Category: European Trip Blog, 2017

June 26, 2017. Monday. Italy. Today was some of the most unique and beautiful scenic driving we’ve had on this trip, and easily in the top 5 for me personally. The route from Nice to Monaco to Savona, Italy, is breathtaking, and a little nerve-wracking at times. Hairpin turns, sweeping vistas from hundreds of feet of the Mediterranean, and tons of tunnels – we went through at least 50 in the first hour of crossing into Italy.

The day started in Aix-en-Provence. Our flat was on one of many picturesque open plazas in the old part of the town, and we happened to have a huge fruit and veggie market right outside our front door, along with several options for bread, coffee, and treats. We took a little hour walking tour of Aix and were on the road by 11 (a bit later than anticipated).

An hour or so along beautiful highways through the hills with mountains in the distance brought us to Cannes, on the coast of the Mediterranean and home of the famous annual film festival. It is definitely an upscale city, with beautiful beaches, palm-tree lined streets, and scenic views. We drove along the waterfront and then followed the coast up to Antibes, a cute little coastal town.

Somewhere in between Antibes and Nice we stopped along a long stretch of beach just to get out to stretch our legs. But when we realized the water was so warm, everyone but Jo changed and jumped in. The surf was rough, which the kids liked. The beaches in Nice are unique in that they are mostly pebble beaches, not sandy ones. There are some benefits, but mostly your feet hurt after a while.

After a solid 1-1.5 hours of swimming, we were on the road again, this time to Nice and the Promenade des Anglais – a long boardwalk of sorts along the waterfront. Nice is actually a fairly large city, at just over a million people. We all really enjoyed the drive through town along the water, especially as we drove up out of Nice en route to Monaco.

The drive between Nice and Monaco was stunning. We chose the coastal route, which is slower but simply amazing, with large mountainous coasts and towns on the bays and inlets. To me, it is what the Big Sur on the California coast would look like if it was developed with towns, etc. The southern coast of France is much hillier/rockier/mountainous than I realized – but it adds to the beauty and charm

Monaco itself was really gorgeous. The main bay with buildings and lower high rises lining the steep mountain in a semi-circle around the water is just so unique and visually stunning. It’s almost visual overload – but in a good way. We found a parking garage that mostly fit our van and walked up the steep paths to the prince’s castle, which gave us sweeping views of the entire main bay. A delicious dinner in a cute little alley on top of the mountain (which is also residential), and we were ready to head to Savona, Italy, where we have an Air BnB booked for tonight.

But: getting out of Monaco is not easy! Our trust GPS took us winding up steep streets with hairpin curves to climb the towering mountain walls that are heavily built up and populated the whole way to the top. It was some of the most interesting and visually engaging driving I’ve ever done, I think. And a little nuts at time in a stick-shift van with a very sensitive clutch!

After cresting the top of the mountain wall, we settled in for the 1 ¼ hour drive. But we were totally blown away by the beauty of the drive between Monaco and Savona. After you cross into Italy, you are either on a bridge or in a tunnel for easily an hour. We passed through at least 50 tunnels (of varying length, but some a mile or more) within the first hour. And the bridges (especially at first) are super high. On the left there are what I think are the beginnings of the Italian Alps. And on the right are these amazing steep valleys filled with terraced towns and cities that lead down to the water. There were so few places to stop along the highway that we really don’t have many pictures. But it was super cool.

Our stopping point in Savona is for convenience (not pilgrimaging to where Christopher Columbus was from, I can assure you). Our flat for tonight is the largest and nicest one we’ve had yet – and one of the cheapest, oddly. Savona is not much of a destination, I’m guessing. Getting the van to the flat was another adventure in tight van driving: folded in mirrors down a steep narrow alley with 2-3 inches to spare on either side. Yikes.

Still, I think we will all sleep well tonight. Today we logged the least amount of steps, however – well below 10,000, which is unusual (we’ve been averaging 16,000 – 20,000 per day).

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

June 26, 2017. Monday. France (again!). Can I just say how impossible it is to get where you want to go with a van in cute little downtowns of European cities? Pedestrian zones, one way streets, corners that require a 50 point turn, etc. Tonight in Aix-en-Provence we finally gave up and parked outside of the centre-ville and just lugged our suitcases 6 minutes through winding cobble stone streets to our flat.

