Wissembourg Day Trip

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June 28, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Wissembourg, France, is a great day trip from Kaiserslautern.

It’s only about 1-2 hours away, depending on traffic and weather.

Wissembourg was a battle site during the Franco-Prussian war. France lost, allowing the Prussians entrance into the country.

We went on a sunny and warm day in April and it was gorgeous with flowers and trees in bloom!

Wisteria is one of my favorite scents!

There’s a large free parking lot in the city center.

And there are free restrooms!

The 13th century medieval ramparts encircle the city center and are a lovely park-like walk or a picnic on a bench in the sunshine.

The kids liked running in the old moat.

I loved the other side of the village with the canal and ramparts.

St. Peter and St. Paul’s cathedral is lovely and dates back to the 1200s!

The abbey tower dates to 1025!

We walked through town and enjoyed the fountain and flowers.

We made reservations online at Restaurant du Cygne after browsing online for somewhere with good French food.

They have prix fixe menu and lovely plats. The wait staff is extremely sweet and helpful – in at least three languages!

I chose a 4-course prix fixe with accompanying wines – asparagus salad, dorade with bell peppers, quail, and strawberries with ice cream.

Tori chose the dorade. Katie got a steak.

Alex got the chicken kids’ meal! Look at it!

Everything was superb.

The whole reason for going to Wissembourg was to get chocolates at Patisserie Rebert. We were not disappointed. My favorites are the saffron-infused truffles.

Rebert is located on a lively corner, easily recognizable by the bright red awning and crowds.

We each got a lovely pastry and we picked out a box of chocolates. The cakes were fresh and delicious a few hours later at home!

We stopped at a little grocer for some fresh peas and white asparagus on the way back to the car.

It was a fun day!

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Paris with Kids

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May 3, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 44 Comments

We took our second trip to Paris last fall for Liz’s 16th birthday.

We also had gone to Paris for Liz’s 14th birthday.

We went to Greece for her 15th!

October is a great time to travel. We homeschool, so we don’t have to worry about schedules and we can take advantage of deals and lesser crowds. We can coincide our trips with our studies.

She’s such a lucky girl.

I bought the Rick Steves Paris this time and it was great!

We got to stay a little longer this time and saw most of what we didn’t have time to see before. Which was super nice and almost leisurely.

But there are still reasons I want to go back! I still want to see the Rodin Museum and Carnavalet was closed. I would love to sit in the café at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I want to browse at the Clignancourt Flea Market. I want to see Paris in springtime.

The kids love practicing their French! We’ve never felt the attitude that others complain of in Paris. People are super friendly and helpful if you try a little and know the etiquette.

Day 1: Marais

We took the train from Kaiserslautern to Paris, then the Metro to our apartment. We bought week passes for the Metro for everyone.

We checked in to our apartment in the 3rd Arrondissement, at the edge of the Marais. It was really nice and had a rather large kitchen and a bathtub! There’s a sweet little bakery right across the street. It was quiet but close to everything!

We started out with Rick Steves’ Marais Walk – Bastille to Pompidou.

We ate an amazing lunch at La Place Royal in Place du Vosges. They had the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had. The staff were amazing.

The kids played in the park in Place du Vosges for a while.

Then, we continued our Marais Walk to Hôtel de Sully which has a gorgeous courtyard.

We got Amorino gelato by Pompidou Center.

We stopped by the G20 grocery to get some pizza for the kids for dinner.
Aaron and I went to A&M for dinner and got this lovely salmon risotto and rosé wine.

Day 2: The Louvre

We did the Louvre.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t that keen on going to the Louvre, but I’m so glad we did! I was overwhelmed by the size and worried we’d get all cranky before even seeing half of it. The kids were troopers! I wasn’t.

We bought tickets online and used the Mall entrance. No lines, super easy.

We got there right when they opened. We bought an app with maps and guides. There are also pretty good brochures at the entrance.

We all but ran to see the Mona Lisa first. There are signs and arrows, so you can’t miss her!

