European Accommodations for Children PART 2

Paris apartments in the 7th arr. 

Beautiful home
You will be spending plenty of time here: at nap time, at mealtimes, at rain time. So make sure your holiday apartment is NICE, but not so nice that those sticky toddler hands will destroy the place, or that you'll go insane trying to keep the little one off the Louis XIV furniture. Check out Homelidays.com or Air B&B for a short term "gîte" rental.

Little Warning: what Europeans call the "1st floor", is what North Americans call the "2nd floor" and so on and so forth. The ground floor is called "Rez-de-Chaussée" in France.

Bonus: Find out if a city apartment has an inner courtyard you can use. This will only be available to the people who live in the building and have a punch code to get in. Many apartments will have that inner courtyard, but some are nicer, or bigger, than others.

Baby beds
What we call a crib in North America, is called a baby bed, or a baby cot, in many places in Europe. Most places have portable baby beds available. I found them to be quite safe. You can also purchase one of these foldable beds at a children's store for about 49 euros.

Warning: I have found that blankets are often not provided for the crib at the hotels and apartments.

Bonus: better baby sleep = better parent sleep = less crabbiness all around.

Bathtubs
Bathtubs are not a standard in Europe. Check if the hotel or appartment has one. Kitchen sinks can double as a bathtub (lots of fun; don't forget to remove breakable kitchen items from the reach of tiny inquisitive hands), or slowly introduce the fun of a shower (experience: if at first this doesn't succeed, don't rush it, but persevere. It might come to work).

Bonus: Many shower heads are detachable and can be lowered to a child's friendly level.

Warning: The Wonderful Husband says that detachable shower heads make fun toys, but can also make for very wet parental clothing.

Scary stairs and tiny kitchens are pretty normal.

Stairs and Railings
This is actually just a warning. No bonus: It seems as though there are no real safety standards for railings on stairs. Many apartments and hotels have scary stairs that are either extremely steep, or have wide apart guards on the rails. If they have a guard rail at all. Look carefully at the photos before renting.

Pools
I have been told that in some European countries a fence is required by law around pools. However, I have not seen this law applied very often. Check website pictures and ask questions, you will never relax when there is an un-gated pool on the property.

The Adorable Son enjoying a public park

In summary: Location location location! Get a rented apartment that is close to the attractions, with pleasant walking possibilities, a nearby play space (park, courtyard or square) and groceries.

Bonus: now that you're well-prepared, enjoy your trip!

European Accommodations for Children PART 1

Travelling with a child is an amazing experience, while at the same time having its own set of... let us  call them challenges. To make these more hill-size than Himalaya-size, here is a list of things we have learned to consider in our travels with the Adorable Son.

Kitchen
Kids eat all the time, any time. Also, they can, as our Adorable Son does, have pretty selective palates. Therefore in order to make your trip as stress-free as you can, rent a place with a kitchen.

Warning: kitchens in Europe are tiny. Very functional, but tiny. Do not plan any kitchen parties.

Bonus: renting with a kitchen is a great way to save money.

Groceries, Pharmacy and Bakery.
AKA: milk, diapers and  bread. Your new BFF's. Know them, know where they are. A special note: Pharmacies tend to only sell drugs and a few limited items like soap, diapers and wipes, unlike in North America where you can pretty much buy anything at a Pharmacy.

Warning: a lot of things are closed on Sunday in France, and in Europe in general. Much more than in North America, so plan ahead.

Bonus: you will spend many wonderful hours discovering your surroundings while looking for that one place where they might hopefully possibly sell that one thing that your toddler will eat this week (seriously, it can be fun, I swear!).

Costs
Eating out is expensive and you can cut costs by only going out every few days. Lunch is a great time to eat out in France, where lunch breaks are almost sacred. Go to a cute cafe and you can stay as long as you want.

Warning: avoid places with pictures of the food. They have a high chance of being tourist traps.

Bonus: if the restaurant is located on a square, you can let your little person run around when they have finished eating.

Bonus II: Or, do lunch during nap time when the Toddler is snoozing in the stroller and enjoy people watching.

A small backyard in the South of France

Park space and Squares
These are car free areas, frequently found in European cities, that are great for the kids to run around in. Most parks in cities are gated, so you don't have to worry about the kids running off into traffic.

Warning: most parks are closed after 8 pm or around. Usually not a big deal, but good to know.

Bonus: Many parks have plenty of activities for small children, carousels, ponds with ducks and fish, small playgrounds, a café or play equipment that can be rented for your child's delight.

Rent close to the attractions.
Public washrooms are hard to find in Europe and most restaurant or café toilets are incredibly tiny with no change tables. When you rent centrally, you are close to an equipped bathroom. Learning to diaper change while the Toddler is standing up is an excellent skill as well.

Second reason to rent close to the attractions is you can immediately enjoy the scene or museums without having to waste an hour commuting or navigating the transit systems with your stroller or do the stairs with your baby carrier.

Warning: places nearer the attractions will sometimes be more expensive, but weigh that against convenience, and be aware that, with a toddler, if the commute is too long, there's a big chance you won't get to see much at all. We know. We tried.

Bonus: if you're close to your place when the Toddler gets crabby, you can run back for a quick nap, bite, or chocolate treat/bribe.

Be near public transit.

I would go for a bus over metro stops, easier to get around since there are less stairs.

Bonus: in a bus, you get to see the sights while commuting.

Stay tuned for more amazing tips in part 2: Return of the Travel Advice.

SOS : Traveling With A Toddler, Grandparents Required

We are back in Paris, this time, a better location. And backup. Aka THE GRANDPARENTS.
Yes, you heard me.

Together we have rented an enormous apartment in the 6th arr.
This time we are ready to handle this city. Bring it. I have a Grandpapa and Grandmaman.

I realize that for some people renting an apartment with your inlaws is basically hell. I am not one of those  people, because my inlaws are FANTASTIC (yes, they read this blog). But it's true, I basically won the inlaw lottery. I tell my husband I married him for his parents. Some people marry for money, or looks, but those people are fools. You have to go for the inlaws, they will make your life a dream.

A dream you say? Here is the lowdown.

They will love your child, fiercly, to the point you may have to pry him out of their arms.
After nearly a month on the road without childcare, they will take over so you may soak in the bathtub, go on a shoe shopping expedition in Paris and date night with The Wonderful Husband. They will save your butt, your sanity, they will always have your back, without judgement, and always with plenty of love. Not to mention: good food. The Adorable Son thinks they are pretty darn fantastic too. So I don't even think about feeling guilty while I am sipping my wine and enjoying the view of the Eiffel Tower. Not. One. Second.

The Early Toddler Gets The Worm

As a parent of a toddler, waking early, as in six in the morning is sleeping in, is a regular occurence.
It can be trying, and significantly increase your caffeine intake. If you have a toddler, you know this. But when travelling, you can turn this liablilty into an asset. Now you can do what  you always said you would do on trips but could never accomplish: get to the sights early, no line ups, no crowds. The whole place to yourself!

Today we went to the Palais des Papes, aka the old center and home to the Christian church for a while, during the 14th century. This is an acient palace, quite large, with many rooms to see.

We arrived as soon as they were opening, and we had already gone out for breakfast and played at the park. We had to ditch the stroller and exchange it for a free baby carrier to get around the palace. No strollers allowed. Not that we ever used the baby carrier. Since the Adorable Son refused to get in it, its main use turned out to be providing the Wonderful Husband with extra exercice. So instead we let the Toddler toddle around the palace, where he eventually became a central attraction for the Japanese tousists taking pictures.

This is not Versailles: there is not a ton of fabulous furniture for him to destroy, it's simply ancient stones, so we were not too worried about the palace getting damaged by the Toddler. Perhaps the Toddler getting damaged by the palace was more of a relevant concern, with all the stairs, sharp drops and hard surfaces. I guess the popes didn't have two-year-olds around much.

We even  managed to climb the highest turret, holding onto The Adorable Son with both hands. I was completely out of breath by the time we arrived at the top, and enjoyed the incredible view of the land while trying to desperately suck in oxygen. It was worth it, the view was superb.

As we left, we saw the crowds building up, and the packs of tourists swarming the entrance. We were glad to have had the opportunity to go early. Thank you, Toddler!

Avignon, a pleasure for the senses

We arrived in Avignon to an uber-well located apartment in the old city, just a few minutes walk to the carousel, a huge open square, children's parks, and all the boutiques.

Today we had a wonderful afternoon sampling much of Avignon's menu. This is a very walkable town, with pedestrian streets paved with polished stones, many beautiful parks, open squares, castles and gardens.

Here is what we found in pictures.

The main square is enormous, with plenty of safe space for children to run. There is a beautiful Belle Époque carousel that we have been on at least three times a day. The Adorable Son would like to add that it turns, which is what he points out in an admiring tone to every passerby.

If you walk past the castle (which is open for viewing), and head up along the road you will find a very charming park with a view of the pont d'Avignon (like the song).

On the top of the hill sits a public garden (no dogs permitted or should I say no pooping permitted), with ducks, greenery, trees that remind me of group of seven artworks and a small children's park.

The pond has Koi fish, a turtle, and ducks all which expect to be fed. A toddler's delight.
You can climb to the very top, without toddler, to get an even better view of Avignon.

 If you are feeling adventurous, you can rent children's reclined bicycles that are created to resemble chariots. The inventor was smart enough to put padding on the front of the horse to protect innocent bystanders.

It has been raining for the past couple days, resulting in puddles. This is a huge dose of awesome for The Adorable Son, although perhaps less so for the Maman who does laundry. However, the Adorable Son would like to point out, once more, that the washing machine turns as well, which makes everything all right.

A stroller with a view

The Wonderful Husband refers to this as "First Person Stroller" to replace the gamer term "First Person Shooter",  like you see in video games. Cute.

My point is to show the experience of The Adorable Son from his stroller. I will be taking pictures throughout the trip. Here is a taste of what is to come.

Moulin de la roque, Provence

Jardin des Tuileries, Paris

Train Station, Paris

Train Station, Avignon

Horrid to Fabulous / The Baron's Estate

The TGV (a high speed train that can go up to 574 km/hr) found itself with a toddler in its first class compartment today. It was a shaky experience for all parties involved.

The toddler was not in the mood for traveling today. He threw wipes, bottles, cookies, a bus (it was small), and cried in frustration. For a nearly two year old, sitting still is just not what life is about.

By the time the taxi was pulling into the lane at the Moulin de la Roque, he had passed out, and The Wonderful Husband and I were completely, completely exhausted.

That's when the miracle happened. Wait, actually, the first miracle was my son falling asleep.

That's when the second miracle happened.
Moulin de La Roque. GORGEOUS.

There was a pool that looked like something out of a Provence brochure for the not-cheap stuff, a fabulous renovated old mill, an expansive lawn overlooked by a cliff on top of which tall pines sway in the wind, two enormous trampolines, and wild boars. Okay, we didn't ACTUALLY see the boars, but were told to lock the gates at night to keep them out.

Basically this place was the complete opposite of our last apartment. No ladies of the night, no motorcycles at 4am, car exhaust or garbage. I told The Wonderful Husband that we are never leaving, I have no problem over staying my welcome.

photo: www.moulindelaroque.com

When The Adorable Son woke up he was his usual self, delightful and curious. He was free to run around and enjoy all this nature, new experiences and maybe some wild boars.

I'm totally not locking the gates tonight.
Wild boars are way too cool.

Here is a little info on the Moulin de la Roque. It is located in Provence, south of France and owned by the gracious Gabrielle and Baron Guy Fallon. Drool worthy.

Enjoy more pictures of their estate from their website. http://www.moulindelaroque.com/

Jardin des Tuileries

What a wonderful park to take a child to!

After so many attempts to get to a park with a carousel, while my son was awake, this third trip was a great success!

This is a newer carousel than some of the others in Paris, but absolutely charming. There was a beautiful variety of horses, cars, trains, carriages and animals available to ride on.

My son was eager to try many of them, and we eventually had to pry him off once I started to feel nauseous from going around and around...and around.

In addition to the carousel, the enormous park contains slides, seesaws and climbing structures. There were plenty of children climbing, spinning, jumping and dripping off of them. A fantastic day for all of us.

Getting Around Town in Paris

Lesson of the day: Getting around Paris with a toddler is not easy, but always leads to good food.

My favorite way to get around Paris is by foot.  That is, when we are in a central neighbourhood.
This trip we are living in the 19th arrondissement, which is not central, and we really need to take the bus or metro to get around.  Consequently, we keep making plans to go to attractions that our son would like and by the time we get there he is fast asleep.

Argh.

Yesterday we attempted to get to the carousel near les Halles, and today in Montmartre. Both times he was snoring by the time we arrived. That's what happens with an hour-long commute.

Argh x 2 = frustrated grumpy Mama.

We tried the metro and found it a little bit of a pain.  These are old tunnels.  They often do not  connect on direct, even levels.  This means that, even after you've managed to get your stroller down the stairs with the help of your Wonderful Husband and the hindrance of at least one rude person with a big suitcase, once underground you may need to take more stairs, both up and down.  No elevators.

Argh x 3 = annoyed Wonderful Husband with an achy back.

The bus is easier.  No stairs, and there is a space reserved at the back for strollers. They can be very full though, and a bit squishy. I recommend getting on through the back, locking your stroller in place and going to the front to pay after. This seems to be the way its done.

Downside: the bus can be crowded. Did I mention it was crowded? It was crowded. The bus driver made a sudden stop and there was a colourful variety of French expletives. Lets write that off as a cultural experience.

Argh x 4 = new French words learned (hopefully not by my son).

My son was feeling overwhelmed today on our way to the carousel in Montmarte, and was freaking out to get off the crowded bus. So we did. He was happier, but it was cold (see other post about getting a hat) and the walk was still 45 minutes from the time we abandoned the bus ride. By the time we arrived, he was out and his little hands were chilly.

Now, yesterday we'd decided to use his nap to have a fantastic dinner at a cafe, but today, we just headed home and collapsed from exhaustion. Said exhaustion, of course, couldn't prevent a stop on our way back home at a fabulous bio pastry shop.

Final sum = wine and pastries make everything better.

Better luck tomorrow.

Arrival

Arriving early in the morning is a wonderful way to discover a city’s layers and rhythms as it moves from night into day. These are the hours when bakeries are just opening, and the brasseries (the pubs or bars) are still open from the night before.

This morning we arrived in Paris and found ourselves an hour early to meet up with the man from whom we had rented an apartment. We decided to go to a nearby café and have coffee and croissant while we waited.

People-watching in Paris is alway good, and the 19^th arrondissement (each area of Paris goes by a number) is an even more special treat. Why? So MANY dazzling characters. It is a neighbourhood in the early stages of gentrification, producing an eclectic mix of international cultures and young artists.

As we arrived and unloaded the cab, a lady wished us “bon voyage” (‘a good trip”, something you say as people are leaving, not arriving) in a warm-yet-maybe-not-quite-right-or-possibly-drunk-or-both manner that served as a perfect welcome to our new neighbourhood. 

Once we had wheeled our little caravan of suitcases, bags and stroller over to the café, we set up our chairs by the heater, sipped our coffee and watched the show unfold while our son snoozed in his stroller.

The people came in several, distinct waves. 

First we noticed the people still working on their beer from last night (or perhaps they were just starting their day off right). A few ladies of the night were walking home in colourful attire, one in a vivid bubble gum pink getup and her wig worn askew. I was starting to wonder if this apartment from a friend of a friend was maybe not such a sweet last minute score.

Next the male shop keepers surfaced and began setting up their market stalls, and we enjoyed watching as they opened boxes and laid out their goods one pile at at time. Jeans, dresses, tomatoes, trinkets, dashikis, all interspersed with busy, multilingual calls.

Soon after, we saw the joggers (only three, but remarkable for Paris) sweating so elegantly (how do they do it?), followed by the business people taking the metro with rolling suitcases, and mothers and fathers ushering children to school. In fact there were lots of children, even a few families with four kids. Where do you store four kids in these Paris apartments? No, I really want to know. I’m sure it’s impressive.

After an entr'acte of croissants, a series of cyclists streamed by - one wearing headphones, which I will call brave.

