100% Secure & Versilles

Since the Baddley's had already done Normandie and Giverny the decided to do Disneyland Paris. (Their kids were begging, since it was a favorite place to get over home sickness when they lived in Paris) We beat them home and found out that our 150 year old is very secure. Short of breaking a window we could not get in and we tried everything. The family had remodeled and put in new windows and doors. We tried an extra key and it worked fine. However apparently the cleaning lady put all the keys in the doors and locked them from the inside so we found out that even with the key and a little bit of force the doors couldnt be opened from the outside. Luckily for us the "guest house" was unlocked. There was a small bed that we tucked the girls into with their clothes still on and a few chairs that Ryan and I sat on as we waited for the Baddleys to come home. (The girls still talk about the dress that they slept all night in. The things that make an impression on them!) Anyhow, we tried every window, balcony and still nothing budged. Very safe!! We all feel into bed when the Baddleys make it home.







The next morning we packed up the car and kids again for a road trip to Belgium! We went to the city of Brugge and it was truely one of the most charming, fairytale places I'd ever been to! There was a river that mandered all through the city, lots of old beautiful building. Think of Venice with Norwegian arcitechure. There were pillars and domes and arches and beautiful things that I can't even describe with my limited architecualr vocab. Needless to say it amazing! Albeit quite touristy. Another thing that I loved about Brugge was all the bikes. Everyone biked. It was obviously the main mode of transportation. There were middle age women riding down the street together talking like they were on their way to have lunch. Older people doing errands. We parked near the train station and saw the biggest, fullest bike racks in the world! There were rows and rows of bikes. Where had all the people gone and was there anyone left in town?? Allison and I got a kick out of the fact that the bikes were all older bikes, very European looking. Almost to the point where it was totally lame to have a new bike or new bikes just didn't exist. Suprising how fasinating the bikes were!











Equally fasicanting to me were all of the beautiful shops. I love shops!! Belgium known for its lace, chocolates, frites (fries) and waffles, definitely did not disappoint. The only disappointing thing was not having enough time to explore them! Thankfully I did get a sample of each of their stars! If I had to rate my favorite item here it would have been the waffles. A wome

Normandie and Monet's Giverny

The next morning after a disappointing breakfast we were off to Normadie. We think the GPS was set for the shortest distance route because we went on every back country farm road from St Michele to Normandie… we cut through a couple farms and felt like everyone we saw was surprised to see us on their road. It was neat, but definitely had us holding our breathe that we would actually make it to the beach. It seemed like a miracle, but we did it!

Ryan’s Grandpa Creamer was a gunman on one of the barges that dropped off infantry men on the beaches of Normandie. Very, very cool. We felt a huge since of gratitude for the bravery of our grandfathers and their families as we contemplated their actions and read the words dedicated to them. We are touched as we toured the cemetery and memorials dedicated to them.
From there we drove to Giverny where Monet lived and cultivate his beautiful gardens and painted many of his most famous masterpieces. Once you get past the tourist stuff and into the gardens it’s hard to describe how good nature can make you feel. The gardens were so lovely and I could hardly get enough of the famous Japanese water lilies ponds. The girls really enjoyed it too, wanting picture after picture of them with their each of their “favorite” flower.

We loved it there! It was fun to see his house too. The children’s books were a great resource to the life of Monet.

Sst Michel Road Trip

We packed our bags and loaded up our car for a trip to Mont St Michel, Normandie and Giverny.

It was so fun to get outside of Paris and see the French countryside! It was beautiful! I especially loved seeing all the old homes and barns that have been there a couple of hundred years and the cows and sheep grazing on the hillside.

We stopped at a little restaurant for lunch and ordered from an all French menu… that was interesting. It was a little better than just closing your eyes and pointing, but not much. It was a fun surprise to see how close our food was to what we thought we had ordered! At this pit stop Ryan stopped in at an electronic store and once again, as much as I think he is a little excessive and obsessed with gadgets, the GPS he came out with has been worth its weight in gold!! –It saves all of the arguing over going left and right. We just sit back, look out the window and wait for the cute little British voice to tell us when to turn. (There is an American English setting too, but in France we prefer the directions from the voice of the British gal.)

