Our apartment is about five blocks from the magnificent Luxembourg Gardens in a corner of the 6th Arrondissement near Montparnasse. It’s a bit like bridging the Upper West Side (our immediate neighborhood) and Paramus, N.J., represented by the massive stores and malls about four 
blocks in the opposite direction.
Best part of the neighborhood: The fanciest supermarket I’ve ever seen. I mean this place as something like eight shelves worth of just foie gras. It has a fromagerie, a boucherie, the freshest of fresh fruits and vegetables, a poissonerie (fish section) we’ll check out soon.
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Miss Devon (our grandaughter, age 7) is becoming a connoisseur of baguettes. This morning she and Kathy were gushing about the “light and airy” tradition I brought back after a successful search for an adapter. (I walked about a mile before later finding a store that probably sold them about two blocks away). In our apartment, Devon gets to 
eat breakfast in bed since her bedroom is also the living room and kitchen. These days she’s living on baguettes and the best butter any of us have ever tasted, a bit of ham, waffles and a whole lot of ice cream, which keeps her dancing. Thank goodness she loves baguettes.
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Parisians truly must be the best-read people on the planet. The number of used book stores in Paris absolutely boggles the mind. I’m thinking someone must be buying and reading at least some of these books for all the stores to stay in business. There’s a reason the French are known as philosophers. They actually know something to back up their musings though they’ll likely let you know it if they have doubts about the brain matter you’ve got between your ears.
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It’s late. But just a word about the Eiffel Tower. Looking at Paris through the eyes of a 7-year-old is remarkable. It IS the Eiffel Tower. Today we saw it by boat, by ferris wheel (from the top) and by night on the Pont Neuf.
“Look, look, look,” Devon managed, jumping up and down when the lights began to sparkle at 10 p.m.
She started the day with imaginary play between two little bears that we bought as a first step in replacing her stolen luggage.
“Mama,” she said, playing the role of the baby bear. “I’m going to climb the Eiffel 
Tower today, with my hands behind my back.”
Later she was singing a new song: “I’ve been studying the Eiffel Tower, and I know all about it.”
Devon just may have to come back here someday as a diplomat. Today, on the Rue de Rivoli, where she bought a mother and baby owl (replacement project No. 2), the store owner gave her a Paris pen for free after she thanked him in French. Later, after we stopped for a drink before the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle, the waiter at the bistro gave her a half bow and “you’re welcome” after she thanked him in French.
She, of course, is loving the kindness and attention.