Nothing a little duct tape can't fix!

We must be nearing the very end of our trip because we are breaking down, and by that I mean our stuff is all breaking. So far both strollers are broken, but still usable. S's has a rip in the seat fabric and E's snack tray snapped off, both are strollers we purchased specifically for this vacation. My (expensive!) and oh so comfortable shoes, also purchased special for the trip, have broken. The strap is now being held together by duct tape. Our umbrella will no longer stay closed on it's own, and when the Velcro strap slips it pops open at unexpected times, and this morning the strap to my purse broke (which has also been repaired via duct tape). So our stuff might be broken down, but we are all still having a fabulous time!

Yesterday was the last night of our Germany blitz and I can't wait to come back and see more. We have spent the last few nights on the Rhine river, and have been exploring it as well as the adjacent Mosel river valley. It is gorgeous here! Looks like a fairy tale, which is only emphasized by the fact that every tiny town is shadowed by a huge medieval castle. In fact, we were lucky enough to spend 2 nights in a real castle turned hostel. (Also our first ever hostel experience, which was great. We had a private room and bathroom, sparse but very clean. For less than 50 euros per night we had a great room, an unbeilable view and breakfast included.) “Our castle” as S calls it, actual name Burg Stahleck was once the capital of Germany for a few years in the 1200's.

Our time in the river valley has gone so quickly and once again, we are wishing for more time to explore. We spent quite a bit of time in Trier, which has some excellent Roman ruins, including a huge still fully intacted Roman building. It has been in continous use since then, which has perserved it. What was once a thrown room for the emperor is now a protestant basilica. We also saw the Porta Negra gate house, which is a huge fully intact piece of the old Roman wall. In addition Trier is home to the oldest Christan church in Germany. It is also a very cute downtown area with great little cafes and shopping.

We enjoyed a great boat ride down the Rhine, looking at all the cute towns and castle spotting, then we toured Burg Eltz. We ended the evening in a new city (Cologne) and viewed their enormousus gothic cathedralal, so pretty. Cologne is not a pretty town. It was almost completely destroyed during WWII and the buildings were thrown-up quickly. However, the revitalization is underway in a major way, construction is everywhere, and you can tell, this is a town that has money. People dress very well. The taxis are BMW's with full leather seats and luxury upgrades, and store like Gucci and Prada line the streets.

This morning we woke-up and went to Cologne's chocolate museum. S loved it. They had chocolate history, South American chocolate artifacts and a full working display on how to make chocolate, complete with samples. After a quick lunch (gotta love Subway) we drove to Aachen, home to a very old church, one Charlemagne built, around 800. It has been added to over the years, but the original still stands and it's ceilings are filled with gorgeous tile mosaics. It also holds the crypt of Charlemagne, as well as some very important church relics (among them “the” swaddling clothes from Christ), if your into that sort of thing.

We then drove to Amsterdam, and of course there were plenty of issues getting checked-in to our apartment, but finally we are in and all very ready for bed. Had a lovely blitz of Germany, but now we are excited and ready to tackle Amsterdam!

Normandy, Paris and Packing

Phew. It has been a fun, long week. We left for an overnight trip to Normandy, on Monday. The first stop was along the coast to see some of the D-Day areas. We visited Omaha Beach and the American cemetery, as well as Arromanches which is cute little beach town that hosts Port Winston, the artificial harbor that was created by the British and American troops, which made D-Day success possible. We saw the huge German gun bunkers, and the Pointe Du Hoc a cliff side that was heavily bombarded by aerial attacks leaving huge 30ft plus craters along the cliff side. We couldn't have picked a more perfect day to go to the beach. Blue skies, and sunshine. It was so beautiful it was hard to imagine what happened there. Standing on Omaha beach and looking way, way up the huge cliff that had to be scaled, with German troops on top in huge artillery bunkers firing down at you, I'm not sure how the boys (most were 18-23 years olds) got the courage to jump off the boats. As we all know, many people on both sides of the fight and from many countries died on D-day. It was however also the day that the alliance gained a foothold in France and within a year Hitler was dead and the war was over. The day was sobering and heavy and unsurprisingly stirred-up lots of emotions. We are however, so glad we went. It was a great experience and nice to take a minute to remember and silently thank so many who paid such a price defending America and the world from oppression. After all of that we drove to Mont Saint Michel and spent the night on the island.

