noe847

surfmom, I am struggling with the same questions about trip report that I'm writing now. My sense is that a LOT more people read (and enjoy!) than you will ever know. Not everybody comments, and those that do comment really aren't going to say something every segment. AND, there are those who will read later when the report comes up on a search. At any rate, I am really enjoying your report and I hardly ever read anything about France. I'm glad it caught my eye!

jody

Yes, please keep it coming. What a great experience for all of you!

amelie

Lovely!! I'm extremely jealous of your daughters though. I'm 30 and have not yet been to Paris!

NThea

Love the trip report, surfmom. We're leaving in 2 weeks for Europe (including 5 days in Paris). Our sons are 5 and 7. The peanut butter tip is great! I won't get any work done today as I continually refresh my screen looking for the rest of your report!

Canada_V

I also made note of the tip about making sure the kids have a clock! NThea - I will watch for your trip report in the upcoming months as well

SeandLand

Totally agree with OP about
We would do differently:

- maybe fewer attempts at eating out
- avoid the lines at the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame
- consider skipping the top of the Eiffel Tower

I am glad to find me not alone at last!
- maybe fewer attempts at eating out (the food doesn’t look the same) or pack lunches to eat in parks
- avoid the lines at the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame
- consider skipping the top of the Eiffel Tower

For those who traveling with kids - Nutella could be a substitute for peanut butter. Our kids loved it!
They still asking for it at home.
Also "if you eat it first you can make a wish" approach worked well for "not too strange looking" food.

Have a good trip everyone.

P.S. After 4 years I can't tell if kids remember the trip. They were 9 and 10.
Pictures certainly helping. So have camera!

DaveBrad

Great stuff, Surfmom. My wife and I just got back from Paris on Sunday (my first trip out of N. America!), so I'll be starting my trip report soon and, I hope, helping some other first timers feel less nervous about their first experience with a different culture. First, I agree 100% with your daughter who didn't like her hot dog...it was the only thing I ate all week that was not "the best whatever I've ever eaten!" Of course I learned my lesson...NEVER order American food in Paris! The other recurring theme I'm seeing in your report is something that I felt, too. I know some people must have had negative experiences in France and that's how the whole "the French are so rude" thing started, but our experience was just the opposite...nearly every person we met in Paris was warm, friendly, and helpful. Maybe it was because I had learned just enough French to start conversations, order food, etc., or maybe they just appreciated the fact that we always said, "Bonjour, merci, and au revoir," but nearly every Parisian we met seemed genuinely interested in making sure we enjoyed our stay in their city (with the possible exception of the cab driver who tried to kill us on the way to Chas. de Gaulle airport!). It was more beautiful and magical than I could have imagined and I can't wait to go back. Looking forward to the rest of your report. (Oh, and my 12-year-old has lived on Kraft mac & cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, and McNuggets for years and she's just fine, so don't worry about your finicky eater!) A bientot!

Canada_V

Hope this isn't a ridiculous question... can you get ketchup and "hot dog mustard" (French's - not sure if that is the same brand in the states) in French grocery stores? And does this mean you can't get peanut butter? (hopefully it won't be needed... but just in case...)

Canada_V

Also... I would imagine that going to the top level of the Eiffel tower might fall into the category of "things not to do again" rather then "things to never do". And maybe for the kids, one of those things to know you have done even if over time you don't remember if you enjoyed it

DaveBrad

Hey, Canada V, I wondered the same thing about ketchup. I didn't expect it and frankly the frites were so good I didn't think they needed it, but one waiter actually did ask us if we wanted ketchup! I was stunned! We said no because it was later in the week and by then we had learned how good the fries are if you dip them in a little of the Dijon-type mustard (think Grey Poupon only better) that they bring out with just about everything. This thrilled my wife who likes to dip her fries in Gulden's anyway!

AnselmAdorne

Canada_V, I don't remember seeing ketchup in the grocery stores (but I wasn't looking, either), but I have certainly seen it offered in cafés and bistrots in Paris.

DaveBrad, looking forward to your trip report.

Surfmom, your giving us all a great account. Thanks for taking the time to write this all up. It's wonderful.

Anselm

SeandLand

There are plenty of ketchup in Monoprix and if for some reason they are out - buy it in McDonalds.

amydelta

Enjoyed your report and looking forward to reading more. My husband and I have a rule when traveling with our three children (7 yr old twins and 5 yr old) regarding food~you can't say you don't like it until you have at least one bite! I do have one question though, why in the world did you have a stroller? I thought that I read your children were 5 and 6 yrs?

Canada_V

Oh don't get me wrong... ketchup would not be the first option. The children I am planning to bring are eager and open to all new experiences and will not only need no coaching to try new things, but they will lead us in those discoveries!! Actually, my real children are usually willing to try, but not often able to embrace the new so the ketchup would be more of a fallback plan.

surfmom

Day 4, Saturday – Who Said Climbing the Steps to the Notre Dame Towers Is Hard ?