So the pictures of Mont St Michel speak for themselves. Let me just say it was spectacular. I’d like to meet the hard working crew who built it. The architect was just fulfilling a childhood dream of secret passageways. Think Hogwarts School from Harry Potter without any of the scary stuff and that is close to what this Abbey is like. In a few of the chapels they had musicians playing. It was really cool. I was surprised how you couldn’t hear them until you were a few feet upon entering the door. On the very top chapel with a girl playing the harp (the chapel reminded me of the chapel in the Sound of Music where they are hiding from the police) opened onto a huge patio 200-300 feet above the ground. Outside there were seagulls just playing on the air currents, hanging out and soaring to the music. The view was awesome!

That evening we stayed in a little bed and breakfast. It was kind of what I expected quaint little rooms with shared bathroom in the hall. Ryan said his thoughts of a romantic B&B were slashed when I made us each sleep with one of the girls because of my paranoia not knowing who is down the hall.

Tour and "Something Evil"...

We set out to show our “dads” what we have been doing everyday for the last two plus weeks. We walked to the train. “…It’s much further than I thought it was…” “Now where do I go?” We were satisfied!

First stop Eiffel Tower. We had to do a photo opt with Ryan and Quinn! Next crepes, ice cream and fries for everyone!! Two carousels rides times two please! What’s not to like about France?!

Second stop, stand in a loooong line and go up the Eiffel Tower with the rest of France!! Wow! It’ is an amazing structure! And no doubt about I’m a little afraid of heights, though I’m able to enjoy myself if I don’t think about it. It was neat to see all of Paris sprawled out in all directions.

Next stop TOUR de France on the Champs Eleyese!! Yippee! There was definite excitement in the air and the streets were packed! The crowd was about four people deep everywhere. We stood on a side street near the Arc de Triumphe. It was fun to watch to watch the racers zoom by in front of us then zoom by on the other side. Isn’t the last day of the tour a kind of formality? If so their speed didn’t show it! They were flying! Then the team cars would follow and zoom by just as fast! My little Cannon Elph could barely get two shots in before they were out of sight. It was funny to see the creative things people did to improve there vantage point. They were on benches, bikes, poles, step ladders (we saw several) and piggy backing. I’ve never been on Ryan’s shoulders before, but now I see why they enjoy it! I got some great video and pictures from up there!!

Once again the kids were troopers. I’m not sure how much they got out of the Eiffel Tower or the Tour de France. They were much more interested in each other’s toys and our iphones than they were about Lance or anyone else!
After the tour we went to Allison and Jon’s friends’ house Emmanuel and Carolyn. They arranged for a babysitter and we adults went out to dinner. It was SO nice. Having a babysitter was the most exciting thing of the whole day for the girls! Well, they did like the carousel and ice cream.
So we left the cute babysitter with six little girls. Five of them five or under! She spoke great English, but the poor thing had to go on a diaper hunt in the apartment building. She couldn’t find the ones we had in our bag. When we returned she said, “we had a little diaper problem and I had to clean her up”, pointing to the bathroom with a tub. “Then Quinn added, “I ate something evil!” Ryan and I are still shaking our heads trying to figure out where she came up with that one! I felt really sorry for the babysitter at that point! We gave her a tip, but I’m not sure you can pay enough for a diaper like that!

Bienvenue Papas!

Bienvenue!!
Welcome! The Dads and Quinn came today! We dressed up in matching outfits and sparkly Paris berets to welcome them. It was SOOOOO, SO wonderful to have them! Quinn defied all the records by staying up the ENTIRE flight. I can barely stay awake on a one hour flight, let alone an international flight across the ocean! Ryan said she finally closed her little eyes just as the tires touched the tarmac. She slept through the deplaning, customs, rental car pick-up and drive to the house. She probably would have slept all day, but the sound of her sister’s voice and patting woke her up. She was instantly recharged for several hours of playing! I could hardly keep my eyes, hands and lips off her. It was so good to hold and squeeze her!! –Ryan too!

