I’m pretty sure there are three main reasons it took me five trips to Paris to finally make it to Versailles:

Number 1. My first four visits to Paris were really short.

Number 2. On three of those occasions I had children with me who would have whined all day, and that’s fun for no one.

And Number 3. (and let’s be honest, this is the main one) I was scared. Every time I started reading about visiting Versailles, the whole experience felt just way too overwhelming. Multiple ticket lines and different ticket options depending on how much you want to see. The fountains are only on at certain times on certain days. Also, apparently it’s really crowded.

So even on this, my fifth trip to Paris, I was not sure I would make it out to Versailles. Why should I travel outside of Paris, where there is already plenty to do, just to face the hassle of crowds and infuriating French ticketing systems at Versailles?

I told my mom and sister as we were planning this trip:

I would really like to go to Versailles. It will probably be a long and frustrating day. I’m not sure it’s worth it. You will mostly likely hate it. And we don’t have to go if you don’t want, but I kind of just want to. 

Why do I kind of just want to?

I blame Ms Greenway, my high school French teacher, from whom I learned very little French.

But one day she showed us pictures of Versailles that have forever remained burned into my brain.

One of them was of this yellow room.

Ms. Greenway told us stories of Louis XIV and the extravagance of Versailles, its furnishings and lavish gardens and crazy grandeur.

And somehow, I have managed to hold on for over a quarter of a century to the idea that this place is something I should see, which I have to say is a pretty decent accomplishment on the part of Ms. Greenway.

Mama and Anna agreed to the adventure of visiting Versailles, even if it turned out to be an overrated disappointment, which I continue to assure them it would probably be.

The night before we visited Versailles, Anna found an article online about a stress free visit to Versailles and read it aloud. We laughed heartily at the fact that we had already made several mistakes, especially the one about not buying and printing out our tickets ahead of time, but at that point it was too late.

I, in turn, read aloud from the comments of visitors to Versailles on Trip Advisor, which are hysterical, by the way. They say things like:

Don’t even bother going inside the palace. It’s hot and everyone is shoving you!

or

Who cares if it is famous and beautiful? You can’t see anything with all the people there.

Also super helpful, this quote from the unofficial guide to visiting Versailles:

When you enter the castle, don’t murder anybody. 

You think she is joking, but even in winter, you might want to murder someone.

Hint: It might be the group of attendants standing around chatting instead of opening a second (or even third!) security line.

But we decided that we would go for it. We would get there super early and have positive attitudes!

Also, there is a Starbucks right outside the Versailles train station, super handy if you’ve made your mom and sis take the first train out of Paris to be at Versailles before the gates are open, so they get to begin their day by standing out in the cold for thirty minutes outside the ticket office.

Also for those thirty minutes, they get to watch the other line gather and grow outside the palace. The one full of people who already have their tickets.

But because it was winter, even getting through this ridiculous two-line system (one for tickets, another to enter the palace) was not as bad as we had read online.

We managed to get through both without killing anyone, mainly because my sister does not take any smack from anyone and rushed us through so we made it to the other side of the security checks in one piece, just in time to see Louis XIV looking smug as if to say,

I may be dead, but look at what you’ve gone through just to come to my house. 

And really, it is quite a house.

And in February, there were not unbearable crowds.

Not even in the hall of mirrors.

Or the king’s apartments.

In fact, some places were quite empty.

But some others were being renovated and off limits, including the queen’s apartments. (Bummer.)

After the palace, we grabbed a bite to eat and then bundled up and headed to the gardens.

The scale of the grounds at Versailles is pretty baffling.

We committed to being there for the whole day to see it all, but we took our time, stopping often.

This is Mama, grabbing a hot drink and adjusting her audio guide.

(We downloaded Rick Steve’s free audioguide to Versailles, which I recommend doing ahead of time via the Rick Steve’s app. The audioguide you get with your ticket is only for the palace.)

In winter there is no pressure to make sure you get there at the right time for the fountains, because they are all off.

Less pressure for me.

Also, all the statues are covered.

The Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon (two other palaces) are open. They are a good haul away from the main palace, but worth seeing and in our case, were almost completely empty.

I actually enjoyed seeing the rooms in the Grand Trianon more than the palace.

In fact, if were I to make a summer visit, I would consider skipping the palace altogether.

And if you have people with you who say things like,

All these rooms sort of look the same to me,

then you will bore them less by just heading to the Grand Trianon. 

The Grand Trianon has its own Hall of Mirrors.

Its own gorgeous outside.

And courtyards and gardens.

Its like a mini Versailles.

Only with pink.

The Petit Trianon is quick to tour and serves as an entrance to Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet.

Mama and I had both watched the most recent version of Marie Antoinette before this trip so seeing the parts of Versailles that were a sort of haven to her might have been the best bit of the day.

Here’s the music room in the Petit Trianon.

And onward to the Hamlet, a miniature English farm village Marie Antoinette had built in order to escape the palace.

It’s easy to see how this more simple corner of Versailles would be a relief after the grandeur of everywhere else. 

Of course, straw-thatched houses don’t maintain themselves, so Marie Antoinette’s house is under renovation and we could not go in it.

If you’re counting, that’s at least three strikes for a winter visit to Versailles, but I’ll take all three in exchange for the lack of people.

By the end of the day I was properly exhausted, and not a little cold. But when we rounded the corner to see the palace in the distance on the long walk back from Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet, I was very grateful not to be making the journey in the heat.

We walked back up the long garden, past all the covered statues, said our goodbyes to Versailles and hopped on the train back to Paris.

As I settled into my seat, I tried to decide if I was glad to have visited Versailles just so I could check it off my list or if it is a place I would go back to, but I was asleep before I could make up my mind.

The post Snapshots of Versailles appeared first on Alison Chino.

In a corner of a massive gothic church in the heart of Paris is a monument to the fruit and vegetable sellers who, after 800 years of selling goods in front of this church, were relocated to a suburb in Paris to make way for a train station and a giant shopping mall.

Until 1969, the food market operated in front of this church (L’eglise Saint-Eustache).

Called Les Halles or The Halls, merchants came from all over to sell food to Parisians.

Near the church, in a local foie gois shop, I took a photo of what Les Halles looked like a long time ago.

In front of and in the halls of Saint-Eustache is where our Belly of Paris Tour with Context Travel began.  We walked with our guide Carolin Young as she painted us a picture of a Paris table long ago.

We walked through the streets listening and learning some history of Paris and food.

And we made stops along the way. For sure one of the highlights of our walk through Paris with Carolin was all the shops.

Foie gois shops, cheese shops, wine shops.

Even an open air market or two.

And then there were the chefs’ shops. 

My sister was super excited to purchase a few tools for her kitchen from the places where France’s greatest chefs buy their copper pots and knives.

Within a few blocks of each other, there were four or five of these storied old restaurant and chef supply stores. 

Here’s Anna in front of one of the oldest ones. We had a hard time getting her out of there.

But we bribed her with food.

Our guide, Carolin, chose a few cheeses.

And a few more cheeses.

And baguettes and croissants from a well-loved boulangerie.

These prize cups represent many “bests” in Paris baking….best croissant and best baguette to name a few.

At the end of our tour, Carolin led us, along with our treasures to a room painted with old frescoes in Le Rocher de Cancale, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, to have a simple meal of wine, cheese and bread.

Le Rocher de Cancale translates to the Rocks of Cancale, which is an area in Brittany famed for oysters, hence the rock and oyster sculpture on the outside of the restaurant.

A couple days later, Anna and I had oysters in an open market, where they served them fresh and then filled your empty shells with white wine to follow.

Fresh from the sea, we experienced having the freshest ingredients in Paris from all over France.

As Carolin had told us, in Paris, the food is not necessarily local, but you can have the best that is available in the capital city of France, and because of the central markets in Paris, it has always been this way.

In Paris, you can have the very best.

And we had SO many meals in Paris that were the very best.

One of our favorites was prepared for us right in our apartment by Chef Fabrice from La Belle Assiette. We were super excited to get to watch a seasoned chef in action, admiring his knife skills and asking questions about sauces.

And little warm melt-in-your-mouth chocolate molten cakes.

Divine!

Another of our best meals was at Les Papilles. We happily took the last 10pm reservation available at this popular Paris bistro.

Every day the chef has one set menu, which you have family style at your table.

Our first course was a gorgeous carrot soup that came in a tureen that we poured over these beautiful bowls of bacon, croutons, creme fraiche and herbs.

Then we had a copper pot full of slowly stewed beef with potatoes, onions, carrots and mushrooms. So tender. So delectable. So full.

Followed by cheese and fruit.

And a salted caramel pot de creme.

The meal at Les Papilles was for sure one of our very best.

But also high on our list was one of the many lovely recommendations we got from Carolin, another bistro called Terroir Parisien, a nod to local food in the region of Paris.

Anna had smoked trout.

Mama and I had the menu of the day, which was local eggs and bacon. (We’re still dreaming about these.)

Chicken and potatoes.

And a pear clafoutis that I will be trying to recreate very soon.

In fact, there are so many desserts from our time in Paris that I would like to re-create. We ate many gorgeous crepes, of course.

Like this one with chocolate and bananas that arrived after Anna asked our waiter to bring us his very best crepe.

Another dessert highlight was this roasted apple with caramel and nuts from La Grande Epicerie.

