McLaughlins Take France: Our First Trip

We thought it would be fun to try a short trip down to Orleans this weekend. We would take the train, stay in a hotel, and explore. I am glad we did, for we learned a lot, and faced some good obstacles.

First of all, when booking any trip in France, it is important to check when things are open BEFORE you buy the non-refundable, non-exchangeable train tickets. We bought tickets for Sunday through Monday, only to realize too late that some of the museums that most interested us were closed both days.

We then learned that it is MUCH cheaper to get a two separate hotel rooms instead of one that sleeps four. Most rooms are very small here so trying to fit in two beds isn't really an option, or if it is, it is very expensive. So we got two hotel rooms, and divided ourselves up.

We also learned that traveling around to see historical sights, even really interesting ones like about Joan of Arc, can get boring after awhile for the kids. So you need to allow periods of time at a park, or in this case, down by the Loire River for exploring and rock throwing Because of this, as parents you need to pack a book with more than 100 pages left to read, because you will finish it on the first day.

We also were reminded that traveling when it is hot, zaps everyones energy, including this mom! So when your husband takes the kids for over an hour to explore, you are grateful that you can recharge and engage again.

Another interesting fact is that the things you HOPE they will remember and learn from the trip are not actually what they will remember and learn. Instead they will say it was the BEST trip because of the amazing hamburgers they ate Sunday night, the cool water fountain we allowed them to play in, and they rocks they collected from the river bank...

Finally, when you are anxious to get home on the 5:25 train, make sure it is the right train heading back to Paris - the direct, nonstop 5:25 train - and not the 5:28 one that takes twice as long and makes 10 stops. Because again, you didn't bring enough to read and you are all hot and tired.

In all seriousness, it was a really great learning opportunity. I will attach pictures below. Orleans is a beautiful town with great history about Joan of Arc. But most importantly, we learned how to continue to be flexible when things don't go exactly our way.

We are heading into a week of hot weather. Today it will be 100 degrees. Tomorrow it will be 102 degrees and Thursday it will be 108 degrees. We are going to check out a pool today and then come back and lay very still in our apartment. Very few places in France have air conditioning. Luckily, our apartment is very cool, especially when we have all the curtains drawn.

Be on the lookout for a video later today from Edy and Will, giving you a tour of our apartment. They warned me it was 13 minutes long. I encouraged them to share it anyway.

Bonsoir!
Betsy