A walking tour of Montmartre

Leave a comment March 12, 2023 Sherylann

There is so much to discover in Montmartre – lovely cobblestone streets, ivy-covered homes, the Wall of Love, cafes visited by thinkers and writers, and off-course, the bastion of Paris – the Sacre Coeur. A self-guided walking tour of Montmartre is the best way to do immerse yourself. Use Google maps and plug in Abbesses metro, Wall of Love, Fric-Frac, Place Saint-Pierre, Sacre Coeur, Place du Tertre (the Painters of Montmartre), Le Consulat, La Maison Rose, Buste de Dalida, Le Passe-Muraille, Moulin Rouge. Along the way, grab croissants and orange juice.

First about Montmartre – it is a popular neighborhood located in Paris’ 18e Arrondissement, atop a large hill. The name Montmartre was named for the namesake hill from Roman times (Mount Mars). In the medieval ages, most of Montmartre was an abbey, however this abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution. To explore Montmartre, it’s best to start from the train station and head over to the Wall of Love.

The Wall of Love: “Mur de je t’aime” is a literal mural of love located in Jehan Rictus square, the park just behind the Abbesses metro stop and across the way from the big red brick church. A wall within the park displays over 300 ways to say I love you in over 250 languages.

Fric-Frac: There is a reason why food vloggers rave about Fric Frac. The ubiquitous French snack, croque monsieur (toasted cheese-and-ham sandwich) gets a contemporary makeover. You can enjoy some of their creative combos like Winnie (Crottin de Chavignol cheese, dried fruit, chestnut honey, chives and rosemary) or the more exotic Shaolin (king prawns, lemongrass paste, shiitake mushrooms and Thai basil) served with salad and fries. The service was quick and friendly and the food delicious. Well satisfied, we continued our walk up to Sacre Coeur.

The Sacré-Coeur basilica is Montmartre’s crown jewel that attracts millions of visitors. As you walk up the stairs, you will pass picnickers on the lawn and buskers seeking to entertain you. Along the way to the top, you will marvel at the mosaics and domes as well as the angelic statues. While the 237 stairs to the dome are a tight spiral climb, the views are worth it. Alternatively, you can get a ride up via the Funiculaire de Montmartre. The ride up takes less than two minutes and costs the same as a Metro ticket.

In the same area, you can also see the back of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, the oldest church in Montmartre dating to the beginning of the 12th century. For more than 600 years it was a parish church and part of the Abbey of the Benedictine Sisters of Montmartre. It is the only vestige of the ancient abbey that exists today.

As you make your way to the church from the Sacre Coeur, enjoy the panoramic views of Paris including views of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. After the church, you’ll find yourself at the Place du Tertre.

A visit to Montmartre Paris is not complete without stopping by the lively Place du Tertre also known as the Painters of Montmarte. This charming public square sits just below the Sacre Cœur and provides a hub for artists and authentic Parisian cafes. Artists, who can wait up to ten years to get a coveted spot here, chat and are ready to capture on their easels whoever comes their way. Perhaps it’s your day for a caricature or sketch. Continue your way down to Le Consulat.

Le Consulat: During the time of the impressionists, Montmartre gained a reputation for cafes, cabarets, and dance halls, attracting many artists including Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso. Le Consulat is now a coffee house and restaurant and an Instagram favorite. Grab a coffee and people watch before you continue to La Maison Rose.

La Maison Rose: This house, a gathering place for artists, was purchased in the early 1900s by Germaine Gargallo, the wife of a well-known painter. The pretty ‘Pink House’ located on the corner of rue de l’ Abreuvoir and rue des Saules, inspired a painting by Maurice Utrillo that he called ‘The Little Pink House’ in the 1930’s which became famous not because of the subject of the painting, but rather because it sold for so much at an auction.

The beautiful winding cobblestone streets

Continue down the stunning Rue de l’Abreuvoir, one of the most beautiful streets in Paris with a view of the Sacre Coeur, La Maison Rose and ivy-covered buildings. Wind you way down the street to see the bust of the famous French-Egyptian singer and actor Dalida who lived nearby in Montmartre.

Buste de Dalida: Dalida – born Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti – was a singer and actress who was very popular across much of Europe, the Middle East and beyond. Her career lasted from the 1950s through until her tragic suicide in 1987. A bust on the small, shaded square commemorates her, and visitors can also glimpse her house on nearby Rue d’Orchampt.

Le Passe-Muraille is based on a fictitious character Dutilleul who discovered that he had an unusual talent of being able to walk through solid walls. But instead of just using his talent for good, he abused his power and one day Dutilleul lost all his powers and ended up stuck in a wall. We had fun trying to get him through the wall but didn’t succeed. You can read more about this interesting story by Marcel Ayme here

We then made our way through the winding streets of Montemartre and stopped for snacks along the way, making our final destination Moulin Rouge.

Moulin Rouge: The birthplace of the Can-Can. Who hasn’t heard of the once notorious cabaret Moulin Rouge? It is easily recognizable by the windmill at the front of the building. Not meant for kids, we took our pictures and headed home but not before stopping at Aux Merveilleux de Fred

Make this patisserie a stop on your tour. It makes traditional specialties from Flanders, one of which is The Merveilleux. Their merengue is just out of this world and is a fantastic way to end the day.

3 days in Paris

Leave a comment March 12, 2023 Sherylann

Best things to do in Paris in 3 days – how do you make the most of your trip especially with teens?

Paris! The one city that seems to be on everyone’s bucket list. I was fortunate to visit Paris years ago with my mum and dad and this time, over 18 years later, when we went back as a family with our teens, it seemed a lot had changed and yet, time had also stood still.

We were there for 4 nights and 3 days and were determined to make the most of it. For the kids, Paris was about food and IG moments. So, here’s our packed 3-day, 4-night itinerary!

