Paris Vacation: How could we afford not to go?
Our family doesn't do anything small, with four kids and two dogs, nothing holds us back, including international travel! Over the holidays as my husband and I bemoaned the outcome of the election, and difficult 2016 endured by our family's relocation from Colorado to Oregon, (which included surviving the toughest housing market, subsequent mediation and hiring of contractors to make our home livable), we decided to Carpé Diem... and purchase plane tickets to Paris. Because why not? With little money left in our pockets from the move and home purchase, the status of U.S. diplomacy spiraling back 50 years, passports already in hand, rock-bottom airline tickets, and long-time friends/former colleagues living in Paris until June, I simply told my husband "how could we afford not to go?" (Luckily our friends said 'yes' to our logic and welcomed us into their home, for which we are eternally grateful to experience the vacation of a lifetime!)
Having lived and studied in France some 20+ years ago, I was personally eager to share my fond memories with my four children, teach them some of the language, and, as U.S. ambassadors to France, not create an international incident! Rick Steves' Paris book provided useful knowledge as I created our eight day itinerary, with children in mind. The success of our vacation is primarily why I wish to personally recount the highlights, and to ensure that, with proper planning, even a family of six can enjoy a family vacation to Paris!
Day 1 (Wed/Thursday): International flights are fantastic for children. I don't know why I even required them to bring books to read, no one cracked a book. Forget the Dramamine for the ten hour flight. Nowadays with electronics galore at your children's fingertips, it's like unfettered access alone in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! I almost forgot that my children were beside me, except when I wanted to choose an 'R' rated spy movie for myself, then quickly realized they were too consumed by their own games and movies to notice me anyway. With all this entertainment, parents might be tempted to purchase a round trip ticket to Timbuktu and send the kids off for two days on their own, except for the unavoidable jet lag and requirement to keep the kids up all day after you arrive in Europe from America.... Uber was a fantastic service from the airport (despite my fervent reservations about their pervasive corporate sexual discrimination) because it allowed the kids to 'cat nap' in the van for 45 minutes without having to schlep luggage through the métro, like I did in my twenties, staving off pick-pocketing thieves. Upon arrival, though not the norm at home, we stopped frequently for 'un coca-cola', to caffeinate the children and push through until at least 7 pm local time.
Day 2 (Friday): Keep it light, literally and figuratively! We needed fresh air and sunny weather, having traveled from Oregon's rainy season on spring break, and sunshine trains the body to stay awake. An easy walk from our 'AirB&B-esque' apartment in the 17th arrondissement, we ventured to L'Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Élysées (stopping for lunch and more necessary coca-cola at a café), Place de la Concorde, and Le Jardin des Tuileries. The Jardin des Tuileries had a fantastic playground and afforded the opportunity for the children to run wild, and their adults to observe children bonding by laughing and playing together, no matter a common language. An international lesson for us all! An Egyptian obelisk at Place de la Concorde, the oldest monument in Paris, was the former site of the guillotine and throngs of observers during the French Revolution. The children were amused when we stopped to 'Google' guillotine on site, and we were all fascinated to learn of its last use in 1977, having remained France's standard method of 'judicial' execution until 1981. The timing of this stop and research prior to Versailles, proved useful in our study of the guillotine and its victims, and likely the most vivid memory for years to come.
Day 3 (Saturday): I booked the most fabulous bike tour of the Left Bank, prior to arriving in France (and if you bring the Rick Steves book, they'll give you a 10% discount on the tour). I also paid an extra 10 euros/person for a Seine river cruise, added during the bike tour booking, with tickets to be used at our leisure. BikeAboutTours.com, with bikes to accommodate all sizes, including toddlers in seats, proved to be an easy and eventful way to see Paris! I specifically chose this tour because it focused on the back streets and local areas, as well as scenes from the movie Ratatouille (no spoiler alert, take the bike tour!), and 'Space Invaders' street art, all of which were highlights for the kids.
