April 26, 2014
Heading Home
Sweet sisters, great travelers.
Apparently, I select gray stripes for international flights.
Riding back from O'Hare
April 25, 2014
Our Hosts
All the kiddos posing in their pj's.
Laura and Dave, our gracious hosts, and the rest of us.
Thank you for a wonderful visit! We loved your Switzerland.
Gruyere
Our second day was supposed to be rainy, so we headed
to Gruyere where we checked out the castle.
Enjoyed delicious fondue.
And toured an amazing chocolate factory with an over-the-top
sampling room!
April 24, 2014
Heading Back Down
The down trip was much scarier for me. We had the CabriO
to ourselves and it felt like the energetic kiddos could just tumble
out the front, so I made them all sit down. The view was incredible,
but you can see below I couldn't quite bring myself to let go of them.
At the Top
One of two non-selfie family photos from the trip. Thanks, Estes!
While at the top we had a yummy lunch of Alplermagrone (Swiss
mac and cheese with potatoes, onions, and applesauce.) It came
highly recommended by our young hosts and was a big hit.
The braver members of the family standing out on this cantilevered
platform that I didn't even want to step on. (Not a fan of open flooring.)
Only Scenery Pictures
So we took a bunch of scenery pictures, but I'm keeping their blog
presence to a minimum. These made the cut because they give you
a sense of the view as we travelled up Mt. Stanserhorn by funicular
and then "CabriO" (a roofless cable car). Impressive stuff!
From funicular (the cable railway closer to the bottom).
From the CabriO, as we climbed higher up the mountain.
April 23, 2014
Lucerne Arrival
Arriving in Lucerne where we were generously hosted by friends.
The 5 kiddos checking out a fountain.
Zoe posing in front of Chapel Bridge and Water Tower.
And just for good measure, a Swiss rainbow!
The Train to Switzerland
Our train trip from Paris to Lucerne with a stop in Basel was
smooth, but the bathrooms were the most memorable part.
The family bathroom in the Paris train station had this disco
ball hanging from the ceiling -- that was a big hit!
Then, the Basel bathroom experience was quite stressful.
We had a short stopover, so Peter agreed to watch the bags
while I took the girls to the bathroom. At this point, we only
had Euros. I ran down the escalators to find that the bathrooms
required Swiss francs. I tried the ATM, but it wouldn't accept
my too-long PIN. (A problem the entire trip.) So then the
three of us ran back up to the platform to get Peter. He
ran down to the ATM and got franc bills. He ran up, we took
the money, and ran back down to the bathrooms. The bathrooms
required coins. Luckily there was a machine that made change
right there. Sadly, it gave us the change in denominations that
only two of us could go the bathroom. The male bathroom
attendant was yelling something at me in German. (Literally, the
only person in Switzerland that didn't speak English.) Finally,
a Swiss woman kindly told me that he was offering to sneak Zoe
into the bathroom. So Leah and I paid with our francs and went
through the turnstiles while the nice bathroom attendant picked
Zoe up over the turnstiles (much to her surprise and terror).
We went to the bathroom as fast as we could, but then he grabbed
us as we raced to leave because clearly his in and out counts
had to match. He grabbed Zoe again and tossed her back out
into the station. We sprinted across the plaza, up the escalators,
and onto the train just in time. No bathroom visit for Peter.
Thank you, Swiss bathroom attendant!
April 22, 2014
It Sparkles!
Our last night in Paris I really wanted the girls to see
the sparkling Eiffel Tower, but it doesn't sparkle until
late and only on the hour. So we showered, brushed
our teeth, put on our pajamas, and hopped in a cab.
The driver thought we were crazy (as did the husband),
but they both humored me. We approached the tower
as it started to light up, and it was in full-on-sparkle as
we arrived at the base. We circled around until the light
show was over then we headed back to the hotel where
the girls hopped into bed. Even Peter was impressed with
the sparkle!
The Left Bank
Moments after we arrived at Jardin Du Luxembourg it
started to rain. No sailboats in the fountain for us,
but at least we got the park mostly to ourselves. Then
we ran through the rain to the best creperie of our trip --
all sorts of delicious, cheesy, crepey, goodness in the
coziest of settings.
Our Parisian rainbow.
Montmartre
Checking out the "I Love You Wall" -- lovingly.
Sacre Couer
Selfie version. The girls rode another carousel at the bottom of the hill.
The French know what they're doing with the ever-present carousels and
trampolines. (I just think all carousel photos start to look the same.)
On the metro. (The only pouty moment I remember from the whole trip.)
April 21, 2014
By the Tower
More fun awaited us as the bottom of the Eiffel Tower.
A double-decker carousel . . .
And an even more impressive trampoline (nice background too!)
And then we started to walk back to the hotel. (We had cabbed it there
after the main metro line was closed down for repairs.) We thought we'd
pass through this market, walk a few blocks, and then hop in a cab. But
as we walked along the Seine, Zoe got so excited about how good this
was for our muscles that we ended up walking the entire way back to the
hotel (by way of the Tulieries and the Louvre.) We walked 2.7 miles just
for fun. It will forever be known as the Muscle Walk. It was amazing. My
broken foot held up, Zoe never asked to be carried, Leah happily humored
her sister, and Peter made it a goofy good time.
Crepes
Crepes and sparkling water were a Parisian staple! Leah prefers
hers with nutella. Zoe prefers hers with just butter and sugar.
The Louvre
Z's view of the Mona Lisa.
Peter and Venus.
Louvre family selfie.
Losing patience with your parents for making you stare into the bright sunlight.
Room Service
We ate breakfast in our little hotel rooms every morning.
No, we didn't experience as much of Paris that way.
But, the girls started every day full of fresh-squeezed
orange juice and chocolate croissant. And Mommy and
Daddy had their tea and coffee before we got started.
These breakfasts are some of my favorite memories!
April 20, 2014
The Walk Home
Our hotel was one block east of the Louvre, so we found
that the best way to get "home" every night was a leisurely
stroll through the Tuileries garden and the Louvre.
Spring!
Our first look at the Louvre.
Skipping by the Louvre. Leah's carrying a large assortment of macarons.
Later we learned that the assortment included salted caramel, raspberry,
hazelnut, and many other delicious flavors. But it also contained olive
and carrot flavored ones -- a little shocking when you're expecting something
more like pistachio and orange.
Jardin de Tuileries
A beautiful garden overall, but the trampolines were
a highlight as evidenced by all of the flying curls.
From the Place de la Concorde
Getting the hang of the family vacation selfie.
Photo Bomb
Photo bombed by a Parisian pigeon while posing outside the museum.
Musee d'Orsay
We got up late the next day and walked from our hotel near the Louvre
down to the Musee d'Orsay. I thought we'd last an hour or two, but
we stayed for more than 5 hours. Zoe loved it! And Leah was patient.
Only disappointment was that our favorite Degas ballet painting from
the Olivia books was in storage. Who puts the Olivia painting in storage?
Apparently, the French. Here we are at lunch behind the giant clock.
April 19, 2014
First Day in Paris
Got off the plane at 9 am, took a car to the hotel, checked in, and headed out
to stay awake. First stop, Notre Dame.
Then we took a touristy cruise down the Seine.
We were sleepy and it rained on us, but it gave the girls
their first look at the Eiffel Tower.
