The City of Lights

Paris. The name alone brings to memory romance, culture, art, some of the world’s finest cuisine and a rich history dating back to the Romans. When you add children to this mix, it is what you make of it. Certainly, the Cat and I were not planning a romantic trip when we decided to bring the kids. We contemplated making the trip without them, but just could not bear not to share Paris with them. Surprisingly, there was a lot to do with them in Paris. What follows will give you an idea of what it is like to travel with a young preschooler and a school age child and the logistics that go into planning such a trip as well as my opinion of Paris after having visited once without and now with children.

Before the Trip

Packing for a family is very different from packing for one or two adults. Children require lots of planning and the more thought out your plan the smoother your trip will go. Since I have lots on my mind to keep track of who needs what. I began a "packing list" for each child with what their particular needs are. I have been doing this since before Thing 2. I print out each list prior to packing and start adding items to the suitcase and crossing things out. I have yet to forget anything of importance for them. As much as I hate it, toys are a must. If you are in a hotel, you will want your kids to be entertained while you get ready in the morning. The TV channels abroad do play programs from Disney and Nickelodeon as well as programs produced in their country, but these are usually dubbed int he native language, in this case, French. So, it is wise to pack crayons, coloring books, stuffed animals for the little ones, games, videos in English, books and special small toys that you know they like.In preparation, I did my homework and came up with several books and movies that Thing 1 could read and watch about Paris. We also went on the websites for the different attractions and took a look at the information. Lots of the sites provide a section for kids.

When traveling with the kids, I always pack enough entertainment and food for the trip. I never go anywhere without crayons and paper or a coloring book, especially not in Europe because restaurants here don’t give your kids crayon and paper to entertain them.

Puzzles, children’s magazines, and the thin step into reading books work wonders for Thing 1. Thing 1 loves her FP3 player, books, crayons and paper. Small figurines or action figure can also keep kids entertained. Don’t count on in flight entertainment – most movies are for adults. Portable DVD players or a laptop computer with a sampling of DVD’s works great.

To travel light, we have copied many of our DVD’s onto our I-Pods with the IM Too DVD Ripper Software (you can find this on line). It is time consuming, but now we have all the most popular shows on a hard drive and when we take a trip we transfer what we need to each of our I-pods and voila! Instant entertainment for the most bored child. Yes, they may take on a comatose look in flight, but would you prefer to have a bored kid annoying other passengers or one sitting quietly albeit like a zombie looking at a screen? Sometimes you need to choose your battles!

Getting to Paris

Paris has three main airports. But, Charles De Gaulle (CDG) is the most well known of the three. It is located about 30 km north of Paris. All airports provide transfers into the city center. If you are traveling with kids and plan to stay at the Disneyland resort, Disney provides a courtesy coach shuttle to the resort from both CDG and Orly. You are most likely to fly into Charles De Gaulle airport so I will focus on that one.

Unlike some European airports, CDG planes pull into a terminal (no shuttle buses to the terminal). Signs are posted in English and French and even with the most minimal exposure to French you can make out what the signs say. Most airport personnel speak English. The airport has lots of moving walkways that make navigation with a stroller easy. Enjoy the convenience while you can – more on that later! Getting into Paris from the Airport

Taxis from CDG run about 60 Euros/$88 USD one way. Pretty expensive! The cheapest mode of transport into the city is the RER B train. It takes you straight into the city with a stop at a main transfer station Chatêlet/Le Halles. You can either buy a one way ticket to your location or depending on the length of your stay, you can purchase a Paris Visité pass for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days. This pass allows for unlimited access to metro trains (including RER’s) and buses for the length of the pass. If you are taking the metro from the airport, make sure you buy a pass for zones 1-6. There are different passes for different zone inclusions. The more zones, the more it costs. My recommendation is to figure out how many days you plan on traveling to zones 4, 5, 6 which includes the airport, Disneyland Paris and Versailles among others. Then, purchase a zone 1-6 pass for those days and a separate zone 1-3 pass for the remaining days.

Of course, if you have young children, a stroller and 3-4 bags, taking the Metro from the airport can be a challenge. A nice alternative to both the taxi and metro is the Air France Shuttle Bus. They serve many stops around Paris and will save you about $75 USD in taxi fare. The shuttle bus is a coach bus. Children 2 and up pay ½ fare, under are free. If you choose this option prior to booking your hotel, it is a good idea to locate hotels in the vicinity of your bus stop. Our hotel was across the street from the bus stop making it very convenient for us. For information on all these options and more, visit: http://aircityshuttle.tourpackagers.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=119 .

Hotels

Hotels in Paris are expensive even if they call themselves “budget.” The budget hotel I am familiar with here is the no frills “Ibis” chain. There are also hostels to be found here. If you are single or traveling as a couple, these are good choices if you don’t wish to spend a fortune on a room you only use for sleeping.

We have been unable to stay at any budget accommodations since we had kids because we need more space, another commodity not easily found in Paris. To give you an idea, when I visited 9 years ago without kids (before the Cat), I stayed at a hotel where the bed itself took up the entire room. You only had space to walk around the bed to get to the equally small bathroom.

Secondly, when looking for a hotel for a family with children, you have to look at the fine print. As I said, rooms run small. Many hotels have child policies. In some, you have to book two rooms. Some have you pay a percentage for a child; some allow children to stay free when using parent’s beds. While this may work with infants, it does not work with older kids. If you search for hotels through a travel search engine and input 2 children and 2 adults, your choices will be very limited. One site I like is Booking.com. They have the hotel policies on children for different hotels and they also tell you what your entire stay will cost based on the nights entered.

I picked out the Novotel Gare de Lyon. Novotel is a mid range hotel chain about 3 – 4 stars depending on what you pay. It is popular here in Europe and run by the Accor group. They are not unlike typical USA hotels. Our hotel was ideally located right across the street from Gare de Lyon, a Metro and major train station that services trains to the south of France. I also chose this hotel because it was on RER A train line to Disneyland Paris, which was in our plans.

Our room was actually big by European standards. There was a bathroom with a separate tub and shower area and the toilet was located in another enclosure. The room had a king size bed and a sofa. Both sides of the sofa pulled out into two twin beds. By bedtime, you could not walk around your room, but we really did not have to. In the morning, we just pushed the beds into place and had a small living room that the kids turned into a play area. The hotel and the room itself were clean. They included an instant coffee and tea making machine free of charge and an exorbitantly priced mini bar (5 Euros for a bottle of Evian!). The room was air conditioned, but the air coming out felt more like a fan. Luckily, it was winter time so we only had to open the window to get some cool air. This is another consideration. If, like me, you cannot stand to be hot, do not travel anywhere in Europe over the summer. Most hotels do not have A/C and if they do, the rooms are climate controlled. In some places, you can get away with traveling in April or May because it is still cool and you can open a window.

