Paris...and London, too?

Jess,

I won't get into the safety issue either, it is a personal call. IMO, Europe is probably safer than a lot of the US, especially where I live!

So, you have 9 nights? Not knowing your girls, but I think they would love London, too. My 2 nieces, 12 and 15, are planning their trip this summer, and London is on the top of their list. This way they will be experiencing 2 different cultures and countries.

Can you drop any hints, or maybe watch a movie that has the cities in it, and try to illicit a comment?

Whatever you decide, enjoy!

In nine days I would do both cities. If you can see only two cities in Europe it should be London and Paris. If you would never go where there was a terrorist attack or mass murder you would certainly not go out in western Europe cities and in US cities you would hunker down in your apartment or house. One has to look at it in proportion. I can die in the accident on my way to the airport. Or somebody can shoot me on the freeway (in this country). Plane can crash. Car can mow me down while walking in European city. The option that it would be terrorists who get me it's so minuscule that I don't even consider it.

Like it or not, Europeans have been dealing with "terrorism" in one form or another for years. I remember 20 years ago being freaked out upon landing at CDG and seeing army guys with machine guns slung across their chest. That's just the life they've had to live.

Between bombings in London because of the "troubles" or the Red Army in Italy or Basque separatists in Spain, there's a lot going on.

As far as tossing London into the mix of a trip, you really need to sit down with the kids and pencil out some itineraries. If the list of stuff to do in Paris is long enough, there's your answer. If there's stuff in London they're dying to see, do the Chunnel.

Jess, we are planning a first European trip for our kids as well, and have London and Paris at the top of the list. I have a 15 yo boy and a 12 yo girl. We have talked about leaving London out (so ruddy pricey!) but my daughter really wants to go. I know you are keeping it a secret, but what would they love? For my kids, they want to see the British Museum (history geeks, and they have heard my husband and me catalog the treasures there), some theatre (probably something at Shakespeare's Globe), and anything Harry Potter. We have always watched and read a lot of British series, so the atmosphere is important for them too.

What would your girls list? Is there anything in London that they would put on their must-dos? Or something you know they'd love that you can't find in Paris or Normandy?

Maybe I'm making too much of it, but I also like the idea of starting our European adventure in an English-speaking country as well, just makes it a little easier to get some of the processes ironed out. Though for us, we have enough background in French and German that we should be able to read menus, signs, etc. without too much confusion.

We started planning in earnest not long after the Paris explosions. I asked my dh how he felt about the threat of terrorism, and he said what I felt also...the dangers are statistically insignificant. As Phread said, terrorism isn't new to Europeans, and as we've seen, it's not unheard of here in North America. Not changing my plans because of it.

How exciting that your girls will have this wonderful surprise! Whatever you decide, I'm sure they will love it.

I think the safety risks are minimal, especially the risk of a terrorist attack.

As much as I love Normandy, with teenagers you might consider dropping Normandy and dividing your time between Paris and London. Unless your kids have expressed an interest in Normandy, I would expect teens in general to prefer London and Paris. Of course, you know better than anyone what your family would enjoy.

With 9 days I think you should do both London and Paris. When I took my kids for their first trip we did 4 nights in London and 6 nights in Paris and we actually wished we had more time in London! They were 15-22 years at the time of our trip and London has so much to offer. We did day trips to Windsor Castle and the Harry Potter studios. We also went to a couple of shows in the West End in the evenings. We dodged into a Topshop and bought cheapie "mother/daughter" bracelets that we wore throughout our trip and loved having tea every afternoon. We felt very safe wandering about late at night in both cities. I'm also wondering why the particular interest in Normandy? Regardless, I think a trip starting in London is a great way to start a trip to Europe!

Jess,

As the others have mentioned, only you can decide whether you're comfortable in making that trip with your daughters in the current conditions. Various terrorist groups have been making threats for awhile, but none of us can predict when or where those might occur. You could wait forever for the "perfect time", but one thing to consider is that you have a narrow window of only a few years until your daughters will be grown and moving out to go to college or whatever. Therefore the optimum time to take a trip like the one you're considering will be soon.

As others have mentioned, authorities in Europe have had a long history in dealing with this sort of thing over the years, and they've been successful for the most part in heading off attacks before they occur.

I agree with other comments that you might consider limiting your touring to London and Paris on this trip, as that will give them a brief view of two cultures and languages. In this case, I'm referring to British English as a "different" language as it will be slightly different to what they're used to. Of course, if visiting those two cities it would be a good idea to use open-jaw flights.

In all likelihood, you'll all have a wonderful holiday that will provide lifetime memories.

Good luck with your decision!

Either do Normandy and Paris or Paris and London, but you can't cover all three in your timescale. My vote would be for a French trip then you can come back sometime and experience more of the UK plus London.

Statistically, you probably have a million more chances of being killed by a bus tomorrow than by a terrorist in France!