Day 1: Ile de la Cité including Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf, The Place Dauphine, Sainte Chapelle, Notre-Dame, Shakespeare and Company, the Latin Quarter, and Pantheon. Head over then to the Champs Elysees. the Arc de Triomphe and finally, the Eiffel Tower before watching it sparkle from the Place du Trocadéro

Day 2: Versailles for a half-day trip (because it was winter, or else, I’d recommend a day trip), followed by self-guided walking tour of Montmartre ending in front of Moulin Rouge

Day 3: Louvre, Jardin de Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Paris St. Germain stadium tour

Let’s go!

We took an afternoon train (Eurostar) from London that got us into Paris at about 6pm. We then hopped the local metro, getting us to our rental apartment by about 6pm. We bought the 10 pack of tickets because we were centrally located and planned on walking a lot. Alternatively, there are many options, and this site has good information on how to get around Paris affordably.

We had intentionally kept our evening free as we had planned on grabbing a nice dinner that set the tone for the rest of our time there. Did I mention that for the kids this trip was about food?!

After settling into our apartment in the 1st Arrondissement, we took a short walk to our restaurant – Brassiere du Louvre, Bocuse, a Michelin restaurant, something the kids were really looking forward to. According to his website, 1987, Paul Bocuse created the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, clearly one of the most prestigious cooking contests in the world and was named President of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition (in the cooking and restaurant management category) in 1989. He was also named Chef of the Century and the Pope of Gastronomy. The meal was a gastronomical journey and one we enjoyed. Because they were shutting down in two days for renovations, they even topped the chicken with truffles at no additional cost. The service was amazing. And the snails are now on the kids’ list of favorite appetizers.

The restaurant looked out to the Louvre and after dinner, we took a walk through the grounds of the Louvre. And what a magnificent sight it was – the lights glittered and cast beautiful shadows on a wet ground. We then walked back to the hotel, excited for the days ahead.

Where we stayed: we stayed in the first Arrondissement. I booked through booking.com. The location was fantastic but the place was really small. Manageable for 4 of us but the location truly compensated for the tiny apartment. The Louvre was a stone’s throw away as was shopping and restaurants in all price ranges along with a mall.

Day 1:

Morning: Ile de la Cité including Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf, The Place Dauphine, Sainte Chapelle, Notre-Dame, Shakespeare and Company, the Latin Quarter, and Pantheon
Afternoon: Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe
Evening: Eiffel Tower and then watch it sparkle from the Place du Trocadéro

We started our day with freshly baked Croissants and fresh fruit from the bakery and grocery store near us. Most grocery stores have juicers that enable you to pick up bottles of freshly squeezed orange juice. What a delightful surprise and we made optimal use of these throughout our stay

Since we were in the 1st arrondissement, we were within walking distance of our day 1 sites so we headed off to the Pont des Arts, in Ile de la Cité.

Two islands sit in the middle of the Seine at the very heart of Paris. The more majestic one, Ile de la Cité, sparkles with history. This is the birthplace of Paris, between 250 and 225 BC, the birthplace of Paris, then known as Lutetia. It is the home of the Gothic Sainte-Chapelle, and the site of the prison where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution. Tourists flock to see the iconic Notre Dame and the beautiful bridges that straddle the Seine. Ile Saint-Louis, the more provincial island, welcomes you with cozy traditional eateries, small boutiques, and what some people say is the best ice cream in the city. This is the Paris that you must see – from the historical sites to the modern.

Make your way to Pont des Arts: The Pont des Arts or Passerelle des Arts is a pedestrian bridge linking the Institut de France and the central square of the Palais du Louvre. The most visited bridge in Paris because of all the love locks placed on it by thousands of visitors over time. As the weight of the locks took its toll, the locks and railings were removed, being replaced with a few symbolic locks and loctite panels. The bridge now has inviting benches to relax and enjoy the views. Then you can walk over to the Pont Neuf bridge.

The Pont Neuf (or “New Bridge”) is the oldest standing bridge across the Seine in Paris. It stands by the downstream point of the Ile de la Cité, the island in the middle of the river. The bridge is composed of two separate spans, one of five arches joining the left bank to the Ile de la Cité, and another of seven joining the island to the right bank. Today the tip of the island is the location of the Square du Vert-Gallant, nicknamed the “Green Gallant”. and another park, The Place Dauphine.

The cobbled streets leading to the Place Dauphine

The Place Dauphine is a public square that was initiated by Henry IV in 1607, who named it for his son, the Dauphin of France and the future Louis XII. While it’s called a square, it’s really triangular in shape and accessible via the Rue Henri-Robert.

Head southeast on Pl. Dauphine toward Rue de Harlay and be dazzled by the 1,113 stained glass windows in this gem of Rayonnant Gothic architecture, Saint Chapelle.

Sainte-Chapelle, built in seven years, is the finest royal chapel to be built in France. It was built in the mid 13th century by Louis IX, at the heart of the royal residence, the Palais de la Cité. It was intended to house precious Christian relics, including Christ’s crown of thorns, acquired by Saint Louis. Having these sacred relics in his possession made the already powerful monarch the head of western Christianity. Adorned with a unique and exceptional collection of fifteen glass panels and a rose window forming a veritable wall of light, it is simply stunning.

This place gets busy so buy your pass ahead of time through the official site.

From Sainte Chapelle, it is less than a ten-minute walk to Notre Dame. Notre-Dame de Paris – little needs to be said about it! Referred to simply as Notre-Dame, it is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The stunning facade has been replicated in a few churches in the United States and Canada. Unfortunately, due to a fire in April 2019, the spire, and most of the roof were damaged. Thankfully the Catholic relics housed there were rescued. However, the church continues to be under renovation.

From there, it’s a quick walk past the Shakespeare and Company bookstore to the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is situated on the Seine’s Left Bank, and is known for its bookshops, lively atmosphere and student-filled cafes, given its proximity to Sorbonne University.

