Christmas Traditions

We really enjoyed our first Christmas in England.  I thought I would detail some of the highlights of our day and some of the traditions of the holiday season that we experienced.  Hopefully you'll learn, like I did, a little something about how Christmas is celebrated in the UK.  Enjoy!
 
Pantomime

Pantomime (or Panto for short) is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally performed in the UK mostly during the Christmas and New Year season.

The pantomime first arrived in England in the 16th century, from France and Italy, as short performances between operas, like during an intermission.   But because they were so popular, they eventually evolved into their own separate shows.  They were originally considered the "poor man's" opera.

Traditionally performed at Christmas, British pantomime is now a popular form of theater, incorporating song, dance, buffoonery (thanks wikipedia for this cool word!), slapstick, cross-dressing (where male actors dress the part of female actors and vice-versa), pop culture references (the group that came to perform at the kids' school incorporated the gangnam style dance into their show), audience participation, and adult humor (sort of how kids movies are geared mostly towards kids, but have just enough adult humor to keep the grown ups, who have taken the kids to see said film, awake and interested.)

Pantomime story lines and scripts are almost always based on traditional children's stories.  Like this year the main Newcastle show at the Royal Theater is Aladdin.  Others I've heard of are Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.  Even though I haven't seen one yet (maybe we'll go during the kids' break from school), I get the impression they are a lot like the Shrek movie series....traditional stories but with a twist.

This is the one being shown at the Theater Royal in Newcastle.

   
Mincemeat Pie


A mincemeat pie (or mince pie for short), is a small British fruit-based sweet pie traditionally served during the Christmas season.  Its ingredients can be traced back to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices.

The early mince pie was known by several names, including mutton pie (yummmm, not), shrid pie (?) and Christmas pie.  Typically its ingredients were a mixture of minced meat, suet (hey...I remember seeing this when I was trying to find lard for my Thanksgiving pies!), a range of fruits and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  Usually the fruit and spice filling would be prepared months in advance in order for the flavors to mingle then the meat added near the end.  The tradition of eating Christmas pie which included meat, continued through to the Victorian era.  But shortly after that time, the recipe had become sweeter (no meat) and smaller in size.  The ones sold now are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.  Makes it easy to munch on one with one hand while doing housework with the other.  Guilty as charged!

Although the modern recipe is no longer the same list of 13 ingredients once used (representative of Christ and his 12 Apostles), and lacks the religious meaning, the mince pie remains a popular Christmas treat across the United Kingdom.

Some top theirs with pastry, others with icing.

Christmas Cake

As with the Mince pie, the Christmas Cake is another popular treat during Christmas time.  The first foray into Christmas cake territory came the day we moved to Newcastle.  It was December 30th and when we checked into the cottage we were renting, the owner had a slice of it on the kitchen counter.  It was covered with a white frosting and the cake itself was super dark.  She explained what it was and I'll have to admit, when she mentioned all the fruit in it, it didn't sound so appetizing.  I mean, we all know how popular fruit cake is in America, right?

But after a couple of days we dove into it and I loved it.  Steve, not so much.  After we left the cottage and the year wore on I kind of forgot about it until the end of November when I started hearing about people making one.  I thought why would you make a cake now that won't be eaten until Christmas?  One word...booze!  It's because the cake, after its baked, is fed rum or brandy for up to eight weeks before being covered in icing.  By the time I wanted to make one, it was almost too late so I figured I'd wait until next year.

Christmas cake varies from family to family and from region to region, so I'm just going to give a general description.  The cake base is dark in color, treacle (a molasses type goop) is used so it's really, really dark.  The fruits that are generally used are raisins, currents, candied peel (orange and lemon) and glace cherries.  Some people even add nuts.  Spices are basic holiday spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc.  The shape can be round, square or oblong and once the cake is baked it is fed with whatever alcohol the baker chooses (rum, brandy, or cognac) once a day for many, many days.  Then, a couple days before eating, the whole cake is covered in a layer of marzipan (almond paste) and then with a layer of fondant (white sheet frosting that's rolled out and gives a super smooth finish).  It's then decorated with fondant cutouts of leaves, stars or holly.  Some people wrap a plaid ribbon around the base of it.  In Northern England where we live, people typically have a slice of it with some Wensleydale (a type of sharp cheddar) cheese.  I've had that and it's yummy!  I guess it's like how some people in America eat apple pie with a slice of cheese.  Sweet mixed with salty is winning combination!

