We are thrilled about the upcoming Theatre on Ice Nations' Cup competition in Bordeaux, France! Ocean State Ice Theatre is determined to secure a spot on the podium this year. Before delving into the competition, let's take a quick detour to Paris, France. In this blog post, I'll be planning out our accommodations, dining experiences, and the activities we picked to entertain a teenager while ensuring his safety due to food allergies in a foreign land. Stay tuned for insights on the gear we packed for the trip..

Where to Stay

We reserved a room at the Chouette Hotel Paris in the 15th arrondissement (district) through Nova Vacations, a family-owned business. At the time, I was unfamiliar with the districts and didn't consider the hotel's location. I provided Mo with my budget range, and she shared her suggestions, property information, and pricing details.

Review: Stay tuned for the next blog!

Entertaining a Teenager & Other Activities

Traveling with a teenager can sometimes be a challenge. Exploring the rich history of Paris should keep as all busy.

Activities we booked, via Viator, are:

• Guided electric tour of Paris - We are all thrilled about this! We believe this would be a fantastic initial activity to rest our feet and familiarize ourselves with the surroundings.

• A guided tour of the Palace of Versailles & garden tour with skip the line - This one is for me! I presented the guys with a choice between the Louvre and Versailles as I didn't plan on visiting both in one weekend. The majority voted for Versailles, so I decided to splurge and booked the skip-the-line tickets along with a garden tour. Fingers crossed for good weather!

• Eiffel Tower guided tour with summit access - The Eiffel Tower is a must-see in Paris. To make our visit unique, we chose an evening tour to witness the sparkling lights of Paris from 906 feet above the ground.

  Feel free to message me with any must-see recommendations you may have.

During our trip to Bordeaux, the activities will mainly cater to adults as my son will be busy with numerous practices leading up to the big competition. One exciting plan on my list is arranging a photoshoot in Bordeaux for our engagement photos! Keep an eye out for more updates!

Transportation

How did we travel and what did we book?

• To make our journey easier, I decided to rent a car from the hotel. Even though researching online and watching several vlogs, saying that public transportation is reliable and convenient in Europe. This being our first trip to Europe, and having an overnight flight, we booked a car pickup from the airport to the hotel through Nova Vacations. However, we plan to use public transportation for the rest of our trip.

• For our journey from Paris to Bordeaux and back, we opted for a train ride. Many websites recommended using the Trainline website. which we found very user-friendly as it consolidated all the train options in one place. We have already pre-booked our round trip tickets.

Where to Eat

Navigating this situation will be intriguing. My son has allergies to seafood and nuts. We re-tested him in November 2023 to confirm that he has not outgrown any of these allergies, but unfortunately, he has not. To overcome any language barriers, we have discovered printable translation sheets that we plan to take with us. These sheets will help us communicate his allergies accurately to restaurants, making dining out easier and safer.

• Chef card template

• Common phrases for an emergency

Stay tuned on where we picked and how we rate the locations.