‘Exquisite Ephemera’ is a temporary exhibit in two parts presented simultaneously at the Musée de la Poupée-Paris and at Choco-Story, the chocolate museum, showing a selection of the best Victorian scraps from the ODIN collection.

These two complementary exhibits show images representing children playing with dolls for the Musée de la Poupée and chocolate trading cards representing children from 1875 to 1915 for the chocolate museum Choco-Story.

A combined ticket for the visit of the 2 exhibits at the Musée de la Poupée-Paris and at the  Musée du chocolat / Choco-Story is available.

The kids couldn’t have cared less about the doll museum but I was happily surprised. There was an exhibit of Barbie and Ken dolls dressed as significant people throughout history.  And believe me, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen Ken dressed as Charlemagne.

Virginia Mom got a kick out of Ken as Toulouse-Lautrec because they cut off most of  his legs. I enjoyed Ken as Marat relaxing in a bathtub while Assassin Barbie stands behind him with a tiny knife.

>more

Restaurants, usually. Museums, never (not even closed in a doggie carrier). Post offices, bakeries, boutiques….depends on the dogs and the mood of the people working there. I take my dogs into places that supposedly don’t allow them, like the bakery, because I figure if smokers can pretend they’re blind to signs, then so can I (that and I always clean up after my dogs’ “merde” in public).

You can’t take dogs into food stores, but at the supermarket it’s generally okay to tie your dog up near the entrance (in a place out of the way, preferably). I leave mine near the carts when I go into Franprix and haven’t had any problems yet.

Legally, dogs aren’t allowed in the open-air markets either (although they certainly can’t keep the dirty pigeons out, so I don’t see the difference), but I’ve only been chastised once (and it was by the local police who happened to be at the market, not the stall owners).

You can take small dogs in the Métro and Bus only if they’re in a carrying bag (I let mine out while I’m walking around and put them in their bag during the ride, like in the photo). All dogs can ride in the RER if they’re in a bag or on a leash and muzzled. Dogs carried in a sac ride free, dogs on their leash have to have a ticket (child rate).

I would guess that about half of the hotels in Paris accept pets, spread across every price category from no-star to the Palace hotels (which usually have extra-special pet services). Be sure to get written confirmation, though just in case.

Some taxis don’t want dogs in their car, so it’s best to call and ask in advance. There’s an agency that specializes in transporting pets around Paris, called Taxi Dog, of course. Another dog taxi is the Taxi Animalier.

>more

And thus I sailed through the second trimester, feeling like a million wizard bucks until around the 7th month of pregnancy when I began to feel severe pelvic pain if I moved. As in, moved at ALL. My midwife and the sonogram confirmed that my baby was, in fact, a rather LARGE one and was currently in a posterior position (head down but turned around the wrong way) and therefore pressing on my pelvis. Whatever, I thought. I’m American with German and Dutch roots and I have size 11 feet and I am POWERFUL. None of the men in my family dip below the 6 foot tall mark and besides, I am NINJA. And a WIZARD. I am a NINJA WIZARD. And if anyone could turn this baby around, I COULD. Duh. Talk began of “he might be a 10 pounder” and even though I began to have serious issues making it up and down the 104 steps to our apartment nor could I walk more than a block without searing pain in my groin, or even turn over in bed without crying out….undeterred I marched on, knowing in my heart that I could, in fact, get this big baby out naturally.
No one could tell me any different.
>more

C&A: This large department store reminds me of J.C. Penney’s. Rock-bottom prices but not much selection or style. Still you can get lucky, especially if you are in the market for basics like t-shirts, leggings, and pajamas. Multiple locations in Paris and the suburbs.
Du Pareil au Meme: Fun fabrics, European styling, and great prices make this French chain a winner. They even carry shoes. There are dozens of locations in Ile de France so there’s probably one near you. A few of the stores are for babies only; most offer cute clothes for boys and girls up to age 12 or 14.
>more

For me, the change has been dramatic. After spending most of August in a city where the streets and subways were virtually empty and friends were scattered to the four corners of the earth, some for good, some just for awhile, suddenly my dance card is full again. Meetings at school, social gatherings, new families with loads of questions. My language classes will start again soon. And there’s a crispness in the air that’s an invitation to walk and walk, something that was not so inviting in the dog days of summer. Forget April in Paris, September’s the best.