Last were the late-for-work business people making a sprint to the metro.  This was the grand finale, with ties in the wind, bouncing hair, rolling suitcases and fantastic leaps and turns over the cobblestones and around the plethora of pedestrians. Just lovely.

Overall I give the intersection of rue de Belleville and Boulevard de Belleville a 4 star rating for people-watching. There was a wonderful variety or cultures, some stylish looks, some freak flags being flown proud and high, and so the overall ambience was lively, and ultimately probably just fine for a week’s stay.

Packing light

Packing light is key to our easygoing travels. Because we often take the train to get around Europe, we can't have more than two suitcases.

Here is how we do it:

2 suitcases for clothes etc. 
Ideally one suitcase would be best for moving around... well, that or a private jet.

1 knapsack for books or other heavy items that we check-in as our third piece of luggage. 
This bag can sit on top of one of the suitcases when moving about. We keep a heavy bag so we can stay under the weight restrictions of 50lbs for each bag when flying. The bag is lightweight and folds away easily if we do not need it.

2 items of carry on luggage that are hands free. 
One knapsack for kids stuff and one messenger bag that is safe for holding  tickets and passports.

1 lightweight collapsible stroller. 
We really like our Uppa Baby G-LUXE. We roll it around the airport right up to the moment we get on the plane. 

What we skip:

1. The carseat. 
This is a heavy piece of equipment that I have never attempted to travel with. Luckily there are plenty of options to travel without this ball and chain.
Airport pick-up services such as Taxis Baby Seat in Paris will meet you at the airport with a car seat already installed. First class service, I can't say enough nice things about them.
If you are renting a car, some companies have carseats available for rent as well. Check ahead.
Second last choice is public transportation. We tried this approach in Istanbul with suitcases and it did not garner a warm reception. Many public transportation systems are pretty packed, and squeezing your family's gypsy caravan into a subway car is not a good way to make friends. Another important point is that many old European apartments and metro stations do not have elevators, and you may have to go up or down several flights of stairs. If however, you are looking for an excellent cardio and muscular workout,  this is a highly recommended training circuit. You will have sexy arms and legs at the end of your trip.
My last choice is to take a taxi. Taxis in most countries are generally exempt from laws requiring a car seat or a infant or child, but of course there is a risk involved.

2. The third suitcase. 
We could bring a third suitcase, but then, we would need a third arm. One parent is rolling our son around or running after him while simultaneously pushing the stroller, and the other parent has two suitcases and the heavy items bag. That's quite enough.

3. Keeping our purchases with us on the road. 
Who doesn't love to pick up art work or some funky kitsch as they travel? The key is to mail it back home, along with any seasonal clothing that has run it's course. 

4. The portable crib. 
Don't get me wrong, these are amazing inventions, so amazing that almost everywhere we go they already have one. If a crib is unavailable, we have a small, extremely light weight child's camping mattress from MEC which we will be test driving this trip.

5. Books. Truth be old, we always have a few books,  we love books. This trip we are trying out a kobo reader that was lent to us, and relying more on travel guides that are available online. 

Upcoming post on minimalist wardrobe that travels well.

Delayed Departure

April 8th was supposed to be the big exciting day that we left for Europe and all our glorious adventures began.
*surprise*  Things did not pan out that way.

Our glorious adventures began a little differently. They began with constipation.

Our bags were in the car, tickets and passports ready, when my son's body announced that we were not going to be getting anywhere near a plane. No one would want us near their plane anyhow. Poor lad.

So, hours before the flight was scheduled to depart, we made the final decision to delay the trip and stay in Montreal for another week. I guess this is a perfect example of travelling with a toddler. Stay flexible, because your schedule is only an illusion. The kid comes first.

Now, while I may not really have the right to complain, I mean, this is all a pretty fabulous opportunity, and I am incredibly lucky, I still just want to mourn the sad part. I had reserved a spot at the Reggio Emilia conference on early childhood education in Italy, and would no longer be able to attend or meet up with one of my best friends in Florence.

The excellent news is that my son is doing much better and has been pooping very successfully since that evening.
TMI?
If you a parent, it's basically a conversation starter. If you are not a parent....wrong blog.