I was so excited to see Sleeping Hermaphrodite by Bernini.

The kids loved The Louvre. They especially loved the Egyptian wing. I was the one who got hungry and tired and wanted to leave. There was only one wing we didn’t see: The Richelieu Wing – Northern Europe Paintings. And some of the Spanish art wasn’t open, but we viewed it through fences. So, I think we did great!

We had lunch at a touristy Provençal restaurant down an alley. It was simple and fine and there were actually lots of locals who showed up as we were finishing up.
We went to Les Halles for Liz to go to Sephora and the kids to go the Lego store. We got drinks at a fun little café.

Aaron and I had dinner at Madame Tartine beside the Stravinsky Fountain. It was windy and starting to drizzle, so we had to rush our mixte charcuterie et camembert chaud.

Day 3: Montmartre

We took the Metro to Montmartre.

The stop is right down the hill from Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

Sacré-Cœur was lovely.

We rubbed Peter’s foot for blessings.

We had a nice quiet lunch at Chez Plumeau.

Delicious salmon pasta.

Gorgeous rose wine. At sixteen years old, Liz can have a sip now!

Enormous hot cocoa.

We walked Montmartre. It’s in Rick Steves Paris.

We got to see many famous landmarks, like Picasso’s studio and the houses where Vincent van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec lived.

Moulin de la Galette is in a famous Renoir painting.

And also scenes from the movie Amélie.

The Rue Cler and Pig Alley walks intersect here too. They’re boring for us though.

We got a snack of macarons at a bakery. And of course, a baguette. We stopped for drinks farther on at a corner café and ate our macarons. I’m a little obsessed with the Kir Royal Pêche cocktail – champagne with peach liqueur.

We walked the Rue des Martyrs and saw Le Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.

I finally got to see Jim Morrison’s grave.

We all had dinner at Ma Salle à Manger. We had a lovely memory of it the first time we came to Paris and Liz decided she wanted her birthday dinner there. They were out of almost everything, but we got steak and salad with an amazing Bordeaux wine.

Day 4: Versailles

We took the train to Versailles. Check out my detailed post about our Versailles day trip.
We made the kids dinner at our apartment. Aaron and I had dinner at Le Grand Cerf right around the corner from our apartment. Salmon and gratin dauphinois.

Day 5: Basilique St. Denis

We walked to Place de la Concorde. It’s absolutely gorgeous and a great location for pictures! (unlike its history)

We took the Metro to Basilique St. Denis.

All the royal families of France are buried here.

We loved the basement with all the gravesites for Marie-Antionette and her family.

We ate lunch at a café right at the entrance. It was just ok.
We found Laguiole Marais to buy some knives and a cool wine opener for Aaron. So cool it was open on Sunday!
We peeked in the gate at La Passage du Grand Cerf.

The kids got Nitrogenie ice cream.
We walked to the Eiffel Tower just as it started to sparkle. Such a great way to end our magical trip!

Everything was closed for dinner. I forgot that about Sundays. We should have had a very early dinner. I was hungry!

We just love Paris. It’s one of our favorite places!

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Versailles with Kids

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May 3, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

We spent a week in Paris and took a day trip to Versailles.

We took the train from Paris to Versailles.

We followed advice in the guide Rick Steves Paris.

The train stop is just around the block from the palace. We ordered tickets online.

We arrived early, before the crowds and it was perfect.

The chapel is right pretty.

I’m a little bit in love with Bernini (like, his self-portrait is the background image on my laptop). There’s a Bust of Louis XIV that he sculpted. It’s fabulous.

It took my husband a loooong time to get a single shot of me with the Hall of Mirrors.

Then, we got the kids in the picture.

I thought we would have tantrums that Marie-Antoinette’s apartements were closed for repair, but Katie handled it much better than I did.

So, we got some macarons at Ladurée.

The kids loved the Mesdames Apartments.

We chose to visit Versailles on a day the musical fountains are on. I highly recommend this, even though it costs a bit more. It was soooo worth it! We absolutely loved it.