The hotel offered petit dejeuner (breakfast) every morning. We only ate there on the morning we left. The breakfast was pretty good – scrambled or hard boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, cold meats, cheeses, cereals, and authentic French bread, toast and chocolate and butter croissants. However, at 30 Euros for a family of four, it was quite overpriced. We bought some croissants at the local boulangerie (bakery) every couple of days during our stay.

There are two small markets within a block of this hotel: Monoprix and Super Marche. Both sold water, milk, snacks (including American brands) as well a Pain au chocolat (chocolate bread/croissant). We bought what we needed every few days.

For Novotel hotels go to: http://www.novotel.com/novotel/index.html
For website with a great selection of European Hotels go to: http://www.booking.com
 

Transportation

The Metro and Bus are all you will need. Don’t bother driving here. The traffic is horrendous. There is a beltway they call the “Peripherique” that circles the city and I hear that it is a nightmare for foreigners to navigate. The guide book told us not to and after what happened to us in Dublin last year, we listened.

Something to keep in mind is that in order to really see the city, you have to walk. If you are ok just going from attraction to attraction, then you can literally travel underground never seeing the city above ground. But, walking through Paris is part of the whole experience. We used the Paris Visite Pass, but we feel we probably would have done well paying for individual tickets because we walked all over the place. We mostly used the Metro to get to attractions outside of Paris and in the morning and evenings to get to attractions or head back to the hotel. The metro is extremely efficient with trains at any time of day running every 3-5 minutes. We never waited more than 5 minutes.

The RER trains tend to run every 12-15 minutes. There are 5 RER lines (A, B, C, D, E) going in every direction towards the Paris suburbs. Think of it like the Tri Rail in Miami or the VRE in Virginia or the train from New York to Long Island. RER A runs to Disneyland Paris and RER C to Versailles.

Make sure you get on the train going in the right direction especially on the RER. You may board a train that looks like it is going in the direction you need to go, but then it splits off at the end. This happened to me last time I visited. Today, they have boards with all the stations and all stops related to the next train are lit up. Make sure your stop is lit up or you may end up elsewhere.

We did not use the buses, but from what I saw, they are modern looking and have a feature I think every bus should have. On the outside of the bus, instead of advertising, they actually have all the bus stops listed like they do on the metro trains. So, if you are walking along and come across a bus that is going where you are headed, just hop on!

For more information on transportation in Paris go to: http://www.ratp.fr/
 

Crime

Pickpockets are everywhere and you will see signs posted telling you to watch your pockets and handbags. We did not have any problems. Just make sure your purse is closed or zipped, same for any backpacks.

Accessibility

Normally, I would not write about this, but I felt it was a must. The question on our minds throughout the week was: “How do disabled people get by in this city?” This question came to mind most in Metro Stations. It was rare to find an elevator or a gate accessible to wheelchairs. We had an easily collapsible umbrella stroller which he either had to collapse or the Cat had to pick up with Thing 2 in it and carry it up flights of stairs. If there are Metro entrances with elevators, I never saw one. If you take RER trains you will find a random elevator to move between platforms, but that’s it. For this reason, I would not travel here with infants. The umbrella stroller was ok but those bulky travel systems are too difficult to navigate. We saw many parents with oversized stroller and prams and I felt sorry for them because the metro and some attractions are not stroller friendly.

Bathrooms

Ok, not something people usually write about, but this is useful information. When I came here in 1999, you had to pay 2 Francs to use the public toilets found in the middle of the street. Most people prefer to use clean bathrooms found in restaurants or cafés. The French are very greedy when it comes to people coming into their establishments just to use the bathroom. Nothing is free in Paris so if you want to use their bathrooms, you are supposed to buy something. Since they converted over to the Euro, the public toilets are now free (and as dirty as ever), but the restaurants have found more ingenious ways to keep you from using their toilets without buying something. The most unbelievable case of this was at McDonald’s of all places. We had stopped to eat there and Thing 1 needed to use the bathroom. This Mc Donald’s had a coded entry into their bathroom. And guess where you could find the code! Yep – on your receipt.

Another useful tip: always carry 50 cents (Euro) with you. At the Carrousel du Louvre, they had pay toilets for 50 cents. I had 1 euro coin so I put that in. It did not work. I ended up having to make change and paid 1.50 to use a toilet. That’s like $2.25 USD!

Aesthetics

When I say aesthetics, I am not talking about art. One of the biggest surprises I encountered with this visit was the blatant disregard that locals had for their city. Trash littered the streets even on the Champs Elyse. Everywhere we walked cigarette butts littered the street. We had to watch our step because with the number of dogs out and about and owners that do not clean up after them, you were bound to step on something if you did not watch your step.

The number of homeless people begging in subway stations and sleeping on the banks of the Seine was staggering. Along the river, you could see pup tents lined up and homeless people building fires. Thing 1 wanted to give money to everyone and we did give some Euros to some people, but we had to explain to him that unfortunately we cannot give to everyone or we to would end up sleeping along the river. In addition, I saw disabled homeless people lying about. I’m not a doctor, but I saw one man with what looked like a really bad case of cellulitis on his leg just laying there sleeping. This is surprising for a country with a socialist system of medical care and economics to a certain degree. You would think that their people would be better cared for.

When I came back, I talked to some people who confirmed what I thought: Paris was not like this 10 years ago. I was told that the riots in 2005 had much to do with deterioration of the city.
Further, take a good look at my pictures and notice the smog all over the place. There was so much pollution that all of us ended up on some sort of respiratory symptom during the trip. My Polish friends were surprised to hear me say that Warsaw was cleaner and less polluted than Paris.

Dogs

They are everywhere and they are welcomed just about anywhere. On my last visit here I recall seeing dogs at the Galeries de Lafayette, at restaurants (eating at the table with their families), etc. So, don’t be surprised if you are eating and find that Fifi is sitting at the table next to you having gourmet French cuisine with her owner.

Kids

I list them below dogs because it seems to me that the French like their dogs more than kids. I'm sure those with children love their kids - it's just everyone else. Many restaurants do not have children's menu. We ate dinner one night at a fondue restaurant across the street from our hotel. You would think kids would like cooking their food and dipping it into sauces and cheese, but no.

The alternative for kids is a sandwich called a Croque Monsieur. Basically, it is a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. On top, it is layered with beschamel sauce covered with cheese. It was quite good and the kids enjoyed it. Crepes are also an alternative. Some places do have chicken nuggets. If you don't have picky eaters than there is no need to worry. We tried to get one good meal into them per day and the rest was just a bonus.We always bring snacks and drinks for the kids (and the birds you will encounter) when we are out. Capri suns and juice boxes work well. Crackers are popular with the kids and the birds. Granola bars, wafers (very popular here) – anything small. I bring the snack size glad bags and sort out daily snacks for any outing.