Our tour began at 10am and ended around 3 pm, with a lunch break stop in the Latin Quarter, and no hills equated to less whine and more wine for us all! At the end of the week, the kids unanimously said the bike tour was a fave. We hit Parc Monceau for some soccer and running at the end of the day to experience the local culture; I'm always surprised by the dichotomy of cigarettes and exercise in France.
Day 4 (Sunday): We opted to purchase a four day museum pass for each adult at the airport upon arrival. They are easily purchased at the red information desk, and a two, four or six day pass are available for purchase. The majority of museums and monuments in Paris offer free admission for children under age 18, so the museum pass allows families to skip the extremely long lines. The only caveat is that, once validated, the pass must be used for its duration on consecutive days, which is why we opted to validate on Sunday. The pass conveniently outlines all the museums and monuments included, along with hours of operation.
We promptly headed to Centre Pompidou to witness modern art and the kids gallery, along with the outdoor mechanical Stravinsky fountain. In typical French fashion, Pompidou's museum workers were on strike, as it turns out for the entire week we were in Paris, and the jovial Stravinsky fountain was not yet spouting water for the season. As such, we decided to purchase crêpes from a vendor and observe the locals and visitors who, unable to read French, were amusingly perplexed by the museum's closure and could be found aimlessly milling about.
After refueling with caffeine, we ventured to Notre-Dame to witness Sunday mass in the magnificent cathedral. The children enjoyed the stained glass and enormity of Notre-Dame, along with the individual chapels located within. I was impressed when my eldest and youngest children stopped to pray in a private chapel (likely for their non-religious siblings) and even more so when we maintained decorum as a family.
A celebration was thereby in order, following our Notre-Dame success, at the famed Berthillon, offering 'les glaces' (ice cream/gelato) on nearby Île Saint-Louis. Always a fan of encouraging the children to order in French, this proved to be another fun opportunity to learn flavors 'en français' as well. Pleasantly enjoying our decadent cones, like characters in a movie we sauntered along the Seine, stopping to listen to a jazz band and view the local artists and street performers near Notre-Dame de Paris. I'd be lying to say it was exactly like a movie, because with four kids there is always chasing and touching involved at the expense of Parisian passers-by...
We capped off our day by finally validating our museum pass to view the city lights from the top of L'Arc de Triomphe. An impressively lit city by night, we were able to view the stunning Eiffel Tour light show. The glimmering Eiffel Tour light show occurs every hour on the hour, from sunset until 1am. Provided you can navigate the 284 spiral stairs, the view is spectacular from the top.
Day 5 (Monday): This was our most ambitious day as we aspired to indulge our children in art appreciation at the Louvre. Apparently if you view every item in the Louvre for 60 seconds, it will take you six months to see all the exhibits. As parents, we were not up for the challenge with four children who would rather endure hours of French language tutoring than study art! Nonetheless, we persisted and our museum pass greatly shortened our time in line. We headed promptly for the gift shop and purchased six postcards of famous art sculptures and paintings for a 'mom-inspired' forced family fun scavenger hunt. Who doesn't love a scavenger hunt, á la DaVinci Code? We set off to find our treasures.
My six year old scored the first wins by locating the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. (Actually, he tried to steal all the winning fun in true sibling rivalry form.) We capped off the tour finding 'Fruit Guy' and French Revolution paintings (by Giuseppe Arcimboldo and Eugène Delacroix, respectively) and discovered how the medieval fortress became a palace and then a museum. The beauty of a scavenger hunt is that you cannot help but acknowledge other works of art along the way! We saved our impressionist post cards purchased for the Musée D'Orsay the following day and decided to buy lunch at Chez Paul and eat in the atrium of the Louvre. (Chez Paul, while poo poo'd by the locals, who ironically eat at McDonald's, is an excellent low priced option for baguette sandwiches and pastries, and perfect for families needing lunch or a free bathroom.) While we didn't spend the day at the Louvre, it was the perfect amount of art appreciation and history for the children.
