Paris, Carnac & Barcelona - Part II

The plan to go to Carnac was last minute. In fact, it happened only because a dear friend invited us over to spend a few days with him in his ancestral house there. Being the eager-to-meet-up people we are, we said yes and so did a couple of colleagues more, making the group bigger and merrier.

The house was beautiful – the living room opened up into a small well-kept garden which led upto a white sand beach. The colors of the sea were nicely extended to the interiors of the house with a soothing white and blue theme, making it look modern but yet so very natural.

Our all four days in Carnac were absolutely relaxing. Papa and I split our jobs in the morning with him playing the vigilant parent at the beach while I slogged out in the kitchen (yes – the roles never reverse!). Mira had a blast on the beach – she either ran around wildly feeling the cold breeze on her face or held onto Papa’s hand and walked around slowly noticing her footprints on the sand.



She could have probably spent her entire day there if not for the “Breakfast is ready” call which made Papa spring into action and literally drag her to the house.

Afternoons were either reserved for siestas (if Mira was too tired and sleepy) or chit chatting with friends (if Mira was not too tired and sleepy). Since any parent would know that the former happens very rarely on a holiday, we ended up making nice wide-ranging conversations with friends, as Mira pottered around the place with her toys. It was just wonderful to laze around and gossip, to pick on each other’s nationalities (1 French, 1 Thai, 1 Chinese & 2 Indians believe me, make quite a group!), to check out past days pictures on our cameras and to generally crib about how the holiday is coming to an end a bit too early.

The mood kind of continued in the evening though we did get off our backs and moved around in the town. Carnac is a lovely French village where life seemed to be in no hurry at all –people played by the sea despite the lowest of temperatures, restaurants overflowed with people as if nobody wished to cook at home and the stone cobbled streets carried more people on foot than in cars.

So, we decided to do the Carnac way – we got into our sports shoes and just walked from one street to another. Mira helped out the process by taking to the stroller. Though a bit resistant in the beginning, she did finally decide to rescue my labor stricken back and grace the stroller instead.

And that’s how we covered most of the town – the churches, the squares, the souvenir shops and not to forget some of the best French restaurants with really delicious and memorable food.

Now that I look back at the Carnac trip, I realize that it was wonderful not just for the sights and the sea but for the company we had. It was great to hang out together, to talk silly stuff till late in the night, to get someone else to push the stroller once in a while and to be able to dig into 5 different dishes in any possible meal.

Carnac also served as a high point for the mom in me – the trip had gone exceedingly well till now – Mira didn’t miss a single meal, the cold virus remained miles away, she slept peacefully through the nights and most importantly, she enjoyed every day and every bit of the trip.

My confidence was at its peak. I somehow knew that the next 4 days of our trip were going to be equally good. I was so very ready for them.

I was so very ready for Barcelona.

Paris, Carnac & Barcelona - Part I

3 new places, 11 long days, a really harsh winter and 1 inexperienced toddler - believe me carry the most potent capacity to cook up an inevitable disaster for anyone. And being the paranoid mom I am – I was going crazy imagining these very disasters that could possibly crop up in the course of our holiday – like what if Mira decides to go on a hunger strike?, what if cold waves penetrate the thick layers of woolens on her body and engulf Mira in a long-lasting spell of fever or what if she just misses her normal routine at home – the pranks with her nanny, the fun at the playroom, the familiarity of the house……etc. etc. etc.

So what do you think really happened? A great holiday or a day-counting return to home?...Well-traveled legs or cold blocked noses?...An extra-obsessed mom or err…an extra-obsessed mom? Well, let’s not jump the gun, instead walk with me through these 11 unpredictable days and 3 wonderful places to discover what actually lay at the end of our journey. Deal? Deal. So, let’s now begin!

Paris, as the headline says was our first stop in the vacation. We arrived at our hotel around noon, having gone through a back-breaking 12 hours journey in the plane. Though Mira dozed off pretty early in the flight, giving Papa and me a good sigh of relief, she did remain restless through the night - her movements restrained by the grip of the seatbelt. As a result, we were all tired and sleepy by the time we reached Paris the next day.

We decided to take our first day easy and ventured out only in the evening. Walking from one street to another, we enjoyed the beautiful boulevards and pedestrian friendly roads of the city. We had our dinner in a sidewalk café – clearly one of our best experiences in the city! With cold breeze caressing our faces, it was just lovely to watch people pass by - women dressed in their trendy over-coats and high-heels, kids whizzing by on roller-skates and men going about their business, as usual. Mira almost behaved like an animal set free, running from one end of the street to the other, talking to herself and bumping into people every now and then.

Day 2 was much more eventful – we went for a river cruise, visited the famous Sacre-Coeur Basilica, sat through a fashion show but the Louvre museum was undoubtedly the highlight of the day. Now, this museum runs into 4 huge floors with thousands and thousands of paintings on display. We straight headed towards the Mona Lisa. I mean, THE Mona Lisa. Like any small-town Indian, we first clicked some 10 different photos with the much-talked about lady in question, before we set our prying eyes on her. It was weird – though Mona Lisa is hailed as Leonardo Da Vinci’s best creation ever, I seriously struggled to see what really made it so special. I agree – the enigmatic smile is there but you know, is it good enough to be rated as highly as it is done by all? But on a different note, the museum was really quite awesome - going through different eras of paintings, each supported with an individual piece of history and reasoning was clearly once in a lifetime experience. It was probably one of the few times that Papa and I walked for 3 hours at a stretch, without him asking for food or me complaining about the pain in my legs. A big achievement, I tell you! Mira too was overwhelmed by the sights - she soon stretched out in her stroller and we called it a day.

Day 3 – For first half of the final day, Mira and I were resigned to four walls of our hotel room while Papa was busy cracking some marketing strategies with his colleagues. I finished off all urgent tasks in Papa’s absence – cooked Mira’s khichdi in my mini rice cooker, packed all the essential stuff for the travel the next day and kept my 19 month amused till she got tired and fell off to sleep.

The evening was reserved for visiting the Eiffel Tower - one of the most celebrated monuments in the world. Big and beautiful, Eiffel Tower is strategically located beside the Seine river and is led by huge green lawns, with rows of trees on either sides. The Tower at any point in time looks great but the night shot was clearly the best with the entire structure being lit up with tiny lights. And here’s a picture to prove the fact!

And with that we bid goodbye to the romantic city of Paris and set our sights on the beautiful town of Carnac.

More details in the upcoming post.