the mhyana family: Eiffel Tower

Lvov and I sitting on the edge of a little dock-island in the middle of the Seine, our feet dangling over the river at midnight, a bottle of French wine after a poetry reading...chilly noses and cuddles...Eiffel tower in the distance and drunkards and lovers stumbling about on both sides of the river...Lvov and I hung our feet over the edge and sang like a couple of happy drunks while Akychame and Phil walked around filming and taking pictures. It was amazing to see everything lit up with white light, and to watch the dinner and party boats cruise slowly past us, waving. We were in the heart of our lives, in the heart of the Seine in the heart of Paris.

Lvov says:

Sitting with Mommy on a skinny island by Pont Neuf bridge was my favorite time in Paris because it was with my mommy and we had a perfect view of the Eiffel tower with the white lights going off on it. Last time we were in Paris last year, we looked down from the Eiffel Tower and on the grass below somebody had carved a huge heart into the grass. Probably for their boyfriend or girlfriend to see when they looked down from the tower. Mommy and I were cuddling and we could see and hear little waves in the water and other people were scared of sitting so close to the water, but mommy held me so tightly. It was really nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, this weekend was such a blur of activity, celebration, and emotion - I hardly know where to start! Not only was it sweet Lvov's 9th birthday, but it was also father's day. . . and I was able to see my dad in Paris! Oh, the serendipity!

We drove to Paris in about five hours, but first we stopped off in Reims, France (birthplace of Jean of Arc) to visit the gorgeous Reims Cathedral (pictured above). We learned so much. We saw the secret Masonic symbols chiseled into the stonework, we learned about flying buttresses (and flying butts - the gargoyles are pretty shameless!), about Catholic beliefs and saints, and we even (to my utter delight) gazed at the famed stained glass windows designed by Chagall! Oh how I love his dreamy, swirly artwork (reminds me of Wm. Blake's and Kahlil Gibran's).

Finding the Hotel Wilson was really crazy. Driving in Paris is NO JOKE. Phil and/or I have driven all through Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Boston, NYC, Germany, and Italy - and nowhere is driving as crazy as it is in Paris. Thankfully we finally found the hotel and hooked up with Grandpa Bill!

This trip made us seriously consider getting one of those GPS navigational gizmos, though it's at odds with our gypsy wanderlust. We thought it would be cool for the voice on the GPS to rhyme all of the directions ala the children's story Madeleine in Paris - "In the hidden Hotel Wilson, all covered with vines, stand twelve befuddled tourists in two straight lines..."

The kiddos lit candles for BB and said a prayer.

It was so great seeing Grandpa Bill! Somehow we managed to pack everything into just two days: tons of hugging, many beers (we're talking 5-pounders) and outrageously delicious French onion soup (just called onion soup) at the Circle Brasserie with Dominic, our outstanding waiter who rallied everyone around us to sing happy birthday to Lvov; meeting Dad's co-workers; learning the Paris Metro system; celebrating Lvov's birthday from the Eiffel Tower at midnight with the lights sparkling. . .we all also had a delicious picnic of toasty bread, fresh tomatoes, garlic & pepper cheese, fresh basil the size of lamb's ears, pineapple sliced messy and sweet at the table, and local red wine.

When Dad had to go to work at the air show, we went to Le Bois de Boulogne, a gorgeous park in the heart of Paris not too far from the Arc de Triomphe. It was great to get away from the touristy areas and just chill out. Akychame braided me a wildflower garland and Lvov did flips (in a body harness) on a huge trampoline with a bunch of French kiddos.

When it came time to say goodbye to Dad, I cried and cried! It was way too short a visit, but I'm lucky that circumstances bring my Dad to Europe at least once a year. My residencies at Bennington, sporadic though they are, help to fill in the gaps.

We look forward to you all visiting us soon! You're all invited (hurry up - just one year left in Germany). We're planning (fingers crossed) to be headed back to VT in January for my next residency at Bennington. Until then, I am going to try to keep you all woven into our lives with the thread of this family blog. I'm not a very consistent creature (who is it that said the only truly consistent people are dead?) but I'm going to try my best to keep in touch because we miss you all and want you to be a part of our lives, even though we're miles apart!