Something to Dwell Upon: Mother/Daughter Trip to Paris: A Top 10 List for the City of Lights

From the moment I found out that I was pregnant with a girl nearly a decade ago, I told my husband that I was going to take her to Paris for her tenth birthday. To be honest, I don’t know why I said it. Maybe it was because I missed having a glass of wine and eating unpasteurized cheese. Or perhaps it’s because he and I had never been there together as he’s not one who enjoys shopping or visiting museums (a wine tour through Burgundy would be a different story). Nevertheless, it became a promise to myself and to my daughter that I was determined to keep. This June, Annabel and I were fortunate to be able to take our mother-daughter trip to Paris, marking her tenth and my fortieth birthdays. It was a fantastic celebration of the past ten years of our life together. I am so grateful that she came into my life and made me a mother. However, as the mom to multiple kids, I rarely get the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with her. This trip provided us with an uninterrupted week together and the chance to tighten our bond before she starts middle school in the fall. We bonded over fashion and art and writing and food. Each night before we went to sleep, we discussed what had gone wrong (like the Metro), what had gone right (almost everything), and what we had loved. From those discussions, I put together Annabel’s top 10 list of things to do in Paris. She told me that the best part of the trip, which is not included in the list, was spending time with just me. Here is the list of recommendations in case you have a trip to Paris in your future.

Annabel’s Top 10 Favorite Things To Do in Paris

1) A Tour of the Louvre – At the recommendation of a family we met at our hotel, we took a kids’ tour of the Louvre through www.parismuse.com (the site also offers adult tours). Though it was quite expensive, it was well worth the money. Our guide, Claire, created a 2 hour scavenger hunt through the museum for Annabel and I. She presented Annabel with a timeline filled with symbols that she had to find as we went from one gallery to the next. We would have missed so many interesting facts and details about the sculptures and paintings had we not had a guide. During the tour, we visited the old fortress in the basement and learned about the symbols the masons used to “sign” the stone blocks they made. Many of the symbols were variations of hearts. I also learned that the reason there are so many paintings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus is that families used to hire artists to paint such scenes and then donate them to their churches as a sign of their faith. We were told that the reasons the Mona Lisa is so famous include 1) she was painted as a gift for Mona Lisa, but after the two years it took to finish the painting, it was never given to her 2) da Vinci painted her to seem like she is looking and smiling at you no matter where you stand in the room and 3) she was stolen in 1911. In order to get her back, pictures of the paining were published everywhere so that, in the event the thief tried to steal her, he would be discovered.

2) The Galleria Lafayette – Annabel, like her Aunt Meri, has a flair for colorful fashion. She and I were both in awe of the Galleria Lafayette, just behind the Opera in Paris. Not only was the building beautiful, but it offered floor after floor of merchandise by every imaginable designer. An entire floor was devoted to children’s clothing and accessories. Helpful sales clerks were on hand to recommend outfits for Annabel, who bought several dresses, a pair of shoes and a Vanessa Bruno bag. If you don’t have days to peruse boutiques throughout the city, this is a great one-stop-shop. It also has a patisserie on the second floor with a table overlooking the mall. The pastries are incredible and you can sit back and watch people shop or stare at the artwork on the ceiling.

3) Dinner at le Relais de L’Entrecote – When a friend advised me to take Annabel to le Relais de L’Entrecote, I was a little skeptical of dining at a restaurant that only serves salad, steak and steak frites. However, in good faith, we showed up five minutes before it opened at 7 p.m. to get in line. As is obvious from its #3 rating on her list, Annabel (and I) loved this restaurant. The waitresses were dressed in darling black and white dresses. They were delightful, I imagine because they were high on the sumptuous aroma that fills the place. True to what my friend said, the waitress only asked what we wanted to drink and how we liked our steak before delivering a salad with a tangy dressing, followed by steak and steak frites in the most amazing sauce I think I’ve ever had. At one point during our meal, Annabel and I were trying to guess what could be in the sauce that made it so mouthwateringly good. She guessed butter, I suspected some dill and other herbs. A waitress plating food nearby laughed out loud and told us that it was secret, but she was sure there was some tarragon in the sauce. I noticed other diners got quiet and leaned into hear if she would say more about the special green sauce. The restaurant does offer a choice of dessert. We ordered a tower of meringue and ice cream that did not disappoint. As we left the restaurant at 8:30, we noticed that the line went down the block. If you decide to visit le Relais de L’Entricote, I recommend getting in line by 7 p.m.

