Paris Highlights Through the Eyes Of An 11 Year Old

This is the final post regarding the trip that J, my ll year old granddaughter and I took last July/August. Since J was the last one in her family to visit Auntie in London, Auntie and I decided that J should visit someplace before her sister. . .we decided a trip to Paris, France was just the ticket. We tried to surprise her about the trip; but, a well meaning friend dropped the trip in conversation.

Capturing a night photo of the Eiffel Tower

J loved seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up a night. From so many places in Paris, you can see the Eiffel Tower.

The Paris Cauldron

She thought that the Paris Cauldron, which is a helium powered balloon that debuted at the Olympics in 2024, was super cool. It has been retrofitted so that can be used year around. We found it in the Tuileries Garden.

Taking in the architecture of the Louvre

When we walked by the Louvre, J waved to Mona as in Mona Lisa. She wanted to spend her time outside and not in a museum.

Charcuterie bowl for dinner

We had charcuterie from a deli for dinner one night. It was delicious. It is more fun to eat at a neighborhood spot rather than a formal restaurant. J liked the variety of meats and of course the baguette that went with it! 

J on the river tour

We took a river tour on the Seine and learned a lot more about the bridges that I had heard on previous trips

Door into Notre Dame

We visited Notre Dame and it is just as beautiful as it was before the fire.

Sitting for a portrait

We visited Montmartre and J sat for a portrait. We walked around the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. We enjoyed a lunch and a sherbet while we enjoyed the sights. We even took a ride on a carousel!

Galettes

We had lunch at friends of Auntie. R made us galettes or savory crepes. He shared the recipe and I look forward to making them.

Dessert

That night for dinner, we went to "le Relais de l'Ebtrecôte." It opened in 1959. There are a variety of drinks, desserts; but, the menu is a walnut salad, fries and sirloin steak with a special secret green sauce. There is no take out, no reservations and no delivery options. We arrived 45 minutes before the restaurant opened and we waited in line an hour and a half before we were seated. That is how popular the restaurant is! I didn't take photos of the steak. . .how could I have forgotten? It was delicious. I did get a photo of the dessert sherbet.  When we left the restaurant, the line was just as long as when we had entered! 

Waiting for the train

We did have a challenge taking the train back to London. Our train was canceled due to a signal issue. We arrived at the train station about 9:30 for a 11:00 departure. There were a lot of people who were stuck like us. N found us seats on a train that left at 2:00. The challenge was that none of the seats were together and only two were in the same car!

N kept checking to see if there was a way we could get our seats closer together; but, with the upset in the schedule, there were no available options. I did ask one of the train attendants what happened to the staff that were supposed to be on our 11 am train. She told me they too had been waiting! I told her how sorry I was and how tired she must be dealing with cranky passengers AND she still had to work while I was going to be sitting in a comfy seat! 

She then told us that two people hadn't checked in for the car that the two seats were in. Lucky for us, they didn't show. I sat across the aisle from N and Miss A. J sat in front of the car in the seat she was assigned. She liked having space to herself. The delay made for a long day as there aren't a lot of activities that can be done to exercise an active 11 and three year old in a train station! 

All in all it was a great trip. Auntie