We awoke to drizzling rain, but got ready and headed-up the hill to the Abby. Had an excellent and very interesting self-guided of the Abby, complete with beautiful views of the bay. For lunch we did a Normandy fest. All of the regional specialties. We had mussels in cream, a super fluffy omelet, lamb feed from grass grown from salt water (gives the meat a unique salty flavor) and Camembert cheese. Oh, and hard apple cider to drink, yum! On the way back to Paris we stopped and saw the Bayou tapestry, which is fabulous.

Back in Paris on Wednesday we went to the Orangerie to see Monet's ultra famous Water Lillis paintings. They are stunning in person. The rooms were designed by Monet himself with huge skylights and the paintings really do seem to change as the sun shifts. Since in was overcast on our visit we really got to experience that as the sky shifted from sunny to dark and then sunny again. Then we walked to the Madeline church and then to the Louvre for an epically long visit trying to soak up as much as possible. Our kids have become little museum experts and do really well. E is generally happy as long as he can see and there are people to smile at him (and he is so cute, really who can resist?!) S knows that if he is good, and asks politely we will usually let him color on the ipad while we look. (We view art, he creates it).

Thursday was a frustrating day. We all slept in a little which was great, then headed out to drive to Giverny, (Monet's home and gardens). A drive that should have taken, about 45 minutes, took 3 hours. Of course neither Gardner or I had eaten (in true French style it was yet another holiday which means our coffee/breakfast place was closed), so we were starving. The place was beyond packed. Drove all over town looking for parking and finally had to create our own spot on the side of a parking lot. Giverny was nice. The gardens were very pretty, but had a natural look to them, in sharp contrast to the the perfectly manicured gardens you see in Paris. By this point it was almost 5, so we just drove back to Paris and went to Montmartre for dinner. Ate at a fantastic little bistro, and had a nice walk around the hill. After dinner as we were strolling down the steps along Sacre Coeur and S said “I really like Paris”. With the lights of Paris just starting to shimmer as the sunset and with the giant white dome above us, it was such a sweet moment, makes me smile to think about it.

As an end of the trip treat, we took the kids back to Disneyland. Bought a hopper pass for both parks this time. I have to say, their second park which is Hollywood themed is not very good. They have a few good “big kid” rides. As a family we only went on 3. S of course, LOVED the CARS rides, which was similar to the tea cups. We also sprang for the very overpriced lunch buffet at Remy's restaurant. Complete with a memorable visit from Remy the rat chef himself. S has watched Rattatouille several times since we have been here and was beyond excited. After lunch we went to the “real” Disneyland park and had a great afternoon and evening of rides and fun. Gardner and I did a fastpass/ babyswap combo to ride Thunder Mountian Railroad. It's longer and cooler than the one in California, we both loved it, just wish we could have rode together. S loved Peter Pan, Dumbo, and Pirates of the Caribbean. E loved the Circus Train and the It's a Small World. A great time was had by all.

Yesterday we packed, and packed, but we finally got it all together and today we loaded it into the (jam-packed) car. Currently we are making our way to Strasbourg, where we will spend the night. Can't wait to see all of those cute little haft timbered houses. The first major portion of our trip is over, and I feel great. I'm proud that we accomplished so much with our children along in tow and I know that we will feel the effects of all the amazing experiences we have had in France for a long while to come. So “au revoir Paris”. We can't wait to come back again to the beautiful City of Lights. But today we are looking ahead to the next 10 days and 3 countries. Get ready Germany, the Landon's are on their way.

Friday, Saturday, and Mother's Day!

Friday we spent in the Champagne region. We saw the Reims cathedral, looks similar to Notre Dame in Paris. It is the church where all of the kings of France have been crowned. Then we had a interesting tour of Moet & Chandon. The kids did great during the tour. It was only us and another American couple (on their honeymoon). The caves were very cool. Hand craved from chalk in the 1700's, Moet & Chandon claim to have been the birthplace of champagne. They are also the makers of Dom Perignon. Dinner was a drag. E was tired and cranky and the food was mediocre at best and way over-priced. But all in all a fantastic day.