At my insistence, we headed to the Jardin de Luxembourg to observe games (chess, pétanque, basketball, etc.) and experience la vie française. Along the way, a jovial frenchman who seemingly spoke no English, observed us looking at our large fold-out map 'old-school' style, as we were burning through our internet data faster than euros on the vacation. He insisted on leading us through the winding streets of St. Germain des Prés, stopping to call his son for directions to the Jardin de Luxembourg (one of the largest parks in Paris). Perplexing; on the one hand, I was thrilled to utilize my français as the only family member who could speak with him, and yet I was somewhat uncomfortable that he was on the phone guiding us in our blind trust. I was somewhat relieved when he departed, leaving us nearby the park and handing my children 25 euros and a smile. "See, the French really are nice when you use the language," I declared to my children, proud to disavow the common stereotype, yet ironically still in need of a map to locate the park.
The children insisted on spending the money immediately on 'plus des glaces' at Amorino, and equally magnificent all-natural emporium that layered the flavorful gelato scoops as petals of a flower.
Located by the church of Saint-Sulpice, Amorino's gelato sustained us long enough to observe another catholic church with architecture contrasting the gothic style of Notre-Dame. For entertainment purposes, we also took off our shoes and stepped in the cool fountain in front of Saint-Sulpice, asking an Italian gentlemen to take our picture and hoping he wouldn't run off with our camera like in European Vacation.
Two blocks further, and iPhone camera in hand, we arrived at the Jardin de Luxembourg to a sea of chess players. My three sons were invited to play with a 10 year old boy named Timothée who only spoke French. It was amusing to observe the children pointing and gesturing with each calculated move. Afterward, we surmised that Timothée was a professional child prodigy, as all my children
were humbly defeated. Nevertheless, the experience was unforgettable and challenging for all, and I enjoyed another opportunity to speak French with Timothée's mother.
Another highlight of the entire vacation was eating steak frites (fries) at the world-renowned Relais de l'Entrecôte in Saint-Germain des Prés, followed by the Seine river cruise at night. My husband and I remembered the fantastic meal in Geneva Switzerland in 2001 and wanted to share the experience with our children, as two were celebrating an upcoming birthday. So delicious, you must stand in line 1/2 hour prior to opening at 7pm just to get a table. My children ordered politely in French, the servers sang 'joyeux anniversaire' and brought cake for their birthday, as tears of happiness rolled down my cheeks feeling fulfilled by the dinner and shared French experiences of the week. Upon leaving, the French waitress ran up to me exclaiming in French that my youngest had already left for the street. I smiled and declared, "C'est le cadet de mes soucis!" (That's the least of my worries.) Laughing at my response, she kissed me on each cheek.
The Seine river cruise has always been a bucket list item and we deliberately planned to observe the 'City of Lights' at night. Luckily for exhausted parents, the children could not easily escape the boat and enjoyed the upper deck. While I found the tour guide easier to understand in French than in English, the sites aglow at night were magnificent, and the 'Vedettes du Pont-Neuf' cruise provided another perspective of the city and moments of romantic solitude and peace, albeit too brief. Purchased at a discount in conjunction with our bike tour, I do think the extra cost was worth it for our 'once in a lifetime' Paris family vacation!
Day 6 (Tuesday): Unfortunately we misplaced our Monet and Van Gogh postcards somewhere between the restaurant and the boat the previous evening, but I credit the children's newly acquired sense of art appreciation for their recollection of paintings during our Musée D'Orsay scavenger hunt! The former train station reminded the children of the book Hugo and they were as quickly enthralled with the museum as I was by another line shortened with the museum pass. Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh easily became familiar to our scavenger savvy children. We were even able to view Montmartre and Sacre Coeur through a clock on the top floor of the Musée D'Orsay, providing the kids a perspective of our next destination.