Within sight of Notre-Dame, across a bridge into the Latin Quarter, on the Left Bank of the Seine, is an English-language bookstore called Shakespeare and Company.

It was opened in 1919 by American Sylvia Beach who ran it as a casual bookstore and boarding house for up-and-coming writers. Ernest Hemmingway wrote his memoir, A Moveable Feast here and at one-point, other writers like James Joyce and Ezra Young gathered here. Eventually the store closed during the German war, but at some point, reopened by George Whitman, a young American. Today, it’s a favorite for readers and writers. While slightly cluttered and crowded, it’s worth a visit.

We then ventured out into the narrow streets of Le Quartier Latin past the Sorbonne University and to the Pantheon.

The Pantheon: Perched atop a little hill known as Montagne St-Geneieve, this stately church turned mausoleum pays homage to the remains of great French minds, from Victor Hugo to Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie and Alexander Dumas. This neoclassical building with its distinctive off-white dome was originally built as a church but transformed to a “temple of the nation” during the French Revolution. When we got there, we had doctors and med students protesting the long hours and low pay! It was quite an interesting experience, as we watched the protestors amplify their concerns making a din with their whistles, drums and fireworks! When we finally made our way in, we walked around the nave and visited the crypt.

Right beside the Pantheon, is Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, a church, that contains the shrine of St. Genevieve, the Patron Saint of Paris. When we got there, we were blessed to see her relics being brought out.

After spending time at the Pantheon, grab a sandwich from one of the bistros near you, and head to a bench in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Relax and immerse yourself in the sound of water running through a fountain, while enjoying the sights of the grand garden with its expansive lawns, sublime statues and rows of deciduous trees. Don’t forget to stop by the stunning Medici Fountain in a corner of the park, which is steeped in French history.

After catching a snooze on the bench or just people watching, you can make your way to the Catacombs, or hop an Uber/cab or the metro and head to the Champs Elysees, where you can window shop or pick up the latest in fashion before walking down the promenade to the Arc de Triomphe.

While the Champs Elysees was a mecca for fashion conscious high rollers, it’s now very touristy.

Le Arc de Triomphe: This colossal, magnificent, 164-foot triumphal arch was ordered by Napoleon—to celebrate his military successes. Decorative sculptures celebrating military victories of the Revolution and the First Empire adorn the facade of the arch’s four pedestals. A winding stairway of 284 steps will get you to the top of the monument; an elevator goes partway up the monument, but from there the top, where an observation deck is located, can only be reached by climbing the remaining steps. The traffic circle around the Arc is named for Charles de Gaulle. However, locally, it’s known as L’Étoile, or “the Star”—a nod to the streets that fan out from it. Climb the stairs to the top of the arch and you can see the star effect of the 12 radiating avenues and the view down the Champs-Élysées toward Place de la Concorde and the distant Musée du Louvre. France’s Unknown Soldier is buried beneath the arch, and a commemorative flame is rekindled every evening at 6:30pm.

Finally, we head to the Eiffel Tower where you can either walk around the base or ride up and enjoy the expansive views of the city. We booked our trip to Paris only a month in advance and by then, we weren’t able to get tickets to ride to the top. Tickets can be bought as part of a package or on the official site.

After walking around the base, we walked over to and watched it sparkle from the Place du Trocadéro. Since the year 2000, the lights have sparkled on the hour for five minutes from nightfall until 1am (if night falls at 7.40pm, the lights sparkle first at 8pm).

Day 2: Versailles, The Basilica de Sacre Coeur, a walking tour of Montmartre

We started the day by taking the RER to Versailles. Note that Admission to the Palace, the Estate of Trianon, and temporary exhibitions is free for visitors under 18 years (and under 26 years for UE residents) upon presentation of proof of identity. In 1667, 28-year-old all-powerful king of France, Louis XIV, decided to build the greatest palace in the world – Versailles. This Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. It was used as the principal residence until 1789 when they had the French Revolution. After the revolution, the palace was nearly destroyed. In 1837 King Louis-Philippe restored it and turned it into a museum. The Palace is well known for its extravagant rooms and expansive gardens.

To make the most of your trip, make sure you book tickets in advance. Check out this official link for suggested itinerary and download the free app, as well.

Once you are done with the palace, head out back to Paris. We’ll start at Abbesses Metro station, then make a few stops before we visit Sacre Coeur and then explore the rest of Montmartre.

To get there from Versailles, take the train back to Paris to go to the Abbesses (on the metro 12 line), metro train station. The entrance to this station is one of the only remaining glass-covered Guimard original Metro entrances in Paris. Abbesses is the deepest metro station in Paris, and it has stairs – a lot of stairs – it is indeed a hike! Then, for a self-guided walking tour of Montmartre, use Google maps and plug in Abbesses metro, Wall of Love, Fric-Frac, Place Saint-Pierre, Sacre Coeur, Place du Tertre (the Painters of Montmartre), Le Consulat, La Maison Rose, Buste de Dalida, Le Pass-Muraille, Moulin Rouge

We then made our way through the winding streets of Montemartre and stopped for snacks along the way, making our final destination Moulin Rouge.

Day 3: Louvre, Jardin de Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Paris St. Germain stadium tour

A word of caution…the Louvre is massive and gets a ton of visitors. So, it’s best you start your day there and also chart a plan so you can maximize your visit. We had teens who weren’t that interested in museums, so we had a must-see list that enabled them to make the most of the trip. Here’s how we got through the Louvre in half a day. Follow the itinerary if you have kids or teens and want to make the most of your time here.

Now, of course, despite several reminders, the kids said they didn’t have any must-see places on their list. And yet, halfway through the morning at the Louvre, Sean decided he wanted to visit PSG stadium, the home of his beloved Messi.

The good news though was that if we left the Louvre early, we would be able to come back in. So, after our tour, we headed off to PSG, did a museum tour and then came back to the Louvre, went back to see the Mona Lisa, then recovered in the Tuileries Garden. If you don’t want to jet around like a crazy family, I would recommend going through the Tuileries Garden, after which you can go across the street at Rue de Rivoli to Angelica’s for some decadent hot chocolate and pastries and continue to the Place de la Concorde.

