Warfare and Chocolate - A Boy's Day in Paris

Whenever I plan out our daily itineraries for a trip, I usually allow 2-3 hours for a museum visit.  Much more than that and it degenerates into an unpleasant experience for all of us.  So when we approached the Musee de l'Armee, I assumed we would be out in time to grab a quick lunch and move onto the next activity.  Little did I know that not only would we eat lunch at the museum, but we would spend another 2 hours after lunch exploring their extensive collection.  This was a love-at-first-sight place for Jack and we had to drag him away.  He still talks about it and recommends it to anyone we know who is traveling to Paris.  

The collection extends chronologically from medieval armor all the way to the 1960's nuclear arms race and includes Napoleon's stuffed horse, a large arms and armor collection, miniature dioramas of many famous battles, and a huge array of cannons.  There is also a kid's audio tour available which Jack really enjoyed.

Afterwards, it is a short walk to a branch of a great chocolate shop, A La Mere de Famille, the oldest sweet shop in Paris.  There is a delicious selection of chocolates, hard candies, marshmallows and ice cream available.  It's the perfect place to grab a snack or to dangle as a reward to buy you a few more minutes in your museum of choice.  

Marche aux Oiseaux - Paris' Bird Market

On Sundays on the Ile de la Cite, the daily flower market is taken over by feathered and furry creatures.  There are colorful birds chirping, hamsters running on their wheels, and lots of wide-eyed kids hoping to take something home.  This kind of activity is perfect for families: you can stroll at your own pace taking in the sights and sounds and when everyone has had enough you can move on to the next thing.  Our kids loved it as we stopped to inspect every cage and check out all the activity in each booth.

We grabbed lunch on the Ile St. Louis and followed it up with a cone at one of the best ice cream  spots in Paris, Berthillon.  The ice cream is handmade on site and comes in lots of delicious, unusual flavors such as Earl Grey tea, salted butter caramel, and lavender.  

Other sights nearby include Notre Dame and one of the most beautiful churches I've ever visited,  Sainte-Chapelle.  Ile St. Louis is still mostly residential and is a nice place to walk around and get a feel for the way real Parisians live without hordes of tourists around.  

Day Trip to Dutchess County

Dutchess County is one of my favorite getaways in the Hudson Valley.  There is something here for everyone:  historical homes, great farm stands, apple and pumpkin picking in the fall, and nice restaurants and shopping.  On our last visit we started at the Vanderbilt Mansion Historic Site in Hyde Park.  Built as a country home during the Gilded Age, this site is much smaller than other Vanderbilt homes open to the public, which makes it very manageable for touring with kids.  The house can only be toured with a guide but it is a relatively quick tour, lasting only about 45 minutes.  

The mansion's location on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River is it's best asset.  You can come out and just explore the grounds without paying an admission fee and there is a paved trail which leads to FDR;s home next door.

If you visit, be sure to spend some time in the museum's bookstore.  There are some great books for adults and children and a really nice collection of items that would be perfect as a gift or a memento to take home.  

For lunch, Rhinebeck is always a good option.  There is a variety of places to eat but our favorite is Bread Alone.  On the weekends they offer both breakfast and lunch options but everything is delicious.  We've tried lots of things on their menu and have never been disappointed.  

Also in Rhinebeck are some shops that aren't to be missed.  Every time I go in Hammertown Barn, I want to completely redecorate our entire house, all with things purchased here.  Right next door is Oblong Books & Music, where we usually spend a good deal of time browsing.  They have a fantastic selection of children's books and I usually pick up something for myself as well.  

This is a great day if you are in the NYC area and don't mind driving a bit.  The area is gorgeous in all seasons and most sites are open year round.  A great time to plan a trip is in the fall to pick some apples and pumpkins and to take in an air show at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

Hiking in the Alps - Day 3 & 4

On our third, and last full, day we decided to tackle two 1/2-day hikes:  one to the start of a glacier and the other a relatively flat walk with views similar to the day before.  As we walked out of Gimmelwald, we descended down and walked along a river, which was fed by the glacier we were hoping to find.  The path was much less populated than the previous day and we saw only a handful of people along the way.  When we reached the hike's terminus, we were the only ones around as far as the eye could see.  We counted waterfalls (14), skipped rocks, built cairns and thoroughly explored this magical place.  The kids loved it and it was a push to get them to leave.

After a quick trip on the cable car up to Murren, we started out on our second hike of the day to Grutschalp.  This route was much more popular and we encountered lots of people out for a quick hike to enjoy the surrounding scenery..  

We caught the train (seen in the picture above) back to Murren and made our way back to our apartment at Esther's to pack up and get ready to leave early the next morning.  Before we left the area, we stopped at Trummelbach Falls, located in the valley nearby.  The melting snows of the Jungfrau have carved through the stone to create Europe's largest subterranean waterfall.  You take an elevator located inside of the mountain up 6 stories and explore waterfalls 6-10 before making your way down to see waterfalls 1-5.  Truly an awe-inspiring (and chilly) sight!

At the base of the falls, there is a nice cafe with good coffee and snacks on offer.  It's also a great place to get in a game of chopsticks, if you like that kind of thing.

Hiking in the Alps - Day 2

We awoke to beautiful blue skies and fantastic 360-degree views.  After consulting all the hiking routes suggested on the Gimmelwald website, we decided to take Hike 5, the Scenic, described as an easy 1 1/2-mile loop.  

The hike begins near the funicular station at the top of Allmendhubel, so we hiked up to Murren via the steep path behind our guesthouse and spotted some local fauna along the way.

Once we got off the funicular, we discovered a fantastic playground.  The entire area was imaginatively designed including everything from zip lines to groundhog tunnels to a barn with plastic cows to "milk".  

As we hiked, we stumbled upon an inn located in what felt like the middle of nowhere, Pension Suppenalp.  Lunch was served on a patio with an unbeatable view (pretty much the theme of our time in the Alps).  Surprisingly this was one of the best meals of our trip.  I had a traditional Swiss meal of rosti, which is basically hash browns with cheese, eggs, and bacon on top.  The kids topped off the meal with a delicious slice of chocolate cake with extra whipped cream.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the scenery:  the profusion of wildflowers in bloom, the sound of cow bells tinkling in the pastures, the view of the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger mountains looming above us, the paragliders drifting down through the valley.

We ended the day at the other restaurant in Gimmelwald at the Mountain Hostel.  The restaurant is primarily a pizzeria but there is also a daily pasta special on offer.  The pizzas were delicious and just what we needed after a day spent in the fresh air.  Then we were off to bed to rest up for another day on the trails tomorrow.