The lady at the gate to the gardens was super helpful and circled the best fountains to see so we didn’t have to waste time, since it is really quite huge. It can be overwhelming. Here’s a good guide to viewing the fountains at Versailles.

There are lots of little fountains that are lovely, but it’s also a lot of walking on gravel. And don’t think of stepping a toe on grass or leaning on anything because guards will blow their shrill whistles at you! They need more benches.

Our favorite was the Mirror Fountain. It plays to synchronized music every 10 minutes. I think we watched it two or three times!

VIEW IT HERE> Mirror Fountain Versailles

The Latona Fountain is quite large.

The famous Apollo Fountain

We ate delicious baguette sandwiches by the Grand Canal.

We walked past the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon. We just weren’t that interested.

We really liked The Grotto. It was really quite pretty and idyllic.

The map really was a bit deceiving, making Marie-Antoinette’s little peasant hamlet seem a lot closer than it was.

After my tantrum – because I was tired and sore and really wanted to see it, especially since her apartments were closed in the palace, we finally got on the right path and found it.

We took the Petit Tram back to the Grand Canal because I was done.

I sat on a bench while Aaron and Katie went to view the Dragon fountain.

We had a snack of crêpes at Breton Café right across from the train station before heading back to Paris.

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Normandy with Kids

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November 10, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 10 Comments

We’ve been longing to tour Normandy, France, for months, researching and planning, adding and removing sites to visit.

Our Normandy tour hit all the highlights for the D-Day sites…

and places we’ve studied about the Middle Ages.

I’ve been asked how accessible Normandy is for the elderly or someone with a walker or wheelchair.

We saw the Bayeux Tapestry and it’s a short little tour through the tapestry room and a nice museum upstairs. There are elevators. The Bayeux Cathedral is pretty too, right around the corner from the Tapestry.

Mont St. Michel has free shuttle buses to and from the visitors’ center, but the tour through the castle and town might be long and difficult.

The Omaha Beach and Utah Beach museums are pretty easy to maneuver, with benches for resting. The actual beaches are not far from parking areas and it’s worth a looksee and to just stand there in awe. The American cemetery is, of course, very well-kept and very easy to get around the paved pathways.

Pointe du Hoc is amazing. The visitors’ center has a good video. Behind the center are info plaques to read about the history and heroes. The grounds have rough paths and it’s a lot of walking, but there are good maps, so you could just see one bunker or get a view of it all. Take it slowly as you need.

We also went to Rouen to see the Joan of Arc church and fun new interactive museum. There was a parking garage right beside the church and marketplace, but the museum was down a pedestrian road. We didn’t make it to the Rouen Tower, but we saw it from the museum window.

Our Normandy Itinerary

Day 1: Grandcamp Maisie

We drove from home to our apartment-hotel in Grandcamp Maisie. It was a looooong road trip.

We cooked a dinner with marinated chicken from the cooler and walked along the beach before bedtime.

It was quite cold, but we loved exploring the tide pools and looking at the crabs!

Day 2: Bayeux and Utah Beach

We drove to Bayeux to see the tapestry and cathedral.

Here’s the entrance to the Bayeux Tapestry building.

Upstairs is neato little museum.

There’s a replica of a Viking church boat. They would take people across the fjords to church.

Also, a copy or replica of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

There’s a great little place to eat right on the canal: Le Moulin de la Galette.

In 1794, a liberty tree was planted on the cathedral grounds.

In the afternoon, we visited Utah Beach Museum and monuments.

See my post about the Normandy Memorial Sites.

It was one of the few sunny days of our trip. It was chilly but lovely.

The beach is beautiful now, but holds so much history.

It’s hard to imagine all the lives lost on this beach.

Day 3: Mont St. Michel

We drove to Mont St. Michel.

At the entrance of this medieval town is the ancient Burgher’s Guardroom now the Tourist Office.

After going through the Boulevard Gate and then the King’s Gate fortified with its portcullis, you will find the Grande Rue or main street with its museums, shops, and houses dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The parish church consecrated to St.Pierre, the patron saint of fishermen, is a small edifice from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Mount consecrated to St. Michel in 708 was one of the first places of cult for the Archangel Michel with the Gargan’s Mount.

The abbey is open every day except the 1st of January, the 1st of may and the 25th of December.

2 May to 31 August: 9 am to 7 pm, last admission at 6 pm.
1 September to 30 April: 9:30 am to 6 pm, last admission at 5 pm

In case of high tide preventing access to Mont St. Michel, the opening time of the abbey can be changed. Pets not allowed.

Adults: 9 €
Reduced rate (18-25 years old which are non-European): 7 €
People under 26 years old who are citizens of one the 27 countries of EU or are non-European permanent residents of France: FREE of charge
Children less than 18 years (family visit): FREE of charge

There are free shuttle buses to/from the castle town.

The area surrounding the castle and the little village around the visitors’ center are pretty touristy. There are lots of little shops and restaurants. They only open during lunch and dinner time. We had to get a quick pastry at the bakery in town when we missed lunchtime. Don’t miss buying some Mere Poulard cookies from the touristy shops though! They’re amazing and we still wish we had some.

Our first glimpse of Mont St. Michel rising from the marshes:

My son loves models and we thought these showing the development of Mont St. Michel over the centuries were great.

Mass is sung at 12:15 every day except Mondays. The acoustics were amazing.

The church facade:

classic-facade-of-the-church-abbey-saint-michel

View of the tides:

The light in the cloister was beautiful and peaceful.

Three arches of the cloister are opened to the sea or to the outside. Those openings were the entryway to the chapter house that was never built. The columns, arranged in quincunx, were originally made of limestone from England but were later restored using puddingstone from Lucerne.

The cloister has in the middle a medieval garden recreated in 1966 by brother Bruno de Senneville, a Benedictine monk. The center is made of box tree surrounded by 13 Damascus roses. The squares of medicinal plants, aromatic herbs and flowers symbolize the daily needs of Middle age monks. In the middle of the box trees were monsters to remind that in the middle of any marvel evil could still be there.

The refectory. The little stair on the right is where the head monk would read during mealtimes.

The old windlass:

The crypt has massive pillars erected in 1446, holding up the foundation of the choir.

It was a long day. We had dinner in Grandcamp Maisie. The cafe is now Crèperie du Joncal.

I had local oysters (the best I’ve ever eaten!) and a regional salad with Andouillette sausage, apples, and Camembert cheese. It was amazing!

Calvados is apple brandy and it was a great accompaniment to dessert.

Day 4: Rouen

We drove to Rouen to see the cathedral and Joan of Arc sites.

Rouen Cathedral is gorgeous:

Eternal flame where Joan was executed:

Eternal Flame at Base of the Cross outside Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen

Cross Monument Église outside Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen

Joan of Arc church in marketplace:

Front Facade of Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen

The church is shaped like an overturned ship.

Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen downspout

Statues inside:

The new Joan of Arc museum and doorway to the old bishop’s palace.

Interior courtyard of the Bishop's palace Rouen

We really enjoyed our day in Rouen.

Day 5: Normandy American Cemetery, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc

We went to the Memorial Day service at the American Cemetery.

It was very emotional.

Normandy American Cemetery hosted its annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2016, at 10.30 am.

We got to stand right up at the railing!

Program:

Master of Ceremonies	René Huard, AOMDA
Superintendent	Daniel L. Neese
Deputy Superintendent	Michael Coonce
The Marseillaise and the Star Spangled Banner
Welcoming Remarks	Daniel Neese
Opening Remarks	René Huard
Opening Prayers	Father Xavier Signargout, Diocese of Bayeaux and Lisieux Capt. Gary P. Weeden, Command Chaplain of U.S. European Command Rabbi Meyer Malka, Jewish Community of Caen
Addresses	Sara Harriger, U.S. Consul for Western France Patrick Thomines, Mayor of Coleville-sur-Mer Laurent Fiscus, Prefect of Calvados Department Lt. Gen. William B. Garrett, III, Deputy Commander of U.S. European Command
Closing Prayer	Father Xavier Signargout, Diocese of Bayeaux and Lisieux
Laying of Wreaths
Taps-Raising of the Colors
Retiring of the Colors
Participation of Troops	5th Signal Command Color Guard, U.S. Army Europe Unit Garrison of Cherbourg, France French Military Band of the Artillery of Rennes, France

9,387 Americans are buried at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France.

The Memorial faces the United States at its nearest point to the cemetery – between Eastport and Lubec, Maine.

The 22-foot bronze statue entitled The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.

The reflecting pool and chapel:

The beaches from the orientation table:

beaches-from-normandy-american-cemetery-orientation-table

We got to watch an interview with WWII Veteran Curtis Phillips.

My kids got to shake his hand and thank him for his service. This is something they will always remember!

We remember the fallen.

After the memorial service, we toured the Omaha Beach Museum and monuments.

There’s a good video in the museum and lots of static displays.

The Omaha Beach has a monument in the sand: Les Braves.

An airplane did flybys around Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach for Memorial weekend.

In the afternoon, we hiked around Pointe du Hoc.

I never learned about this in school!

Pointe du Hoc is a promontory with a 100 ft (30 m) cliff overlooking the English Channel on the coast of Normandy in northern France. During World War II it was the highest point between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east. The German army fortified the area with concrete casemates and gun pits. On D-Day (6 June 1944) the United States Army Ranger Assault Group assaulted and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the cliffs.

Day 6: Home

We drove home. We had planned to visit Giverny, but the weather was terrible. It rained from Paris to the border. There was tragic flooding in Paris and Germany. It was a rough and wet and loooong drive home!

Our Normandy trip spanned many eras of history. We’ll remember it forever!

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Celebrating Saint Joan of Arc

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August 4, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 15 Comments

I’ve always held a fascination for Joan of Arc, ever since I was a little girl.

The historical story is a remarkable one, no matter what one believes.

To hear heavenly voices and do something amazing, to save one’s country and obey God – it’s the stuff of dreams and fairy tales.

But Joan did all that and more.

Joan was burned at the stake as a heretic in 1431, after a politically-motivated trial. The appellate court retried Joan and declared her innocent on 7 July 1456. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920.

We’re focusing on European history this year since we’re living in Germany.

We spent several weeks reading about Joan of Arc, the 100-year war, and other issues of the Middle Ages.

To celebrate the end of the first unit of our history cycle 2, we visited Rouen – where Joan of Arc was tried and executed.

For our Joan of Arc Unit Study, we read lots of books, watched some films, completed notebooking pages, and traveled to Rouen.

My son especially loved this book and it was very accurate, not dumbing anything down.

Books:

Joan of Arc: The Lily Maid by Margaret Hodges

Joan of Arc by Michael Morpurgo

Joan of Arc: Heroine of France by Ann Tompert

Dove and Sword: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Nancy Garden

Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley

Joan of Arc by Demi

Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

DK Biography: Joan of Arc by Kathleen Kudlinski

Joan of Arc (Step into Reading) by Shana Corey

Joan of Arc (Dorling Kindersley Readers, Level 4) by Angela Bull

Films:

Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman and Directed by Victor Fleming

Joan of Arc with Leelee Sobieski

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc with Milla Jovovich

The Passion of Joan of Arc (The Criterion Collection) with Maria Falconetti
Joan of Arc Interactive DVD by Nest Learning

There’s also an Nest activity book here.

Activities:

St. Joan of Arc coloring page from Catholic Icing

Reenaction with Legos by Adventures in Mommydom

Simple Joan of Arc Lapbook from Homeschool Epiphany

Online documents of Saint Joan of Arc Trials

Interactive Maps of Travels of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc notebooking and coloring pages from Shower of Roses

Joan of Arc notebooking page from Homeschool Helper Online

Our Field Trip to Rouen:

Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc de Rouen

Since 1979, this church stands on the Old Market Square where she was burned. It is both a church honoring St. Joan of Arc and a civil memorial with a cross and eternal flame in the courtyard. The outside is modern, designed by architect Louis Arretche, evoking the sea with a cover of scales in slate or copper. The roof of the church is meant to resemble an overturned Viking ship and consuming flames. Inside, there are remarkable stained glass windows of the old church Saint Vincent Renaissance. There are no relics of St. Joan of Arc.

Cross Monument Eglise outside Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen

I paid €0,50 for an English brochure.

Hours:

Monday to Thursday, Saturday : 10am to 12pm and from 14h to 18h

Friday and Sunday : 14h to 18h

Closed : 25 December and 1 January.

Rouen Cathedral

Joan of Arc was put on trial in the bishops’ palace, but we felt it fitting to visit the famous cathedral.

The highest spire in France, erected in 1876, a cast-iron tour-de-force rising 490 ft above the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen. Claude Monet immortalized Rouen’s cathedral facade in his paintings.

A chapel is dedicated to Joan of Arc.

New Joan of Arc Museum in Rouen

The kids loved these discovery booklets with puzzles, questions, activities, and information about the life and times of Joan of Arc and the city of Rouen.

Joan of Arc Museum Discovery Booklet for Kids

The Joan of Arc museum has projected videos and images that explain the story of Joan in each room of the bishop’s palace. It’s quite innovative and exciting and holds everyone’s attention really well.

There are statues and artifacts at the end of the tour.

We viewed the tower from the attic window.

We bought a rare souvenir in the museum gift shop:

See info about Historial Jeanne d’Arc here.

Individual Tickets €9,50 or Family Ticket €26

Hours:

31 May to 1 October:

Tuesday to Sunday: 9.45 a.m.–7.45 p.m. (last visit begins at 6 p.m.)

1 June to 30 September

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 9.45 a.m.–7.45 p.m. (last visit begins at 6 p.m.)

Friday and Saturday: 9.45 a.m.–8.45 p.m. (last visit begins at 7 p.m.)

Joan of Arc Tower

This dungeon was part of the castle built in 1204 by Philippe Auguste. It is all that remains of the Rouen Castle. Joan was held prisoner here during her trial.

We didn’t have time to walk over to the tower, but we saw it from the window of the museum.

Tickets € 1.50

Free for children under 18

Hours:

1 April to 30 September

10am to 12.30pm and from 14h to 18h Monday through Saturday. From 14h to 18h30 on Sundays.

October 1 to March 31

10am to 12.30pm and from 14h to 17h Monday through Saturday. From 14 to 17.30 on Sundays.

Closed: Tuesdays and 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November, 25 December.

Rouen is a fun town with lots to see and do, a nice market, and plenty of restaurants and shopping.

We would love to see Domrémy and Reims someday.

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Monkey Mountain

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December 1, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Our whole family enjoyed a visit to Monkey Mountain, La Montagne des Singes.

This zoo is about 45 minutes from Strasbourg, so it’s a perfect side trip.

Information:

More than 200 Barbary macaques roam free in 60 acres of beautiful forest.

The visit lasts approximately one hour
The path is 800 meters long
No pets are allowed in the park
Popcorn given at the entrance is the only food allowed in the park
Feeding talks are about every 45 minutes

The guide at the entrance opens the gate and scoops out about a handful of popcorn for each group. There are guides posted around the park to ensure safety of both the humans and monkeys.

The boys were a bit nervous at first.

The kids enjoyed feeding the monkeys.

Only 1 piece of popcorn in a flat, outstretched palm.

The monkeys interested in eating perched on the fences and benches.

I felt like I was in my very own National Geographic special – up close with all these gorgeous monkeys!

I love how the babies get piggyback rides.

There’s a lookout point on a hill that gives a nice view of much of the park.

This little guy was all by himself, playing on the logs at the base of this tree.

These acrobatic monkeys romped on the ropes and tree. One fell in the water and looked mighty embarrassed.

These “teenage” monkeys displayed by shaking this sign and screaming.

