Normandy Region - jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissons à nouveau*

In my last post I wrote about our time in the Loire Valley. Our next stop was the Giverny in the Normandy region, where Claude Monet lived and found inspiration. 

Trip Overview
Travel > France
Paris - 2 days
Loire Valley - 3 Days
Normandy Region - 3 Days
Travel > Home


Normandy Region – Day 7
Saturday, October 24, 2015

In the morning we packed up and left Amboise. It turned out Margot wasn't feeling well and on our way to Dinan (our original next stop) she threw up in the car. It was a solo occurrence and seemed to settle her stomach, but Tom and I thought the best idea was to skip Dinan and head to our last stop, Giverny, which was about an hour from the airport in Paris. Luckily, the hotel we booked for our last few nights could accommodate us that night, so we changed course. Danny and Christine were already very close to Dinan, so they had lunch by the beach and met us that evening. We had a quick lunch at a rest stop and made it to Giverny in the late afternoon. Giverny is a quaint town on the right banks of the River Seine and once home to Claude Monet. Our afternoon involved playing outside at the hotel, a walk around Giverny, another stop for groceries and a trip to McDonald's in the next, much larger town of Vernon. Then Tom and I enjoyed crepes and drinks at the hotel after Danny and Christine arrived, while Isabelle and Margot colored at the table.

Welcome to Giverny!

Happy to be out of the car!

Normandy Region – Day 8
Sunday, October 25, 2015

The outdoor play area at the hotel had a strong draw for the girls. They loved it! So while they played in the morning, we figured out plans for the day. Claude Monet's home was just down the road from our hotel on Rue Claude Monet, so we walked over there when it opened. It was our first truly sunny day and you could see why Monet decided to live there for 43 years. The gardens were beautiful with the leaves changing colors and all the flowers still in bloom. The Water Lilly Pond was truly spectacular to see! His home was also an inspiration of color. My favorite rooms were the dining room that was a sunny yellow from the walls to the furniture and the kitchen which featured beautiful blue tile.

Our next stop was the town of Rouen, which is about an hour northwest of Giverny. It is considered the capital of the Normandy region and it is also where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The church of Saint Joan of Arc now stands in the center of the ancient market square where it happened and we actually parked beneath it. We spent a lot of time walking around Rouen, which had beautiful timber buildings and many churches. Our favorite was Rouen's own Notre Dame cathedral. It was also a favorite of Monet - he did a series of paintings on it. After lunch, more walking around and a ride on a small carrousel, we came back to the hotel and the girls played in the garden for a long time while I sipped on the glass of wine Tom brought me. Later we went to the Vernon McDonald's for dinner. That night the time changed in France and we fell back an hour. The following week it would happen at home, so that made two weekends in a row for us, with jet lag sandwiched in between. We survived...I swear!

Inside Monet's home

In Monet's gardens

The Water Lilly Pond

In the gardens outside Monet's home

Exploring Rouen

A girl and her guidebook

Well deserved!

Normandy Region – Day 9
Monday, October 26, 2015

We woke up to fog, which was beautiful, but not so great for walking around. That didn't stop us! In the morning we walked to the Giverny Museum of Impressionisms where we saw an exhibit of impressionist paintings, including a few by Monet. We also saw an exhibit of photographs of Monet's garden. It was interesting to see the different perspectives. The girls' favorite part was the kid area where they played and learned about photography. The museum has great gardens, so we wandered around there for a bit and saw a student painter setting up. She was from the US, but is in school in Provence. She was going to paint Monet's haystacks (they recreated a similar scene). After the museum we continued our walk down Rue Claude Monet. I ran back to our hotel to make the girls' lunch and everyone else walked to the church. We then stopped at Restaurant Baudy for a light lunch. This is the same place where Monet and friends used to hang out. There is a garden in the back with an old studio set up so you can see what it was like during Monet's heyday.

Danny and Christine headed for home after lunch and we went to La Roche-Guyon (with a pit stop to the Vernon McD's. The girls wanted more food!) The drive to La Roche-Guyon was through the hills and the sun was starting to peak out. The town is also located along the Seine, just west of Giverny. It has a great chateau and gardens. We explored every inch! After, we went back to the hotel so the girls could play outside and then back to McDonald's for dinner. Isabelle said this was her favorite part of vacation because they had fun, kid-friendly video games that projected on the table we ate at. Playing video games while eating, what kid wouldn't like that? After dinner we packed, because we were leaving the next morning at for the airport. 

The haystack

At Restaurant Baudy

Isabelle was our tour guide at Chateau La Roche-Guyon

You can see the old tower of Chateau La Roche-Guyon

In the gardens of Chateau La Roche-Guyon

Relaxing along the Seine

Travel > Home – Day 10
Tuesday, October 27, 2015

We did it. We all woke up early and were on the road at 6:30. It was still very dark and as we made the hour drive we saw the sun rise. It was beautiful! We got to the airport with plenty of time, returned the rental car and got checked in. Luckily McDonald's started serving lunch just in time for our 11:30 flight and we got our lunch to-go. The girls were great on the plane! Couldn't have asked for better behavior! I have to admit the iPad was a big help. We made the long flight home and landed around 2:30 in the afternoon. I was so relieved to have everyone home safe! By the time we made it through customs, got the car and swung by to check on the house we were building, it was 5:00 before we made it home. Isabelle was sound asleep, but Margot was wide awake! At least we were all in bed by 8 that night. We were a tired bunch!

Let's go home!

By the way, if you haven't read my last few posts, you're probably wondering why we spent so much time eating at McDonald's. It was the only restaurant we knew would be truly safe. In France we would use the electronic ordering system which listed all of the ingredients and allergens. Bonus, their Happy Meals came with hardcover books and the girls always ate the food. It was a win-win for us.

*jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissons à nouveau means until we meet again

Paris - jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissons à nouveau*

After my last post I want to reassure everyone that despite what happened with Margot, we still managed to have a great trip. Tom and I just had to try our best to suppress our anxiety. I'm going to break our trip up into a few posts so it doesn't turn into a novel. Here we go!

Trip Overview

Travel > France

Paris - 2 days
Loire Valley - 3 Days
Normandy Region - 3 Days

Travel > Home

Travel > France - Day 1
Sunday, October 18, 2015

We were lucky with this trip in one regard, we had direct flights to and from Paris. We left Chicago on Sunday, October 18 in the afternoon and landed in Paris Monday morning around 6:30. Both girls did really well on the flight. Margot was a little scared during her first ever flight and wanted her window shut. Tom obliged! (Tom sat next to Margot and I sat next to Isabelle. Then we traded for the flight home.) We did bring the car seats which were a pain to get on and off the plane, but the girls knew that they had to stay in those car seats. Not to mention they can sleep really well in them. Despite how well behaved the girls were, I believe the flight attendants took pity on Tom and I, because they were very generous with the wine pours which we now call “airplane pours”.

Her first flight!

Paris – Day 2
Monday, October 19, 2015

When we landed it felt like we were the only people in the airport. The early hour didn't help, but those car seats meant we were the very last people getting off that plane. There was a lot of traffic leaving the airport, but we made it to our hotel on the Rue Cler around 8:45. We left our bags there and took off to explore. At Isabelle's request our first stop was to see the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go up, but we did take a lot of pictures and some Asian tourists requested to have their pictures taken with us. How could we say no?

We walked around a bit and then our next stop was to find the on and off bus we bought passes for – L'Open Tour – it also included an on and off boat. It worked out great! Especially since we could bring the stroller on. We saw a lot on our way to Notre Dame Cathedral, but didn't go in because the line was really long (turns out they don't let more people in during mass). We had lunch at a cool cafe and made our way back to the bus. At this point we were all exhausted so we checked into the room and crashed. Once everyone was roused we left to walk a bit and have dinner. It was a good first day!

Good morning Paris

First stop

Tired kids!

Paris – Day 3

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

On our second day in Paris everyone slept in and the girls slept until 10! I'll blame it on jet lag, because that never happens. Once we got out the door we went to Le Petit Palais – A City of Paris Museum. It was just the right size for us. We saw some wonderful works of art, beautiful architecture and had lunch there as well. They we took the L'Open Tour boat up and down the Seine were we had some beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower and life along the river. We took the boat to Notre Dame and we timed it right. The line was long, but went quickly. Margot soon fell asleep so we stopped at a cafe for coffee and hot coco. It was the perfect way to spend nap time. Then we walked to the Pompano Center to check out the fountain and outdoor sculptures. We would have gone into the museum, but they were closed on Tuesdays. Poor planning on our part. Our last stops before dinner was Luxembourg Garden to sail toy boats – a must - plus a quick stop at a playground. We finished with dinner by the hotel. Unfortunately the evening did not end on a good note, which I wrote about in my previous post, but at least we had a fun and busy day!

Admiring the art.

So much to see!

We made it in!

The boat ride was a hit!

Cheers!

Art all around us.

You can never go wrong sailing toy boats!

*jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissons à nouveau means until we meet again

I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane

Even after countless business trips, for me flying still feels magical…most of the time (I’m looking at you San Francisco red eye delay). Yes, the security lines can be tedious, delays are a hassle and hauling baby gear can add another level of crazy. Where was I going with this? Ah yes, flying is magical!

Maybe it’s because I associate flying with adventure and new experiences. The first time I flew was in 1995. I was a senior in high school and went on a drama club trip to New York City. Not only was it my first time flying, it was my first trip to the BIG APPLE. I’ll never forget seeing the skyline as we flew in. The city just seemed to go on forever. I saw Broadway shows, rung in 1996 in Central Park, tripped on national television (only me, right?), went up the Empire State Building and experienced all the sights and sounds of a big city. See? Magical!

Recently my husband and I were debating flying verses driving to a wedding in Ohio. I was for flying for two reasons. One, I didn’t feel like driving 6+ hours. Two, see above. It turns out we will be flying, because Tom found a great deal. Isabelle will be at home with my parents, so even if we do have a delay, I’ll enjoy some “me” time at the airport with a good book and a cup of coffee. 

5 More Hours, Please

Jet lag. Those two little words can mean a tired tourist as you try to adjust to a new time zone. Tom and I have a few tips that seem to work when we fly to Europe.

1. Take an overnight flight.
2. Wear ear plugs and an eye mask.
3. Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water before, during and after the flight.
4. Try to go to sleep right after dinner. A glass of wine helps me.
5. Prior to landing, freshen up. Brush your teeth and wash your face.
6. Keep on moving! Tom and I will usually walk and walk and walk around until dinner time.
7. Drink coffee! It might not keep you awake, but it helps! One of my funniest travel memories was when Tom and I were in Seville, Spain and he fell asleep while holding his coffee. That was after a flight when even after taking Simply Sleep (over-the-counter that’s no longer sold) and wearing earplugs, we were kept awake by some Japanese businessmen chatting away... all… night… long.
8. Don’t nap! If you must, try to only sleep for 30 minutes or less.
9. Go to bed at a normal time.

Traveling with children shakes things up.  During our recent trip to Europe, our poor baby passed out at dinner the first night.  This was after napping a lot during the day. I took her back to our hotel room, but apparently Isabelle thought she was just napping again, because she was up at 11:00 pm and stayed up for a few hours. She was ready to play! We were not. Lucky for us, she did sleep in the next morning!

At dinner our first night in Switzerland.

Moments later with a very sleepy baby.

*This post was inspired by lack of sleep and brought to you by coffee.

I Believe I Can Fly

A friend recently asked me for tips on flying with a baby/toddler. When we took Isabelle to Europe I learned a few things. Granted, she was 10 months old, so some of these things probably won't work the next time we fly with her.

1) We let her crawl around the airport before boarding. This burned off some excess energy. A year ago this would have totally grossed me out.  Oh, who am I kidding?  It still kinda grossed me out, BUT sometimes you have to just let go.

2) If you can, feed your baby before you board. So much easier and less mess. Bring extra food and bottle/sippy cup for the flight. You'll probably need it.

3) Try to fly when they would normally sleep - naps or overnight.

4) Bring Dum Dum suckers to help with take-off and landing. We only had to use them twice, because she loves to suck her thumb.This is actually a tip from Tom's friend.  Thank you!

5) Bring a few new toys and break out when needed. In retrospect, we probably brought more toys than needed and could have entertained the entire airplane.

6) Don't forget a blanket for warmth and your baby's/toddler's favorite plush toy or blankie. You can see Isabelle clutching her's in the photo below.

7) For long flights, get your baby a seat. We used frequent flyer miles and it was the best idea we had!

Happy travels!

First Flight - Isabelle and her daddy

Yo Heathrow!

My first official post on traveling! My husband and I just spent the last two weeks in Italy (more info to come) and on our return trip home we had a 3+ hour layover at Heathrow. This airport, much to my dismay, is the closest I’ve been to setting foot in the UK. On this visit to Terminal 3 I stopped by the airport Harrods, did some duty free window shopping and bought the new Maeve Binchy book, Minding Frankie.  We also had lunch at one of my husband’s old favorite sushi haunts – Yo Sushi. This was perhaps the BEST airport food I’ve ever had and it was fun! We sat down in front of a conveyor belt that held different dishes on green, blue, purple, orange, pink and gray plates. We just took what we wanted and at the end of our meal they counted the plates (different colors represented different prices), tallied our bill and off we went. BONUS: Endless sparkling or flat water at our disposal from our own personal fountain-type dispenser! Trust me, that was a big deal after two weeks in Italy.