August 12, 2007
Ratatouille, Frites, Vincennes, Sunday dinner
On Friday morning we decided to see the movie Ratatouille. We thought it would be fun to see it in Paris since it takes place here. We researched the English show times and took the metro to the theater. Unfortunately, we learned from the ticket office about a law in France that prohibits children under the age of three from being in movie theaters due to a risk of hearing loss. So Tiffany took Caleb back to the apartment and Scott, Brooke and Tyler watched the movie. They ate popcorn and lots of candy and had a great time.
There are ads for the movie in many metro stations since it just opened here on August 1st. The descriptions of the two rats translate as "Rat of the sewer" and "Rat of taste".
RatatouilleWe often take out the garbage and recycling when leaving the apartment. Tyler and Brooke love carrying down the empty containers. We thought this was a good chance to show you our spacious elevator. Scott and Caleb don't usually ride in the elevator with the rest of the family because it is such a tight fit. Fortunately, it's only one flight of stairs.
ElevatorLater, we went to the only Belgian french fry stand in Paris. Scott found it on the internet. It was fun to have twice cooked Belgian fries (frites) with Andalouse sauce to dip them in. We ate the fries at a park while the kids played.
Frites and AndalouseOn Saturday we decided to visit the Vincennes Castle. We saw this man in the metro station while we were changing trains. Tyler and Brooke liked the puppet so much that we even gave him some money.
Metro puppet (video)Here are Scott, Caleb, Tyler and Brooke in the metro on line 1. We had to take this line all the way to the end to reach Vincennes Castle which is on the outskirts of Paris.
MetroWe arrived at Vincennes just in time for a guided tour. Unfortunately the tour was only in French, so Scott did his best to translate. The area started as a hunting lodge in about 1150 and then became a castle in the 13th century. It was expanded to how it mostly is now in the 14th century. This was a place where royal families could come and relax away from the city but still feel protected.
The castle complex has a church called a sainte chapelle, or holy chapel. We learned that it is a holy chapel instead of just a regular chapel because it once held Catholic relics.
Sainte ChapelleThe ramparts offered a nice view of both the castle complex and the surrounding areas of Paris suburbs and the remaining forest.
RampartsA donjon can be translated as a keep, as in the central part of a castle, or as a dungeon. The Vincennes donjon served as both. In the 18th century, people were imprisoned there without trial, mainly to keep their political views quiet.
Donjon de VincennesThe castle of Vincennes has multiple layers of defenses. The donjon is surrounded by a moat and the entire castle grounds are surrounded by a fortified wall and another moat. The wall used to be as tall as the gate in the center of the picture below.
Vincennes MoatOn Sunday we had another enjoyable time in the Paris Ward. The Shurtleffs invited us over for dinner again and we had another wonderful meal and a great time visiting together.
Shurtleffs