Place de la Concorde – From Angelica, stroll through Tuileries Garden or along the Rue de Rivoli to Place de la Concorde. This famous square is full of French history. This was the spot during the French Revolution where King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Robespierre were executed by guillotine. This place has a magnificent arrangement of fountains and statues, held together in the center by a 3,000-year-old Egyptian obelisk which was a gift to France from Egypt in 1829. From the Plaza, look down the Champs-Élysées and see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.

Another interesting stop for soccer lovers is a visit to Les Parc des Princes, the home of Paris St. Germain (PSG) football club since 1974. They have a really nice Experience Tour, which is worth taking. With the tour we had a chance to explore the change rooms, the grounds, and even kick balls into a net. While ours was a last minute decision which meant booking the tickets in person at the stadium, you can also book it online. Overall, a fun experience that was a great way to end our trip in Paris.

And we had to grab one last bite of macarons before we headed home!

London in Three Days with Teens

Leave a comment January 21, 2023 Sherylann

A first timers itinerary in London. London has a wealth of child-friendly, fun, historic, educational, and cultural things to do. How then to make the most of 3 days in this fun UK capital? With so much to see and do, here’s an itinerary to get to those bucket-list sights and must-dos in London.

Day 1: Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, London Eye, China Town

Day 2: Uber Boat to Greenwich, Royal Observatory (Prime Meridian and GMT), Cutty Sark, Burroughs Market, The Shard and Leake Street Tunnel

Day 3: Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, High Tea at The Wolseley, Fortnum and Mason, Harrods

In early 2022, we had planned on visiting Europe and then unfortunately, two of us came down with Covid a couple of days before our departure date resulting in cancelled plans. So, over the Christmas holidays, we made last minute plans to go back. Given that it was such short notice, we ended up going for 8 days and split that time between London and Paris.

We arrived early morning at 6:30am at London’s Heathrow airport. From there, we decided to take the train into the city to our hotel right beside Lambeth train station.

We decided against buying the Oyster card but instead bought single metro tickets for the four of us. The journey from Heathrow to central London takes around 45 minutes by taxi, 15 minutes by train, 35-45 minutes by London underground (Picadilly or Elizabeth Line) and 1 hour by the National Express bus.

When we got to the hotel, we kept our baggage at the front desk and decided to go on our way. Since we were hungry, we stopped by a bakery, grabbing some croissants and coffee to charge us up.

Tips: I planned the day with all the key sites we wanted to visit based on proximity to each other allowing us to maximize our time. The best way was to put the sites we wanted into Google Maps, sequence to optimize proximity to each other, and then follow the directions either walking or taking public transportation. We walked a lot – averaging 20,000 – 30,000 steps a day. As long as the two teens were well fed, they were troopers! (minus some exceptions!). I evaluated the cost of separately bought tickets to the various sights and realized it was cheaper and effective to use the London Pass instead.

Day 1: Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, London Eye, China Town

We walked from our hotel to Westminster Bridge, past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and continued walking towards Buckingham Palace. To get to the Palace, we passed the Wellington Barracks, on the edge of St. James’ Park along Birdcage Walk.

Since it was a Sunday, we had to watch the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. You can watch the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can watch them at Windsor Palace on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. https://changing-guard.com/where-to-watch.html

You don’t have to watch them at the gates of Buckingham as there are other options. The first troop movements for the Changing of the Guard ceremony take place at St. James’ Palace. 10:25 The St James’ Palace Detachment of The King’s Guard form up for inspection on Friary Court. During the inspection the St James’s Palace Band play a selection of music. (Check the calendar as on occasions there is no St James’s Palace Band). The Guards, normally led by a Regimental Band or Corp of Drums, step off to march down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Since it was winter, you couldn’t do a tour of Buckingham Palace but we strolled outside the dates, and admired the statue of Queen Victoria. The Queen Victoria Memorial is located in front of Buckingham Palace and comprises the Dominion Gates (Canada Gate, Australia Gate and South and West Africa Gates), the Memorial Gardens and a vast central monument commemorating the death of Queen Victoria in 1901.

From there, we walked down the Mall to Piccadilly Circus. We planned on watching London’s New Year’s Day Parade and snagged a coveted spot. It was a cold, clammy day and some hot cocoa kept us going.

After watching the parade, we plugged in directions to our hotel in Google Maps and walked back, via Trafalgar Square, where had the kids been younger, they would have surely climbed on the lion statues at the base of Nelson’s column. Along the way, we enjoyed the sights of London. We walked right past the London Eye, where you had lines of visitors lined up for a ride up into the sky.

Being London, we had to try Fish and Chips and decided to check out The Fishcotheque an old-fashioned, long-standing chip shop offering fried fish, burgers & pies, plus a take-out option. After tasting the drool-worth fish and calamari, I think we’ll want to jet out there again just for that!

After lunch, we strolled back to the hotel and checked in. We lounged around in the room for a bit and then feeling rested, we headed out again. We wanted to experience the lights of London at night. Big Ben, London Eye, the lights on Regent street, it was so beautiful.

The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel. It moves very slowly.

Big Ben, one of the most Instagrammed landmarks, has an iconic silhouette and is probably the world’s most famous clock. Did you know though that the Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower, are commonly called Big Ben?

Six monarchs and 41 prime ministers have come and gone since the bells first struck their now familiar music across Westminster. Unfortunately, with renovations, the tower was closed, but it’s a high 292 steps to the clock faces and 334 steps to the Belfry where Big Ben, the Great Bell, hangs. Big Ben is not the only bell in the clocktower. The bells are fixed and struck by hammers from outside, rather than swinging and being struck from inside by clappers.  

The streets were beautifully lit up with holiday lights.

