Seven days in Paris…glorious! And even better…sharing my favorite place with one of my favorite little guys...my ten-year-old grandson! I knew I had to come up with a plan that allowed us to fit in everything that I wanted him to see. Sooo…I decided to concentrate on a certain arrondisement or part of Paris or a certain theme each day. I hope you will come along as I introduce my grandson to the City of Lights! Our plane arrived early in the morning and, since our hotel was just around the corner, we left our bags there and set off to explore the Eiffel Tower and the park at its feet!
I had given my grandson a new camera so that he could record his own version of the trip through his photos and he started snapping away immediately! We had tickets to go up at 1:00 pm…and thus avoid the long ticket line…so we had the morning to ourselves and Monsieur Eiffel! (Click here for information about buying tickets online.)
As you can see, the pigeons of Paris were also the subject of many of his photos, too! It was nice to just sit in park at the Champ de Mars and relax after our long flight! Here, I must say that my grandson is a wonderful traveling buddy and quite the little trooper…no complaints the entire trip!
We headed off to a nearby sidewalk café to have lunch before we went up into the tower. He had a hot dog with a conspicuously missing bun and some real French fries! He says their hot dogs are better than ours!
Not to be outdone, I had some real French onion soup! lol The weather was very pleasant…highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 50s, so soup just filled the bill! Love that soup bowl!
Afterwards…back to the Eiffel Tower! It’s our turn to go up! I am always surprised each time I see it at just how big it is! A short wait and a quick elevator ride and we make it to the second floor!
However, everyone must stand in the same line for the elevator to the third floor. We entertained ourselves taking some photos from unusual angles! See the little pyramids along the ironwork? Those are the lights! I was interested to learn from the children’s pages on their website that they were installed by a team of 24 mountain climbers! Interesting!
The view of Paris is simply breath-taking! We had been under cloudy skies, but the sun came out just in time to allow us to take some great photos! This is the Champ de Mars…the park where we had spent the morning. Notice the way they trim their trees into a box shape! That’s the Ecole Militaire at the other end of the park…a military school whose most famous graduate is Napoleon Bonaparte!
From the other side of the tower, there is a lovely view across the Seine River of the Trocadéro, which houses several museums and offers a great place to take photos of the tower.
Also an interesting sight is the Ile aux Cygnes…Isle of the Swans…a man-made island with a small Statue of Liberty at its tip. The statue was given to Paris by Parisians living in the United States to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. You can just make it out at tip in the distance.
My grandson counted the Eiffel Tower among his favorites…naturally! 
Afterwards, we stop for ice cream in the park before heading to our hotel to get some rest! I have a fun day planned for tomorrow!Missed any Paris posts?
Back from Paris…or My Grandson’s Favorites! Listing the must-see spots for a ten year old boy!
My Favorite Street in Paris…Rue Cler Great little street to use as your headquarters
In case you want to follow along, here is my plan for visiting Paris in seven days! I am linking each of the seven days as I complete the posts.
Day One…All about Eiffel! Eiffel Tower/ Champ de Mars park and play area
Day Two…Sightseeing by Subway! Arc de Triomphe/ Montmarte/ Sacré-Coeur
Day Three…Monsieur Monet, I Presume (and a lot of Louis)! Giverny/ Versailles minibus tour
Day Four…The Cradle of Paris! La Sainte Chapelle/ la Conciergerie/ Notre Dame/ Latin Quarter/ the book stalls/ ice cream on Ile St. Louis/ the bâteau mouche on the Seine
Day Five…Art Museum Madness…Plus Play in the Park! Louvre/ Tuileries Garden/ l’Orangerie/ Musée d’Orsay
Day Six…A Phantom, a Fountain and Some History! Opéra Garnier/ Pompidou Center/ Carnavalet Museum
Day Seven…A Tomb, a Tank and a Tower! Napoleon’s Tomb and the Musée de l’Armée at les Invalides/ Eiffel Tower at night
Thanks so much for stopping by! See you next time! A la prochaine!
I've been waiting for more of the details and photos. Your plan sounds perfect as I know this trip was. Can't wait to see more of your photos. I'm soooooo ready to get back to Paris! ~ Sarah
ReplyDeleteOh what a trip you had! How fun to take your grandson. My daughter just returned 2 weeks ago and had a trip of a life time with her BFF! They are 18/19 yrs old, oh to go to Paris when you are young. I'm hoping to go in Nov for the first time. I might be using your plan if you don't mind!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Thanks so much for this series - brings back wonderful memories. My husband and I went to Paris for 6 days in August 1985 - a beautiful trip. He'd been there previously and wanted me to experience it.
