Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A little Boy in Paris

After I had a great, though unexpected response to my Battle Fields of France post, which you can check out here, I have decided to post a little more of a trip we took to France several years ago.  This trip was supposed to be a consolation prize for not being able to have anymore children.  After all the years of medical visits and all the raised and dashed hopes, which go with that, which I will not bore you with here, we decided to pack it in and take an extended holiday in my beloved France.  Now I am not one to be able to leave my children for extended periods, so the Beach House Brat came with us.
Now I know it's Paris, the city of love and all that,  but to be honest at that point, after years of trying to conceive and not getting there, the last thing either Mr Beach House or I felt like was a romantic lovey dovey holiday, so we did Paris the kiddo way.  Everyone said don't go in August as everything will be shut whilst Paris goes on holiday.  Although a few upmarket boutiques were closed for the month, as I newish mum, who struggled to get back into shape,  they weren't for me anyway. 

The great thing about Paris in August is that it's party time.  Although, I believe these wooden pond boats are a tradition going back years and is not limited to Summer, this was something we did most afternoons on our stay.  For several Euros, you can hire a little model boat and stick to push  around a pond in either the Jardin des Tuileries or the Jardin du Luxembourg for an hour or so.  It's a great place to watch the world go by.

The adults didn't seem to mind the pace at all.

The Jardin des Tuileries also runs a fete for the month of August.  Now this is what we would call a 'side show alley' in Australia and although it can be painful to hang around watching your kids go round and round on the next ride, we limited the Beach House Brat to 2 rides daily and as it was on our walk home we were able to use this as a bit of a behaviour bribe, so we could do some of the stuff we wanted too.
Of course we still did all the standard museums and galleries but the kiddo seemed to enjoy it too.  Especially anything involved with weaponry.

I think he was probably contemplating a future career here.


We picnicked here with our brought from home baguettes, cheese, pate and wine.

These 2 views from L'arc de Triomphe were fabulous and the Beach House Brat loved it's military significance. He, as we all did, also enjoyed watching the skill with which the Parisians drove around the round about at the bottom, with all 8 lanes seemingly perfectly coordinated. 

There is also Paris Plage, which translates as Paris Beach.  This is where the traffic is blocked off beside the Seine River for the month of August.  Tonnes of sand is imported to create a beach by the Seine, complete with lounge chairs and children's play equipment.  I met some lovely Parisian mums, whilst sitting here watching the kids at play.  One gave me some hot tips about things the locals do in Paris as well.


We arrived especially for the end of the Tour de France's entry to Paris.  There's the Yellow jersey with Cadel Evens right behind.  He got second that year!!!!  I'm sure seeing this race was a highlight of Mr Beach House's life, as it was mine!!!

As the Beach House Brat was already into the military back then, we visited the Army Museum.  Here you will find a complete history of French Military involvement from medieval times to the World Wars. Napoleon's Tomb is also here.


Napoleon's Tomb

There is a lovely little childrens' play area in Place des Vosges.  Now Paris being Paris, as I sat and watched the Beach House Brat play, there was a beautiful orchestra playing in the arcades surrounding the park.  Just heavenly.
 On our way back home from Place des Vosges, we walked though the Marais, the old Jewish quarter and joined this queue for some lovely take away Middle Eastern food.  If there are people lining up, I assume the food is always good. 

And here's a little boy in Paris watching the world go by.  We rented a flat rather than stay in a hotel so that we could have more room,  cook our own meals when we felt like it and wash our clothes.  We also didn't have to all sleep in one room.  Basically is was just more comfortable and also more affordable.  I think there is nothing worse than going on holiday and having less amenity than you do at home.  Doing Paris with a kid opened our eyes to lots of stuff we would have missed had he not been there.  I can't wait to get there again.
Oh and for those of you that haven't been following, we got our second Beach House Brat.  She wasn't conceived in France but soon after. Amazing what a few months off the boat building chemicals can achieve. She is a complete joy and is truthfully sitting on my knee as I write this last paragraph. ARRRRGH!!!! Not sure Paris would be as easy with 2 kiddos but hey, if the opportunity presents, I'll give it a go!!!!!

Have a great day
Carolyn
Today I am linked up to
BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGETransformation ThursdayBlue Creek HomeTrendy Treehouse Award ButtonElements InteriorsThrilling Thursday at Paisley Passions
All Things Heart and Homelink up every friday!A Rosy Note
Between Naps On The Porch

9 comments :

  1. What a wonderful post Carolyn, your little boy is so cute. I hope one day to visit France and these photos are so inspiring, I can't wait x

    ReplyDelete
  2. excellent photos...the sailing boats are devine!
    cheryl x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carolyn, I thoroughly enjoyed Paris through your eyes...and the eyes of BHB. I hope to one day get there. My son and DIL visited there a couple of years ago and they're still talking about their adventures.

    I loved the photos with BHB! He's adorable. And I am so pleased for you that you have your little girl, too. Children are such a blessing, whether you have one or more...
    Jane (artfully graced)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very lovely photos--those sail-boats are pretty special for little ones to enjoy--looks like a fun time!

    ReplyDelete
  5. How fun to see France through the eyes of a child! How wonderful that they create a beach for the month of August, I've seen that on a small scale before, but this is just fabulous!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a delightful post! It was great learning more about you and your family. Your 'little boy in Paris' is a cutie pie and I bet his little sister is perfectly gorgeous!
    Thanks for coming to THT.
    Rhonda

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Carolyn! What a fabulous post! Your son reminds me so much of my own little blonde-haired boy (who isn't that little anymore either!). I loved the photo of him staring up at the warrior statue! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Inspiration Friday this week!
    Vanessa

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesome photos! Sorry I missed it when you first posted it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love the pictures. I really want to go back to Paris.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...