Musee Picasso a must if you can find it! and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

Believe it or not, we had a really hard time finding this wonderful museum. We took the Metro and actually got in the general vacinity quickly (even stumbled upon a street market in the process).But getting from the Metro to the museum took a while. While everyone we asked was very helpful, it seems many Parisians don't know it's there. However, as is true all over Paris, the long roundabout walk led us by a gorgeous flower shop, we visited an adorable toy store and incredible antique/ decorator shop. The walk was well worth it. The Musee Picasso is in an old mansion, I think. The beautiful architecture is an amazing backdrop to Picasso's sculpture and paintings. My 5 year old granddaughter loved it as well! We did however, rush her through a few rooms with some of his more "erotic" drawings etc. Good thing they hung them too high for her to get a good look at!

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Address: Hotel Sale; 5 rue de Thorigny
Directions: Metro #8 St. Sebastian-Froissart.

We made the long trek to the dome of the Sacre Coeur quite by accident. (It's a long story, we thought we were going to the crypts!) However, once you reach the top, the view is amazing. I got the best picture of our entire trip. It is a definite must see. If you can't do the dome, at least go to the church. You can see all of Paris from there. Breathtaking in more ways than one!

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Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/

We visited in March 2007, when the trees were bare. It is fascinating to see how the trees are pruned and planted in straight rows. The sculpture in the gardens is amazing. My 5 year old graddaughter had the playground and carrousel all to herself. The outdoor cafe has a menu like no "concession stand" you will find in America. A perfect place for a glass of wine or hot chocolat on a chilly March day. This is a grand place for children. I believe that when it is warmer children sail boats in the fountain. When I return , I plan to drink my glass of wine in one of those lovely chairs around the fountain. Aaahhh!

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Address: Place du Louvre
Directions: Metro: Tuileries,Concorde
Website: http://www.louvre.fr

Don't miss the Musee Rodin. It is housed in a beautiful old mansion which makes it even more intimate and appealing. This lovely home is a beautiful setting for Rodin's exquisite sculptures. Also included are works of other famous artists. The grounds are lovely, so plan to spend extra time outside strolling through the beautifully manicured gardens where more of his sculture is displayed. Don't forget the museum shop. We found lovely Rodin prints at very reasonable prices and surprisingly good quality.

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Directions: Line 13 : Varennes

The day we saw the Arch it was pouring rain. I snapped this picture while we were trying to cross the street and not get killed. That's as close as we got, but it is so impressive. I regret that we didn't have time to climb up into the Arch and see the view. Maybe next time...

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Address: Place Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
Directions: Metro Line 1, 2, RER A : Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile

Although we did not tour the Louvre, we did go down and visit the wonderful Museum Store and walked around the pyramid. We loved the new against the old. This is one of my favorite photos. If you look closely you can barely see the Arc de Triomphe Carrousel through the pyramid. Old, new, and old again.

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Directions: Métro: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre
Website: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/

We visited La Tour on our last day. All week I had been snapping pictures of it in the distance and my granddaughter had been pointing it out to us. The night before I said, "Guess where we are going tomorrow - La Tour Eiffel!" She replied, "Are we going to see the whole thing?"
We did indeed, in the pouring rain, but ..... no long lines! Because of the short wait, we did go to the first level. I was disappointed at the view and photo ops. I would recommend taking pictures from the ground level, and finding other places such as the Sacre Coeur for views of the city.

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Address: Trocadero
Directions: You can't miss it!!!

The gardens themselves are so lovely. Even in March there were workers of all kinds weeding, hoeing, trimming. Oh, the French love to trim and prune! But we were amazed at the how many unusual and beautiful sculptures are found there. There is a style or period for every art lover here. The photograph of my granddaughter with the "troll - like " sculpture has taken me 9 months of research to find the title and the name of the sculptor. I even tried the National Gallery of Art on a recent visit in November. All they were willing to do was a Google search. Hmmm.

Well about a month ago I found it! It is a bronze by Eric Dietman, a Swedish sculptor. It is called "L'Ami de personne". It means "Nobody's Friend".
We thought the"troll" looked very friendly with his outstretched hand that Eva used as a slide. The little metal chair planted in front of him was too inviting to pass up. This particular sculpture really made our day!

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Address: Place du Louvre
Directions: Metro: Tuileries,Concorde
Website: http://www.louvre.fr

We found the Orsay a very unstuffy museum. Just the thing for traveling with children. The main rooms have statues all about and you are actually allowed to get close and maybe touch. Don't try that in the US! We met a French architecture student who was sketching statues and he did a quick sketch of my granddaughter.

I would have liked to have spent more time there but as always there is so much to see and so little time. I think I added this in another tip, but when we were leaving the museum, the uniformed doorman knelt down and buttoned my granddaughter's coat for her. Ohhh those French men can be so charming! :)

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Directions: Métro: line 12, Solférino station; RER: line C, Musée d'Orsay station
Website: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/

Take a five year old to Paris??? Yes we did. Last March my daughter, 5 year old granddaughter and I went to Paris for a week. It was a wonderful vacation and we don't regret a minute of it. We did however tailor our intinerary to allow for the fact that a 5 year old, no matter how "mature", gets tired, bored, and needs a potty at inconvenient times! My daughter read several books on traveling to Paris with children that were very helpful. We didn't make it to Luxembourg Gardens, but it is supposed to be a great place for children. We loved Tuilerie Gardens and in March, Eva had the playgrounds and carousel to herself! We spent a lovely afternoon there enjoying the sculpture, fountain etc.

We had to forgo the Louvre, but chose instead the Musee D'Orsay, a much kid friendlier museum. We included the Musee Rodin and Musee Picasso. These two small museums were perfect.

We worried that she would get tired walking so much on those tiny little legs so we hauled a fold-up stroller all the way to Paris and our first whole day of sight seeing. What self respecting 5 year old will ride in a STROLLER? Not ours. She marched all over Paris and up to the dome of the Sacre Coeur leaving her Mumsie in her dust. When things got a little too "boring" all we had to do was mention the words shopping or chocolat ice cream and she was a happy camper.

Many have asked us about the food issue. Eva has a sophisticated palate, and loves brie and goat cheese, so several meals were a cheese plate and bread. She also loved the ham and cheese on baguette, the marguerite pizzas, and of course ice cream for dessert!

Jet lag only seems to affect adults! We found that she got her second wind at night when we were exhausted. Tip: French TV has cartoons almost all night. Thank goodness. One morning I turned the volume down really low and she said, "Mumsie, turn it up please, I can't hear it." I reminded her that it was all in French , but apparently that didn't matter. HA

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