Paris history tour: Teen-taming on the road

By Lesley Holden
Updated June 21 2015 - 3:13am, first published 2:24am
The interior of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. Construction began in the year 1163 and was completed in 1345. Photo: Andrey Omelyanchuk
The interior of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. Construction began in the year 1163 and was completed in 1345. Photo: Andrey Omelyanchuk
The Louvre in Paris.
The Louvre in Paris.
Taking in the rooftop view from the Georges Pompidou Centre.

 Photo: Lesley Holden
Taking in the rooftop view from the Georges Pompidou Centre. Photo: Lesley Holden
The National Assembly in Paris. Photo: 123RF
The National Assembly in Paris. Photo: 123RF
The Duomo in Florence.  Photo: Lesley Holden
The Duomo in Florence. Photo: Lesley Holden
A teenager tries parkour in Paris. Photo: Lesley Holden
A teenager tries parkour in Paris. Photo: Lesley Holden
Bridges over the Arno River at sunset in Florence, Italy. Photo: istock
Bridges over the Arno River at sunset in Florence, Italy. Photo: istock
Fontaine des Mers in the  Place de la Concorde in Paris.

 Photo: istock
Fontaine des Mers in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Photo: istock

My young teen, smartphone in hand, is oblivious to his surroundings. In his hoodie, he looks pre-delinquent in the slick museum cafe. He's over it – cherubs in gilt frames and sculptured stone martyrs in eternal agony. So how do you keep teenagers from being overloaded or underwhelmed by history on holidays? In Asia, tropical beaches and resort pools do the trick. In big European cities, it's more difficult. We avoid queues, peak periods and don't try to "do it all". If he dives for my technology saying, "I'll play a game", we start "negotiating".

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