I have been to Paris twice, once with kids and once with one of my best friends. Both times were wonderful for totally different reasons.
Paris with kids
My first visit to Paris, was with kids, after touring the UK. I had dreamed about visiting this city for so long….so not long after we arrived, when the kids started complaining about being tired and having sore feet or some nonsense – the slackers, my brother offered to take the kids back to the hotel and I was free! I walked that city in awe. Camera clicking and happily lost, you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!
Musee d’Orsay
Paris has art galleries aplenty! If you are limited by time, like I was, deciding which gallery to visit is a big decision. There is the Louvre of course, but I especially love the Impressionist painters. That narrows the field down a bit but there are still many to choose from. In the end I chose the beautiful Musee d’Orsay, and it was the highlight of the trip for me. It has a whole Impressionist section, and I was in heaven. The actual building is a converted train station and the arched ceiling lets in plenty of natural light, creating a feeling of space and openness. A local taxi driver told me to go at lunch time because the crowds will be minimal, and he was right. Not only was I kid free (because once again my brother won uncle of the year award and looked after the kids), but I walked straight in and had a glorious few hours walking around admiring paintings I had only ever seen in pictures – Van Gogh, Degas, Monet (sigh). No photos, because unlike the Louvre, no photography is allowed.
On the subject of art galleries, my daughter was lucky enough to visit Musee de l’Orangerie, while she was studying abroad recently. Housing Monet’s magnificent Water Lillies, it was one place on my bucket list I didn’t get to. It is yet another excuse for me to return to Paris one day soon.
Euro Disney
I didn’t forget about the kids, we spent a whole day at Euro Disney, which the big kid in me loved. My brother used his kid free day to explore the big tourist attractions – the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Catacombs and the Pere Lachaise cemetery. He was just a little peeved when he final reached the grave of Jim Morrison, which was the one thing he really wanted to see, and the battery on his camera went flat. Nooooo!!! Note – always carry a spare charged camera battery.
Versailles
A half day tour to Versailles rounded off our few days in Paris….. to see the gardens in all their glory you have to go on the particular days that the fountains are on, and it costs extra. If you go on other days, you can wander the gardens for free, but no fountains. If you go in summer like we did, you’ll be at an advantage if you are over 6ft tall, to be able to get a camera above all the heads in the Hall of Mirrors. Perhaps some noise cancelling headphones would be handy as well, to block out the 23 different languages you’ll hear as the tour guides try to be heard over each other.
Paris with a gal pal
Fast forward 8 years and I am back in Paris, this time with one of my best friends. A bit of a back story here….. we have been friends for over 30 years, since we first started working together in our early 20’s. She is the friend that understands what crap you are going through, because she has gone through it too. The friend that you go out with, have a few beverages with, talk about said crap with, start crying together, and then start laughing together about how soppy you both are. A diamond friend – rare, precious and forever.
Day trip to Champagne
As you can imagine, this trip to Paris was full of laughs and bubbles…. first stop – Champagne! We visited all the major Champagne houses in Reims, tasted lots of bubbles and toured the tunnels. Is it some sort of sign that we were briefed outside the boozy…..I mean Bouzy tunnel?? There is so much history in this area too. Touring the tunnels, there are photographs that show the tunnels being used as a school during the war. There is more to Reims than just champagne. The magnificent cathedral is a must see, so much history there. The Cathedral survived several bombings and evidence of the war can be seen with shell damage throughout the cathedral left as it was.
Palais Garnier
I really wanted to see Palais Garnier, I had heard the interior of that building is stunning. My plan was to get my friend and I tickets to see the Paris ballet …. not only would we see the building, but my friend, who is the mother of boys, would get to see a fabulous ballet. There was only one show on while we were in town, and it was a contemporary dance production. Not exactly what I had wanted, but it was dance, and it would be something special for us to remember. The theatre was fabulous! Red velvet and gilding surround a massive crystal chandelier beneath a magnificent ceiling painted by Marc Chagall. We sat in our balcony seat in eager anticipation of what was to come. The dancers performed a few numbers, but when they approached the front of the stage in pairs, turned their back to the audience, and promptly dropped their pants, I turned to my friend wide-eyed and tried not to laugh. To this day, we are still unsure of what we actually witnessed that night, but I was right …. it was something to remember!
Saint-Chapelle
The Notre Dame is probably the most well-known Church in Paris, but Saint-Chapelle would have to be the prettiest. The 15-foot-high stained-glass windows are breath-taking. I loved the deep blue ceiling and the stained-glass rose window…. add this one to your list when in Paris.
This was a brief visit, just a couple of nights before heading to Bordeaux, but we spent some time just sitting in a cafe, people watching. We felt so Parisienne!
Catching the train drama!
The time came to catch our train to Bordeaux, we made it to the station in time…..our train was there at the platform. What we didn’t know was that the gates to the platform close 5 or 10 minutes before the train actually leaves. We were unable to board our train and had to re-purchase tickets, and they weren’t cheap! Sitting in the ticket office, I was pretty ticked off. Service was slow and I was worried we weren’t even going to make the next train. Finally, we begrudgingly bought new tickets and headed to the platform. We were in carriage 6 and had just stowed our luggage when I had a feeling….. I said to my friend “Where’s my backpack?” She replied, “Did you have a backpack?” “Yes, I definitely had a backpack!” It dawned on me that I had left it on the floor in the ticket office. What to do?? My friend said “We have time. I’ll stay with the luggage; you run and get the backpack.” I jumped off the train and in slow, overly loud speech, accompanied by exaggerated hand gestures, I asked the rail attendant “What time (points to watch repeatedly) does the gate (waves hands back and forth) close? I left my backpack (pulls on imaginary straps) in the ticket office (points urgently in direction of ticket office)”. Lovely rail attendant replies “RUN!!”
So, I ran!
I surprisingly found my backpack on the floor unattended. I scooped it up and ran, weaving through the crowd calling “Excusez moi! Excusez moi”, down to the platform to find the gate had closed. I think I may have cried a little. My lovely rail attendant saw my distress and swiped his card, opening the gate for me. I thanked him profusely as I made my way towards our carriage. With urgency, my man…. I call him my man now…. stopped me and practically hoisted me into the first carriage. Not a minute too soon, as the door closed, and the train pulled out of the station.
Meanwhile, in carriage 6 ….. “Oh f#*k, she’s missed the train….and I don’t even know where we are going!” I did mention I like to plan, and I had done most of it for this trip. My poor friend knew we were going to Bordeaux but had no idea where we were staying.
I finally reached carriage 6, and after the big reunion hug, our next destination was unanimous…. ”To the bar!”