 Christmas Crackers

Christmas crackers are used during the Christmas period in the UK, Ireland and other Commonwealth countries such as Canada (hey...I was born there...why didn't I know about this??  I'll have to ask my Mom), Australia, etc.  A cracker is a cardboard tube, like from a toilet paper roll.  It's then wrapped in brightly colored paper and twisted at the ends, like a giant candy.

The story goes that Tom Smith of London invented crackers in 1847.  He created the crackers as part of his packaging for his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper.  As sales of bon-bons declined, he began to come up with new promotional ideas.  His first idea was to put love messages into the wrappers.  He then added the "crackle" part when he heard the crackle of a log he had just put on a fire.  The size of the paper wrapper had to be increased to incorporate the banger mechanism, and the candy itself was eventually replaced by a trinket.

Crackers are typically pulled at the Christmas dinner table or at Christmas parties.  The cracker is pulled by two people, sort of like a wishbone.  The cracker splits unevenly and sometimes the person that ends up with the bigger end wins.  Other times whomever the cracker belonged to gets to keep what's inside.  When the cracker is pulled there is a small pop or bang because there is a cardboard strip inside that acts sort of like a firecracker.

So you think that pulling the cracker is the fun part, well it gets better.  The crackers have neat stuff inside!  Depending on how much money you spend on them the trinkets inside can range from a small cheapy plastic whistle to a set of fancy cufflinks.  I saw a show profiling a lady that custom makes them and she had a request to put in an engagement ring in one for a surprise proposal.

In addition to the trinket, the crackers include a joke or riddle.  Something corny like "What did the beaver say to the tree?  It's been nice gnawing you." Or "What did the zero say to the eight...Nice belt."  I actually REALLY like that one; quite clever! :)  There are also the famed paper hats.  The hats, which look like crowns, are usually worn when eating Christmas dinner.  The tradition of wearing festive hats is believed to date back to Roman times, before the birth of Jesus, which involved people wearing decorative headgear during their celebrations during the month of December.

The ones we bought were kid themed so each cracker came with a wind up brussels sprout that you raced against each other with point markers cut out from the box.  They all ended up just going in circles, but we had fun cheering on the sprouts!

Who will win?

The sprouts!

Christmas Dinner

One word...turkey.  That's the centerpiece for Christmas dinner in England.  Some people do a ham or a beef roast, some even do all three, but most people eat turkey.  Side dishes include stuffing, cranberry sauce (they DO sell it out here!  I guess I just didn't see it on the shelves because I was shopping for it a whole month earlier for Thanksgiving), roast potatoes (I roasted my in goose fat, delicious), vegetables (primarily brussels sprouts, which I made using cranberries, chestnuts and pancetta) and pigs in a blanket (like in America, but the "blanket" isn't dough, it's bacon).

Seeing as I already conquered a turkey (and it's feet) for Thanksgiving I was looking for something a bit different to make.  So I settled on Beef Wellington, which is also a traditional British dish.  It's a beef loin coated in pate and duxelles (mushroom puree) and then wrapped in puff pastry.  I also made a Buche de Noel for dessert.  Made with all the trimmings: little plastic trees, robins, deer and holly.  All told, I spent about three days making everything for Christmas dinner.  It was hard work, but fun and it all tasted really good.  In fact we are having leftovers tonight!

The Beef Wellington headed into the oven.  I didn't take a picture when it was done because the top split a bit and wasn't all that pretty.  But it still tasted great!

Buche de Noel.  Almost too pretty to eat!

Yes, I have food in my hand and have already started to eat before we even sat down to dinner.  Those pigs in a blanket were just too tempting!

Royal Christmas Message (Queens Speech)

The tradition began in 1932 with a radio broadcast by George V on the BBC. Today, the message is read by Elizabeth II and broadcast on television, radio, and the Internet.

The idea for a Christmas message from the sovereign to the British Empire was proposed by the founding father of the BBC, Sir John Reith.  The King was originally unsure about using radio since it was a relatively new thing at the time, but he changed his mind and ever since 1932, a speech has been broadcast (except for 1969 when a special documentary about the Royal family and the crowning of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales was broadcast instead.)  George VI's daughter, Elizabeth II, gave her first Christmas message in 1952 and by 1957, the broadcast eventually became televised.

