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It never ceases to amaze me how one will deliberately miscast another's remarks on message boards to make some sort of idiotic "point" and/or curry favor with others perceived as ruling entities on message boards. Telling such people "that is not what I said" is always totally ineffective.
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taekwonkate,
Our experience with traveling (first with a 4-year-old, then a 7- and 2- year old, most recently 9- and 4) has been great -- no, not always completely pleasurable : ) but definitely worth it. But they are not yet interested in all of the things that we are. For example, if we were in Paris for as long as you will be, I would take a trip to Chartres. But the fun part for them would be the train ride, and my husband and I would probably take turns walking around the cathedral. Provins is a good suggestion. The castles in the Dordogne are fascinating but the Loire is closer, so I might think about that as another way to get out of Paris for a couple of days (the chateaux there, as I'm sure you already know, come in all shapes and sizes, some of them still showing signs of their defensive origins). Paris has so many great parks -- set a slow pace and leave plenty of time for them to just run around and be kids, and you will all have a good time! You will be surprised at how fast 17 days can fly. I wish I were going back next summer! Alas. |
>><font color="blue">one will deliberately miscast another's remarks on message boards to make some sort of idiotic "point" and/or curry favor with others perceived as ruling entities on message boards. Telling such people "that is not what I said" is always totally ineffective.</font><<
Okaaay - just which of these are miscast or not what you said? "<i>Reading through StCirq's posts about her children, they do appear to be perfect children. Mine, on the other hand, were more normal.</i>" "<i>I would never recommend taking children as young as the OP's to Europe.</i>" "<i>If the OP wants to take kids to Europe--and hers are not as perfect as StCirq's . . . . . . .I would never attempt Paris with kids ages 3, 6 and 8 . . . . . .When you have young children, you need to give up the European trip to big cities . . . . unless you are a glutton for punishment.</i>" "<i>If you really must go to big city Europe, hire a babysitter for a 4-5 day weekend and go. Leave the kids home.</i>" |
LK -- I assume you're addressing me. That does seem unnecessary as I was not specifically addressing you but the conversation as a whole. However, you're correct that I was exaggerating to make my point. "College" was never given as a golden age to take children to Europe. But I do take issue with the idea the Europe is inappropriate for small children. I still believe that traveling to Europe with small kids is a great idea, if one is prepared in advance and has appropriate expectations.
The majority of my comments are made on threads about traveling with children. Not because I am an expert (far from it) but because I see so many negative comments about traveling with children. tkKate has arranged a homeswap a year in advance. That is not usually undertaken lightly or easily. Rather than talking her out of decision already made I think it is most beneficial to make suggestions that increase the chances of success. The majority of the posts on this thread have probably been helpful and I hope tkKate benefits. |
I think you can have a great trip with small children. However, the key to success is:
The trip must be designed around the needs of the youngest traveler. If your 3-year-old takes naps, you must plan your days to allow him/her to take the usual naps. Meal times will need to approximate what you do at home. There must be significant time every day at a playground or park for the kids to run around and be kids. The great thing about having your trip in summer is that you should be able to dine outside a lot, which makes fewer demands on children's behavior. Plan on only a very few lightning-quick museum visits - or better yet, trade off child care with the spouse and visit at a reasonable pace on your own. It will be a different trip than what you would have as a couple. You should accept that in advance. But you will have an opportunity to see more of everyday Parisian life - after all, an awful lot of people there have families too. |
I do not disagree with the above advice at all, but Parisians take vacations with young children at the seaside or a lake for the same reason many people do the same in the US. Those sorts of vacations are planned around the needs of the children. A big city vacation anywhere is simply going to be stressful with young children--whether in Europe or in the US. I couldn't imagine doing, say, New York City, with young children either.
We had fine vacations with young children at the beach. As they got older and more adaptable, we went to more places. I remember a great vacation where we were based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We have a great photo of my then 4 or 5 year old son trying to "steer" a raft on a river float trip; we had a rented apartment for 10 days. We stayed out overnight in "teepees" (really a permanent installation) one night and coyotes were howling outside. Great for kids! Paris would not have been half the fun for that age group. I did not go to Europe with the children until they were 8 and 10 (that was, by the way, our first home exchange in London). For us, that was just about right: They were old enough to appreciate what they were seeing (and remember it!) and not to require the same sort of rigid schedule very young children do. By the way, the first trip was to London, not Paris. |
"StCirq: I'm not sure what's up w/ LaurenKahn "Reading through StCirq's posts about her children, they do appear to be perfect children. Mine, on the other hand, were more normal" - sheesh. Talk about passive aggressive"
Hi, Janis. "What's up" is that LK has returned to Fodors to heckle me and others into starting posting wars. She should live so long. Ignore it, and in time it goes away. FauxSteMarie is but one in a very long string of names LK has been divested of over the years. Carry on.... |
Well, first off, ignore the negative advice. We went with our 2 and 4 year olds, and it was great! You know your kids better than any of us (obviously!), so do what comes naturally, and you will have a blast.
Your post says you'll be there for 17 days. If it were me, and I didn't mind paying for a hotel and a rental car for a few days during the swap, I would definitely consider a 3 day trip down to Provence. The TGV trip itself will be really fun for the kids. I think 3 days out in the country would be refreshing for the whole family. You can visit 1 or 2 amazing towns each day, go to some local market days, have picnics in some amazing places (think a roadside vineyard, or find an amazing view at the top of a hilltop town). They would probably enjoy Fountaine de Vaucluse - touristy, but the kids don't care about that! The only potential downside is that August is when many Parisiens head down to Provence, so it is the busiest time of year in that area. I'd still do it. |
I spent a couple of summers au pairing my cousins (who lived in Paris) when they were under 5. There are lots of things to do. One place that blew the 3 yr old away was the Jardin d'Acclimatisation - lots of animals (especially in the cafe - they gave us batons to fight the goats off, but that may have become a little more sanitary now)
Here's a website with what's on: www.parisdigest.com For a day trip, I second Chantilly, but there are lots of other parks etc within cooee. Are you planning on renting a car? Mont St Michel is another alternative. |
Some of you don't seem to remember having been children yourselves.
When I was little, I loved riding the metro so much, I would have ridden it all day if I could. |
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