Party of three in Paris

Paris with an infant? Yes, it can be done! TR, Baby K and I ventured off to the city of lights last month during her visit to Basel. This was Baby K's first multi-night trip away from home and TR's first trip to Paris. Fun times!

Similar to what BK and I did last year, the three of us took the TGV (fast train) to Paris, which is about three hours from Basel. I was a little concerned about this train ride with Baby K, but only because unlike trains around Switzerland, the TGV has assigned seats, meaning that she could not ride in her bassinet on the way there. The train ride still went well though, I put her in the carrier and she did great. A nap and one meal later, made it to Paris.

On our way to Paris!

For this trip, I used www.airbnb.com for the first time and rented an apartment for the three of us in the Montemarte neighborhood of Paris. TR and I researched how to get there from the train station using the metro. This would have been a good plan had we not had the stroller and rolling duffel bag. As a warning, the Paris metro is NOT stroller friendly at all. Very few stations have elevators and you have to wander way out of the way to get to them, if they are available. We ended up carrying the stroller up and down many sets of stairs like the ones below. Baby K and I worked TR pretty hard that first day, so after all that she was up for anything.

A small set of stairs in the Metro

I really liked having an apartment for the three of us, and would go that route again. The only downside is that you don't have anyone to help you get around or answer random questions you might have about how to do things around the city. I liked the apartment because it had a separate bedroom that I could put Baby K down in, and when she got up earlier in the morning than TR would have wanted to, she and I could get up and start our day in the living room and kitchen, doing what we needed to do before we went out for the day.

Abbesses- our Metro station

The Montemarte neighborhood is where Sacre Coeur is located and is a favorite for many people. Often Baby K and I would get out and take a walk in the mornings, picking up croissants and fruit for breakfast, and the neighborhood makes you really feel like you're in Paris. It's what you imagine- small cafes, shops and markets line the cobblestone streets, not too much traffic, and lots of locals going about their daily lives in the morning. I like this area, but it's a little removed from the center of Paris where everything is located.

Sacre Coeur

The first night there, TR picked Cafe des Deux Moulins for dinner. Yes, it is the one from the Amelie movie (neither of us have seen), but was also not far from our apartment. It's good, typical French fare; something easy before getting out for the night. I did the usual bath and bed time routine with Baby K and put her down for the night at the apartment. Pretty much as soon as she's asleep, you can take her out for the night, simply putting the bassinet on the stroller and making sure she's covered up. She typically sleeps through anything. It's pretty awesome.

Snoozing through dinner

After dinner we made a brief stop in front of Moulin Rouge. TR was surprised that it was not a freestanding building on it's own. It's not- it's in a row of buildings in our neighborhood, just like most of the other businesses and shops. We didn't go to a show, but I would still highly recommend it if you're in Paris; it was one of BK and my favorite things that we did there.

Moulin Rouge

After many more steps up and down in the metro, TR and I managed to get down to the Eiffel Tower. It is magnificent at night. Last time we visited Paris, BK and I went to the top of Arc D'Triomphe at night and saw the Eiffel Tower from afar, but seeing it all lit up right there is different. I actually think it's much prettier at night than during the day, but on the other hand, you also don't have the views you have during the day.

Eiffel Tower at night

We wrapped up our evening after this stop, tying unsuccessfully to get home via bus, and eventually carrying the stroller up and down more steps to the metro. We arrived back at the apartment around 1am and fell into bed.

The next couple of days held new adventures for the three of us, but this post is getting long and Baby K is about ready to get up from her morning nap, so those will have to come later. I'll be back soon with more!