YesLights streamed in through the windows and cast shadows on our faces as our train continued along the Seine through Soisy-le-Roi. Ten minutes earlier we had left the Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris. Departing at 9:40 p.m., Intercité de Nuit was shortly after 10 at the Spanish border, where we would take the train to Barcelona.
It's possible to make a day trip from London, but my husband and I included a stop for our two daughters, ages six and four, for a quick tour of the French capital, a leisurely lunch, and an overnight sleeper train ride. . Traveling with kids was once an on-again, off-again nightmare of complaining about snacks, but instead of fighting it, I learned to embrace it by turning every trip into a journey of gastronomic discovery.
Earlier in the day we checked into the Hotel 25hours Paris, across from the Gare du Nord, and then headed to Montmartre, where we rode the old Saint-Pierre Carousel. Food With the help of an online food guide we found the perfect place to eat a 15 minute walk away. Pullom, a buffet restaurant that charges children €1.50 depending on their age, serves everything from roast pork shoulder and marinated beef ribs to pots of cockles, clams and salted shrimp. It was like eating in the cafeteria of a Michelin-starred school.
We had croissants for breakfast at the Boulom bakery and spent a cool afternoon having ice cream at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Waiting for night trains means waiting in bars and cafes, which can be especially difficult for children. But we killed time at the hotel (playing uno and jumping around in our pajamas). Before we left Paris, they were asleep, with masks on and bottles of water teetering on their shelves.
Our four-person compartment had spacious berths, adequate pillows and stylish sleeping bag duvets, and we woke up to views of sun-drenched farmland. Climbing more than 1,500 meters through Midi-Pyrénées, the train abruptly passed through blocks of ice with stations larger than cabins. In Latour-de-Carol we transferred to the R3 train for a three-hour meander that left us glued to the glass and the beauty of the Pyrenees. In the last hour the schoolchildren got on the boards and the train slowed down towards the city, stopping at Plaça de Catalunya.
Our base was Sagrada Familia Suites by Eric Vogel, Avenida a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of Gaudí. It's contemporary, immaculate and beautifully situated for strolling through the jaw-dropping grandeur of Gaudi's unfinished basilica or a half-hour walk to Parc Güell. Anti-tourism protests took to the streets of Barcelona this summer, but we plan to go out of season and seek out local and out-of-center experiences.
The first morning we headed uphill toward the quiet neighborhood of La Salute, standing in front of a door in the wall and doodling. A gray-haired lady responded slowly. “Welcome, would you like to see the secret garden?” he asked the women, leading us through a kitchen toward a patio shaded by a large ombú. There were lanterns strung between the branches, the smell of mimosas was warm in the air, and in the center there was a table and two giant paella pans, ready for our class.
In 2012, interior designer Sarah Caste Obiols founded La Salzamenta Cooking School after hearing visitors pass by her family's home on their way to Park Kell and thought she could expand her teaching beyond neighbors and friends. After lockdown, her younger sister Clara joined her and taught her her grandmother's recipes.
With a family from Florida, we were given aprons and glasses of peach-colored Grenache before Clara lit the pots. Fry (Mixture of garlic, peppers and tomatoes in oil) to taste. is running bamba The girls listened with their fingers while Clara explained that paella was a 15th century Valencian peasant dish in which they put everything they had: rabbit; Snails; Charophone beans (butter), but never Always Sausage.
We divided into two groups: one for seafood and another for rabbit and chicken. Fried squid, rice, laddu with rice, steaming with the aroma of saffron, the women went up. “We never stir the paella,” Clara warned, “it releases the starch and we want the rice to be firm. Surprised – Catalan for the crispy, charred bottom layer.”
Sitting at a long table in the cold potato omelette And the salad, which we saw Clara make. bread with tomatoes (Catalan original bread with tomatoes) Rub the cracked garlic cloves and grated tomatoes all over. No farmers (Peasant bread). Rich, with a slight crunch, the paella was sensational, with both pans cleared in minutes and followed by market strawberries. “You should take them there,” Clara said, and I asked her where to go next, “they'll have a great time trying everything. But my children? They love the CosmoCaixa Science Museum.
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That afternoon, on the outskirts of town, near Mount Tipitapo, we were in the forest, listening to the patter of tropical rain on the water lilies and the piranhas in the pool. This 1,000 square meter space, known as the floodplain, is the highlight of CosmoCaixa's five-story Amazon ecosystem recreational space and museum. Costing just €8 for adults and under 16s, it's a dream place for parents to relax while kids are encouraged to touch everything and run around, experimenting in the maths lab, weather station and Antarctic base. After three hours of looking at hair under microscopes, shooting jets of water, and testing the speed of paper airplanes, I could understand why Clara's children kept coming back.
With a hectic day behind us – and needing some peace – we sought out La Terraza, the rooftop restaurant of the Grand Hotel Central. About soft dishes croquettes and crispy calamari, we take a wide tour of the city, with the terracotta tiles shining in the heat.
La Rambla is a must-see for first-time visitors to the city, the best and worst of Barcelona, but it is the Boquería Market that Clara had suggested taking the girls to for breakfast. The market, which began as a collection of stalls in 1217, was run by local merchants carrying groceries. Eat smoked sticks cooked sausageThe girls looked like hansoos. iberian ham They raved about the technicolor hues of whipped, sliced, chocolate-dipped strawberries and dragon fruit blended into smoothies.
Back in the sun, we find the playground and the parrots singing in the trees in the leafy Vicen Martorell square. For that reason alone, Barcelona is pure magic for parents, with playgrounds hidden in many corners. They are often found in bars, where adults drink Mahou beers and watch their children on the swings. We didn't kill any time until we left, but we enjoyed every moment while the girls dug in the sand. After fully thinking about the trip, Barcelona seemed like a utopia to our confused London minds.
Accommodation provided by 25 Hour Hotels in Paris (double from €152 per room) and Eric Vogel Boutique Apartments Barcelona (two-bedroom apartment from about €255 BED AND BREAKFAST). Paella class with sauce: €62 adults, €30 Children (6-11)
