So Much Walking, So Much More Fun In Paris

Days three and four in Paris were also really fun! We started each day with breakfast of croissants and baguettes at our hostel. One thing the kids made fun of me for was when I would ask people what something was, and then the people would think I was trying to buy it. We ended up with extra coffee this way and I accidentally bought the flat peaches below! Sam and I called them doughnut peaches :)

After I accidentally bought peaches, we then took the metro to the Musee D'Orsay. We knew that the Louvre would be really huge and overwhelming and hoped that the Musee D'Orsay would be more accessible.

Rachel was completely embarrassed by all the statues of naked people and would shade her eyes whenever we passed one (hahaha!!!) but both kids were interested in different pieces. I like exposing them to all sorts of art and seeing what catches their fancies. 

After we left the Musee D'Orsay, we got back on the "batobus" and took it back to the Jardins Des Plantes. We got more ice cream (I had the best lemon ice cream this time) and then the kids convinced us to go to a zoo for the first time since we went to Kenya. Our safari has completely ruined zoos for me, in the best of ways.

After watching Turning Red with the kids a few weeks ago, I did enjoy the chance to see a real live red panda. And although we saw flamingos in the wild in both Bonaire and Curacao a few years ago, I also enjoyed watching these guys playing (and yelling) while Dave and the kids checked out the reptile house. I also loved how much Sam and Rachel loved taking pictures of all the animals.

Then, as sometimes happens in travel, it was 3:00pm, we caught the batobus up to the Place de Concorde, and then we were really hungry, out of water, and couldn't find anywhere to eat. Sometimes vacation mode, and not knowing when, or where, you are having your next meal, is a little rough.

We ended up at a restaurant off the Champs-Elysees where I enjoyed the best escargots ever!

 

Sustained by good food, we continued walking down the Champs-Elysees to the Arc De Triomphe. I didn't take many pictures there but I did grab one of Rachel looking... triumphant!

We ended the evening at Parc Monceau, where the kids played for awhile, and then grabbed the metro back to our hostel.

The next day, we stayed in and around Montmartre. First, we checked out the local school which was right near our hostel.

Then we walked up a gazillion steps to get to Sacre-Coeur.

 

It's super cheesy but they have a whole fence of locks around Sacre-Coeur and Rachel wanted our family to have a lock. So we bought one, signed it, and locked it.

Then we checked out Sacre-Coeur itself. I don't like taking pictures inside churches, but I realized that Rachel's Catholic education is sorely lacking as she had a ton of questions about everything inside the church from the statues to the nuns to the candles to the...

After that, we waited around a little and then climbed 292 steps to the top of the dome. Neither kid was super excited about this at first, especially one child who has a fear of heights. However, I told them they wouldn't have to look down, and they agreed to try. Both kids raced to the top in about ten minutes and then had a great time. The concerned one even looked out a little and I was so proud of them.

After climbing to the top of Sacre-Coeur. we grabbed lunch at a nearby cafe. Dave was thrilled to finally get a Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese coated with cheese on the outside as well) and the kids were thrilled to get macarons. Sam also really wanted a beret, which he has been happily wearing and it makes me laugh!

 

 

After three very busy days, we had a lot of downtime at the hostel in the afternoon. I repacked for the next stage of our journey, Rachel and I ventured out to find a post office and successfully mailed a postcard (we think!), and we eventually headed out to our favourite bakery. I got the raspberry tart below and it was AMAZING!!! So good!!!

 

In the evening, things fell apart a bit. We had been hoping to find a crepe restaurant but we couldn't find the one the hostel reception directed us to, and then the one I found nearby on Apple Maps we think closed because we couldn't find it either. We were hungry, tired, and stressed, as we had a Covid test appointment in the evening for another stage of our journey, so eventually, we just ate at an Italian restaurant. We didn't have many options as a few restaurants weren't even serving dinner yet -- just happy hour drinks.

We really did love our time in Paris, especially all the amazing food, but I also want to be honest that traveling can be exhausting, and sometimes frustrating. I was amazed at how well the kids did with the random meal times and all the walking. And I was so proud of how they just dove in and spoke French and navigated their way through Paris.

And then we were off on the next leg of our journey...

To read about Day 5, go here.