Thanks to all your help and a lot of planning our journey was very successful. We spent one week in London and another in Paris. A couple of things we learned during this time with our 17 years old grandson (GS).
We had set up to give him a set amount of money daily for meals. If he didn’t spend it all, it was his to keep and do with what he wanted. This worked well most of the time.
We should have discussed technology. If you go with an American teenager discuss this the first day and stick with it. I must tell you I got sick of looking up at pre-dinner and various other times (ex. Hampton Court) to see him playing with his XXX games.
The London Pass was helpful. He selected 10 things to do in both cities. Don’t expect your teenager to research what he wants to see in the selected museums, palaces etc. I learned to go with the flow.
Think about the amount of time to spend with each activity. My husband would still be in our first museum. GS would spend an hour and be ready to go. I was the middle ground and the mediator. Set a specific medium time and a place to meet. This worked out fine AFTER our first few days. Then negotiate if need be.
Our GS had never really traveled so EVERYTHING was a new experience. At times, I think he was overwhelmed but nonchalant. When asked if anything surprised him, he would respond “No “. I wanted to say “really”. We learned to slow down. We would discuss the next day events and have him say “yes” or “no”. Several things were non-negotiable as we had made reservations. If there was something that the semi-adults wanted to do, that became the first thing done. All in all it worked out well. He was great about going along with everything.
We walked between 16,000 and 22,000 steps a day. We all needed a break to set our tired feet up.
Now the specifics:
LONDON: We stayed in an Air BNB close to South Kensington and Sloane Square. It was a perfect location. We had a two-bedroom apartment. We bought an Oyster card for zone 1 and a London Pass.
Sunday- After an early arrival, we went to the apartment, went grocery shopping and off we went. GS discovered Pret A Manger, which helped with his daily “allowance”. We spent the afternoon at Buckingham Palace (the state rooms) and the Royal Mews. We ate dinner early and GS ordered his first ale and had fish and chips in a real British Pub at the Hoop and Toy. We collapsed early but it was a great start!
Monday- We experienced the Tower of London and the On/Off bus. We saw a huge smile on GS face when he rode by Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey. I think he finally realized he was in England. After dinner at a good Thai restaurant (Thai Square in South Kensington) we walked to Harrods. Since it was raining when we left, GS got his first London taxi ride.
Tuesday- After checking with the weather report we decided to go for it. We went to one of my favorite places, HAMPTON COURT. Last time we went it was in winter and the gardens were not in bloom. Not this time, the gardens were beautiful. GS’s dinner request was Hard Rock Café-London. That worked for us. After dinner we walked around Hyde Park and the Wellington Arch.
Wednesday- A rainy day in London Town…. Due to the rain we did indoor things. We spent the morning in St. Paul’s. We took the tour, which was interesting. After a quick lunch we walked to the Tate Modern over the Millennium Bridge. Dinner was at a great old pub “Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese” which has been in business since just after the Great Fire”.