The day started with heavy downpours in Barcelona, however. We slept in a bit, packed up our stuff, and loaded up in the rain (fortunately we could pull the van in the narrow side street right to the door). The sky was mostly overcast as we headed through the eastern edge of the Pyrenees in northeastern Spain. By the time we reached France, however, the skies turned and remained bright blue, and the temps increased once again.

We had two planned stops en route to Aix-en-Provence: Nimes and Avignon. In Nimes we stopped to see the largest standing Roman coliseum outside of Rome — and it did not disappoint. As we were explaining to the kids what coliseums were used for (“sporting” type events, although far grislier), it prompted considerations of whether Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts (go Pats!) will be standing in 2,000 years. (Hardly!) We also were able to quickly view an old first century CE Roman temple, with its decaying Corinthian columns. Nimes seemed so lovely and totally lazy / laid back.

From Nimes, it was on the road again to Avignon, site of the famous bridge from the children’s song (“On the bridge of Avignon, they’re all dancing, they’re all dancing…”) and, perhaps more importantly, the home of the Popes’ palace for over 100 years in the late medieval period. But the highlight of Avignon for the younger three were the pedal go-carts in the high gardens above the river. We drove all this way and…a 2.50 Euro go-cart gave them the most joy they had since the toy sailboats in Paris. Too funny. Avignon is lovely, however, and the view from the gardens of the river, valley, and mountains in the distance is amazing.

Aix-en-Provence was our final destination for the day, just over an hour from Avignon. Driving around southern France has been a treat. There are almost always mountains in the distance, and large sprawling valleys with vineyards, orchards, and other kinds of farm fields in every direction. We arrived in Aix just fine, but had quite the time finding how to get close to our flat. When we finally decided to park in an indoor parking garage just outside of the old part of town, we almost got stuck because our van is right on the edge of the 1.90 m height. It fits in most garages that advertise that height (with 1-2 inches to spare), but not in the first one we chose. The second one was fine, however, thankfully! Street parking is not abundant here, especially for larger vehicles.

Our flat is located on a cute square within the old city. After dumping our stuff, we headed to Cours Mirabeau, the wide main street in Aix that is lined with shops and streets. It is far less commercialized that La Rambla in Barcelona, and not nearly as glitzy as the Champs Elysees in Paris. Still, cute and fun, in a southern France laid back kind of way.

We’ve eating much later on this trip — in part because it gets dark so very late! We started our meal on the Cours Mirabeau around 9:20 and ended at 11 pm. It was dark by then, but it had only really gotten dark a bit before then. Such great French food tonight — and good Aix wine. Délicieux!

June 24, 2017. Saturday. Barcelona. There is so much to do in Barcelona, but the heat and kid fatigue make it hard to really even scratch the surface. We slept in a bit and hopped on the metro to the northern part of the city to Park Güell. It sits perched up on a hill and overlooks the city (although there are much higher points around it, both within and out of the city proper). The park is beautiful in its own right, but it is most famous for a section with features and structures designed by Antoni Gaudi, the famous late-19th / early 20th c. Spanish architect known for Catalonian Modernism. His work usually features mosaics and bold colors, along with somewhat tripped out architectural elements. Sadly, we hadn’t ordered tickets ahead of time, so we had to content ourselves with seeing things mostly from the outside and enjoying other parts of the park.

From there we walked a long lazy mile to La Sagrada Familia, the towering cathedral just north of the Gothic Quarter. It is one of the longest-running construction projects in the modern era. Started in 1882 and designed by none other than Antoni Gaudi, it is a stunning modern Catholic cathedral that defies description in some ways. As with Gaudi’s other works, there are some fantastical and architecturally unorthodox elements of the design (for cathedrals, at least). Yet in other ways, it conforms to the cathedral genre, even as it stretches it. The inside is soaring, and yet the stained glass is not traditional. Most of it is a range of rainbow colors, although almost always grouped together in warm or cold clusters. The stones have a much more modern feel to them, and there are elements and features of the building that feel very modern, even as the very architectural genre makes it feel ancient. It is slate to be finished within the next 10 years or so. Gaudi died in 1926, so it could well be finished over 100 years after his death, and 140 years after construction began. We were struck today by the difference between the west facade, which is much newer, vs. the east facade, which seems dirty and very old in comparison.

From La Sagrada Familia, we returned to the flat to freshen up, change, and–yep–head to the beach. It was hot and we all had so much fun there the night before. It was fuller than last night, but we easily found space to spread out and swim for a spell in the clear, refreshing water. There aren’t many waves, but it is fun to remind ourselves that we are swimming in the Mediterranean. There are many beach vendors trying to sell massages, blankets, and mojitos, and the massage people are especially aggressive.

For some reason, last night and tonight, Helena and Harrison made a great game out of picking up as much trash as possible from the beach. Last night someone gave them 5 Euros for their work, but they are doing it more for fun than anything. We almost lost them at some point since they had followed the trash trail so far away from us. We had to ask them not to do it on the way home, too! Funny kids.

Our dinner experience in the Gothic Quarter was a bit disappointing again. We feel like we keep eating at touristy places. The tapas were okay, but small (even smaller than they are supposed to be!). The paella was delicious, however.

It’s been interesting to compare the public transportation systems of the various big cities we’ve been in so far. Barcelona wins overall — clean stations and trains, and strong AC in the metro and on buses alike. I think the Paris and London systems run more frequently, perhaps. Paris is the least user-friendly in so many ways. Few visible employees, and you often need a ticket to exit the station as well (just takes time, and means you really need to hold on to your ticket). Paris metro trains were rarely air conditioned (ditto for London). London does a better job with telling you when the next train will arrive. Paris stations are poorly marked internally — very few metro maps, etc. But the tube system in London could learn something really helpful from Paris and Barcelona: most trains in the latter two cities have a map of that line with LED lights that show you which station you are at or approaching. It is 100 times easier and more helpful, but it is not something I’ve seen yet anywhere in London.

Tomorrow we head back to France, to the south coast.

Peace.

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

June 23, 2017. Friday. Spain. For the first time in our entire time away from Rhode Island, we are sleeping with AC. Well, most of us, at least! I’m sitting in the hallway just outside the living room of our Air BnB flat in Barcelona in hopes of catching a few wafts of cool air. The four kids are all crammed into the living room (sofa bed + two mattresses on the floor), which has the AC. Jo and I are way down the hall with no AC, but that’s mostly fine. We’d open the windows instead, but it just happens to be the St. Joan Festival here in Barcelona, which is also known as the night of fire — meaning that super loud fireworks and M-80 type explosions are the norm. All. Night. Long. Music festival in Saint-Lo until 1 am; fireworks all night long in Barcelona. Because: why not?

Today was another fun day. We slept in just a bit in Toulouse. Our flat was in a totally residential but busy neighborhood, and with all the windows open, we got a lot of street noise all night long. Still, it cooled down nicely, so I think we all slept well. I got up early in search of my cafe au lait and baguettes and fruit for breakfast for us all. We somehow were in a bit of a food desert on the north side of Toulouse, however, so I only managed two baguettes and some other bakery treats. After eating and loading up, we headed to the center of town to see the Place du Capitole – the capitol building – and Point Neuf (which was, sadly, underwhelming). We made a quick grocery stop and were on the road: destination Barcelona, Spain, over the Pyrenees.

The Pyrenees were beautiful. We only saw snow on some very distant peaks, but we drove through several gorgeous valleys and next to towering mountains that had us all in awe. Some of the roads were so winding that we had to stop to give Helena and Harrison (in the back seat) some fresh air and stillness. There were moments that felt like our cross country trip last summer: towering granite walls that reminded us just a bit of Yosemite, and huge beautiful wide open valleys with mountains in the distance that reminded us of Yellowstone. At one point our usually-trust GPS system (a terrific app called Sygic that I have on my phone that doesn’t use any data) inexplicable took us off of the main road and down teeny tiny streets through a little mountain town that our van barely fit through! Still — all the more adventure.

We decided to not drive through Andorra, much to Eden’s dismay, I think. It seemed from the GPS app that there was a backup at the border, and since it is not part of the EU, the online reviews said it can be a pain and take a while. We didn’t really have any need to be there anyway, so we bypassed it. We were surprised, however, that there was no border crossing from France into Spain. Nothing. Not even a sign that said “Bienvenido a España.” But the architecture and feel of the villages changed right away into what seemed to be more typically Spanish. As we descended out of the mountains, it became more dry, and much hotter — in the 90s. With the orange tile roofs and dry mountainous landscape, it almost looked like southern California (or, vice versa, really!).

