Paris will stay at the top of our favorite list for a while. 

During the making of our travel plan, we were overwhelmed by how many must-see destinations there are in Paris, even though we did not expect to visit every landmark. When we let go of typical travel expectations, and lived the moment, wandering and embracing whatever mood take us on any of given day, we feel much eased and get closer to what is called “French Style”.

More than anything, we wanted to have an authentic experience, falling into the rhythm of the romantic city, going where local people go, and letting ourselves experience what it feels like to be a part of French style life for five days. And what is the rhythm of Paris? Just try a little French song.

Day 1: Five hours train ride brought us in Paris at noon. The rest of afternoon was spent winding around one of the most popular parks  – the Tuileries Garden. Riding the colouful carrouel, walking through the meadow, sitting besides the fountain and playing little boats in it were all quite leisure to us.  The garden is actually an equal masterpiece of the natural kind, sitting as Louvre’s wings. 

After a simple dinner, we went to visit the Arc De Triomphe. It was just around sunset. We were hesitating between going up the Arc and waiting to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower instead. Luckily, we got a determined kid that wants to see from the top of the Arc. It turns out to be the smartest and luckiest choice. When possible, we strongly advise to get a Panorama view of Paris from the top of Arc De Triomphe. You’ll know why when standing in the long long line for the Eiffel tower. 

We hanged around at the roof of the Arc De Triomphe, until the last glimpse of daylight faded from the edge of the city and the temperature plummeted. Kids were tired after the long journey. But we were blessed to experience the lovely city decorated by the colorful sunset glow. Simply sitting there and enjoying the magical view restores our energy and soul.

Day 2: starts with some casual stroll along the Seine River. Our Airbnb is located at 16^th Arrondissement – about that, there are some interesting stories behind the name. 

In my understanding, it is just meaning of neighborhood. Paris consists of 20 arrondissements. They spiral out clockwise like a snail, starting with the area where the Louvre and Tuileries Gardens are. The Seine Rive divides the 20 arrondissements into two parts: the right or west side of the Seine River namely Right Bank is called River Droite; and the left side of the Seine River, facing west, is called Left Bank (or Rive Gauche). You may notice that many shops and venues had signs that said “Rive Gauche” beneath the store’s name.

Historically, these two banks have their own distinct looks and feels. The Left Bank was more of a Bohemian and free-spirited area filled with artists and intellectuals, best known for its lively atmosphere, student life and prestigious universities. For example, the famous iconic Effile Tower and modern art museum, Museum D’Orsay are all located on the Left Bank.

On the other hand, the Right Bank, which has the Louvre Museum, was more luxurious and fancier than the left side. It attracts tourists with its most prominent neighborhoods like Montmarte, the source of inspiration for many French artists.

However, right now the styles of the two sides became less distinctive. No matter where you visit, you can always find posh style or ‘hipster’ neighborhoods with the best bookstores and cafes around.

Turning back to our second day visit, from where we live, we walked a couple of minutes to the Eiffel Tower at the riverside. The early morning sunlight shined upon the Eiffel Tower and the Seine river with golden rays scattered around. As we melted into the slowness along the river, we have to pause right below the Eiffel Tower though. Seeing that heavy crowd is part of the brilliant equation of the Iron lady’s charm, we let go the original plan of getting to the top and headed directly to Montmartre instead.

Montmartre perched on the top of a small hill in the 18th arrondissement in Paris. It is such a special and unique gem. Many painters, like Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso, have made Montmartre their home for periods of their lives. We spent some time and had the kids portraits drawn by two professional drawers. We also tried French crepes and an instant photo booth there. And we LOVE all of them!

Before calling end to the second day, we went to the luxembourg Garden, another beautiful city park located in the 6th arrondissement. It cannot be more perfect to hang around for both locals and tourists after a long day. The garden is overflowed with flowers and trees. Just drag a chair and take a seat wherever you want. For young kids, time passes easily by sailing small wooden sailboats in the pond and redirecting the boats with a long stick, just as was played in the twentieth century. You will find joy either joining the kids or just relaxing besides the pond. 

Day 3: we spent the rainy morning in the Grande Galerie of Evolution that is part of the Nature Museum. The specimens in the galarie come from the huge historical collections of the former gallery of zoology, opened in 1889.

In the afternoon, we indulged ourselves in the Louvre Museum. It is almost as iconic as the beautiful French city itself. The Louvre tells so many stories – from the irreplaceable artwork it is home to, to the building itself – you’ll feel that you are as close to touching history as humanly possible. Its original purpose is to protect the city from the vikings as a fortress. In the 14th century it turned into King Charles V’s home. After the fateful fall of the French monarchy in the 18th century, the building became the home to thousands of national art treasures.

