Kids in Paris--Day Four

Wednesday was cloudy, but the temperatures were much warmer than the previous day, thank goodness. However, I was much more prepared and we left the apartment with many layers on our backs after we froze on Tuesday.

The nearest Metro stop was just a short 2-minute walk from our apartment, so we walked over and boarded a train to head for the Sacre-Coeur Basilica.

 You can either walk up the stairs or take the funicular from the bottom of the hill. On any normal day I would take the stairs, but we had just carried the stroller up thousands of stairs to get to and from the Metro (underground), so I was feeling less than sprightly and the kids were excited about taking the funicular. Let me tell you, they could have done this all day long! It was really fun to see them so excited.

 Once at the top we had to carry the stroller up a few more stairs, so I definitely had a bit of a work out! We arrived on the earlier side (about 10am) and there were not many people there.

 It is free to walk around the basilica, so we took Aurelia in for a quick tour before I went back inside with Eston to explore a bit more. What a beautiful place! Aurelia enjoyed walking around outside while we were checking things out inside.

 I had not spent much time in the Montmarte neighborhood and I was so glad we spend the morning walking around. What a great neighborhood! I want to stay here next time we visit. It was full of cool shops, cafes, book stores, etc.

 Rory was keen to visit Le Cimetiere du Calvaire, so we walked there and let the kids explore a bit. Is this morbid? I don't know. We explained the need to be respectful and quiet. We found a grave that had two spooky figures painted on a window and Eston proclaimed it to be his favorite and asked me to take a photo:


 We took the Metro to the Latin Quarter and let the kids walk around and explore a bit. They loved finding the love locks on the bridges.

 Eston and I were excited to visit the iconic Shakespeare and Company, though for different reasons. He wanted to go because Julia Child once shopped there regularly and I wanted to go because this is where so many of my favorite writers once worked and/or lived. You can go in and see the beds that were once reserved for aspiring writers (you can lay down with your favorite book) and the entire shop is just my type of scene. The entire upstairs is just for reading. That's right, not a single book (except for the children's section) on the second floor is for sale. It is just a place to grab a book and plop down for some reading time. My kind of place. I bought a couple of books and a couple of Christmas presents for the kids before Eston and Rory dragged me out of the shop, but I could have stayed there for days!

 We had lunch in the Latin Quarter at a great little brasserie where I had the most delicious roast chicken. Eston enjoyed the gambas and Rory had the duck. Aurelia, poor thing, was fast asleep in her stroller and had our remnants when she awoke at the end of our meal. 

We felt the need to work off our lunch, so we walked to the Luxembourg park and were delighted to find the sailboat pond nearly empty! We rented a lovely boat, which was just 3 euros for 30 minutes. Quite the deal and I highly recommend this activity. Our kids loved pushing the boat with the large stick they give you.

 After our 30 minutes were up we wandered over to the actual playground. Now, this is a fee playground, which we knew. The lines were super long over the weekend, so we waited for a mid-week visit. It wasn't too crowded and it cost just over 7 euros for our family to go inside. This wasn't outrageous, as the park is fun for all ages, but I don't know that I would do it again. There is a lot to do outside the playground for free, so I might just stick with that next time.

 At about 2:30 we noticed a long line outside of the building next to the park. I went to investigate and discovered the famous puppet theater of the park! Pinocchio was the story of the day, so we decided it would be fun to see the show. It was 4.80 euro per person, but we felt it was worth it for an hour show.

 The first four rows are reserved for the children and Eston plopped himself down next to the local kids. We told him the puppet show would be in French, but he is familiar with the story, so we knew he would follow along. Many Catalan words bear a strong resemblance to French, so he was just fine. Aurelia made it through half the show and then Rory took her out to play. This was really well done and Eston just loved it, so make sure to see a show if you are in Paris! The shows and times are listed outside the theater.

Kids in Paris--Day Three

Eston has been interested in Julia Child for a few months and was really excited at the prospect of seeing where she once lived in Paris. We were awake earlier than usual, so we began walking towards Rue de l'Universite rather early in the morning and the cold temperatures caught us by surprise. Number 81 is a lovely building and Eston was really excited. He knew which floors Julia and Paul had lived in and even stood for a photo, which he never likes to do.

 We were at the Child residence by 8am and our reservations for the Eiffel Tower were not until 11am, so we had a lot of time to kill. The Eiffel Tower has changed in past years and now one needs a reservation as they only allow a certain number of visitors to the second and third vista areas. You can chance it and wait in a 2+ hour line, but we did not want to take that chance, so we made reservations.

The Rue Cler markets are one of my favorite to visit, so we left the Child residence and walked towards the Rue Cler. It was just over 4 degrees (celsius) at this point. Not warm, but we pressed on. The kids were delighted with the market, even though we were there very early and most were still getting set up for the day. The Rue Cler is not open to through traffic, so it was a good place for Aurelia to run around a bit as well.

 It may have been just after 8am, but the kids were keen to try some delicious French cheeses! 

We found a warm cafe on the Rue Cler and sat down for some hot chocolate and tea. It felt good to warm up a bit and take a break, as we had walked a fair amount that morning.

Aurelia loved the hot chocolate!

 After leaving the Rue Cler we walked over to the park in Champ de Mars. This is a wonderful park full of open spaces for kids to run and it also included two great playgrounds. One of the playgrounds was well suited for younger children:

 The opposite playground was for older kids, but it also had a few things for the younger ones. Both kids loved this park and I wish it had been warmer! We only played here once as we did not spend a ton of time in this neighborhood, but I highly recommend it if you are visiting the Eiffel Tower or nearby neighborhood.