The trick to keep moving with teens is to keep them well-fed. We snacked on sandwiches and finger-foods from bakeries and by the time we wanted to grab dinner, we realized most places were shutting down for the night. Fortunately, we were close to China Town and found a well-known restaurant that caters to late-night diners. There we feasted on Malaysian Laksa Noodles, Roast Duck and Roast Pork, Mussels in Chili oil and Sweet and Sour Ribs. The kids washed that down with Mango Bubble Tea. We then walked back to our Hotel, collapsing after a long but fun first day.

Day 2: Uber Boat to Greenwich, Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian (GMT), Cutty Sark, eating traditional foods, Burroughs Market and a visit to the Shard ending with a walk home via Leake Street Tunnel

Day 2 started with a ride down the Thames via the Uber boat from the Westminster bridge pier all the way down to Greenwich. It’s a great way to see the sights of the capital as you jet down the river.

Greenwich, the tranquil borough on the bank of the Thames is home to the Cutty Sark, the classical buildings of the Old Royal Naval College, and the Royal Observatory, the site of the Greenwich Meridian line and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

The Cutty Sark, a British clipper ship, is considered the world’s only surviving extreme clipper. Most of the hull fabric seen on the ship is from it’s original construction. Clipper ships are marked by three design characteristics – a long, narrow hull, a sharp bow which cuts through the waves rather riding atop – and three raking masts. Launched in 1869, it was the fastest and sleekest ship of its time. She’s beautiful and dominates the waterfront.

After the Cutty Sark, you wind your way past the Old Royal Naval College and through the wide-open Greenwich park up a steep hill to the Royal Observatory.

**Greenwich Palace also known as Placentia**

**Royal Observatory** – **The Shepherd 24 hour Gate Clock**

This is one of the earliest electrically driven time public clocks, installed in 1852. Being a 24-hour clock, the hour hand marks noon at the bottom on the dial and midnight to the top.

Just as the equator divides the northern and southern hemisphere, the Prime Meridian divides the eastern and western hemispheres. It is longitude 0°. In 1884, Sir George Biddell Airy, built the Transit Circle telescope at the Royal Observatory. The cross-hairs in the eyepiece of the telescope precisely defined Longitude 0° for the world.

Hungry after spending a hew hours there, the Pie and Mash at Goddards at Greenwich beckoned us and we enjoyed a delicious meal of pie, mash and absolutely scrumptious sticky toffee pudding.

Well satiated, we made our way back to the pier and took the Uber boat back to Bankside Pier which is within walking distance of Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest food markets in London. It’s fun to just walk through the market and try out the wares of the vendors. A quick walk from Borough Market is The Shard, considered an Icon of modern London. A ride up to the 68, 69 and 72 floors gave us spectacular 360-degree views upto 40 miles despite it being a deary day. We spent over an hour there, watching the sun go down.

**A view of The Shard from the bottom of the building**

After enjoying the views from the Shard, it was time to head home, taking the boat back to Waterloo pier where we walked through Leake Street Tunnel on the way to the hotel.

Leake Street Tunnel: Tucked under Waterloo station is one of London’s coolest street art locations with its ever-changing colorful murals. This 300-meter tunnel is the city’s largest legal graffiti wall and very cool! The Tunnel is a short walk away from Waterloo Station. It takes about five minutes to walk it from the station via York Road or you can get there from Lower Marsh street. To learn more, check out: https://www.leakestreetarches.london/

Day 3: Ride along with the Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Bus, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, High Tea at The Wolseley, Fortnum and Mason, ending with a visit to Harrods

We decided to use the Hop On Hop Off Bus as part of the London Pass. Buying the pass was the best decision we made. Not only did it include attractions that would have been more expensive purchasing individually, we were able to ride the HOHO bus on a cold wet day, seeing various sites from the bus, while staying dry from the rain.

Tower Bridge:

There’s always a waiting line for the Tower Bridge so we started the day there hoping to avoid the crowds. There’s a lot of narrow stairs to climb up that bridge – beware! But the view from the top is worth it. You can see up and down the river and walk along its panoramic glass walkway and see the mechanics of the bridge that make it open and close. This engineering marvel, is not only London’s most striking bridge thanks to its Neo-Gothic architecture and lifting central sections that can open frequently, but when it was first opened, it was the most sophisticate bascule bridge in the world.

Tower Bridge is often incorrectly called London Bridge. These are two separate bridges. Tower Bridge is the stately one, seen in the picture below and besides the Tower of London. When opened, it connected London and quickly made commerce easier. London Bridge, meanwhile, is slightly upriver, spanning the Thames from the City of London to Southwark. Walking from London Bridge to Tower Bridge takes less than 15 minutes.

**Jump on the glass floor if you dare!**

**A mirrored ceiling makes the views more fun**

From the Tower Bridge, we headed over to the Tower of London, a stone’s throw away.

Tower of London:

The Tower of London is one of London’s most important tourist attractions, an incredible palace and castle that you can’t miss on a trip to London. It will probably take you 1 – 2 hours to visit the Tower of London. The tour was included and was extremely informative and fun. Officially His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, this is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It also houses the Crown Jewels. The Tower’s been around since Roman times and has seen many changes over the years. During the Second World War, parts of the Tower were destroyed by bombing, including part of a building used by the Royal Mint and the Main Guard. War Prisoners, including the German deputy leader, Rudolph Hess, were kept as prisoners in the Tower. Another famous prisoner was Guy Fawkes who attempted to blow up Parliament with gunpowder, on November 5^th 1605.

The Yeoman guard, in the middle, is a popular symbol of the guards of London. Henry VII’s personal guards were the first ‘Beefeaters’, so named as they were permitted to eat as much beef as they wanted from the King’s table, and Henry VIII decreed that some of them would stay and guard the Tower permanently. They carry out ceremonial duties, such as unlocking and locking the Tower every day in the Ceremony of the Keys.