Customer Service

Leave your expectations about customer service at home and you will not be disappointed, maybe even pleasantly surprised when you receive good service. The French in Paris (not necessarily around France) are definitely rude and have no concept of service. When you occasionally find good customer service, tell everyone you know.

On the first day there, we were trying to find a restaurant where the kids would actually eat. We ran into Planet Hollywood on the Champs Elysee. Since we are not living in America at this time, I can totally justify eating at this type of place since I no longer have the opportunity to do so on a whim. So, we stopped there around 4:30pm for an early meal because we were all tired and wanted to head back to the hotel early. The place was largely empty except for a few families also having early meals. We waited 30 minutes and despite two requests for someone to take a drink order, no one stopped by our table. By that time, the kids were hungrier and tired. We got up to leave and that’s when someone came over to apologize. It was too late and we ended up having McDonald’s on our first night in Paris. Mind you, I spoke French to them and I at Disneyland a lady taking my order commented that my French was quite good. So, I think that the further you get away from Paris, the more pleasant the French become.

The Euro

With the dollar losing its value, the Euro is very expensive. We have visited many cities in the past year that were on the Euro, but I can say that Paris was the most expensive – getting the bare minimum for your Euro. In Vienna, for example, I felt that what I paid for something was worth it. But, here, a lunch consisting of 2 pizza slices, a drink and a dessert for 4 people cost 40 Euro. A ham and cheese or plain cheese baguettes, fries and a drink, cost about 50 Euros. Even the Parisians have complained recently about the rise in the price of their precious baguettes. It is such a difference from when I visited previously and they were still on the Franc. Just keep that in mind if you travel here in the near future.

To see how much your dollar can buy in Euro go to: http://www.xe.com
 

The Paris Museum Pass

The Paris Museum Pass for 3, 4 or 6 days is available everywhere that it is accepted. The pass allows admission to about 60 museums (including Versailles) for the number of days you purchase. Kids are free. The more museums you visit, the more cost effective it is. The only must see attraction that is not included is the Eiffel Tower. The best part is that with this pass, you avoid queuing at attractions and museums. It’s the Fast Pass of Paris.
Buy the pass in advance through their website or buy it at the tourist information kiosks at the airport. We did not do this and spent 30 minutes (maybe more) waiting in line at Versailles to get ours.

For more informations: http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php
 

Things to Do

Believe it or not, there are tons of things to do here with children and ways to interest them in the things you want to see.

Other than the main attractions, there are parks everywhere and where there is a park, there is a playground. We took them to at least a playground a day so they could play in between the sightseeing. There were some places that we could not visit like the Science and Music Museums at Parc Villete, the Natural History Museum, the Paris Zoo, a cruise on the Seine (too cold). There are places I went to see on my first visit (Napoleon’s Tomb, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, and Montmartre) that we did not see on this one.

The guide book I used to plan the trip was “Paris with Kids” 2nd Edition by Valerie Gwinner. It provided lots of helpful tips and ideas to make Paris fun for the kids. The list below includes only those sites we actually went to see.

Eiffel Tower
http://www.eiffel-tower.com/

This is a must see for kids. Its sheer size, the lift to the top, and the view from such a high point captivates kids of all ages. At night, the tower lights up and sparkles with flashing lights that kids really enjoy.

Lines can be long to get in. We waited about 30 minutes, but in the spring and summer the lines can be pretty bad. There are kiosks within the area to get a quick snack, a carousel to entertain kids and the Champs de Mars – the field between the Tower and L’Ecole Militaire.

If you want to save money, are ambitious or just plain crazy, you can walk up to the second level and then pay to take the lift to the summit. There are two restaurants within the tower, Altitude 95 and the more upscale Jules Verne. With kids who are not picky eaters, Altitude 95 works, but after viewing the menu on their website we decided to pass because Thing 1 would not have eaten anything.

Within the tower are several gift shops selling all kinds of souvenirs. I tried to buy something practical so I ended up with an oven mitt and a print of the Tower in the fall (my favorite season) and Thing 1 found a Christmas ornament. Thing 1 found a pair of toy binoculars (very useful for looking for gargoyles later) and Thing 1 found a yellow piggy bank with views of Paris.

I have had the opportunity to go up during the day and now at night. My recommendation is to make the trip to the top during the day, but see the light show in the evening as well. The best thing would be to time your visit in the late afternoon or early evening way before sunset. This way you can get a beautiful view of the city during the day and then walk over to Trocadero Plaza to take pictures and watch the tower come to life with lights. Metro: Trocadero or L’Ecole Militaire

Arc de Triomphe
http://arc-de-triomphe.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/?fl_r=4

Again, kids tend to enjoy this site because of its size, the view and the fact that you can climb to the top. Thing 1 enjoyed hearing the history behind it. And of course, there is always the gift shop.
It is dangerous to cross the Place d’Etoile, so access the Arc through the underground passage. There is a lift or you can climb 200+ steps to the top. The Arc is included in the Paris Museum Pass so you can skip the line and go straight to the lift or the steps.

The view from the Arc tends to be most impressive at night from what I have heard. So my suggestion would be to time your visit to the outer part of the Arc (no charge to view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or architecture) during the late afternoon/early evening before sunset. Have dinner along the Champs Elysees and then return to the Arc for a trip to the top around sunset or later. Metro: Charles de Gaulle/Etoile

Notre Dame
http://www.cathedralenotredameparis.com/

Another European Church – not much fun for kids you may think. Wrong. Have your kids watch the Hunchback of Notre Dame or tell them the story and they will be fascinated. I talked up the story throughout our visit. I had Thing 1 use his binoculars to look for the gargoyles and then took him up for a closer look.

The Cathedral itself is free. There is a charge to see the Treasury and to go up to the top. Entry to the tower is included in the Paris Museum Pass. There is no lift to the top. You must be capable of climbing 422 stairs up a spiral staircase. We were able to do it, but I must admit that my heart was going to jump out of my chest. On the way down, since it is a spiral, I felt quite dizzy after reaching the bottom and my leg muscles were so active that my legs were twitching uncontrollably until I walked it off. That said, it was worth it to see the view and the gargoyles up close.

