Great Days Out
Annie Reid takes a day trip to the Eiffel Tower and a visits London's Thames Barrier Park

The Eiffel Tower in a day

A day trip to the Eiffel Tower? Were we mad? I hadn’t thought about the logistics before I suggested it to the children. Then there was no backing out and the challenge was on.

I don’t know who was more excited in the lead-up to the great day: the five children (aged between 5 and 10) or me and the other mother. Frantic telephone calls the days before ensured we had up-to-date passports (in the nick of time), train tickets, a guide book, entertainment for the journey and the all-important restaurant booking.

Our co-travellers picked us up by minibus taxi at an eye-watering 6am. We grabbed an expensive (pre-packed picnic next time) yet delicious breakfast at Costa Coffee plus essential Hello reader fodder at Waterloo station before catching the 7.09am Eurostar train direct to Paris. The excitement was palpable. The train journey passed remarkably quickly with children dozing, reading and playing cards. With the hour difference we arrived at Paris, Gare du Nord at 11am. Here Sarah, the other mother, and I got Euros from a cashpoint and we sped off in two taxis towards the Tour Eiffel – it couldn’t have been simpler.

On a weekday in April, the queues to climb the steps to the Eiffel Tower are non-existent. In summer, I understand early or late ascents are best. Even the queues for the lifts up the tower were small but we decided that the lift was for wimps so we climbed to the second floor (as high as you can). There were only a couple of stops to catch breath and ‘hurty’ legs, which was remarkable. It was only us grown-ups who suffered ‘wobbly legs’ for the rest of the day.

At the second level, we paid our supplement to take the stomach-churning lift up to the top level. I had forgotten how fantastic the views are and how very different they are depending on which level you are on: interestingly, the Sacre Coeur looks magnificent from the second level but rather insignificant from the top. The children loved looking through the telescope and pointing out ‘warships’ (actually it was a factory with huge chimneys) in the distance, the Longchamp race course, the Statue of Liberty, Notre Dame and the glass pyramid at the Louvre.

It was 2pm French time when we had climbed back to the bottom. We wandered up the path parallel to Avenue du Suffren to Le Suffren, where our table was waiting. This is one of the last independent brasseries still operating and is a personal favourite. We collapsed onto the leather banquettes and ploughed into fantastic chicken and chips, steak haché and a plateau de fruits de mer. Luckily, all the waiters seemed charmed by the children and Sarah and I were even able to get stuck into a carafe of very good wine.

It’s just a short walk or stumble back along Avenue de Suffren to the Seine, where you can pick up a boat at Port de la Bourdonnais to take you further into the city. Don’t make the mistake we did (perhaps it was the wine) of taking a bateau mouche (which will take you on a round trip) but rather you should get a batobus to Notre Dame. Along the way, you’ll pass the Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre and Concorde. At Notre Dame, you can see the beautiful rose window, the kids can burn off some energy in the lovely gardens and it is a short walk to Ile de la Cité, where there are lots of ice-creams stalls and interesting shops.

You would have plenty of time to fit in a museum (the Picasso museum or Musee d’Orsay spring to mind) but we preferred to wander slowly through the streets, soaking up the atmosphere and watching street sellers and mime artists before it was time to head back to Gare du Nord.

We caught the 7.19pm return train, which, with the one-hour difference meant we arrived at Waterloo at 8.54pm. The journey seemed to fly by: trips to the onboard café were frequent and the kids played hide and seek in the aisles until they dropped.

Trains
Outbound depart 7.09am arrive 10.59am.
Return depart 7.19pm arrive 8.54pm.
Adults from £59 return; children £50.
Look out for 2 for 1 offers in press.
Book online (times valid until 16 July 2005)) at www.eurostar.com or call 08705 186 186

Eiffel Tower
Tickets stairs adults €3.80; children €3.
Supplement for top adults €10.70; children €5.90.

Brasserie du Suffren
84 Avenue de Suffren
Tel: 0033 145 66 97 86

The Thames Barrier Park

The Thames Barrier is not only an awesome piece of engineering but it is also mesmerising to look at. You can get no better vantage point than from the Thames Barrier Park.

We set off by car from West London one Saturday morning. Our timing was obviously perfect because we got to East London surprisingly quickly – only a 40-minute journey to the park itself.

To give you a bit of history: the Thames Barrier has been raised 80 times since it opened in 1984, protecting London from ever increasing tidal surges in the North Sea. The barrier consists of 10 separate, movable gates that rest on the riverbed when not in use. These gates are operated by giant hydraulic power packs housed in the familiar huge stainless steel shells. When the barrier is raised, the four main gates each stand as high as a five-storey building and weigh 3,700 tonnes.

The land on which Thames Barrier Park was created was originally known as Prince Regent’s Wharf. Here numerous industries including timber processing, munitions, dyes and chemical production took place, leaving the soils heavily contaminated. In the 1980s, London Docklands Development Corporation were tasked with regenerating the site. Successful work was undertaken to manage the past contamination and an international design competition resulted in the glorious park of today.

With 22 acres, the Thames Barrier Park is a great place to while away a sunny day: the kids can take their bikes, play in the long meadow grass and watch the boats pass through the gates all day long. At low tide, you can spot wading birds. There is also a large playground with everything they could dream of including a helter-skelter slide and totem poles for climbing.

We brought a rug and picnic but there is a café that sells simple food, drinks and ice-creams. It has the advantage of having floor-to-ceiling windows so you can relax and read the papers inside, whilst keeping an eye on the children as they play outside.

As a nod to the past, the designers of the park have created the ‘Green Dock’, which is a huge sunken garden. The dock has its own micro-climate, where exotic plants can grow and butterflies abound. The yew and maygreen hedges make for perfect hide-and-seek spots. And at one end there is a group of 32 jet fountains, which are great fun to run in and out of in summer.

The plans for this area are ever evolving. In advanced planning stage is a huge aquarium and the adjacent (pontoon dock) DLR station will be completed later this year.

The Thames Barrier Park
North Woolwich Road, E16
Tel 020 7511 411
website

The Thames Barrier is closed once a month for maintenance and testing