In this ongoing series, Barbara Dawson embarks on a two-month vacation in Europe with her family and is investigating how frugality and high adventure can come together to create a once in a lifetime family experience.
We have been in Europe almost two weeks and I can count on one hand how many times we have been to a restaurant.
Our apartment is in a lovely neighborhood not far from the Bois Boulogne and about a 15 minute metro ride to the centre of town. Because we are outside the city, the apartment is not expensive and the locals have been very kind to us. So far we have been given free candy, wine and chocolate….not too shabby. We have shopped in the local grocery, corner stores and the wonderful local market, and have been able to sample all kinds of new delights. The kids were a little put off by the meat section in the market but we have had loads of fun trying new cheese and deli meats. We bought some local herbs and have had some fantastic home cooked meats with lush salads and crusty breads.
To date we have had one sit down meal which was lovely, albeit expensive. The kids had HUGE omelets and when they couldn't finish, I asked to have the leftovers put in a doggie bag. This is, apparently, a huge faux pas. I held my head high as the shocked, and slightly disgusted, waiter handed over the bag with our next day's breakfast. Incidentally, the omelets were much better the next morning when re-heated.
We are trying to make sensible choices with activities too. We have done a couple of my buddy Rick Steve’s walking tours (downloaded onto my mp3 player and only relating the relevant parts to family) which are super informative and free. Many museums and churches in Paris are free and often you will happen upon a play or puppet show that is put on by the city. We have paid to see the Musée Rodin and L’Orangerie and also up the tower at Monparnasse for a view of the city, all great value. The Musée de Métiers et de Arts was the best museum I have ever seen, full of inventions and things for kids to try.
Unfortunately, all the money we saved we blew at Eurodisney. We also went on a Wednesday, which to my surprise is a day that French kids don’t go to school. We paid too much to get in and stood in lines for too long. Luckily the kids had a ball. Later in our second week we went to Parc Asterix which has great rides and is much more authentic…read some of the books first and you’ll enjoy it even more.
Just the other day we passed the hundredth merry-go-round that my kids wanted to go on. We felt Eurodisney should have satisfied all the spinning they required for a while, but instead of saying no my husband gave each kid some euro coins and said “You can go on the ride or have an ice cream, it’s up to you”. The choice was easy for my eldest but my 8 year old had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she could not have both. The final decision was an ice cream which they both said later was the best choice for them.
We think this is a great lesson on how to make good choices with your money…or maybe we just like being mean. We’ll find out when we hear the kids version of this story.
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