La Seine in winter

Bare tree branches reveal the architectural beauty of Paris. The low angle light turns the cityscape into silhouette. Sunglasses would be unexpectedly useful in a sunny winter day.

The bus we were waiting for to Madame France’s apartment only came once every 45 minutes due to the holidays. Waiting in a freezing (but no snow) temperature with two kids was not fun. Kids tend to feel the need to use restrooms more frequently in cold weathers. We found a hospital nearby, unbundled them, re-bundled them, came back just in time to miss the bus, and waited for the next one.

Monci and Hoohoo were able to entertain themselves with games they learned from school. Feline was hoping a bus would show up magically early. I just breathed in the fresh cold air, appreciated the golden brown colors and shadows casted on the buildings along La Seine, and watched a lone man walking by…

1500 years of holy music at Notre Dame

Christmas 2004 - no snow but chilly. We took the RER(subway) to Paris and got off at the stop to Notre Dame Cathedral. The city was half empty. A huge Christmas tree sat in the center of the courtyard. Tourists wandered around and took some snap shots.

We saw a sign posted the schedule of Christmas services. "10 o'clock has a Gregorian chant Mass." said Feline. WoW! A mass with choir inside this famous landmark on Christmas day! Monci and Hoohoo were excited. None of us except Feline has this kind of experience before. (She obtained her first master degree in Paris 10 years ago.) Feline suggested that we went inside as spectators because we needed to catch a bus to Madame France’s apartment for the Christmas lunch she invited us to.



The cathedral opens every day. Yes, every day! If you count holidays and special celebrations, there are more than 2000 celebrations at Notre-Dame each year. It is very generous to visitors. Even when there is a mass service, people are allowed to follow a circular route touring the fantastic interior of the cathedral.

Monci and Hoohoo followed the line with us quietly. It was dark and gently lighted only by a few wall lamps, candles and the natural light through its many beautiful stained-glass windows including the famous South Rose Window. If you are good at math, here are some facts about the South Rose Window. It has eighty-four panes divided into four circles. The first one has twelve medallions and the second has twenty-four. A third circle is made up of quadrilobes, and the fourth circle has twenty-four trilobes medallions. This window features the symbolic number four, along with its multiples, twelve and twenty-four. The South Rose Window is admired by millions of people every year, including two little souls on Christmas day of year 2004!

Our first and only Christmas Eve in France.

Feline’s friend Ching invited us to her apartment for the Christmas Eve dinner. We all put on either red sweatshirts or sweaters showing our holiday spirits.

Ching’s place is about 15 minutes walk from ours. They live on the 4th floor in a building within an apartment complex. It has two bedrooms/one bath with a living room and a kitchen. The kitchens in France's apartment usually do not have storage spaces.  You buy fresh produce almost every day.  Ching prepared a hearty feast within an hour feeding eight mouths that night!

Ching's two kids C. was 7 years old at that time and P. was 4.  Monci (age 7) was building the base of the "Taipei 101" and Hoohoo (age 6)  was stunned by this grand structure.

How do I start?

It took me a whole day thinking how I am going to present this blog. Starting from the very beginning? Or corresponding with the current dates, current holidays? I browsed through all the photos during that year which most of them are buried deeply in my hard drive since we left France. The more I looked at them, the more I wanted to do that year’s Christmas first. I assume my readers have super time-line linking abilities .

Spring Break, 2004...

April 2004, Hoohoo (my daughter) was in Kindergarten. We used the school spring break for a 7 day trip to Japan and visited our families in Taiwan after that. My sister Feline, a senior editor for a museum in Taiwan, was working on an application for her second master in University of Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle. She said “If everything goes well, I may have a one year leave for my study in Paris. Do you want to come with me?” Paris, one year! I didn’t think too much about the details and just answered “Sure!”     ( To be continue...  )