Paris and Brussels

My friend Stephanie and I wanted to take a trip and ... Paris it was! I'd been in France, but not Paris, and I felt like I was missing out. Brussels was added in to sightsee another European city and country.

We booked our Airbnbs, Louvre, Eiffel Tower top, and train tickets ahead of time. The earlier you do the train tickets, the cheaper they are. Since I didn't know the cities, just picked Airbnbs based on their description of what they were near - like the city center.

Since I was using my brother's standby pass, I arrived before Steph,  and I didn't have anywhere to stay for the first night. I contacted the Airbnb owner of our stay there the next night, and she offered me a flat since ours was occupied. Florence made me a cup of coffee in the kitchen and talked with me about Paris. She treated me more like a friend than a guest. I took a short nap and went off to explore.

Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, Marais
Walking from the train station to Sacre Coeur I thought, this place is dirty and trashy. And it was! The farther I got away from the station, the nicer it got. I got to Sacre Coeur and a street performer was playing guitar and singing Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'. I melted and thought ... ah. this is what people were talking about. Beautiful church, gorgeous high view of the city (all the buildings are white!), romantic locks on the fence ... picturesque.

I spent the rest of the night walking through the Montmartre neighborhood - seeing cafes, a farmers market, people hanging out. And Marais, where Florence told me the locals hang out. Lots of vintage clothes shops, smelling like attics and stuffed with people.

I sat at a cafe and had coffee, just like in the books. I went to the Seine, ate ice cream, and looked at the tons of people out sitting in cafes, driving, eating, drinking, wearing high pants and fanny packs and smoking and speaking French.

This day was different from all the rest, because the subway workers were on strike. The sidewalks and streets were PACKED with people on scooters, bikes, one wheels. A Parisian joked to me that people pulled out any junk with wheels to get to work. I didn't have anything to compare it to, but the following days had much less foot traffic!

When Steph came, we went back to Sacre Coeur to go to the top.  It was such a gorgeous view, and such a beautiful interior.  There were three times as many people there, since it was a weekday.  We walked the neighborhoods again to and enjoyed a street festival with a band, seeing what was for sale, checking out the cafes, and I enjoyed eating and entire whole wheat baguette.  It was warm!  How could I stop?!

Notre Dame
Everyone told us to go to see Notre Dame, but since the fire, you can't go inside.  You can see the outside of it, so we did.  There were many tourists there taking pictures of it.  It's pretty, but you don't really get the full effect of it from the outside anymore.  The other three sides have giant plastic walls around it.  There were also tons of pickpocket scammers - the ones holding clipboards trying to get you to give them money for a fake charity and then asking you for money or straight up stealing it - around it, due to the amount of tourists, so feel free to walk briefly by Notre Dame until it's restored!

Eiffel Tower
I'm really a kind of 'I love nature and hiking' person, but as my cousin Cindy wrote to me recently, 'Humans can create such beauty.'  Why is this super tall tower that lights up so appealing to me?  And everyone else?  It's huge, it's sweeping, it's impressive, and it has a LIGHT SHOW!

Steph and I walked to the tower along the Seine, which is a beautiful walk.  There are little cafes along the river, there are gorgeous bridges, and tons of other people are out walking.  We got to the tower and sat in the grass below with a bunch of other people picnicking.  We waited until it lit up at about 8:00 p.m., and then we wanted to see the light show at 9:00 p.m. (It happens for five minutes on the hour with the last one at 1:00 a.m.)

At the base across the street, some vendors were selling food, and I bought a nutella crepe.

Oh my goodness.  It was warm, it was melty, and I was sitting at the base of the Eiffel Tower eating a crepe ... it all came together for perfection.  Steph and I ooohed and aaahed over the twinkly, impressive light show, and it was all wonderful!

We walked back along the Seine and there were TONS of Parisians hanging out on the river.  They had brought wine, snacks, some put down blankets, but most were just sitting on the cement bank in little groups, eating and talking.  It was so cool to see, and I was really glad we walked.  We stopped at a cafe, too.  It was late at night on a Saturday and everyone was out late!  Fun.

The next morning we walked back to the Eiffel Tower and the Seine was transformed.  Now, it was full of people walking and running and even doing Crossfit!  I loved seeing how it was Saturday - hang out.  Sunday - exercise.  All along the same path.

