The First Sunday of the Month = Free Museum Entry

As we were planning out our last couple of days in Paris, we saved a couple of specific museum's for May 5th (1st Sunday of the month).  We were able to explore the Cluny Museum (which means Museum of the Middle Ages) as well as Pompidou (Modern Art Museum) for free!  We had intended on seeing the Thinker at the Rodin Museum, but we spent our day playing on a playground near the Cluny Museum, eating a snack at the fountains outside of Pompidou, and playing in the children's area at Pompidou instead.  Museum going can be difficult for two little ones, but by taking these small breaks to ensure play/free time for them helped them make it through wonderfully.  The entire family had a lot of fun!

The Cluny Museum had been high on my list of museum's to visit after Morgan & I toured through St. Chapelle.  The tour guide at St. Chapelle talked about The Cluny and how some of the original stain glass as well as other original pieces from the Middle Ages were located in this smaller museum.  During the French Revolution, the heads of the 12 Kings of Judah outside of Notre Dame were cut off being mistaken for Kings of France.  A citizen saw this and buried all of the heads in his back yard for safe keeping.  In the 1970s, these heads were discovered.  You can see these original pieces of Notre Dame in the picture below:

Outside of the Museum there was a large chess board with pieces set up.  Amelie and Liam LOVED playing with the pieces.  Liam especially loved the horses as that is one of his favorite words.  Amelie had fun making patterns with the pieces.  The courtyard of the museum had beautiful architecture, and the sun was shining so Bobby and I enjoyed watching them play.

Amelie spent time lining the edge with the pieces, and then placing the horses in the middle.

Near the entrance of the Cluny Museum.

Amelie showcasing the Sundial carved on the wall of the Cluny.

Right outside of the Cluny Museum is a little playground.  We stopped for a picnic while playing on the playground with a family from California.  The family had a little boy near Amelie's age.  He was eating lunch when we first arrived and later his father told us how he hurried through his lunch because he was so excited to hear an English speaker and just HAD to play with her (Amelie).  It was really cute.  Amelie had a wonderful time playing tag and other games while being able to converse with her new friend.   We also had fun talking to the parents and exchanging stories of family life in Paris.

The Pompidou Museum was next on the list.  This museum was on the top of Bobby's list of wanting to visit. When we first arrived we went straight to the Children's Interactive Area.  Amelie and Liam had fun stacking cups, playing with colorful play dough, playing with washers and magnets, and more. Liam flirted with one of the workers by building towers with her while saying "boom" over and over, and then chasing her around if she were to stand up and try to walk away.  He blew her a kiss as we left the area.  There was so much fun modern art in forms of sculptures, paintings, objects, furniture, and more.  We had fun talking with Amelie about the different aspects of art while answering her many "Why" questions.  There were no barriers around the artwork at this museum, but just black lines on the floor instead to indicate where you should not cross to protect the art.  Liam stayed in his stroller for most of the time, but near the end he would not have it.  He was a wrecking ball waiting to happen so we left.

There was a giant ball of play dough in the center of a box.
Using the holes to reach in to grab what you would like. 

The large open rooms encouraged Amelie's artistic dance moves.

View of Sacre Couer from an open area with fountains.

The fountain area was a perfect place to stop and enjoy a snack.

One of the things we love seeing in Paris is the old neighboring the new. 

For some reason, museums exhaust me!  I was happy for what we were able to see and do, but I was relieved that we would not be going to another museum for a couple of weeks at least!