April Showers

April 30
It is cold and rainy today. Good thing we hit the park yesterday. We decide to eat breakfast at the same place-only we tell the kids they cannot have McDonald's. Kaitlyn drinks her coffee and decides to get a sugar crepe on the street.

After breakfast-we notice a market has been set up under the train tracks on the corner-so we check it out. It is so crowded-we can hardly walk let alone maneuver a stroller. All around us is fresh fruit, seafood, cheese. The colors and smells are mind boggling. We could've eaten breakfast here. Griffen doesn't like all the smells and Kaitlyn just complains that she is hungry.

Diane & I spot a woman selling scarves-they are beautiful-and a good price too. I got some cheap ones for the girls and nice ones for me. The woman told Kaitlyn to pick out another for free. After that, we decide to buy food for lunch. We start off with some fresh bread, also getting some waffles for Griffen's breakfast (moody Kaitlyn turns them down), next some Brie and another cheese which we sampled and liked, off to the meat guy for some ham and then some strawberries for Jillian. No meal is complete without wine-so we head over the wine seller-who is also offering samples. He doesn't speak much English-but he is funny. The sample is called Domaine Martin-so of course we have to buy it. We end up with a nice red to age and a light red for lunch. The guy even throws in some cups as well. This market must have gone on for half a mile-way better than your typical tourist attraction.

We drop off all the goods in our hotel room and set off for Notre Dam. On the way we get Kaitlyn a crepe-which after buying she decides she doesn't want and begins to gag. This is now a common occurrence with her.

Once we arrive at Notre Dam we see 2 lines, one for tourists and one for Mass, which starts now. Good timing! We switch to the correct line and much to the dismay of the kids announce we are going to Mass. While the guards do a stellar job of catching people attempting to take pictures during Mass-it is still a bit distracting. During Mass I stop and think...in the last month we have been to Mass in Venice, Orvieto, Rome, and now Notre Dam. I also notice quite a few people wandering in that are rain soaked.

After Mass, we exit the church into a pretty good rain shower. The Metro station we want is a bit of a walk-we go into the first one we see and walk through underground to get to the one we want. Once back at the hotel-our picnic turns indoor but is just as good. Kaitlyn no longer gets to choose what to eat-she gets told or she goes hungry.

Eric, Jason and Griffen go out after lunch to the Picasso Museum, the girls watch a DVD while Diane & I read. The rain stops and we head out for a walk. Dinner is street food and we pack up for our trip back home tomorrow