Bonjour From Paris!

(I'm back from Paris and couldn't blog while on the go because the internet was weird in our hotel....a review of our hotel to come later.  More like a butchering I suppose...)

So we travelled via 3 different countries in 1 single day.  We took the boat from Estonia to Helsinki and then we flew from Helsinki to Paris (a little over 2.5 hours).
By the time we arrived in the airport, it was after 9pm (1 hour behind Finland) and we were exhausted.  There was the option of taking a shuttle bus at the wonderful cost of 17� per person.  Tim had the instructions for how to take the RER (subway) - so we opted for that and it turned out to be significantly cheaper (17,40� for the two of us - kids are free under age of 3 I think) and it took about 35 minutes.
We checked into our hotel, The Royal Cardinnal, and accepted a continental breakfast to be delivered to our room the next morning.  Once we squished ourselves into the elevator - we then noticed it was 6� for breakfast (but not specified if it was per person or per room)....
We quickly prepped for bed and crashed.

The next morning, we awoke early to cloudy skies and it was chilly.
The continental breakfast was our choice of hot beverage or juices (we opted for tea and coffee) and it came with hot milk (I'm used to cold milk to cool off the tea or coffee....so this was different!) and 1 baguette cut in half and 2 croissants.
The baguettes were good but not fresh.  I only say this because there was this off-taste about it and it wasn't hard as a rock or anything - but it wasn't as fresh as the ones you get from the bakeries.  My son devoured the croissants however!
After looking at the shower and figuring out that the bigger knob was the one that controlled the overhead shower head - we managed to get dressed and go explore.  We didn't have to meet our friends for a few hours so we grabbed a map and headed towards the Notre Dame.

A word of advice: go early in the morning - say around 9am or so...because by the time 10:30 rolls around - the line ups are massive for getting in.  Lots of school groups and tourist groups going in too.  There is free admission and you CAN take photos!

*You also have to remove your hat, be dressed respectfully (not necessarily your Sunday best but don't go there dressed like you're going to a club) and be quiet, especially if there is a service going on.*

Inside is breath taking....despite the dim lighting, the stained glass detailing is beautiful and all of it is amazing.

One thing I noticed while inside was the "modern style confessionals".  I've never confessed with a priest before, but typically it's inside a wooden box with a metal grate between you and the priest and your identity is a mystery.  (My husband said he saw those in there but I didn't).

What I did see were clear glass offices with a desk and 2 chairs sitting opposite of each other....and a sign outside saying it was a Confessions area!  How Modern!

While travelling on the bus - you can use a NaviGo (a purple colored electronic pad is located at all entrances for subways and air transportation - not planes but subways that go above ground and on the bus) Pass or you can purchase little tickets (10 for 12�) and insert it into a box to validate them.

One validated ticket is good for 1.5 hours and can usually be used to transfer between transportation systems but there's a trick.  (I forget if it's not used between RER and bus or what...it was complicated!)

It's easy enough to get on the bus with a stroller (you get on at the front and the aisles are wide enough for a standard single stroller) but getting to the RER has it's difficulties!  First of all, because it's a subway system underground - you have a lot of stairs to go down or around....super pain in the neck for a stroller!  Sometimes there are escalators (most times they are broken or stopped the direction that you need to go of course!)....and there's an occasional elevator...but not often!  So if you can  - back pack!

Sure lots of people have strollers with older children and the kid hops out and goes up/down the stairs by themselves while you maneuver the stroller along the stair well....but if your kid is asleep - then it can be difficult waking up a sleepy little one....

(The buses have an empty space in the middle for strollers or wheel chairs)

Oh and don't sneak onto the bus through the back door!  I saw 2 girls sneak on through the back door and the driver caught them, yelled loudly (how embarrassing!) and they exited the bus to get on through the front and pay.

Eating out in Paris

• Taxes and tips are included in the price
• There was a great little grilli place beside the hotel we stayed at - it was cheap, tasty and very friendly people working there (don't go at lunch time - you'll be yelling a lot to get your order!)
• There's a "Great Canadian Pub" with very expensive prices
• Pop can be expensive (at least 3� for a glass)
• Crepes are wonderful, cheap and can be hearty if you order the savoury ones!
• We went to a crepperie with our friend and it did not accept card payments...only cash
• Their savoury crepes were made with buckwheat
• We ate at the Mosque for lunch on our last day there and if you are a woman - be warned!  Not all waiters enjoy serving women and many don't.  So if you are a mixed group - then often the men will be served nicely and the women will have their plates tossed onto the table.
• The inside is beautiful and the food is tasty!!!!
• They also serve a mint tea and pour it from great heights (our waiter didn't...) and they have a platter of sweets and charge you based on how many you eat...it was so tasty!

Some lamb with prunes and almonds...no couscous or rice though.

