Paris Fatigue

No, I'm not tired of Paris.  I'm tired *in* Paris.  So are my kids.  Here are some reasons why, in order of appearance:
1) Travel fatigue:  When it takes something like 18 hours to get from here to there, you get exhausted.  Even with some sleep on the plane, overseas travel can wipe you out.
2) Jet lag:  We've got a 7-hour décalage between OKC and Paris.  I have read that your body can really only fully adjust to a one-hour change per day.
3) Long days:  Most Americans are not aware of how very far north Paris is -- close to Nova Scotia on the latitude!  This means that the sun doesn't set here, in early summer, until about 10 pm.  The twilight is beautiful for young lovers and Eurail travellers, but is kinda sucks for the younger set who need their rest.  We do have shutters to block out a fair amount of light, but this is a circadian response.
4) Strange beds:  My kids are sharing for the longest stretch of time ever.  Getting them to quit poking and annoying each other (on a bad night), or giggling and whispering (on a good one) can be a challenge.  Myself, I am sleeping on a horrid Ikea pull-out that doubles as our livingroom sofa.
5) Heat:  We are already experiencing summer weather here in Paris -- daytime temperatures in the 90s.  Not much humidity, which is good, but we have no fans or airconditioners, so it's hard to get any circulation.  Also, the front windows must stay closed to protect against noise.  The heat during the day makes everyone extra tired and uncomfortable (and, sometimes, smelly); the lack of A/C in general can wear you out.
6a) Physical exertion:  Walking
 We are living 4 flights up, which means the kids normally get 8 flights a day.  Every day.  We have no car, so we walk and take public transportation everywhere.  The metro is just a block from us, but requires more stairs (at least two flights up and down for each trip).
6b)  Physical exertion:  Carrying
I get to make some of the flights home with groceries; it's easier to shop a little bit every day so that you don't have to schlep multiple grocery bags from the store to the house and then up the stairs, but that means that every other day I've got extra weight on me. And every day I go to work at the library, I am toting my laptop, power cord, notebooks, wallet, phone, map, water bottle, etc. 
7) Hurrying:  Now, I'm not in a huge rush all the time, but when you rely on public transportation, you tend to hurry.  Why not step a little lively and make the very next metro?  Or dash to get on the bus that's at the nearby bus stop?  Like that.  I am taking three metro rides a day, most days.  These things add up.
8)  Learning curve:  The things that I wrote about being different can fall into this category, but also the mental gymnastics required to learn the lay of the land, to "start up" in the apartment with cleaning supplies and basic groceries and household goods, remembering to pull the door when I want to push it, etc.  Also, we have no printer here, so any printing must be done at the local internet café, which requires an outing, and the time to take one.  Other start-up activities have involved dealing with our bank account (not as successfully as I would have wanted), getting the kids enrolled at the Centre, getting to know The Guide, getting oriented to the libraries, dealing with the landlord, overcoming the apartment quirks, etc.
9) Time sensitivity:  I will admit to feeling stress about making the most of the time here.  I try to cram as much work into each day as I can, and I know I also need to get some things done before others.  This is why I am frequently at 2 libraries in a single day.  I am also making plans, social and otherwise, with a vast array of people whose schedules are all different from mine.  My friends swing through Paris at all different times and it's hard to coordinate!  I also know from living here before that when opportunities present themselves, it is best to take advantage of them as soon as possible.   Hence my lunch and evening rendez-vous with two contacts I had wanted to see (and will likely blog about tomorrow).  I am not even counting, here, the pre-departure frenzy that takes over most people at the end of their stay somewhere, when many places must be visited "one last time," just in case.
10) Time to myself:  I really only have time to myself at the apartment when the kids are sleeping.  If they don't get to bed until 10, then I don't get to just hang out until after that.  Checking email, reading for pleasure, trying to organize some things for the Fall (which I have yet to really get going, but which needs attention!), even doing dishes (no dishwasher) and preparing for the next day, all of these things are more efficiently dealt with when I don't have the kids in my ear.  Some unwinding time.  And time for the blog!