Joanne

1) Can anyone recommend an unusual tour or site in Paris that captures the spirit of the 18th and 19th century for kids? (For instance, is there a Paris sewer tour, or does the Conciergieri have a blood and guts French Revolution tour? <BR>2) To repeat a question I posed several months ago, is St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday just a teeming mass (no pun intended) of people to avoid, or should be go and be part of the celebration? <BR>3) Is it too much to try to cram in a quick view of Cinque Terre on a train trip from Nice to Florence? We thought we might depart the train at Vernazza, have lunch, and <BR>get back on a couple of hours later. <BR> <BR>Also, see my message "Jeans and Nikes OR Shirts and Slacks? <BR> <BR>Thanks everyone!

John

Unless you relish crowds, I would avoid St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday. If you decide to go, I strongly suggest you take extra care with your wallets, pocketbooks, cash, tickets, passports, etc. I would venture to guess that it is one of the favorite days of the year for pickpockets. <BR> <BR>I do think you can tour the sewers of Paris. Search on Paris and things to do. The Invalides has a miltary musuem with some interesting displays from the middle ages up to WWII. It was the highlight for my son who was 14 at the time. I'm not aware of any tour or re-enactment of the French Revolution although it would be a great idea. <BR> <BR>I can't help you with your question about stopping at Cinque Terre, but have a question of my own. Since you will be travelling with 2 boys (?) and your husband, wouldn't renting a car be cheaper than 4 train tickets? I think Nice to Florence is something like a 5-6 hr drive, but you could then stop where you like and stay as long as you like.

John

Unless you relish crowds, I would avoid St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday. If you decide to go, I strongly suggest you take extra care with your wallets, pocketbooks, cash, tickets, passports, etc. I would venture to guess that it is one of the favorite days of the year for pickpockets. <BR> <BR>I do think you can tour the sewers of Paris. Search on Paris and things to do. The Invalides has a miltary musuem with some interesting displays from the middle ages up to WWII. It was the highlight for my son who was 14 at the time. I'm not aware of any tour or re-enactment of the French Revolution although it would be a great idea. <BR> <BR>I can't help you with your question about stopping at Cinque Terre, but have a question of my own. Since you will be travelling with 2 boys (?) and your husband, wouldn't renting a car be cheaper than 4 train tickets? I think Nice to Florence is something like a 5-6 hr drive, but you could then stop where you like and stay as long as you like.

Joanne

John, thanks for your reply. Actually, I'm traveling with 3 boys (4 if you count my husband). Renting a car turned out to be just about as expensive, because we would need something relatively large for five of us plus luggage. And the boys voted for the train, and my spouse had nightmares of being stuck for hours in a traffic circle in Rome (like in National Lampoon's European Vacation). Otherwise, you're right.

wes fowler

Joanne, <BR>Saw your other posting about jeans for the kids and your comment here about luggage for five. Jeans are commonly worn by people of all ages in Europe, so the kids will feel at home. On a practical note however, consider what you'll be faced with if and when they get wet - sudden downpour or laundering. They take ages to dry and weigh a ton. Euopean laundromats, if you're planning to use them, operate at slow motion; you can kill the better part of a day waiting for washing and drying of clothes. Even dry, jeans a bit of tonnage to lug around in a suitcase. Just some thoughts!

Elizabeth

I would stop in Vernazzo for 10 minutes if I could! Gianni Franzi has a wonderful view and is within easy walking distance of the train station. <BR> <BR>

Laurie

There is a sewer tour in Paris which is actually pretty good; we took our 6 year old daughter there. The other thing she liked was climbing up to the bell tower at Notre Dame and climbing the Eiffel Tower. <BR>You can easily spend a few hours in Cinque Terre and even do 1 or 2 of the hikes. Get Rick Steves' book, he explains each walk and tells you how hard it is and how long it takes. We did the whole thing and it was wonderful!!!

jeanne

JoAnne <BR>I havn't been, but there is also a tours of the catacombs in Paris-it leaves down near Denfert Rochereau (a big monument with a lion statue in the center of it in the 14th near Montparnasse. There is an actual metro stop for Denfert. My French "mom friend" said it is really creepy-probably just the thing for the boys! Also, there is a new shopping are under the Louvre now called the Carousel de Louvre, there is a big Virgin Megastore there, but it also has all the exposed ramparts of the Louvre there-which is pretty cool to see and there is a "food court" kind of restaurant there and it is just generally a good place to rest a bit when you have seen too much of the Louvre! <BR> <BR>Have fun