Paris is one of those cities you just can’t miss when living in Europe, so when we found out Jeff had a work meeting there in late November, we decided it would be a good opportunity to tag along and make a family weekend out of it. I had been to Paris once years ago with my friend Sara, but Jeff had never been, so we were looking forward to going together and bringing the boys.

Two weeks before our scheduled trip, when the horrific terrorist act occurred in Paris, we weren’t sure if we should still go ahead as planned. Was it safe? Would we be nervous the whole time? Would we be intruding on a time of grief for the city and maybe they wouldn’t want visitors at that time? After going back and forth about it, we decided to go anyway. Our reasoning was that it would most likely be even safer with tons of security everywhere, that it was a way to go and support Parisians and their city (and we had heard everyone was trying to get back to normal and go about their lives), and that the whole world is pretty much “unsafe” right now so you can’t just stay home and go nowhere.

When we first arrived at the airport in Paris and saw armed soldiers patrolling, I felt strangely reassured. We continued to see a strong police and soldier presence throughout our time there at all the major sites, and security guards were stationed at most shops to check people’s bags as they went in. Strangely, restaurants and cafes didn’t seem to have any increased security, which kind of surprised me and was a little nervous-making, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be very realistic as most cafes have outdoor terraces which would be difficult to monitor. On our first evening there, I was a little anxious walking around the streets  at first, but soon felt less anxious as everyone seemed to be living life as normal.

Our first stop pre-dinner was a really cool toy store called Village JoueClub. It was all decked out for Christmas with beautiful lights and display windows, and it was absolutely huge with separate rooms/departments branching off of a main hallway. With all the typical popular toys and brands, plus a lot of really good quality wooden European/German/French brands, there was so much to explore — definitely a fun stop to make with kids. We followed this excursion with a delicious dinner at a wood-fired pizza place nearby that had a cool wine-bar vibe while still being kid-friendly (and loud enough to mask our kids’ loud voices!) Our trip was off to a good start (especially on the Isaac and Rafi scale)!

The next morning was when Jeff had his meeting, so the boys and I took our time getting up and ready and finally decided to venture out exploring and meet up with Jeff once he was done. We walked around the area of the Madeleine with its famous church of the same name, its luxury shops, and our first (of several!) stops at the famous Laduree cafe, home to the most delicious macarons! We ended up at Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris and the location where Marie Antoinette and other French royals faced the guillotine during the Revolution. The square is known for its towering obelisk covered in hieroglyphics that was given to France by Egypt in the 1800s. Once Jeff met us there, we wandered into the nearby Tulieres gardens, where the boys ran around and got out some energy. Then we headed over to the Christmas market on the Champs-élysées, where we checked out the scene, got a snack of potato pancakes (latkes!), and did a few runs on a large slide.

While the first night we had stayed in a hotel near Jeff’s meeting, we decided to move for our next few nights to an apartment in the Saint Germain neighborhood, which we had heard was super picturesque in a quintessential Paris way. We were not disappointed! Our apartment was on the top floor of an old building and had that Parisian-artist-in-an-attic type of feel. From the windows we could look out over the rooftops of the city and imagine we were on the set of an artsy French film. Being in the Saint Germain neighborhood was really fun — there were tons of cafes, bakeries, galleries, and shops, and it’s also quite close to Notre Dame, the Luxembourg Gardens, and one of my favorite museums, the Musee D’Orsay.

As I’ve written before, we don’t always have a chance to do a ton of actual sites or museums with the kids, as they get “maxed out” pretty quickly, so one of our favorite things to do is just walk around a city or neighborhood and take in the street scenes, architecture, cafes (coffee and croissant stops are always welcomed by all of us!), and parks. In that respect, Saint Germain was great for exploring, people-watching, and absorbing the Paris vibe.

Traveling with the kids is certainly different, and lends to a different pace and itinerary than we might otherwise have, but it’s also a way to see a city through a unique lens, to be forced to slow down and not try to “do it all.” On this trip, we didn’t make it to the Eiffel Tower (glimpsed it from afar) — given the choice between there and Luxembourg Gardens where we could run around and sail wooden boats on a pond, the boys chose the latter and I think it was the perfect way for them (and us) to experience another side of Paris — a side they could truly enjoy and relish as kids  (and the Eiffel Tower will always be there next time). We didn’t make it to the Louvre either, but we did visit the Musee D’Orsay to see some of my favorite impressionist paintings (Monet, Renoir, Degas, Matisse), and Isaac enjoyed trekking through the galleries looking for paintings that matched a picture book he had (I highly recommend this type of “scavenger hunt” activity when trying to see a museum with young kids).

There’s so much to Paris, and so many possible things to explore, but it’s also the kind of city where you can get a great feel for it even if you just focus on one area or neighborhood or focus on the small details: the cafes tucked away along a street, the smells of fresh baked baguettes wafting out of bakeries, the wrought iron railings on the buildings, a grand church here and there, the river Seine weaving through the city, flowers blooming in a windowbox…to me these little glimpses of Paris — and the time spent simply wandering around with Jeff and boys — were just as special as the major sites. Au revoir for now Paris!

Hanging out in the Paris apartment, eating delicious croissants, and a view of the Seine

Norte Dame and playing at a park next to Notre Dame

Soldiers outside Notre Dame

Flower market and Saint Chapelle church

Strolling along the Seine and locks on one of the bridges put there by couples in love

Visiting Musee D’orsay

Stopping for gelato

Picturesque Saint Germain neighborhood: cute streets, cafes, galleries, cheese shops and bakeries

We ate breakfast at the “Paul” cafe (in honor of Jeff’s dad Paul)!

Luxembourg Gardens

Toy store and pizza on our first night

Place de la Concorde, the Tulieries, and the Christmas Market on the Champs élysées

The most delicious macarons from Laduree

A few more photos of playing by Notre Dame

A few more photos from the artsy apartment and Christmas market