Inside the magnificent while esthetic-controversial pyramid, the whole museum is well mapped and professional and interactive guides are available to escort you through to get the most out of your visit.

Surprisingly, the elder sister was full of knowledge and excitement during the whole visit. She was so glad that she can attach the words she read to the real masterpieces in front of her. She also enjoyed telling her parents about the Greek mythologies behind the sculptures. 

And I will introduce Mona Lisa by quoting from elder sister Jane’s travel journal, 

For the younger sister, she had a good time as well,  in a space called “Studio” in the museum. It is a newly opened area for young kids to explore the museum in their own way, whether being crazy about doodling their own Mona Lisa, or quietly reading books about how to be an art rebel.  

Day 4: Adding to our sense of adventure we kept our final destination a mystery to the kids – Palace of Versailles. You may have seen many blogs, posts about how vast the Versailles is and how long it will take you to travel there. Versailles sits at outskirt of Paris, so it may take a bit of planning so you can make the most of the experience. Versailles is much more than just a glittering palace that can be done by some cliché tours. It is an alive palace. Imagine yourself as a courtier attending a ball in the Hall of Mirrors with dancers in Baroque dresses, and enjoying a stroll in the beautiful gardens with music and fountains escorting you everywhere. 

Versailles oversees the five centuries’ up and downs of French history. From initially being constructed as a hunting lodge for the King Louis XIII, to becoming an elaborate complex once thrived under the Sun king – King Louis XIV’s reign, to French revolution when the royal court was banished from their home, to a place signing treaty for peace that ended World War I, to today, one of the most marvelous Baroque architecture that welcomes thousands of visitors from the whole world, Versailles has become a place people would picture whenever they thought of France.

Versailles is so massive that 2,300 rooms inside the palace alone may take hours to be seen. The palace also has one of the most gorgeous gardens and covers a huge tract of land. The garden hosts plenty of ancient sculptures and fountains to admire as well.

There are different ticket options you can choose. That said, it is practically hard to set foot in every corner of the palace. We luckily caught the summer special events, music fountain and royal serenade , each providing an opportunity to explore outside or inside of palace. We chose the fast commuting way – drive a golf cart. Besides the palace and the garden itself, we also highly recommend outside of the palace, where the Grand and Petit Trianon are located. Grand canal is also a highlight, where you will not miss the boat and bike rental nearby. So far, that biking through the tree tunnel along the canal was still the best biking experience. Rowing a boat with swans swimming nearby was also a great fun. 

The royal serenade was held in the hall of mirrors. Such event is only available on Saturday afternoons during a few summer months. If Versailles coincidentally fall into your list during this period of time, with a few extra euros, you can seize the chance to be enchanted by the magic of the palace. The event was programmed into four shows. It started with a welcome prologue, followed by a baroque music concert by a musician and a singer that took us back to the 17^th century. Making way for the music and dance performed in the hall of mirrors, the show attained to the peak and ended with a demonstration of fencing show in the Marble Court.

Again, quotes from the elder daughter’s journal, about the dance of King’s painting in the Hall of Mirror:

I don’t know how big impact the one-day trip of Versaille had made to a 7-year-old girl. She sobbed gently one the returning bus. When we were back in Germany, I was so moved while reading her journal. so goes Ernest Hemingway’s famous quote: 

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast,”

And she is one of the lucky kids.

Day 5: Amazed by the decadent furnishings, the grand fountains, the symmetry and preciseness of the colorful gardens, and lastly these wonderful shows in Versailles, we were still in such a reluctance to wake up from the dreamy yesterday. But today is our last day in Paris.

Slowly packing up our stuff and joyfully chewing endless long bread, we did not feel any urge to catch the train back to Germany at all. The last morning was spent along the Seine River again. Watching many rowing boats passing us until we cannot resist the temptation to go on a boat ourselves – a cruise. A cruise is truly a quick and straight-forward way to learn about the city. They will lead the visitors to learn a lot of landmarks along the Seine River. 

As the sky and sunshine opened up above the Eiffel Tower, they bottomed out, jutted up, and turned all manner of pastels and browns and yellows and oranges in front of us over again. Looking back at the days in Paris, that every light after light we chased, every moment that we tried to capture, they were all passing so quickly and are going to be missed by us. And when the memory calls us, try a little French song that may bring us here again.