My preference is always to walk, taking in the sights and smells of boulangeries, patisseries and boucheries (bread, pastry and butcher shops), significant to the French culture, however, some distances are better left to the Métro! It's easy to purchase booklets of ten subway passes for adults and children, and the Métro is easily navigated by adults and children alike. Not to mention that the underground system has its own significant sights and smells, similar to that of the Paris sewer tour, but notwithstanding, worthy of the experience. Montmartre was our next destination and did not disappoint. Our goal was to venture higher in the city as we became more familiar with the Paris environs. The children were entertained racing each other up the flights of stairs transporting you from the métro to Sacre-Coeur cathedral (of course there is a funicular for those less inclined). It was a clear day, so the view was phenomenal and a competitive challenge to my children pointing out the Paris buildings we had already visited. While less enthralled by another church, the newest of those we had seen, the street vendors, caricature artists and performers were wildly entertaining, and Montmartre was a fantastic locale for my boys to catch Pokémon, while my daughter and I browsed art and souvenirs. (There is a uniquely charming 'PokéMime' character found in France that we emigrated to the United States without proper documentation...shhhh!) Of course, an expedition to Montmartre would not be complete without a risqué photo at the Moulin Rouge.
Day 7 (Wednesday): Time to venture to the suburbs and witness first-hand why Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI were victims of the guillotine...
The Chateau de Versailles did not disappoint the children with it's opulent Hall of Mirrors, chandeliers and gold rivaling Trump Tower! It provided ample proof for France's disdain for their monarchy leading up to the French Revolution and an opportunity for our children to re-enact Louis XVI's capture prior to his execution.
Another highlight of Versailles was the ability to visit its magnificent gardens and other chateaus, the Grand and Petit Trianon, via rented bicycles. Given the enormity of the grounds, it was simply the most logical and captivating experience for this family of six! The Trianon chateaus were equally decadent and
excessive, solidifying the impression of the French monarchies on the children who were all too eager to race off on their bikes. Beautiful swans dodging rental boats graced the lake on the grounds and winding trails throughout the lush green gardens provided for over an hour of entertainment and energy consumption.
Of note, the RER train, not the Métro will take you to Versailles and either Google maps or the Rick Steves guide can direct you further. The Rick Steves guide also was of great assistance planning the least hectic museum days to choose, and thanks to the museum pass, minutes spent navigating security was longer than the line into the chateau!
Day 8 (Thursday): It was with a heavy heart that I ventured out on our last day in Paris! I had carefully selected our last day for a guided 'skip the line' tour of La Tour Eiffel knowing that the children would enjoy recognizing the Paris venues we had visited from the top. The highest spot in Paris at over 300 meters, I had missed out on so many previous opportunities as a poor college student and later in life due to long lines. Another bucket list item, we opted to take no chances and splurge on advance tickets guarantying our trip to the summit. I had researched several advance ticket vendors and deduced that tickets purchased through the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.parisinfo.com) were the safest bet and included access to the top of the Eiffel Tour. The tour was conducted by Blue Fox Travel and our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the sites viewed from the second level, providing lesser known trivia facts as well. Due to the lines for the elevators to the top (stairs from the second level are not accessible), the half hour tour ended on the second level. Fortunately for us, the elevator lines moved quickly, we didn't have to purchase another ticket to the summit, and the clear day allowed us to point out all of the sites we had seen throughout the week along the perimeter of the top, along with additional places we wished we had more time to see (Musée De L'Orangerie et Le Panthéon, i.e. stops that would've been more enjoyable for adults at this point in our vacation). We even borrowed a beret to capture another European Vacation moment à la 'Rusty' at the Eiffel Tour!
Our children had ample time to take in the sights, feel the wind vibrations, visit the gift shop, literally get lost among the crowd, and read as much detail as they could endure.
