Tuesday, July 16, 2019

2019-07-16 The trip home

Early morning run along the Zurich waterfront, a nice breakfast at the hotel, and then off to the airport. Zurich → Washington DC → PDX and home.

Final stats:
  • 5 weeks
  • 6 countries (*8 if you include those in transit: Canada*, Germany*, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands)
  • 17 towns & cities (Rome, Athens, 5 different Greek island towns, Venice, Zermatt, Dijon, Saumur, Pierrefonds, Brugges, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich)
  • 7 flights (PDX-->Calgary-->Frankfurt-->Rome; Rome-->Athens, Athens-->Venice, Zurich-->DC-->PDX)
  • 6 boats (Our Catamaran in Greece, Venice water bus, water taxi, gondola, Paris batobus, and my friend Ben's boat in Amsterdam)
  • Loads of trains, trams, streetcars
  • 2 hotels & 11 Airbnb's
  • too many museums & chateaus to try and count
  • Too much gelato to assign a figure too.
  • A total dollar figure best not discussed
  • Countless memories :-)


Sorry for the blurry shot, everyone looking a little spent after the trip.




Monday, July 15, 2019

2019-07-15 Paris, TGV, Zurich

Went for an early run and park workout in Paris. Then we headed off to the train station and rode the TGV to Zurich at 300 km/h! Arriving at our hotel in zurich mid-afternoon, we walked around the city a bit, then went for a nice dinner of fondu and raclette, then walked the city a bit more

Riding the TGV

Watching the mama & baby ducks on the lakefront in Zurich

Duckling!

Alisa & I

Fondu & Raclette for dinner. Yum!

Sunset over Zurich


Sunday, July 14, 2019

2019-07-14 Bastille day, last full day in Paris

Went and did a workout at the pullup bars I found on the Seine. Came back and made breakfast. Jenny wasn't feeling well so she stayed home while Alisa and I took the boys up to watch the military Air Show over the Bastille day parade. Later, Alisa went biking with Matthew, and Tom and I biked up the the Musee des Arts & Metiers (which houses scientific inventions of all kinds. very cool).

Jets over the Bastille Day parade

Oh god the pastries

M & T on bike rentals

Selfie with jets

Mechanical calculator

Tom at Musee des Arts et Metiers





Saturday, July 13, 2019

2019-07-13 Last day with Crystal & the girls, Palais de Luxembourg

I had an early morning workout, then came home and made breakfast. Alisa & Jenny went shopping in the AM. Early afternoon we went meet Crystal and the girls at the Jardins de Luxembourg. Kids rented toy sailboats and sailed them in the fountain there, then the girls went to see a puppet show. Crystal took Jenny, Jade, Lola for some shopping. Later we met up and all went for a really nice dinner for our last night together.

Fountain in front of Palais de Luxumbourg (early morning before crowds)

Medici fountain


Kids playing w sailboats in the fountain

Last dinner together

out walking

Friday, July 12, 2019

2019-07-12 Montmartre, “Miraculous” bakery, Macaron class, architecture museum

After a late-ish breakfast we packed a lunch and rode the metro up to Montmartre where we met up with Crystal and her girls. We walked around and admired the art a bit, then checked out Sacre Coeur while Crystal got a portrait done of Lola. Then off to a local bakery that was the one that inspired the artwork in Jenny’s fave TV show, “Miraculous Ladybug”. Had a pastry there which was delicious. 

Crystal then took Jenny and her girls off to a Macaron-making class, and Alisa and I brought the boys back to our place. Then Alisa and I rented bikes and rode to the architecture museum (Very cool exhibit on Le Corbusier - will have to read a book about him later). Then back home, fed the kids, then Alisa and I went out to dinner and then out for drinks


Jenny in front of the bakery that inspired the one in her TV show

The cartoon version

view from in the museum

Musee de l'architecture & patrimoine

Thursday, July 11, 2019

2019-07-11 Louvre, Eiffel tower

Had a 3hr tour of the Louvre, with a treasure-hunt activity organized for the kids,which is the only way they’d tolerate any museum for that long! Then went to lunch, walked the city some, rode the Batobus over to the Eiffel tower, had pizza nearby before going up to the top to admire the view.

Matthew playing model on the Seine bank

The gang in front of the Louvre


Jenny on top of the Eiffel tower

Playing around with confusing panorama shots :-)

Family selfie in front of the tower

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

2019-07-10 Paris w Crystal & fam

Met up with Crystal, Jade & Lola. Went and admired Notre Dame (from the outside of course), then walked up to centre pompidou and had some fancy desserts in the resto on the top floor. Did a little shopping, then made our way back to our place. Fed the kids at our apartment before Alisa, Crystal and I went out to dinner at Les Deux Magots (famous, and right up the street from our place, so why not).

Meeting up w Crystal, Jade (bottom left) & Loal (bottom center)

In front of Notre Dame

Art tutorials while waiting for lunch

Jade playing w soap bubbles

Fancy desserts at resto above Pompidou

Jenny's drawing of Lola

Batobus

Kids playing together in the evening

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

2019-07-09 Amsterdam --> Paris

Got up early and ate breakfast and packed up. Rode tram to central station, caught the train to Paris. Rode RER (wrong way, then correct direction), then walked about 1km to our Airbnb. That took most of the day.

Went out for ice cream & grocery shopping, came back and cooked dinner. Then walked up to the Pont des Arts, as it's on Jenny's list of "stuff that appears in a cartoon TV show I like".

Jenny on Pont des Arts

Plus bro.

Plus Mom


Monday, July 8, 2019

2019-07-08 Amsterdam

Super fun day. Went to the local gym here in the morning and got a workout in. Then breakfast. Then family went to the park for a bit, stopping at a market and some thrift shops along the way. After that, my friend Ben picked us up in his boat on his canal-commute home from the office(!), and took us on a cool tour of many of the canals and the harbor.

Alisa and I fed the kids at the apartment later, then went out to dinner. We were getting desperate to find a place (it was almost 9:30), and said, "Let's just duck in here!" - to a place that turned out to be a Michelin-star restaurant. Had an amazing, if out of budget, dinner. Then walked the city a bit, then back home.

Hanging out in the park

Same

Thrift shop (OMG - the 80's are back)

Shopping

Reflective ceiling overhanging the canal (zoom in!)

Canal tour w Ben



Sunday, July 7, 2019

2019-07-07 Amsterdam

Went for a walk in one of the fabulous parks here in Amsterdam. Then went to the Van Gogh museum, then an early dinner, then toured the Anne Frank house. Went for dessert and some more walking after that.

Some tiny cars around here!

Jenny chilling and drawing in the park



The gang see-sawing

..and tree climbing

And tree-posing

2019-07-16 The trip home

Early morning run along the Zurich waterfront, a nice breakfast at the hotel, and then off to the airport. Zurich → Washington DC → PDX and...