Saturday we did chateau-fest. Started the day at Fontainebleau, which is hugely interesting from a historical perspective. After seeing the glorious Versailles my expectations were low that I would be impressed. In fact I was blown away. The chateau was home to many generous of french royalty and has been re-built and added to many times. There was an excellent audio-guide that was interesting and easy to follow, and almost no crowd at all. Plus, unlike Versailles which was ransacked during the revolution, Fontainbleau still has most of it's original furnishings and wallpaper. The chateau is every bit as grand as Versailles in my opinion, although Versailles does have it beat in the gardens. After a lovely visit, during which the kids were excellent, we drove to Vaux le Vicomte, another historic chateau (the one that inspired Louis XIV the build Versailles in the first place). They had golf carts to rent for only 15 euros and we all had a great time driving around the property and seeing the gardens. Both boys got to help daddy drive, they loved it! We had scheduled a dinner the prix fixe restaurant on the property, we were definitely taking a gamble, but since it was the only dinner option in the area we went for it. The kids must have known it was Mother's Day Eve because they were perfect! S was polite, quite, and ate everything. E was just as cute as can be the whole meal. As we were leaving an older American man stopped us, and complemented our children. He said "I couldn't even tell there were kids in the restaurant". A delicious and even slightly romantic (as much so as one can be with your children at the table) meal. After dinner we went into the chateau which had been completely lite by candle light. Gave one such a sense of what it must have been like to live then, plus everything just looks better when lite by a flickering candle. When we came out over 2000 candles had been lite all over the gardens. It was stunning. We all enjoyed a lovely stroll around the gardens. We were having such a nice evening that time got away from us and Gardner looked down to learn it was already, 10:45!! So a very late night out for our kids, but such a nice pleasant day it was worth it.

Today is Mother's Day in America, but not in France. Their Mother's Day is in June. Gardner surprised me with brunch at an American Diner. I have been missing my breakfast like crazy. The food was great and such a nice change. You know the place is good because there is line around the block to get in, full of Americans and French alike. After brunch we went to the Rodin museum, and Napoleon's Tomb which also includes an impressive (if your really into guns and armor) french war museum. Got to skpye with my parents, which was a great end to the day. Tomorrow we are driving to Normandy. We will see the D-Day beaches and Mont-Saint Michelle. Looking forward to a night on the coast.

Happy Mother's Day!

Dordogne and The Eiffel Tower

Phew. We arrived home from the Dordogne late last night. What an great place to vacation. I only wish we had  more time to spend there. I would love to go back someday. The attraction that drew us there were the ancient cave drawings made by cro-magnon man. They are literally the oldest human made-things on earth and they were awesome to see. We of course had to visit the ultra famous Lascaux 2 (an exact reproduction of Lascaux that was created after too many tourist caused significant damage to the drawings). We also went to Font de Gaume where you can see a real original cave. They allow 90 people per day, and only on a guided tour. The kids did great, S managed not to touch anything and thought the whole cave thing was pretty cool. So did we. We aren't talking about a stick sketch here. These are detailed painted animals. Entire herds running around the walls of these caves. The paintings date between 15-17 THOUSAND years old. Amazing.

The Dordogne region has much more to offer than the caves though. It has a rich and long history that includes cliff dwellings that have been inhabited since the cave man up to present day, medieval castles, beautiful landscape with lush green hills, and powerful flowing rivers, and it's a foodies paradise producing all kinds of delicacies. Including: foie gras, truffles, duck, and walnuts. It's a great growing region with excellent local street markets, and lots of yummy restaurants. While there, my family tried a few new foods. S had foie gras for the first time (he wasn't a fan, I'm not really either and yes it was on the kids menu). I tried escargot (much better than I expected and not very chewy at all) and beef heart (I only had a bite of Gardner's). The really great thing about this region, is the food is not only very good, but it's also pretty cheep. Duck confit (one of my personal french favorites) that would cost you at least $30 in California, is fantastic and on every menu for 8-11 euros.

