Daytripping with a baby... and other things to do in Calais, France

I love when motherhood and travel come together. My two favourite things. It’s no coincidence that it’s the two things this blog is about. However, being on maternity leave has meant that I haven’t travelled anywhere near as much as I normally do. So, to receive a day trip abroad this Mother’s Day was the perfect gift - my fiance knows me well! Getting to share the enjoyment of travel with my daughter again, following our first trip abroad to Spain, made it all the more special.

In the last decade, amongst the far-flung destinations and 10-day excursions, I've done a few day trips to Brussels and Paris - and it was back to France this time too. Instead of boarding a Eurostar though, we'd be driving in the comfort of our own car to Calais for the day via the Eurotunnel. I didn't know much about Calais before our trip, hearing only what was in the news about the border crossing and vaguely remembering a school trip over 20 years ago. 

The experience of travelling with a child differs from travelling as a couple, friends, or solo; even when there's no plane or no overnight stay. Below are the little things I now notice when travelling with a baby that I didn't notice before I was a mum.

Ease of travel

Something front of mind when travelling with a baby is how easy it's going to be - and frankly it couldn't get any easier than being in our own car. Given it was a day trip, we could load up the car with the ‘go bag’, passports, buggy, and a few toys for the journey, and get on our way. It was an easy drive to Folkestone - I say, as a passenger princess, lol - however, there were over an hour and a half delays in actually boarding Le Shuttle. It was a saving grace to be in our own car as our daughter could roam around, go between both parents, and be entertained. However, once it was our time to board, it was an incredibly smooth process - though my mind will never not be blown that we were in our car, within a train, which was hurtling along under the sea. 

Accessibility 

When I travel, I like to walk - a LOT. It's the best way to get a feel for a new town or city. When travelling with my daughter, it's no different, except there's a buggy to push. My fiance did a lot of the buggy pushing as we noticed the roads and pavements weren't particularly accessible in Calais. While the pavements were quite wide, there weren't many dropped curbs, making crossing roads a little more difficult. Nonetheless, our strolls took us past the Calais Lighthouse (though we didn't venture up its 271 steps this time) and the medieval Tour du Guet. My daughter loved the water feature in front of this watch tower - though she almost got caught by one in her buggy! Sadly, Parc Richelieu, which had been on our list to visit, was closed.

However, unlike the roads, we found the main attraction very accessible: the Hôtel de Ville. Even the four or five stairs as you entered the building had an accessible option, with one of those little singular lifts to raise a buggy or wheelchair. While the UNESCO World Heritage site was gorgeous to look at from the outside, one of my favourite moments of the day came from when we ventured inside. We headed up the Belfry - the 72-metre clock tower - for a 360-degree view of the city. I'll admit I was a little scared at first, as I always am with heights, but it was so enjoyable.

Flexibility of the plan

When travelling, I usually have a loose plan of what I want to see and do. When travelling with someone else, we usually nail down a plan at the start of the day; when travelling solo, I usually keep it pretty loose, as I won't affect anyone by changing my mind at the drop of a hat. Travelling with a baby means plans need to be pretty flexible, too.

Once our feet were firmly back on the ground, we took a quick visit to the gardens in front of the town hall, and checked out the Les Bourgeois de Calais sculpture. It was nice, but my daughter had had enough of the sightseeing by that point. As the wind started to pick up, we ventured back to the car, and drove along the beach promenade trying to catch a peek at the Dragon of Calais. For a summer trip, taking some time here would be fab. 

We decided to spend our last few hours musing the shops at the huge Cité Europe shopping centre, close to the Le Shuttle terminal home. While I'm not really a fan of shopping, I do love looking at cute clothes for my daughter. We also grabbed some treats to take home - the ease of having our own car with us meant there weren't constraints around the numbers of bags or how heavy these were for us to carry. I must say, I found most of the food just ‘okay’ on our day trip - despite our main meal being in a highly rated restaurant. However, their pastries? They were absolutely delicious. We made sure to get pain au chocolats and fresh bread to bring home.

Kindness of strangers

This is a huge thing I notice since becoming a mum. Who smiles at my daughter when she's smiling at them? Who waves back when she waves? Who acknowledges her existence if she is acknowledging them? I know I can't control how people react to her, but I want the world to be as kind to her as we are. The French - or perhaps Parisians - have a reputation for being unapproachable, but when it came to babies, I found this to be completely unfounded. We had so many positive exchanges, particularly with staff in restaurants, shops, and even the passport lady on the way home. We didn't encounter a lot of English speakers, so while it was an opportunity for me to dust off the little I could remember of my GCSE French, there was no need for words between strangers and my daughter. They communicated with peekaboos, smiles, and waves. People took time out of their day to interact with her often for a good three/four minutes, and this made my heart happy. 

For a second trip abroad with my daughter, Calais was fantastic. Although she’s still a baby, she’s a fair bit older than on our last venture abroad, so this trip gave me an insight on what to be more aware of for future travels (naptimes/bedtimes like at home!), while making me even more excited for all our trips to come in future. 

Enjoy my motherhood content? I've written a whole book on the subject! Find out more about ‘Everything They Don't Tell You About Becoming A First-Time Mother’ here.

Enjoying a sunny micro break… and other things to do in Lille, France

So, I'll be straight up: I was very tempted to call this blog “Surviving a bomb scare and other things to do in Lille, France”, but I thought best not to be too click-baity. However, my trip was plagued by many, many messages asking how I'd even reached Lille, following news that an unexploded WW2 bomb had cancelled ALL Paris-London/London-Paris trains on my day of travel. Thankfully, Lille sits on the Brussels/Amsterdam line; our destination was the only one running that day from the Eurostar terminal at Kings Cross. In fact, it was the smoothest security experience: less than 10 minutes from disembarking my Thameslink to being sat in the waiting lounge.

I was set to be in Lille for less than 60 hours - Friday afternoon to Sunday evening - and had booked it as one final trip abroad before Baby arrives. I was travelling with my friend and former flatmate whom I've taken many trips with (Brussels, Singapore, Faro, Budapest, Copenhagen) - and she was very understanding about my slowness compared to previous trips (and my annoying postnasal drip cough at night!!). Somehow, despite it being early March, we struck a weekend with gorgeous weather, so with our coats left at the hotel and sunnies firmly on our faces, we made our way around the city. 

The architecture 

When people - including our tour guide (more on the tour later) - asked “why Lille?” our main answer was the architecture. That, and “why not” as it's a European city we've never visited before, and so accessible from London. In the time it takes me to get to work from home, I was in Lille from Kings Cross! 

The architecture is gorgeous. There is a real mix of influences, due to the city’s history: predominantly French, Flemish, and Spanish. Many buildings reminded me of Brussels and Amsterdam, as well as other cities. One of the arguably most gorgeous spots we stumbled upon by accident was La Vielle Bourse market. It gave me massive Seville/ Moorish vibes in its look, but was a cute French market, selling everything from prints to old CDs. In general through, most places had bags of character and gorgeous exteriors, such as the Grand Place, Lille Opera, and even just random buildings as we strolled down the street.  

The history 

As a town so close to a country border, Lille has a storied history when it comes to wars, invasion, and revolutions. We learnt a lot about how that impacted the architecture on our tour of the city; for example, a lot of buildings surviving from the Spanish rule were red and yellow. This tour was fab; our tour guide was a local uni student who drove us around in a classic car, with an open roof, for an hour, detailing the city's past - and a little of its present. It was a great way to cover the majority of the city (especially as I couldn't comfortably walk for as long as I normally would on city breaks), and get our bearings. We saw places like Church of Saint-Andre, where Charles de Gaulle was baptised; the most narrow house in Lille; and even the exterior of one of the many army bases. We were surprised to learn that back in the 14th century, the city was much like Venice or Amsterdam in that it was filled with canals. That's why some of the streets still reflect that winding style.

Another historical spot we visited was the Parc de la Citadelle, built in the 1600s in a unique star/pentagonal shape as the city walls. Today, it is a peaceful park, around which we wandered for a good hour or so, admiring the wildlife and the whole expanse. 

In a more modern turn of events, we did the majority of our city exploring on International Women's Day, passing activists in the main square (and putting our French language skills to the test as we discussed what was going on with one of the organisers). It was a great day and being pregnant too made me all the more reflective over just how strong, infallible, and incredible women are…

The food

We had some lovely food during our visit - despite the fact I couldn't devour the French wine or charcuterie, and je deteste le fromage. We stayed at a hotel chain I was familiar with, having reviewed one of their outposts in London a couple of years ago, and on the first night as we were quite tired, we ate here too. Their dinner menu, and mocktails, were actually pretty good - as was their selection at breakfast. That pain au chocolat was FAB. I must say though, that build your own teabag thing? Fun but unnecessary, haha. 