Pouring the mint tea (the other waiters were pouring it from a much taller height...he probably doesn't like women).

We had some extra guests join us...

The delicious platter of pastries!

My choice...dates with walnuts

School System in Paris

• Kids start at the age of 3....as in they're sitting in a desk and learning - not running around and playing like most pre-schools at that age.  They start to prepare for regular school from the ages of 3-6.
• Kids go to school (regular school) from 8:30am-4:30pm
• They go to school 4x a week and have Wednesdays and weekends off, then they have 2 WEEKS OFF.  This cycle repeats itself throughout the year.
• Summer break is for nearly a full 2 months (July and August) and they resume school the first week of September.
• Christmas break is typically 2-2.5 weeks depending on when the holidays fall (similar to Canada)
• For lunch - they get a 3-course meal everyday
• They don't have school books...the teachers photocopy the school books and put them in a duotang of sorts.  (Why I don't know).
• Parents pick up their kids from school (or a friend does and there's a mutual meeting place) and then they get a baguette...EVERYDAY.  I found this interesting because I personally would think a baguette everyday would be very boring - but  I guess it's not for the kids.

Random Bits and Pieces

• You don't buy stamps at the Post Office...I know what an odd idea!  You buy them at the tobacco shops.
• The French are very proud of their postal system - to the point if you're trying to drop off a form - they ask that you put it in the mail box. (A friend experienced this).
• Don't drive here - it's not worth all the gas (and money) you'll burn.  It's cheaper and much easier to go by foot, bus or RER.  
• It took our friends about 4 hours to drive back from the airport after dropping a friend off (it takes 35 minutes by subway/RER)
• Most public bathrooms are free and they automatically disinfect themselves (how I don't know - I never needed the bathroom when we went by one).
• There's a lot of terrible parking here...and terrible driving - you can tell by the cars parking along the curve of the corner between 2 cross walks...Oh and by the scratches, scrapes and dents in the vehicles.
• If your kid throws a tantrum - don't be surprised if a random stranger will lecture them VERY LOUDLY (and in French)....this simply doesn't happen in Finland and often not in Canada either.  You typically mind your own business and let the parent do their thing.
• PICK POCKETING DOES HAPPEN!  If you are approached by people (typically of Roma culture or something similar) who are using sign language to you and shoving a clip board in your face with some pages on it (like a petition for you to sign) - DON'T SIGN IT.  Why? Because while you're reading what it's about - someone is pick pocketing you at the same time from behind.
• Just don't sign anything....it's far too risky.
• Cell phones are dirt cheap here  - but majority of the companies require you sign up for a contract of a minimum of 2 years.
• Disney Paris has a train that can go there frequently...oh and the entrance fee is 51� per child, 57� per adult (although...there IS a sale right now that adults can get in for a child fee...).  Needless to say - we didn't go.
• We did go to the Eiffel Tower (tour de Eiffel) via RER and it was huge.  There's a lengthy line up to go up the ET...get there by 9am if you don't want to wait too long.
• Same with the Louvre - we saw the outside of it but didn't have time to go inside...maybe next time!
• We were warned about an excessive amount of dog poop on the ground and that approximately 600 people get hospitalized from sliding in it and hurting themselves. (Hence why we didn't bring a stroller).
• However, if you stick to tourist locations - you rarely see any...there was more in Finland than in Paris.

The Tallinn Zoo...and overall impression of Tallinn

Yesterday we finally made it to the zoo.
We stopped by an R-Kioski to get our day pass for the bus/trolley and it was 4,74� for 24 hours of use.  We also swung by the bakery and got some delicious pastries that looked like 2 triangles put together, a little sticky looking on the outside and drizzled in chocolate.  Can't get any better - right?  Wrong.  Inside it turns out that this flakey pastry contained 2 sticks of chocolate!!!  Yep - every Monday should start off on that note.

So back to the bus/trolley pass...it looks like a little ticket stub and has "24 HOURS" printed on it (they also sell 3 day passes but for our case - we just needed the 1) in Estonian and when you get onto the trolley (not sure if it's the same as the bus) - you insert your pass into a little box and it stamps the date on it.
You only do this once and only need to show it when asked. 
The Estonian transportation system seems to run based on an honour system.  You can board the trolley at any one of it's doors (I believe there are 3 sets of doors) and just sit down or stand.  The trolley beeps loudly, the door shuts, there's an automated voice telling you what the next stop will be (yes "Zoo" sounds the same in Estonian as it does in English!) and you come and go as you like.  But be warned - if you are caught on the trolley without a properly dated ticket there's a fine of 40� (not sure what else is involved as the signs were in Russian and Estonian).