I made sure everyone had fed the monkeys plenty before I had my turn. They’re very quick and gentle with soft fingers.

This was a memorable trip. The kids all loved seeing the monkeys up close and feeding them!

Opening times 2016:

Open every day from 19 March to 6 November. Also open on the 11, 12 and 13 November.

March*, April: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-17.00
May, June: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-18.00
1st July – July 10: 10.00 to 18.00
July 11 to August 23: 9.30 to 18.00
August 24 to Aug 31: 10:00 to 18.00
September: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-18.00
October, November**: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-17.00

* from the 19 March
** only from the 1 to 6 and on the 11, 12, and 13 November

On Sundays and Bank holidays, the park is open without a break at lunchtime.

Last entrance: ½ hour before the park closes

Prices 2016:

Adults 9,00 €
Children (5 to 14 years old) Free

Monkey Mountain is about 2.5 hours from Ramstein and 3.5 hours from Spangdahlem.

See our entire Black Forest Weekend Itinerary.

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A Day in Strasbourg

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November 24, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Strasbourg is a great short trip for a day or weekend.

We parked in a public lot and crossed the river to walk towards the cathedral.

They call this district La Petite France because it retains the Alsatian charm of when where artisans plied their trades here in the Middle Ages. I’m sure it’s really beautiful in summer.

We were excited to find Place Gutenberg right away and got a picture with the statue of Gutenberg holding the Bible.

There are oodles of cafes and shops on the streets around the cathedral.

I didn’t much care for the feel of the city. It doesn’t hold the magic of other French towns we’ve been to. I don’t care about the touristy booths and shops.

We ate lunch at Zuem Strissel. We never researched anything and just chose at random.

It was pretty good. Our waiter was hilarious and a tease. His name was Alexander and was delighted to share a name with our son. He even gifted Alex a wine glass after learning Alex loved the shape and green stem.

Liz’s steak was a dream.

After lunch, we visited the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg.

How we do love gargoyles.

Strasbourg Cathedral Rose Window and Organ

We chose not to pay to see the astronomical clock function on the hour (mostly because we didn’t feel like waiting around another hour).

We got to see the clock just fine inside the cathedral.

Opening Times:

Open every day
7 a.m. to 11.20 a.m.
0.35 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.

No visits during services.

Astronomical Clock:

4.60 Euros for adults

2.30 Euros for under 18

On the way back to the car, Katie wanted to buy a baguette.

She popped into this darling bakery, greeted the madame, ordered her baguette, and paid – all in French!

Makes this mama proud to have culturally aware kiddos.

There are some other churches worth seeing and some lovely museums, but we only came to see the cathedral.

Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament, which it shares with Brussels. We passed the modern building as we left the city.

Strasbourg is about 2 hours from Ramstein and almost 3 hours from Spangdahlem.

See our entire Black Forest Weekend Itinerary.

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A Weekend in Paris

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November 6, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

What can you do for just a weekend in Paris?

Quite a lot.

We took a very early ICE train from Kaiserslautern to Paris. We left our luggage at our hotel (Hotel Cactus) and took off for sightseeing. Not a moment to waste!

We were up early to catch the train and we knew we’d not be able to stay out late.

Day 1: As many of the famous sites before we drop.

Le Tour Eiffel.

Liz was thrilled to round a corner and see this:

We took an early birthday trip to Paris. How many teens get to do that?!

We had ice cream at the Trocadero and watched people.

We walked everywhere. A lot. Of walking. My Fitbit loved me. Liz and I adored seeing all these familiar street names and locations from books and movies and history.

l’Arc de Triomphe.

Quite a lovely view from the top. I highly recommend paying to go up. And having your kids speak French to the ticket agents is a great way to get smiles and occasionally discounts. Always check for family tickets to save money and some attractions have deals for multiple sites.