On our first afternoon, we stopped by Les Freres Pinard, where we enjoyed a leisurely couple of hours with wine (for my friend), non-alcoholic gin and tonic (for me), olives, and bread, alongside a fair few rounds of card games. We found that here - as with everywhere - the Lille locals were super friendly!

Another spot we headed to was Tripletta, an Italian restaurant located on a main street of restaurants, Rue de Gand; we sat outside their sister bar, Carmi. I had a wonderful ginger mocktail, and a lovely traditional Napoli pizza (traditional meaning they actually had a no cheese pizza on their menu YAY); although not French, it was lovely to sit alfresco. We did however have a lovely French meal at Campion Brasserie: my stewed beef was gorgeous and rich, served with some delish frites, and again, a delectable mocktail - I must say, I was most impressed by the flavours of mocktails everywhere we ate/drank on this trip.

We were advised to head to Meert, one of the oldest shops in Lille - the building dating back to 1677 - for local gaufres, which were like oblong stroopwafels. They were nice, but I think they needed to be warmer to be really enjoyed. We then spent a lot of our last afternoon alfresco in EARLY MARCH, drinking and snacking on chips and salad, and playing cards. 

I have been pleasantly surprised by Lille as a  European city break. I had worried there wouldn't be a lot to do, but I reckon it is perfect for a full Friday-Saturday, or Friday-Sunday getaway. If I were to return, I would make sure to visit the bar street of Rue de Royale, and also perhaps get an earlier train home on the Sunday - we were booked on the last one - as it really is a day of rest in Lille, with most restaurants and shops closed.

Getting out of my comfort zone... and other things to do in Colmar, France

At least once a year, I like to go on a solo adventure. This style of travel enables me to travel at my own pace, see places on my list that my loved ones may not wish to visit, and it is pretty empowering. However, prior to this getaway, my previous solo trips have usually been to English-speaking countries (like Australia and Scotland), or to join an organised tour (as I did for Morocco and Cuba) - or just for the day via the Eurostar. However, this time, I decided to up the ante a little. Armed with my Duolingo app and over a decade-old GCSE French skills, I embarked on a three-day trip to Colmar in France. By train. With a small backpack. A mini interrailing adventure, some might say!

Colmar is a town in the Alsace region that I’ve longed to visit for a while. So much so, in fact, that it even earned its own spot on my #30before30 list. Situated close to the French-German and French-Swiss borders, the medieval architecture and quaint town centre look like something out of a fairytale, and I had to see it first hand. This holiday definitely put me out of my comfort zone in a variety of ways, but all with positive outcomes.

The trains

The moment Eurostar announced their ‘£35 one way’ sale in February, I knew what I had to do. After an hour of logistics and planning between the Eurostar and TGV websites, I booked my tickets to Paris and Colmar. Just three-to-four train rides from my Sussex home and I could be in Colmar! Hey, that's fewer changes than I make to get to some places in London! The journey would include a four-hour stopover in Paris each way - a city I've visited on various occasions in the last 11 years - so initially, I wasn’t out of my comfort zone at all. I knew I needed to get about with ease, so avoided large luggage; I decided to pack super lightly (the lightest I've ever packed for an overnight(s) stay, actually), fitting everything in my little backpack and handbag.

Where being out of my comfort zone came into play was when it came to understanding the train route. For the fourth train, my ticket said I needed to change at Strasbourg, but my third train was headed to Colmar as its final destination anyway. Initially, I was very confused, intently listening to announcements, but understanding very few sentences. Once I checked the SNCF website, it showed there was a 15-minute stop in Strasbourg - no changes needed on my way to Colmar. However, on my return journey, I did have to change. I used the same website’s arrivals and departures board to coordinate my platform change. The travel Gods were smiling down on me: although there are around 30 platforms at Strasbourg, my platforms were less than two minutes apart, and my onward train was delayed by 10 minutes anyway, so I had ample time to get to the right place. On the Eurostar back, it was like the Eurostar company had been confused, and/or had a glitch, as my seat was double booked! I was already seated when the other traveller and her husband arrived, and we both showed each other our tickets, and they were the same. We had a laugh about it, and as I was settled, they sought to rectify it with the conductor.