We got in line for climbing the towers at Notre Dame about 9:30. They let in groups of 20 people every 10 minutes and we were in the 2nd group of 20 who were let in to climb. We were surprised how quickly the line grew and were happy to have been there early. Even though they say ‘no left luggage’, they allowed us to fold up the stroller and leave it at the entrance. We climbed to the top … all 400 or so steps! After viewing many gargoyles, chimeras, Emmanuel (the bell), and the bell tower, we climbed the remaining steps to the top of the North Tower. The girls did terrific and climbed all the steps without complaining. In fact, our 6 year old repeatedly told us that it wasn’t so bad and she had could have done it again. By this time, we were hungry, so we stopped at ‘L’ombre de Notre Dame’– hot chocolate and pain au chocolat for the girls, and frites for Daddy. Yum! We walked over to Sainte Chappelle and enjoyed the stained glass windows. The sun was finally shining (we couldn’t see the Eiffel Tower from Notre Dame earlier) and the windows were glorious.

We decided to walk to the Pompidou Center, and watched some street performers outside. Unfortunately, the jokes get a little lost when you don’t understand the language, so we decided to go in the big escalator tubes. The girls thought they were pretty neat and we went all the way to the top (6th floor) and then back to the 4th floor to the Museum of Modern Art, which was very interesting. Lots of questions about ‘what is this?’ and the kids had some questions, too. There were definitely some random things… like the blue wall panel. That’s it, a panel of blue on the wall. Tell me please how that is art ? The descriptions of the art were also ‘works of art’ themselves – ‘representation of man’s evolution blah blah blah’. I don’t do it justice. Another of my personal favorites was the ‘MindExpander’ – a bunch of inflatable easy chairs – huh?

After departing, we found the Igor Stravinksy fountains and then we had a stop at Amorino to test the ice cream. After walking home, we headed to Palais Royal for our daily visit. After the kids were asleep, I headed back to the Louvre to yet again shoot more pictures of the Pyramid.

next: How to Freak Out a Five Year Old on a Tandem Bike

VeeBee

i'll be waiting for the next chapter -- on how to freak out 5 yr old on tandem as we have similar plans.... and would like to hear all your recommendations for bike tour with just turned 5 yr old daughter, 7 yr old son and 9 yr old son.

surfmom

Joy, thanks for the nice words (again) about photos. I hope to have some time to work on them and organize and categorize so I can post them in the next few weeks. I do remember we talked about them from last trip!

Amydelta/jacrichanne/VeeBee, we decided to take a stroller for our 5 yr. old. We struggled with that decision since even our 3 yr. old (left at home) doesn’t use one at home. However, the height difference between our two girls is very large – our 6 yr. old (will turn 7 in 3 days) has gone through some big growth spurts while the 5 yr. old is petite and is built with a ‘swimmer’s V’ – very strong upper body, but virtually no legs. We were pleased to have taken it since it worked out well and wasn’t too much of a hassle. It also was good for carrying groceries, carrying luggage, and also for sitting in when an ice cream cone was being eaten! It was a lightweight umbrella with a shoulder strap, so it was easy to fold up and throw over our shoulders while in the metro, etc. We also ended up walking more than we originally thought since we were centrally located and we figured by the time we bought 4 metro tickets and spent the time waiting for a train, transferring, etc., we could just as easily walk.

Ketchup – pretty readily available most places. (except our last night, but the kind waiter hunted down a bottle for us!) There was a bottle in our apartment, so I didn’t purchase any, but I definitely saw it in Monoprix when we did grocery shopping. I *love* the mustard that they serve in the cafes with fries – the ‘good’ Dijon stuff, not the Americanized Dijon stuff. Nothing like a mustard hit to clear the sinuses! I brought a few bottles of it home – yum. (DaveBrad, sounds like your wife and I are soulmates with regard to mustard. Glad to hear your trip was also terrific and filled with kind people)

Canada_V, I’m not sure you can get the ‘French’s’ type of mustard. I always saw the Dijon stuff.

With regard to the clock, my oldest is used to a clock in her room and she doesn’t get out of bed until 7am. If she wakes up early, she will lay in bed and read and just wake up. So the lack of clock for her was definitely a hardship. I gave her mine and kept my watch next to our bed. That is also a lesson learned for me for next time we travel!

I’m not sure if you can find peanut butter or not. I had read that some specialty stores had it, but I decided that it is such a staple for my kid, that I didn’t want to be chasing it down. If you check bags, you can just throw a jar in your luggage, but we didn’t check bags on the way over, so that's why we did the small containers. (it is considered a liquid)

I’ll talk about Fat Tire Bike Tours tomorrow – they were great! The problem was user error on our part. I’m dead on my feet, so I need to go to bed right now.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Have a good night!

noe847

Sainte Chapelle with the sunlight streaming through the windows. I've wanted to see that ever since I studied about it in my art history classes many, many years ago. Sigh. Sounds wonderful.

kerouac

Grocery notes: you can sometimes find peanut butter in the larger Monoprix stores - brands imported from the Netherlands usually. Easier to find in hypermarkets.
Anybody who wants American style mustard can buy Amora's 'condiment' -- it is bright yellow and has no bite.
As for ketchup, it is everywhere. No restaurant or café would be without it. Same for Tabasco.

marigross

Wonderful report. My DD stopped using the stroller at home when she was 2, but it always worked amazingly well when we traveled. We took it along until she was a tall 6 yr old.