And Marilyn on her first couple days here ...

More from Marilyn, this time about Monday and Tuesday ...

it's been a wonderful couple of days in paris with my little darlings. poor betsy notes, however, that paris is not so different from washington when one works full time. but all four of them seem to be thriving on the challenges of adjusting to a new environment.

the ceilings in the apartment are 10 feet high, for instance. and apartments in paris are beautiful but typically don't come with some things we take for granted. a kitchen, for instance, may not have cabinets, stove, cook top or refrigerator. the electrical system may consist of wiring and bare bulbs. and there may be no closets. or smoke detectors. just high elaborately molded ceilings and beautiful french doors with tiny balconies opening onto courtyards and boulevards. or parquet floors and teeny, tiny elevators enclosed in delicate iron scrolling. chris is the one who deals with many of these challenges.

the boys are interacting with everyone just as they would back in arlington. no one expects the boys to be as articulate as they are. and they have the sort of cheery "bonjour, madame!" that the french love to hear. they know how to order a half baguette filled with chocolate chips, croissants in 3-4 flavors, orangina, etc. and how to ask for a toilet or the bill from the waiter.

last night betsy and i had dinner with calvin while chris and carter went to a soccer game. during dinner calvin used the word squishy. then asked betsy what it was in french. neither betsy nor i had a clue. calvin said he knew what it was -- skwi SHEE. with a lovely french accent. it sounded pretty authentic.

dinner was at an intimate little restaurant. the sort that works in europe but can't make a go of it in the u.s. there might be as many as 7 tables, two others of which were occupied by the time we left. and even though we used our quiet restaurant voices, the waitress heard every word we said. she was, of course, about two feet from us behind the counter. she speaks french, engish and probably chinese, so she
understood pretty much every word we said. but she was delighted by calvin's french.

during the day the boys and i have wandered the city. i am too frugal to pay for many admissions or expensive meals. so we stop periodically to get ourselves a baguette, fruits and sandwiches. yesterday we found ourselves in a part of paris known for a bird market. and plants, both indoor and outdoor. so we meandered into and out of every pet store and plant shop along the river for a few blocks. i told the boys we'd get 1 dog, 3 cats, 2 gerbils, a guinea pig, 3 birds and all the fish they wanted. so we shopped carefully to find just what we wanted. carter knows of their allergies to cats and the boys hopes to get 3-4 dogs instead.

the fountain at pompidou center (the spelling doesn't look exactly right, but my french, english and spanish spellings are stepping all over each other) is a delight. more than a dozen fanciful mechanical metallic or brightly colored creations. lips which spit, hats which spin and whirligigs that spout. but we also found the furniture store around the corner almost as fascinating.

the boys are nicely behaved. it shows they spent a lot of time at the smithsonian going on field trips. they note so many beautiful and interesting things, wander here and there without getting too far from me, and ask all sorts of questions about everything. we don't suffer even a hint of a trace of a jot of boredom. in pet shops, cafes, stationery stores, wine shops, fruit stands, bakeries, and churches we snoop, explore and enjoy ourselves. notre dame is the favorite place of both boys.

today i think we'll see a cemetery or two. paris has some marvelous former citizens who still retain an aura of elegance and splendour. and the boys will love the cemetery cats.

au revoir.

marilyn