Day Two: Exploration

We started this cloudy and cool day by making a plan in the courtyard...

First, a quick visit to the river:

 Some deep reflection:

Followed by more profound thoughts on the metro:

Until we reached our destination:

For now, the quick peek was enough. Our ascent to the top will follow another day... Next, we traveled down to the banks of the Seine for Les Berges, the new outdoor exhibit/park spanning over 2km that has tons of free activities, many of which are geared toward the wee ones. First we checked out some French skater dudes:

Next, some racing:

Then we stumbled upon an adorable play area:

Eliza demonstrating for les petits francais how it's done:

 Superwoman:

 Next along Les Berges, we spotted what appeared to be a large, green, hollowed out booger...

Why pick them when you can play inside them?

Then it was time for some brain games:

Followed by some monkey time:

Afterwards, the girls discovered the Pont des Arts which has become known as "lovers' bridge,"  where couples will write their names on a lock, attach it to the bridge and throw the key into the Seine. While the concept is romantic, the reality is far from it. Even though the bridge technically links the left and right bank, it reveals an uncharacteristically gauche side of Paris:

After swimming in a sea of kitschy romance, the girls had to bathe themselves in some therapeutic sisterly aggression.  The Frenchman were amused:

 

Despite a dreary and cool evening, we indulged in some Berthillon. Not only did the girls swoon, but even better, it is less expensive then Dolcezza in Bethesda:

Eliza was overwhelmed by the list of flavors:

 Finally, we ended our cozy day inside with some card games: