Paris, France {2}

On our 2nd day, we were up early and ready to explore! After a quick metro ride to Jussieu, we started our day with breakfast at Atelier Jussieu—a cosy little spot. From there, I decided to walk to Musée d'Orsay instead of taking the metro. It was about a 40-minute walk, and while the kids started to get a bit tired along the way, I loved taking in more of Paris on foot. There’s just something about strolling through the streets, soaking up the atmosphere, and spotting little details you’d miss otherwise.

Originally, I had planned to visit the Louvre, but after some thought, I realised that tackling such a massive museum with two little ones might not be the best idea. Instead, we opted for Musée d'Orsay, which felt like a more manageable choice.

We hadn’t booked tickets in advance, so we had to wait a bit to get in—kids get free entry, which was a nice surprise! To keep them engaged at the museum, we brought along some paper and pens, and they sketched their favourite artworks, writing down the names and artists. It turned out to be a fantastic way to keep them interested, and I loved seeing which pieces caught their attention. 

Woman Bitten by a Serpent by Auguste Clésinger completely fascinated them—we ended up staying there for nearly half an hour while they carefully sketched every detail. The museum was busy for a Wednesday, but I absolutely loved it. By the end, the kids were starting to get a little restless, but I know they absorbed so much from the experience. 

I can tell they’re starting to remember the paintings. The next day, as we walked through the city, we spotted Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez on a street billboard, and the kids immediately reminded me that they had seen it at the museum! Later, they also recognised The Luncheon on the Grass by Édouard Manet. It was so lovely to see them making connections and recalling what they had seen.

They were already somewhat familiar with Monet, Van Gogh, and Rousseau since I love their art and often talk about them. I had even told the girls about Monet’s house in Giverny, and we briefly considered visiting on our way to Paris—only to find out it was closed. Maybe next time!

Later, we went to the museum’s bookshop before leaving. There were so many beautiful books for kids! The kids sat on the floor, flipping through different books. They really wanted to buy some, but I didn’t want to carry them around for the rest of the day, so I took note of a few to look for when we got back home.

After leaving the museum, we walked to Tuileries Garden, where we found a lovely playground. The kids played there for a long time, burning off some energy. We didn’t stop for lunch—I had some snacks in my bag, so we just made do with that and kept going.

From there, we walked to Angelina Paris to see the famous café, but the line was so long that we decided to skip it. Instead, we headed to Ladurée to pick up some macarons since we all love them.

While walking, we came across Librairie Galignani, which claims to be the oldest English-language bookstore on the European continent. It looked nice, but we didn’t have time to stop for long.

Then we took the metro to Sorbonne, where we met up with Daddy and his friends for dinner at La Pie Noir. The food was tasty, and the atmosphere was fun. Once we finished, we took the metro back to our flat for the night, tired but happy after another full day in Paris.

Paris, France {1}

We’ve been talking about going to Paris for a while now, and it felt like the right time to make it happen. The last time I was there was 10 years ago, and I’d been eager to visit again. We also figured the kids would enjoy Disneyland more as they got older, so this trip seemed like the perfect opportunity for their first visit. It was a mix of nostalgia for us and a new adventure for the kids!

First, we spent some time figuring out how we’d travel and where we’d stay. After weighing up our options—flying, the tunnel, or taking the ferry—we decided the ferry sounded like the most fun way to go. It was our first time travelling to Europe by car, and we were excited to try something different. The whole ferry experience felt like a mini-adventure in itself, with sea views and plenty of space for the kids to explore. They absolutely loved it, and it ended up being a fun start to our trip.

Our journey began early in the morning when we left Sheffield at 7, aiming to reach Dover in about four and a half hours. Since we needed to check in an hour before departure, we skipped breaks and powered through, well-stocked with snacks from Costco to keep kids occupied. It went smoothly, and we arrived right on time. As we got closer, the kids spotted the White Cliffs of Dover—something they’d heard about at school—so it was nice for them to see it in person.

The ferry ride itself took about an hour and a half, and getting on and off was pretty straightforward. Once we arrived in Calais, we drove for another four hours to Paris. 

In Paris, we stayed at an Airbnb in Ivry-sur-Seine, which turned out to be a fine neighbourhood. I chose it because there was free parking, and it was just a short walk to the metro, making it really convenient for getting around Paris. It turns out parking in Paris is quite costly and not always easy to find, so we left the car behind most of the time and relied on the metro for getting around. The one exception was our trip to Disneyland, where we took the car for convenience—easier to just drive there than navigate the public transport!

So we arrived around 8 in the evening, tired but excited. After getting into the apartment, we settled in quickly and headed straight to bed to rest up for the adventure ahead. It had been a long day of travel, and we were all ready to recharge!