The speech is always broadcast at 3pm local time and most often that's when people have their Christmas dinner so they can watch and eat.  We ate later in the day, but still sat down. in between playing with new toys and getting the Christmas dinner ready, to watch.  At the start of the broadcast, the British Paraorchestra, was shown performing the National Anthem in Buckingham Palace's Ballroom.  The Queen talked about what a great year it's been for the UK and its citizens, both with the hosting of the Olympics and Paralympics as well as the Diamond Jubilee.  She went on to say how humbled she and her family were by the outpouring of affection for her Jubilee celebration.  She also mentioned those serving in the Armed Forces, in emergency services and in hospitals, "whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends...and will be missing those they love."  For the final part of the message, the Military Wives Choir, sang a tune as well.   

For some reason I thought she would be wearing he full royal regalia; crown and all, but as I did some research I came to find out that the Christmas message is always a personal/casual message from the Queen.  It doesn't have anything to do with politics, therefore she doesn't get all dolled up in her finery like she does when she opens Parliament every year or when she's meeting other heads of state.  I thought it was nice, and yes, it makes me want to give her a big bear hug even more!

Here's The Queen filming her speech.

Boxing Day (December 26th)

In the days of yore, Boxing Day is when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts from their superiors or employers.  The gifts came to be known as a "Christmas box" and would contain gifts, bonuses or sometimes leftover food.  Let's hope you had a boss whose wife or servants were good cooks!  Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December.

The exact evolution of the term "boxing" is not really known.  Some theories are that it's a European tradition, which since the Middle Ages has included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions.  One other theory is that it may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, where metal boxes would be placed outside churches and were then used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.

In Britain, Canada, New Zealand and some states of Australia, Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday.  Shops have crazy sales and people stand in line for hours to get a shot at getting the best selection.  Sound familiar my American friends?!  Keep reading.....For many businesses, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest amount of sales.  Many stores open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals to draw people to their stores.  It is not uncommon for long lines to form early in the morning.  I've heard that mayhem ensues...rushing store doors, people fighting over the last remaining items.  It's just like Black Friday!  Ahhh, a little bit of America at my doorstep. :)

The local papers the day after Boxing Day.

More gimme, gimme, gimme!

The article right next to this one was about the shocking end in the Downton Abbey Christmas Special.  I thoughtfully cropped that out for my friends that have not yet seen it.  You're welcome! :)

So that is our Christmas holiday in a nutshell.  Mixing both old traditions with some fun new ones made for a fun time.  No matter how you celebrated or what Santa brought (or didn't bring) you, I hope you all had a great day.  I missed my mom, sister and nephews terribly, but wearing a paper crown while eating Christmas dinner almost made up for it! 

Thanksgiving in England

How do you celebrate a decidedly American holiday in a foreign country?  Just like you normally do...with good company, great food and a lot of laughter.  Here's how this years' Thanksgiving turned out for us:

The first thing you think about with regard to Thanksgiving is of course being thankful for all the things you have; your health, a roof over your head, a job and the family and friends that you're able to share your life with.  But following a close second is undoubtedly the food.  I'm sure every family has the traditional dishes; turkey, stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc.  I am no different.  But what was different this year was trying to find and prepare the same dishes we've grown to love over the years in a country that doesn't celebrate the holiday.  When someone at the grocery store said to me "Why would you put pumpkin in a can and then make a pie out of it?  That doesn't sound right" I knew I was in for a challenge.

So let's start with the turkey.

Who knew this would be the source of so much fretting?  For starters turkey IS sold in the grocery stores here, but from what I had seen all year, it was only mince (ground) turkey, breast or legs.  No whole turkeys.  After some research, I came to find out that whole turkeys are only brought into the stores for purchase a few days before Christmas.  That's what most people eat for Christmas dinner.  Every store offered turkeys, but only for delivery from December 20-24.  I needed mine a whole month earlier.  So I headed to my local butcher and asked if I could order a turkey.  He said I could and explained that it would be a free range turkey from a local farmer.  Hmmm, free range?  Local farmer?  Something about those words got me thinking that I should probably make sure that I was getting exactly what I wanted.  Because let's face it, not very many people get free range turkeys and most likely not from a local farm.  They're mostly factory raised birds, crammed in cages and destined for a life in the oven.