And this rose macaron from Pierre Hermes.

We had so many gorgeous pastries and tarts. I kept saying that I am going to make more efforts to make my food beautiful when I serve it after being in Paris.

Where even a simple fruit salad is a work of art.

Our very first meal in Paris was a meat, cheese and bread board, which we devoured in a street cafe, slightly stupefied that we were all sitting in the middle of Paris.

But a week later, we pracitally considered ourselves regulars at the patisserie just a few steps away from that same cafe, where even the Queen of England has been to taste the famous eclairs.

On our last night in Paris, we named all of our favorite foods we had eaten over a week of filling our bellies with so many delights, and we could not narrow it down to one meal. It was all the very best.

A big thanks to Context Travel for sending us on the Belly of Paris tour for free to help promote this fun walk through the history of Paris and food. And thank you Carolin for a lovely afternoon in the heart of Paris!

PS. You can watch our highlight videos from Paris on Vine!!

The post Snapshots of Eating in Paris appeared first on Alison Chino.

Snapshots of Shopping in Paris

Mama was lagging behind as we made our way through the Tuileries.

Jet lag had caught up with her on our first full day in Paris, and we all needed re-fueling after a morning of walking and sightseeing.

But then,

we hit the Champs-Élysées.

The Grandest Boulevard in all of Paris.

The one where all the shops are.

And suddenly, Mama recovered her energy.

These two gals are as different from each other as “chalk and cheese” as they say here in Britain, but one thing they share in common is their love of shopping.

Myself, I am not much of a shopper, but the storefronts and shops in Paris are beyond gorgeous.

The shopfronts are works of art in and of themselves.

So while Mama and Anna shopped, I took photos of storefronts.

Many, many storefronts.

Like this funny dress shop that looked like a bookstore.

The next day we went to Le Bon Marché, where everything is crazy expensive, but Anna and Mama each found a little something to buy just to mark their experience.

Anna bought a lipstick with a built in mirror from the cosmetic counter, and Mama found a shirt upstairs.

While she was trying on clothes, I rode these gorgeous escalators and took photos.

Here is one of the places in Le Bon Marché where you can try on clothes. Hello fancy.

Next to Le Bon Marché is La Grande Epicerie, which is to food what the Le Bon Marché is to clothes.

Again, the displays in Paris make buying salted caramels and even radishes a delight.

There was no end to our shopping (and window shopping) in Paris.

We shopped for flowers for our apartment.

Which was lovely by the way.

And for art on the streets.

And for food. There was much shopping for food, of course. Eating and shopping and eating and touring and eating and reading restaurant menus. So much food.

But that’s next week’s theme,

Food in Paris!

The post Snapshots of Shopping in Paris appeared first on Alison Chino.

I’m sharing a few highlight Snapshots of Paris today! This is just a little taste of our fab week in Paris. I’ll have to dedicate several posts just to the glorious food we ate, so look for la gastronomie themed photos next!

Every time I go to Paris I find new favorite streets. Our apartment was just a few steps from Rue Montorgueil, a pedestrian-only road full of darling cafes, cheese shops, wine shops and fruit and vegetable stalls. We, of course are not the first to have loved this road. Monet painted it. And people have flocked to this road for delightful pastries since 1730.

We understand why. We became big fans of Stohrer, making daily trips for treats.

The eclairs and almond croissants were our regulars, but we also found the lemon tarts and raspberry tarts to be delightful.

We wandered past the Porte Saint Denis one day when we were totally lost, which is a great case for getting lost in a city! So beautiful!

The Musee D’Orsay is regular stop for me in Paris. The building is as gorgeous as the art, and winter is SUCH a good time to enjoy being inside!

The giant clocks inside the Musee D’Orsay have sublime views of the Louvre across the Seine.

My mom and sister both enjoy some shopping, so this was my first time to Le Bon Marché, the first department store in Paris!

I loved visiting elegant Saint-Eustache and it featured heavily in our food tour of Paris as it stands at the front of what used to be the biggest food market in Paris. Like I said, much more to come about food in Paris!

Even though it was really cold in Paris, I LOVED that all the cafes are still open for business, many with heaters under the awnings so you can still sit outside. I read somewhere that the cafes in Paris turn the streets into an extension of peoples’ homes. People use their neighborhood cafes like living rooms. I love that! We stopped every day in cafes. Lots of hot drinks on cold afternoons for us!

Walking along the Seine in any season is one of the best ways to spend time in Paris.

I tried to get my family across as many bridges as possible! All the views are a little different from one another.

This is a close up of the detail on the giant wooden doors of the Notre Dame. LOVE.

So many beautiful doors in Paris!

I went through many more Metro stations on this trip, partly because of the cold and also because they were not as crowded as they are in summer. This station in Montmartre is pretty spectacular!

So many charming streets.

Le Sacre Coeur in Montmartre on a very chilly morning.

So many treasures in this Paris institution! We all enjoyed our time browsing in Shakespeare and Company,

It was first time climbing to the top of the Notre Dame for the first time.

387 steps to the top of the tower! Those gargoyles have some pretty fab views!

We packed in the activities in Paris, but having a whole week made it easier to see some new sights and include my old favorites!

Since getting back, I’ve made my whole family watch Sabrina. And I smiled at that old familiar line,

Paris is always a good idea. 

The post Snapshots of Paris appeared first on Alison Chino.

February is a month of showing big love to all the people in my life, not just Taido. (Though I love him the most.)

This month I am trying to send more letters and emails and texts that are FULL of LOVE.

Join me…it’s SUCH a good way to use all the fancy paper/cards/pens that you have piling up. (Just me?)

ALSO, in blogging this month I am hoping to show my readers some love by answering their questions. I get emails asking me a few of the same questions over and over, so I thought it would be a good idea to address some of those here on the blog. So if you have a question for me, ask away in the comments or holler at me via email (alison AT alisonchino DOT com) and I would be happy to include your question in a future post.

Here are the ones that I am going to answer over the next few weeks:

How do you pack light for a trip to Europe? What exactly do you take?

If I am coming to the UK for 10 days, what should I do? Where should I stay?

If I am coming to Scotland and I love Scotch, where should I go? What should I do?

And the question I get asked most often, for obvious reasons:

Can you tell me what I need to know about coming to Aberdeen to live as an expat? 

usually followed by

(My husband is going to be studying divinity/working in Aberdeen.)

So those are the questions I have so far. If you’re curious about the answers to any of those, maybe consider subscribing via email if you haven’t already. And if your question is not on the list, by all means, ask away!

Also here are some links I’ve been collecting + things I’ve been reading lately.

I’ve listened to this love poem about 10 times now. I first heard it on an old podcast of Livewire.

The dance in this video makes me happy.

Also this song, same.

Right now when this song comes on in the kitchen, I have to stop what I’m doing and just sing. Eyes closed, hands in the air. (Also, the story behind the song.)

The Cathedral on Radiolab is a definite Do. Not. Miss. I’ve made all my kids listen to it now. Sidenote: Our winter dinner conversation has so deteriorated that now after meals we are having a moment called: Excerpts from Mama’s Favorite Podcasts.

Also if you think racism is not a problem America in 2016, please give this is a listen (Yik Yak Returns).

Are you (like me) a sensitive soul? Then maybe you’ll find this piece on rituals being oh-so-soothing for sensitive souls to be rather helpful.

These photos + the adventure they capture are a good argument for eloping on the Isle of Skye instead of having a big wedding. I found this photographer because she went to Jordan with World Vision this month as part of a campaign to bring awareness to refugees in winter, asking the rest of us to go barefoot and coatless on February 10th to encourage giving for refugees.

Y’all, Aberdeen is holding a festival of light this month. What a great idea!

If you want to create a hamper (picnic basket!) for a special outdoor outing, you can get ideas and cute tags from this post at Wayfair (which also features my Camping Menus!).

I’m headed to Paris at the end of this month to meet my mom and sis in the City of Light. This floral shop photo is from my last trip to Paris.

I’m doing loads of research at the minute in preparation for our adventure, which will be largely food focused since my sister is a restauranteur. I’ve loved reading Parisians by Graham Robb. And I’ve laughed through Stephen Clarke’s Paris Revealed. Next on my list is The Most Beautiful Walk In The World.

I’m making lots of lists for our time in Paris: Markets To See, Walks to Take, Places to Eat. Also obsessively reading anyone who’s done a post on wandering the city. Also, I’m watching movies set in Paris, so I loved this fun Filmtripping idea from Expedia. Do pass along your own favorite Paris films!  I love getting recommendations.

I hope your weekend is extra full of lovely things!

XO

Alison

PS My husband gave my website a slick new makeover this week. It feels super simple and fresh!

The post In The Pipeline: February appeared first on Alison Chino.

How’s your week been y’all?

Mine has been about catching up on life here in Aberdeen + taking care of sick kiddos.

Today is the start of our Tattie Holidays, the two weeks where everyone used to get out of school to help their families bring in the potato harvest but now is just pure holiday + extra time for Doctor Who and Snapchat, apparently.

We have a couple of Mini-Adventures planned, pending sick children getting well. And other Chinos staying well.

So we’ll see how that goes.

Also, in addition to writing about the Coast to Coast walk, I cannot seem to shut up about Paris this week.

I think it’s a sign that it’s time to plan a weekend in Paris. Wanna go? (Just kidding. Sort of.)

Here are three pieces I wrote about the City of Light recently:

Hate the Moment, Love the Memory on Medium

Mother Daughter Trips to Europe on Kiss From the World

The Marais District for GowithOh

And here are a few more links I loved or found interesting + inspiring:

Oh it’s so time for these cozy house hacks in Scotland. (Brrrr)

Longing for adventure, but no time/money for a big walk? Here are seven adventures that don’t require a vacation.

Could not put this book down until it was done.

Are you even kidding me with this video of our favorite Scottish mountain biker in Skye?

This made me happy.

This gal is digging up her family history in Glasgow and it’s super fascinating.

No such thing as too many pumpkin recipes. Here’s one I want to try soon.

Whitney blogged some more about their trip to Scotland this summer. I have loved every post. Such gorgeous photos!

I hope your weekend is lovely + adventure filled.

Eat some tatties!

XO

Alison

The post In The Pipeline appeared first on Alison Chino.

Leaving London.

We landed in Paris, went through customs and took the train into town, arriving at our apartment to meet our host at 11pm.

We all chose beds and fell quickly into them. It was Saturday night, and there was lots of activity on the streets. I flung open the windows of my room so I could fall asleep to the noises of Paris.

For a while I could hear singing and then a voice from a building somewhere above me yelled at the revelers to be quiet. I caught a bit of it on Vine because it made me giggle. It would be morning before I could see Paris, but we were already experiencing it.

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Day 1

We woke up to rain falling and sleepy kids, so Peter and I ran out in the rain to grab coffee and pastries. We were going to get some groceries to have at the apartment but I had forgotten that most of the markets in Paris are closed on Sundays. We were fortunate to find a patisserie that was open, so we left finding a market until later and went back with croissants and treats.

We decided to stay close to our apartment on our first day. We were about ten minutes from Notre-Dame on the Ile de la Cite, so went there first and then explored the island.

The Notre-Dame was predictably mobbed, and this clown was determined to be in my photo. You can tell from the looks on our faces that he was uninvited. I feel the same way about clowns as I do about crowds, so we moved on quickly to smaller streets.

There are lots of crowded spots in Paris, but I do love that it is fairly simple to get away from the crowds. Usually if you just walk a couple of blocks in any direction, you can escape the madness and find your own secret Paris.

The boys loved walking along the river, and they were not at all bothered by the rain or the puddles.

In fact the rain was kind of perfect. Ben and I had just watched Midnight in Paris where Owen Wilson keeps talking about walking in the rain in Paris.

I do love all the rainy Paris photos.

We had classic baguette sandwiches for lunch and then went to Amarino to get gelato.

Our afternoon was dominated by trying to find a market that was open.

We finally found a tiny one where we bought a few groceries to hold us over.

Then I went for a rainy walk by myself while everyone rested for a bit back at the apartment.

The boys and I stayed in and had pasta while Peter and Whitney went out to dinner. I wanted them to have a night out in Paris without worrying about the kids begging to leave a restaurant.

Everyone was happy! The World Cup final was on, and you could hear the cheering in the streets.

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Day 2

Monday was Bastille Day and we knew it was going to be a long day. Our plan was to spend the day slowly walking to the Eiffel Tower, making stops along the way. That way we would be there to have our dinner picnic and claim our spot for the fireworks.

We walked to the river and meandered along at our own pace.

First we made a stop at the Pont des Arts, also known as the Love Locks Bridge.

Next we went to the Louvre.

Paris museums are free on Bastille Day so we took the kids in for just a few minutes, to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Seeing the Mona Lisa was on their list, so we were excited to make it happen, but Simon’s favorite painting in the Louvre was one he found of some dogs.

Inadvertently we managed to exit the museum through the Medieval Undergound which I did not know existed. It is a tunnel through the original foundations of the Louvre, a fortress in former days. At first I thought we were in an extension of an exhibit for Egyptian pyramids but Peter figured it out that we were actually in the underground of the Louvre. At the end of the tunnels, there is a model of what it used to look like. It was all super fascinating and in contrast to the rest of the museum, completely deserted. (Again, always head away from the crowds!)

When we emerged under the famous Pyramid, planes were flying over as part of the celebrations for Bastillle Day.

After we walked out of the Pyramid, we grabbed sandwiches from a stand and just let the kids play in the grass.

The memory of our boys playing in the grass outside the Louvre is one of my most happy + idyllic.

We wandered back to the river bank because I could not wait to show the boys all the summer fun that they have set up on the Left Bank in Paris this summer.

We took our time enjoying the games, the views and the sunshine along the river.

It’s a cross between art and play this summer on the Left Bank, with lots of interactive installations.

Like this giant chalkboard.

