I replied, “Actually, they do have fried potatoes that they call ‘frites,’ which are translated to ‘fries’ in English.”
“But why aren’t they called French frites?” asked Flat Stanley.
“Well, that’s because we’re already in France. You wouldn’t call hot dogs, American hot dogs, right?” I explained. I think he understood, but occasionally he would still call them French frites.
After telling Flat Stanley about frites I told him about the Eiffel tower. It is a huge metal structure that was erected by a man named Gustave Eiffel for the World’s Fair that was held in Paris in 1889. At the time, it symbolized an amazing feat of engineering and inspired architects and engineers for years after. He wanted to see it immediately. As soon as we walked out of our hotel we saw it. “Look, Roro,” yelled an excited Flat Stanley. “There’s the Eiffel Tower. But it looks so small.”
“That’s because we’re really far away from it,” I told him. “Let’s get closer. But first, let’s go to the market and get some food for a picnic.”
“Oh goody,” shouted Flat Stanley. “I love a picnic!”
At the market we saw lots of yummy things, like strawberries.
And we also saw some not so yummy things, like crayfish.
“Roro!!!” yelled Flat Stanley. “That crayfish is still moving. I am NOT eating that.”
“Don’t worry, Flat Stanley,” I replied with a laugh. “We’ll stick to things that are a little more tasty and a little less squirmy.”
After we got food for our picnic we went to the park near the Eiffel Tower called Champs de Mars. We picked a spot in the shade, surrounded by sunbathing Parisians and set out the food – a warm baguette and four different types of cheese.
I told Flat Stanley to pose for a picture. “Cheese.”
After our picnic we went to get a better look at the Eiffel Tower.
“Wow!” exclaimed Flat Stanley. “This really is big!!!”
It was starting to get late and I still wanted to take Flat Stanley to the Louvre so we found some bikes.
“Yay!” exclaimed Flat Stanley. “I love riding bikes!!!”
Then we rode our bike across the Seine, the river that divides Paris. On the other side, we went to the Louvre, which is a massive museum that holds all sorts of works of art, like the Mona Lisa. But we didn’t go inside. Instead, we sat in the main courtyard and waited for the sun to set. Then the pyramids of the Louvre were lit.
“Oh, wow, Roro,” said Flat Stanley. “This is really pretty. Paris is pretty, just like the statue we saw in Helsinki.”
After the excitement of Paris, we got on a sleeper train. In the morning, we woke up in another city.
“Good morning, Flat Stanley,” I said. “Time to wake up and explore Rome!”