So we get to the Zoo and it's 6� for an all-day family pass.  The lady was confused as to why we wanted a "family pass" because she thought my husband was carrying a back pack...then she saw V�in� and was like "OHHHHH a BABY!"
The pass looks like a few receipts with barcodes on them and then this little old lady comes over and swipes them on the scanner and you get in.  The first thing you see is a big black statue of the word "ZOO" and some wooden trolleys to pull your kids around in.  Oh how handy!  Seeing as we didn't have a stroller - this was very useful and cost only 1� to rent it for the day.
We popped V�in� in a wooden trolley (wagon) and off we went to explore! 
*PLEASE NOTE: WHEN TOURING THE ZOO- ensure you have lots of batteries for your camera or an extra lithium one....mine died after about 150 photos or so....and it turned out there was a lot more to see than I expected!!**  AS WELL the indoor exhibits for the reptiles and fish request you do not use a flash as it disturbs the animals - please follow this...I saw some people who obviously could not read and was shocked at their rudeness by getting very close to the glass and letting their camera do the flashing.  Poor animals.  It stresses them out and can hurt them!** (Oh and the signs are in Estonian, English and Russian)

Some animals that I can remember off the top of my head (and of course not in order!):

• Goats of all kinds of varieties! (Including sheep and rams)
• Some were doing their mating call and it sounded like sneezing (or snorting) on the female and then a high-pitched "uh blub blub blub uh blub blub blub" - funniest thing ever!
• Snow Leopard (couldn't see them - they were hiding)
• Lion and lioness
• 2 beautiful tigers (I have never seen them before up close!)
• 2-3 polar bears (these were a huge hit with my 1.5 year old as they were walking around their enclosure and then standing very tall!)
• Lynx
• Puma
• Monkeys of various varieties (some are part of an indoor exhibit but do have access to outside during certain parts of the day) including chimps!
• Reptiles and other "dangerous" animals (i.e. crocodile or alligator and flesh-eating fish) were enclosed in an indoor exhibit
• Hippos
• Camels
• Kangaroos
• Wallabys
• Donkeys
• Warthogs (and other hogs)
• WIDE variety of birds (cranes, pheasants and others)
• The rhino has passed away after living to be 41 years old (in 2010) - but they're hoping to get more soon
• Elephants (there's an indoor elephant exhibit during parts of the day but mostly they are outside) 
•  The male, Carl, had his tusks removed due to him damaging them and causing him great pain.  There's a panel of information and photos of his surgery - OUCH!
• Turtles and tortoises
• Striped hyena
• Predator birds (eagles, falcons, hawks etc) - unfortunately this was temporarily closed - but we saw people walking around the blockades anyway...grr!

So many more animals but it was definitely worth every penny!  An individual adult fare was 3,20� and you can find more information here.

We spent over 3 hours here and managed to see everything there was to be seen - but would've loved to stay longer!

One thing I did do for V�in�, was get him a collector's coin.  It was in a machine that you pop in 2� and picked a silver coin that had a polar bear or an elephant on it.  I had to get the one with a polar bear on it - since he was so amazed by them.  On the back is written "Estonian Heritage Coin" with a map of Estonia and on the front, had a carving of a Polar Bear.
There was another machine that was similar but it only took 1,05�.  Seriously - and of course - I did not have 5 Euro Cents!  I think that machine allowed you to pick one of 3 designs and it flattened the 5 Euro Cents coin and imprinted the design on it as you cranked the handle.  Ah well.
The trolley stops across from the Zoo and there's a McDonalds, a Hesburger, a car dealership and a Prisma (and mall) across from the Zoo too.  So if you wanted to grab a quick bite to eat first - then mosey on over to the Zoo - it's one way to go!
There are also lots of picnic areas in the Zoo itself - as another option.  We saw a couple concession stands selling popcorn and cotton candy...and one cabin that sold more food (I think).

On your way out, the bus stop/trolley stop is right at the end and a little to your left (blue and white signs) and if you catch the #7 - it'll take you right back downtown (or relatively near).

Last night we walked around the Town Square some more and just relaxed.  We ate at a Chinese restaurant that was really cheap but tasty called the "Chinese Inn" and walked around some more.  We were stopped by a lady dressed in Medieval gear and she gave us some coins to get us a free drink with our meal..."But if you do not go to Olde Hansa today, surely can come back in the next 700 years and still use this coin!"
Olde Hansa is a beautiful, old medieval restaurant that was a bit out of our price range - as we're travelling to Canada so soon - but we'll definitely go back and try it (and make use of our free drinks!)!

Overall, I'd have to say we were extremely pleased with our trip to Tallinn and have already made plans to come back again.  I'll be making a separate post on bits of tidbits we picked up while in Tallinn - that'll hopefully help you on your adventure here - should you have the great oppourtunity to visit!

**We did not make it to the Open Air Museum - which is a real shame - but we'll try that next time!  I also plan on getting some almonds downtown today...or at least sample them!**