3 March 2014

PARIS IN PICTURES // KID IN THE CITY // PART ONE



It's officially over a week since I've been back in the comforts of home rather than the luxuries of our Parisian bolt hole and it's taking some getting used too. Forgotten are the lazy mornings, slow wakes and gentle starts to the day, being replaced by the stark reality of beeping alarms, mad dashes and to do lists. After such a long awaited return to the city of light, I must admit it didn't disappoint. We arrived seamlessly at Gare du Nord fresh faced and full of smiles from our train journey, lugging our bags into the back of a taxi we headed for our first stop, our home away from home.

This is a long post so click to read more

When travelling with F in the past, we have opted to rent an apartment but this time we wanted to treat ourselves with a bit of luxury and decided to book into a wonderful hotel situated between Le Marais and Republique. As soon as we arrived at Hotel Mareuil I knew we had made the right decision, the staff were super friendly and gave F a warm welcome to his first stay in Paris. Armed with complimentary pastries, we headed up to the second floor to check out our new pad and were delighted by the contemporary urban design and attention to detail. We stayed in two superior double rooms connected with an internal corridor to create our own haven in the middle of the city.

The bustling neighbourhood surrounding the hotel was full of boutique shops, cool bars and restaurants, including a short walk to the beautiful Saint Martin Canal. I would recommend anyone travelling to Paris to take a Sunday stroll along here when the roads become pedestrianised, allowing a taste of Parisian life as families spill onto the streets.

We were very fortunate with the weather, as the sun shone down across the city casting shadows on the beautiful rooftops and enticing us down hidden streets, where we discovered luscious vertical wall gardens, street art and vibrant painted steps.



We took a lightweight buggy with us but on using the Metro system we decided we were better off leaving it behind. The stations are not built with buggies in mind, but we didn't let this phase us. we were determined to take F everywhere, see all the sights as well as visit some places from our first trip way back in 2006. So F swapped the buggy for Paul's shoulders – which took a bit of a hammering over the 5 days we were there – and started off our trip with the Pompidou Centre and the interactive Frida Kahlo exhibition designed for kids. F had a great time running around, trying on masks as well as taking a look at some of the amazing contemporary art works shown here.

After a hectic first day of running around in our excitement we headed to a super cool pizza & cocktail restaurant which had been recommended to us though Instagram (oh the joys of social media) and were kindly squeezed in by the front of house to eat at the bar. I felt a little unsure how people would react as F was out quite late and sitting at the bar eating pizza while the guys did their thing with the cocktail shakers. But the staff could not have been friendlier, chatting away to F offering him a job as he tried to reenact their moves, his eyes lit up with all the excitement of the after hours fun. Treading on tender feet we slumped back to our hotel rooms, wiped out and ready for bed, grateful for the soundproofed walls and the state of the art NightCove experience.


Valentines Day started with a bang but not in the way we expected. On waking I found that the vision in my left eye was extremely blurred and my eye had become red and swollen – not the type of face you want to see when you wake up. I quickly got directions and headed out to the emergency eye hospital, where I confidently used pigeon French to convey my dilemma. I think the receptionist took pity on me as he pushed through the paper work even though I hadn't brought any ID –which apparently you need before being treated – and within 40 minutes I was sent away armed with an alarming amount of medication in the hope that this would do the trick.

Shaking off the mornings dramas we set off into the heart of Le Marais to try out the best falafel in Paris and check out the David Lynch Small Stories exhibition. So close to the hotel we stayed in all those years ago, it was such a buzz to breathe in the busy city air, which so cooly breezed by. As dusk settled in and the street lights started to hum we decided to jump onboard a tour boat and take in Paris by night. On boarding we were handed a rose and champagne at no extra cost – the French know how to do romance – and headed for the open deck up top. As we silently glided down the Seine, F's head spun from side to side taking in the beauty of the illuminated buildings and uplit bridges, and suddenly there it was. As we came around the bend, the Eiffel Tower in all it's glory shone out in the night. F gasped and jumped up and down on my lap announcing it to the rest of the dreamy eyed couples on the boat. He got a giggle from the passengers and my heart swelled to see his amazement shine through as the light lit up his face, this truly was my favourite moment from the entire trip.



Look out for my Paris in Pictures // Part Two post.

Thanks to Hotel Mareuil for providing us with an additional supreme double making a most awesome and spacious stay.All words and thoughts are my own and I would truly recommend this hotel to anyone travelling to Paris.





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34 comments

  1. Looks beautiful and it sure looks like you all had a great time!

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  2. Oh it sounds so good, I love Paris, my husband proposed to me at Notre Dame on Valentines Day. Your photos are gorgeous.

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  3. Looks like you had fab time! Beautiful pictures and gorgeous family! x

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  4. Wow looks like you had an amazing time - I love Paris and I think it would be hard to find someone who doesn't - such a magical place.

    Laura x

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  5. Lovely pictures! We were hoping to go to Paris too, then little Mr came, but once he grows a little and our life becomes more travel-friendly, so to say, we'd love to take him and go :)

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  6. I am in love with your photographs and wow, do you have a pink camera? x

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  7. Fabulous - lovely photos too. I would love to visit Paris.

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  8. oh my goodness, you've just made me want to go to paris even more! i need a passport though! and money, ha.

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  9. Great photo's, looks like you all had an amazing time x

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  10. Sounds like such a perfect trip! I'n going to use this to persuade Rob even more to take me!

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  11. Beautiful pictures, you look like you're having a wonderful time!

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  12. Such wonderful pictures. I've never been to Paris but it looks wonderful.

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  13. Your photos are amazing. I haven't been to Paris for years but would love to go back with my children - so much to see and do.

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  14. Sounds like you had a great break.

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  15. Oh wow what a fabulous post and such beautiful photos. I've not been to Paris for years, really fancy a trip back there! Can't wait to read part two :)

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  16. What an amazing time. You've made me hungry to go there now! By the way, there are a few preschooler carriers that might save some achy shoulders should you need suchlike again. Good going for ploughing on though. :)

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  17. Looks like you all had a wonderful time. I would love to visit Paris with J.

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  18. Wow it looks like you had an amazing time, I would love to go to Paris and spend more time there. x

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  19. Such great shots - it's been a while since we've been to Paris but seeing these makes me want to take the kids! x

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  20. I love Paris, sounds like you had a fab time. Great pictures too :)

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  21. Your photos are amazing. I have always wanted to visit Paris and am a bit jealous that my teenage son is going with the school soon!

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  22. This looks incredible! I'm so envious. I've visited Paris a few times, but never with children. This makes it look like a real treat!

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  23. What a lovely post! I really enjoyed reading all about your trip and seeing your gorgeous photos. I'm planning to take my kids back to Paris soon as we haven't been for years. I hope your eye's all better now.

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  24. I'm totally taking notes for our paris trip! looks like you all had such a wonderful time! x

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  25. It looks like you had a fantastic time. We are going next month and I can't wait!

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  26. Fabulous photos - really great post Lx

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  27. Looks amazing!! More determined than ever to go now!!

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  28. Wowee Lori, it sounds as though you really had the best time! I love that F stayed up late and hung out with you in bars and boats. Looking forward to the next instalment x

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  29. What beautiful photos - the Frida exhibition sounds absolutely amazing. Glad your health scare was short-lived too!

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  30. I love your photos :) Glad you had a lovely time x

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  31. Looks amazing. I really want to go to Paris! x

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  32. Hey! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group?
    There's a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content.
    Please let me know. Thank you

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