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

Loire Valley - jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissons à nouveau*

In my last post I wrote about our first few days in France, which we spent in Paris. Our next stop was the Loire Valley, or better known to us as Chateau Country. 

Trip Overview

Travel > France

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

Travel > Home

Loire Valley - Day 4

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

As I mentioned in my Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best post, the previous evening was an eventful one. Tom and Margot came back from the children's hospital around 5 in the morning and we all crashed until it was time to check out of the hotel. Then Tom and I divided and conquered. He picked up the rental car while I packed. It was just our luck that the street in front of our hotel was blocked that day and Tom couldn't get the car close. The hotel staff did help me move our stuff out of the room by noon. Then Tom and I ferried the girls and our stuff to the car. It was a crazy morning, but finally we were on the road to meet Tom's brother, Danny, and sister-in-law, Christine, in Chartres.

We parked at the bottom of town, then walked up to see the Chartres Cathedral and meet Danny and Christine. The cathedral is beautiful, but I think we all had food on our mind! Our next stop was a cafe where the girls ate sandwiches I made and Tom and I finally had a cup of coffee and French onion soup.

After that we drove to Amboise, which is situated on the banks of the Loire River. We had plans to stay there for three nights and checked into a third floor apartment in an old, grand house next to the wall of Chateau d'Amboise. It was fantastic! Beautiful views of the chateau, three huge bedrooms (although the girls ended up staying in our room), two bathrooms, laundry, a nice living space, toys and a kitchen. It was the perfect set up.

After checking in, Tom and I divided and conquered again. He and Margot picked up her prescription while Isabelle and I went to Aldi to stock up on safe food. Then I made the girls dinner and Christine made the adults dinner. We all slept really well that night.

Outside the Chartres Cathedral

The view from our bedroom in Amboise

Loire Valley - Day 5
Thursday October 22, 2015

Before we left for the day, I walked to a different grocery store to pick up a few more supplies. Translating nutrition labels is a new skill of mine! I admit I was probably there for awhile! Then we made to-go lunches for the girls and headed off to see the first chateau - Chateau de Chenonceau. It was breathtaking! There was a roaring fire in the guard room, a tiny chior loft in the chapel and a
beautiful kitchen that had a bridge to connect one end to the other. The girls loved seeing where real princesses lived and dancing in the ballroom that was built over the river. The gardens were really nice, but it was hard to keep the girls off the grass - there were Keep Off the Grass signs everywhere. The carp in the pond made up for it. They were huge and jumped out of the water at us! After seeing the chateau, the girls each picked out a princess to take home. Tom and I got a poster that I can't wait to frame.

We all ate a quick lunch in the car and then went to the next chateau - Chateau de Chambord. This chateau has over 400 room, 80 that you can go in. It also has 365 fireplaces! There are spectacular views from the roof of the chateau. My favorite though was watching the girls play with their new princesses in the chateau. They were having a ball (literally)! We saw a lot and by the time we left both girls were ready to go back to the apartment. So we grabbed McDonald's and headed home to eat. After dinner I popped out with Danny and Christine to taste test a few different bottles of wine and brought home a delicious white from Chateau de Chenonceau. Tom and I opened it after we made lunches for the next day. It was delicious!

Chateau de Chenonceau

Watch out for the carp!

On the roof of Chateau de Chambord

Playing princesses

Loire Valley - Day 6
Friday, October 23, 2015

Our first stop was to visit Leonardo da Vinci's home in Amboise, which had a lot of interesting models of his inventions and replicas of his paintings. The best part was the garden that had life-size models for the kids and adults to explore and a playground with plenty of room to run around. I would highly recommend visiting! We also went to Chateau de Villandry for lunch (I brought food for the girls and the adults ordered off the menu) and wandered the beautiful gardens. This was another great place for the girls to burn some energy. We actually never made it inside the chateau because the gardens were so spectacular. Our last stop of the day was Chateau d'Amboise.  We did go in this one and it was also beautiful with excellent views! We could even see the home we were staying at. It was getting late, so Tom left to get McDonald's. The girls and I ate together while Tom, Danny and Christine went out for a nice meal later. I insisted Tom join them! I enjoyed a glass of wine and a good book.