Steph and I had purchased tickets to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  I didn't know that anyone could walk up super close to it in the garden after security - we didn't try the night before - but then we then got to go to the top.  It was hot and long, like an hour, but totally worth it, because I apparently like seeing views from up high!  They also sell champagne up there - we didn't buy any, but I admired their product placement.

Arc de Triomphe
This was a another can't-be-missed monument.  The size!  The detail!  The history and beauty!  All of it.  We really loved seeing this.  Also, as we stood, wondering how people got to it, seeing as how it's surrounded by a giant traffic circle and we didn't see any way to cross it.  We asked some people and saw that you go underground, underneath the road, and can go right up to it!  They just so happened to be performing the 6:30 p.m. daily ceremony of laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown solider, which we watched.

You can also go to the top of this for €8, which we didn't do since we had just been on top of the Eiffel Tower, but looks like it would be fun.

Louvre
Oh my goodness.  I love the outdoor Louvre Pyramid by the unfortunately named I.M. Pei, and of course I absolutely loved seeing the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Napoleon III Apartments, Nike, the Sphinx, and more!  We had a map and had written directions of what rooms certain art was in, and we still had to ask people where to go.  The Louvre isn't easy to get around, but there is a considerable reward for your hard work.  We had to wait in line for a total of an hour and a half to see the Mona Lisa.  I'd read that you get there and it's small and dark and not worth it, but - I don't agree! It was actually bigger than I thought, we got to go right up to it, and I loved seeing it and her.  Also, the people in line were delightful.

Parisians
That's another thing.  Everyone knows that the French have a reputation of being rude, but I didn't find that to be the case, either.  Yes, the service in cafes is terrible, but there's one person waiting on 20 tables.  The server doesn't have a chance.  When we didn't have time to sit around and not be waited on, we would just buy food at a shop and eat in a park.  But when I talked to people, even servers, they were friendly and chatty. I told one girl that I was eating crepes, and did French people really eat crepes, or was this just a tourist thing?  She didn't understand what I said, and then said, "Oh, creeps?  Yes, we eat creeps all the time!  Every day!  I love them."  I said, "Oh, is that how you say it?  Creeps?"  She said, "No, it's pronounced 'crepes'," and said it one degree differently than I said it originally - or that's how it sounded to me.  Ha!

Luxembourg Palace, Cluny Museum, Pantheon, various churches
The Luxembourg Palace was a surprise.  It was absolutely gorgeous, in part because of the flowers.  I also loved the Medici Fountain.  I'd never heard of either of these things, and they were so beautiful we just had to stop and enjoy them for a long time.  Go here!

The Cluny Museum has a series of tapestries called The Lady and The Unicorn that I went to go see specifically because two of my cousins told me to and it was closed for restoration.  I looked at pictures in the gift shop and figured it would have to do for now!  I do love the unicorn's expressions.

The Pantheon was pretty, and the churches - like churches in Europe - were impressive and peaceful and beautiful.

BRUSSELS

We took the Thalys train from Paris to Brussels.  The train station was a lot like an airport, and there were tons of people to help if you had questions.  The train was luxurious and wonderful and had wifi and a charger!       

We couldn't check into our Airbnb yet, so we stored our luggage in the locker in the train station - it cost €5 a day - and just took what we needed for one night in a small backpack.

We went straight to the Grand Place, where everyone was congregated.  It was golden and beautiful.  We bought tickets to the Hop on, Hop off bus tour http://www.citysightseeingbrussel.be/en so we could see the entire city!  Highly recommended.

Atomium
It's shaped like an atom!  It's shiny!  It's huge!  I loved this sculpture so much.  It's so big that the circles are used for office rooms.

Ferris Wheel 
For a month, this ferris wheel is perched on top of the city instead of at the Christmas market.  We rode it and loved it!  Another great high view of a city - and you could see Atomium from it, even.

Series of Peeing Statues
Brussels is known for fries (seriously), chocolate, and waffles ... but the city has chosen as their symbol a fountain of a peeing boy, named Manneken Pis.  I don't get it, but there it is.  The boy has a girl and a dog around the city similarly peeing.  We went to see them all.  How could you not?

