Paris Castles

How do you see something new in Paris when it's your 12th visit? You go to the very end of the metro/train line! That's exactly what we did on this trip- twice.

We actually stayed a bit outside of the city in the pretty suburb of Le Vésinet. It was very near where I lived during my Paris study abroad, which was a fun throwback. We were also just minutes away from the castle town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

This was the first thing we saw on our first day in Paris. Do you know how good it felt to feast my eyes on a castle after not leaving the U.S. for 4 years?

This chateau's claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of one of France's most famous kings- Louis XIV.

It's currently an archeology museum (and was under renovation at the time), so we opted to just admire the outside.

We also walked around the town and popped into a church.

My (originally) French (but identifies as solely American) husband hates French cuisine, so they stopped for a quick bite to eat at McDonald's. I know.

I snuck out alone to do some quick shopping instead. I feel good about my decision.

After a few days of enjoying Paris' most famous sites, we rode Metro Line 1 all the way to the Château de Vincennes.

Vincennes is similar to Saint-Germain-en-Laye: they are both pretty castle towns just outside of Paris city limits. Another similarity is that neither place is very touristy. There were so few people in both places that we felt like we had them to ourselves!

The Château de Vincennes is a few centuries older than the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It was built in the 1300s and was the main residence of French kings until the 16th century.

Our favorite part was the Sainte-Chapelle... not to be confused with Paris' Sainte-Chapelle. The stained glass was beautiful, and Magnolia enjoyed the echoes of her cute sounds.

The main part of the castle was not accessible with a stroller, so I stayed behind in this dungeon while the Rubinos walked around upstairs. 

One famous prisoner held here was Nicolas Fouquet, who was basically arrested for building a prettier castle than King Louis XIV (the one born at the above castle). Fouquet's Vaux-le-Vicomte later inspired Louis XIV to build Versailles.

This was the coldest day of our trip, but I think it was still worth exploring and riding the metro for longer than usual!

The metro ended up being Magnolia's favorite part of her first Paris vacation. She loved people watching, and got lots of smiles and waves. I guess a cute baby is the cure for Parisian's stereotypically grumpy demeanors. She actually learned how to wave on this trip from so many people waving at her.

People were very kind to always let us sit down while holding the baby, and even often helped with carrying the stroller. I will file this information away to bring up the next time David complains about France. ;)

We're proud to have accomplished an international trip with a baby. It was tiring for all of us, but so worth it to get to travel and have family time. A bientôt, Paris!