This is a church and if you visit consider what you are wearing. We had no problem since it was winter, but if you come in the summer be aware that shorts and tank tops are frowned upon. As a rule, your shoulder and your legs (up to right below the knee) should be covered.
Metro: Cite or St. Michel

Crypte Archeologique du Parvis de Notre Dame
http://www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=6468&document_type_id=5&document_id=19971&portlet_id=14628

This is located in front of Notre Dame underground and is also included in the Paris Museum Pass. It is worth a visit if you are interested in history and ruins, etc. The exhibits have buttons that highlight sections of the exhibits with light – little ones will love the cause and effect of it all.
Metro: Cite or St. Michel

The Louvre

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en

How do you make the Louvre interesting to children? You won’t be able to see the entire Louvre if you come with children, but you can see the main sites and then some. We focused on some paintings and antiquities. I had already shown Thing 1 pictures of some of the major works of art in the Louvre. I also linked some of the painters showcased to the Ninja Turtles and it worked wonders. I showed him a picture of the Mona Lisa and had him look for her and we talked about what he thought about her: is she happy or sad? He was very interested. The collection of Egyptian antiquities was even more interesting to him.

With a child Thing 2’s age, it is a bit more difficult. She had no clue what we were seeing and could not care less. She wanted to climb on sculptures and we had to constantly chase after her through many exhibits so she wouldn’t touch or climb anything.

The Louvre is also included in the Paris Museum Pass. At the basement of the Louvre is the Carousel du Louvre with shops, restaurants and an international food court. It was extremely expensive. Skip it and head outside. You can buy crepes and sandwiches from local vendors at the Jardin de Tuilieries outside the Louvre. Metro: Palais Royale/Musee de Louvre

Jardin de Tuilieries
http://www.paris.fr/portail/english/Portal.lut?page_id=8212&document_type_id=5&document_id=34234&portlet_id=18987

This is a lovely garden and park situated between the Louvre and Place de Concorde. It is a great place to picnic, let the kids run around, feed animals, ride a carousel and take donkey rides in the spring and summer.

Chateau de Versailles

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

This is another must see attraction if you visit. While the palace won’t hold much interest for children, the gardens are lovely and the kids loved exploring it along with the fountains and park. We had Thing 1 watch the Little Einsteins Halloween Special where the characters trick or treat at different castles and palaces including Versailles. So, this sparked his interest a bit. As he did in the Louvre, he asked lots of questions about the Palace, the paintings, and the history.

But it was the gardens that they enjoyed. There were fountains, labyrinths, dogs walking with their owners and birds. The restaurants on site, La Petite Venise and La Flotille, both served chicken nuggets for the kids. I tried one and they were actually better than any I had ever tasted.

You can easily spend an entire day there. Versailles is also included in the Paris Museum Pass.

Metro: RER C train from any RER C transfer station to Versailles Rive Gauche. Make sure you are on the right train because the C Line splits into two on the way to and from Versailles. You can also take a bus from Pont de Sevres Metro. Place de Concorde

You will undoubtedly cross this area either going to or from the Champs Elysees. There is an Egyptian obelisk dating back to 1450 BC and a fountain right across. It is here where a guillotine was set up during the French revolution and where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette met their untimely ends. Metro: Concorde

Jardin des Plantes
http://www.paris.fr/portail/english/Portal.lut?page_id=8212&document_type_id=5&document_id=34205&portlet_id=18987

This is a nice park that I can recommend if you have kids. The main reason to come here is either to take in the Natural History Museum or The Menagerie. This is not a zoo as the collection is small, but they had about 100 – 200 animals including reptiles and birds and the children loved it. It was a nice break from running around seeing other sights. There is also a playground near the menagerie for the kids to tire themselves out. Metro: Gare d’ Austerlitz

Latin Quarter

No, this is not where a large population of Latin people live. The area gets its name because this is where the universities are and at one time, the language spoken in academic circles was Latin. Here you will find lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. Since it is a student area, prices are slightly cheaper than other areas of Paris. The Cluny Museum and the Sorbonne are located in this area. I enjoyed the energy here and like last time it is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris.
Metro: St. Michel or Cluny-La Sorbonne

Disneyland Paris
http://us.disneylandparis.com/index.xhtml

Want to get the kids excited about Paris? Tell them about Disneyland. I do advise that you save it for the end of the trip so that they have something to look forward to throughout. This is my third visit to this park. Disneyland Paris merges attractions from the Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios and Epcot in addition to others that are new to us like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril” Rollercoaster.

There are two parks: Disneyland Paris and the Walt Disney Studios. The Studios tends to appeal to older children and has rides like the Rock N Roll Roller coaster that my kids are too young to ride. So, we stayed with Disneyland Paris.

Like all Disney parks, it was clean and well kept. However, unlike the parks in the US, people were smoking everywhere so beware! Despite this, I enjoyed the fact that it was not very busy despite kids being out of school for half term in England. The weather was cool, but not freezing. Not scorching hot like in FL – something I never miss about the state.

Disneyland is very easily accessed on the RER A train towards Marne de la Vallee-Chessy. That is also the name of the last stop on the train ride which happens to be the station right in front of Disneyland. Trains run every 12-15 minutes and they have seating below and upstairs like a double decker bus. So, we were not packed like sardines like we have been in the Florida Disney Buses to the hotels.

The park usually opens at 10am and it is recommended that you buy your tickets before going to avoid the queue. Tickets can be purchased at the Disney Store on the Champs Elysee or at the train station. If you plan to stay at the resort, tickets usually come as part of a package. The parks were only open until 7pm when we were there which is why we returned for a 2nd day because there was so much to do. If the park stays open late you may be able to do it all in one day.

Overall, we had a great time. The kids always put a spin on things that you may not notice. But now that they have seen it, I think next time we will go without them and take in the cuisine, nightlife and other things we may have missed.

Christmas in Poland - Year 2

After not having my Christmas decorations last year, this Christmas season has been one of the best ever. Just opening my boxes with all the decorations was in itself like Christmas since we did not receive our shipment in time for Christmas last year. It was so much fun to decorate and watch Thing 2's face light up.

We got into the spirit by gathering and delivering donations to a local orphanage. This was a two fold project that involved giving and also clearing my house for the onslaught of toys that would soon be arriving. Do my children really need any more toys? NO. But this does not stop our well meaning family from spoiling them to pieces. On a more positive note, I see an end in sight since Thing 1's toy requests are becoming more expensive. I think we will be seeing a decline in quantity real soon. But not this year.

We have a tradition here where the kids get to open gifts from family on the 12 days prior to Christmas. This clears the way for Santa's gifts. This also keeps the Santa thing going since they have no reason to believe otherwise. But the real reason for this pre Christmas hoopla is to give us parents practice in opening those annoying twisty tie things that manufacturers use to bolt down toys.

This year, I think our families have gone over the top. I mean seriously is one gift not enough? Do people not realize that too many toys equals overwhelmed children and lots of donations of neglected toys the following year? I can't wait for the request for expensive ticket items (game systems, video games) coupled with retirement checks. The grandparents are simply going to have to be satisfied with giving the kids one gift each.

Unlike previous years however, I am done and ready for the holiday. Gifts are wrapped, food and water purchased. Come to think about it, except for the gifts, getting ready for holidays here is a little like preparing for a hurricane. The stores are closed for up to 4 days depending on when the holiday falls and the day prior people are making hurricane warning worthy lines to stock up on their last minute necessities.

I will be spending the next few days making cookies for Santa, decorating cookies and making edible snowmen since the snow has been a dud thus far this season. I can actually enjoy the holiday weekend rather than scramble about fighting crowds.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Markets in Köln

We just got back from a weekend trip to Cologne/Köln in the North Westphalia area of Germany. The purpose of our trip was to drink lots of glühwein (hot spiced mulled wine) and shop until Thing 2’s stroller could hold no more packages. Mission accomplished and then some!

We started out our journey on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. Needless to say our kids were very excited especially after they found that St. Nicholas had left him a small gift in their boots that morning. Thing 2 had no idea why she received a stuffed animal, but she enjoyed it anyway. After breakfast, we headed to the airport to catch our flight. Our friends and their daughter, (the girl Thing 1 holds hands with and gives flowers to) joined us.

We flew with German Wings this time. All I can say is that I highly recommend using them while flying within Europe. They saw that we had a toddler and took their time to orient us to their baby policies and where the changing tables were, etc. This airline is like the Southwest Airlines of Germany. No one is assigned a seat so it is a free for all. Luckily, most people hate sitting next to children so we had 2 rows to ourselves. On my children’s behalf they both behaved appropriately, eating, napping or watching their DVD’s. The only thing about German Wings is that there is no beverage or snack provided for free. But, you can purchase snacks and beverages on board if you wish. The way I see it airline food is not very tasty and with kids, I always bring my own snacks along. No loss there.

Lastly, another reason for loving Germany – their honesty. For the second time in 15 months we left our beloved DVD player on the plane. We were unable to contact the airline over the weekend. I thought it was a loss, but it was actually left at the airport lost and found intact. Thing 1 was delighted to be reunited with it. Back in 2000, I left my purse with passport at a restaurant near Ramstein. I came back for it the next day and it was there untouched with all my things in it. The Germans have yet to disappoint me.

We arrived in Köln around 2pm. After collecting our bags, we headed to our hotel, the Dorint Sofitel Köln. Fantastic! A descent sized room, clean hotel, private bath and right in front of the metro. We arrived to find a cookie making/decorating activity in the lobby complete with a chocolate fountain and a visit from St. Nick. After checking in and settling in, we met up with our friends.

We were starving by that time and decided to have dinner before heading to the markets. We ate at a restaurant at the hotel. Mistake #1! We had soup, sandwiches and beverages to the tune of 90 Euro!!! Gasp! The service was great, but the food was nothing special.

After dinner, we headed to the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) Christmas Market through the mist of light rain, the red light district with it’s sex shops (appropriately named “Hohe” Strasse if you pronounce it in English), and the shopping district. Along the way we noted some magnificent window displays some of which were animated. The kids loved those. Not to worry – there were none of these in the red light district!

We got to the market just in time to browse a bit and drink some glühwein. These markets are located in every major city in Germany and now in many European capitals (Vienna has a beautiful market in front of their Rathausplatz as does Prague). Every year wooden stalls come up during November to house the many vendors that will be selling their goods. Every year they develop a design for a ceramic mug in which the glühwein will be served. Each market has a different mug so the goal is to go to each market and collect these mugs by drinking more wine or hot chocolate for the kids (with Bailey’s for the grown ups). The Cat and I collected some back in 2000 when we visited his parents in Germany and we now have half a cupboard filled with these. The wine is hot which helps since it was pretty cold out there. Google glühwein for several home recipes if you want to try it.

So, what do they sell? Just about everything. Many times goods are focused on the country or region you are in. In Germany, every market will have the following for sale:

ORNAMENTS – Not just any ornament – these are usually hand painted with attention to detail. They are works of art. The most remarkable one I saw was by Mr. Zhou from China. He and his students hand paint the ornaments from the inside out. Meaning, he inserts and thin brush into the center of the ornament and paints the scene or figures from the inside. Truly remarkable!

PYRAMIDS – These date back to medieval times before Christmas trees. It is a carousel with several levels depicting Christmas motifs, such as angels or manger scenes, or secular ones like mountain-folk, forests, and other scenes from the everyday life of people in the Ore Mountains where it originated. The spinning motion of the pyramids is traditionally achieved with the help of candles whose rising heat spins a propeller above.

BAVARIAN HOUSES – Very cute! You put scented oil in the chimney and a tealight inside. Lighting the house and releasing the aroma. My collection is now at 10.

BEER STEINS – Each of these is decorated with different scenes and the name of a German region or attraction. I traded in the shot glasses of my youth for these when we started traveling to Germany in 2000.

NUTCRACKERS – You will find them in all shapes and sizes here.

SMOKERS - Wood carved figures that come in many types. You will find Santas, snowmen, skiing figures, gnomes and even a NYC Firefighter. Why are these unique? Because you place incense within the cavity of the figure and light it. Smoke (incense) then comes out of the figure’s mouth as if it were smoking. The only smoke I care to inhale.

LINENS – Handcrafted in Germany, some in China, these are beautiful linens used for decorating your tables during the holidays. They are quite ornate.

SWEETS AND OTHER FOOD - Gingerbread, truffles, and all kinds of sweets, bratwurst, crepes, champignons (mushrooms – French style), other cuisine – Yummy! Speaks for itself…

Other vendors sold jewelry, candle holders (interesting designs), musical instruments and music (Thing 2's and my favorite), wooden toys, German wines, art, wool hats/mittens/slippers/socks and just about anything you can think of. You can see pictures of some of these items at http://www.christkindl-markt.com/index.php.

They have some amusements for kids as well as live nativity scenes or carved nativity scenes. It is a tradition in Europe to visit churches especially on Christmas Eve, since each has created their own “crib” or nativity scene centered around different themes.

There are six Christmas markets scattered through Cologne: The Cathedral Markt, Alter Markt, HeuMarkt, Rudolfplatz (with a fairy tale theme), Medieval Markt, and one held on a cruise ship on the Rhine. We made it to 5 of them in about 3 days. My favorite was the Cathedral Markt and the Rudolfplatz Markt. The Medieval one, while it sounds interesting, did not sell many useful items although the entertainment (archery, medieval music and dancing) was fun.

