Last Tango in Paris

For our last day in Paris, we literally criss crossed the City.  It was cold and rainy and miserable when we were there.  We started the day with coffee and pastries - as you do when you are in Paris. 

start 'em young :D

We talked about buying the hop on bus passes and on our last day we did.  It was faster to get around on the bus than walking.  Although we did walk a lot!  We did one loop on the bus before getting off and really 'seeing' the sights.  

We have a pretty equal way to decide what gets done every day during a family vacation.  We all put out of "must see/do" and then we go from there - making sure that everyone gets to cross off at least one item on their list.  Everyone had something they wanted to do - I needed to get a Paris Starbucks mug, Jessica wanted to go to the HardRock Cafe and Krystle also needed a starbucks mug.  

We spent the early part of the day wandering around, thanks to the bus.  We went to the Eiffel Tower - but none of us wanted to climb it - I was game, but a coffee and looking at the structure was really enough for me.  

We saw Notre Dame from the bus and now after the recent news in Paris, I'm sad we didn't go in.  But 2 days isn't really enough to see all the sights of Paris.  Sadly the love locks bridge is no more - the locks were cut off because they were actually damaging the bridge.

We found the HardRock Cafe and had a late lunch there.  After finishing - Jessica was tired and she headed back solo to our hotel.  She only got lost a little bit, but she made safely back.  Even when your children are adults, you worry about them travelling alone at night - especially in a strange (to you) city.   

The rest of us, carried on in the drizzle.  See, Krystle had seen some beautiful photos of babies in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background that she wanted to recreate.  See Eleanor's first birthday was 2 days after we got back home.  The little peanut will never remember this trip.  Thanks to the Hard Rock, we now had a red balloon.  We hopped on the bus again and did another loop, listening to the narrator all the while learning. 

This super blurry photo was clearly taken in the rain and while you can't really see anyone's face other than Pat's - I really kinda like it! 

By now, we're 10 days into a family vacation with no real time away from each other - I think we were all about done.  And 15 months after the fact, my memory of the vacation is about gone too.

My take away - it was a wonderful vacation and I'd go back again.  I'd allow more time in Paris and then do some day trips around the area - explore more out of the City, but there was so much to see and do and I feel like we just barely glimpsed the tip of the ice berg.  

What's next for Sunday posts?  Well, there are a few more vacations that have been taken.  However, once those are done it'll be all sewing and knitting around here!  Where's your favorite place to vacation?  And do you prefer hot sunny weather for vacation or are you okay with a cold drizzle?  Do you like to relax on the beach or by a pool or are you okay with go - go - go all the time?  Looking forward to hearing from you!

Louve

We spent our last Saturday of vacation at the Louvre.  After really having a leisurely morning in our condo and a very French breakfast of fruit and pastries we headed out.  It took us a minute to figure out which train tickets we needed to purchase and thankfully a very nice local helped us out!

The girls bought crepes from a street vendor outside the Louvre and they were amazing!  Making crepes that taste like that is totally on my list! 

First - let me say I was in awe of the structure.  The details and the history of the building.  Most of the photos I took were of fireplaces, stairwells, the fine trim.  I wanted to see more of the actual building - I'm that person the one who says Yea, the art is okay, but show me the fireplace. 

That deer?  Carved into a ceiling.  It's about 12" square - can you even imagine?  It's so detailed, realistic and delicate all at the same time. 

More plaster work around a fireplace.  It was just incredible.  The texture and dimension that is in plaster work. 

Just an interesting grouping of photos! 

Proof that the entire family was on this vacation.  From the left:  JB wearing one of his bowling shirts, Pat, Krystle wearing Eleanor and Jessica - I was taking the photo :) 

We barely got through one wing of the museum and literally raced to see the Mona Lisa before closing. 

Jay and I at the Mona Lisa.  I'm wearing a blue ponte Ottobre Dress #4 from May 2013.  As I tend to do whenever we go on vacation, I was busy sewing up into the wee hours of the morning every night for the week before we left.  Jay got a shirt, Krystle got a birthday outfit, Eleanor got a birthday wardrobe and I got 3 new dresses!  2 Ottobre #4s and a swing dress.  (they are the catch up blogging queue.)

My favorite quote from vacation was this.  We had all gone to see the Mona Lisa.  Pat stood there for a minute and then walked over to Krystle and said, "I don't get it."  to which Krystle replied:  "Then you need to go look at her again!"  

One more day of Paris left.  A day in which we cover the entire city!  

And Then There Was Paris

After a week in Italy, we spent a little over 60 hours in Paris.  If you remember, January 2018 was one of the wettest that Paris had seen in a long time.  Our first day was really spent travelling and other than that little town we were staying in, we didn't see much. 

But we did wander around town, figured out how to go the train to go into the City and had a wonderful dinner.

Since I'm basically blogging this vacation day - by - day - well that's all for today :) 

Pat, Krystle & JB ate snails.  Eleanor, Jessica & I refused.  I think we were right - I mean, what's the green stuff?!