Waffles and Chocolate
Yes, we ate both.  I had a stuffed waffle even, stuffed with spinach and ricotta and tomatoes, and it was fantastic.     

We stated in a lovely Airbnb here, right in the city center.  This was a very international city, more so than Paris.  There were people from all countries living here, and they were happy to talk to us and talk about living in Brussels.

One morning I went to the grocery store at 8:05 a.m. to buy some fruit.  I saw people in the store, but I couldn't see how they got in, because construction workers were pouring a large amount of cement right in front of the store where you would walk in.  I went around the block and watched a guy take 10 steps through the wet cement, and wipe his feet on the rug inside the grocery store.  I stared.  He left footprints.  I looked incredulously at the construction worker working on the cement, and he gestured that it was fine for me to WALK THROUGH THE CEMENT.  I did.  I wiped my feet, and then when I left the store five minutes later, I walked through the wet cement again.

Why was this happening at the same time?  Why wouldn't the cement be poured before or after the store was open?  It boggled my mind.  We poured cement at home and I didn't even want the boys to put their handprints in it.

There were also lots of museums we didn't go to - like the museum of musical instruments and beer - but again, there's a lot of hanging out in beautiful places, eating, cafes, and Belgians.

We took the train back to Paris and had our first bad Airbnb experience - the codes he sent us to get in didn't work, and the second set of codes he sent didn't work, and finally the third did.  We were starving by this point and ate a meal at a nice place across the street, and while I was enjoying my meal I saw a mouse.  To be fair, the place was open to the outside like a lot of cafes.  I just told Steph and we continued eating.  Time to go home!  If I had the trip to do all over again, this is what I would have changed - earlier train from Brussels, different last Airbnb, and not looking at the floor in this restaurant. 

Uber
We used Uber to get to the airport, and the driver didn't speak English at all, so he and I spoke French the entire 25-minute ride.  I really felt like my six years of French education paid off - finally!

I'm glad I saw Paris, I'm glad we went to Brussels, and we had a lovely time.  Au revoir!

New York City in two days with kids

I used to live in Connecticut, and when people came we always took them to New York City.  We even spent New Year's Eve in Times Square!  It had been years, though, and I figured the boys should see the city that never sleeps, the Big Apple, the ... you get the point.  The big one.  New York City!  We did it, we had a great time, and I'd do it all over again.  (This time, though, I'd pay attention on the drive home and notice when my GPS altered to drive me through Canada, adding an hour to my drive since I was sans passport or birth certificates.  But if that's the only thing I'd change?!  Not half bad.)

Day one:

We drove to Edgewater, New Jersey, and stayed in the Comfort Inn.  It has free parking, it's right across the Hudson, and it makes staying close affordable.  We walked along the river to Target and picked up some food.  Lots of people walking and running to see along the way.  We ate singles of pizza just across the parking lot at the Pizza Club and stared at the city.  Max said it looked like the lost city of gold.  There were a lot of shopping carts thrown in the water and we saw men fishing who caught eels - one they put in a cooler, and one they draped on their unsuspecting friend's neck when he was turned away.  Everyone had a big laugh, including us!

Day two:

We drove to Liberty Island Park (this was a harrowing drive, even though it was only 30 minutes.  Drink your coffee first.  Lots of very fast traffic of people who actually knew where they were going.) and parked there for $7 for the whole day.  We had already bought tickets to the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  We bought our tickets for 10:30 a.m., but they let us on the 8:30 a.m. ferry.  "It doesn't really matter what your ticket says," the ticket taker told me.  "We just do that so it's staggered."  Good to know!

The ferry ride was exhilarating as always, and we rode on top to have the best view.  There weren't very many people - lots of empty seats, and I was surprised.  We went to Ellis Island first and honestly did the whole museum in less than an hour.  I love the part about the medical checks and how they sent people back if they had medical conditions or seemed mentally ill.  (How awful to make it all that way and then be turned away!)

I loved going to see the Statue of Liberty!  We wanted tickets to the head, but they were already sold out three months ago when I bought tickets.  https://www.statueoflibertytickets.com/  So we got tickets to the pedestal.  We tried listening to the audio tour, which is included in the price, but none of us liked it.  You do have to go through security once you're there, and you're not allowed to bring food.  They have $ .25 lockers to store things, but I just stashed mine behind a tree. Imagine my distress when they removed M&Ms from my purse that I had forgotten about!  They said I could go back out, but I didn't feel like going through security again and so they threw them away.  I'm over it, I promise.

