April! In Paris! | Roam Family Travel

DESTINATIONS , EUROPE

April! In Paris!

The mere phrase conjures up springtime romance, arm-in-arm strolls and Seine-side snogs, as Ella Fitzgerald sublimely bends thenotes of the Vernon Duke/E.Y. Harburg song (“Ayy-pril in Pahh-ris”) and an eager-to-please artiste channeling Gene Kelly whips up afreakishly accurate canvas of your likeness, which is great, because your hair never looked better.

Because April. In Paris!

During my first April in Paris nearly 20 years ago, the closest I came to this romantic fantasy was a four-course, four-hour, whiteBurgundy-fueled dinner at Le Procope with the ghost of my imaginary historical boyfriend, Voltaire, who used to frequent theplace. (It’s been feeding the Parisian public since 1686.) On subsequent trips in a later April and more recent autumn, I continuedmy solo love affair with Paris, and with myself in Paris. But that all-aflutter amorousness that led so many others to buckle thePont des Arts under the weight of heart locks eluded me.

I returned to Paris in April of 2014. This time, the trip was all about love — my younger sister’s. After a long-distance courtship, shewas marrying a lovely, California-born denizen of the 11th arrondissement.

HOME DESTINATIONS TIPS RESOURCES ABOUT

April! In Paris! | Roam Family Travel http://roamfamilytravel.com/april-in-paris/

1 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM

And if gaining a brother-in-law meant traveling all the way to France during its most famous month, well… that was a sacrifice Iwas willing to make. Plus, I wouldn’t be making the trek alone. And though the big, beautiful Franch love we were celebratingwasn’t mine, family love—thanks to the happy couple and my vegan sister, omnivorous cousin and tween niece who came withme—was all around. Pretty sweet!

Speaking of sweet, despite what you may have heard all your life, the best part of April in Paris is not love. Nor is it spring. It’s thetreats!



2 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM

frozen meals to unsuspecting diners—may be done in the service of food. And fresh daily bread is a human right subsidized by thegovernment and prized throughout the gluten-tolerant world.

To wit, pretty much every block in Paris has at least three bakeries, or boulangeries:

A bakery that serves delicious, flaky croissants and mouth-watering breads of all shapes and sizes.1.

A slightly better, probably artisanal bakery that serves delicious, flaky croissants and mouth-watering breads of all shapesand sizes.

2.

The #basic bakery that no one goes to but is always somehow crowded.3.

Every morning of our stay, someone would bring fresh croissants, olive-cheese rolls and pains chocolats into the house we sharedwith other members of the wedding party. And every morning, hungry, hung-over adults would quickly consume those bakedgoods, leaving my slow-rousing niece bereft of breakfast. Thus, every morning presented an opportunity to be a hero.

For a handful of change and the fortitude needed to put on my shoes, walk out the door and cross the street after a vin-soakedevening, I could buy a morning’s worth of tween smiles and goodwill from the best bakery on the block. Totally worth it.

(This isn’t even the best pastry shop on the block, and it’s better than you can imagine.)

A word about bakeries: In France, you’ll find bread in boulangeries. But if you’re looking for pastries, you’ll have to go to apatisserie. Or a café. In fact, you can find a decent version of something from every French food group in a café. But if you wantthe best version, go to a specialty shop. During our visit—probably because it was around Easter—filled pastel macarons were allthe rage. My niece sampled so many that she became an expert by the end of our journey.

So much of what the City of Lights is known for—smoking, mistresses, meandering intellectual discourse, al fresco day drinking—isnot appropriate for, or even all that interesting to, children. American tweens raised with images of the world’s artistic treasures attheir fingertips are not that impressed by coming face-to-face with Mona Lisa or gothic cathedral interiors (unless obviouslytraceable to a Disney flick). But walk any child into a Parisian bakery and you will see the magic of April in Paris come to life.



3 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM

The Good Stuff

Place des Vosges – The gateway to the Marais, this small, beautiful

square has picnic benches, lounging lawns, spouting fountains and

ample, but short, dirt pathways for running off excess energy.

The Paris Metro – It’s not that cheap, and it’s not always clean. But

the Metro is fast, efficient and a great way to get around the city when

walking just won’t do. Plus, it affords a priceless opportunity to mix

and mingle with all walks of life, from chic Montmartre matrons to

hijab-clad students. Better than any ride at Disneyland, and ideal for

teaching young ones the importance of zipping up packs and purses

and putting away screens.

Good Going

The Roam Report – Paris

Travelers: The Sulkis Family – Karen, sister Paula, cousin Ian and Paula’s 12-year-old daughter, Ariel

Date: April 2014

Itinerary: Paris (7 nights). Arriving from London via Chunnel train and heading down to Bordeaux for a week on the TGV after. Wehad wedding events to attend during the first half of the visit, with free time interspersed and after.

Budget: About $1,400 for a week’s lodging in a house share in the heart of the 11th for two adults and one child. (Cousin Ianstayed in a rented apartment two blocks away.) We shared household grocery costs with the wedding party; expenses were low,but not rock-bottom, as we tended to splurge on the better version of whatever we saw at the market, because Paris! Between thesupermarket, bistros and incidental/urgent café breaks, I’d say we put an average of 25 euro per day in our mouths.



4 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM


WHY ROAM?

The best part of family travel isn’t

the zip lines or the beaches: It’s

the fun of experiencing new things

together. We aim to inspire

families to take full advantage of

the all-too-brief window of years in

which they can Roam…

TOPICS

ABOUT ASIA AUSTRALIA

DESTINATIONS EUROPE

JAPAN LATIN AMERICA

MIDDLE EAST MORE

RESOURCES TIPS

UNITED STATES

LATEST ARTICLES

The Californians DoNantucket

Exploring the CrazyBeauty of Moab

April! In Paris!

ROAM WITH US

Get our ROAM newsletter to stay

informed and connected!

Subscribe

© 2015 Roam Family Travel, All rights reserved.



5 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM



6 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM



7 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM



8 of 8 6/25/15 10:27 PM

Documents

April! In Paris! | Roam Family Travel