But before I could form my words into the most articulate way possible, they just came out.  "Oh, will it be dead?"  By the looks on their faces and laughs coming from all the way in the back of the store, I knew the answer to my question.  Or did I?  Were they laughing because I'm the silly foreigner that doesn't know how to kill a bird when presented with one or were they laughing because I'm the silly foreigner that thinks the butchering should be left to the butchers.  Luckily their laughs were followed by "Yes, ma'am, it'll be dead."  Phew, one less thing on my "to do" list!  No need to buy an axe at the hardware store.  And it will be de-feathered and it's head cut off?  Yes, I did shamefully ask those questions, too.  Little did I know that I should've asked about the feet as well.

So the bird arrived a couple days before the big day.  Sans head and feathers.  The giblets were neatly bagged.  Everything was as it should have been.  Then I saw them.  The feet.  Not the whole feet, mind you, but half of them.  It looks as if they cut them off right below the heel.  So you could still wiggle the stump and pretend that it was happily running around on the farm that it came from.  Fun!  As I started to take a knife to them, my inner butcher came out (my grandfather who was a butcher would be proud) and I proceeded to remove the scaly feet.  The first one put up quite a fight but the second came off easier.  Ten minutes and two feet later, I was finished.  Nicely done.

Next on the list of things to prepare was mashed potatoes.  Easy.  Steamed green beans.  Check.  Then came the cranberry sauce.  I admit, even though I'm a self proclaimed foodie, I do like me some canned Ocean Spray cranberry sauce.  But I didn't see any of that on the shelves so I made my own.  And I'm glad I did.  Fresh cranberries, cooked with sugar, orange zest, a splash of Grand Marnier and some chopped walnuts.  I'm never going back to canned again!  Next was stuffing.  I use a bagged stuffing mix, but I make it my own by adding chopped carrots, onion and celery and browned Italian sausage.  When we were visiting back home a few weeks ago I bought a couple of bags.

Next we come to the dessert.  What could be more Thanksgiving-ish than pumpkin pie and pecan pie?  Nothing really, so that's why I made both from scratch rather than do without.  I almost grabbed a couple of pre-made pie crusts from the shelf, but I said to myself, "If I'm doing the pies from scratch, then it ALL gets made from scratch."  So I scoured the store for the shortening for my crusts.  I ended up in the butter section where I stood next to a lady looking as confused as I was.  We looked at each other, each holding up a block of yummy solidified vegetable fat and at the same time said "Is this shortening??"  We laughed and proceeded to explain why we each needed it.  We were both making pie crusts, but hers was for an apple pie.  "The recipe I'm using is from America and it says I need shortening.  I've never heard of it...what is that?"  So we stood in the aisle and I used Google on my phone to find a substitution and it confirmed that the blocks we were holding were indeed shortening.  We wished each other luck in our baking and parted ways.

I was going to buy some canned pumpkin while back home, but surprisingly enough I found one store, yes ONE store in Newcastle, that carried it; imported all the way from America.  As I was buying other ingredients for the pies I had corn syrup and dark brown sugar on the list.  I couldn't find corn syrup so I found a suitable substitution in golden syrup.  It's generally used here to top porridge and pancakes.  Sort of a cross between honey and maple syrup.  It wasn't clear like light corn syrup is back in the states, but it was the closest thing I could find and it worked great.  The dark brown sugar proved to be much more difficult.  I found it no problem in the store, but when I added it to the pumpkin puree, it turned the mixture a brown-ish color.  Jack said the pie didn't look like a pumpkin pie but more like some other kind of pie (hint: rhymes with "boo").  Thanks.  Luckily, with the addition of the typical spice mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves the taste was spot on.  Just look away while eating it!

When it came time to put the turkey in the oven, I converted Fahrenheit to Celsius, crossed my fingers and put the bird in.  In about two hours the turkey was done and all the sides were finishing up.  I even made an all day gravy using the giblets.  Quite possibly the best I've ever had.

Finally our guests had arrived.  Drinks were being poured, food served and the merriment of the day was just as I had hoped for.  I was able to relax and visit with our friends...Nigel, Sharon and their sweet boy Andrew.  As dessert was being served near the end of the evening, I thought about all that I was thankful for.  Family and friends.  Oh and that the turkey wasn't raw in the middle, the green beans weren't overcooked, the mashed potatoes weren't lumpy and the pie crusts didn't have soggy bottoms. 

