travel with blogdeedah
I like to be prepared. I'm not a backpacker. I'm not spontaneous. I like to know where I'm sleepin and how I'm getting to-and-fro. July is high season in Western Europe, so I made sure to book our accommodations on VRBO.com (aka Homeaway.com). VRBO/Homeaway now makes it even better to live the Parisian lifestyle (in a small, beautifully apportioned flat). They are my "go to."
Location is key for me. I like to walk while on vacation.
I found a lovely flat managed by Vevee in the 1ere arrondissement with a short 15 min walk to Notre Dame, Ile St Louis, Tuileries Gardens, and the Louvre. Les Halles (1ere arrondissement) is a new neighborhood for me. I will miss my St-Germain-des-Pres. (moment of silence) But I am thrilled that there is an épicerie (trans. grocery store) across the street from this flat (esp since we have a toddler with us).
Once I locate our base of operations, I set forth on the
ancillary matters:
Travel Wifi Hotspot:
Reserved and ready for pickup at CDG upon arrival
Paris Museum Pass:
Children under 4 are free to most (if not all) of the sightseeing and museum attractions. The Paris Museum Pass allows you to skip many, many lines. Lines are not good for relationships. Lines are also toddler nightmares. While I don't expect our son to wander the Louvre for six hours, I like the idea of popping in a few times to see some major works (Coronoation of Josephine, Mona Lisa, et al) as well as new ones.
TGV Tickets:
Booked our Montparnasse-Tours tickets in advance. Paid the extra moula (cash, money) for the first class because - FIRST CLASS. I can't wait to see my son's face on his first train ride in FRANCE.
Airport Hotel:
I planned our trip, so that we stayed close to the airport the night before we headed home. Airport hotels can vary from existential crisis to luxury life. I chose a hotel that was within a 60m drive or train to the airport and was also close to another attraction. (In this case, I'm eyeing Paris Disneyland. We haven't fully committed to Disney, but I'm leaning in that direction.)
