Parks and Playgrounds are Paradise

Maze outside Chartres' Cathedral, France

Traveling with kids means not just monuments and museums but a considerable amount of playtime. As Climber Girl noted, it's tiring being on high alert all the time. High alert means watching for cars, navigating through crowds, standing in lines, worrying about what you can and can't touch, etc.  So play time is important - pretty much every day.

For playtime, playgrounds certainly are nice (you may have ready read our impressions of the Jardin du Luxembourg where we spent more days than I can count), but playgrounds aren't necessary. A few hours on an open grassy field yields, a pile of imaginative games, learning to make Daisy chains, and insightful observations can easily provide a much needed break from sightseeing.  Parks also present an unique opportunity to interact with other cultures.  We have all met interesting people and learned about other cultures as well as gotten some recommendations for our own travels (The Canadian tourism office doesn't need to worry, the many Canadians we have met have promoted the country well!)

Seeing less and enjoying our travels is definitely better than being turbo tourists. Besides, skipping things just gives us an excuse to come back.