The kids had their moments, but for the most part they behaved well. Thing1 and I shopped for a gift for his dad and some of his teachers. We gave him an allowance to buy something for himself. Luckily, he understood that he would not receive any more money. He saved his money until the last day after seeing the local LEGO Store. He bought a small LEGO set and a kaleidoscope at one of the markets. Thing 2 was content as long as she was out of her stroller and someone gave her chocolate. We had to hide the stuff from her because she would just go nuts. She rode her dad’s shoulders a lot and enjoyed that.

Köln is one of the cities located directly on the Rhine and it is the stop of many Rhine cruises. We unfortunately did not have much time for that this time around although it is on our to do list. We were able to go to the Lindt Chocolate Museum (or factory as the kids called it). That was great fun for all (especially Thing 2 who continued trying to get one of the workers to dip more waffles for her in the chocolate fountain – she was a mess by the time we left). We got to see actual chocolate being made including those hollow Santa Claus statues and Snow Men.

Josh had been here previously so, while Thing 2 napped, we went into the Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom so that I could check out the Cathedral Treasury. This Cathedral is famous because it is thought to hold the relics (remains, body parts and/or personal belongings) of the Magi or Three Kings in addition to the Staff of St. Peter and a chain link from the chains that once bound St. Peter. They also have pieces that are thought to be parts the Cross of the crucifixtion. I snapped pictures of just about everything until I got caught and was told I couldn’t take pictures. Too late! The Cathedral itself was magnificent, but they keep the lights dimmed so it was difficult to get a truly worthwhile picture.

If you ever decide to take the family or yourself on a Christmas vacation, Germany is definitely worth visiting. Many of the traditions that we observe today in the United States originate from this area (i.e. advent calendars, Silent Night, German-American Thomas Nast’s modern image of Santa Claus, most famously, the Christmas tree tradition which began in Strasbourg in Alsace (then in Germany, today in France). If you go early enough (around Thanksgiving), you will find the most unique Christmas gifts (by American standards of course). I highly recommend it.

Autumn Break Continues: Vienna and Salzburg

We took an early morning flight to Vienna on 10/30. After checking in to the Courtyard Marriott next to Schoenbrunn Palace, we were on our way.

Out of all the European capitals, this is my favorite. The sights, architecture, culture, the food, the music, the desserts - I was in sensory heaven. The Viennese certainly know the good things in life!

Moving around Vienna could not be easier. Trams, trains and buses get you where you want to go and transportation is quite efficient. You can buy day passes or take it trip by trip. As always, any city is best seen by walking so we only rode public transportation in the early morning and then in the evening.

We headed straight to Stephensplatz where the ever imposing St. Stephens Cathedral towers above the Kartnerstrasse shopping district. Built in 1147 and enlarged through the centuries concluding in 1511, it is too large to capture it in its entirety. St. Stephen's is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vienna. In Austria as in Warsaw, you can find a church practically on every corner. Each church has different architectural styles. St. Stephen's is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The church is built of limestone.

Within the cathedral, several chapels are dedicated to different saints. Most interesting are the catacombs that lie beneath the church. There are several crypts. The Ducal crypt holds 78 bronze containers containing the viscera of 78 members of the Habsburg. Their hearts are buried in a crypt within Augustinekirche. For those wondering, it was common for people to request that their internal organs be removed before burial in order to preserve their bodies. This tradition dates back to ancient Egypt. Within the catacombs one will find rooms filled with skulls and bones (a big pile of them) belonging to victims of the bubonic plague. Thing 1 was creeped out and interested in them at the same time. We had to remove Thing 2 from the church due to her need to talk loudly.

Some religious relics contained in St. Stephen's include a piece of table cloth from the Last Supper and the bones of St. Valentine. Mozart's funeral was held in the Chapel of the Cross within St. Stephen's on December 6, 1791.

Speaking of Mozart, one of his only surviving apartments is around the corner from St. Stephen's. He lives at today's Mozarthaus at Domgasse 5 from 1784 - 1787. We took a short tour and a bite of Mozart Cake and coffee before moving on to the Haus der Musik. If you love music and have small children, this interactive museum was an enjoyable diversion from the other museums. The kids were able to learn the waltz, listen to different musical genres, conduct the Vienna Symphony through an interactive baton and much more.

We continued on day two with a visit to Schoenbrunn palace. Schoenbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburg royalty. It is not just a palace. Schoenbrunn is also home to the oldest and possibly largest zoo in the world. At one time, it was the private Habsburg menagerie. You can easily spend two days here.

We went on the Grand Tour of Schoenbrunn that includes 40 rooms. The tour mostly focused on two houses of the Habsburgs: Emperor Franz Stephan and Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth of Bavaria aka "Sisi."

At the age of 6, Mozart's father, Leopold, arranged for Mozart and his sister to perform for Empress Maria Theresa in the Mirror Room. After the performance, he reportedly jumped on the empress' lap and showered her with kisses.

The Palace itself was impressive and the history of the Habsburg was quite intriguing. Especially the legend of Empress "Sisi." "Sisi" as she was known was married at age 15 to Franz Joseph (23 at the time). While most people were fascinated by the couple, the couple were not as close as people portrayed them to be. Despite the emperor's love and devotion to Sisi, history and records of her personal records show that she felt trapped in her marriage, despised court life and was obsessed with her weight and preservation of her beauty. Sisi lived her life separate from the emperor, occupying herself with her own travels. She was sometimes away from the palace for years at a time

Among the many interesting displays is the carriage museum that contains magnificent carriages owned and used by the Habsburgs over the centuries. The most impressive were the coronation and the funerary carriages. Another must see is the Gloriette where you can attain a picturesque view of Vienna. We got there at sunset and it was absolutely stunning.

On our third day, the Cat took the kids to the Schoenbrunn Zoo for the day while my mother, aunt and I took a day trip west to Salzburg. It was about a 4 hour drive by bus to Salzburg including two stops at Landzeit, an autobahn restaurant that puts the pit stops on the FL turnpike or I-95 to shame. Wiener Schnitzel anyone? And it was good! We also stopped at the Lake District for some beautiful scenery starring the Austrian Alps.

Salzburg is famous for several reasons. Mozart was born and raised in Salzburg. Near Salzburg, in Oberndorf, is St. Nicholas church. It was here in 1818 that "Stille Nacht" was first performed. In English, this translates to "Silent Night." And of course, this area was made famous by the Sound of Music. Some scenes were filmed in the Lake District and at certain sights around Salzburg although the Austrians are not very familiar with the movie. The Salzach River divides old and new Salzburg. In the Middle Ages, the river was used as a trade route especially for salt. From Salzach, you can see Hohensalzburg Fortress on Monk's Hill. Built in 1077, it is the main landmark in the city. A pedestrian bridge allows people to walk from one side to the other without having to deal with traffic. In order to get up to the fortress, you can either hike up the steep hill or take a ride in the "funicular" that will drop you off there in a minute.