ReplyDelete"We'll always have Paris."
How wonderful!! When ever we go we are like you, head off somewhere when we get there...of course we hit the hay early to get adjusted. I remember the first time I came out of the metro and saw Notre Dame, I was so amazed. I think I can remember what your grandson experincing! Thanks for taking us along!
ReplyDeleteSince this is my dream vacation I am thrilled to go along with you and your Grandson! The Eiffel Tower...maybe one day! :)
ReplyDeletehugs, Linda
What a fortunate young man.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures from the Eiffel Tower are breathtaking. What a great companion you had!!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
what a awesome adventure with your grandson...I'm looking forward to all the posts....
ReplyDeleteSuch a fun trip and such a fun day. I love seeing your pictures, they are stunning. I can't wait to see more of the trip. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteLooks like so much fun. Your grandson is a very lucky little boy. :)
ReplyDeleteMy "Make a List Monday" linky party is going on. I would love it if you could join.
Crystal
Debbie, c'est formidable! La tour est magnifique...peut-être mon endroit favori! Les photos sont tellement belles. à demain...Linda
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely trip I just had thanks to you! I cannot wait for the next leg.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Haven
You are a wonderful teacher, as well as a wonderful tour guide. Oh, and the photos are great too! Thanks for sharing your trip with us, Debbie, it is second best to actually being there.
ReplyDeleteJeanette
That view is just astounding Debbie! What a trip that your cute little grandson will never, ever forget! He has a really cool grandma!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Cindy
Debbie,
ReplyDeleteThere's just something quite enchanting about seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Every teacher gets to experience that within the walls of their classroom. How precious to share the city you love with your grandson. To see Paris through his eyes is truly an experience to treasure!
Fondly,
Pat
I am going to really enjoy your seven day series. I went to Paris in '92 but it seems like a lifetime ago! Your grandson sure is cute!
ReplyDeleteHow fabulous and an adventure for your grandson! My youngest son is there right now too and he's been sending pictures. Oh, how I envy him! And you!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Sandi
Oh Debbie this is so great, thank you!! I am sending your link to our friends that are going to Paris next year with us. I can't wait to show this and all of your post to Hubby!!You are the best tour guide ever!!! Kathysue
ReplyDeleteWhat a great itinerary, Debbie. And how fun to be traveling with your grandson. We took AJ there about 2 years ago and we had fun too. We wanted to go again this Aug.but I cannot find a reasonable fare. Enjoy your trip and thanks for sharing it with us. Your grandson has really grown!..Christine
ReplyDeleteOh how fun to have "young eyes" to help you see and enjoy the sights ( no double entendre there!) LOL Glad the trip is all you expected it to be! hugs, Sue
ReplyDeleteDebbie, I'm so enjoying your view of Paris. Great photos of the Eiffel tower. I like the architectual angles and love your little tidbits of info about everything.
ReplyDeleteGreat post,
Babs
Debbie, I am enjoying your tour of Paris with your grandson. I totally agree with you about Rue Cler being a wonderful street. Your grandson is so blessed to have such a special grandmother. I know he is learning so much from you. Your pictures are great. I've been to all those places and your pictures are better than mine. I could not seem to stop making pictures of the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to improve on the last one and ended up with probably a 100 shots of the tower. Is that crazy or what! Your post was so enjoyable and I look forward to the others. We just got back from Paris in April and I did one post on Paris and have done three on Provence. I am so slow. I love how you are keeping us in suspense. We had a dream trip that I will never forget.You have inspired me to get busy and finish our trip. I only made 1200 pictures!!! I love FRANCE!
ReplyDeleteYour shots of the Eiffel are wonderful... but that hotdog... oh my!
ReplyDeleteI love the French Onion Soup... I know it was delicious! made my mouth water!... and it's 100-degrees here! LOL
How fun. I wish I had thought to bring a camera for Indy. I did not buy tickets online (I forgot) and the ticket line was over 2 hours long at each pillar when we were there last week. I asked Indy if he wanted to wait and he said "No way! I've been up the Arc de Triomphe. I've seen Paris." So, we did other stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou guys had far better weather than we did! A cold front moved through the day before we got to town and it was cold and drizzly. In June! I'm hoping to have photos of our trip up soon.
Looks like we were at a same time in Paris. My nine years old daughter also has a blog and she posted her Paris story on http://milathemain.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteGreat photos.
Your grandson is lucky to have a grandma like you.