Perfectly fine for Sunday, the day off.

That's a line from Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, which remains (25 year later!) one of my favorite Broadway shows.

France has a tradition-laden culture, and by tradition, I mean hundreds of years of it.  No matter how secularized the mainstream Republic might be, Sunday is the day off, the day of rest. The vast majority of shops are closed, from the boulangérie downstairs to the grands magasins like Printemps and Galéries Lafayette.  Not that the French don't enjoy Sunday shopping -- there are a limited number of Sundays that the stores are permitted to be open, and they are mobbed on these days!  Supermarkets are closed; small convenience stores -- known officially as Alimentations Générales but more commonly as "arabes" (because they are run by people of Arab heritage, like the "Korean markets" found all over New York City) -- are open, but buyer beware!  The prices are high!

Not that Parisians are going to church -- they are hardly practicing, these nominal Catholics.  They are, however, worshiping in their own way.  More often than not, the French spend Sunday with their families, often outside of the city, for a relaxing day together.  So, not having any family in Paris, what do we do?  Well, we eat.  Last Sunday, our friend J joined us for some amazingly delicious felafel in the old Jewish district (and by old, I mean Medieval).  There are lots of Chasids or other ultra-orthodox here in the Marais, black hats and long coats worn by young men and old men (last year, Meredith asked her dad if they were Pilgrims, who were ultra-orthodox in their own way, actually!).  Most of the businesses in this area are closed on Saturday, for Shabbat, but open on Sunday, so it's a great destination.  And the felafel?  Delicious.

From there, we went to a museum -- most of the museums are open on Sunday, which could constitute worship of another sort.  We headed up to the Cité des Sciences (Sciene City), especially to take in an exhibit called "Bon appétit" that teaches kids about the biology of eating, as well as the development of regional diets, the impact of television and advertising on food consumption, and other tidbits.  We all took turns at the recipe station, which  chooses a recipe for you based o your responses to a series of questions.  We spent a good deal of time there, but also checked out some of the Universe exhibit -- very extensive! -- and another on vehicles, which included a Smart Car.  We bid farewell to J on the metro home, a Sunday well spent.

Today was also a fun Sunday.  We slept late, which was a treat for all, then ate a light breakfast (fruit, mostly) and enjoyed Sunday morning cartoons (which really deserve a post of their own!), then got dressed and took the metro to meet our friends E and M for brunch.  E is French, M is American; they are both attorneys and moved to Paris from Oklahoma about 2 years ago now (wow!  hard to believe!).

E found this restaurant on a Paris destination website, and it was quite charming.  The kids' menu involved hot chocolate and pancakes, mostly, plus dessert; grownups could choose from "bio" (organic), English, or the house breakfast -- all of which included 1/2 a bagel, eggs of some kind, veggies (I had a small baked potato and a green salad), plus coffee, juice, and dessert.  Chocolate mousse, panna cotta, or fromage blanc with citrus sauce (they were all great).  A tasty and lovely 2 hours whiled away while we caught up some and tried to keep the kids entertained between courses.

It was quite cool when we left, se we walked back to the metro and said our goodbyes (we will certainly see them again soon!).  Back at home, we watched some World Cup soccer and I considered taking us out for a movie, but literally nothing appropriate for the kids was showing later than 3 PM.  Instead, we enjoyed the DVD of "Le Soldat Rose" -- a French musical comedy for children that featured catchy tunes and lyrics.  Our Franco-American pals loaned it to us and we will be looking for our own copy!  We also called Daddy and Gramps wot wish them a happy Father's Day.  Soup and salad for dinner and then to bed, although it's 10:45 and they are still whispering together.

The idea of an imposed day of rest does not come easily to me, but I will be the first to admit that I feel happier and more relaxed for having spent these days at a relaxed pace, in the company of friends.  I also had time to do some planning for the busy week ahead, which I felt badly in need of throughout all of last week, so this effort has improved my outlook, as well.  I hope the rest of our Sundays are equally enjoyable!