We went to three Christmas markets on three consecutive days in three different cities in France,…read moreand the one at the Tuileries Garden was my children's favorite. It was less quaint and packed with tiny vendors than the markets in Colmar and Strasbourg, but it was basically an amusement park set up in the middle of Paris, a slam dunk for my boys, aged five and three.
For my part, I enjoyed that it was in the Tuileries Garden, and that it was dramatically less crowded than the markets we'd visited over the weekend, as we went to this one on a Monday. My mother and sons and I were also joined by my dear friend Ava B., who lives in Paris and suggested this excursion for our one full day in Paris, when we requested to see Christmasy Parisy things. She'd already been once this season and knew her way around.
We arrived hungry and started with lunch, hitting one of the many food stalls set up for the market. We picked a place that did cheesy sandwiches so we could get a grilled cheese for the kids, and I got a pretty decent ham and cheese. I also enjoyed some of Ava's sausage roll and a couple glasses of hot red wine. There was a tight seating area packed with picnic tables, where we were able to sit and eat.
Unfortunately, we had a bad experience with the guy making the sandwiches, who seemed annoyed by our existence, sullenly taking our order, which was not in the least bit complicated. Our interactions were brief and uneventful, so I was surprised when he spoke loudly to the French people he helped after us about the "Chinos." I don't speak French, but I do understand racist asshole. Honestly, that guy kind of tainted the afternoon, and was, not for nothing, a terrible, embarrassing representative of Paris and France.
My kids were none the wiser, though, and the rest of our afternoon was easy and fun. The highlight was definitely the ferris wheel, with its beautiful views of the city. My five-year-old was thrilled to see the Eiffel Tower and the Notre-Dame, which he recognized from the Lego set "we" built.
The boys went on a carousel and a kiddie train ride, and I accompanied the older one on a cool vertical obstacle course, which was great except for the part where he ran face-first into a glass wall (the confusion was part of the design). We also had a blast going down a giant slide, where we picked up speed on these fabric sleds and flew with every bump. My three-year-old was disappointed to learn he was too small for the bumper cars, but assuaged by the miniature "roller coaster," a slow, roller coaster-shaped ride for small children. His brother was too scared to go on it at first, but ended up riding it three times and getting sad when we had to leave.
We paid for everything a la carte, including bathroom access, but admission to the market was free. It was a nice way to spend three-and-a-half hours with kids, a festive Parisian carnival afternoon.