And this dance party under a bridge where you can tap in via bluetooth and play your own music.

We followed our river walk with a trip to Rue Cler for more gelato and to pick up the food for our Eiffel Tower Picnic.

We reached the Eiffel Tower around 4pm, which was perhaps a little early for the fireworks (not until midnight!) but if you’re going to wait around all day somewhere, I cannot imagine a better setting.

We took turns keeping our spot while the kids made trips to a nearby playground. Ben and I rented bikes and rode up to the Arc de Triomphe so he could see it and feel what it’s like to be on a bicycle in Paris.

We also left to get more food, because when you’re sitting around people watching all day, you need a lot to eat.

Honestly, I was a little bit worried that the whole experience was going to be a letdown. That there was no way it could handle the build up. Plus I knew we had a VERY long walk home in the middle of the night. I had read that it would be impossible to find a cab and that there would be a crush on the Metro. We had geared ourselves up and even took a few little naps on the lawn, but I was still concerned that we might be sorry.

Also, the crowd grew thicker and thicker all evening, and we had to be kind of territorial to hold onto our spot.

Soon the music started and after a while the band began to play songs that were familiar to the surrounding Parisians. The Eiffel Tower began to light up in all different colors. People were waving giant flags and blowing bubbles and standing up and singing along.

It was beautiful.

Then just before the fireworks, the National Anthem of France played. The singing became so loud and the enthusiasm in the air was palpable. I felt myself start to get a little lump in my throat and there were tears in my eyes, and the fireworks had not even started.

Then they began, and all concern about whether or not it was really worth it to come to Paris for Bastille Day immediately washed away.

Pictures cannot capture the magic. Neither can videos.

C’etait incroyable!

The music and the spectacle were all timed together, with loud horns for the big bangs and soft violins for little sparks. At one point there was a man swinging from the center of the tower and another one climbing down the side. You could see them because they were wearing lighted costumes.

The fireworks shot from behind and from the top and from every possible level of the tower, and they went on for almost an hour.

The walk home at 1 am was long and hard and crazy, but we all agreed that it was worth every step. When I fell into bed dizzy with the wonder of the day, it was almost 3am.

It was the event of a lifetime for certain, and given the opportunity, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Day 3

The next morning we all slept in. Our train was at 4pm, so by the time we got moving, we just had a few hours left in Paris.

We spent them on the Ile Saint-Louis and  along the river. More pastries of course. And then a pile of baguettes and other foods for the train ride, and we were off.

But because it is Paris, we never want to say Au revoir.

So we just say A bientot!

The Boys Favorite Parts of Paris:

The Fireworks (of course!)

Croissants + Gelato + Macarons

Stomping in the puddles along the Seine

We are partnering as a family with GowithOh this year as we travel around Europe, so we received a discount on our GowithOh apartment in Paris. More photos from the apartment can be found in our Google+ album of our trip to Paris. Stay tuned for more glimpses of our life on the road or perhaps subscribe.

The post Snapshots of Paris with Kids appeared first on Alison Chino.

I know what you’re thinking.

How can anyone possibly discover anything new about the Louvre that has not already been covered ad nauseum on the internet?

And maybe you are right. But I had done my homework before going to the Louvre. Not the homework about what is actually inside the Louvre. I mean, I know that is important and all but hello, OVERWHELMING.

No, what I mean is that I had done my homework about the best way to get into the Louvre.

The best time to visit. (early)

When to go for free. (first Sunday of every month, oh and also Bastille Day!)

Which entrance to look for. (Go past the Pyramid and enter by the underground shopping mall instead, the Carrousel Entrance)

But nowhere in all my internet scrolling and guidebook reading did I ever find this secret.

We woke up early on Bastille Day to walk over to the Louvre Museum. My brother and his wife, Peter and Whitney, and our four boys had decided that it would be fun to go to the Louvre for a very short visit if the lines were not long since the museum is free on Bastille Day.

We were going to be walking by it anyway and even if we did not go in, we could catch a glimpse of the glass pyramid in the courtyard. Our boys wanted to see the Mona Lisa, and Ben wanted to see Venus de Milo, but none of them were excited about long lines or hours of looking at art.

So off we went to the Louvre, holding our plans loosely and enjoying the beauty of Paris along the way.

We saw the line to the Pyramid before we even realized we had reached the museum. Even though the Louvre is free on Bastille Day, everyone still has to go through security and have bags checked. So we walked a few blocks and went into the courtyard from another entrance to see the Pyramid. All the while the kids were all saying things like:

We’re not getting in the line are we?

I don’t really care that much about seeing the Mona Lisa.

I told Peter that I had read that you could also enter through an underground shopping mall, the Carrousel Entrance, and we just had to find it. We took pictures of the Pyramid and watched the line for a minute to see how quickly it was moving. Then we set off in the opposite direction to find the other entrance.

