Martina et Kate sont ici! - Martina and Kate are here!

Kate, Max and Martina in the Jardin du Luxembourg

We've just enjoyed a brilliant weekend with Martina and Kate!  They arrived on Friday afternoon and it was just great to see them.  Kate is 6 months older than Max and so it was hilarious to watch them together.  Martina and I enjoyed wandering around and having a proper blether, not having had the chance to do so face-to-face for nearly a year and a half!

Max may have out-grown his bath, but he'll still allow his big cousin to join him for some splashing fun!

The lovely weather held out until today so we made the most of it and walked across most of Paris yesterday!  Martina and I walked down to the Jeu de Paume Gallery at Concord yesterday to see an exhibition of photographs by Robert Frank, a documentary photographer famous for his black and white images of Paris.  I know you'll think from the cracking display of photos on this blog that I've spent many years studying the art of photography, but I'm actually completely ignorant so a lot of the photos were probably wasted on us.  We both preferred his images of Americans, many of which made you wonder what the subjects were thinking about.  The exhibition of Parisian photos was far more depressing than romantic.  He had a recurring theme of flowers in his photos of Paris.  Sounds nice, but black and white photos of flowers is strangely unsettling.  Max and Kate agreed and ordered us out to find somewhere nice to eat.

Angelina's a very posh salon de the on the Rue de Rivoli, just beside the Louvre.  It's a majestic big place, founded in 1903 (and I don't think that the decor's been updated since then!) and famous for its selection of cakes and hot chocolate.  I've always been too intimated to go in with Max and it is usually filled with chic old Parisian ladies.  With my big sister with me, I felt a lot more bolshy and we pushed our way in with our two prams, just looking for a coffee and a place to feed the weans!  We were promptly escorted past all of the diners to what was effectively the 'back shop' of the cafe.  It was hilarious!  We were placed in a large, empty room with a few tables which weren't even set.  It meant that it was a lot more relaxing for us, particularly since both babies quite like to try feeding themselves and make a complete mess at meal times.  

Angelina's - the service wasn't tres jolie, but at least the babies are fed!

We then wandered around the left bank down to the Jardin du Luxembourg for the babies to have a play.  It's another of Paris' great big parks and has a sand-pit area designated for small children.  The park was really busy as the weather was terrific for March.  We walked all the way home from the park in the late afternoon and had another wee 'run-around' in the park beside us before tea as the babies had spent a lot of time in the buggies.  Kate loved the wee slide and both babies had a great time.

This morning we went to Mass in the wee chapel serving the hospital close to us.  Hopital St Louis is Paris' oldest hospital and the church is falling apart but still beautiful.  We then wandered up to Montmartre for lunch and to the Sacre-Coeur.  

Kate, Martina and Paul ready to tuck into lunch in Chez Eugene in Montmartre

Say 'fromage'!  Martina, Kate, Max and I beside the Sacre-Coeur

Cream-crackered.  The babies demonstrate the new Parisian slanty-hat style and enjoy their afternoon naps after some sight-seeing.

PEEK-A-BOO!!  I'm thrilled to learn that peek-a-boo is going to remain hilarious for at least another 6 months!!

Kate getting ready to head for her flight home.  

Max definitely enjoyed having his cousin over and it was great for us to see them together.  Thank you so much for visiting!

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Wa-hey!  The sun is shining!  I'll take you guys to a park!  

The weather's been lovely for a couple of weeks and the parks are getting busier.  We spent last Sunday hanging out in beautiful Buttes Chaumont park, which is around 20 minutes' walk on the other side of the canal.  The park was created in 1867 on what was formerly a rubbish dump and is filled with attractions for children - there are donkey rides, boats for hire and puppet shows.  Fortunately for us, Max is happy just chilling with a picnic!  

Artificial cliffs, waterfalls, streams and a lake have been created, together with an island crowned with a Roman-style temple.

The island in the parc des Buttes Chaumont.

Paul at the top of the hill enjoying the views.

View from Buttes Chaumont across northern Paris to the Sacre-Coeur

The area of the canal beside us is pedestrianised on Sundays so there's a real relaxed Sunday atmosphere.  We stumbled upon this great choir - full of real characters who over-dramatised every song and sang in 5-part harmonies.  Their 'Lion Sleeps Tonight' number was magic.

PEEK-A-BOO!

Max has now discovered how to entertain us with some 'peek-a-boo' performances from the curtain.  Hours and hours of fun in store!

J'aime jouer au badminton - I like to play badminton!

Paul works with a Russian guy called Andre who knows a lot about both vodka and badminton.  Paul has now joined Andre's badminton group.  They meet every Sunday afternoon in one of the university gym halls and play for a couple of hours.  Paul encouraged me to join in as one of the ladies in the group has a 1-year-old who also comes along.  They're all brilliant at badminton so I was a bit too intimidated to play but managed to struggle through a doubles game while Paul watched Max.  Max enjoyed just watching the games and playing at the side for the first hour, but once he'd mastered the rules, he was keen to join in.  We walked home afterwards, stuffing ourselves with great crepes from Rue Mouffetard.  We discovered a fantastic Thai supermarket so I stocked up on all the essentials for some tasty meals.  Max loves a good curry!

'OK, who's for a game?'  Max appears to enjoy badders as much as his grandad!

My friend Rachel is having a wall built in her apartment at the moment to create a nursery beside the bedroom so naturally her house is in a mess.  She and Oscar have spent most of the last week hanging out at our place and going for walks.  It's been great for Max to have a pal around as he's taking a lot more interest in other children now.

Max and Oscar making some music.

Wheee!  Max on a swing for the first time!

I finally found a swing park with a baby swing!  It's in le parc de la Villette, a huge park at the top of the canal, just over half an hour's walk from our flat.  It has loads of smaller parks within it and a great adventure playground for children that I fancied the look of myself.  Within one of the parks is an area that's been designated for under-twos so I can see myself spending a lot of time there over the next few months!