Love Locks

Jackson Reading Star Wars

There is one definite advantage to having it pour rain.  If you are brave enough to go out you will be alone.  I ran today in the pouring rain. It is eerily quiet.  There are no tourists at the Eiffel tower, no line to go up to the top, no crowds clambering to cross the busy streets, it's empty, quiet.  I ran along the river and passed maybe 5 people, die hard tourists covered in "I love Paris" ponchos and umbrellas.  But when I got to the Tuileries gardens I was alone, at least for a few moments.  I could see no one, not a soul in the whole park.  Puddles where covering the normally dusty walkways, the trees were heavy with rain, and I was there, alone.  I know it sounds cheesy.  I have been blessed to see a lot amazing places, live in a couple of them, but at that moment I realized how really lucky I was.  I am grateful for a wonderful family, my kids are each jewels in their own right.  I am also very grateful to have Todd, who makes me brave...and takes me to Paris.  :)

 OK enough with the self reflective rant. I'm just pretty lucky, and I know it.
 I have a favorite bridge here.   It's called the Passerelle Leopold-dedar-Senglh...... something something. It's newer and it's just a pedestrian bridge. It's one of a couple bridges that are covered in locks.

It's a common thing here and in other parts of Europe. Couples will "lock" their love on a bridge.  Todd and I like to joke about what it means if you just use your luggage bag lock?  Or if you use an obnoxiously large lock are you trying to compensate?  It's kind of cool because when the sun is out all the gold lock shine in the sun.  

 

Go Giants!

Louvre through the Tuileries Gardens...in the rain

Today Todd is working in the afternoon doing hand surgery and I am hoping he will make it home early so that I can go to the Louvre alone.  Yes that's right, alone.  Take as much time as I want staring at art.  Go to the bathroom only when I have to pee and leave when I want to go, or get kicked out when it closes.  It's open late, until 9:45 a couple nights a week and I have heard it's not crowded then.  Plus being as no one was outside today I am betting they were all in there.

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Todd's been helping the boys with math which is good because I hate math and I like teaching it to "sort of willing" students just as much.  We made another food discovery.  Brioche, which is like a sweet bread.  I have had it before but not with nutella spread all over it.  So that has become a new staple.  All in all we're doing great.