Despite the flash hotel and environment, I was woken early by the sound of the garbage truck outside. However, I did fulfill one of those hollywood cliche's of wearing the hotels bath robe after having a shower. By the time I'd showered and watched CNN'S news, Pete had already left, but I found Adam downstairs. We nicked out and grabbed some pastries for breakfast, and beforw long Maria and the kids showed - Maria having thoughtfully brought along a change of clothes. Aware of the pre_existing appointment,
At the school Miles Franklin Draws penpals from, we (accompanied by Adam) rushed down to the Eiffel tower in order to accomplish one of the kids main goals for the trip -to climb the Eiffel Tower.
Arriving we found massive lines already formed, but were relieved when we realised that these were for the elevator, and that the queues for the stairs were much much shorter.
Climbing the stairs did not prove difficult, though we did pass a young woman collapsed (in a kind of feint) part way up. I was surprised by the fact that it was possible to climb outside the stairwell and onto the towers structure if you were even mildly determined. This also applied up on the landing where it would have been possible to toss things through the central hole, onto the people way below.
We went as high as possible on foot, did not have the time or inclination to join the long snake of people waiting to ride the lift to the highest (for the public) point.
Descending, we headed over to,Jules Roman College, only a few blocks from the tower, arriving at the appointed time. Here's where our story splits with Maria Zoe and Grant doing 'the school thing', and Spike and Adam heading for some brainstormimg in the park beside the tower.
Adam and I discussed a number of things, between watching Boule (they were very, very skillful), being chased from one location to another by groung staff, who were mowing the park; as well as noting that a number of women were taking advantage of the beautiful weather to sunbathe in the park. Before we knew it, it was time to rejoin Maria and the kids.
Maria here.....well the kids and I had a slightly less restful time it seems than Spike and Adam had, but a totally enjoyable one. After speaking with the English teacher Mrs Lefebvre the night before, I had no doubt that we would be warmly welcomed. She is a very warmhearted and generous person whom we felt very comfortable with. We started off with a tour of the school and grounds which was very interesting for the kids. Particularly Zoe as this school bridges our primary and high schools. It's really a highschool that starts at year 6, so Zoe got a brief glimpse of what it may be like next year for her. The school has no uniform a cafeteria of basic but fairly healthy food, and not a lot of space for 'play' (particularly no grass...seems like Australiai's the only place we've seen grass in school playgrounds..definitely none in Japan).
It was then time for lunch and we walked out of the school and around the corner to a beautiful French Café/Boullangerie for a very delicious lunch and some spectacular looking French cakes for dessert. Then back to school to join the first year English class.
The classrooms are much like our classrooms, with projects pinned up round the room. Zoe and Grant were introduced and then it was time for a questions and answers session. Mrs Lefebvre stepped aside and the kids were left out the front to take the class. The main questions were of course, who's your favourite singer, have you ever been to France before, and what kind of pets do we have. The students then got to introduce themselves one at time and told us of their families, pets amd their fave bands. It was a fun time for all, and Zoe and Grant got to feel like teachers for the day. At the end of the lesson I asked how many children had travelled abroad and every child had travelled to at least one foreign country with most listing 5 - 6!! Very different to most Aussie kids. Guess that's a big advantage of living in Europe.
It was then time for goodbye's. Zoe got to choose a Penpal that had similar interests to herself and as Grant hit it off with one of the more lively boys in the class, they decided to correspond as well.
It was then back to the school entrance where we thanked Nicole sincerely for making us feel so welcome and for treating us to one of the nicest meals in one of the cutest cafe's in Paris.
Rejoined, a train for Adam to catch before 6pm, and so much of Paris as yet unseen,we selected the famous MONTMATRE DISTRICT as a lovely way to spenda warm spring afternoon. Montmatre has a different feel to the more sedate and ordered tourist attractions we had visited to date. Famous for its artists it is stii heavily tourist focussed but with a more bohemium atmosphere. Climbing the steps of the Sacre Cour, we witnessed an exceptional diablo performance before moving on to the square of the portrait artists. Both areas were packed with tourists, while it was possible to witness many different artistic styles - each artist having their own small area for an easel a display of their work. It was an enjoyable time strolling from artist to artist, made even more fun when adam bought us all icecreams. Too soon, it was time to say goodbye to Adam, we wish we could attend his wedding, but look forward to seeing him (and his new wife Sarah that we are yet to meet) back in OZ later in the year.
We took the opportunity to do some last minute souvenir/omiyage shopping before catching the trains back to Sannois.
Maria's memory served us well for the bus leg and we were able to get off at the right stop and navigate back to Krissoula and Jean Marc's place.
That evening we enjoyed another good meal in the company of Barbara, Jean Marc, Krissoula and Agape. The enjoyment was tempered by practical concerns such as cutting discs of photos and packing suitcases, but moreso by the knowledge that tomorrow we were leaving.
Our time in France had been too short.
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