Carousel-crawling through Paris

It was our last full day in Paris, and nothing would please the girls more than to hit as many playgrounds and carousels as we could.  They had been real troupers, following us through the museums and galleries, mostly without complaint, and riding the Metro with caution and aplomb beyond their years.  So we went carousel crawling for the whole day as a way of saying "Thanks for being such great travellers, girls!"  Couldn't have been more fun.  (Just so it's clear, we only consider riding those carousels that ooze vintage charm.  If they have Disney characters, electronic beeping sounds, lightning bolts, or some such other ridiculania on them, we give a wide berth.)

But the day started with the biggest, most delicious mango we have ever seen.  Sure it cost $15, but it was worth it.  And it really was as big a child's head!

... then we went to the best playground in the world, at the Jardins du Luxembourg.

 

More of a climbing ramp than a climbing wall, but E got the hang of it right away

Middle-aged men should never try the zip line at a kid's playground.  It's unbecoming.

C struck up a conversation with two other girls at the playground (so brave, my sweet girl!) and found out they were sisters from Australia.

I thought this was funny and poignant--an old carousel horse daring to peek out from behind the covers while the carousel was closed.

I would never have guessed that our super-cautious C could brave the zip line on her own.  It took several attempts, but she did it! 

It was on this very truck 6 years ago that C struck up a conversation with a little French girl.  We felt like we had come full circle by returning to this playground and revisiting the joy.

... and then to our favorite gelato establishment, Amorino.  They're all over Paris (and Europe, apparently), but this one was never crowded, and its interior was especially inviting.

Why would you even try to resist a gelato store like this?

Back to the Tuilleries carousel, where C hands out some sisterly advice.

Trocadero

A carousel with a hot-air balloon (so cute!), near the Trocadero.  Of course the girls had a turn on this one, upstairs this time.

Then back to the carousel by the Eiffel Tower.

We finished the day with a river cruise, just to see the city from a different angle.

Really?  Designer Coke?  We saw in the store yesterday that the "Jean-Paul Gaultier" Coke bottles are "dressed" in pink fishnet corsets.  Doesn't change the fact that Coke Light is the least palatable of all the Coke beverages.

Ah, the macarons.  We tried them all, from the ultra-famous Laduree, from the wonderful but expensive Liebeaux near the Champs Elysees and several other renowned purveyors of deliciousness, but in the end decided that the macaron au chocolat from the local Monoprix was as good as any of them.  These are nothing like macaroons in the  US, by the way.  Much more rich and substantial, like a cross between a brownie and merignue.  Mmmm.