France is still pretty strict on the Covid regulations when it comes to public transport: before you even enter King’s Cross’ Eurostar area on your way to France, a guard instructs all masks are on properly, then before passport control, another guard scans your vaccine QR code. If your vaccine is over 9 months old, it must include the QR code for your booster too. This was the first time since I’ve been vaccinated that my QR code has actually been scanned, not just looked at, and I’ve been to three countries in that time…

Language

A big element of being out of my comfort zone was the language barrier. Unlike many tourist towns and cities I've visited, almost no one back home had heard of Colmar, and upon arrival, I realised there were very few British tourists here. Not just that, but where I was staying, about 15 minutes out of the centre, there weren't many tourists full stop. In the town centre, there were more English speakers working in the shops and at attractions, but even the other tourists were mostly from their neighbouring countries like Germany and Switzerland. While at first, this made me a little uncomfortable, soon after, I very much embraced it. For years, I've been learning French on and off, and being in Colmar on my own fully immersed me in the language and helped to expand my vocabulary. I even had to learn how to say "there's a cockroach in my bathroom, help!" in French - that insect definitely put me out of my comfort zone!

Sightseeing

Usually, my go-to routine when travelling solo is to board a city sightseeing bus, get a little history and overview of the city, then stick my headphones in, listen to my music, and explore the attractions more closely on foot. I did a version of that in Colmar, but this time, the other way around. Even something as simple as this was new for me - not completely out of my comfort zone per say, but a little different. Without context or my bearings from that preliminary tour, I just walked and got lost in the weaving streets of the Old Town, snapping pics of the beautiful bold buildings and their intricate roofs, sometimes accidentally circling back to the same spot or retracing my steps.

After getting my bearings on foot, I bought a ticket for a 30-minute boat tour along Petite Venise. I boarded the small wooden boat with a German family; the host asked what languages we'd like and thankfully did all three (French, German and English). It was beautiful to see the town from the water, and also venture into an area with more wildlife and bountiful bird calls.

After disembarking, I walked back into the main area to admire the architecture of Maison Pfister and neighbouring Saint Martin Collegial, and then intended to make my way to the Unterlinden Museum, but instead decided on a whim to board the tourist train - a train version of my fave bus tours, woohoo! I got to learn the history of some of the impactful buildings, as well as other fun facts I otherwise would not have known. I mean, who else is counting the heads on the facade of Maison des Tetes? It's worth carrying a bit of cash as you venture around Colmar's town centre; I had to run to an ATM to pay for the tourist train, and also had to find a different shop for bottled water at one point earlier in the trip, due to a minimum card spend.

Unfortunately, one thing I missed out on was the Alsace wine route. I'd really hoped it for my itinerary, but only the full-day tours were available during my stay (half-day tours were available at other times of the week) and I didn't want to lose out on eight hours in Colmar itself. Without a car, pre-organised tours are the best way to do the wine tours and the castle.

Dining alone

For some reason, I have absolutely no qualms over eating breakfast or lunch alone in a restaurant, but I have a sticking point when it comes to dinner. Of course, I've dined on my evening meal on other travels, but I'd always eat as quickly as possible. However, here, I had no choice but to enjoy a long, indulgent meal, solo. On my first night, I chose to dine close to my hotel. As noted above, this meant absolutely no English-speaking staff. However, I apologised for my poor French (en francais, of course) and the waiters were very patient and gentil to me... but all the while speaking French, so I really had to practise. I realise the locals here love veal, so I made sure to have at least one veal-based meal during my stay. On the first night, this was washed down with a few Saint Germain spritzes because it was the restaurant’s speciality.

Overall, I am very proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone, and it’s given me the confidence to consider a long train-based trip. A luxury interrailing trip perhaps… hey, Orient Express, do you have any deals going?!

