Originally we planned on staying home for Easter weekend because we weren’t sure if the hubs got a three day weekend or not, but while searching for events going on within driving distance he found a unique opportunity for Thing 1 at a French chateau just on the outskirts of Paris. So, we decided to make a weekend out of it and get our baguette and chocolate chaud on!
Since my 6 year old had been stuck at home for a month (when we moved into the house the German school in our town had just started their two week spring recess) and knew about the Eiffel Tower, we decided to head there first.
Lesson one when planning a trip to Paris: Always go in the summer.
It was cold. Even with the boys wearing their long underwear and down jackets it was still very chilly. But regardless he was mesmerized at the enormity of the tower. I had seen it in person before, but I was just as awe struck seeing it again. We didn’t travel up, seeing as though it was a holiday and a Saturday full of people, but we walked close, which was about as much as the boys could handle. My 9 month old was getting hungry and needed to warm up, so we ended up eating at a restaurant right next to the tower.
Lesson two when planning a trip to Paris: Don’t eat at restaurants right next to the tower.
We spent more on that meal than we did on gas to and from Paris! We didn’t really have a choice, though, since we a had a baby who needed food and warmth. But believe me, we would’ve been just fine picking up a baguette and popping a squat on the Champ de Mars.
Btw, I totally forgot how much I love French desserts!
These are what Easter eggs look like in France…
These babies will run you around 65 Euro, or $85
This was dinner.
You have to have a baguette in Paris.
After we ate we headed to the metro and traveled to The Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Paris’s Museum of Science and Industry, which has an entire level for children. After waiting in line to buy tickets for a good 45 minutes I took Thing 1 to the Planetarium since he is a complete space nut, and he thought it was the COOLEST thing ever. He met two little chatty American boys that we ended up sitting next to. He talked to the eight year old NON STOP before the movie started. I could definitely tell he was seriously starved for some kid time! Once the show was over we met the rest of the clan and explored the children’s area. What a great kids’ museum! They had everything from a real greenhouse with butterflies to a huge ant farm to a media section where the kids could create their own music video or newscast.
Electricity!
That evening we drove to Melun, the town where the chateau was located for the events of the next day. We stayed at the Ibis hotel in a room about the size of a closet. Thing 1 slept on what looked like a padded bench and there was barely enough for the pack-and-play, but it worked!
We ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant the next morning then headed to the picturesque Chateau Vaux le Vicomte for the fanciest Easter egg hunt this side of the Atlantic.
The Chateau was originally built in 1658 by King Louis the XIV as a gift for his financial advisor, Nicolas Foquet. From the moment we turned onto the long drive leading up to the Chateau we were in awe. The path alone was lined by at least 50 magnificent trees. I mean, does it get more beautiful than this?
The Chateau was pristine in every sense of the word. It even had a moat and two draw bridges! We did not tour the inside because we didn’t think the kids would last that long (in which case we were correct), but by judging from the outside I’m certain the inside was just as stunning.
(I will admit this picture was not taken on my iPhone. Shocking, I know! Actually, I swiped it from Wikipedia because most of the pics I took of the front turned out dark. So mercy beaucoup to whoever took the picture of the front that is on Wikipedia.)
One of the loveliest parts of the Chateau were the gardens. One of them was set aside for the egg hunts, which they held every 30 minutes for various age levels (there was even one for adults!). They corralled the kids in one section then on the count of three set them free to battle to the death. It was a spectacle.
Thing 1 and his Easter basket which the Easter bunny delivered in his car seat that morning. 🙂
Before I continue I must provide a little more insight on my son. My child is not outgoing in any way. He is shy. He enters a room and takes everything in. He’s very observant, but sometimes that makes him anxious. I could tell he was intimidated as soon as they let the kids go because instead of rushing to find as many eggs as possible, he just kind of wandered around aimlessly. I think part of the reason was because he was expecting the colorful plastic eggs used in normal American Easter egg hunts. For this one they used small candy eggs, which were much harder to find because they nestled into the grass. Thankfully an older girl came over and gave him some of her eggs so he could have some, and they gave him more at the end when it was over. I think he was a little disappointed, but in the grand scheme of things he had a good time.
The baby did pretty well considering it was freezing outside, but in part I think that was because he was in the backpack carrier. Lesson three when planning a trip to Paris WITH BABIES: Bring a backpack carrier. He was able to sit up high and see, but also sleep, which was a must AND we didn’t have to lug a stroller around the Paris metro (we made this mistake on the metro in Tokyo. Thankfully it was an umbrella stroller, but don’t even attempt to try a travel system on the subway).
Of course my strong man toted him around. If he can carry a rucksack through the desert, he can definitely handle a 9 month old.
It was a busy weekend, but we had fun. If you’d like more information regarding the Chateau location or anything, please message me. There were tons of other things for the kids to do, but because of the cold we left shortly after the egg hunt. Normally they have workshops for the kids and they can even dress up like a Muskateer and have a sword fight with a reenactor. It’s definitely something to look into if you will be in the area and have older kids!
Happy traveling!
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