service, sedaris, and metropolitain

While I heard the call to service on this Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday, I chose to ignore it and focus on a bit of purging and organizing in our home instead. I found comfort in the aloneness of this task and played some This American Life episodes to keep me company, one of which had me laughing out loud, so much so that I listened to it twice and only laughed harder the second time around. 

I'm sharing it here, along with some photos of the Paris metro from our recent trip. Much like the tourists mentioned in Act 3, we loved the convenience of the Paris metro; I hope the similarities stop there!

It's a short twelve minutes, and if you have ever lived outside of America, I bet it will have you laughing out loud as well. 

Episode #173: Three Kinds of Deception // Act 3 

"David Sedaris tells the story of a subway ride he took in Paris. Two American tourists mistake him for a Frenchman and, thinking he can't speak English, begin to talk loudly about how he smells. Later, they come to believe that he's a pickpocket. He starts off hating this, but comes to enjoy it. The story's from his book Me Talk Pretty One Day."

This last nighttime shot is a metro stop near the Louvre....so pretty and unexpected. No comment on the shoes. He has feet issues, so he gets a pass, sometimes.

paris museums with children: 10 tips

"This is my favorite because is reminds me of Desigual!"

We recently spent a week in Paris with our eight-year-old daughter, where we spent a bit of time visiting museums. This part of our visit went exceptionally well, and I thought I'd share a few strategies I've learned for visiting museums with children. Before getting started with my list, I urge you to be flexible and to get your child a small sketchbook and pencil to bring along on the trip.

1.  The long lines can test the patience of the most eager adult visitor; they can ruin a visit for children before they even get a chance to enter. Even with the Paris Museum Pass, we waited for 60 minutes for access to the Pompidou Center one morning. We took turns waiting in line and exploring the immediate area with our daughter, making the time seem to pass much more quickly for her. Also...be reasonable. After waiting for 60 minutes to enter, it was impossible to wait in yet another long line for the special Dali exhibit once inside. We missed it.

2. Let the child's interest drive the visit. I know that this may be difficult for some who have life-long dreams of visiting these museums, but I think it is important to find a compromise. I was deeply moved by this installation in the Pompidou Center while my daughter found it fit to count the number of bodies. I gave her a brief explanation of the art but could quickly tell her interest was not peaked, so I let it go...just like that, but not before asking her the number of bodies.

3. Slow down. Talk. Engage. Sit for a spell. If possible, do so in front of a piece of art that prompts conversation. "Do you see any people in this picture? How many do you see? What do you think they are doing? Are any of them children? Take a closer look. How is this piece of art like the last piece we saw? Do you think you could create a painting like this one? What is your favorite color in this painting?" Most children don't have much background knowledge, no schema, to bring to this art...at least not like we do. They won't automatically engage but a few choice questions will work wonders to activate what they do know. Make sure they have pencils and sketchbooks handy. 

4. Listen to their ideas about the art. What is striking to children will not be the same that is deemed valuable or interesting to adults. Let them know that you value their ideas. Here she is excitedly pointing out the number of animals in this painting, "Marriage at Cana" in the Louvre.  My husband let her know that he was interested in her interests. At times this might mean that you'll have to fake it, but be careful with that because children can smell an imposter!

5. Get some picture books from your local library before you go. Read them to your children. Katy offers a list here to get you started. Before this trip we also added Not For Parents Paris to our collection and enjoyed Picasso and Minou from our library. We also found time to watch Ratatouille again, which resulted in her walking the streets of Paris quoting, "The best found in the world is in France. The best food in France is in Paris. The best food in Paris is at..." 

6. Let them be kids. Let them be silly.

7. Don't expect to cover the entire museum. We visited the  l'Orangerie just to see Monet's water lilies in their special oval-shaped rooms. I absolutely would have loved to explore more of the space, but understood the need to compromise with the little girl who had already had a long day.

8. Look for connections to their lives, to things that they do know! Several months before our trip, I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret aloud to her, and then we followed up with the movie. I knew that we had to find the large clocks in the d'Orsay and climb to the top for a overall view of the train station. She loved discussing the fact that DaVinci is Italian yet his Mona is in France...the injustice! (She considers herself half American, half Italian.) We must bring her back!

9.  Don't push it. Really. It will be a disaster if you do. One of our favorite museums is the d'Orsay. Our daughter was unimpressed and not really willing to be cajoled into thinking otherwise. Who knows the reason! The day of the week? The time of day? The breakfast choice? The fact that it is our favorite? Once we realized that things were headed south we jumped ship.

10. Seek out museums that are for kids.  We did not do this because the visit went smoothly without it; however, I was prepared to visit this place or this place.