Venturing across the Seine and past the Middle-Eastern and African street vendors who seem to have a corner on cheap Eiffel Tour trinket sales and magic show racketeering (more interesting culture, but hold on tight to your belongings tourists!), the steps of Le Musée de la Marine (another building built for one of the five World's Fairs in Paris during the 19th century) provided another fantastic vantage point for the Eiffel Tour.
Our final evening was spent snacking on cheese (nostalgically my favorite Saint Nectaire from my college summer abroad), fruits de mer (seafood) and drinking wine and shirley temples near L'Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysees. (We required the kids to order shirley temples in French for the pleasure of drinking one!) It was memorable taking in the sights and sounds on our last night in Paris and walking back to our temporary apartment.
Given the recent terrorist attacks in my favorite city in the world, I must affirm that I never felt unsafe in Paris during our vacation. Our experience was quite the opposite and reaffirmed my faith in peace and love among other cultures as we were graciously accepted on so many occasions!
Day 9 (Friday): With 24 hours of travel ahead of us, the 2.5 hours we arrived early at the airport with Uber didn't prove to be enough time to shop duty free, let alone manage security, and we found ourselves running to the gate. Honestly, I would've been glad to miss the flight, however, I'm not sure the children's schools would've been as forgiving, with a week-long absence already under our belts. Safely arriving home, and practically falling asleep walking to the car, our children declared "we watched five movies mom". Gotta love international airlines, the ultimate in luxury babysitting!!
Notes: This family vacation of a lifetime was made possible due to free lodging thanks to our gracious friends! I managed to set up a flight alert online to find our rock bottom airfares. We otherwise saved on expenses by shopping at grocery stores for breakfast and picnic lunches. I highly recommend this cost-saving option as restaurants in the tourist areas tend to be very pricey! Always look for 'le formule' or 'le menu' for kids when ordering dinner, as it usually includes a meal, drink and dessert at a more affordable price. We had a few rainy day options (Catacombs, Sewer Tour, Musée de la Magie, Cité de Science et de L'Industrie), some museum pass friendly, that we didn't utilize thanks to an entire week of sunny days and we have no regrets. Buy your international data plan prior to departure, download maps, wear excellent walking shoes, be diligent of your surroundings and pickpockets, and try not to see too much in a day. Above all, try to learn a few phrases en Français. Bon Voyage!
Essential French phrases I taught my children, in addition to ensuring they knew my cell phone #:
Bonjour - hello
Au revoir - good-bye
s'il vous plait - please
merci - thank you
Où est la toilette? - Where is the toilet?
Je voudrais un diablo grenadine s'il vous plait. - I would like a shirley temple please.
Je m'appelle _____. - My name is _________.
J'ai _____ ans. - I am ______ years old.
Having lived and studied in France some 20+ years ago, I was personally eager to share my fond memories with my four children, teach them some of the language, and, as U.S. ambassadors to France, not create an international incident! Rick Steves' Paris book provided useful knowledge as I created our eight day itinerary, with children in mind. The success of our vacation is primarily why I wish to personally recount the highlights, and to ensure that, with proper planning, even a family of six can enjoy a family vacation to Paris!
Day 1 (Wed/Thursday): International flights are fantastic for children. I don't know why I even required them to bring books to read, no one cracked a book. Forget the Dramamine for the ten hour flight. Nowadays with electronics galore at your children's fingertips, it's like unfettered access alone in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! I almost forgot that my children were beside me, except when I wanted to choose an 'R' rated spy movie for myself, then quickly realized they were too consumed by their own games and movies to notice me anyway. With all this entertainment, parents might be tempted to purchase a round trip ticket to Timbuktu and send the kids off for two days on their own, except for the unavoidable jet lag and requirement to keep the kids up all day after you arrive in Europe from America.... Uber was a fantastic service from the airport (despite my fervent reservations about their pervasive corporate sexual discrimination) because it allowed the kids to 'cat nap' in the van for 45 minutes without having to schlep luggage through the métro, like I did in my twenties, staving off pick-pocketing thieves. Upon arrival, though not the norm at home, we stopped frequently for 'un coca-cola', to caffeinate the children and push through until at least 7 pm local time.