I felt like I had done it.  I had successfully managed to pull off cooking Thanksgiving in England.  Now...onto Christmas.  But maybe we'll do a ham this time.

Happy Holidays everyone!

These turkeys are much cuter.

Pecan and pumpkin pies.

Ready to eat!

The spread...days in the making.  Click here for the Cranberry sauce recipe.  Click here for the giblet gravy recipe.

Pilgrim Punch  Click here for the recipe.

Paris

We've been back from Paris for a couple of weeks and I've been dragging my feet on this blog entry.  I have to admit I returned in a bit of a funk.  I didn't want to come back.  Even Mark was depressed.  But the last time I checked, we hadn't won the lottery and became independently wealthy so back to work, cleaning house and running errands I guess!

Our flight to Paris went off without a hitch, luckily.  We arrived at Charles de Gaul airport late in the evening and headed straight to the airport tourist ticket counter.  We purchased a 5-day train/metro ticket for each of us.  It would allow us unlimited travel on the metro in all the zones of the city as well as the train outside the city since we would've needed it to get to and from the airport and also to get to Versailles.

We found our way to the platform we needed to get on a train that would take us to one of the main train stations in the city.  From there we transferred to the Metro and took it to the stop closest to our apartment.  I found our apartment online on a site that offers up apartments/houses through private parties.  We've used it many times in the past to find vacation places as staying in an apartment/house is so much better than all four of us being cramped in a hotel room.  Plus with a kitchen, we would be able to save money and eat some meals at "home".  At least that's always the plan!

The owner of the apartment actually lives in California of all places and usually mails the keys to the apartment since all her bookings originate in the States.  But since we were already overseas she said that she would have a spare set waiting at her second apartment just a couple blocks away (two apartments in Paris?  Must be nice!)  So we had to go to apartment #2 to get the keys to apartment #1.  By this time it was really late.  The kids, who were doing great each pulling their own suitcase around the airport and city, were tired.  I had some Tic Tacs in my purse and asked if they needed "Tic Tac power" to give them energy to keep going.  I felt like my Mom as this was something she would've totally done with them...trying to make a game out of everything.  Not surprisingly it worked and they walked with new found zeal to our apartment.  With all the walking we did that week I ended up using that term quite a bit during our stay.  Except "tic tac" was replaced with things like "Haribo" or "ice cream" or "slushy".  They were a couple of powered up walking machines!

The first thing we encountered when entering the apartment building was a small lift.  Original to the building it only fit two people or one person and a suitcase.  It was just like you would see in the movies....a black iron gate that would need to be pulled open, then glass doors would open behind it.  Once inside you would closed both doors and press the floor you wanted.  The whole structure was made of iron work and went up the middle of the inside of the building.  The staircase circled it.  The kids fought over who would open the doors and push the buttons...every...single...day.

The apartment had two bedrooms, one bath, full kitchen (with a fridge bigger than mine in Newcastle!) a living room and an itty bitty terrace that overlooked the cafes and street below.  We turned in for the night as soon as we got there as it was well past midnight at that point.  But seeing the Eiffel Tower around the corner all lit up made us anxious to start our sightseeing the next day.

Look at those gorgeous floors.  Original to the building, too!

Since we got in so late, there were no markets open to get something to have ready for breakfast the next morning.  But not to worry...there was a patisserie right around the corner!  "Bonjour; trois croissants et un brioche au chocolat s'il vous plait.  Merci!"  This was my first French exchange of our trip.  Most people spoke a bit of English, but when all else failed we did a lot of pointing and smiling.  Everyone was really gracious especially when we went off the beaten track out of the tourist areas.  But for some reason I kept breaking out into Spanish.  'Oui' came out as 'si' one time and I got the strangest look.

Anyhow, we took our goodies to a park bench and enjoyed our first breakfast with the Eiffel Tower directly in front of us.  The kids were dying to go up as were Steve and I seeing as we didn't the last time we were there almost 16 years ago.  As we came closer to the tower we noticed the throngs of people and tour buses.  It was the height of travel season but the lines were crazy long.  They wrapped around the base for what seemed like miles.  We decided that we would try to buy tickets online later that day to possibly save time.

