England and Paris, Part Deux

London, Thursday-Friday
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear meeeee.... happy birthday to me!  September 22nd, 2011 was a great day for the Zarwi family.  Believe it or not, this was not the first time the Zarwis had spent my birthday abroad (Lisa and Giacomo's wedding, Florence, 9/22/07).  Even though it was my second time abroad on this date, it was still a birthday full of firsts with little miss Zoe.  For starters, it was probably the first time I slept until noon on my birthday since I was 21 (Zoe and I were on New York time).  By the afternoon we decided to tour all of London by riding the Big Bus about the big city.  After some debate, I decided to roll without the stroller.  Some of you young parents out there might be able to relate to the debate.  If I took the stroller I could store all of my baby things and Zoe, and I could run over a bunch of wily Brits on the left side of the road.  But without the stroller I had two free hands (to greet the Brits kindly, of course).  I tucked Zoe in the Snugli front-facing baby pouch strapped to my chest, slung the diaper bag over my shoulder and I was on my way.  Unfortunately Mom had to work for the rest of the day, so it was Me and Zoe til about 8pm.

We couldn't walk 10 meters at a time before someone was stopping us to tell me how cute I was....I mean how cute Zoe was.  I can't blame them though, she is pretty darn cute.  Eventually we navigated our way from St. Martin's Lane to Whitehall Street off of Trafalgar Square to find the "Big Bus" bus stop.  If you never seen a bus in London, all buses are double deckers with seating upstairs.  The tour buses are open air so you can experience a 360-degree panoramic (and breezy) view of London.  Zoe and I learned about the "Wibbly Wobbly Bridge," Sir Christopher Wren, the Tower of London, and Afternoon Tea.  It took only 15 minutes for Zoe to fall asleep in the Snugli, but she loved the ride asleep or awake.  We spent over 2 hours riding the bus before taking a potty break.  Zoe took so long in the Starbucks person bathroom that the Brits in line were ready to break down the door!  She just batted her pretty eyes at them on her way out.

Next came Harrod's, "the world's most famous luxury department store."  Zoe was all about the toys, especially the "Alex" brands and the William and Kate wedding dolls.  She also tried on an "I Heart Mummy" bib! After the tour ended we rode a transit bus across the city, where Zoe did her business.  Luckily there was plenty of vacancy upstairs for changing, but it was too bad this was not an open-air bus.  Yogurt poops are stinky and messy!

After 6 hours of bus-riding, Zoe was still charged up for birthday dinner with Mom and Dad.  After a brief visit with Mom's co-workers, the three of us went to Cote Brasserie on St. Martin's Lane, where Zoe made it all the way to midnight and helped me blow out the candles on my birthday sundae.
This was my first birthday with Zoe, and she stole the show as usual.  She's the best!

Paris, Friday-Sunday
Friday was our last day in London before heading to Paris.  The three of us took a lap around Piccadilly Circus (circle), which is the Times Square of London.  It's not as flashy in the daytime but still packed with people and fun.  After the Circus we headed over to the London-Paris Eurostar train station.  This is a bullet train that takes you from London to Paris in about 2.5 hours.  We were underground for only 15 minutes, and the rest of the time we enjoyed the view of the French countryside on the way to the city.  Wind power appeared to be en vogue; windmills dotted the entire stretch of farmland. 

By 7pm we were checked in at the St James Albany Hotel on Rue de Rivoli.  Our location was nearly the center of Paris, opposite the Louvre Museum and the Jardin des Tuileries.  (The true center of Paris is at the Point Zero at the Notre Dame cathedral nearby.)  We wasted no time with our evening and promptly strolled over to the Louvre, where we were promptly turned away as they were closing!  We still enjoyed hanging out in the square where we observed salespeople, artists, and a thief collecting people's wishes from the fountain.  He literally hiked up his jeans and walked around the pool to collect coins.  I guess all the police were busy guarding the museum artifacts.  At night we had a delicious, overpriced, undercooked French steak dinner.  But Zoe was great, and we were in Paris, so who cares?

Saturday was our one full day to tour the best of Paris.  From our hotel, we walked all the way up Avenue des Champs-Élysées, la plus belle avenue du monde (the most beautiful avenue in the world).  It's a 1.2 mile walk highlighted by the Obelisk of Luxor at the start and the Arc de Triomphe at the peak.  In between are shops similar to 5th Avenue in Manhattan.  I popped into the McDonald's for water along the way, which sold macarons (french cookie sandwiches) and beer!

After our long walk we met up with Nikki's co-worker Stephane (a French native), his wife Delphine and their 9 month-old daughter Lessa at the Notre Dame cathedral.  She and Zoe got along great!  We had a long lunch along Pont Neuf (new bridge) where I lost the baby wipes.  After a scenic walk back to the hotel along Rue de Pont Neuf and through the Jardin du Palais Royal, we bade adieu to Stephane's family and rode the metro to Montmarte at the north end of Paris.

Montmartre sits on a 400-foot hill overlooking the city, and is home to the Sacre-Coeur basilica and the famous Moulin Rouge nightclub.  Monet, Dali, Picasso and van Gogh all called Montmartre home at one point, and the local village still has great art.  Saturday night in Montmartre was a treat for the senses; Zoe was fascinated by the people, places, and Grand Marnier crepes! 

At 9pm the night was still young, so we ventured over to the Eiffel Tower.  Like Montmartre, the area was buzzing with activity.  Since the line to go to the top was hours long, we snapped some photos and strolled through Champ de Mars before returning to the hotel for an 11pm dinner.  By then our only option was "Rosbif" on a baguette from Le Musset, but it was awesome.  There's something extra special about baguettes in France.  We could eat them every day. 

The next morning we roamed the 450 year-old Jardin des Tuileries and finally said au revoir to France.  Unfortunately our flight conditions were less than ideal for the return trip; Mom and I were seated separately and everyone around us refused to switch seats.  Ultimately we found two seats together on a window where we sat for 8 hours and 20 minutes.  Despite no room to maneuver and nowhere to sleep, Zoe took it in stride.  We changed her diaper across the tray tables and she slept snugly across our legs on a stack of blankets for about 5 of the 8 hours.  The rest of the time she ate, played, and hardly complained.  She's awesome.

With the time change we were in Newark 2 hours after we left Paris but Zoe stayed up until 8pm before going to sleep.  Two days later she was back to her usual sleepytime (9-930pm).  We are starting to realize that as much as we spoil Zoe, she spoils us right back.
All three of us can't wait for the next trip! You can see all of the pictures and videos from our trip here.