Here’s where you will find the Crown Jewels, under armed guard, a dazzling collection of dazzling collection of crowns, scepters, orbs, medals and rings handed down by British monarchs throughout history

**Yeoman Warder. popularly known as the Beefeaters**

We then hopped back on the bus and got off at Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey: The magnificent Westminster Abbey, one of the most famous places in London and a must-see on your visit to London. It will probably take you 1-2 hours to visit the Abbey. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarchs have been held in the abbey, as have many royal weddings, including that of Prince William to Kate Middleton in 2011.Westminster Abbey was initially built by Henry III in 1245 and it is one of the most important Gothic buildings of England. At first it was home of Benedictine monks, then the coronation church since 1066 and the final resting place of 17 monarchs. It contains a treasury full of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles, books and various other artefacts plus the most significant collection of monumental sculptures of the UK. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries in the Abbey’s Triforium opened in June 2018.

This Coronation Chair has been used at every Coronation ceremony since 1308. The Stone, which filled the space below the seat, was returned to Scotland in 1996, but will come back to the Abbey for future coronations.

After this, we hopped onto the Bus again, headed down towards Bond Street where we got off at The Ritz.

High Tea Afternoon Tea in Mayfair | The Wolseley, Piccadilly, London

Our 15-year old has been dreaming of London for a while now. It was sweetly amusing to see how enamored she was with the British accent and kept practicing it with dad! For her, the highlight of a visit to London would have been High Tea. And so we splurged with a visit to Fortnum & Mason followed by High Tea at The Wolseley, one of London’s oldest restaurants. These restaurants are within walking distance of each other.

At Fortnum and Mason, our 17-year old was able to pick up amazing Beef Wellington, something he had been craving while the 15-year old and the hubby entertained themselves checking out the selection of teas, chocolates and cheese.

The Wolseley, established in 1707 and located in Mayfair in London’s iconic Piccadilly. is an elegant restaurant serving Modern European food & afternoon tea with grand, art deco glamour. We could understand why it’s renowned for it’s art decor, food and truly impeccable service, making it indeed an evening to remember. The server, a Texan transplant to London, went out of his away to make sure this was a special occasion and a memorable evening.

We also walked along Bond Street and Oxford Street, window shopping, checking out the fanciest of cars, and imagining the lives of the Rich and Famous.

We then hopped a car (Uber) that took us over to Harrods.

Harrods is London’s well-known high-end department store. It epitomizes British luxury retail, attracting millions of visitors from around the globe for its selection of world-class, high-end retail shopping. Set in a beautiful historic location on Brompton Road near Knightstbridge London Underground Station, the distinguished department stores boasts seven floors and more than 330 departments. For one of my teenagers, Harrods was all about checking out the shoes – study hard kid!

This brought us to the end of our 3-day visit. The next day, we hopped on the Eurostar to Paris. We’ll be back – London was amazing!

Highlights of the Louvre with teens!

Leave a comment January 14, 2023 Sherylann

The Louvre is one of the most well-known museums in the world. It’s extensive and you can easily spend a day or two or more, especially if you are a history buff. But since our two teens were more interested in IG (Instagrammable) moments, and wanted mostly the highlights, we charted out a path that was no more than a couple of hours and took us through the the must-see things in the Louvre (as identified by these teens).

Since we had arrived the previous evening in Paris, and were staying a stone throw’s away from the Louvre, we stopped by. The lights are simply beautiful and we were able to snag some amazing pictures.

First let’s start with what we know about the Louvre. The Louvre is a national museum in Paris, France. An iconic palace, it is one of the most visited sites in Paris. The building started with being a military fort built by Philip II in the 12th century. Francis I had the fort torn down and replaced with a palace for the royal family. He named his new home the Louvre, a name that has stuck. Subsequent kings continued to add buildings around the main building.

So, now let’s get moving.

Quick tips that worked for us: It’s best to get to the Louvre using a timed entry pass. We bought it online and arrived 15 minutes prior to the time on the ticket but even then there were long queues. Had we not bought a ticket ahead of time, it would have been worse. There are also three entrances to the Louvre. Most people will head to the glass pyramid entrance, but you can also enter through Porte des Lions or Le Carrousel du Louvre, and they are usually not as busy. Now, get an audio guide or tour guide. Have a plan, get a map (free at the info desk) and plan out your must-do sights. Time-box yourself – so much to see, lots to walk around and kids get bored. A plan with a set time limit was the best thing we did. We did carry our passports along since the museums are free for kids under 18. In this case, I wasn’t asked for proof but I’ve heard of friends who were asked to show proof.

Our first stop was to head down to the moat where we saw one of the old walls of the castle that is preserved in the Medieval Louvre. This is the wall facing the city with the support pillar of the drawbridge, the main entrance to the Louvre.

As we looked closely at bricks on the wall, we noticed that quite a few bricks have a symbol on it – a circle, heart, square, etc. That’s because each brickmaker had to account for the number of bricks they made. Tagging each brick by a symbol enabled them to do just that. In those days, a heart didn’t symbolize love, it was no different than a square, circle or similar symbols.

Then we were off to see the statues.

The Sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Tanis is a granite sculpture of a sphinx, whose date may be as early as the 26th century BC. It has the body of a lion and the face of the Pharoah.

Athena – Pallas de Velletri

Our next stop was at Athena. Athena, the daughter of Zeus, is the Greek goddess of crafts, wisdom, and warfare. She was also known as the Goddess of the wise war. The statue in the Louvre is known as the Athena de Velletri Pallas. Pallas is a specific type of marble statue with Athena wearing a helmet. All statues of this type are 1st century Roman copies of a lost Greek bronze.

From here, we moved on to see the statue of Aphrodite.

As you walk through the museum, you will notice that these statues in the museum are all white. When these statues were originally created, they were painted and adorned with jewelry but over time, the paint colors faded or jewelry was looted. It was during the Renaissance that the statues were painted white which is how we see most of them today.

