【Paris. Life】Strolling along the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe and just kept on walking

Photo & text byKelly

Day04 2013.06.19

Pushing a stroller around the streets of Paris is actually super stylish
It’s like the baby becomes an accessory.

My feet are so dark too!!
People always ask me where I got such an even tan, not knowing I’m naturally black.
I’m just born with dark skin — no sun needed to get this color.

But I’ve noticed that a lot of French women have really tanned legs.
Dark legs are just perfectly Parisian, honestly~ (sounds like making excuses for myself)

After living in Paris, I realized having a little dining table in the kitchen is pretty nice too.
Lily loves sitting there and snacking while I’m cooking.
Breakfast in Paris is actually more fun than at home.

Because the place we’re staying is only about a 20-minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe.
So we just walked over.

Lily had eaten and napped enough, and each time she could walk around for one to two hours.

My beloved Arc de Triomphe
Back when I first came to Paris over ten years ago, I was single.
Now I’ve got two little ones with me — how scary time flies.

Jump shot in front of the Arc de Triomphe
Why is it cropped so tiny?????????

Because I was jumping with all my might in front of the majestic Arc de Triomphe.
Even my underwear popped out for a cameo — unfortunately, it was white.
It was super obvious — had to crop it down a bit.

This seemingly happy family photo
Actually........... the focus was on the Arc de Triomphe.
After standing there trying to take a photo for ages, we finally found an American girl with a DSLR.
We took two shots — and in both, the Arc de Triomphe dominated the frame.
All four of us ended up as blurry faces.
We could only take a tiny look. If you zoom in, you can’t even tell who’s been to the Arc de Triomphe.

This was taken for us by Xiao Lu.
Looks like~ we can start training Xiao Lu to take photos for us.
Hahaha................ So sweet, right～

Originally, we planned to make lunch at home.
But after walking all the way to the Champs-Élysées, we were too lazy to go back.
So we just ate at McDonald’s.

A full meal for two plus a kids' meal cost 17 euros.
Don’t even try converting it to Taiwan dollars, or you won’t be able to eat it.

Xiao Li went completely food-crazy.
Because we’ve been out for a month, I couldn’t be bothered restricting her to only bland food.
She just had to eat with us—sometimes bread, sometimes rice, sometimes noodles.
Anyway, if she wants to eat, let her be～

Xiao Li basically treats ketchup as her main dish and fries as her side.
Oh~ no, the fries are just tools for scooping up the ketchup.

Then we started strolling down the Champs-Élysées, which I personally find really hard to shop at.
The first time I came, I found it insanely fun to shop.
The second time, I thought it was kinda hard to shop at.
The third time, I found it insanely hard to shop at.

I guess I’m really.............. getting old.

But neither Xiaowu nor Luli have been here before.
So we still walked around a bit.

This season, Petit Bateau has a duck theme.
Every Petit Bateau window display has cute little ducks.

Lu Ge: I think I should buy some dresses to wear.

(Glare) Do you not know your mom sells clothes!?

We went into Zara.
Li: I think I should buy some dresses to wear.
Lu: Did you forget you lost your wallet? Stop buying randomly～

(Glare) Who sent her to torment me!? Grrrr!!!!!!!

My face was so sour that the girl next to me was scared stiff.
I don't know why pushing a stroller feels like pushing a war chariot into battle.
My face was so sour it was about to explode..........

Xiaoli had been sleeping nonstop since we finished our big meal at McDonald's.
We walked for over two hours, and she was still asleep.

Because Xiaolu had also been walking along with us for a long time.
So we sat down to have some coffee and bought her an ice cream as a little reward.

This is another cute couple photo that Brother Lu took for us.
Brother Lu’s photography skills are really something.

This damn bear was expensive—it was priced at 12 euros.
But Xiaolu had walked all that way, so we got it for her as a reward for 25 euros.
(Li: I lost my wallet and still went on a spending spree.)

Xiaoli’s sleeping posture is truly................
Does she have to prop her feet all the way up onto the sunshade??

See that black guy over there??
This is the A&F store on the Champs-Élysées—it’s super.......
At first, when we saw the entrance, we thought it was a tourist spot.
But just seeing that guy standing at the door drenched in the world’s most pungent perfume...
Plus, they were all dressed the same and twisting their bodies...
You’d instantly know what kind of clothing store it was.

