Big City Life II

On Monday, rejoined by Maya and our dear friends Kate and Mo we went down to les Berges sur Seine. This is a great place to go stroll by the river. The Seine is one of the things I love about Paris, it's peaceful and vibrant at the same time. An oasis of nature in the urban landscape and also a working waterway. For me it's the heart of the city, the water beating its lifeblood through the concrete and stone that surrounds it. And the Berges sur Seine is the icing on the cake, cafés, art installations, games tables, a climbing wall for kids, it's easy to idle away an afternoon.

Sambre's recycled wood installation was a highpoint for me. I love the forms and the overlapping and all the different colours and textures of wood. We all had an absolute blast at the Douche-sonore. With our tunes blasting out of the speakers the kids went wild with the gymnastic stunts while the mamas knitted a few rows, took a few pictures and occasionally joined in with the dancing.

Big CIty Life

And so the time came round again already to head back up to the big city. Part of the deal when we told our kids we were moving to the sticks was to promise Maya our oldest child (8) that we would make regular trips back to the city to see her friends. Homeschooling is a minority affair here in France (estimated at around 30 0000 in 2012 and rising rapidly)so having friends to hang out with is really important. While we get to know people here in Brittany it seemed like a good idea to maintain the amazing network we have back in Paris. 

Maya quickly disappeared off to sleepover at friends, so we enjoyed the one on one child ratio that left over and headed to the amazing Cité des Sciences. We've been there many times before but this time without our oldes we were able to privilege the younger two and enjoy the 2-7 year old part of the Cité des Enfants. They had a ball with hard hats on the construction site and water in the j'experimente area.

More tomorrow about the rest of our adventures in the City of Lights.

The sea, the sea

Come away with me,
To the sea,
Come away with me,
To the shore.

And we will hear the waves crashing,
And we wiil feel the surf in our hair.

Come away with me,
To the sea,
Come away with me,
To the shore.

And we will hear the wind in the pines,
And we will see the laughter in their eyes.

Come away with me,
To the sea,
Come away with me,
To the shore.

And when the golden sun has sunk into the water,
The pale moon will rise to take its place.

Come away with me,
To the sea,
Come away with me,
To the shore.

And in our hearts we'll take a piece of the ocean,
To remind us we are brave and we are free.

Come away with me,
To the sea,
Come away with me,
To the shore.

These September days have been so sunny and warm that we've tried to say yes to the beach as often as possible. Yes to early morning kitesurfing and late evening picnics, to pebble castles and swimming, to shell collecting and mussel picking. And yes to beach yoga and jumping and running along empty beaches.



I know in my bones that these days, spent soaking in the suns warmth, will carry us through the winter. When I take a shell in my hand or sneak another peek at the tiny empty crab we found, I'll be transported back to these lazy last days of summer. These days when we were almost always the last to leave the beach. 

Update from the garden...

The seeds sprouted! Yeah! The week of rain that followed planting probably helped. The kids were wild with delight. Well so were the adults too. We all ran out to see after I spotted some green from an upstairs window. This is what I love about nature, it's capacity to offer joy to us at every step if we open our eyes.