Travel Tales: Free in Paris

Unfettered & Alive

It might be a good idea to play

this song as you read this post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcswJCCGMAs

A few years ago we were

spending our Spring Break

in Paris.  The kids were still

quite young, I think they

were in 7th & 8th grade.

This was a time when there

were still rules about how

far they could wander from us.

In New York, they had to be

on the same block as me.

In Williamsburg, they could

be within the historic area.

Strangely, at home in Indiana,

they had little freedom.

In Paris, we stayed in the

lovely, old neighborhood called

the Marais, in the 4th

Arrondisement.  They were allowed

to go downstairs to get a

gelato or to run to the boulangerie

for a baguette and they even

were allowed to go around the

corner by themselves to look in

the shops near the Pompidou Centre.

On our last full day, we had a

lovely lunch on the Ile Saint Louis

at the beautiful Cafe Med.

The Cafe Med is a tiny bistro with

maybe 12 tables, filled with locals,

including dogs, with the kitchen

at the top of a spiral staircase

and the food is handed down

to the waitress.  If you have

ever had ice cream at Berthillon,

you have been close by.

After lunch, my brother needed

to find an internet cafe, Rob & I wanted

to wander and the kids wanted

to explore on their own.

We let them go...

After two minutes, I wanted

to run after them and draw

a map so they could find

their way home.

Rob said they had their

Carte d'Orange Metro

passes and could find

their way around the Metro

better then we could.

And they knew their way home

from Notre Dame and anyone

in Paris could tell them how to

get there and we had to let

them go.

Rob distracted me from

worrying by taking me in

shops like this one so I

could buy cafe au lait cups.

We strolled along the Seine,

looking at book and print

stalls, admiring the architecture

and kissing in the street just

like the French.

We crossed back to the Right

Bank and explored our neighborhood

trying to soak it all in and store up

the spirit of Paris until we could return.

We shared a last taste of rose water

flavored Turkish delight ~ my favorite!

We ended our afternoon in the

hardware and major appliance

section of the Bazar Hotel de Ville

Department store.  Dreaming

of how we would outfit our own

Paris apartment.

We were the last ones home

that afternoon.  We all shared

our tales of what we did while

on our own.  I guess that shows

we all need some time to feel

unfettered & alive...