We visited Salzburg on 11/1, All Saint's Day, which is a recognized holiday throughout Europe. While not as elaborate as the Polish cemeteries on this day, families were visiting graves, laying flowers and lighting candles. We visited a cemetery where Mozart's sister, Nannerl, and Haydn's younger brother Michael are buried.

Salzburg is filled with cafes and shops along it old streets. One street, Judengasee, which literally translates into Jew's Street, ironically is filled with Christmas shops selling hand painted ornaments and other decor. Number 9 Getreidegasse is the house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756. The Mirabelle Gardens is adjacent to Mirabell Palace across the river from the fortress. The entire area was used in the filming of the Sound of Music. It was here that Julie Andrews sang "Do-Re-Mi" with the von Trapp children in the Sound of Music.

On the way back to Vienna, we stopped at the Landzeit restaurant for dinner and then continued to our hotel. One thing I must mention is that Austria's autobahn like Germany's provide drivers with a great driving experience. The roads are well paved and it seems very easy to navigate so long as you know the words for enter and exit. The trip ran all day and we returned home quite late.

We started our day at Michaelerplatz at the Hofburg Palace, the winter residence of the Habsburgs. Why they had two seasonal residences within minutes doesn't make sense, but then again they were royalty.

The Hofburg is a vast complex of royal apartments, home of the Spanish Riding School, Augustinkirche, that covers a large area between the Graben shopping district and the Museum Quarter. In front of the entrance to the Hofburg, there is an archaeological site where ancient Roman ruins have been excavated over the past 15 years. Next to the Hofburg is St. Michael's Church. Not too different from all the other churches. However, what makes St. Michael's unique is it's crypt. Viennese nobility is buried here. But that is not why it is unique. The special climate conditions in the crypt have left mummified rather than rotting corpses still in their funerary clothes. They are on display in open coffins. Kind of creepy! Unfortunately for us, we were unable to locate the entrance to the crypt and were a bit disappointed in missing the necropolis beneath.

We started our day with the Spanish Riding School. Established in 1572, it's name is derived from the horses used which were bred in Spain. The Lippizaner stallions used today are descendants from Spanish horses. We were able to attend a performace of their morning exercises to music. It wasn't too appealing to me, but the children enjoyed watching the horses prance to the music. We followed up with a visit to the royal apartments and then Augustinkirche where the hearts of the Habsburgs lie.

All of the above was interesting and historical. However, my favorite part of the day was just walking around the city, listening to Strauss and Mozart played throughout the city, enjoying a Sacher torte and strolling through the Burgarten park amidst autumn leaves. I think the reason we saw so much over a short period of time was because we walked so much. We took in the parks, the State Opera House, Heldenplatz (where Hitler made his famous speech annexing Austria to Germany), Demel (the Imperial bakery), Kohlmarket street, the Graben, the Rathaus, the Imperial crypts at the Kapuchin Church, Votivkirche and Sigmund Freud's home. We also took in a carriage ride much to the children's delight. You can rent one for up to 3 hours. It is a nice way to orient yourself to the city. They can be rented next to St. Stephen's cathedral.

This was one of the best family trips we have ever taken. Vienna is just so charming and very clean. You can tell the Viennese take pride in their city. If I ever get the opportunity to live here, I will move in a heartbeat!

Autumn Break: Krakow and Auschwitz

Thing 1's school has lots of vacation breaks. Despite the fact that Thanksgiving and Black Friday are not holidays here, they get a total of 6 weeks off between their autumn, Christmas, winter and spring breaks. That does not include any Polish holidays (including Easter Friday and Monday). So, this affords families plenty of opportunities to travel throughout the year. With Autumn Break coming up we scheduled a trip to Krakow and Vienna while my mother was visiting.

We flew to Krakow on Saturday morning 10/27, our 6th wedding anniversary. Initially we were going to travel by train, but the time to travel between cities was almost as long as driving there ourselves. We found airfares between all cities that were roughly about $200 USD for all three segments. So, we decided that 1 hour on a plane to each destination was preferable. It worked out well since it gave us more time in each city. The trip was about an hour and with grandma and my aunt in flight we had an extra pair of arms for Thing 2.

We stayed at the Abella Apartments in Krakow. The Abella Guest Rooms and Apartments was a lovely residence very close to Old Town Krakow. The owners were helpful to us and available throughout the day unlike many guest houses where the reception is closed most of the day.

The formal entrance into the Old Town begins at the Barbakan (fortress) before crossing through the Florianska gate. The gate was the entry exit point on the way to and from Warsaw. This leads to Florianska street lined with merchants, cafes, and artists selling their creations. The street leads you to the market square.

Krakow's Old Town Market Square is quite large, double that of Warsaw. The Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) is at the center of the square with cafes, restaurants, residences, and clubs surrounding it's perimeter. The Sukiennice is thought to be the oldest shopping mall in the world dating back to the middle ages. It's still serves the same purpose, as vendors sell all kinds of crafts inside. The Kosciol Mariacki is a lvoely church located at the corner of ul. Florianska. It is quite beautiful inside with lots of religious art abound.

I was quite impressed by how beautiful Krakow is. Krakow was at one time the capital of Poland. It is one of the few Polish cities that was not in ruins at the end of WWII. In fact, it is said that the Communists had no place to build after the war so they had to select a site outside of Krakow to create the industrial city of Nowa Huta which became the ideal for communist propaganda. Ironically, its main square, previously Lenin Square, is named Ronald Reagan Square today.

In the short time we were there, we saw many of the main sites in Krakow. The market square in Krakow is quite large, double the size of Warsaw's market square. The streets leading to the square are lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. One shop/café that we visited was a "pijalnia czekolada" known in English as a chocolate bar. Yes, you read correctly. At these establishments throughout Poland, you receive a menu of chocolate drinks, chocolate desserts and you can order individual truffles that brought to you on raised silver tray. You can also order coffee and add flavors to the chocolate drinks, like mint or cherry, etc. It was quite a treat.

10 km outside of Krakow and up to 1072 feet (372 meters) below the surface are the Wieliczka Salt Mines. We went down a good 600 steps into the subterranean salt mines. It was a bit cold down there, but it was well worth it. The best part - an elevator at the other end waiting to take us back up. We were led through a labyrinth of passages and caves into sections of the mine that were named for famous persons who have previously visited or famous Poles.