You know those horrible tourists stands outside the Eiffel Tower that sell hats, scarves, gloves, etc? And you wonder who in their right mind would ever buy such junk? Well, we were those people on Tuesday. It was so cold that we were desperate for warmth and we bought several hats and scarves. Thankfully everything was just a couple of euros!

I had read a lot about warnings of pick pocketers and such in the Eiffel Tower area. We did see the teenagers trying to get you to sign whatever "petition" they have while they rob you, but the local police patrol the area on bikes, which made the scammer people run for the bushes. Literally. They ran out of the area and into the bushes. Just don't stop for anyone and you will be fine. 

Also, there is a clean bathroom with changing facilities near the North elevators.

We headed up in the elevators at 11am and were a bit disappointed on the 3rd floor because it was completely fogged in! We quickly went back down to the 2nd floor and though it was cloudy, the kids could see a bit and they enjoyed the views.

Eston took this photo of the boat we took on the Seine River cruise:

 We headed back to the apartment after our Eiffel Tower excursion. We were freezing and needed to take a little siesta (and add more layers of clothing).

Later that afternoon, we headed out to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. Now, you can climb the stairs to the top of the Arc. Years ago it was free and there was never a line and we assumed the same would be true this time as well, but we should have done our research on this one. The line was hours long and you had to purchase a ticket, so we just walked around the area.

 The Champs Elysees has a really wide sidewalk, so we did a little window shopping and let the kids run on the sidewalk to warm up a bit. 

 

 The Champs Elysees is a touristy area as well, so we headed to the 15th district and found a little brasserie for dinner. Eston entertained himself with his notebook while he waited for his fish dinner.

Kids in Paris--Day Two

My kids are not early risers. I wake them up at 8am during the week and we leave the house at 8:40 for school, so I was a bit surprised when Aurelia decided to wake up at 5:30am on Monday morning. Rory walked her around the neighborhood in the dark while Eston and I readied ourselves for the day.

We were feeling a bit groggy as we waited for the bus...

 

We rode the bus through the city in the early morning hours, which Eston loved. The streets were not yet crowded and he could see everything.

 Our first stop was the Notre Dame, but this time we went inside. It was just us and a handful of other people, so it was a really nice experience. Eston was comparing this cathedral to the one in Girona, which I loved. I highly suggest taking children to this monument, and you can take 5 minutes or 2 hours to look around inside, as it is free. Aurelia took a quick tour around and then went outside to play, but Eston and I took a bit more time to really focus on the details.

 From the Notre Dame we walked over towards Louvre, but we were there waaay before it opened, so we stopped at a cafe for a snack. Here is a sleepy Aurelia waiting for her morning snack:

 We arrived at the Louvre before opening time and took the opportunity to snap some photos since the place was practically deserted! If you want to take your younger children to the Louvre--do it! Just go early!

 Rory and I debated about taking Aurelia inside the museum. Rory has been the Louvre more than once and Aurelia was beginning to lose steam. We decided that I would go inside with Eston while Rory let Aurelia nap in the stroller. 

Eston was really excited to see the Mona Lisa, so we went straight there. It was not crowded and though he did enjoy seeing it, I think it was a bit anticlimactic. I think he thought it would be a larger work of art, but she is actually on the smaller side. We were walking around the Italian renaissance area when Eston spotted the most beautiful ceiling, so he took a break to admire it. He sat there for quite some time and pointed out various details to me.

I would absolutely take younger children inside the Louvre, but one needs to have a plan. The Louvre goes on for days, so carefully choose which areas you want to see and stick to that. Eston wanted to see the Egyptian area, so we did that in addition to a few others. We were there for about two hours and he was ready to be done at that time. I don't want this to become drudgery for him, so I make sure to check in to see if he is still enjoying himself.

 We stopped off in the museum shop for a couple of souvenirs. I admit, I am a total sucker in a museum shop. I love them and can easily wipe out my budget. The books! The fun games! I picked up a few things that will be Christmas presents for the kids and we went outside to meet Rory in the Jardin des Tuileries.

The Jardins are located just across the street from the Louvre and they are another great place for children. Lots of spaces to run! We were quite surprised to see a goat roaming around.

 The playground inside the Jardins is on the smaller side, but Eston enjoyed it. Most of the things were frustrating for Aurelia because she was simply not tall enough to do them independently. I would suggest this park for kids over the age of 3, but younger ones will have fun chasing older siblings around and such.

 Just outside the playground is a beautiful carousel. Aurelia is now quite familiar with them, so she was eager to ride it. This particular one is gorgeous and it was a bit more expensive than the one in Luxembourg park at 2.50 euro a ride.

 The Jardins have a trampoline area for kids as well. There are 8 trampolines and there was a nominal fee to jump. Eston was keen to do this, but Aurelia was not old enough (according to their rules). She was not happy about this, so we decided to skip the trampolines this time around. They did look really fun, though!

After the Jardins we headed home for lunch and a rest after such an early morning. That is one of the best parts of renting an apartment--the kids can nap in one room while you read, chat, etc in another. We all felt better after a siesta!

We hopped on another bus and headed towards the Eiffel Tower with the intention of taking a cruise along the Seine River.  Our ride ended up being at sunset, which was actually perfect. It made for gorgeous light and the kids loved riding the boat. Well worth the money, in my opinion.

You can reserve seats inside or outside the boat, but we found it more practical to sit at the back where Aurelia could walk around a bit (price is the same). I do have high expectations of my children, but I also try to be realistic. She needs time to have a bit of freedom if we expect her to sit for meals, museums, etc. She loved the boat ride!

We were all starving after the boat ride, but we were in a super touristy area. Instead of eating in a restaurant aimed at tourists, we walked another 10 minutes or so and found a great little bistro. We had a really nice meal and we were exhausted as we took the Metro back to the apartment. 

Here is Eston playing as he waits for dinner: