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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London with Kids

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April 26, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Our family loved our trip to London.

Fall is an ideal time to go since kids are back in school and the crowds aren’t so bad. The weather was perfect!

This was my second trip to London. I was more comfortable and knew my way around a bit and I showed the kids everything I loved.

Day 1

We had an early flight out of Frankfurt Hahn to London Stansted on Ryanair.

We took a National Express coach into Victoria Station from London Stansted.

We had a lovely English brunch at Frankie and Benny’s, then got our Oyster Cards for the Tube.

Then we walked up to Buckingham Palace.

The kids and Aaron were kinda disappointed in the plain façade. We didn’t even make it back that way for a changing of the guard. They didn’t even want to do a tour. I was a little disappointed, but ambivalent about spending all the money for a tour.

Then we walked down The Mall to Trafalgar Square. The lions were fun and the fountains are lovely. There was nothing on the fourth column! wah!

This is where we should have caught the Tube to Holborn, but we walked. It was hot and we were exhausted by the time we reached our apartment.

We stayed in a lovely apartment, Holborn One. It was quite huge.

We took a little rest, drank some water, walked a block to Sainsbury’s to stock up on English candy and breakfast items. I can’t even express how much I love British sausage and bacon.

Then we took the Tube to Abbey Road for the iconic image:

We took the Tube again to Baker Street, but the kids were disappointed with the touristy museum and cosplay guard at 221B.

We did brass rubbings at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields.

Such a unique souvenir!

We tore through The National Gallery to see the Arnolfini Wedding and some Impressionist paintings, like van Gogh Sunflowers. They were closing up and shutting off wings as we were ushered out.

We got fish and chips takeout for dinner. The portions were humongous!

Aaron and I had a pint of ale at the pub around the corner.

Day 2

We made breakfast in our apartment.

We took the Tube to The Tower. We had purchased tickets online, but it wasn’t a bit crowded.

Alex loved the armory!

Designed by British artist Brian Catling, the circular Memorial to the Executed focuses on the ten executions that have taken place on Tower Green, within the Royal castle’s walls.
Comprising two engraved circles with a glass-sculpted pillow at its center, the larger circle of dark stone bears a poem – written by the artist – around its rim, whilst the upper glass circle bears the engraved names of the ten famous and not so famous individuals executed in front of the Chapel Royal.

We got to see some guards up close.

It was a little drizzly. We beelined for the Crown Jewels.

We then hurried back to the entrance for the Beefeaters Tour. After that, we explored the White Tower and the Bloody Tower.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with The Tower. It seemed expensive and I’m not sure what I expected.

We were hungry, so we took the Tube to Leicester Square and ate lunch at Garfunkel’s.

We walked around Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown, then headed back to our apartment for a rest and to get ready for our show!

We stopped at M&S and got some sandwiches and snacks for dinner.

Aaron and Alex went around the corner and got all cut and shaved.

We saw Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre. I have waited over 25 years to see this show and it was magical.

When we stepped out, we noticed the full moon. We walked down to the Thames and back up to see Big Ben in the moonlight.

It was a full day.

Day 3

We ate breakfast in our apartment.

We took the Tube to Westminster Abbey. We did not purchase tickets online, but the line wasn’t very long and we inside in just a few minutes.

I had downloaded the audioguide (narrated by Jeremy Irons – swoon!) a week earlier and had listened to it, so I was familiar with what we would see. The place is huge and packed with memorials and statues and plaques and tombs. It was very crowded.

We were starving afterwards, so we took the Tube back to Piccadilly Circus and ate at a unique hot pot restaurant, Shuang Shuang. It was Alex’s pick and it was so fun and yummy. A little conveyor belt brought little dishes around and you just grab the ones you want and make your own hot pot. I love that the kids try new things!

We took the Tube to Euston to get photos in front of Speedy’s Cafe, BBC Sherlock’s front door.

Then we headed to King’s Cross Station to get the kids’ photos at Platform 9 3/4. I got a latte from Pret a Manger and watched.

We walked a block over to go see the British Library. It was a tad disappointing. At least a copy of the Magna Carta was there, but they didn’t display the Lindisfarne Gospels, Lewis Carroll, or any original Shakespeare. Alex got a kick out of seeing pages of Leonardo’s notebook in my compact mirror.

We got the kids some sandwiches and easy-prep dinner items at M&S.

Aaron and I ate at Doggett’s Bankside. I had impeccable halibut with kale, edamame, and quinoa with lovely ale. The lemon rose tart was delightful.

Day 4

Today was Sunday. We ate breakfast in our apartment.

We rushed to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I had bought tour tickets for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Tour and Exhibition on Viator and wasn’t sure how it would work. It was super easy! We walked right in and showed the desk clerk our email confirmation printout and joined the tour beginning that moment. Perfect timing!

The kids say this was their favorite tour of the week! The actor/guide was Cockney and funny and delightful with different voice and great jokes.

See my post about Shakespeare here.

We ate a delicious carvery lunch at Punch Tavern.

The portions were huge. Liz and Katie ordered fish and chips. Tori got the fish of the day: a gorgeous salmon with lemon sauce. We were the only ones in there, so we got lots of attention and weren’t rushed at all. The girls got English Rose mocktails that were so pretty in pink!

We did the Bankside Walk from Rick Steves London.

We went to the Choral Evensong service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The kids wanted to sit in the first row, right under the dome. They were perfect seats and we could see everyone and hear quite well.

We got on the Tube to Earl’s Court. We viewed the only blue police call box in London – the only T.A.R.D.I.S.!

We had wanted to eat dinner at Byron (there’s a big, fancy one at Holborn, near our apartment), but there was a fun, bright little Byron right beside the T.A.R.D.I.S. Perfect! They have American-style burgers and fries and fun natural sodas and beer. The girls all got huge Oreo milkshakes and those were the kids’ portions! We haven’t had a good restaurant burger in almost 3 years!

Day 5

We ate breakfast in our apartment. Aaron and Alex walked across the street to Pret a Manger to get coffee.

We walked around the corner to get a picture of Charles Dickens’ house.

We packed up and took the Tube to Whitehall.

We saw 10 Downing Street and got pictures with the Horse Guards.

We walked down for one last look at Trafalgar Square. We took the Tube to Queensway for Kensington Gardens.

We got pictures with the Peter Pan statue and looked at the condors in the lake.

The kids played in the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and Aaron, Liz, and I sat at a table with elderberry lemonade.

We got pizza for lunch and cupcakes for the coach ride to the airport in Victoria Station.

We bought chicken sandwiches at Leon in London Stansted airport to eat on the plane home.

It was a fun-packed trip. We saw and did so much!

There’s tons to do with kids in London. The kids agree it’s one of our favorite trips.

Check out fun these food festivals!

What’s your favorite thing to do in London?

Linking up:

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Venice with Kids

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March 21, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 16 Comments

We finally went to Venice in November. It was every bit as magical as we’d expected.

You can’t get lost in Venice. There’s no crime. There are no worries. None of us fell into a canal.

It’s a great place to wander around with little or no itinerary.

Get gelato and explore the little canal sidewalks and bridges.

Find a cafe on busy canal and get a drink to watch the people. Be sure to read the posted menus so you’re not surprised by the cost! Most restaurants have a surcharge. Know how much you’re supposed to pay for that cocktail or coffee.

Venice survives almost on tourism alone. While most of the wait staff are very nice, we did have some who were bland and even unfriendly.

Day 1

We flew on RyanAir from Frankfurt Hahn to Venice Treviso. We bought RT tickets at the airport for the ATVO bus into Venice. It was about an hour on the bus. It dropped us off right at Piazzale Roma.

We walked to our apartment since we were so excited and it’s not really on the vaporetto route. Of course, the main walking route is littered with touristy kiosks and shops.
Our apartment was huge: Appartamenti del Dose in Cannaregio. (Cannaregio is the northernmost of the six historic sestieri of Venice.) We were able to checkin early which was great to drop off the luggage and freshen up.

Then we set off!

I used Rick Steve’s Venice guide.

We were starving, but not wanting to waste time, so we grabbed some pizza by the slice at Arte Della Pizza and it was really quite good.

We began with our Grand Canal cruise. We walked back to Ferrovia and boarded the slow boat #1 vaporetto. It took us all the way to San Marco. It’s about €7 for a ticket and well worth it for the 45-minute ride. It wasn’t very crowded and we were able to get seats all together in the front of the water bus. The weather was outstanding, partly sunny and almost warm.

I read the trivia and history to the kids and it was a great tour!

We arrived in San Marco Square.

It is a must-do to “ride” the lions for a picture.

We decided to go ahead and tour the basilica since there was no line at all. The church is free, but if there’s a line, you can pay €2 for a reservation to skip the line.

Three lovely sights inside: Treasury for €3, Golden Altarpiece for €2, and the San Marco Museum for €5. There are children’s discounts. There’s a free restroom and drink vending machines inside the museum.

The church is stunning with gorgeous mosaics.

The Treasury has some lovely artifacts and bone relics that fascinated the kids, so it was worth the admission fee for us. the 600-year-old crosier is still used by the priest on holy days!

The Golden Altarpiece is a not-to-miss sight. It was absolutely breathtaking. I could hardly tear myself away.

The museum was nice. It’s worth it to get to go up on the outside balcony with the horses and get a nice view of the square. From the indoor balcony (where the women viewed mass) offers a great view of inside the basilica.

Then we got gelato and looked the Bridge of Sighs.

We walked back to the apartment in a roundabout way, taking the side tour St. Mark’s to Rialto walk from the Rick Steves book.

We saw the Scala Contarini del Bovolo just as it was getting dark and closing. It’s pretty pricey to just go up a spiral staircase, but it’s pretty to see through the gate.

We dropped the kids off and found a grocery store around the corner to stock up on food and things. We popped some pizzas in the oven for the kids.

Aaron and I went around the corner to eat dinner together at L’Orto dei Mori. It was highly recommended and we had amazing wine, rushed service (because we didn’t have a reservation), and the food was rather plain and boring.

It was a great first day.