Then Peter said,

Wait a second. I’m going to ask someone.

Stationed throughout the line to the Pyramid were attendants for the museum, so Peter went over to one and asked,

Excuse me, can you tell me where the Carrousel Entrance is to the museum?

Yes, it is just on the other side of the courtyard there (pointing) but if you walk down just to the end of this wing to my left, you can enter through the Porte des Lions and there is no line there.

Peter came back over to us and we followed him to the Southwest corner of the Louvre.

While we were walking I thought: Porte des Lions? What? How can it be that I’ve never heard of this entrance? And if it really is empty, why are all the people lined up at the Pyramid instead of going over there?

But true to the attendant’s word, there was an entrance in that corner and there was no line. Zero people waiting.

We walked right in.

I kept waiting for the catch, like we were going to have to go back to the front to be checked for security or that we would find another line inside the building.

But there was no catch. We wandered in and discovered that we were already really close to the Mona Lisa. Ben had a map and we followed him to the places he wanted us not to miss. Then we went underground to the Medieval Louvre, which I had never before seen. (Very fun)

We exited through the Pyramid so we got to stand under the glass, and there were even planes going over for Bastille Day.

We walked out into the sun and past the (still very long) line outside the Pyramid to have picnic lunch on the lawn in the courtyard.

We could still see the empty Porte des Lions and in fact, we watched people walk past it for the next hour, only to go stand in the line by the Pyramid.

It’s like you don’t really think it could possibly be an entrance because it’s so deserted. Also there are no signs indicating that you can enter there. So everyone just follows the crowd. You want to go and stop them but when you try to talk to strangers in Paris in English, they think you are going to steal from them and they just shake their heads at you. And it is true that there are a lot of con artists robbing people just by getting their attention for a minute.

So we just shrugged our shoulders, leaned back in the grass and felt smug about not having to stand in line.

Now I told you that there was going to be a secret about the Louvre buried somewhere in this story, so did you spot it?

Here’s a hint.

The secret is not that the Porte des Lions is the best entrance for the Louvre.

In fact, after I got home, I googled it and I found some information about it. Sometimes it is not open. If it’s not a free day at the museum, you have to have your ticket ahead of time to use the entrance.

So if that’s not the secret I wanted to share about the Louvre, then what is it?

Well I’ll tell you.

When you’re wondering if you have to stand in line to get inside the Louvre (or anywhere else), find someone to ask.

I am really the worst when it comes to thinking I can figure it out for myself. The worst. I don’t want to look like a fool.

But on this trip, I learned more than once from my brother that asking not only saves time, it opens doors.

I would LOVE to hear. When was the last time you discovered something wonderful, just because you were willing to ask?

We are partnering as a family with GowithOh this year as we travel around Europe, so we received a discount on our GowithOh apartment in Paris. Stay tuned for more glimpses of our life on the road.

The post A Story about the Louvre Museum appeared first on Alison Chino.

When Mary Polly and I were in Paris in June, we rode bikes from our apartment in Marais to Montmartre early in the morning, so we could spend our last morning in Paris walking the hill that overlooks the city.

Sitting on the steps of Le Sacre-Coeur was on Mary Polly’s Paris Wish List, so off we went through this park to find the famous stairs.

We began to catch glimpses of the church as we climbed higher.

And then, we were there. We spent over an hour just sitting here on these steps, looking out at the city and watching people. A bride was being photographed. A group of people were filming something. Tour buses came and went.

We were both glad we had made the effort to see this spot we’ve seen in so many pictures and films, and we were reluctant to leave the stairs at all but we took a spin inside Le Sacre Coeur before we went on to have a bit of breakfast and a walk through this quatier of Paris!

La Mere Catherine claims to be the first cafe in Paris, so we had our coffee and pastries here.

I loved watching the artists set up in the square for the day and all the people coming and going, shouting Bonjour Madame! Bonjour Monsieur!

We walked through the square a couple of times before setting off to find Rue Lepic, the long winding street that takes you back down the hill.

Along the way, you get to see the former home of Victor Hugo and his brother. Amazing.

It’s just a normal house that someone still lives in with a small plaque to the left stating that he and his brother lived there once upon a time. Number 54.

And at the bottom of the road, The Moulin Rouge…

With a big Heineken truck in front of it.

After seeing The Moulin Rouge, we turned around and walked all the way back to the Seine to spend our last hours in Paris by the river, Mary Polly’s very favorite Paris spot!

We are partnering as a family with GowithOh this year as we travel around Europe, so we received our apartment in Paris gratis. We love staying in neighborhoods and having space to hang out together, as well as being able to cook. Stay tuned for more of our fun summer travel adventures!

The post A Walk in Montmartre {Paris} (21/48) appeared first on Alison Chino.

So, Mary Polly and I went to Paris for two days and nights with our dear friends, Sarabeth and Elizabeth. They were stopping over on their way to Kenya, so we jumped at the chance to stopover with them.

To Paris!

Because Paris is always a good idea.

We were positively giddy to be in the City of Light. We kept looking at each other and saying, “Oh my gosh! We’re in Paris!”

We had to keep reminding ourselves because our time there was so short that it felt like a dream.

Also, it was just a little bit fast and furious, because I had to keep these girls moving in order to get through our Paris Dream List.

Which looked like this:

We planned to meet up at Shakespeare and Company, because it was fairly close to our Go with Oh apartment in the Marais district.

Mary Polly and I were late to this adorable bookshop because of flight delays, a train strike and an unaccounted for time change.

Not to worry. Mary Polly and I were just giddy to be walking on one of the many bridges that crosses the Seine.

And after a wander through the neighborhood, we met up at a wonderful cafe, right across from the Centre Pompideau.

The whole area was bustling with people and activity in the evenings.

Since the cafe was right around the corner from our apartment, I went by our last morning and took a picture or two as a souvenir of our lovely first evening in Paris, laughing and having drinks in a street side cafe.

We loved the courtyard of our apartment so much.

Sarabeth and I snuck out early while our daughters were still sleeping to have a coffee in a cafe. Then we brought back warm pastries from down the street.

Pain au chocolat? Yes please!

After breakfast, we rented four bikes and took off down the Rue de Rivoli and the Champs-Elysees until we reached the Arc de Triomphe.

Riding bikes in Paris was super happy to me. I love seeing a city that way. Breeze in my face, glimpsing amazing architecture plus the thrill of almost being hit by buses.

Okay, maybe not the part where you almost get hit by a bus, but we did feel such a great sense of accomplishment after riding bikes all over Paris.

And it was a great way to quickly get to the next major monument.

We bought sandwiches and other picnic foods to eat in front of the Eiffel Tower, so we spent a long time sitting on the lawn and watching all the people.

Our favorite street performer near the Eiffel Tower was this man with a simple string and a tub of soap bubbles. He was a magnet for all the kids milling around and we loved watching them be amazed by his string of bubbles.

There’s something pretty magical about the Eiffel Tower. You kind of can’t take a bad picture of it.

And it’s fun how it pops up in pictures for a while, even when you’re not right in front of it anymore.

After Le Tour Eiffel, we went for treats along Rue Cler, both sweet treats and eye candy treats.

First, crepes!

Then flowers!

Especially peonies!

And then gelato!

How can you not love gelato sculpted into a flower.

Also, it tasted amazing! We had gelato three times from three different Amorino’s and one was right around the corner from our apartment in Marais! So good.

After all the treats, we walked and biked some more along the Seine in order to work off all that food. We loved this area near the museums that was full of public art made from recycled materials.

There were old containers turned into meeting rooms along the river and you could see people who had reserved them having meetings or playing games or working inside of them.

There was also a pop up dance floor where you could plug in your phone and have an impromptu dance party, complete with a disco ball.

Mary Polly left her mark on this chalkboard wall.

My favorite Paris museum is the Musee D’Orsay. I wanted everyone to see it but the girls really did not want to wait in a line to get into a museum. Especially since they weren’t super sure they wanted to go to an art museum at all. But the Musee D’Orsay is open late on Thursday evenings so we wandered by at about 4:30 just to see what it was like.

There was no line to get in and it was free for both the girls!

Perfect! We went right in and I got to show Mary Polly some of my favorite paintings in the whole wide world! Such a treat!

Also, you can go outside from the top floor and look over across the Seine at the Louvre!

SO beautiful!

 Later we rode our bikes right through the courtyard of the Louvre!

After the museum and a little more lazy sitting along the Seine, we hopped on bikes again and headed back to our apartment. Up the stairs we went for a little rest before we went with friends for a dinner picnic.

I told Mary Polly that I almost looked Parisian with baguettes coming out of my backpack.

She totally disagreed.

Yummy picnic dinner + the sun going down behind the Notre Dame = PERFECT last night in Paris!

We are partnering as a family with GowithOh this year as we travel around Europe, so we received our apartment in Paris gratis. We love staying in neighborhoods and having space to hang out together, as well as being able to cook. We even had friends from Arkansas visit us in our apartment in Paris! (Hi Stacey and Anthony!)

Stay tuned for more photos and stories from our time in Paris!

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PS I love participating in Instagram Travel Thursday with Skimbaco Lifestyle! Simon was even featured in last month’s eMagazine on family traveling!

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