An early start gave us a good run up to Ebbsfleet to board the Eurostar to Paris. Final thanks to Paul for his last mission running around after us! Boarding the train and clearing customs etc was all very easy, much easier than an airport. The train Is so fast the scenery just whizzes by and you don't really get a good look at anything. We reached 297kmph! Before we knew it we were in the tunnel under the English Channel, then in a blink we were out again, and in France. A taxi ride to the hotel, then a quick reset ready to go exploring in Paris. On today's at agenda was The Louvre...we figured it was best to tackle that before the kids brains were fried by all the sights (and tastes!) of the city of lights. So after a baguette by the river for lunch, and a bit of exploring, we headed to meet our guide. We did a tour that was tailored to kids, called Paris Muse Clues, and it was the best decision we could have made. Our guide, Jock, engaged them and connected with them from the word go, and the two hours we spent with him went so fast - only the tired legs towards the end gave away how much we covered! We were so lucky as the museum was unusually quiet, so we got up close and personal with some of the most famous exhibits, including the Mona Lisa. It was awesome! The kids were knackered so we settled on eating at a nearby creperie which was full of locals, and the garçon spoke only French....always a good sign I think! Our crepes were delicious. Then we watched a bit of French TV before crashing for the night. Our room is big by Paris standards, so we are feeling altogether very lucky today. A great introduction to Paris for the three who have never been. Robyn The Louvre was a very big place! Actually big is not a big enough word! If you stopped at everything for 1 minute it would take you 3 months to go around it. There is a place inside that is set up like a garden with trees and everything. But it had a roof made of glass so you could see the sky even though you were underground. We went on a treasure hunt with jock and the treasure was an awesome wild goose game with Paris monuments, and you don't want to get in the dungeon because then you miss a turn. If you get to the middle before anyone else you win the game. In the louvre we saw enchanted gods and we saw the mona Lisa. My favourite was the garden though with its enormous statues. Baby Jaguar's favourite was King Louis' golden room where even the roof was gold! I think the louvre was awesome! Daniel We took a train to Paris. The journey was fun. When we got to Paris mum kept her promise and ordered us food in a bakery by speaking French. (She told us in Nz she could get us food and ask for the toilet in French!!!) The baguettes were delicious! We walked around over some old bridges. Then We went to the louvre. Gigantic, humongous, and enormous combined isn't big enough. We met our guide called Jock and he told us that if you looked at each thing for a minute it would take you 3 months to look around the museum completely. He also told us that the louvre had been a fortress, a castle, and a palace, as well as a museum, and that he would show us proof of each. We saw the fortress underground and measured our height in bricks. I was only 5 bricks tall out of like a thousand. The actual bricks were from the 11th century. Louis the 14th inherited the louvre when it was a palace but he built a new one because the louvre was not flash enough. His palace is now called Versailles, and the louvre became a museum. I had lots of favourite things in the museum. Like the 4000 year old Stella from Babylon... The writing on it was rules, and one said if children hit their parents their hands would be cut off. Gulp! And the Greek and Roman statues where you could work out what they were doing even though their arms were missing. I recognised Aphrodite ( thanks to Percy Jackson books!). Of course my number one favourite was the Mona Lisa! We were right at the front and we learned how her eyes and smile changed as you stood in different places... I guess da Vinci did the equivalent of trick photography! Nici went a but crazy taking selfies but we just let him because has been excited about Paris for weeks. I had the worlds biggest crepe for dinner, it was scrumptious but so big I couldn't finish it, which is unusual if you know me. My first day in Paris can only be summed up by: AWESOMENESS!!! Gemma Everyone already said everything but I will say I am finding Paris to be a mind blowing experience. The louvre is definitely one of life's must do places. The Paris muse clues tour was worth every cent and I would recommend it for families. Very professional and they made it all about the kids but totally relevant to everyone. Can't wait to see more of Paris. Glen