Bonus paragraph: A brief interlude in Paris

It wouldn't be a truly accurate article on my trip if I didn't detail my time in Paris, which bookended my time in Colmar. I spent around four hours in Paris each way. One of my favourite places in Paris is the fountains outside the Louvre, so I made a beeline for this from Gare du Nord upon arrival in France. I then decided to take a Batobus river cruise down the Seine; it is a cheap and yet lovely alternative to just strolling along the banks myself. Unfortunately, I missed the first boat of the day by mere minutes, which meant by the time I boarded, I couldn't do the whole loop otherwise would have missed my train to Colmar. However, I made up for it on my trip home by visiting my favourite sites again, like Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower (sorry, I'm a basic tourist!), making friends with a Californian tourist, and visiting Laduree for macarons. They were so polite and lovely, and I chose some unique flavours like black sesame and the Marie Antoinette, the latter of which was quite zesty. A great few hours spent in the French capital on both travel days.

Why it's okay to be single in the city of love... and other things to do in Paris, France

Ooh la la, Paris. The city of romance, couples and all things lurrrrrve… which is all good and well, unless you’re single and your significant other is a cat/work/bottle of gin.

Well, fellow singletons, don’t be put off by these connotations of the French capital; after just one visit, you’ll start your life-long love affair with the city itself.

I’ve been single both times I’ve been to Paris. My first trip was in 2009, looking oh-so glamourous, and then again, backpacking with my best friend, looking oh-so not. I stepped off the train into Gare du Nord station each time with the kind of butterflies you usually get from seeing a really fit man across the platform. I’ve definitely found my future home in the city of love. Think London, but more. The Montmartre area (home to Moulin Rouge and the Sacre Coeur) is so beautiful and quaint - I’d move there in a heartbeat.

If you’re after a trip less Amelie and more Monster in Paris (SPOILER ALERT: still has a lovey-dovey ending, but you know what I'm getting at), read on…

Eiffel Tower (duh) and Trocadero

Obviously, swooning over the Eiffel Tower is THE thing to do in Paris. You don’t need a proposing fella to warrant visiting the city’s biggest attraction; it's crawling with families, lone-travellers and other non-coupley combos. During the day, the views are beautiful. The green gardens roll below and the Seine looks vast. For height-phobes (like myself), the second floor is just high enough to appreciate the city below, but not high enough for a little bit of wee to come out when you step off the lift.

Every evening at dusk, the Eiffel Tower becomes an incredible light show, set to music blaring out industrial-sized speakers. Too romantic, you ponder? HA! The annoying touts trying to sell you cheap wine, or get you to fill in their survey (don’t do it, they try and make YOU pay for taking part), kill any romantic vibes.

If you’re looking for an alternative spot to get a good view of Le Tour Eiffel, head to Trocadero, which while teeming with tourists, affords a great snap.

Eiffel Tower

Pastries and macarons

Tesco’s four packs have nothing on proper, fresh croissants. Wrap your lips around a warm croissant from any residential bakery and you’ll be transported to a sepia-coloured, accordion-playing, striped-top world in an instance. As for the macarons, well, they’re even more perfect. So soft, yet with the perfect crunch, and more wonderful flavours to choose from than types of men at an RnB club night.

Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe

Head on down to Champs-Elysees to shop ‘til you drop, making it rain with Euros. Yes, it would be nice to have a BF splashing the cash on you, but it’s the 21st century, ladies. Sistas doing it for themselves. The shopping haven starts (or ends, depending on which way you look at it) with Arc de Triomphe, so you can climb/crawl up after shopping and get some Insta-worthy snaps. Your feet won’t love you, but your followers will.

Outside the Louvre

The Louvre

And by that, I mean da Vinci’s renowned piece of art, Mona Lisa. Her smile is pretty much the smug emoji, amiright? Take inspo from her, and other world-class paintings in the Lourve, and own your singledom in the city of love.

The area outside of the Lourve is just as incredible as the artwork inside the building. Filled with glass pyramids and fountains, it is absolutely beaut and a must-see.

Parting words of wisdom

Don’t stay in a hostel while you stay in Paris. I’m not one of those people who turn their noses up at hostels; they can be the perfect, low-cost alternative to hotels. You can get clean, private rooms. However, let’s just say Parisians are the epitome of sophistication and chic, but this DOES NOT extend to their hostels. Eughhh.   

Hostels aside, Paris is the perfect city for couples, singletons or families. You can get from London to Paris, via the Eurostar, in the same time it takes to travel from one end of the Piccadilly line to the other. For a cheaper alternative, you can fly. Now, that is love.