Different scenes depicting Polish stories are carved out of rock salt. A bit like a Wax museum, but far better. One story we were told that was depicted here was that of the Hungarian princess Kinga who was to marry the sovereign of Krakow. She wanted to bring a wealthy gift for her fiancé. She asked her father for a salt mine as a dowry, which he provided. She threw one of her rings into a salt mine of her father and traveled to Poland. Near Krakow, in Wieliczka she told the people to dig a deep pit. The miners found salt, and enclosed in the first piece of salt they mined was the ring of Kinga. Pope John Paul II celebrated mass in a subterranean cathedral here made of rock salt.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 both enjoyed the mine. Thing 2 loved feeling the texture of the walls. I was waiting for her to try to lick the wall. Thing 1 thought is was really cool to be in a cave 400 feet below the surface.

Krakow is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, Jagiellonian University. Both Pope John Paul II and Copernicus were students here. Further, Pope John Paul II was the Archbishop of Krakow before he became Pope. Wawel Castle is situated on a Wawel Hill. It was the seat of Polish Kings until the capital was moved to Warsaw. The Cathedral within the Wawel complex contains catacombs with the remains of many of the former Polish Kings and Queens. It is a beautiful site.

On a more somber note, my mother, aunt and I took a day to travel to Oswiecim known to the world as Auschwitz. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling you get as you step foot at Auschwitz. You feel a heavy weight on your shoulders and it is not for the faint of heart. Children under 14 are not allowed which is why we left the kids with the Cat for the day.

The Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum opened in 1947. Those who survived insisted that this site be preserved to bear witness for future generations of the horrors that happened here. Much of it remains unchanged from 1945.

As you walk through the gate at Auschwitz I, you see the phrase "Arbeit Macht Frei" translated into "Work, shall make you free." Thousands of prisoners walked through this gate at Auschwitz each day to long hours of labor. In the evening, they returned exhausted, carrying the corpses of those who had died while a camp orchestra played marches. The camp consists of row after row of concrete buildings each providing a different function for the Nazis. Tours in Auschwitz take you to the different blocks were prisoners lived. The buildings here were built by the Habsburgs for their military when this part of Poland was under the Austria-Hungarian Empire.

Block 10 is where the infamous medical experiments took place. Here Dr. Mengele performed experiments on young children, particularly twins. Mass sterlization experiments were also carried out here. You just can't wrap your mind around that.

Between blocks 10 and 11 is the "Death Wall so named because from 1941-1943, the SS shot several thousand people in that courtyard. Block 11 served as a the camp jail and Zyklon B trials took place here. It is rumored 750 prisoners died in these initial trials. There are still signs throughout the camp with a skull warning people to halt or be shot to death on the spot.

We visited the crematoriums. The smell of death just seems to linger in the air. The special group of prisoners assigned to burn corpses in the crematorium The(Sonderkommando) was temporarily quartered in block 11 away from the other prisoners thereby keeping this a secret which is why the Nazis were able to continue this mass extermination as long as they did.

Each block holds a different exhibit. Each exhibit gives visitors insight into the daily lives of prisoners here. The Nazi's initially used Auschwitz as a camp for Soviet POW's and Polish intellectuals who were part of the resistance. Some Jews were also brought here, but the majority were sent to Birkenau.

Following the Auschwitz I tour, we met the guide at Auschwitz II - Birkenau walking through the Gate of Death. A former SS guardhouse tower is located above the gate and overlooks the complex.

Mid way through the camp is the selection ramp. They divided the strong/healthy from the elderly, ill, pregnant women, & kids. Those classified as fit for work were placed in the camp. The others, 70-75%, were sent to die in the gas chambers.

Train tracks run through Birkenau with barracks on either side dividing the men and the women. The barracks truly resembled barns. One that I will never forget was a barrack with a row of benches with wholes. They were toilets. The Nazis made prisoners use the bathroom together to strip them of any human dignity they may have had left.

At the end of the tracks, walking from the SS guardhouse, is a memorial to those who died here in several languages.

Compared to Birkenau, Auschwitz I was much better kept. People who came to Birkenau were pretty much waiting to die where people in Auschwitz I were used for work and other sick purposes.

It was a very emotional and thought provoking experience. I think everyone should visit at least once to bear witness to these atrocities.

From Auschwitz, we returned to Krakow to prepare for the next leg of our trip: Vienna.

Where is the Great Pumpkin?

Not so much the Great Pumpkin, but a pumpkin patch? Like most things in Warsaw, Halloween is catching on. They don't celebrate the holiday like we do in the States, but get a kick out of the Americans going all out. A limited amount of costumes are available, but no trick or treating.

We were quite pleased to find a pumpkin "stand" on the side of the road near Thing 1's school. It was the closest thing to a pumpkin patch I had seen here. We stopped by and purchased a few pumpkins for our house and for Thing 1's pumpkin carving activity at school. The kids had fun picking out small pumpkins for themselves.

At school, the reaction to pumpkin carving by the parents from other countries was simply amazement. You would think that they had never seen a pumpkin carving. The Cat volunteered for this activity and he told me that he was approached by several parents asking if they could take one of the pumpkins home.

Halloween - taking over the world one country at a time!

ASW UN Day

Every year the American School of Warsaw (ASW) hosts a UN Day. With children from so many different countries, they set aside a day to celebrate the different cultures. Today was actually the culmination of two weeks of presentations by the parents and students to their classes about their home countries or ancestry.

With Thing 1 being half Cuban, a quarter Scottish-Irish, a quarter French Canadian with a little Cherokee thrown in for good measure, he had many options. His teacher however, asked that Thing 1 represent Cuba. So began my first school project since I finished my masters degree. I put together a presentation for the kids about life for children in today's Cuba. I left them all dumbfounded on that one. I also taught them the clave rhythm on borrowed claves from the music teacher and we played some salsa music for the class. It was an enjoyable afternoon. On UN Day, each classroom holds a luncheon where parents bring dishes native to their country. I brought picadillo over rice, a mom with kids from Thailand brought pad Thai, an American mom brought macaroni and cheese, a Danish mom brought some cookies, etc, etc. It was quite a feast.

Following the lunch, the kids were assigned to different moms and we took them through the hallway tables and onto the gym. Thirty different countries were represented on 58 tables decorated with national crafts and artifacts, representatives in traditional dress, and cuisine (snacks). It was a huge event. The children were given ASW UN "Passports". Their mission was to visit as many tables as possible, answer questions about the country's table and receive a stamp in their passport. Thing 1 enjoyed visiting the different tables and collecting treats and country specific goodies form each table (especially candy).

For Thing 2, all ended when she reached the South Koreans. They had brought a display of native drums and hand drum. Thing 2 was in heaven. So much so that when I tried to give back the drum, she flipped out. The South Koreans were nice about it and let her play with the drum until we left. It served as a tracking device too since I could always tell where she was by the beat of the drum.

This was a wonderful experience for all the kids. Their understanding of the world just doubled. What a wonderful program!