Parisian antique shop. He and Jeanne have often talked about the possibility of opening a store in Paris, and bringing in antiques from Brittany. I didn’t do any buying, but it was fun to look!

Back in Morlaix we spent a nice evening together, with dinner, kids playing, adults talking, watching the Olympics and all the normal family activities. (I love being in Morlaix with the family, but there are entirely too many people here who want to hold Juliet. That is supposed to be my job!) But I guess being part of a family means one has to give in, be flexible, share and forgive. The rewards outweigh the sacrifices.

We Are Family

Friday morning I exchanged a defective sweater at H & M. It was a rather proud moment when the cashier told me I spoke French well, and walking back to the apartment I felt like I belonged in the neighborhood. Understanding French is becoming a lot easier, because I’m trying to relax and just go with the flow of the language, rather than trying to pick out individual words.

Back at the apartment I packed for five days in Morlaix, and checked everything twice to make sure the garbage was taken out, the heat turned off, and that I had packed everything I needed. When Tom and I travel together, we ask each other, “Did you bring the camera? Do you have our passports? Did you turn the heat down?” Traveling alone is more difficult; you have no one else to ask. It tends to make you a lot more cautious.

I arrived at the kids’ apartment around 1:00 and fo$r the rest of the afternoon we scurried around getting ready to go. There’s a lot to pack when you have a baby! We finally got on the road about 5:00, picked Matt up at work and headed into the Friday night traffic on the Peripherique. We hadn’t realized it was the first evening of the two week February break, and every single Parisian family was leaving town, including us. The trip to Morlaix normally takes about six hours by car; it took us about eight and a half, with stops to feed Juliet and bathroom breaks. We arrived in Morlaix at 1:30 in the morning, and went straight to bed. Juliet’s first long car trip, and she fared better than her parents and grandma.

Saturday I slept in late, and we went to the marche, the market, about noon. This is one of the French traditions I love most: going to the market to get the freshest of vegetables and meats to cook for your dinner. The vegetable sellers display their wares so beautifully. Everything looks appetizing. I would always buy more than I needed! While we were at the market we bought crepes for our lunch. Matt and Jeanne ate theirs while we were walking around; I ate mine back at the house. The afternoon passed quickly; Laetitia and Lukaz and Romane arrived mid-afternoon, and Danny and Caroline arrived at 6:30.

We had a lovely family dinner, beginning with foie gras, progressing through curried pork tenderloin, potatoes and sautéed carrots, leeks, onions and turnips, bread and cheese, salad, cake for Lukaz’ birthday (earlier this month) and tarte de pomme, apple tart, made by Laetitia. It was nice to have Danny and Caroline for dinner; it’s good to stay connected with the extended family. Tom called during dinner. He sounded wistful to be missing another beautiful family dinner, and said he looked forward to such a good time this Christmas, when we’ll visit again. Each time we leave France, we look forward to the next visit with our genial French family hosts!

An Ordinary, Extraordinary Day

Not much happened today, so I guess it's my chance to wax philosophical. Not that I'm ever shy about spouting my "philosophy". It's a Pollyanna-ish view of the world, and it's gone clear off the charts with this tiny, beautiful prodigy of a granddaughter.

Tom left for home early this morning. I know he woke me up to say goodbye; I hope I said something appropriate in return. I did think about him during the day today, and I know he landed safely at O'Hare. Traveling mercies.

In the early afternoon I went to Levallois to be with Jeanne and Juliet. We didn't do anything special, just our usual feeding, changing, a stroller ride to get something for dinner, then more feeding and changing, oh and a bath (that's always a highlight of the day), then more feeding, then dinner for the adults and then Grandma headed back to her own apartment, to get ready for our trip to Morlaix tomorrow.

Now here's the waxing part: How is it possible that such a tiny being has so totally captured my heart? When I came into Juliet's line of vision this afternoon, she smiled at me. She recognized me. Maybe it's just because I sometimes give her a bottle, but still, she smiled at me! My heart leapt!

When she does something new, like when she recently started holding onto her bottle, well then I just want to tell everyone I know. It's probably a good thing I don't live here; my friends would be bored to death, hearing about what Juliet is doing now. Or maybe that's what grandmas do, and when I go back to Elkhart my friends and I will have lengthy discussions of the wonderful things our grandchildren are doing.

