Roadtrip!

A couple of weeks ago we took a weekend trip to Paris. It was a last minute thing, so the train tickets were extremely expensive. So, we gassed up our car and drove!

Our fearless driver

This was our first roadtrip since Grayson learned how to use the potty. We were just 10 minutes outside of Brussels when he got this pained expression on his face and started yelling "poopies, poopies." We veered off at the next exit and stopped and the nearest gas station. No potty. So we turned around and headed to the next one. Grayson's cries of "poopies, poopies" were getting stronger, so I started coaching him in lamaze breathing techniques. Finally we arrived at the next gas station. It had a stereotypic gross, disgusting, make-you-want-to-throw-up gas station bathroom. The kind of bathroom that actually makes you long for the days of diapers. But it did the trick and we were on our way.

We would have never had the guts to drive to Paris, were it not for this ingenious little device - the GPS. In a calm and melodious voice our navigator told us exactly were to turn, which lane to be in, and when to turn around! Driving through Place Concorde and then right by the Eiffel Tower was a bit surreal. After about 3 1/2 hours we made it to our hotel and crashed (in bed, that is, it was pretty late).

The next morning we headed straight to - where else - the playground.

Next we went to Starbucks. I'm building up a nice collection of city mugs and just had to have the Paris one. You can see that our priorities are in order.

Finally we made it to the Musée de l'Orangerie, where the highlight is a series of water-lily paintings by Monet that were painted especially for the museum's oval rooms

Outside the museum is a bronze of "The Kiss" by Rodin.

After making Grayson suffer through the umpteenth museum since moving to Europe, we rewarded him with a ride on the horsies

Next we took a stroll and passed by the Paris Opera House, where Phantom of the Opera was based and filmed

Next we ventured to the gothic Saint Chapelle


This is the lower church, where the poor people worshipped


And this is the upper church, where the wealthy worshipped

The next morning we were up early . . .

For months I have been wanting to visit the Sacré Coeur and the bohemian neighborhood that surrounds it (Montmartre). This is where struggling artists such as Henri Toulouse-Latrec, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh lived, worked, and partied. It is also home to the famous Moulin Rouge. With Grayson as our guide we headed out.

First stop - this little boulangerie (bakery) recommended by my friend Sév, who used to live in this neighborhood. They have the best baguettes - crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

Next stop - the merry-g0-round (did I mention Grayson was navigating?)


We arrived at Sacré Couer in the middle of Sunday mass. That's why travelling Moms and Dads carry lollipops. We were able to catch a glimpse inside while Grayson sucked away.

Sacré Couer is on top of a hill that overlooks Paris

Next we walked through the artists' market

And then stumbled on a little wine shop

Our final destination - the famous Moulin Rouge, which today is just another strip club on a very seedy street.

Our Two-Hour European Tour

Well, despite all our efforts and best intentions, school was a disaster (more on that at the end) so Grayson and I are getting lots of quality Grayson-Mommy time these days. Yesterday we toured all of Europe in about two hours. Mini-Europe, that is.

Look who's learning how to pose for photos!

Well, some of the time - that button was just too fascinating

The Arc de Triomphe (Paris), without all the traffic

Umm . . . I don't remember where that is, we were too entranced by the boats

A small taste of Atlanta, in Stockholm (at least, I think that is Stockholm)

Grayson was IN LOVE with the choo-choo trains

So much so that he displayed his best 2-year-old whine when I tried to stear him toward the more cultural aspects of our little journey

There's The Grand-Place in Brussels

Umm - somewhere else in Europe

That's the Sacre Coeur (Paris) - we just visited the real one a couple of weeks ago (I'm late in posting those photos, though)

That big silver thing in the background is the Atomium - it was built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair


Oh yes, and he also loved the trucks

But the choo-choos were the hands down favorite


So back to the school story. Long, tearful story made short, he's just not ready for such an intense environment (nor are we!). Even a couple of mornings a week wasn't going to cut it when there's 24 two-and-three-year-olds all crammed into a room with one teacher and one assistant (this was not, by the way, how we were told the class would be - but that's a communication that must have been lost in translation). So now he's home with me and happy again and we're looking into a couple of less scary alternatives.

Back to School

Today Grayson started pre-school at a little french-speaking school that is part of the Belgian public school system. Last week I brought him to the school and we looked in the windows. He got very excited about painting, coloring, and playing with toys, so when we arrived this morning he was happy to be there. By the time I picked him up just a few hours later he wasn't quite as happy - he was extremely happy to see Mommy. He is, though, already talking about all the painting and playing he'll do tomorrow at school.