I put in a lot of effort in preparing my children for Paris. They perused Lonely Planet's book
Not-for-Parents: Paris (Everything You Ever Wanted to Know) which my daughter loved so much she insisted we bring it everywhere so she could share key parts aloud at the appropriate location mentioned. My son's 7th grade class serendipitously read
A Tale of Two Cities. My other boy went through the
Louvre Museum app (any excuse to get on the iPhone) to pick out his must-see list. I truly wanted them to be in total awe of all the wonderful sights of
PARIS, the legendary City of Light that people travel from all over the world to see.
Yes, they saw all the iconic parts but, being kids, their eyes took in other things, too, like insects, birds, and cats. So, here are a few photographs inspired by my childrens' demands of "Mom, take a picture of that." They are a little part of Paris that the postcards don't usually show.
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| A butterfly with transparent wings in the Cité des Enfants greenhouse |
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| Leaf-cutter ants at the Cité des Enfants |
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| My girl spotted this snail on the manicured shrubs outside Versaille |
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| A swan graces the Petit Trianon garden at Versailles |
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| A cat peeking out of a bistro |
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| Even ducks enjoy the Louvre |
Whereas it was the young'ns who pointed out most of these animals, I have to give credit to dear hubby for spotting this goat taking care of the grass in the middle of the very urban, crowded-with-people Tuileries Garden. I fully suspect he intends to jettison the lawn mower when we return to Texas and set us up with a lawn goat instead.
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| A tethered goat "mows" the sloped lawn at the Tuileries Garden |
This post is part of Pret-a-Vivre and "Travel Photo Thursday" on Budget Travelers Sandbox. Check it out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.