Aphrodite

This statue of Aphrodite has an apple in one hand and there’s a story behind it.

In Greek mythology, both gods and mortals coveted the golden apples the goddess Gaia gave as a wedding present to Hera and Zeus. They were kept in a garden guarded by a hundred-headed dragon that never slept. These apples promised immortality and more to anyone who ate them. Now Eris, the goddess of discord, was very angry at not having been invited to the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, so she took one of the apples and threw it among the guests. On the apple was inscribed, “For the most beautiful of them all”.

Three goddesses saw the apple that Aries had thrown on a table. Hera, Zeus’ wife, Athena, his daughter and Aphrodite, his other daughter. Zeus was asked to intervene, and to decide who was the most beautiful. Of course,he didn’t want to do so he asked a mortal prince, prince Paris to intervene. The three tried to bribe him and he picked Aphrodite swayed by The three goddesses appearing before the shepherd prince, each offering him gifts for favour. He chose Aphrodite, swayed by her promise to bestow upon him Helene, the most beautiful woman, for wife. The subsequent abduction of Helene led directly to the Trojan War and the fall of the city.

Venus de Milo

Venus is the Roman counterpart to Aphrodite. This status is very famous because it was not only the first Greek sculpture to be in the collection and is also one of the best preserved Greek statues in existence. It is said to be as old as 150 years BC. Legend has it that it caused women in the 19th and early 20th century to have unrealistic expectations of body image.

Now, for over a thousand years, temples and statues slowly disappeared as ancient wonders were dismantled and used to build homes. The marble that had been used for certain sculptures made the best lime. Statue and temple marble fragments spent centuries, forgotten in caves. Then, in 1820, French naval ships anchored on the island of Melos (Milo). As Olivier Voutier, a young navy officer with a passion for ancient Greece, walked around what the runes of a theater, he came upon Yorgos Kentrotas, a peasant, who was searching for stones to reinforce the wall around this field. The peasant had just uncovered the upper part of a statue in poor condition but given that he didn’t think it useful, was going to cover it with rubble. However, Olivier, instead dug it out. Despite having no arms, broken knot of the hair and nose, it looked like a remarkable piece and the two continued to look for the rest. Olivier has the statue then assembled, much to the amazement of the officers who had gathered around. There is much debate on how the statue was transported back to France but nevertheless, the statue was delivered to King Louis the XVIII who offered it to the Louvre.

We don’t know who she is. Milo is the name of the island where she was discovered but the features on the arms that would have helped identify her are lost. In ancient Greece, gods took human form and sculptures depicting gods are made taller than human beings. The best materials were also used for gods and there is a serenity radiating from her face while led people to believe she was a goddess. Aphrodite was the only goddess to be naked and this hip position . The hole in the arm was to hold a bracelet in place. Being half-naked, it was speculated that she was probably Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and fertility. Aphrodite being Venud to the Romans, this Greek statue ended up with a Roman name,

The Winged Victory of Samothrace

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, is a Hellensitic-era Greek sculptural masterwork depicting the goddess Nike.

As mentioned in the Louvre, the Greeks had the idea of portraying Victory as a woman, a messenger of Zeus. This monument of Samothrace is the finest representation of that image. The artist wanted to represent the winged messenger, atop the prow of a ship, made of gray marble from the island of Rhodes. The statue itself is made of marble, from white Parian marble.

Nike wears a long garment of a beautiful cloth with folded flaps and a belted beneath the breast. The mantle is slipping from her shoulders and the power of the wind is shown with the drapes on her legs. The torso is not naked but represents her dress with the wind and sea blowing against her.

Victory in Greek is Nike and the brand was inspired by the statue and the name.

After that we entered Gallery of little Versailles.

King Louis XIV, famously identified himself with the sun god Apollo and he had in mind how he wanted to represent that and build out Versailles. But before that, he called on an architect and outlined his vision for Versailles asking to first build this gallery at the Louvre. If that went well, the architect would get to build out Versailles. One may say, the audition went very well as this splendid gallery is a beautiful representation of Louis’ image. The greatest painters, gilders and sculptors of the day worked on it and then worked on the Hall of Mirrors at the Chateau de Versailles.

Today, the Galerie d’Apollon is home to the royal collection of hardstone vessels and the French Crown Jewels. Charles Le Brun, the lead, decorated the vaulted ceiling with paintings of Apollo driving his chariot across the sky. The center of the ceiling shows the sun god’s journey, marking the different times of the day from dawn to night. On the sides, you will be mesmerized with images and symbols of the variations in the sun’s light depicting hours, days, months, seasons, and zodiac signs, giving visual representation to the sun’s power and in turn, the glory of the Sun King, Apollo Dawn to Night. These are surrounded by a whole cosmos of images and symbols of everything that is influenced by variations in the sun’s light and heat (the hours, days, months, seasons, signs of the zodiac and continents). The ‘Gallery of Apollo’, with its lavish carved and painted decoration, gave visual form to the sun’s power over the whole universe, magnifying the glory of the Sun King.

This gallery also houses the French crown jewels. Wow – These are the daily utensils of King Louis XIV, they had actual jewels in it. The small diamond in the picture below was installed on Napoleon’s sword

Mona Lisa and the Wedding Feast at Cana

From there we had to the most famous of them all – The Mona Lisa. Beware, there are always lines, and it can take as long as 45 minutes to see the beguiling Mona Lisa. Of the 5 paintings by Da Vinci in the Louvre, only one has millions lining up for it. Is it worth it? What do you think?

Now, before you get to the Mona Lisa, while we were waiting in queue to see the Mona Lisa, we looked around. The room is filled with magnificent paintings, the biggest painting of which is Veronese’s monumental Wedding Feast at Cana. For those not familiar with this biblical story, it’s the first miracle of Jesus where he turned water into wine. At the wedding, towards the end of the feast, the wine was over. Mary, the mother of Jesus, asked him to help. Jesus reluctantly stepped in and asked servants to fill jugs with water and He transformed the water into wine, the best one served at that wedding.