I love to hold her and really look at her. When she's sleeping I study the little blue veins just under the surface of her skin. I look at her ears, her little rosebud mouth, her hands with dimples where the fingers meet the hand, her perfect little nails. I watch her as she sleeps; she makes such funny faces! Sometimes she whacks herself in the face with her hand. Her nostrils go in and out, in and out, and her mouth makes little sucking motions.

When she's awake and really calm I love to watch her eyes (blue, at least for now). They search your face like they're trying to memorize it. If she's calm she might try to talk to you, too. She makes sounds, and she makes the effort to make a sound even if nothing comes out. You watch her screw up her mouth, stick out her tongue and make the biggest effort, and when nothing comes out she seems frustrated. Of course, sometimes that can mean she is just filling her pants and will soon need a diaper change. (Usually her face is very red when this is happening.)

And sometimes she cries, and before she actually starts to cry, her face distorts and she gets the most woebegone look. Your heart just breaks for her. Other times she pouts, sticking out that lower lip and crying real tears. You would do anything to make her happy, but she will have none of it! And she has a "mad" cry. Boy, oh boy, is she mad and you are going to hear about it! Whatever it was that you did, don't do it again!

I'm fascinated with her, I'm in love with her, I adore her and I delight in her. I'm a grandma and I never realized what that would mean. My friends warned me, and they were right: it's the best thing ever. With a grandchild, every day is an ordinary, extraordinary day.

Act Like a Tourist Day

We did two of the most touristy things you can do in Paris today: we went to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Both were wonderful. We met Jean, and Marie and Stephane's kids, Thomas and Lena, at the Eiffel Tower about 12:30. The kids have Wednesday off from school; I'm not sure if they have every Wednesday off, or just this one. At any rate, we were excited to spend the afternoon with Thomas, 10, and Lena, almost 8; they are very nice children.

It was a rainy, foggy day today, but we had the tickets for the Tower, so we went anyway. The crowds were probably less because of the weather, so that was good. We could still see some Paris landmarks from the second floor, but once we got to the top it was like pea soup fog. You couldn't see much at all. It's still fun to go to the top, though! We chatted while we were waiting for the various elevators to take us up or down.

We had lunch in the restaurant on the first "floor" of the Tower. The food was pretty good, but of course the view is what you pay for. During lunch, Tom played a game with Thomas and Lena; he would ask them a simple question in English, and they had to answer in English. Then they could ask him a simple question in French and he would answer in French. We had some good laughs...the kids are shy about their English and we're somewhat shy about our French, even with an 8 and 10-year-old!

Lena is such a character, so dramatic! She entertained us on the Metro to the Louvre. She wouldn't hold on to the pole, and when the train would start up or come to a stop she would pretend she was falling and make these wild faces. She is so like her mother, funny and charming and intense! Thomas is quieter and more serious, and such a sweet boy. He reminds me of his father. We had lots of fun with both of them.

The Louvre was great, too. It is just indescribable; after today, we decided that it doesn't really matter what you choose to see. Everything is world-class and it's all interesting. We started today with objets d'art from Napoleon III. I was thinking, "Man, this is bound to be boring." Of course, it wasn't. It was mind-boggling; first of all, he lived right there in what is now the museum, so the series of rooms with these gigantic chandeliers and velvet wallpaper and period furniture is right in front of you. The dining room table seated about 40 people; you don't see that every day. We went on to Flemish and then French painting; again, an unsurpassed collection. They say you could visit the Louvre every day for a year, and not see everything. You surely would have fun trying, though.

We said goodbye to Jean and the kids and headed out to Levallois for dinner with Matt, Jeanne and Juliet. Our little Juliet has learned something new; she is grabbing her bottle now, with both hands. Every day, something new...Dinner was brief tonight, as Matt and Jeanne were tired, and Tom needed to get back to our apartment to pack and get a good night's sleep before his flight home tomorrow.

It seemed really mild as we walked from the Metro to the apartment tonight. We were both thinking about spring, and summer, and coming back to Paris to see Juliet. When we see her next she will have changed so much. We are already talking about our next visit, and how soon that can possibly be; not soon enough.