Day 2 (Friday): Keep it light, literally and figuratively! We needed fresh air and sunny weather, having traveled from Oregon's rainy season on spring break, and sunshine trains the body to stay awake. An easy walk from our 'AirB&B-esque' apartment in the 17th arrondissement, we ventured to L'Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Élysées (stopping for lunch and more necessary coca-cola at a café), Place de la Concorde, and Le Jardin des Tuileries. The Jardin des Tuileries had a fantastic playground and afforded the opportunity for the children to run wild, and their adults to observe children bonding by laughing and playing together, no matter a common language. An international lesson for us all! An Egyptian obelisk at Place de la Concorde, the oldest monument in Paris, was the former site of the guillotine and throngs of observers during the French Revolution. The children were amused when we stopped to 'Google' guillotine on site, and we were all fascinated to learn of its last use in 1977, having remained France's standard method of 'judicial' execution until 1981. The timing of this stop and research prior to Versailles, proved useful in our study of the guillotine and its victims, and likely the most vivid memory for years to come.
Day 3 (Saturday): I booked the most fabulous bike tour of the Left Bank, prior to arriving in France (and if you bring the Rick Steves book, they'll give you a 10% discount on the tour). I also paid an extra 10 euros/person for a Seine river cruise, added during the bike tour booking, with tickets to be used at our leisure. BikeAboutTours.com, with bikes to accommodate all sizes, including toddlers in seats, proved to be an easy and eventful way to see Paris! I specifically chose this tour because it focused on the back streets and local areas, as well as scenes from the movie Ratatouille (no spoiler alert, take the bike tour!), and 'Space Invaders' street art, all of which were highlights for the kids. 
Our tour began at 10am and ended around 3 pm, with a lunch break stop in the Latin Quarter, and no hills equated to less whine and more wine for us all! At the end of the week, the kids unanimously said the bike tour was a fave. We hit Parc Monceau for some soccer and running at the end of the day to experience the local culture; I'm always surprised by the dichotomy of cigarettes and exercise in France.
Day 4 (Sunday): We opted to purchase a four day museum pass for each adult at the airport upon arrival. They are easily purchased at the red information desk, and a two, four or six day pass are available for purchase. The majority of museums and monuments in Paris offer free admission for children under age 18, so the museum pass allows families to skip the extremely long lines. The only caveat is that, once validated, the pass must be used for its duration on consecutive days, which is why we opted to validate on Sunday. The pass conveniently outlines all the museums and monuments included, along with hours of operation.
We promptly headed to Centre Pompidou to witness modern art and the kids gallery, along with the outdoor mechanical Stravinsky fountain. In typical French fashion, Pompidou's museum workers were on strike, as it turns out for the entire week we were in Paris, and the jovial Stravinsky fountain was not yet spouting water for the season. As such, we decided to purchase crêpes from a vendor and observe the locals and visitors who, unable to read French, were amusingly perplexed by the museum's closure and could be found aimlessly milling about.
After refueling with caffeine, we ventured to Notre-Dame to witness Sunday mass in the magnificent cathedral. The children enjoyed the stained glass and enormity of Notre-Dame, along with the individual chapels located within. I was impressed when my eldest and youngest children stopped to pray in a private chapel (likely for their non-religious siblings) and even more so when we maintained decorum as a family.
We capped off our day by finally validating our museum pass to view the city lights from the top of L'Arc de Triomphe. An impressively lit city by night, we were able to view the stunning Eiffel Tour light show. The glimmering Eiffel Tour light show occurs every hour on the hour, from sunset until 1am. Provided you can navigate the 284 spiral stairs, the view is spectacular from the top.