Now the Mona Lisa: Let’s start with who she is and why did she get so famous?

A silk merchant, Francesco del Giocondo commissioned Leonardo Da Vinci to paint a portrait of his wife, Lisa Gherardini, aka Madonna -Madam- Lisa del Giocondo, shortened to Madonna Lisa del Giocondo, and eventually, shortened into Mona Lisa. As the story goes, Madam Lisa had just lost her baby, and Da Vinci took it upon himself to make her smile but he wasn’t satisfied with the result. As a result, Leonardo never delivered the painting to Francesco and Lisa. He kept it, kept improvising it and took it with him to France. Upon his death, his assistant sold the painting to the King of France. Through his expression of his ideal vision, he ended up giving an unassuming woman the nobility of a lady of high rank, and the majesty of a Virgin Mary. The smile is something that Da Vinci has captured in his other paintings too – whether it’s the Virgin Mary smiling lovingly at the infant Jesus in her arms or John the Baptist smiling widely, the smile is there is most of his paintings, although the enigmatic smile is attributed to the circumstances while the portrait of Madam Lisa was being painted. You’ll also note that this painting is not on canvas but is actually on wood panels.

Besides this being Da Vinci’s painting, why did this get so famous?

On a quiet morning in August 1911, a weekly closure day for the Louvre, a man entered unnoticed into the Louvre. He had worked here before, putting glass into frames and knew his way around. He wasn’t happy these Italian paintings were in France and was determined to take them back. Vincenzo Peruggia realized that most of the paintings were way too big, with the exception of the Mona Lisa. He seized it and quickly took it out of the frame and slid it under his jacket. The next morning, the theft was noticed when a painter who was supposed to paint a copy of the Mona Lisa found it missing. The police scoured the city for clues including searching the apartment of Peruggia, a known thief, who had left a thumb-print behind but the police missed finding the painting.

Days after the theft, a contest for eccentric stories started. A newspaper interviewed Mona Lisa; others speculated that it must be a ‘crime of passion.’ Or that Arsène Lupin was involved. Movies and popular songs poked fun at the whole thing. Newspapers offered financial rewards for information leading to the painting. For over two years, the Louvre ran daily ads in the newspaper. All that publicity led to the Mona Lisa becoming such a famous painting – any other painting would have likely received the same publicity.

For two years, it stayed hidden until Peruggia decided to sell the painting to antique dealers in Italy who were offering good prices for art. With the painting hidden in the bottom of a trunk, Peruggia crossed the border to Florence. There the merchant he was negotiating with contacted the Italian authorities and Peruggia was arrested. He was given a lenient sentence as he claimed he was trying to return it to Italy believing Napoleon stole it.

And some other questions that often get asked:

Why this this painting so small? It is not small. Au contraire, it is the biggest portrait that Leonardo has ever painted. Like all portraits, it is roughly life size.
Do her eyes really look at you? If a painter can turn a few drops of color into living eyes, it can provide an an opening into someone’s soul and looks like the eyes follow you. It’s a myth that they eyes are following you
, then the painting is most likely a masterpiece

We took our time and enjoyed the painting. Ignoring the hype and the mystique and the stories around it. We had to let the beauty of the painting sink in.

The Grande Galerie

Dozens of Italian Masterpieces hang in this Grande Galerie at the Louvre, a hot-spot to see majestic paintings. The Grande Galerie was built at the end of the 16th century to link two royal palaces: the Louvre and Tuileries and runs parallel to the Seine.

One of the masterpieces in that corridor, is the Coronation of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Josephine. This painting is a contradiction of both history and fiction. It was ordered by Emperor Napoleon to establish his power. The Pope was supposed to crown him but Napoleon believed he was above the church and everyone so he took the crown from the Pope and placed it on his own head and then placed it on the queen. While the painting is supposed to represent the coronation of Napoleon, it shows Napoleon crowning the queen while the Pope looks on disgusted and mad.

This painting is full of factual error. In the balcony, you see a woman sitting who is Napoleon’s mother. But Napoleon’s mother lived in Corsica, and didn’t attend the coronation and she knew her son was going to disrespect the Pope, and she didn’t want to be a part of that. His mother also didn’t like Napoleon’s wife, Josephine who was older than Napoleon. In the painting, Josephine looks so young but she was 43 and didn’t want to look older than Napoleon and so she asked the artist to make her look younger. The exact same picture is also in Versailles. In the original painting, the sisters and cousins of Napoleon are also depicted in the same dress. But one of the women paid the painter to redo it with her wearing a pink dress and you’ll see that version in Versailles.

Now our last stop of the day is to see Alexander the Great

Alexander III of Macedon created one of the largest empires of the ancient world in little over a decade. According to the website historyextra.com, after suppressing his enemies on home soil, Alexander moved quickly to reassert Macedonian power in Greece and to conquer the Persian empire, achieving victories across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt without suffering a single defeat.

The next eight years of campaigning saw him create an empire that stretched across three continents and covered around two million square miles – south into Egypt and as far east as the Indian Punjab.

He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered one of history’s most successful military commanders – but died in his prime at Babylon in June 323 BC, just before his 33rd birthday.

Now that brought us to the end of the tour. There was still plenty to see within the Louvre. There are so many works of art. But our kid wanted to visit the Paris Saint Germain stadium, so we wandered a little bit more through some of the other galleries. The one with all the Islamic artifacts reminded us of our visit to Istanbul. When we were done, we stepped out and took a break in Jardin de Tuileries, a public garden located between the Louvre and Place de La Concorde before heading out to the football stadium and the home of Messi.

Memories of Home

Recipes passed down through generations

Travel

A walking tour of Montmartre

3 days in Paris

London in Three Days with Teens

Highlights of the Louvre with teens!