Mon amour!

So we continued our walk under the tower and up one of the side streets to get to the Arc de Triomphe.  We took a detour that led us through a small park which looked lovely but then I was hit by this...this...smell.  I knew it right away.  The smell of urine.  Yep, pee.  I took a wild guess and assumed it was men because it would just seem easier and more inconspicuous.  But after speaking with my neighbor when we got back home she confirmed up my assumption.  Apparently the men just urinate wherever they please.  Someone needs to make note of that in a guide book; a scratch and sniff guide book if you will.

As we walked towards the Arc we noticed that a lot of little shops and cafes were closed.  Some for a couple of weeks others for the entire month of August.  Turns out that August is when the Parisians high tail it out of their city, leave it to the tourists and holiday themselves someplace else.  We knew this going in and although none of the major attractions were closed, some of the side streets did look a little deserted with shutters drawn and closed signs hung up.  But it was fine, this might be our only chance to take the kids and we wanted to hit all the major touristy things anyway.

So we get to the Arc and explain to the kids that in order to get to the top we'd have to take stairs.  "What?  There's no lift?!" they gasped.  We bought our tickets, got a hit of tic tac power and made guesses as to how many steps there would be.  Mark guessed 3, Jack 100 and Steve 300.   Steve won...there were 284 steps.  We got to the top and started pointing out some of the places we would take the kids to.  Sacre Cour, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower.

A long way up and down!

Looking East down the Champs de Elysses

Looking West down the Champs de Elysses.  This points towards the "new city" as it has more of the modern buildings and highrises.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Arc was commissioned in 1806 and finally completed some 30 years later.  It was built to honor those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer walls.  Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I as well as an eternal flame.

After the Arc we strolled down the Champs de Elysses.  It started to sprinkle a bit, so we decided to duck into a few of the shops along the way.  I saw Cartier and Longchamp, but the kids saw Mercedes and Peugeot.  Kids 1, Mom 0.  They had fun looking at all the shiny, fancy cars.

It was getting close to lunchtime so we found a cafe down a side street and tried our best "pointing and smiling" technique and got some baguette sandwiches.  With full bellies and tired feet we decided to head back to the apartment for a little family rest time.  After a few hours, with batteries recharged we headed back out.  This time we found our way to Notre Dame.

Walking along the River Seine

Notre Dame de Paris (or Our Lady of Paris) is a Roman Catholic cathedral on the Eastern half of the Ile de la Cite.  Ile meaning island which is in the middle of the Seine River.  The river is not that wide, making the island quite small so you'd think that the church wouldn't be hard to find, but we did actually get lost.  Only a little bit though.  We started on the Western end and kept heading West.  It wasn't until we came to the end of the island and hadn't stumbled upon the church that we figured it was back the other way.  Oops!

Within about 15 minutes of backtracking we found our way to it.  We stood in line to get in and were immediately hit by a wall of people.  It was summer after all, but it seemed much busier that we thought it would be.  The further we got in, squeezing by row after row of people we realized that they were actually having mass.  So we quietly made our way to the side with everyone else who was in there to just ooh and aah at the carvings, stonework and stained glass windows.  Built over a span of almost 100 years (1163-1250) it really was beautiful.  It's hard to get your head around all the work that went into it.  Even the smallest details in corners and behind pillars where you'd think no one would ever look.

It was getting close to dinnertime so while Steve hung out with the kids in the plaza outside the cathedral, I went around the corner and grabbed a couple of Croque Monsuiers for the kids.  Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with cheese on the outside as well as on the inside.  Yum.  When I returned I noticed that near Steve and the kids was a lady in sky-high red heels, signing and strumming a guitar with a camera crew following her.  Turns out she's from London and was there filming a commercial to launch her upcoming album.  I chatted her up a bit by telling her I loved her shoes.  Girls can always bond over shoes!  I can't find my FB post of her that has her name in it and what her album was.  But she had a beautiful blue-sie voice and was really sweet.

Croque Monsieur

We finished up and made our way back to the apartment.  While walking back we strolled by some really nice areas showcasing what Paris is known for...outdoor cafes.  People enjoying the warm weather, a glass of wine, or cup of coffee, laughing or in deep conversation.  This was the case even late into the night.  Some places didn't get started until well after 10.

