Europe Spring Break – Paris
Getting to Paris
Today we woke up early and headed back to the train station to catch our train to Paris. Once again, we got four seats facing each other with a table in between. We had a few snacks to eat this time since it was a longer train ride than the others we had taken, about 3 hours total.
Getting around Paris
Once we got to Paris, we purchased our 5 day metro tickets and headed to the hotel. The 4th day on our metro cards, we went to use the cards to find out we didn’t need them. We didn’t know what was going on exactly, but we just went with the flow. We later found out that the pollution in Paris was at an all-time high and they were encouraging people to use public transport to help with the pollution issue and restricting cars in the city. This continued on the following day. Had we know, we could have bought a 3 day transport card instead of 5 and saved a bit of money.
Where we stayed in Paris
We stayed at the Citadines Bastille Marais Paris near the Bastille off Richard Lenoir Boulevard. Richard Lenoir Blvd has a large median in the street. In the media are several small playgrounds and park benches. This hotel was an aparthotel. Our room had one bedroom with a small eat in kitchen and a living area with a pull out couch. Keith and I got some privacy and we had a kitchen to eat a little more affordably. The hotel offered a secured luggage facility that we used on both our arrival and departure day.
What we did in Paris
The first place we went to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. The boys really loved seeing the stained glass, which is breathtaking and everywhere. They liked trying to guess what the pictures in stained glass windows were. There were also fascinated by all the votive candles everywhere. They wanted to light one each, but at 2 Euros a pop, we passed and just had them look instead. After visiting Notre Dame we went to Berthillon for ice cream which was promised to the kids for good behavior in the church. A bit more walking around Paris then we were off to the Eiffel Tower. Both the boys were really looking forward to this and if you had asked what they were looking forward to the most on this trip, it would have been the Eiffel Tower. I had tried to purchase tickets online beforehand, but didn’t find availability for the times we wanted. So, we got inline for tickets when we arrived. The line wasn’t too bad since it was off season, only about 15 minutes wait for tickets, plus another 15 minutes to get in the elevator to the second level. Once we got to the second level, we were really feeling the cold and the wind. We found the side that was more sheltered from the cold and looked around. We only lasted about an hour up there due to the wind and cold, but we all loved every minute of it. We found in two places with a round circle that had “a Place to Kiss” written in it. Mom and Dad took the suggestion, but we totally grossed out the boys, especially Quinn made the requisite gagging noises.
Before we left home, I had purchased a book for the kids called Not for Parent Paris by Lonely Planet. It had plenty of pictures and captured their imagination. One thing that jumped out at them was the catacombs. I was a bit apprehensive about taking them to see something so ghoulish and macabre, but they really wanted to go. We had to wait about 45 minutes in the cold to get our ticket and get inside. They only let 300 people inside the catacombs at any time. I suggest if you are coming during the summer getting there very early. We all really liked the catacombs. There was lots of really interesting geological information about Paris in addition to all the bones. After lunch we went to Luxembourg Gardens. We had heard there was a very fun park there for kids and they were right. We stayed about an hour which was all we could deal with (the adults that is) because it was very cold and overcast that day. At the request of the kids, we went back to Luxembourg Gardens on another day. It was warmer that day and since it was a weekend, it was filled with people and we got to see a different side of the park. The playground was filled with kids and the ponds had people sailing little boats in them. We liked watching the older men playing petanque, basically bocce ball.
We had booked a tour for Friday, our only one for the trip. It was called THATLouv. It stands for Treasure Hunt at The Louvre. I knew that the boys wouldn’t have the patience or ability to really appreciate the Louvre, so we booked this treasure hunt instead. We met our guide in front of the museum and she already had our tickets. There was also another family on the same tour. We were given a list of artworks with pictures and written clues to find. Each written clue led to a bonus question that could be answered and you had to prove that you found the art by taking a selfie in front of art. This led us on a roughly 2 hour treasure hunt through the museum. We saw a ton of pieces of artwork that we might not have seen otherwise, for example we probably wouldn’t have ventured to the Islamic Wing. The best part that when time was up, we hadn’t finished and neither had the other family. But we had the most points so we won! The kids had so much fun they insisted on coming back after dinner to explore some more and finish up the treasure hunt. We even got to see somethings twice! We were lucky enough to do this since the Louvre is open late on Friday nights, a fact our guide was kind enough to point out to us when we were planning our visit.
We also went on a Canal St Martin for a cruise down the river and a different view of Paris and through some of the tunnels under Paris as well. It was relaxing and quite interesting. When the cruise was finished, we were near the Bastille so we got to check that out too.
On our last day in Paris, we went to the Musee D’Orsay, which was my favorite museum the last time we were in Paris over 10 years ago. The kids enjoyed it, but not as much as they had enjoyed the Louvre. It being a former train station did hold some appeal though. In addition, when we got there in the morning, the line was quite long, perhaps over an hour wait to get in. A security guard noticed the children and directed us to different much shorter line, finally a perk of traveling with the kids. This line was only about 15 minutes to get through security and another few minutes to get our tickets.
Where and what we ate in Paris
We stopped by the grocery store close by our hotel and grabbed stuff for dinner and breakfast. One night I made spaghetti with meat sauce, one of Quinn’s favorite. It was an adventure to make as the kitchen in the hotel had two small burners and two pots, but both pots couldn’t fit on the burners at the same time. It turned out great and so was the wine we had picked up at the grocery store.
Thursday was market day in the Bastille on Richard Lenoir Boulevard. We loved exploring the market. We shopped around and bought a roasted chicken, strawberries, grapes, cider, a selection of cured meats and cheese, a baguette, and a few croissants. These supplies gave up a couple great breakfasts and dinners. We also got crepes which the boys loved as expected.
Most days, we had lunch in small cafes all over Paris. We never had a bad lunch. It may have helped that lunch always included wine. We went to walk the streets of Paris one afternoon and stopped by Pierre Hermes to buy some Macaroons and a few chocolates for gifts. It was a real luxury.
We found a favorite bakery, Blé Sucré. It had simply the best croissants that I have ever had. They were buttery, flakey, light and just perfection. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. The bakery was right next to a park, so more park time for the boys and a bit of relaxation on a park bench in the sun for us.
We just adored Paris.
