Paris

It took me a while to pull it all together, but here is my update from the Paris half of our spring vacation.  Gabe and I have such a love for Italy that we were both secretly concerned that Paris wouldn't compare for us.  I'm not sure quite why we thought we would be immune to the charms of a city that has won over millions before us but there you have it.  Fortunately our worries were completely unfounded.  The day we arrived, the sun was shining on a beautiful spring day, and Parisians were bursting out of all the cafes and strolling through the parks.  It was beautiful.

We also found the city extremely hospitable.  There are maps all over the city as well as public restrooms (some more clean than others).  And the Parisians were incredibly friendly.  Maybe it was the children's effort to speak French, but we found many people who went out of their way to help us.

We marched the children all over the city, including to many museums and sites.  Gabe carried Chloe a bit, but mostly, they all walked and walked.  We structured our days so that we visited a museum or historic site in the morning and did something more child-focused in the afternoon, like visit the Luxembourg Gardens or take a ride on the Bateau Mouche.  This seemed to work well for us, as did the series of bribes that we used.  As a wise woman once told me, "You wouldn't work either if they didn't pay you."  And so we liberally offered pastries and Euros in exchange for days of peace.   

We also had a good bit of luck.  The weather was great throughout the week and we left before the volcanic ash cloud descended over the continent.

Here is some practical information that you may find useful if you travel with your children to Paris.  Of course, the best thing to do is to discover your own Paris, but I share our experiences for what they are worth.  And, as always, here are lots of photos.

Books we read before our trip:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Adele & Simon by Barbara McClintock

This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek 

Eloise in Paris by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight

I wish I had also read The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas because so much of it takes place in the Louvre when it was still a palace.  Maybe I'll read it now.

Our favorite Guide books:

Fodor's Paris

Knopf Citymap

Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris by Clotilde Dusoulier 

Fodor's Around Paris with Kids

We booked our apartment through:  VacationinParis.com

Our favorite places:

 
The Eiffel Tower, especially seeing it shimmer for 5 minutes on the hour beginning at 9 p.m.;

 
 
The fantastic playground, carousel, puppet show, and pond with boats to sail in the Jardins du Luxembourg;

The trampoline and carousel in the Tuilleries, and meeting up with Ophélie and her family;

 
The Rodin Museum with most of its sculptures outside;

Window shopping along the Rue Cherche-Midi;

 
A ride on the Bateau Mouche;

 
The clock at the Musée d'Orsay (unfortunately the floor on which the inner workings of the clock are visible was closed for renovations);

 


 
The view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe;

 


   
 
The gargoyles and stained glass windows in Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur;

Wandering through the streets of Le Marais;


 
Pondering modern art at the Centre Pompidou, and taking in the street theater and fountain outside;

 
Walking down the Champs Élyseés and neighboring streets;

 


 
Sitting, drawing, and pretending to paint, surrounded by water lillies, at the Orangerie.

Our least favorite place:

Sadly, the size of the Louvre and its crowds made it tough on the kids.  They liked seeing the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory, but didn't like wading through throngs of people.

   

Favorite eats: 

The tartines at Cuisine de Bar;

The various shops on Rue Cler for food & drink to go;

Pain & Chocolat for the best croissants we had, perfectly soft scrambled eggs, and fantastic pastries;

La Terrasse du 7ieme, a brasserie with delicious food and incredibly friendly service close to the Eiffel Tower;

Bread & Roses with delicious baked goods and quiches to eat in or carry out just west of the Jardin du Luxembourg;

Les Delices de Aphrodite for excellent Greek food, although the service was a bit spotty;

Bioboa where we had a very fresh tasty lunch with many vegetarian options;

 
La Loir dans La Theiere in the Marais with delicious quiches and couscous, and some serious desserts.

Macaroons!

If you're interested, keep scrolling down for more, more, and more photos!


 
 
 

 

 
 

 

 

Comments

[Andrea]

Amazing! What a lovely trip for all of you. And that lemon meringue pie...wow!

[Leah]

Wonderful photos. I (of course) went to Paris without a camera (!) and seeing your shots taken just a week after my trip is like a boon of having had my memories preserved by another. Thank you for sharing! I am once again struck by the idea that we really should get our families together for a game night and shared meal (en francais, bien sur) soon.

[Nancye]

Wow, what great photos. I'm imagining my family in Paris in a year or two, little Nicholas being our translator. Of course, we would substitute Berlin for Rome as Phil's brother is there (or we could do all three- Paris, Berlin, and Rome- why not have quad-lingual kids!!)

[Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama]

What wonderful photos and a spectacular trip! Thanks for letting me live vicariously through your travels!

[Margy]

Thanks, everyone, it was indeed a great trip.

Leah, I'd love to get together and try to speak French but you'll have to be patient! It's so much easier to mangle verb tenses to strangers.

Nancye, I hope Nicholas leads you into a delightful new world.

[Sarah]

Fantastique!!! Now I am really dying to get back over there!!!

[Margy]

Yes, Sarah, do it!

[Margy]

I just looked at these pictures again and I liked them! Macarons! It makes me want to go back there.
- Chloe