I just really liked the way this log looked with the mushrooms growing on it.  I thought it was so pretty and textural.  This is something I'd print in black and white, frame and put in my house - would you?  

Orvieto

The one thing I couldn't get over in Italy was

• how clean everything is
• how beautiful all the building are 
• how old everything is

So, that's 3 - sue me.  

One of the places that the kids had gone on their honeymoon and really wanted to get back to was a little town called Orvieto.  It was within an hour's drive of where we were staying - so we made half- day out of it.  We went to Orvieto in the afternoon after our cooking class. 

Our first stop was at this charming old stone house that housed a winery.  While they were tasting wine, I went outside and took some photos.  It was just as the sun was setting. 

Also, I may have a thing for bare trees.  Especially against a beautiful sky. 

Then we went into town.  After finding a place to park, we walked around for awhile.  It seems the entire time we were in Italy, our timing was off just that much.  We'd all be ready for dinner and the restaurants were still closed for mid-day.  But we managed to make it work. 

The cathedral was set in the center of the town.  And it was huge and amazing and beautiful and clean.  The detail in the building was just incredible.  I have many photos of the detail carved into the outside of the building. 

We had dinner in Orvieto and then we headed back home to bed.  I believe this was our last day in Italy.  Thanks for joining me as a looked back over a year ago to a wonderful family trip.

Italian Gardens

What I really enjoyed the most about being in the Italian Countryside in January was the lack of other tourists.  Often we were the only people in a particular garden - allowing us to run, play, take fun photos and have a good time - without interrupting anyone else.

On this day, after stopping for most of the fam to do a wine tasting (Pat, Eleanor & I don't drink wine) we headed to Villa Lante to see the formal gardens.  The day started out drizzly, but ended up being quite nice.

When we got to Villa Lante, we went in around the outside.  Walking past this beautiful fountain.  Formal Italian Gardens are filled with boxwoods and lots and lots of fountains.  

One of two identical buildings.  They were closed up and not in use, but were amazing.  I can only imagine living in one.

Looking down over one of the fountains.

From the top looking back down over the entire garden.  Isn't it spectacular?

This grotto was at the very top of the garden. 

Another water feature.

Some of the formal boxwoods and the designs created.

Why Not Take a Class?

Have I mentioned yet that Krystle & Pat when to Italy on their honeymoon?  So, this wasn't their first choice for a family vacation, but they were game and went along.  One of the things that was important for them was to take a cooking class.  Luckily for us, our hotel was offering a class where you learned to make bread/rolls, pasta and fresh ricotta.  So - with the exception of JB, we were all in!  JB - or Gramps - got the fun of spending the morning with Eleanor - all to himself.  I think there may have been chocolate croissants involved!

Our day started with making bread dough. While that rested we had a lovely espresso.  Then we made the dough into pizza.  In Italy, pizza is baked on a cookie sheet and it's rectangular - I don't think I saw a single round pizza.  The dough was spread out edge to edge on the cookie sheet, topped with olive oil and then the tomato sauce and set aside to rest and rise again.  We then played with the bread dough - dividing it into 4 and making 4 different types of rolls - as well as baguette.  The rolls were:  panchetta, olive, caraway & plain.

Before making pasta, we learned how to make ricotta.  It seemed pretty easy, but finding the special ingredients might make it a bit harder to do.

Then it was pasta time!  We had so much fun making the pasta.  Gramps & Eleanor arrived just in time for lunch of our pizza and fresh ricotta.  It was a good day!  Recently a friend loaned me her pasta machine so I can try making fresh pasta again.

We learned to make different shapes with the pasta dough. The bow ties are basically cut with a pinking rotary cutter.  :D

Finally - learning to use the pasta machine.  It's a 2 person job!

All in all - I was so glad that I spent a fun day with the kids learning to make bread.  Now to find Italian flour here and try my hand at pasta!  

Firenze!

Of all the places we went in Italy, I think Florence was my favorite.  I've said it before in these posts - but I'm not one to spend all day wandering around a museum.  Although - we did go see David.  But honestly - I enjoyed looking at the other statues and the amazing tapestries more.

After a good nights sleep, we grabbed a quick breakfast of espresso and pastries (as you do) with a bit of bacon for Eleanor because babies don't run on coffee and bread.  Then we hoped into the car and headed to Florence.  The drive was a little over an hour.  After parking, we wandered our way into the city and made the museum our first stop. 

Next - we had to find lunch!  We stumbled into a little cafe where we literally had the best food ever!  I had carbonara because it's what I do.  I mean, can you go wrong with bacon & egg pasta?  Sadly, all of my pictures of the food are blury. But they did have the most beautiful homemade pasta in the front. 

After eating, we wandered all around the City, stopping at the carousel, Ponte Vecchio to watch the sun set, and then heading back to the Duomo, where JB & Patrick tried to climb to the top of the dome, but we were just a tad too late. 

I cannot get over how beautiful and remarkable the details on the buildings are.  And everything is so clean - there wasn't trash just thrown around.