Travels with Martina Day 2 - Apartment-ing in the Marais

After a 4 hour breather in Schiphol (where we stretched our legs and exercised our stomach muscles) we were soon on a plane again, this time headed for our real destination -- Paris.  

Martina surprised me -- this was her first long haul flight and what a looonnngg haul it was.  Two hours to Taipei then twelve and a half hours to Amsterdam.  While she did get a good night's sleep on KLM's comfortable lie-flat beds, she had been travelling for almost 24 hours when we finally boarded our flight to Charles de Gaulle airport.

"Where is the Eiffel Tower, lola?  I thought Paris was a city, why are there farms?"  I had to explain that the airport was somewhat out of the city and the view from her window was not yet Paris.

"Paris Vous Aime" -- Paris loves you.  Yes she really does! And we love her right back. 

We had contracted  a van  for our airport transfers.  Our apartment, home for two weeks  was strategically and conveniently located along a main street in  the upper Marais area. 

Located on the 3rd floor of one of the many old buildings you'll see all over Paris, the apartment has two large windows which let the breezes in.  Perfect for this summer when Paris was in the middle of a record shattering heat wave.  The apartment had no air conditioning --  having one would deface the facade, something that apparently the government has a say on.  Old structures are protected and owners are not allowed to add anything that will affect the building's look, they can only improve the interiors. 

And so we opened the curtains and looked out onto more residential buildings across the way --
all of them seemingly without the advantages of air-conditioning too.  

While the apartment was relatively small -- 34 square meters all in all, it did come with a complete and compact kitchen.  A four burner induction range, microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator ... there was even an automatic washer and dryer.   We would make good use of this kitchen and the laundry facilities during our 14 night stay in this apartment.

The apartment was small and the building was definitely old but the bathroom was spotless and clean -- a big plus in my book.

Sleep quality was good too - we didn't miss the air conditioning as we opened the windows wide at night -- and would have to close them during the cooler early dawn hours. 

Here's Martina standing in front our building.  Her first impression was of the ubiquitous graffiti --

" why is Paris so dirty, lola? "  But then she said in the same breath "but it's so beautiful too!"  

Traveling with Kids Tip #2

Get the child adjusted and comfortable in the new environment as soon as possible.   Whether you're staying in a hotel or a rental apartment, take her on a tour of the place, explain what to do, what not to do, how things work and just how much like home it is (or isn't).  If there's time, take a quick walk around the neighbourhood to show the child that this is a friendly and hospitable place. 

Travels with Martina Day 1 - A long day's journey into night and day again with KLM

It started off as our 40th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves.  We would commemorate the milestone by travelling to favourite places and making new memories.  What could be better than that?  Well, we could bring along our one and only grandchild -- Martina, at 8 was  at that age where she would remember the places she'd see and the things she would do.  And at 8 she would still be willing (and unembarrassed) to hang out with her grandparents.

We planned this for a number of months and everything just fell into place.  There were no hiccups with visas, affidavits, DSWD permits (necessary for children below 12 travelling without their parents) -- the Universe certainly wanted Martina to have this one big adventure.  Before we knew it, we were in the lounge at NAIA 3 waiting for our flight. 

We have always flown to Europe on one airline only -- flying blue on KLM.    But it had been quite a few years since we last flew to Europe so we were all excited to see how the newer planes were fitted out.  KLM has just one daily flight out of Manila and it leaves at 8 p.m. -- past Martina's usual bedtime but the excitement kept her up and energised.

The spacious business class seats would certainly make the long haul flight much more comfortable. 

Martina had a list of shows she wanted to see -- I was almost worried that she would be glued to the video all the way to Amsterdam!  Please note that the glass of champagne was mine.  

Just a little bubbly to celebrate the start of our big vacation!

Because the plane leaves Manila at dinner time, a light supper is served.  But don't eat too much because they'll feed you again in a few hours. 

There is an hour's brief stop in Taipei -- at past 10 pm some stores were still open, catering to those taking late night flights.  

The lie-flat beds of KLM made for a restful night.  Martina had at least 8 hours of  uninterrupted sleep.

The crew woke us up about an hour before landing.  Breakfast was served --  you can't go wrong with croissant and scrambled eggs.  

Our first glimpse of Amsterdam!  Land, ho!

Thank you KLM for a safe and pleasant ride!  

We had a few hours to wait until our flight to Paris -- Schiphol Airport was busy and bustling even 

at 7 a.m!

We cooled our heels in comfort,  with free flowing drinks and food at the Crown Lounge.  Second and third breakfasts, anyone?

As we got ready to board our plane for Paris,  I saw this timely and apt message.
Yes, hopefully we would be able to make this an inspired and truly unforgettable trip!

Traveling with Kids Tip #1

Long plane rides are a bane to families traveling with children.  Babies, toddlers, pre schoolers and even in-betweeners can be restless and irritable.  To prepare our 8 year old for the 23 hour (total traveling time) journey ahead, we made sure to inform her weeks ahead, dividing the chunks of time into understandable segments e.g. dinner, free time, bedtime, etc. She also brought along a book of puzzles, her favorite toy and of course KLM's in-flight entertainment helped pass the time.