4) A French Desserts Cooking Class – There is something so elegant about French cooking. It’s like an art form of its own. To understand it better, Annabel and I enrolled in a French desserts cooking class. We booked one through American Express that was taught by a French chef in his kitchen. Friends we made in the class, also recommended another, Cook’n With Class in Paris. Chef Frederic spoke with us about using proper equipment (heavy copper bottom pots, pastry weights, gloves to knead the dough by hand, silicone muffin trays) and taught us tricks like the spoon test to assess if a cream sauce has finished cooking. We learned how to make profiteroles, lava cake in vanilla cream, and a lemon tart. At the end of the class, we got to eat the creations. As you can see in the photo below, there wasn’t a crumb left. One of the women in our class asked chef Frederic why Parisians aren’t overweight given their penchant for cooking with butter. He said there were two reasons: Parisians walk everywhere and don’t snack in between meals. Two good things to remember!

5) The Pont des Artes – We landed in Paris at 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday. In order to make the best of the day, we had eaten dinner at the airport and slept for the duration of the flight. After checking into Hotel Brighton, we headed off to explore the Musee d'Orsay. Much to our good fortune, we had to cross the Pont des Artes in order to get there. As we crossed the bridge, we noticed that it was covered in personalized locks. We spent a good 45 minutes on the bridge reading the locks, and then bought and personalized our own. Leaving the lock felt a bit symbolic – as if we were able to make our own small impression on the City.

6) The Sacre Couer & Montmartre – Situated on the highest hill in Paris, the Sacre Couer is lovely and easy to navigate. A mass was going on as we walked around the old basilica. Afterward, we watched performers outside and then strolled through charming Montmartre. The town is filled with cafes, souvenir shops and artists selling their wares. We ate a delicious dinner at a brasserie and I bought a painting of a ballerina for my younger daughter’s bedroom.

7) The Pompidou – After three days of looking at traditional French architecture and art from the Renaissance to the Impressionist movements, the Pompidou was a welcome change. The building itself seems to defy Parisian architecture rules. The architects of the Pompidou wanted the public to see the brilliant colors of the “insides” of the building, including blue air conditioning ducts, yellow electric lines, green water pipes and red escalators. Annabel had requested to visit the Pompidou simply because she liked saying the name. Once she saw the building, she knew she was in for a treat. The museum was not crowded when we arrived shortly after 6 p.m. There were jugglers and balloon artists in the sloping piazza leading to the entrance of the Pompidou. The art in the museum engaged many senses including sight, touch and smell. I have to admit that I didn’t “get” some of it, like the silent room insulated with felt or the mounds of aluminum foil on display, but we had fun exploring many of the pieces. Annabel really enjoyed the Winter Garden, Matisse’s cut-outs, and trying to make sense of Picasso’s paintings. We chose to go in the evening (the museum is open until 9 p.m.) so that we could spend an hour or two walking through the galleries and then head up to the Observation deck to eat a light dinner and watch the sunset over Paris. It was a perfect night.

8) The Haute Couture Exhibit at the Hotel de Ville – One of Annabel’s friends recommended that I take my fashionista daughter to the Haute Couture exhibit at the Hotel de Ville. It was free and displayed dresses by some of Paris’ best designers. We went through and picked out what dresses and suits we would have worn, and which ones we couldn’t believe anyone wore.

9) The Eiffel Tower at night with twinkle lights – What is a trip to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower? Our favorite view of the tower was at night when it displayed its twinkling lights. We took a night time cruise on the Seine and it dazzled us as we drifted down the river. We also enjoyed going up in the Eiffel Tower, but I wouldn’t recommend advance booking tickets for a mid-day time slot like we did. Instead, I would get to the Eiffel Tower shortly before it opens at 9:30 for a visit that’s a little less crowded without much wait time. Then, walk back to the Champ de Mars park and take photos with the tower in the background.

10)Cheese and pastries everyday – Over any of the other sites we visited in Paris, including the Notre Dame, Versailles, and the Arc de Triumph, the food we ate completes Annabel’s top 10 list. She and I avoided fast food and tried all kinds of French dishes on our trip. The ones we liked best involved cheese and pastries, which we ate with pleasure everyday. There was a place called Angelina’s right next to our hotel that had the best macaroons (and a great brunch). We loved the goat cheese salad (although it didn’t taste like any goat cheese I’ve had before) from a chain restaurant called Brasserie Salon de The, which also made an incredible chocolate/banana crepe with Chantilly. Luckily, we walked all over the city, through the parks and museums and the cobblestone streets, so I returned home no heavier than when I left for Paris.