First Week in Paris
Here’s a bit from the first week. We were pretty exhausted from jet lag so I’ve delayed posting, but figured better something now than to keep on delaying. Enjoy!
Kids Entries
Karis’ Entry: We went to a bakery the first full day here in Paris, France. After the bakery, we enjoyed our food at a park. I had a delicious glazed croissant chocolate. Then, as if on cue, a double rainbow appeared. It was amazing - the new double rainbow people! At a bus stop, I caught my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, that amazing landmark. We got closer, went around it, and let me tell you, it was amazing. We saw the Eiffel Tower from the top, and I got it all on the GoPro, but everything looks tiny through it, still it was cool. Then as it got dark and the lights went on, the Eiffel Tower became ten times more amazing, all sparkly and bright. Later at a bridge - not the most famous but still famous, and a beautiful carousel nearby - we didn’t go on, but it sure was fun to look at. My mom took lots of pictures. But yeah, Jasper the cat was there when we got back at like 6 or 7 pm, and he’s just the best, he’s my new stuffy.
Ella’s Entry: There were more than ten parakeets outside our window this morning! Then last night, we went to the Gellato Shop - a different one than before. Oh, and we also went to a park dad stopped at for a few minutes on our walk home, at night. They had ropes and a big net. Climbed it like there was no tomorrow. Saw another rat. And there was this trash can while we were walking and out of nowhere, a whole bunch of rats scurried off, yuck! I have a new stuffy bat. That’s all for me.
Karsten’s Entry: So, about today… We went shopping and saw the Arc de Triomphe, not necessarily in that order. And I’ve got something to say about the subway here - I’ve been learning to navigate it. Oh, and by the way, my dad’s bad at it. He’s the worst with directions.
Navigating
Sheldon’s Entry: The stress from our journey’s beginning is fading, and the challenges we’ve faced together have brought us closer. Mastering foreign metro routes together stretched our comfort zones but boosted our confidence. Seeing Karsten navigate crowded subway stations with ease was gratifying.
AI
I’ve been playing with ChatGPT-4, and its image recognition for translations is awesome. It’s been super helpful with everything from understanding ventilation systems to deciphering mixed-language menus. When Karsten asked about options without meat, the previously translated menu was used as the source and ChatGippity filtered the choices from a photo of the menu.
Language
This whole experience is giving me a new perspective on what folks moving to an unfamiliar country might go through, with a place not using their primary language. It’s an odd experience to not have my known language spoken commonly. I’m less chatty here, partly because small talk feels more awkward, and partly because people respect personal space differently.
Privacy & Personal Space
Here, privacy is about respecting boundaries, not just physical distance. It’s quite different from Texas, where even a slight bump might lead to a chat. In France, you could be elbow-to-elbow with someone in a cafe and not say a word, and that’s totally normal. I’ve noticed that here, privacy is valued regardless of how close you physically are to others, which is a stark contrast to the space-equals-privacy mindset back in Texas. Getting used to crowded subways, something I’d usually avoid has been a challenge. It’s like New York in that sense. But watching my family adapt so quickly to these new norms has been amazing - they’re doing great!
The first time I packed my entire family into a subway car that had no room it was a difficult thing, as my tendency was to “wait for the next subway”, as I’m averse to that level of crowds. It’s just the way things are here (and in places like New York).
Put Another Shrimp on the Barbie
On our journey down from the Eiffel Tower, I met some folks from Australia, and felt kinda silly being excited to hear someone speaking English… thinking “There’s my people”… I mean seriously, they are from Australia.
Not exactly Texas. 🤣
The most pressing thought as I traveled down the stair stepper from Hell (aka Eiffel Tower), was: “If the Eiffel Tower was translated to London or Syndey, would we all be going down on the left side instead of the right, and walk on the left of the sidewalk instead of the right?”. I know I know… important things.
Thankfully my suspicion was correct. Those good folks told me that yes, it’s the opposite and it does take a bit of getting used to when it’s engrained in your muscle memory.
I told Sarah later that I wish I’d been witty enough to reverse the “Dumb and Dumber” joke about mixing up Austria and Australia and asked them if they made the best Vienna sausage in their country. Yeah, I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help what goes this this brain sometimes.
Fun fact, they did know about one of my favorite Australians, Tim Minchin. I said, he’s a comedy singer, can’t remember his name at the moment, but reminds me of Johnny Depp, and they got it immediately. 🤣
Photos
Here’s a mix from the first week.
I’ll do some video later as I get the time (the internet is painfully slow at this location).
![Our worst mistake.
Assumed the flavors would be the same.
Wrong.
The spice was almost pure cumin, no spice at all.
The salsa tasted like tomato paste.