Day 5 (Monday): This was our most ambitious day as we aspired to indulge our children in art appreciation at the Louvre. Apparently if you view every item in the Louvre for 60 seconds, it will take you six months to see all the exhibits. As parents, we were not up for the challenge with four children who would rather endure hours of French language tutoring than study art! Nonetheless, we persisted and our museum pass greatly shortened our time in line. We headed promptly for the gift shop and purchased six postcards of famous art sculptures and paintings for a 'mom-inspired' forced family fun scavenger hunt. Who doesn't love a scavenger hunt, á la DaVinci Code? We set off to find our treasures.
The children insisted on spending the money immediately on 'plus des glaces' at Amorino, and equally magnificent all-natural emporium that layered the flavorful gelato scoops as petals of a flower.
were humbly defeated. Nevertheless, the experience was unforgettable and challenging for all, and I enjoyed another opportunity to speak French with Timothée's mother. Another highlight of the entire vacation was eating steak frites (fries) at the world-renowned Relais de l'Entrecôte in Saint-Germain des Prés, followed by the Seine river cruise at night. My husband and I remembered the fantastic meal in Geneva Switzerland in 2001 and wanted to share the experience with our children, as two were celebrating an upcoming birthday. So delicious, you must stand in line 1/2 hour prior to opening at 7pm just to get a table. My children ordered politely in French, the servers sang 'joyeux anniversaire' and brought cake for their birthday, as tears of happiness rolled down my cheeks feeling fulfilled by the dinner and shared French experiences of the week. Upon leaving, the French waitress ran up to me exclaiming in French that my youngest had already left for the street. I smiled and declared, "C'est le cadet de mes soucis!" (That's the least of my worries.) Laughing at my response, she kissed me on each cheek.
The Seine river cruise has always been a bucket list item and we deliberately planned to observe the 'City of Lights' at night. Luckily for exhausted parents, the children could not easily escape the boat and enjoyed the upper deck. While I found the tour guide easier to understand in French than in English, the sites aglow at night were magnificent, and the 'Vedettes du Pont-Neuf' cruise provided another perspective of the city and moments of romantic solitude and peace, albeit too brief. Purchased at a discount in conjunction with our bike tour, I do think the extra cost was worth it for our 'once in a lifetime' Paris family vacation!
Day 6 (Tuesday): Unfortunately we misplaced our Monet and Van Gogh postcards somewhere between the restaurant and the boat the previous evening, but I credit the children's newly acquired sense of art appreciation for their recollection of paintings during our Musée D'Orsay scavenger hunt! The former train station reminded the children of the book Hugo and they were as quickly enthralled with the museum as I was by another line shortened with the museum pass. Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh easily became familiar to our scavenger savvy children. We were even able to view Montmartre and Sacre Coeur through a clock on the top floor of the Musée D'Orsay, providing the kids a perspective of our next destination.
My preference is always to walk, taking in the sights and smells of boulangeries, patisseries and boucheries (bread, pastry and butcher shops), significant to the French culture, however, some distances are better left to the Métro! It's easy to purchase booklets of ten subway passes for adults and children, and the Métro is easily navigated by adults and children alike. Not to mention that the underground system has its own significant sights and smells, similar to that of the Paris sewer tour, but notwithstanding, worthy of the experience. Montmartre was our next destination and did not disappoint. Our goal was to venture higher in the city as we became more familiar with the Paris environs. The children were entertained racing each other up the flights of stairs transporting you from the métro to Sacre-Coeur cathedral (of course there is a funicular for those less inclined). It was a clear day, so the view was phenomenal and a competitive challenge to my children pointing out the Paris buildings we had already visited. While less enthralled by another church, the newest of those we had seen, the street vendors, caricature artists and performers were wildly entertaining, and Montmartre was a fantastic locale for my boys to catch Pokémon, while my daughter and I browsed art and souvenirs. (There is a uniquely charming 'PokéMime' character found in France that we emigrated to the United States without proper documentation...shhhh!) Of course, an expedition to Montmartre would not be complete without a risqué photo at the Moulin Rouge.