One more general tip:  Take advantage of late openings of many museums in Paris; get informed of the appropriate days and times. Also, pay attention to closing days.

For more tips about visiting Paris, you can see my other post: Paris: 3 Useful Resources and My Planning Strategy


Do you have additional tips for visiting museums with children? Please feel free to share in the comments.

Paris: 3 Useful Resources & My Planning Strategy

If you follow me on Instagram (see the right sidebar), then you know that we've just returned from a lovely stay in Paris. While I did consult a host of resources when planning this trip, I'd like to recommend three that I found to be incredibly useful and appropriate for our party of three.

The key to spending a week in a world city with an eight year old is finding ways to engage and excite her before and during the trip. It is not always easy, but it is always possible. All kids are different...mine is certain she should have been born French and actually scolded us for "walking too fast" in the Louvre, preventing her from taking in all of the art.

She tried strange foods and never complained as we waited in long lines and covered nearly fifty miles on foot during the week, as reported by Richard's new Fitbit gadget. She carried a small sketch book and pencil wherever we went and was incredibly mature and engaged, often causing Richard and I to raise our eyebrows in amazement. There were lots of proud parent moments this week.

But I digress...here are the recommendations.

Not For Parents Paris: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

I rather randomly selected this as a Christmas gift for Young One without paying much attention to reviews and without having seen it, thinking the "Not-for Parents" claim would attract her. She loved it.  Carried it with her in her bag across the city. Asked to read it together. Recounted facts gleaned from it. Read it waiting in lines, so many lines in Paris around the holidays. Ensured it was in her bag each morning.

I checked out many a book from our library leading up to this trip, but this was by far her favorite: a non-fiction with engaging drawings, a bit of kid humor and random (but true and meaningful) facts. I will definitely invest in other versions of this book when available. By the way, Richard and I enjoyed it, too!

City Walks with Kids: Paris Adventures on Foot

My friend Elizabeth, seasoned traveler, mother of sons in the age range of Young One, offered to let me borrow this box of cards from her. Again, these had been under my travel-related paraphernalia radar. Again, I will undoubtedly borrow or purchase these for upcoming trips when available.

The box includes 52 walks around Paris, some inside museums, highlighting things of interest for children. These are not meant to be read or used by the children, but offer great advice for short walks with children with adults in the lead. I found them helpful in providing the highlights and giving me just enough info to engage an eight year old somewhat. This coupled with the aforementioned book created a fabulous resource package.

Trip Advisor Offline City Guides App

Elizabeth also recommended this helpful app, and not a huge Trip Advisor fan, I half-heartedly downloaded the app before our trip. Fantastic. The app downloads the info to your phone, so no connection is necessary as you are out and about in the city. By far the best part is the interactive map. I still can't wrap my head around how this works, but the map is able to detect the location of the user...without a connection = no expensive roaming charges. How does that work? Please tell me.

For someone who had lots of ideas of where I wanted to go, the app was fabulous. I would look up a museum or cafe or monument or shop using the app (forget the reviews) and then press the "Point Me There" button, at which time the app would point me there, including an estimate of the distance and a Metro stop.

Want to head to Angelina's for an unforgettable cup of hot chocolate? Look it up. Press the direction button. Head on over. It's great for finding the nearest Metro stop, too. AND...the blue dot on the map indicating your location remains live while you are walking. How'd they do that with no data services and no wifi needed? A mystery. 

To plan a week-long stay in Paris...

I listened to the online advice of David Lebovitz and Dorie Greenspan and read online forums for advice on museum passes and best bets for Metro passes. I also found a hip, well-located apartment in the 1st Arrondissement, steps from the Louvre, online. I reserved and purchased things online when possible, including our appointment at the Eiffel Tower and tickets to Disney, often for lower costs. Admittedly, there were times that I just had my fingers crossed that all would end well because of lack of fluency in French. This was especially true of the Disney tickets, which I scored at about half price on a mostly French language ticket site: FNAC.

I learned from the experience of fellow bloggers like Lucia, Emily, and Katy, as well as others that I stumbled across along the way. (Thanks, ladies!) Listened to stories of friends who have recently visited and had the good fortune of meeting with my Francophile friend, Mo, who was visiting from Germany, just a couple of weeks before the trip.

I searched my library system's online catalog for Paris-themed books, fiction and non-fiction, many that we didn't have a chance to explore in the busy month of December. I relied on past experiences; this was my fifth visit to the City of Light. I lugged the big camera on board the plane with me but left it in the apartment in favor of my smart phone camera most days.

I made a promise to go with the flow...enjoy each baguette, stop to watch the Tower sparkle every single time, and sleep in after late nights.  I kept to it except for that one time that I won't mention here!

It was a wonderful time for our family.