We had a late lunch at Chez Clément on L’Avenue des Champs-Élysées. I do not recommend this restaurant – or perhaps just this location. The restaurant chain was raved about in the guidebooks and online as a great affordable, family-friendly place. The food was just ok. We had other, much better dining experiences. It was fine for a first time munch for nervous and hungry travelers. (Did you know the name of that famous street is French for Elysian Fields?)

We were running short on time so we took a fun motorcycle taxi to Notre Dame. The kids absolutely LOVED it. It was about €30, but it worth these smiles and that it fit all six of us. The driver gave us all Gummis and played awesome French radio.

River Walk Tour with Paris Discover Walks. Lots of tours to choose from – all for the price of a nice tip. Great trivia and fun – all in English.

While we were waiting for our tour guide by Notre Dame, we fed the pigeons.

The college student who ran our walking tour was awesome and full of trivia, like an anaconda was found in the River Seine. Really, y’all.

Great restaurant recommendations and fun stories by a Paris local – all in English. Check out these tips for Paris shopping.

Look around! History and literature is EVERYWHERE. This was on the corner by our hotel. Rue Plumet.

We stayed at Hôtel Cactus. A great find online with free croissants and hot drinks in the morning.

Day 2: Churches and a Museum with a Grand Finale Evening

We checked out Le Cité this morning.

I love the Arte Nouveau look of the Metro.

This flower market was renamed in honor of Queen Elizabeth.

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

We got there early and viewed the inside in awe. We waited in a rather long line to climb to the top. They kinda corral you at various points in the tour – the gift shop, the gargoyles, the top level, before releasing you to descend.

The bells are outside in the courtyard. There’s a lovely garden and park too!

A fun café across the street from Notre Dame.

Check out this time machine rickshaw. Love it!

La Sainte-Chapelle

Gorgeous stained glass!

Everything was just stunning. The walls, the doors, the floor, the ceiling. A favorite.

Dinner at Ma Salle à Manger. This is our absolute favorite restaurant in Paris. Such fun and delectable food. The waiter was darling and took the kids on a tour of the restaurant to pick out their ice flavor after they ate.

Apparently, to the right of this sandy park, Johnny Depp used to live there.

Musée d’Orsay.

Pictures aren’t allowed inside, but we saw all this great Impressionist art! Statues for each continent are outside in the courtyard.

La Tour Montparnasse.

This was great fun for our whole family! We feasted on ice cream, macarons, peanuts, and Champagne while the sun set and the lights of Paris delighted us.

We skipped going up the Eiffel for seeing it all a-twinkle and the whole city of Paris from the top of Montparnasse. Well worth the money!

We loved seeing Le Tour Eiffel all sparkly. Magical.

Day 3: A lazy Sunday in Paris.

Le Jardin Luxembourg.

Of course, we had to play with the sailboats! This was a lifelong dream for me.

Liz, being a Whovian, chose the UK boat.

I lived vicariously through my kids, giving them pony rides through the garden. They loved it!

We admired the statues and fountains.

At the entrance, we saw this delightful organ man!

We walked to Ladurée for macarons and had dinner at l’Odeon. This was probably our least favorite food, but it was really fun and a great location! The wait staff were darling and impressed with our attempts at French.

Finally, a crêpe! This is all she wanted the whole weekend and I’m glad I kept putting her off, not wanting to get her a mediocre one from a street vendor, and found this darling little shop Amorino near La Cimetière Montparnasse with all-natural gelato.

Square Saint-Lambert. We really loved this park and garden. Free wi-fi, a playground, fountain, walking trail.

We spent the evening at this lovely Paris playground, relaxing on our last evening in Paris. Europe has the best playgrounds.

The kids loved speaking to other kids in French and English.

We purposely did not go to The Louvre. I just felt it would be a bit much for me and the kids on such a short trip.

This was a just a taste of Paris for our family. We’ve never really traveled anywhere outside The States so we weren’t sure what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised and delighted. Having a larger family, it’s sometimes awkward and expensive.

We had a delightful experience, no issues with tourist traps or rudeness at all. Because we all tried very hard to be polite and respectful.

We plan to return to Paris next year and see lots more!

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