Jardin des Plantes

Friday I took the girls to the Jardin de Tuileries, and we walked back some towards the champs elysee in a garden space called Proust something, a perfect place to have a picnic, which we did. A has this thing about taking off her shoes, she wants them off in the library, in any park and pretty much everywhere else, she has a fetish for having her feet held, I see no point in stopping her anymore. Picking your fights with a two year old with a typical case of the terrible twos, well I can't blame her if she relishes in grass underfoot, in the confines of the city, its a rare treat. We rode the ferris wheel in Tuileries and although three revolutions cost a pricey 8 euros, it was offset by the stunning views of the city and the fact that my employers covered the cost. Despite a little rain shower- as S says, the clouds are crying- we had a nice picnic and walking back to the metro we sang Oh Champs Elysee while dodging annoying tourists.

Saturday my friend from High school came to spend the night and after a coffee we put together our snacks and headed to the Jardin des Plantes, the parks here are insanely groomed- it is definitely not my preference, but they do tend to be beautiful in a look but don't touch way. All parks in Paris are full of benches and chairs to watch the beauty of nature, but from a safe distance lest you trample the nature that has been so acutely tamed and organized. Stroll along the sandy stone paths, rest on a perfectly placed bench, but don't even think about entering into the mise en scene and "experiencing" nature, it's only there to look at lest a human touch spoil the aesthete. You can be part of the tableau, but never lose yourself, escaping the demands of the city feeling the touch of wet green grass or the shade of a tree, lying on your back and examining the shapes of the clouds. Certainly nothing as reckless as a game of frisbee.

Afterwards Sylvain and Florian met us and we headed to la Seine for some boteillon and watched the tourist boats go by with a view of the derriere de Notre Dame. Near us a man was burning incense and alternating between playing the accordion and finger cymbals. A woman in a typical garishly white wedding dress posed with her new mate for photos. Florian was waiting for a text to see if his Satan Poem was good enough to gain him entry into the Fete de Satan and we teased him to recite his poem for us slam style.

We headed home after some terrible sushi and finished our bottle of wine and some more beers with our entertaining friend Nat. Ending the night after our neighbor told us around 2:30am to use our quiet voices after Nat gave us his impression of a Judo master.