Day 2, found us heading out to Sacre Coeur in the morning and the Eiffel Tower in the afternoon.  Sacre Coeur is a famous Roman Catholic church.  For a family of atheists we sure do find our way around to a lot of churches!  But we do it to expose the kids to history and some amazing architecture.  It was built from 1875 to 1914 and is situated in the Montmartre district on the highest point in the city.  Montmartre is known for it's artsy and bohemian lifestyle.  Pablo Picasso even lived in the area for several years in the early 1900's.  These days it seemed that a lot of the "art" is reduced to graffiti on the buildings and street vendors vying for your attention to paint caricatures.

Street market of artists selling their things

Sacre Coeur

Finally getting my hands and mouth on a Nutella crepe

After a bit of rest back at the apartment we headed out to the Eiffel Tower.  It was completed in 1889 and was used as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair.  Gustave Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years.  In 1909 is was to be torn down, but in the beginning weeks on WWI the tower proved successful as a communications center and the transmitters at the top of the tower were able to jam radio transmissions between the Germans.  So it stayed.

It was really busy our first day in Paris so we decided to book tickets online for later in the week.  Good thing too, because we were able to bypass the lines outside and head straight inside the tower to....more lines!  Turns out that the lines outside were just to buy tickets.  Once inside you had to wait in another line to take the lift to the first observation deck.  Then yet another line to take the second set of lifts all the way to the top.  And funny thing happened while we were waiting in line to get to the top.  One of us threw up.  Yup, that's right.  Waiting in line on the Eiffel Tower.  Care to make a guess as to which one of us it was?  Read on to find out.

So, remember a couple days back when I mentioned that to give the kids the boost they needed on our walks we gave them little treats?  Well, Steve bought this huge bag of Haribo (gummy bears and other gummy shapes).  I'm talking an American sized big.  Each day I would take a little bit out and put it in a smaller bag to keep in my purse.  This day was like the others except that the bag in my purse was running low and by the time we got to the Eiffel Tower it was empty.  I was going to just throw the bag out, but didn't see any rubbish bins so just held onto it.  Good thing I did!!

As we're waiting in line for the lift, Mark says "I don't feel so good" and he immediately looked pale and felt clammy.  There were no bathrooms on this level, so I went into major mommy mode and opened my purse, about to take my wallet out so he'd have somewhere to do his thing.  I figured I'd just toss the purse...I didn't pay much for it in the first place.  That's when I saw the plastic bag I held onto from the Haribo.  I quickly opened it and not two seconds later it was full.  Of...stuff.  Mark felt better within a couple of minutes.  I, on the other hand, was on edge because I had what felt like a ticking time bomb in my purse.  Remember?  No rubbish bins!  I had to carry that thing with me all the way back down to the bottom.

Windy!  Should NOT have worn a dress. :)

The following day was a big day...Versailles.  We left right after breakfast, took the Metro to the train and traveled about half an hour on the train to our destination.  The kids were really excited to see Versailles.  They are becoming experts at these audio tours! :)  The line to get past security wound around outside the gates for what seemed like forever.  The sun was beating down on us, but luckily the line moved pretty quickly.  We had bags checked, grabbed our brochures, tuned into the English station on the handset and set off.  There were so many things to see, every where you looked...shiny things, glistening things, paintings, carvings, statues, beautiful wooden floors, hand carved moldings, original tapestries.  The list goes on.

Versailles first began as a "modest" brick and stone palace of Louis XIII.  There were four distinct building times of Versailles from 1664-1710.  Each time new wings were added and the place just kept getting bigger and bigger.  Louis XIV made it the seat of government of France in 1682.  Court was also held there.  New apartments were added in the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI.  On October 8th, 1789, the monarchy left Versailles after the first days of the French Revolution.  From what I can tell in my research, the palace was never occupied again.  Every other King/Emperor that reigned after that chose to live elsewhere.  In 1837 it was officially opened as a museum.

