Un dimanche à Paris.

T'was pretty perfect! Hope you all had a fun-filled weekend and are ready for another busy week ahead!

ps: although I fear I'm a helpless cause, I have activated the 'reply option' in the comments as an attempt to be more organised, and reply to your comments and emails more promptly. Please forgive me if still owe you an answer -  I know, I am embarrasingly running behind...boo hoo. :(

Quartier latin: The great escape.

Hello! How have you been? Are you getting into the holiday mood? It's bloody madness over here. Every other person is out shopping and walking around the streets with more goodie bags than their little hands can carry. I tried going into a toy shop on Saturday to have a "look around" and walked straight out. I didn't see much other than hasty people and tempted kids. Not for me. Thank you, but no thank you. I'll be doing all my shopping on line from the comfort of my couch and maybe taking a day off for the remaining bits & bobs. The pressies this year are also going to be simple and useful. I read this quote on Claudia's blog the other day which gave me food for thought: "A good friend told me that they just focus on four gifts for their children: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read"... the best gift guide, don't you think?

I woke up on Sunday craving for a trip to a museum or an exhibition - something I use to do lots of in my pre-baby life. So we jumped in the car and drove off to the Latin quarter to visit the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution at Paris' Natural History Museum. The little man was euphoric. Animals + space to run + others kiddies = hours of fun! It was such a fascinating and timeless museum. A true getaway for the mind. We came back to the reality just long enough to cross the street (literally) before entering a whole new world as we stepped foot inside the restaurant of Paris' mosque. In a traditional North African decor, we had the most exquisite lunch which brought back fond memories my frequent travels to Morocco when I'd visit my parents were living in Tangier. On the menu: tagine for me, couscous for the Mr. and a bit of both for the little man; followed by mint tea and pastries, which we weren't able to finish so a little birdie came and helped us. How very nice of her.

Restaurant de la Mosquée de Paris
39, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire
75005 Paris

Muséum national de l'histoire naturelle
Grande galerie de l'évolution
Jardin des Plantes
36, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire
75005 Paris

Normandy: Rouen.

Our little family headed to Normandy this weekend to visit friends of ours living in Rouen. It was where Joan of Arc was burnt in 1431 and where Monet painted his famous series of Rouen’s Notre Dame cathedral (you can see these paintings at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris). Our friends live in a beautiful house outside of the city just minutes away from the forest and, to L.’s delight, within (toddler) walking distance from a farm. We spent two lazy days drinking delicious wine, eating too much cheese (two raclette meals in two days…*gulp*), going for walks, and catching up on sleep with afternoon naps. Another delightful mini-break* from Paris' hustle and bustle.

*Rouen is 1h10 train ride from Paris Saint-Lazare train station and 1h40 min drive on the motorway by car. Easy peezy!

Ps: thank you for all your kind comments on my previous post – I am glad to hear I am not boring you (I can totally bore myself sometimes, hence my asking!).

Promenades automnales.

Some more photos from last weekend: A romantic stroll by Samoreau lake and a family walk in the Chateau de Fontainebleau gardens. I do apologize for boring you with so many photos of late, but I am uncontrollably clicking away. Blame the new lens and the fact that Mr. Franglais bought me an 16 GB SD card to go with it and there you it: photo frenzy! Hope you are all having a good week. It's another busy one around here so I'm signing off until Monday.  Here's wishing you a relaxing weekend! Bye for now x

Golden.

Magical Fontainebleau forest. Don't you just love those colours? T'was a golden escape from the city.  

ps: Fontainebleau is only 40 min from Paris by train and 1h by car making it a perfect weekend getaway.

Back home.

After a delightful three-day weekend in the country. I'll miss walking around in wellies all day.

Good night! xx

Ps: they are not mine.

Happy weekend!

Pas de metro, ni de boulot. Tomorrow is a bank holiday in France so we are lucky to be having another long weekend. TGIF. It's been one of those weeks. Endless workload. Some arguments. Many tantrums. And a big health fright. I need to unwind. We're heading to Troyes tomorrow and then Fontainebleau for the rest of the weekend. I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet of the forest which is at its best this time of year. Hope you all have exciting plans for the weekend. A bientot!

Have a sunny weekend!

TGIF! It's been a long and exhausting week around here and I'm looking forward to catching up on a bit of sleep these next couple of days. Our friend's little boy who was born on 10.10.10 @ 10:10 a.m. (ok, 10:06 a.m. but let's pretend) turned one this week so tomorrow we are going to their place for a little fiesta. Some would laugh at throwing a birthday bash for a one-year-old but actually these are the kind of parties my body copes best with these days. I mean, where else can you 1) get a nice sugar rush from wolfing down so much cake and guzzling litres of soda, 2) socialise with fun people who are totally empathetic with your boring conversations about your not-sleeping-tantrumy-pen-eating-kid, and 3) (this is the best part) wake up on Sunday morning without a hangover? Babies' birthday parties are totally underrated if you ask me. 

Wishing you all a sunny weekend! Next week I will be sharing (boring you with?!) my photos of Greece, at last. Yay.

Pssst! last chance to enter the giveaway - don't miss out!

The short life of a cupcake.

It's been a fairly quiet but enjoyable weekend around here. Saturday morning we visited another potential flat to buy but sadly it was yet another disappointment. We have visited over 20 flats in the past four months, but we still have hope to find the perfect home before the end of the year (it's important to dream).

Today, I spent quite some time in the kitchen baking for our little afternoon outing and as it turned out, my purple cupcakes were simply not meant to be. First we ended up catching the wrong bus and not going to the park we had in mind. Then, just as we sat down to experience an intense sugar rush, L. tripped on the picnic blanket and landed hands first in the freshly baked goodies. And finally - as if that wasn't enough - some kid accidentally kicked his football my way and knocked the glass of hot tea I was holding, all over the squashed cupcakes. Et oui, c'est la vie!

Skies.

Lots of time spent at Paris Plage this weekend. But the newish version, on the canal de l'Ourq. So much nicer and more relaxed than the quai de Seine. We ate ice cream, built (and immediately destroyed) lots of sand castles, played in the water and people watched. Sunday afternoon was so hot, we improvised a little swimming pool on the balcony so that one lucky person could cool off. It was great to have a taste of summer after endless days of grey skies.

Tonight my boys are off to Liverpool to visit the family until Friday. First time L. is going to take a plane and I won't be there. Though it's probably best as I'd stress them out with my irrational plane phobias. Lots to wrap up at work this week while they are away and I've some reading to do in preparation for our trip to Greece (it actually works. I read it before every flight).