France II: The first few days
We left Toronto for Paris on Thursday evening. Unfortunately we could not take Snug with us but we are quite confident that he will enjoy the backyard and the boys at the Reeve family residence. After a harried pack and clean, we took a cab to the airport where we arrived comfortably early for our Air France flight to CDG. We were very impressed with the service we received – all the way from the help we got checking in at the automated kiosks, to the baggage check, and even security was pretty darn good.
Once we were through security we grabbed a quick bite to eat – mostly so that Tatiana would have a full belly by the time we were airborne. Our plan worked beautifully: we just finished noshing on pasta and a burger when the flight started boarding. We were fortunate to have seats on the upper deck of the 747… and it turned out we were in the first row of seats just behind the cockpit, which meant plenty of leg room for me. Moreover, no one else was in our row so we had our own private “family row”.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that not every airline offers service as abominably poor as Air Canada. If we ever get the chance to go to France again it will be a no-brainer: Air France all the way! The cabin crew was polite, accommodating, helpful, and exceptionally courteous. It was the little things that made it wonderful: printed menu cards explaining what was on offer for dinner, offering aperitifs (why yes, we would love some Champagne!), and generally doing everything to make the flight a good experience.
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport a few minutes early and we disembarked only to find massive line-ups at immigration. Again, amazing service saw various bits of line-ups re-routed to less busy ones so we made it through in about 20 minutes. Not so bad!
Our host met us just outside the baggage area and drove us to ENS-Cachan where Nobuko and Tatiana were dropped off in an office and I went to a 2-hour meeting where, among other things, I was introduced to the research group. After that meeting we had an informal reception with lots of wine, cheese, bread, and pizza. 
After that our host drove us to Villa Louis Pasteur, which is where we will be living for the next two months. We were pleasantly surprised to find our flat has a kitchenette – a godsend given that we’re travelling with an infant.
We dropped off our luggage, made a quick list of the essentials that we forgot to bring (e.g. soap), and headed out to a local supermarket (Ed) to pick up necessary supplies. We then returned to the Villa to try to put Tatiana to sleep. It wasn’t easy, and Nobuko certainly deserves a medal for dealing with a 13-month old who thinks she’s still on Toronto time. We eventually all got to sleep.
Of course, getting to sleep so late meant that we overslept the next day, getting up at 11:00 local time. We got cleaned up and headed out to explore le Jardin du Luxembourg. 
We were completely amazed! We weren’t sure what to expect, but the vast gardens, the Sénat, the family-friendly activities (sandboxes, wading pools, playgrounds, and pony rides) made us feel that this was, indeed, an excellent place for a family to stay in Paris. We wandered a bit further into the 6e arrondisement to find some wonderful sandwiches that we took back to le Jardin du Luxembourg where we ate them al fresco. After lunch we headed north on Boulevard Saint-Michel in search of Monoprix in hopes of picking up some coffee-making equipment. We found it, picked up more supplies for home, and then we headed back to the villa to rest for a while. We decided that we should head out for an afternoon excursion. Because we were still missing some supplies, and worried that most things were closed the next day (Sunday), we headed over to rue Mouffetard to check out Franprix, another supermarket. 
Little did we know that rue Mouffetard was a most amazing market (and a foodie’s dream). In addition to the requisite groceries, we also managed to pick up a couple of slices of tarte (one with salmon and spinach, and another one with goat cheese, mushrooms, and tomatoes) that served as a late afternoon snack (magnifique!). A couple of still-warm baguettes, a slice of tarte aux pommes and we were ready to head home (one of the baguettes didn’t make it home intact, serving as a snack for the little one).
A simple pasta dish for dinner would have capped off a great day, but then tragedy struck: the newly purchased coffee press fell out of the pantry and shattered onto the floor. After much wiping of glass shards, I was dispatched to acquire a replacement. Monoprix was out of them by the time I got there, but Starbuck’s had some, so all was well.
All of that, and it was only Saturday night!
Sunday started out with an excursion to le Jardin des Plantes. Again, we weren’t sure what to expect, so we were completely amazed by the menagerie (zoo), where Tatiana was completely in awe with all the animals. 
We grabbed a quick lunch there, explored a bit more until Tatiana fell asleep and then headed back to the Villa. After a quick rest, we decided to head out once again and explore parts south and west of the Villa. We wound up on rue Montparnasse, where most shops were closed but then managed to get onto rue Vavin where we found the most amazing collection of children’s clothing shops. We also discovered that it was very close to home (just across le Jardin du Luxembourg), so Nobuko and Tatiana will be returning soon!
We headed back home, made a quick dinner of chicken curry, and then Tatiana went to sleep… apparently back on a normal schedule of being back in bed by 7pm.
Tomorrow I am headed to ENS-Cachan and so Nobuko and Tatiana will be left to their own devices. I am very much looking forward to starting work on our research project. It’s nice to look forward to doing research again!