The Final Countdown**

(I hope all Arrested Development fans now have images of GOB dancing across a stage on Spring Break weekend)

With only one month left in the City of Lights, we decided to we'd do a few things we've been meaning to do since we arrived. Nate took a day of work and we spent a three day weekend "vacationing" in the city we may always call home.

A very Parisian activity for children and their parents to do together- the boat pond at the Jardin du Luxembourg. By the end, Ruby was finally as excited to catch her boat and push it back out to "sea" as she was about the ducks. The gardens also have marionette shows and pony rides for children.



The day was beautiful, which proved to be too much for us to handle and we had to return home to rest from sun exhaustion. In the end that was a good thing, we were able to take the entire family out to Fete de la Musique- a city wide music festival in celebration of the longest night of summer. Musicians can be found on street corners and bars through out the city performing. We drove our car down to the center of the activity because we have a place to park. At one point we were on a narrow, one way street, when we came to a huge crowd (100 or more) in front of a bar and spilling on to the street. Security was quick to come to our assistance, moving the party goers like Moses did the Red Sea for our car to pass. Nate admits his foot was shaking as he drove through. We had dinner at a pizzeria in the Latin quarter, before winding our way back across the Seine to get home with music the entire way. Too be honst, most of the music we heard wasn't any good. But, we stayed out until 1am and Ruby loved it.


The next morning we slept in, and are so glad to have children capable of this. Gavin slept until 10, Ruby until Noon. We decided we would go to Bois de Vincennes, which has a butterfly garden I had heard about since arriving. What I didn't realize is that Bois de Vincennes is just outside of Paris, and to be honest I am a bit of an elitist in that regard. If the location is just outside the Peripherique (or Beltway), it just isn't worth being seen. Bois de Vincennes did not change my opinion. The butterfly garden was in a room no larger than my living room, with some of the puniest butterflies I have seen. But as you can see from the photo below, Ruby doesn't seem to mind. She thought it was magical and wanted desperately to have a butterfly land on her finger. And while one never did, she giggled like it was Christmas.

On our way out of the Bois, we noticed a lot of smoke. As it turns out, there is an immigrant penitentiary there, a holding pen before deportation. The night before a 41 year old died of a "heart attack." The inmates, believing he was beaten, protested, started fires, and 50 escaped. Another reason you don't bother leaving the city.