The palace was chocker (as my friends here in Newcastle would say).  People everywhere!  Getting through some rooms was nearly impossible and trying to keep track of the kids as they anxiously went from room to room looking for the next audio number to punch into their handset was difficult.  Steve and I needed a break and a breather!!  We decided to take a lunch/pastry break after which we headed outside to view the gardens.  The last time Steve and I were there was in the off season in March so all the statues were covered.  This time we got to see them, but for some reason all the fountains were not working.  I have no idea why.  Took a bit of the magic out of it all, but it was still very pretty.  We walked down the main section of the gardens towards the Grand Canal.  I tried to imagine myself walking with my big 18th century dress and powdered, 2 foot high wig for a "jaunt" in the gardens.  But the heat and the dust on the walk overwhelmed me and I was thankful for my tank top, sandals and deodorant.
 

Outside the golden gates

The upstairs part of the Chapel inside Versailles

Hall of Mirrors

View of the gardens

Mmmmm....pastries.  I could eat them all!

Heading towards the Grand Canal

There were a lot of people outside too, but since the gardens were so ginormous everyone seemed to spread out and we had room to roam.  Down by the Grand Canal they had rowboats to rent so we decided to go for it.  We've been walking a ton working out the lower body, why not some rowing to work the upper body?  I will admit, I am NOT the most coordinated person.  I could not get the oars working properly and thankfully they were hooked in otherwise they would've sunk to the bottom of the canal and we would've had to paddle our way back.

Row...

Row...

Row...

Your boat!

After about an hour on the water, we returned our boat and had an ice cream break.  Well deserved in my opinion!  By this time it was late in the afternoon and we were Versaille'd out.  We decided to make our way back to the city.  The kids fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows and Steve and I stayed up late into the night to enjoy our last night there.  We had dinner by the balcony watching the world pass by on the streets below making plans on when we'd be able to buy our own pied-a-terre in the city.

Our last day arrived and we saved the Louvre for it.  Our flight didn't leave until around 9 that night, so we had plenty of time.  We headed out and walked through the Place de la Concord.  It's one of the largest public squares in the city.  During the French Revolution the new revolutionary government erected the guillotine in the square, and it was here that King Louis XVI was executed on January 21st, 1793.  His wife Marie Antoinette was also beheaded several months later.  The guillotine was most active during the "Reign of Terror" in the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed.  A year later, when the revolution became a bit more "civil", the guillotine was removed from the square.

Also in the square is a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics describing the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II.  It was gifted by the Egyptian government in 1829 to the French people.
The obelisk once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple in Egypt.  I tried to find out why Egypt gave it to France but didn't find anything online.  I can just see the French officials..."Gee, an obelisk...what we always wanted.  Thanks a bunch."  It is pretty though.

Quite possibly my favorite statue of all the ones I saw.  It's like he's saying "Dang it, I left the house without pants...again."

One thing I realized as we walked through the park leading up the the Louvre is that I am not a big fan of one particular design element in French gardens...the dusty gravel lining the walkways.  What a mess!  English gardens tend to use grass to line their walkways.  No chance of a little pebble making it's way into your shoes.  Every time we walked through one and I got to the other side, I had to shake my feet to get all the rocks out.  Yes, I know, I probably should've just worn closed shoes.  But my new sandals were just too cute!

Nintendo 3DS audio guide.  Best tour ever!

Venus de Milo

Mona Lisa

Beautiful painting of Napolean Bonaparte crowning his wife Josephine as Queen

We spent more time in line to get into the museum than I think we did actually in it seeing stuff.  There were several different tour options to pick from on the DS.  We decided that we would do the Masterpiece tour.  This would take us to all the most important objects.  The Venus di Milo, Mona Lisa, etc.  Jack did get a bit upset because he wanted to see everything.  Once we explained that it would take days to see it all he calmed down a bit.  I think he just didn't want to give up the DS so soon.  It was a neat way to see the museum.  As you approached each "thing" the audio portion would automatically kick in and start its explanation.  You could even see yourself move through the rooms and it directed you on the screen where to go.

Outside the museum they had a fair going on complete with rides and ring toss games with the chance to win gigantic stuffed animals.  I felt like I was back home.  It was another hot day, so Steve took the boys on the log ride.

This pretty much ended our sightseeing.  We headed back to the apartment, packed and made our way to the airport.  I was really sad to leave.  So to make myself feel better I bought one last chocolate croissant from a patisserie at the airport.  I don't think my scale at home appreciated it.  It actually creaked when I got on.  I had no idea it was possible to gain 5 pounds in 5 days.  But it was worth every bite.

Au revoir, Paris!