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

I've finally got round to posting the second half of our Paris trip, I'm not sure what has taken me so long but it's proof that life has been rushing past in a blur this last month. Sifting through the gazillion images we took, I can't quite believe how long ago this trip was and how much I feel like I'm in need of another holiday already. Here's Paris in Pictures Part One for those of you who missed it.

This post is a long one so click to read more.


After the excitement of our Paris by night adventure on the river boat, F woke the next day with one thing on his mind, The Eiffel Tower. We hardly managed to get breakfast into him as he bounced around with excitement pushing our legs to the door, eager to leave the hotel. After arming ourselves with pastries we headed to the local Metro station and made our way to the Trocadero, where we turned the corner to a most glorious view of the iconic landmark. F danced, pointed and generally got a bit giddy about it all, before we wandered down to cross over the river and join the queue.

Unfortunately our timing couldn't have been worse with queues threatening to be three hours long. So  with the promise of more exciting things ahead and the bribe of a pain au chocolate, he reluctantly followed us for a short stroll down the river bank to Palais de Tokyo.

As we approached the contemporary art gallery from the Seine – the best way to view the gallery – all was forgotten as the beauty of the building stood over us. F was instantly transfixed by the skaters pulling off their 180 Ollies, and me by the architecture, with its stunning lines and murals mixed with the modern tags and graffiti. Excitedly we headed indoors to check out the exhibitions and hopefully let F explore The Little Palais, with activities designed just for kids. Instead F preferred the large concrete ramps for entertainment, racing up and down while chasing some French girls, leaving the perfect opportunity for a coffee break and a bite to eat. After getting our fill and wandering round the galleries, we took one last look at the bookshop and stopped in the old skool photo booth for a quick family photo session.

That day it felt like we wandered all over Paris, just soaking it in. We visited places new to me such as the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elyeese, Pantheon, Place de la Republique, Love Lock Bridge as well as those more familiar: Jardin de Luxembourg, Les Deux Margots, Notre Dame, The Shakespeare Bookshop and the Sacre Coeur where we saw the most amazing street performer doing high rise football stunts.
While on our city break we ate at some amazing places off the beaten track thanks to the use of Instagram and kind emails from local peeps. We feasted on buckwheat crepes in a wooden style cabin, ate mini hotdogs and chips in a cool diner, devoured burgers amongst the cool kids, tried a late buy by weight pizza experience and enjoyed a coffee 276m off the ground.

By far F's best adventure was the scaling of the Eiffel Tower which we made sure to squeeze in on the last day. After a sizing up the queue for the lifts we decided to be a bit more adventuress and take on stairs, all 600 steps. Amazingly F was so keen he managed 210 steps on his own before demanding a piggyback to the platform. We soaked in the views that stretched out across the city, F with his face pressed up against the barrier asking me when we could come back. Looks like I've passed on my passion for Paris.

Next week I'll be posting a guide to Paris including the places we visited, loved and are F approved,  including the best coffee and breakfast around.