That evening we went to Chateau Vaux de Vicomte built by Louis XIV’s finance minister. It was amazing! King Louis XIV was so impressed when he saw it that he threw the minister in jail for embezzlement and immediately hired his architect and landscapers to go to work on Versailles. The chateau and gardens sit on several hundred acres. On Saturday evenings they light thousands of candles throughout the garden and chateau. It was incredible to walk through the immaculate gardens with paths and statues and fountains and terraces more impressive than the last. It’s gives new meaning to the Jane Austin movies when people go and take a turn about the gardens. What a fabulous part of life! --The iron mask was filmed there and Tony Parker and Eva Longoria were married there.

Super Size My Laundry

Super size laundry
Everything is smaller in France including the washing machines. Don’t get me wrong. my mission taught me to be grateful for washing machines and I’m not comparing France to Argentina, I’m just saying these are not the super sized, super fast, professional grade machines that we’re use to in the USA . It takes an average of two hours to do a small load. So when French women say they spent all day doing laundry…they did!

I went on my first solo trip to Paris without Allison, because no shopping party would be complete without the manitory return trip. Yes, we both had a return. Allison took hers back right away. (She was treated the way you’d imagine French people treating you with a return. Not too nice about it.) It took me a few more days to analyzing, but I decided there were a few things not worth my Euros. I decided that I wanted take it back before Ryan and Quinn arrived, knowing Ryan would be bugged at having to do a return… Allison agreed to stay at the house with the girls and work on the Primary program while I did the return. (The girls were having a wonderful day at home and we didn’t have the heart to travel an hour each way for a return.) So, I got my first taste of being alone in a country where I didn’t understand a word anyone was saying. I felt like a recently returned missionary without my companion for the first time. It was a little weird! And I have to admit it was a little intimidating. I went to a store at a different location and was quite proud of myself for finding my way! The lady was really great about my return. No hassle. On my way back home I made a quick stop at the grocery store and was back to the house in three hours! I wonder what the French people thought of my running to the train and back in a skirt carring all kinds of bags! ---Just another crazy American, I'm sure!

Day 13 - Jacquemart-Andre Museum

Who is this masked beauty??
Since we have the whole Paris thing down and have had so much time to enjoy the city we don't feel we have to rush out the door everyday. Today after a bit of play and breakfast we packed our bags with snacks and made our way down the hill. Today we left (for the first time) in the rain. I was a bit worried that we'd get soaked considering the rain from the night before, but as we opened the gate to the street Duce the house cleaner pulled-up. She generously insisted on giving us a ride to the train station. It took us 3 minutes in her car. It's amazing how a couple of days without a "necessity" really helps you to remember to be grateful for the small things! I don't mind walking, but I'm really grateful I don't have a 30 minute one way bumpy stroller walk every time I want to go some where! I really appreciate having a car to zip around in. Even buckling car seats seem like a sweet pleasure now!

The Jacquemart-Andre Museum was an excellent museum for children. The Museum is the home of an upper-class French couple who had no children and spent their lives collecting art. When they died they willed their home to the state. The dining room has been made into a beautiful cafe. We had a great lunch and amazing dessert there. (It was similar to a pistachio macaroon with cream and raspberries in between.) It made it on Allison's "best of the best list". I thought it was really good, but I've enjoyed almost everything!

The museum had a wonderful activity station for kids. They had masks, shields, flags and coloring pages that children could decorate with markers, glitter, sequins, feathers and stickers, and amazing costumes to dress-up in. The girls loved it!! They decorated darling masks and absolutely loved dressing up in the fancy renaissance costumes.

The home had amazing furniture, art work and tapestries. Most of the home was left as it was when the Jacquemart-Andres lived there.

On the way home we stopped by a bakery that we had passed at lunch time. The line was out the door! We all got a pastry and bought a baguette for dinner. My éclair was nice, Kate's mini fruit tart was better. The baguette was crunchy on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. Just right!

It's Princess Kathryn!