Before coming on this trip, Sandra and I talked about doing an escape room in Paris. We scoped out one that is themed around the Paris metro system, using an old metro car. I thought this sounded great. After traveling on the Paris metro system, I feel like the subway is riddle enough in itself.
Getting to Paris, started things out on the wrong foot. More scheduling issues arose in Amsterdam, and we were not able to catch the direct train. Instead, we needed to take 3 trains into Paris. We became experts and collapsing our stroller to get all of our belongings on and off the trains: no easy feat! We need someone to stay with the children, while the other loads and unloads the two backpacks, daypack, stroller, car seat, car seat adaptor attachment, and travel crib. Each transfer begins with a pep talk and a rundown of the plan. We were tired when we reached Paris but feeling like experts at the trains.
And then we began our subway adventure…
I was scheduled to meet my friend, Patrice, in Paris, and I was stressed over how late we were running, but we reached Paris and I promised we’d be at the hotel soon. The subway system was chaos, though.
First, we got on a train going the wrong way. It also happened to be one that didn’t stop and took us directly to the airport. As we rode the train to the airport, we noticed that there was a standstill on the 2nd line. We weren’t sure how to get to the hotel and we were exhausted and overwhelmed. We noticed the Louvre was close to one of our stops, so we suggested Patrice meet us there and we grab dinner then figure out the trains.
We met up with my friend and tried to sit down at a nice patio, but the owner chased us away, yelling “not possible” while motioning to get our stroller away from his restaurant. The next restaurant we found, though, had delicious Argentinian food, and we all felt better after a hot meal and some wine.
Patrice tried to convince us to Uber back to the hotel, but we were worried about the logistics of fitting all of our bags, stroller, and people into an uber, so we convinced her to try the subway with us. It was a decision we all regretted, when we were still trying to get back to the hotel hours later.
The metro system in and of itself wasn’t that hard. The issue was that we spent too much time running around looking for elevators to reach the platforms. We went to a few wrong platforms, and the search would start over. Some of the time, an elevator was available, but equally as often, it wasn’t, and we had to unload the girls and carry the stroller up and down stairs. People were beyond kind, helping us out each time, but it was an exercise in frustration. Had we given in and done the stairs from the get go, it would have saved us a lot of time and energy, but we were so fixated on finding the elevators that didn’t exist. I don’t know how anyone in a wheelchair gets around in Europe. It has been shockingly inaccessible.
We essentially lost a full day to trains and subways, but we still managed to see and do a few of the things we’d hoped for.
Pick up fresh local food for a picnic.
We wanted to pick up fresh baked goods and have a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower, and we lucked out on Saturday morning to find a little pop-up market in front of our hotel. We ended up picking up croissants, a baguette, ham, and a rotisserie chicken for our lunch. We didn’t take the food with us to eat in front of the Eiffel tower, but we had fun strolling the market and taking in all the little kiosks. Everything was available there. Mattresses were for sale at the market.
The Eiffel Tower
We made our way to the Eiffel Tower and had fun taking photos in front. We found a little playground for Addie to play in, and grabbed food from some of the snack vendors.
Seine River Cruise
After enjoying the Eiffel Tower, we made our way down to the Seine River for a river cruise to see the city. We bought the tickets and then saw the line to board and immediately wanted to pass off our tickets, but the line moved fast. The boat was an enjoyable way of seeing the sights. We got a taste of the city, and watched the sun set from the boat. When we got back to the dock, the Eiffel Tower was being lit up for the evening. It was a beautiful end to the day.
Today we took a bit of a lazy morning, giving the girls a chance to rest. I went for breakfast with Patrice, we did laundry, and then we ventured onto the metro system one final time to get to the Disneyland Paris area, where we are staying for the next 3 nights. This time, we were prepared, and we made it through the subway system without much of a struggle.
Paris came with the biggest learning curve so far, and we are glad to be somewhere quieter, where we can walk and navigate the stroller with ease.
We have 2 days in Disneyland Paris, thenĀ travel day to St. Jean Pied-de-Port, and then we begin our Camino! We are nervous, but excited for the change of pace, and to be done with trains and transit for awhile!
I’m in awe of all your accomplishments . Looking forward
to reading and seeing pictures of this amazing adventure
Love to all
cheering you on with everything i can. You are like the little engine story where you just keep trying and look at the best.