Paris was the final destination of a two week trip with our children (ages 10,12,14) that included Rome, Venice and Switzerland.
We arrived by TGV at Gare du Nord at 5:00PM. We got a few carnets and navigated our way to the metro to go to our apartment. We had discussed before arriving that I would go first in the metro and dad would be the last one on but some how the 10 and 12 year olds got on first and the doors shut!! After a few seconds of mouths gaping and eyes popping, we prayed the kids would remember the talk about what to do if separated on the metro. We jumped on the next train and when it stopped, there they were on the platform, waiting just like they were supposed to.
Some friends who live in Paris let us use their apartment for our stay as they were in the States at that time. It%26#39;s a great location on the Seine across from Ile de Cite. No elevator but 101 stairs! After hoisting our suitcases up the stairs, we headed out. I asked my 10 year old son what he thought of Paris so far and he said %26quot;Breath taking!%26quot; What a boy!! We ate dinner at a nearby creperie and went to the Eiffel Tower. We got in line at 9PM and didn%26#39;t get home until midnight.
Wednesday: we were among the first in line for the towers at Notre Dame which we all enjoyed very much. After exploring the Cathedral, we got in line for Sainte Chapelle. Well worth the wait! We jumped on the metro and headed to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur and Place du Tertre after lunch. We went back to the apartment. I took the 12 year old to the grocery store while the others took naps. A drunk man in line in front of us kept asking if we liked cookies. We had a little picnic by the Seine before heading to the Louvre. One of my son%26#39;s highlights of the whole trip was seeing the Mona Lisa.
Thursday: This is the day we were warned not to attempt! We got on an early train to Chartres and were at the Cathedral by 9:30. We spent a little over an hour enjoying the Cathedral. We grabbed some sandwiches to eat on the train. Those sandiches were perhaps the best I%26#39;ve ever eaten!! We got off at Versailles Chantiers
to spend the rest of the day at the Chateau. After playing %26quot;dodge the tour group%26quot; in the palace, we walked to the Trianons and Marie Antoinette%26#39;s Hameau. We walked back to the palace, did a little shopping on the way to the RER station and ate dinner near the atation.We rode the RER straight back to our stop at St. Michel. We had no trouble visiting these two places in one day. Granted, we didn%26#39;t soak in every detail but I%26#39;%26#39;m glad that I was able to show my children two of my favorite places.
Friday: First, Opera Garnier. Our oldest daughter is a fairly serious ballerina and loved seeing this. We walked to Place Vendome and Place de la Concorde. After a picnic lunch in the Tuileries, we went to the Orangerie. Everyone loved the Water Lillies but they were underwhelmed with the rest. Next it was off the to the Orsay and went straight upstairs to the Impressionists. Now those made an impression! :) We spent the rest of the day there. We walked back to Ile de Cite to have dinner at Restaurant Paul. I%26#39;ve been thinking about their blanquette de veau since I had it last November. We walked to Ile St. Louis to finally try Berthillon%26#39;s ice cream but alas! it was closed. We did buy some from a nearby cafe that was selling Berthillon%26#39;s. Sorry Shoesy, we liked Italian gelato better.
Saturday: the flight home. First we go off at the first RER stop at CDG instead of the second. After getting to the proper terminal, it still took forever to find the Delta check in counter. Then passport control and security took forever and finally, we had to ride a bus forever to get to our gate.
Advice on traveling with kids: Remember it is a family trip, not a kid trip or adult trip. Include things to appeal to everyone. Pay close attention to everyone%26#39;s basic needs: who needs a snack? a rest? a bathroom? etc. Go at the pace of the youngest one. Discuss things like pickpockets, how to use the metro, etc that your child may not be familiar with at home. Forewarned is forearmed.
|||
Thanks for sharing your trip report!!!
I agree about the gelato ... I tasted my hubby%26#39;s and it was so great!
I found the metro story great! see kids do listen!!!
|||
First of all, you needn%26#39;t apologize for preferring the gelato. You%26#39;re not the only one, and while I might make my food preferences known, I never expect anyone to have the exact same taste as I do, not would I ever think less of anyone even if he claimed that he hated Berthillon ice-cream. Let%26#39;s face it, I don%26#39;t like wine, which probably sounds obscene to so many of you!!!
How fortunate that you had discussed the metro issue with your kids before the trip! I can%26#39;t imagine what might have happened if you hadn%26#39;t done that.
That apt. you stayed in is in such a prime location. I really can%26#39;t imagine any place being more central. You were very lucky to have been able to stay there. As for the 101 stairs, WOW!!!!!!!
|||
We were fortunate to use that apartment but it made me very thankful that I didn%26#39;t need to haul groceries up all those stairs on a regular basis. The only other drawback was that the windows opened onto Rue de la Huchette which is a tiny street full of bars. With no AC, we had to open the windows to cool off the apartment and listen to the bar activity. The windows, though, were amazingly sound proof when shut. We were very surprised at how quiet it was with the windows closed.
|||
That sounds like a wonderful intro to Paris for your children (and they sound like really great kids!). Glad you had a good time, but be aware that now they will want to go back every year!
|||
Thanks, Berkeley! I wonder if there is a travel gene?
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 4:19 am, September 04, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment