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Paris for One Week with Granddaughter... loved it!

Thank you all for some of the great advice given to me when I was planning my Paris trip with my 10 year old granddaughter. She and I had a fabulous time. Here is my report of the trip, albeit 4 months later.

First time flying British Airlines; boy those first class passengers fly in style; basically have their own pods of comfort (bed with reading lamp, tray, personal screen) We were in Coach.

Arrival into Paris - rough start for both granddaughter (GD) and I; GD ill all over herself, myself and the bus floor; taxi ride to hotel and we stayed in for the rest of the day/evening at Grand Hotel de Balcons in the 6th Arrondisement. Using Facetime on our IPhone/IPad was very handy for GD to connect with her family back home every evening, especially the first night since she wasn’t feeling so good.

4/9 Sunday: Luxembourg Garden and St. Chappelle We took it easy this morning - doing laundry, a visit to the Pharmacy; later though, we enjoyed the Luxembourg Garden sailboats, tulips blooming, and people watching. The guards at the Palace, a little freaky for GD. St. Chappelle for gorgeous sunlit stained glass; began my pass activation; Short line in early p.m.; GD noticed guards too; heightened security because of government complex there at St. Chappelle

Food: raspberry sorbet; lunch brunch of cantal cheese with green salad for GD and Croque Madame for myself and café au lait for brunch was delicious, but Mushroom artichoke tomate crepe from takeout place for dinner was meh

4/10 Monday: Louve & Eiffel Tower

Food: lovely counter service at The Danton on St. Germaine for croissants with OJ with spoon; and café au lait for me.

Louvre & Eiffel Tower - on foot; GD timid about transportation due to illness, long walk from Louvre to Eiffel Tower and chilly
Security at Louvre quite long but the ticket line was probably 1 - 2 hours wait on top of that - we had a pass so got through sooner; GD thrilled with Mona Lisa; we could not get through the crowd of at least 50-75 people deep; nice for her as this was the one art piece she was familiar with and wanted to see in person. I loved the Winged Victory and Italian Renaissance art. We spent 2 hours here. Just a maze to get out though.

Eiffel Tower arrival was 1 hour early; elevator rides were fine, I a little nervous for GD hoping she wouldn't get motion sickness; all was good though. View was wonderful - very long hot dog in a baguette bun and chocolate crepe for snacks. Walk back through Tuilleries Gardens beautiful with setting sun hitting the Ferris wheel.

Food: Delicious Steak & frittes and very fancy drink for GD at Le Hibou (The Owl) - we ate here twice.

4/11 Tuesday: Rodin and Arc de Triomphe. Very long walk to the Arc up the Champs; really should have attempted the Metro.
Absolutely gorgeous day to explore Rodin gardens; GD and I took our time to enjoy the sculptures outside and only a cursory review of the actual museum since it was a great day to be outdoors. On the way up the Champs, we sat on a lawn and enjoyed our pastries purchased earlier that morning. We had fun taking photos with the Thinker.

The walk to the Arc was long but we took our time and hydrated well. Arrived and proceeded to climb the 278 stairs to the top. Wow, what views - spectacular on a very sunny day. Down below, the eternal flame was beautiful with the country flag flowing above. Since we both were quite tired from the walk, GD and I enjoyed a delicious Japanese meal for dinner just down the street from the Hotel. Dinners have been late - 7:30 to 10:00 on any given night. Really late for GD but she was energized.

4/12 Wednesday - D'Orsay, L'Orangerie, Dehillerin kitchen store French gentleman with very good English in front of the theatre gave us excellent advice for shops and restaurants. We tried Little Breizh for buckwheat crepes with béchamel sauce, spinach and egg/cheese and sweet deliciousness of a chocolate crepe for dessert.

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4/12 continued: The Orsay was not too busy and we had the Pass so got through real quickly. The sculptures were fabulous but really, I just wanted to show GD the building and have her picture it as a train station. Reminded her of the animated film we saw together "Hugo" about the clock winder when the building was a train station.

We popped into the Orangerie for an up close view of the Water Lillies by Monet; such vibrant colors and so calming a place with benches to rest our tired feet.

Oh my, our timing was so off - finally made it to Dehillerin kitchen store 15 minutes before closing time. This is one of the kitchen stores that Julia Child and friends shopped for their kitchen utencils and such.

4/13 Thursday - Centre Pompidou, Dehillerin Kitchen Store and Cruise on the Seine

GD and I started our day visiting the local grocery for water yogurt and fruit (a routine); then to the bank for more Euro; ventured down the same street as recommended by kind gentlemen the day before and we popped into Danton again just prior for a croissant, but they were "fini" - so, we found a wonderful boulangerie for the croissants.

This was first day trying the Metro and boy, did we save some time and stress on the feet. So, Metro @ Odeon #4 to Les Halles and a short walk to Centre Pompidou; we arrived and decided not to spend the extra Euro on museum entry (modern art) so we did go to a different entrance, public library. The building is really a sharp contrast to all the ancient buildings we have explored in Paris. Modern pipes and outside escalators; cool but "meh"; HOWEVER, coming out of the Centre and on our way to the Kitchen store, we came across an outdoor market - purveyors were predominantly cheese and sausages and fois gras. Purchased some cantal cheese (semi-hard) and a light flavored sausage and some fois gras.

Headed back to Dehellerin kitchen store and got turned around. After about 15 minutes we used the CityMaps App on my Iphone which turned us around and got us to the store in no time. Another time when I should have been a little more on top of things. The kitchen store was amazing. This old place with bins of various utencils, pots, pans, tools for decorating, - almost anything you want for a kitchen. So much inventory that you had to check an inventory price list. Very organized and wonderful shop keepers. Loved it. No real bargains, but purchased large whisk, soup ladle, small casserole and a crepe pan. Easy Metro from Les Halles to Odeon and nice walk back to our hood.

Food: Enjoyed very nice dinner at La Bastide Odeon just two blocks from hotel. First guests at 6:30 but quickly filled with families and couples.

Cruise on the Seine with Bateau Vendette at Pont Neuf. Oh, so beautiful scenes of Paris. GD really enjoyed the ride and did not feel at all queasy. We had a very good narrator pointing out many of Paris’ landmarks.

4/14-Friday – Fragonard Perfume Museum and Galleries Lafayette Fashion Show

It was a lazy morning – we both needed more sleep but then after a brunch, we were off to Les Halles; took Metro #4 at Odeon to RER A at Les Halles to Auber station for the perfumerie. Fabulous free English speaking tour of Fragonard perfume, a family business for 4 generations. We learned perfume started with the Egyptians – they burned flowers, bark and such. The tour guide explained the history of perfume creating and compared the old with the new processes. There were some beautiful vessels and bottles, some ancient from Egyptian time. The guide explained the differences in the “note” of various perfumes. My GD and I had a wonderful time here.

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Next was the Spring/Summer fashion show at Galleries Lafayette and it was very well attended by grandparents with granddaughters and mother/daughter couples. Must have been 150 to 200 people packed into a large conference room on the 4th floor of the department store. Most of us had seats and we all were welcomed with a program and a bottle of water. There were six models showing off what the department store had to offer in the way of fashion for the upcoming season. This was a lot of fun and GD was thrilled, I could tell. Afterward, we picked up food at a kiosk in the store and headed to the 7th floor terrace for our picnic with lovely views of Paris.

Food: Artichoke shared; Caprese salad for GD and Cheeseburger & frittes for me at Le Hibou.

4/15-Saturday – Early morning taxi ride to Orly for our flight back to Seattle via London.

Things I learned traveling with a child: (1) always be in tune to what his/her normal routine is (i.e, sometimes getting motion sickness); (2) be ready to be chastised, but roll with the punches (we had some laughs when GD remembered using her French and I didn’t); and (3) make sure you have a way for him/her to connect with family back home (Facetime was a lifesaver and comforting for us both).

ALSO, and this is big, remember your Apps and use them when required (i.e., using City Maps To Go when we were “turned around.”).

It was a joy to travel with my granddaughter and I look forward to taking her sister to Costa Rica in about 3 years.

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915 posts

Great report! just a note that some of the motion sickness illness may have been exacerbated by jet lag if your grand daughter didn't sleep on the plane. I know that jet lag leaves me feeling nauseous and physically ill-although not to the point that she experienced.

Anyway, glad you had a good time! Thanks for sharing.

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1077 posts

What a wonderful memory your granddaughter will have for the rest of her life! There is no greater gift than experiences like these.

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1097 posts

What a wonderful trip for both of you. We loved Le Hibou too!

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7129 posts

Thanks for sharing! We're watching our grandkids this week and enjoying the time together. : ) Wonderful memories your grand daughter will have of her special trip with you!

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13809 posts

What a fun time you two had! Thanks for letting us know how it went and particularly what she enjoyed. I love that she liked having her picture taken at The Thinker!

Thanks for taking the time to post. I love reading Trip Reports!

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11294 posts

Thanks for posting this report. For my last few trips to Paris, I've stayed at the Grand Hotel des Balcons, and would do so again. My only hesitation would be that they don't have air conditioning.

The first time I ever flew (about age 9), my brother threw up all over me! So, I know what that's like - sorry to hear this happened to your granddaughter, and it didn't put a damper on the rest of the trip.

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1281 posts

yea, at this point in my life, my grandkids play a huge role. I love that we are able to live near each other and enjoy trips together - whether it is Paris or just the local park for a swim in the heat - yes, the Northwest has heat - of the summer.

GD routinely gets ill on road trips, but not often on an airplane. HOWEVER, I temporarily forgot this when getting onto a bus just 1 hour after flying across the pond. That was my mistake. Should have maybe gone the Metro route. GD was also just starting to get over a bad cold and the combination of the cold, excitement of the trip, not much sleep on the plane and then motion sickness just was too much. She was pretty much fine the next day after resting and speaking with Mom and Dad and sister.

We really had such a wonderful trip and yes, she will remember it fondly but i also will do the same. Cherish these moments. They are wonderful.

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45 posts

My three kids all get motion sickness, and it's usually really bad when we travel. I always bring plenty of kid's dramamine with me, which helps tremendously!

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2700 posts

Loved reading this report. Can't imagine anything better than taking my granddaughters on such a special trip. So great you were able to do this.