Day 7 (Wednesday): Time to venture to the suburbs and witness first-hand why Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI were victims of the guillotine...
The Chateau de Versailles did not disappoint the children with it's opulent Hall of Mirrors, chandeliers and gold rivaling Trump Tower! It provided ample proof for France's disdain for their monarchy leading up to the French Revolution and an opportunity for our children to re-enact Louis XVI's capture prior to his execution.
Another highlight of Versailles was the ability to visit its magnificent gardens and other chateaus, the Grand and Petit Trianon, via rented bicycles. Given the enormity of the grounds, it was simply the most logical and captivating experience for this family of six! The Trianon chateaus were equally decadent and
excessive, solidifying the impression of the French monarchies on the children who were all too eager to race off on their bikes. Beautiful swans dodging rental boats graced the lake on the grounds and winding trails throughout the lush green gardens provided for over an hour of entertainment and energy consumption. Of note, the RER train, not the Métro will take you to Versailles and either Google maps or the Rick Steves guide can direct you further. The Rick Steves guide also was of great assistance planning the least hectic museum days to choose, and thanks to the museum pass, minutes spent navigating security was longer than the line into the chateau!
Our children had ample time to take in the sights, feel the wind vibrations, visit the gift shop, literally get lost among the crowd, and read as much detail as they could endure.
Our final evening was spent snacking on cheese (nostalgically my favorite Saint Nectaire from my college summer abroad), fruits de mer (seafood) and drinking wine and shirley temples near L'Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysees. (We required the kids to order shirley temples in French for the pleasure of drinking one!) It was memorable taking in the sights and sounds on our last night in Paris and walking back to our temporary apartment.
Given the recent terrorist attacks in my favorite city in the world, I must affirm that I never felt unsafe in Paris during our vacation. Our experience was quite the opposite and reaffirmed my faith in peace and love among other cultures as we were graciously accepted on so many occasions!
Day 9 (Friday): With 24 hours of travel ahead of us, the 2.5 hours we arrived early at the airport with Uber didn't prove to be enough time to shop duty free, let alone manage security, and we found ourselves running to the gate. Honestly, I would've been glad to miss the flight, however, I'm not sure the children's schools would've been as forgiving, with a week-long absence already under our belts. Safely arriving home, and practically falling asleep walking to the car, our children declared "we watched five movies mom". Gotta love international airlines, the ultimate in luxury babysitting!!
Notes: This family vacation of a lifetime was made possible due to free lodging thanks to our gracious friends! I managed to set up a flight alert online to find our rock bottom airfares. We otherwise saved on expenses by shopping at grocery stores for breakfast and picnic lunches. I highly recommend this cost-saving option as restaurants in the tourist areas tend to be very pricey! Always look for 'le formule' or 'le menu' for kids when ordering dinner, as it usually includes a meal, drink and dessert at a more affordable price. We had a few rainy day options (Catacombs, Sewer Tour, Musée de la Magie, Cité de Science et de L'Industrie), some museum pass friendly, that we didn't utilize thanks to an entire week of sunny days and we have no regrets. Buy your international data plan prior to departure, download maps, wear excellent walking shoes, be diligent of your surroundings and pickpockets, and try not to see too much in a day. Above all, try to learn a few phrases en Français. Bon Voyage!
Essential French phrases I taught my children, in addition to ensuring they knew my cell phone #:
Bonjour - hello
Au revoir - good-bye
s'il vous plait - please
merci - thank you
Où est la toilette? - Where is the toilet?
Je voudrais un diablo grenadine s'il vous plait. - I would like a shirley temple please.
Je m'appelle _____. - My name is _________.
J'ai _____ ans. - I am ______ years old.
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