A QUIET SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Sundays are usually quiet for us, even in Plano.  But Sundays in Paris are even quieter because many restaurants and stores are closed (imagine that!!!) so there is minimal shopping, eating out.  I think this is so people can spend the day with family and friends.  The cafes that are open are full of people sitting together and sharing coffee or food or dessert,  and the streets and parks are full of people just relaxing and enjoying the day.

This makes me wish I had a preschooler I could take here!!!

Mid afternoon, after church and lunch, we went out for a quiet walk and came upon this little park.  We hadn't seen it before-it's really for smaller children and has a sand pit in the center (where the little yellow-jacketed child is sitting) for sand play, a carousel (in the center of the picture) called Le Lutin Palace (the leprechaun palace!!!) and to the left (unseen in this photo) is a food stand for drinks, ice cream (!!!!) and other food snacks.  Children are happy and playing,  and parents are happy because they can sit, enjoy a drink or treat and see that their children are safe and having fun.  Pretty nice!

As we walked on (and, no, I did not get an ice cream!!) we came upon this monument in memory of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.  It wasn't a spectacular monument, David says there are others in other places, but it was a nice addition to this family place where people can be reminded of their history.

In memory of...

Across from this area was another little fun spot for children (and parents you'll notice).  It was fun just watching from a distance!  I think what a nice place this is for young families to come where everyone gets a little break from real life.  Remember, there are only apartments here in central Paris so these families have no yards.

Exercise for moms and fun for kids!  Win-win!!

It's like a preschool scooter/vehicle track and you'll see various kinds of preschool "cars" etc.  Pretty cool!!!

It started to get a little cooler (the day had been pretty nice) and looked like it might sprinkle so we decided to head home.  We "flaneured" (strolled) home at a slow pace looking at the flowers on some (but not many) balconies, peeking into windows of floral shops and chocolate shops that were closed and then walked down rue Cler, a market street that's open most of the week (unlike other markets that are open twice a week usually).  However, on Sunday even some businesses and restaurants on rue Cler are closed.   Fortunately, the florist was open and we bought a bouquet of roses for the bedroom AND there was a little ice cream place open!!!!!  NOW I got an ice cream cone!!!!

Lots of flavors, cone or cup!

We weren't going to have dinner for a while,  and I needed a little treat to get me through!!  Maybe this is why I'm not becoming a skinny French woman!!!!!!  Anyway, it was tasty and we headed home.  A nice, quiet beginning to a new week.  We'll see what this week holds.....