He urged 25 to go in and see this world wonder.
We were afraid Xiaoli might faint from fright if she went in, so we waited outside.
25 said there were all these good-looking guys and girls inside, all twisting their bodies.
Sigh~~ Yeah!!!
I was also shocked silly in Ginza and never wanted to go into A&F again after that.
(http://www.wretch.cc/blog/kellyla/13521724)

The best way to travel in Paris is on foot.
You can easily reach any attraction just by wandering around.
Xiaoli is also great at walking—even though she walks slowly.
But she has great stamina and can walk for a very, very long time.

Parks are everywhere.
As long as the sun is out, everyone’s out soaking up the rays.

What a cute little girl～
I was going to take a photo with Luli too.
But Luli’s hard to control......... no choice.

A tree bush covered in small white flowers.
After taking this photo, my nostrils were about to explode with pollen.
Because the white flower pollen kept blowing down with the wind.
My black clothes were all covered in yellow pollen.

Fiat is holding an event.
So cute～～～ but it costs around 14 euros per person to get into the event venue.
Why not just kidnap someone? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? (Well, this is Paris after all)

The famous Pont Alexandre III.
Also widely recognized as the most luxurious bridge in Paris.

Whenever 25 wants to take a photo, I end up looking like this.
Luckily, I’m pretty strong........

Such neat-looking trees～
And there are at least five couples here taking wedding photos.
They’re all Asians.

Why did I forget to pack my white wedding dress in my suitcase? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Let’s just say this past couple of days made me want... to take wedding photos in Paris.
If that really happened, then the photographer would probably have to be Xiaolu.

What a luxurious bridge!!!!!!
Wait, what kind of leg pose am I making? ? ? ? ?

Standing here, you can see my love— the Eiffel Tower.

Don’t you think those little figures are really Paris’s fashion accessory? ? ? ? ? ? ?
And the French are especially courteous to people carrying them.
There are also a lot of tourists walking around with their kids visiting Paris.

25 asked me to take a photo of him with the tower and some people in it.
Luckily, my skills are pretty good～ he should be satisfied with it.

Then I also wanted to take a super pretentious artsy photo with the tower.
The couple was just playing that game of you-take-my-photo-and-I’ll-take-yours over there.

What are the two little ones up to? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The two little ones are working hard to climb up the bridge pier, wanting to see what’s down there.
Pear’s Voice: Can the Eiffel Tower be eaten? ? ? ? ?

Hahaha!!!!!!
Where on earth did I get the inspiration from? I actually hugged Li Zai like I would a dog.
And carrying her like this is super convenient, but we can’t go far with it—just for fun~

In the end, the baby carrier was really the most practical...
Also, I found that carrying her on my back is actually quite easy.

Xiao Li was also really happy being able to look around everywhere.
Only when getting on the subway and it’s crowded does she get a bit nervous.

We went out for a walk at half past ten in the morning and just kept walking.
At around five in the afternoon, we decided to head home for dinner.
Also, the sky looked like it was about to pour down with heavy rain.

Sure enough, as soon as we got into the subway station, there was a wild storm.
We ended up hiding from the rain in the subway station for twenty-something minutes.
When we saw the rain easing up a bit, we covered Luli on the stroller.
Then 25 and I ran all the way home in the rain...

Luli was thrilled!! Because of the speed and the rain.
The two of them were laughing and squealing in the stroller...
Why on earth did 25 and I put ourselves through that!? Running through the rain in the streets of Paris~

It’s still most cost-effective to eat at home.
By the way, I’ve already used up one third of the 1KG of rice I brought.
How terrifying!!!!!!!
Should I have my family mail me some more?? ? ? ? ? ?

Luli’s daily routine is just as normal as when we’re in Taiwan even while we’re traveling.
At nine o’clock Paris time, the two of them went to bed.

As for me, I went to sleep around the same time they did.
Then I got up again at six o’clock Paris time to write the diary.
I’m so dedicated~~~~ Can I be a travel blogger? ? ? ? (Just kidding~)

It was already nine-thirty in the evening and the sky still hadn’t darkened.
I don’t even know what time we’d have to wait to see the night view～ Sigh.........
Might as well, the pears are asleep anyway—I’ll sneak out with 25 to go see the night view!

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