Seeing Mona Lisa at Leonardo da Vinci's home - much larger than the real thing! 

Testing out some of Leonardo's inventions

Checking out one of Lenoardo's inventions

Exploring the gardens of Chateau Villandry

Exploring the gardens of Chateau Villandry

Exploring the gardens of Chateau Villandry

Exploring Chateau Amboise

The home we stayed at is right in the middle of the photo

Margot loved taking "pictures" of the chateaus!

By the way, are you wondering why we kept going to 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

Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best

The last time I posted was in early October, just a few weeks before our trip to France. The trip was eventful, to say the least. Our youngest daughter, Margot, has a peanut allergy and at the time of our trip we also avoided tree nuts since we didn't know if she was also allergic to those. (We saw a new allergist after our trip and found out she is also allergic to all but two tree nuts). We are always very careful to monitor everything she eats. We also always carry two EpiPens in case of an anaphylaxis reaction.

In preparation of the trip we did a lot of research on traveling to France with a food allergy. Many have done it before and we felt confident we could handle it for a few reasons.

1. Since her diagnosis a year earlier, we had successfully avoided an anaphylaxis reaction by closely monitoring what Margot ate - reading labels, asking questions and alerting the staff at restaurants to avoid cross contamination or hidden peanut and tree nuts. 
2. Tom speaks French, plus we also ordered translation cards from SelectWisely that detailed Margot's allergies and included pictures. For part of our trip we would also be traveling with Tom's brother and his sister-in-law, who is French. 
3. Allergens are clearly stated on food labels in grocery stores. Sometimes translating was needed if the labels didn't include English.
4. We packed four EpiPens - Tom and I each carried two at all times. We also brought a bottle of Children's Benadryl that I carried in my purse, a jar of WOW Butter, a ton of safe snacks (and we should have brought more!), plus Wet Ones to wipe down surfaces and hands.
5. We had a plan in place in case there was an emergency - dial 112, the French version of 911 - and we were prepared to do it. We just didn't think it would happen. 

Unfortunately it did. It was our second night in France. Around 10:00 PM Margot and Isabelle did not want to sleep, so we caved and let them crawl into bed with us to watch Sesame Street on the iPad. So glad we did! Margot started coughing, so I gave her some water. Then a bit later she was wheezing. The breathing didn't sound good. We gave her some Benadryl, but it was getting worse so I gave Margot the EpiPen - one of the scariest moments of my life. Tom stayed with the girls while I ran down to the hotel lobby. No one was there so I called the French version of 911, which is 112. The hotel employee came back and spoke to the operator who sent an ambulance. Margot was doing much better and her breathing was returning to normal, but it is standard procedure to go to the hospital after using an EpiPen because of the risk of a rebound anaphylaxis reaction. We got Margot ready to go and Tom went with her since he speaks French. I stayed back with Isabelle and got her to fall asleep. She was very worried about Margot. The ambulance took them to the children's hospital in Paris, Hôpital Necker - Enfants Malades.

Tom texted me updates all night long and I tried to get more information online. I belong to many Facebook allergy groups and one in particular was a tremendous resource and comfort that night. I also contacted our families to let them know what happened and my friend who has a daughter with the same allergies and had been through similar experiences. Margot and Tom came back from the children's hospital around 5 AM. She had a few shots (steroids and an aniti-allergy) and they wanted to make sure she didn't have another reaction. Tom said it was an excellent hospital and we had the best care. He also spoke French almost the entire time, so I'm glad he went! Margot was pretty wired when they got back and watched more shows on the iPad. Tom zonked out and finally Margot and I did too. We all slept until the very last possible moment and somehow we packed up and got the rental car to make it to our next destination in the Loire Valley. We also had to pick up a few prescriptions for Margot. In retrospect we should have stayed in Paris for at least another night, but I think we just needed to get out of that hotel.