We walked up to the pedestal up many stairs and LOVED the view.  I hadn't done this, and I loved it.  We all did.

We went through the museum and learned all about it, and then we went outside and looked at it from the front.  So fun!  So huge!

We saw a ferry coming in and it was PACKED.  Apparently we were just there early.  We got back on and took the ferry to New York City, where it docks at Battery Park.

 It was now about 10:30 a.m.  We checked out Battery Park, the Esplanade, (my mom's favorite), and made our way to the 911 Memorial.

I know - I KNOW - that New Yorkers have the stereotype of being rude and unhelpful.  I've never found this to be true, and especially didn't experience it this time.  We had to ask a few people - security guards, parking attendants, random people on the street - the right way, and everyone was falling all over themselves to help us.  So kind!

We made it to the memorial and it was incredibly moving.  I explained to the boys that a lot of the people at it were alive when it happened, and it makes it that much more meaningful to us.  I went up in the Twin Towers the first time I was in NYC, and I went there not long after the terrorist attack.  So seeing the 911 Memorial now brought it all back.

It's next to Oculus and the new One World Trade Center.  Such beautiful architecture.

We split a package of Oreos I bought at a Walgreens inside Oculus.  My kids were thrilled at this rare treat.  This isn't a foodie blog, can you tell?

Side note - there are drinking fountains ALL OVER the city, and my kids stopped at so many of them.  Public bathrooms also weren't a problem, as most stores had them, just a floor up or down.

We walked to Chinatown and Little Italy, taking in the sights.  We went into New York City Hall.  We stopped and had gelato, and we saw a TV show being filmed.  The boys bought I heart NY shirts, of course.  We went to Washington Square Park and saw the men playing chess, all the people relaxing after work, and a beautiful arch and fountain.  Lovely.

We walked back to Battery Park and caught the New York Water Taxi back across the Hudson to Liberty Park.  We drove home - much less traffic - and ate again at the Pizza Club, staring at the city.

Day three:

We took bus 158 from right from our hotel's street (River Rd) to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 42nd Street in Times Square.  It's $4.50 a person, but the driver told me my kids could get on for free!  (Again, those nice New Yorkers.)

We got off right in the heart of Times Square.  (I bought my return bus tickets then from the ticket agent, which were good for any time that night.) We walked around, and headed over to Central Park.  We played in a water feature with kids speaking many different languages, walked to the castle, walked the Literary Walk, ate our packed lunch by a fountain, posed on the Group of Bears sculpture, and enjoyed the nature.

We went to Times Square and experienced the JOY of the people, stores, and sights.  We went in the Nike store, M&Ms, Legos, Gucci, Trump Tower, and one of their now-favorites, FAO Schwarz.  (It was amazing for kids and adults.  Yes, they played the giant piano with their feet, but the highlight was the magicians they had selling magician kits.  I think they may have really been magic.)

We hung out in Times Square for about ten minutes, just watching people and the lights and the screens.  I love that Times Square feeling.

We all liked Rockefeller Center, then Atlas, St Paul's Cathedral, and the New York Public Library (not what I expected.  You can skip this one.  We needed wi-fi for the boys to use their accounts to check their school schedules.)  Half of us wanted burritos for dinner, and half of us wanted ice cream, so we ate 2/2 and then ... Phantom of the Opera!

I debated on whether to take them, because I wasn't sure if it was worth buying a great ticket - would the cheap tickets still be okay to see?  I told them the people would be very small.  BUT.  Broadway seemingly (haha) knows what it's doing, because the view was fantastic, and we loved it.  The boys often cite this as their favorite thing we did in New York City.  (Sometimes they answer the Statue of Liberty.  Both pretty impressive, yes, but less music in one.)

We got out of the play and experienced another one of my favorite things - it was 10:45 p.m. and the city was ALIVE with people.  Going places, dressed up, heading out.  I love that!

We caught the same bus back to our hotel and went to bed, happy.

Day four:

We drove to my lovely cousin's house, just an hour north of the city.  I love their whole family.  They'll probably let you stay, too.

Enjoy New York City, and let me know if you have any questions!