It was painful and no one liked it.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_6223_hu28bb6d286080efb27efeeed7da933504_636622_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Sarah took this on the run as we were looking for restrooms for the kids. Nice shot!](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_6213_hue6f8e2c5ec254552112efd80e2690309_374512_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Me pretending to like Sarah after 200+ steps on the Eiffel Tower. Took me a while to feel my legs and forgive her for no elevator tickets.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_6155_hu6f82cc56a978bf3d73fe2c2602dce840_575689_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Karsten took this one as well. Ella hanging out at a park they found. I love this shot.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_6059_hu8da2329948d35584b24415ac77bac4b5_358092_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Karsten took this image and post-processed. Was pretty proud of it, so I made sure to include this. I think he's getting the hang of it!](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_6040_hu8e29010ccdfd853e40088901a619fcea_1231290_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Ella can't get enough of these.
I've noticed that every paris park with any reasonable size has a carousel. Googling this says the French claim the invention derived from Louis the XIV's jousting competitions.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_5924_hu816ca02f4d914d2430eed491ffc4d7f2_465693_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Karis on the nighttime carousel.
The park across the sidewalk was dark and I could hear rats scurring through the bushes. Decided the carousel was a better options.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_5923_hu70afd8fba56e9db9101cb9385347ab56_610461_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Our digs. Been working this part of the trip, and that's me plugging away.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_5880_hu5e4e409da11aaaa3206035216a4735b1_832535_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![With all the stress the kids have put me through, I have plenty of neck protection to help me out.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3522-EDIT_hu3b6bd30f298093f7be48e8528c528441_327358_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Not sure why they are scaring kids with signs about Fairy's pinching your fingers, but ok.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3479_hu92f76292b577c381aa942c99056d26d2_260550_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![I was happy to get both smiling for this one, it's always the hardest when you get 2 siblings together and say smile.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3467-EDIT_hu0dd66eea1ae09b5ceab2756c569a2d1e_374926_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Eiffel Tower family portraits are a must if you are going to endure the pain of those stairs.
Sarah opted for the pass that had elevators only after you get to the second level.
That's some diabolical upselling.
My legs hurt just walking up the subway steps the next day thinking about this climb.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3453_hu4a9a393a06625d3722caae9848aa8910_552705_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Once every generation comes a young man with a flamingo in his arms and a dream in his eyes.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3413_hu35b014c1198a16e0807a65ee4b016bfa_293354_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Found a "sans gluten" aka gluten-free Italian restaurant that was overpriced but pretty good.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3401_hu80ba68a75728d4ab9516774a2effd564_365826_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![The Arc de Triomphe is an iconic landmark.
It's a lot of fun to photograph due to the symmetry and repeated patterns.
It's also a stair stepper from the first level of Hades.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3373_hu2fbb59274cc9989544cc2cbabe40df29_668813_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Karsten at the Eiffel Tower watching the river.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3338_hu9e031f2cc93442cd11224384fcfa9230_229201_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![The local markets are laid out much differently. I really like the baskets with fresh produce.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3333_hu31da927d6510d9cba8f0a621ee96bd37_576446_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![This is right near the Eiffel tower. I really liked how the light played with their shadows and managed to grab a quick shot.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3321_hu3364985e49980b307d92e9bfdf90f614_289263_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Karsten enjoying the night out.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3308_hu96e0fa9901eeedf8fd46f57db01f90c9_457901_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Kinder Eggs! I missed those. My parents gave these to us in Germany when we lived there. I made sure to pick some up for the kids and they've really had fun with them.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3256_hubf3df333101efe87d4c6fd0b40ed7703_349236_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Karis was going on 3-4 hours of sleep and major jet lag. This was in the morning before we finished the last train stop and made it to our destination.](/first-week-in-paris/images/IMG_3227-EDIT_hua3a21c3739f0ccec7cdd7adbd70df46f_342702_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![This is us after our flight, train ride, and figuring out where to go. We are all exhausted and short on patience, as I think you can tell from our overly tired teen 🤣.](/first-week-in-paris/images/BCE366A7-D810-4228-916C-52B5C11E7E62_hu8b9e66c755cd4d06e351d3c2743b7899_801967_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![While the kids ate some crepes, a friendly Parisian drew this for Ella in the cafe and made her smile.](/first-week-in-paris/images/ABBDBBC0-289B-47D4-ABA8-730F2689824A_huc15696cdee785177f1922396828766f0_316356_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![Definitely better to see the Eiffel Tower at night.](/first-week-in-paris/images/8B7EF60F-9D24-4754-BA78-020EBC75584D_hu51fe58deaf321ac877f716db42c6c5dd_261039_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![The kids thought this was hilarious.
They aren't used to seeing the compromises made when space is so limited. This dog was leashed but out for some fresh air.](/first-week-in-paris/images/145E751D-0918-4458-9929-7932A9D46915_hue4abfda734a284122f9d7698c7955138_291724_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![I can't quite believe the eclair I'm eating from Noglu. First gluten-free eclair with pudding I've had in years.](/first-week-in-paris/images/0A97C391-66BE-4EDA-B1C6-2FAE7BFF58A1_hue78e914d6ec1721c22779667022da398_618277_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
![I just can't get over the fact that historical sculptures have their equivalent of googly eyes.](/first-week-in-paris/images/02B22175-AFD6-4C40-9B09-65FAAFEDC18A_hue81243d19206bcd80713d54fbafa5dab_345940_320x0_resize_q75_box.jpg)
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