So what caused the reaction??? We have no idea! That evening she had an apple from a produce stand that may have had a minuscule amount of peanut or tree nut on it that we didn't get wiped off. She also ate cheese pizza and maybe there was peanut oil in the pizza dough or a cross contamination issue in the restaurant's kitchen. They may have even used lupin flour in the pizza dough which may have caused a reaction. We just don't know. Before we ate dinner we asked the restaurant if there were any peanuts or tree nuts in the pizza - in French and showing them the allergy card. They said no. So that was the scary part. The not knowing what caused the reaction. Plus the fact that it happened almost two hours after we ate.

The rest of the trip we got food from grocery stores to make breakfast and lunch. Many food labels did not include English (although many other languages were usually represented), so I spent a lot of time translating from French to English. For dinner we went to McDonald's, which was an allergen haven for us. The digital ordering system was amazing! At the touch of the screen you could see every ingredient. A bonus was the hardcover books included with the Happy Meals and the coffee there was really good! So we all survived the rest of the trip and even managed to have fun! I have to admit it was a relief to get home, to say Tom and I were on edge the rest of the trip is an understatment. I will share more about trip in upcoming blog posts, but I wanted to get this one off my chest first.

Bookworms Prepare for Takeoff

Before we go on vacation I try to read a book set in that local. I usually learn something new about wherever we're going and it helps me shift gears. Right now we're getting ready for our trip to France and I decided to have the girls join my vacation tradition. This will be Margot's first trip to France and since Isabelle was only 10 months old the last time we went, it will be the first trip she'll remember. Here's what we've been reading.

CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

A favorite in our house, this is a classic tale that follows Madeline and her schoolmates' adventures in Paris. The illustrations are magnifique! We have read many of the other books in this series, but the original is our favorite.

Adele & Simon by Barbara McClintock

This book is set in 1907 and follows an older sister and younger brother during their walk home from school. Along the way they make many stops at places like the Louvre and Notre-Dame and at each stop Simon misplaces something - from his hat to his backpack. At the very end of the book there is a map of Paris which shows their entire journey. The girls enjoyed it and I feel like we'll probably leave a trail of toys and other belongings through Paris. Not like that's never happened here or anything. Wink, wink.

Belinda in Paris by Amy Young

This is from the Belinda the ballerina series and in this book Belinda is offered the chance to perform in Paris, but when she arrives she finds the airline lost her ballet shoes. Since Belinda has extra, extra large feet, she has to find someone to make her ballet shoes and it takes her all over Paris. The girls love ballet, so we did a lot of dancing after reading this book. 

Everybody Bonjours! by Leslie Kimmelman

This book follows a little girls during her trip to Paris where everyone says bonjour! She visits all the sites of Paris and at the end of the book it gives a great description of each - great for the adults.  

Flight 1-2-3 by Maria van Lieshout

This isn't about France, but since this will be Margot's first time flying, I wanted to find a book that would help us talk about what an airport is and what the flight might be like. This was perfect for a toddler! A fun note for those that enjoy graphic design - the typeface used in this book is Frutiger by Swiss designer Adrian Frutiger. It was commissioned in 1968 for Charles de Gaulle International Airport in France and has been used at airports all over the world. 

ADULT BOOKS:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This book was actually one I read in September for book club. Talk about perfect timing! All the Light We Cannot See is set during World War II and takes place in Paris, Saint-Malo and throughout Germany. It centers around two children growing up during the war - one French and one German - and how the war changed the course of their lives. The detailed writing of this book really pulled me in and reading about occupied France right before visiting the country just reminds me how resilient people are. I highly recommend this book!

Freedom Fries and Cafe Cream by Jocelyn Rapinac

I picked this up at our local bookstore, Prairie Path Books. They had a whole section of books related to France for Bastille Day and when I mentioned we were going there, the shopkeeper recommended this book. It's a collection of 12 short stories that center around France or the French culture and French food - recipes included. I have been saving it for our trip and I can't wait to dig in!