Paris- Day 3

Last Saturday started as the previous day had, with a delicious pan a chocolat from the patissier. Yumm! Ethan also tried a quiche, which was great.

This day was supposed to be the best day weather-wise while we were there, so we decided to go to Luxemborg Gardens where we heard they had a children's playground.

Luxemborg Gardens was just beautiful. When I first stepped onto the property, I quickly noticed all the chairs. They were everywhere. Apparently, this is the kind of place that you go to just linger. I could picture old men sitting around playing chess. One thing I loved was that there was a boulles pitch there, and in the middle was a coat rack for all of the mens' coats. Isn't that just great?!
Anyway, in the center of the gardens was a large octagonal pond. The kids were drawn to that naturally, and had fun watching the baby ducks and other children sailing model sailboats. We enjoyed a nice stroll around, observing Luxemborg Palace, which now houses the French Senate, as well as many incredible statues.

We eventually made our way to the playground. Thankfully, I was previously warned that you had to pay admission for the playground, so I was mentally prepared for that. For Tim, Maddie, and Ethan, it cost about $10. Anyway, the kids had a blast! It really was an incredible playground. I was also previously warned that you might have to pay to use the bathroom there! Can you believe that??!! It was 40 (euro) cents each time, which equals about 60 cents US. We got a family rate once, and paid 1 euro for the four of us.... what a deal!!!

For lunch, we found a small crepe stand in the gardens, and dined on jambon et fromage (ham and cheese) and nutella crepes.

After lunch, we enjoyed a nice, round-about walk to Notre Dame Cathedral. We had been reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame to the kids, so we thought they would enjoy seeing it in person. (By the way, Maddie keeps referring to Quasimodo as "Karate-modo"!) Here are a few shots from the outside and inside. (Can you see the gargoyles in the second picture?)
Outside of Notre Dame, there were children trying to feed the birds by holding bread very still in their hands. Check out this picture!After Notre Dame, we walked back to the Metro, picking up dinner along the way (panini and the French version of a hot dog). We ate back at the apartment, and then after a nice rest, walked around looking for a patissier for a scrumptious dessert! Again, not a bad way to end the day.