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PARIS WITH KIDS
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January14
playground at the residential end of
the Parc du Champ de Mars consumes
some of the energy six-year-old Nicholas
had conserved to climb the 704 steps
to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower,
to buy tickets for the lifts and avoid the
queues. A helpful tip for those who,
like us, couldn’t buy tickets online. Be
warned – with almost seven million
visitors to the Eiffel Tower every year,
they sell out well in advance. Another
Parisian park that has a five-star rating
with our family is Jardin des Tuileries.
It’s a perfect pit stop between the
Musée d’Orsay on the Left Bank and
the world’s most prestigious shopping
boulevard, the Champs Elysées. The
promise of fresh
crêpes
, hot dogs,
coffee and playgrounds had all the
family buzzing as we strolled the pale
gravel boulevards.
Sadly, as we approached the
carousel and the trampolines, Olivier
informed me, “I won’t be having a go.
It’s not cool.” Bouncing was still cool for
Nicholas. Olivier though, was unable to
resist the attractions of the adventure
playground and the opportunity to renew
his membership in the International
Playground Community as he and his
brother played with locals and tourists.
My husband’s favourite part of the
gardens is the pond and the miniature
wooden sailing boats. It is still one of
our boys’ top-rated activities in Paris.
The boats are nearly as weather-beaten
as their proprietor, but manage to look
majestic as they sail across the pond
with the assistance of a wooden cane
and an enthusiastic young sailor. My
thrill at hearing the magic words, “Hold
my iPod, Mummy,” probably generated
enough energy to propel the ancient
boats along by themselves.
The pull of the boats also provided
an opportunity for me to snatch a few
moments with my beloved city in one
of my favourite shopping streets, chic
Rue Saint Honoré. The brief encounter
left me breathless as I dashed between
stores such as Collette and Hermès and
came face to face with handbags and
shoes normally only seen on the pages
of magazines.
What to eat
My stolen shopping time comes with
a catch. I must return with one of
our favourite French delicacies: the
macaron
. Parisians invest nearly as
much time debating who produces the
most superlative
macarons
as they do
queuing up on a Saturday afternoon to