We arrived in Barcelona in late afternoon. After parking and settling into our downtown flat, we set out to explore the city a bit. We are staying really close to the Gothic Quarter and La Rambla, one of the main streets in the city that is a wide boulevard with a large pedestrian section in the middle with restaurants and shops. It was hot — in the 90s — so the kids wanted to head down to the long city beaches that only date back to the 1980s or so. So we packed or wore our swimming suits and took a leisurely 40 minute walk to the beach through the heart of the city, down La Ramba, past the towering statue of Columbus on the waterfront, through the lovely but semi-commercialized pedestrian zones by the marina, and finally emerged onto a wide but fairly thin beach packed with sunbathers (some more clothed than others, which the kids got a chuckle out of). The water was a bit chilly — 68 or 69 F, perhaps — but it felt refreshing to most of us.

Evenings at the beach in RI are one of our favorite summer activities at home, so it felt special to be able to recreate it here. Around 8 pm we packed up, even thought there was still plenty of light, and walked through the Gothic Quarter with its narrow streets and grabbed a yummy tapas dinner on La Rambla — the first for the kids (tapas, that is). My local beer came in a farcically huge wine glass. Hilarious but delicious. It was 9:30 or so before we really started eating, in true European fashion, I suppose.

The fireworks that began in early evening continue now, close to 1 am. But we are all so tired and grateful for AC that I think sleep has come quickly for everyone.

Peace.

June 22, 2017. Thursday. France. Hi. This is Helena and Harrison. Last night we heard music in our flat until really late at night! Today we got up and went with Dad to the local supermarket right outside our front door [in Saint-Lo] where we got some fruit for breakfast and for later today. Then we went to a bakery to get fresh baguettes. They were huge! And we also got two other yummy chocolate bread treats. We went back to our flat, had some breakfast, packed our bags, and headed out. I (Helena) went with Dad to get some coffee at a coffee shop. He can order coffee with milk in French, but not much else, because he is not fluent like mom is. We then went to the van and started driving. Mom and Dad warned us today would be a long driving day! For the first time since we got to France, the sky was cloudy. It was actually foggy and even a bit chilly! Well, at first.

Our first stop was Mont Saint Michel. As we got close, we could see Mont Saint Michel across the fields, sort of in the fog. For those of you who don’t know, Mont Saint Michel is basically a little island that is a castle type thing with a little town on it as well. It is an island but there is a long walkway that you can either walk on out to it or else take a shuttle out. There were also horse-drawn carriages you could take, too, but they cost money and were slower. We decided to walk out since it wasn’t too far [2 km]. The walk out was long but really nice. We did lots of cartwheels and took fun perspective pictures. The tide was out, so people were out walking on the long flat sandy areas.

Inside, it didn’t really feel like what it looked like from the outside. It had really skinny and narrow streets, lots of shops, no cars, and no bikes. There were lots of people everywhere. We had an early lunch at a little cafe along the tiny street – baguette sandwiches, of course! And a waffle with Nutella on it.

The main street winds up very steeply. At the top, there are not any shops, just a huge church [Abbey]. We also went inside the huge Abbey at the very top of the island. There were a ton of rooms and a main cathedral area—it just went on and on! There were several places where you could look out over the water, well, actually, where the water would be since the tide was out! There were so many people walking out to another island in the distance. Mom said they have to be aware of when the tide comes in and out so they don’t get trapped or swept out to sea. Dad wants to come back and do that next time! [Walk out, not get trapped!]

The sun started to come out as we were getting ready to return to our van. Eden and I (Harrison) decided to run back, but everyone else beat us in the shuttle bus. Dad had to get in some last nice pictures with the sun and clouds, and then we left.

And then we drove and drove from Mont Saint Michel to Toulouse – about seven hours, with a few stops in addition. It was a lot of time in the car, but we slept, got super goofy, listened to music, and played on our screens. It was just getting dark when we got to Toulouse, in the southern part of France. Our flat is small, and a bit hot. No one seems to have AC here.

Well, thanks for reading! I’m sure my dad will try to give you an update again soon. Don’t forget to check out the pictures!

DCIM103GOPRO

June 21, 2017. Saint Lo, France. It’s 11:49 pm on the longest day of the year, and live music is blasting outside my window. We’re in the cute little city of Saint-Lo, France, tonight, in a really nice 3rd floor flat overlooking the main town square — all of which would be great if it weren’t for the fact that there is a once-per-year music festival taking place right outside our windows until 1 am. Coincidentally, we will also be going to bed at 1 am tonight. They have blocked off the entire downtown to cars, which made getting to our flat a bit of a challenge. Still, a fun and unique experience.

The day started early with Harrison and I picking up our ridiculous van in the Louvre parking lot. He brought his little Syrian refugee care package along, but it was too early for them to be out in the metro stations. We had a few complications getting to the van (it was too early for the Louvre or the mall to be open), but soon we were very carefully driving through the streets of Paris.

After picking up Jo, the other kids, and our luggage, we headed to Versailles. Traffic circles are confusing enough in Paris, but our route took us through the mother of them all: the roundabout circling the Arc de Triomphe, which is only the world’s largest roundabout and reportedly Europe’s craziest. And we hit it at peak morning rush hour, in a new van with an uber-sensitive clutch. Entering the circle was like drifting into a driving no-person’s land, with no painted lines, seemingly no rules, and mopeds, motorcycles, trucks, cars, and vans, all vying for space and trying to enter and turn off the twelve roads that come together. It was truly something to experience. We soon realized, having entered, that it was actually hard to know where to get off, even with a GPS. Somehow we avoided approximately half a dozen near hits and side-swipes and were soon on our way. Eden recorded it–in part just to record Jo and I talking to each other, navigating it. Too funny.

And then: that ginormous chateau of Louis XXIV — Versailles. It was as over the top and as gaudy as I had remembered it. The kids have been to the Newport Mansions in RI, which are of course also nuts. But they pale in comparison to the sheer size of Versailles. We followed the masses through the various rooms and halls, including the famous Hall of Mirrors, and then headed out back for a quick viewing of the humungous gardens.

After a long stop a Monoprix for groceries (customer service and adequate staffing are not strengths of the French…), we hit the road headed to Normandy in northern France. The highways here are nice and well maintained, although toll booths seem to come up far too quickly. At least they take credit cards!

The first stop in Normandy was the American Cemetery (officially US soil, I believe), which never fails to inspire. 9,000 American soldiers are buried there, many of whom died during the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. The cemetery is located at the wide and stunning Omaha Beach on the English Channel. I think the kids especially had a hard time wrapping their heads around it all. If you’ve seen Saving Private Ryan, you have a sense of the horror of that day on that very spot.

A short drive later, and we were at Point du Hoc, where several hundred American Rangers scaled the impressive 100 foot cliffs to control a key German gun station. The grounds are impressive and moving, in part because the large holes from the Allied shells are still there (although now kids run up and down them, as ours did). Still, a beautiful, moving place.

The drive to Saint-Lo was not bad — a combination of cute little back roads and highways. The music festival in Saint-Lo created an extra hour or so of difficulty — trying to find parking and our Air BnB flat. But in the end, all was well, and we headed out for a yummy crepe dinner at 9 pm.

For the record, it is now 12:50, and the music hasn’t abated around the city (although the stage outside our flat is closing down). Kids seem to be out in their quieter but stuffy rooms.

Peace to all.

June 20, 2017. Tuesday. Paris. Hot. The heat-stroke inducing weather continues here, slowing us all down. We lug around tons of extra water (no public water fountains anywhere) and still end up buying more. But: onward! Just a little more slowly. Today we started by heading to the Place de la Bastille, the site of the famous prison that was stormed during the French Revolution. There is no “there” there, per se — just a memorial column and a few plaques.

From there it was a short walk to see the Place des Vosges, a lovely little square park with fountains, shade, and cool breezes. On the southwest corner of the Place des Vosges is the home of Victor Hugo (of Les Miserables fame), so we toured (for free!) his astonishing collection of art and marveled at the wide array of furniture and Asian-themed items.

The next stop was something a few of us had been looking forward to mightily: Picpus Cemetery, where the one and only Marquis de Lafayette is buried. We arrived well before the opening hours, but the kind docents allowed us full range of the property for a few extra Euros. Ahem. We had a picnic in the park section of the grounds and were sobered by the slaughter of 1,300 innocent people by Robespierre in the 1790s — and then dumped into an unmarked grave on that site. Lafayette’s wife, Marie Adrienne Francoise, was among those killed, so he was buried there, too, when he died many years later. Still, we may or may not have played parts of Hamilton and even rapped along with Guns and Ships at his grave, in his honor.

A long-ish metro ride got us to the Tuileries Garden, which ended up being almost too hot to enjoy. We crossed the Seine to check out the Musee d’Orsay, but, alas, we realized too late we should have come there first thing in the morning (we were thinking more about timing the museum at the peak heat of the day, but apparently so was everyone else). Unwilling to wait for an hour+ in the sun to get in, we instead headed to our happy spot, the Luxembourg Gardens. But, alas, the sailboat guy was not there — too hot and too few customers. So we headed to Hertz to pick up our car, and, alas again, they did not have the car I specifically ordered (even though I called yesterday to check on the reservation). Our only options were a smaller 7 seater that would not hold our luggage properly or a much larger 8 seater van that would make us stick out like the Americans that we are. In the end, we chose the larger vehicle. 17 days is a long time to be squished! #American

On the way home, the kids were really moved by the Syrian refugees asking for money in the metro stations. We’ve seen them a lot, and have given more money than we usually do, but tonight one boy asked Elliot for his sunglasses. He didn’t quite get it at first, but later lamented not giving them. After dinner, Harrison spent close to an hour putting together a little care bag for the Syrian refugee kids in case we see them again. It is one thing to read about the refugee crisis; it is another thing to see just a sliver of it up close. It definitely brings it closer to home.

Tomorrow we start the driving portion of this trip, heading to Versailles and Normandy.

Peace to all.

(Note: you can click on the pictures for larger versions.)

June 19, 2017. Monday. Paris. It’s been great to re-visit so many sites with kids. Somehow they just see things differently. Like today when, at the top of the Eiffel Tower, while the rest of us were taking in the view of the city, Elliot heard the cry of a peregrine falcon, and soon we were all watching and thinking differently of the Eiffel Tower as a bird nesting space. Or the way that the miles of cute cobblestone streets–which are fun to walk on–are totally a nightmare for the kids on their scooters. Or the way the kids wanted to lounge around on the fake grass and have a smoothie and a pretzel on the 1st level of the Eiffel Tower — something Jo and I did not do in 1999!

Today was a climbing day, in addition to a lot of walking: the equivalent of 71 floors worth of stairs and and 9.4 miles of walking. The kids are troopers (although thank goodness for the scooters we brought over!). The Eiffel Tower gave us most of our stairs: 700 up and 700 down (just to the second level). But the Arc de Triomphe added an additional ~280 or so up and another 280 down. All good, although we may feel it tomorrow!

It was fun to be back at the Eiffel Tower, touristy as it is. We of course opted for the staircase up to the second level and then took the elevator to the very top. It was a perfect blue sky day again, so picking out our favorite landmarks was no problem.

Back on the ground, it was time for some perspective picture attempts — alway trying to nail the perfect shot (but mostly failing). A quick lunch to go from a cafe and it was off to Les Invalides, where Napoleon is buried. We admired the huge open courtyard and the golden dome, but decided not to go in.

A short metro ride later, and we were greeted with the towering Arc de Triomphe at the northwest end of the Champs-Élysées — the famous wide and tree lined shopping street. I (Lin) had never been up the Arc, so I took the kids (Jo had to stay with the scooters anyway — they are very strict about where exactly they can go here). It was hot, hot, hot on top, but the views were neat.

Although we didn’t know it at the time, half an hour before we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe there was an attack further down the Champs-Élysées, in which someone rammed his car into a police car with the intent to blow it up. There was an explosion and fire, but only the driver died. They closed down the tube station there, so we had to find an alternate route home on the metro. A little freaky, especially on the heels of the attack in Finsbury Park in London just last night (not too far from our flat there), and the attack several weeks ago in London in the same space Jo and the kids had been the day before. Still, you have to live your life. We’ll be at a lot of high-volume tourist places all around Europe this summer, but there’s really nothing you can do if you want to see these places. Fear cannot win.

Much love to you all.

(Note: you can click on the pictures for larger versions.)

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

DCIM103GOPRO

June 18, 2017. Sunday. It’s 11 pm here in Paris and I can still see the soft glow of the sunset outside our 6th floor window. The sun goes down so late here! Today was warm — mid ’80s or so, but not humid, and the nice breeze made it really pleasant in the shade. We walked 9 miles today (according to my phone health app), in addition to taking the metro and RER twice. Since it was a weekend, we decided to avoid museums and places with long lines. So…we headed to Moulin Rouge for a quick photos and a jaunt through the otherwise lovely red district (was on the way from our flat to Montmartre…). That led us to Montmartre to take in the view of the city from up high, step inside Sacré Coeur to hear some moving organ playing and singing during the mass, watch the street artists at Place du Tertre, and eat some fresh baguette sandwiches in a nearby park. We negotiated a reasonable rate to have a street artists draw the four kids together, since Jo has one of herself when she was in college, and she also has one of her parents — all from Paris.

From Montmartre we walked downhill to the east to a place none of us had been before — Cemitiére du Montmartre. Eden was keen on visiting the grave of a composer that her friend loves, and we were pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the grounds and the unique and lavish mausoleums (plus we got to see Degas’s grave as well).

After a metro ride, we were off to see the Notre Dame cathedral (although first we had a super strange encounter with the metro “police” who demanded to see our tickets, found Helena’s invalid and Harrison’s non-existent, and promptly charged us 70 Euros, even though I had replacement tickets to offer her for both kids! It was positively insane and left a really bad taste in our mouths for a bit. I’ve never been treated more rudely in a foreign city.) Notre Dame was a busy and beautiful as ever in the front, but Jo and I actually prefer to view it from the south side and slightly from the rear, along the river. When we were there in 1999, we took a pic from that vantage point that shows the flying buttresses nicely; this time we found a tree had grown up so much that most of them were obscured. Still, we recreated a picture from 1999 with the kids.

The Pantheon was the next stop, but only Eden, Helena, and I went inside to view some of the mausoleums of famous people in the crypt — Victor Hugo, Jean Jacques Rosseau, and Voltaire, among others. It is as impressive as I remember it from before. From the Pantheon it was just a short walk through the Sorbonne, the famous Parisian university that has roots back to the thirteenth century, to the Luxembourg Gardens, with its circular pond and fountain in front of the Senate House. The kids loved the little sailboats you can rent and suddenly were revived enough to run around the pond endless times to meet their little pirate sailboat on the other side.

We grabbed a nice Father’s Day sit down meal near our flat. All in all, a lovely day! We couldn’t keep enough water in our bottles, however — we may need a separate fund just for that. And Nutella crepes. And baguette sandwiches.

(Note: you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

June 17, 2017. Saturday. We are zipping across the French countryside at 200 miles per hour. After 20 minutes in the Chunnel, the vast expanse and beauty of northern France with its rolling fields, small towns, and cathedrals in the distance was breathtaking. We are taking a little hiatus from the archives and parks of London to see the sights and sounds of continental Europe. Jo and I have been here several times over the years, but this is the first time for the kids. Elliot is so excited he is…glued to his phone. Jo, on the other hand, is in her happy space (and is the only fluent French speaker in our family).

Our plan is to rent a car in Paris and work our way counter-clockwise through Spain, the south of France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and then back to Paris (see map below). In classic Fisher road trip style, we’ll be only staying a night or two in most places in order to cover a lot of ground. We’ll also get to see some friends and family members along the way as an added bonus.

In usual nerdy Linford style, I created a travel book for the kids (as I had done last year for our cross country trip): 200 pages of maps, info on each country, kid-friendly facts of each stop, basic conversational phrases for each French, Spanish, Italian, and German, and other fun little tidbits. Something to make their little backs stronger as they lug it around in their backpacks, if nothing else.

As always, we’ll be posting more pics than you’ll care to see. We are also maintaining the @thosecrazyfishers Instagram account for those who prefer that.

Thanks for reading, and more soon!