The food in France really is as great as people say. Foods I especially love here are:

- Yogurt (much better than in the US creamer and not as sweet)
- Butter
- Duck
- Mustard
- Cheese (a huge variety all very inexpensive)
- Pastries (I am especially in love with chocolate eclairs)

S would add the donuts. He gets one almost ever morning when Gardner and I get a coffee and a pain au chocolate or a croissant. He claims they are "the best". E eats a mini croissant every day. It's very cute.

Today we spent the afternoon at the Eiffel Tower. All this time here and it was our first, and only, trip to the top. S of course, couldn't let such a fun activity go by unannounced, so while waiting in the very long and very hot (the sun has made it's appearance in Paris and it is HOT and humid) line decided to get some attention by biting his brother. Ugh. Poor E. His punishment was to be buckled into his stroller which he hates, while we waited in line. You should have heard the tantrum. Perhaps you did. That child carried on and on, getting redder and redder as he screamed. I felt so sorry for the people surrounding us in line. That is until, the French Grandma in front of us in line felt the need to direct my parenting efforts by saying "Can't you see he needs your love. He just wants you to love him and hold him. Children need affection and you're just holding the baby."  This is AFTER she witnessed the bite! I responded that he was being punished for biting his brother and that a parent can not back down simply because a child throws a tantrum, no matter how embarrassing it might be. Of course the incident ended with hugs from S and apology to his brother, a short nap from both kids and us all having a great time in the tower. I was really nervous to go all the way to the top. Heights are not my friend, but we had a wonderful time, and Gardner and I even enjoyed a quick champagne toast at the top. It was definitely worth the wait, and views were great. It was a clear gorgeous day. So glad I braved my fear and went for it.

I know these posts are often very long winded and  jump around quite a bit. I have much less time to blog than I would like. Between traveling, sightseeing, laundry, shopping, cleaning, taking care of the kids and sleeping, there just isn't much time left. But we are having a great time, tantrums and all. Tomorrow we pick-up the rental care we will have for a week. We are taking a few day trips to cities surrounding Paris. On the agenda first is Reims and the Champagne region. A Votre Sante!
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Versailles

Yesterday we went to Versailles. We all had such a fun amazing day. The forecast said showers (it has been unusually cold and rainy here) but we went anyway. Started with a tour of the Chateau, which is impressive. A bit much for my personal tastes, but if you think about the time it was built during, you can't help but be impressed. (Unless of course you are a three year old, in which case the iPad is far more interesting). S recognized the Hall of Mirrors from a Little Einsteins episode in which they had a Halloween Party there. (Yes, S that's why it's so famous. And no, they only put the party table out on special occasions.) Mid tour we bought each boy a little Napoleon. S's is a plastic figurine riding a horse. E's is a small stuffed version. Might be the best money we ever spent. The kids were in heaven!

The Gardens at Versailles looking up at the Chateau

After lunch in the garden, we walked, and walked, and walked. The fountains were on, and I have to say, considering when they were designed, and considering that all the water for them had to be rerouted from miles away, they are impressive. Honestly they are pretty impressive even by today's standards. We walked to the Hamlet, an area on the far side of the property which Marie Antoinette built as a play village for herself. It is so gorgeous! It had a real dairy, real vegetable gardens, a whole little pretend town, which she had real people run and then she would go down dress in a white cotton gown and straw hat and pretend to be a peasant. It's good to be the queen (until the beheading of course). But I have to admit, I LOVED the hamlet and if I am ever to rule a country I will construct one immediately for my own. It's like the best doll house ever. S loved our walk and the Hamlet area. He ran all around, looked at the farm animals, there were many, feed the giant fish in the pond. We ended the day with a look at the orangerie and the grand finale fountain show. The rain held-off, literally until the minute we were leaving. It was such a fantastic day, we all had such a great time and got so much out of the experience.

The Hamlet

We followed-up today with a quick trip to the Conciergerie, the building where prisoners were held while they waited for the guillotine. Marie Antoinette spent two years here while she waited her turn. Now they have a little chapel here dedicated to her memory and a room of remembrance for all of the others. It's shocking how being at a place where something happened gives a person such a deeper understanding of the event, the person, the time. I always thought of Marie Antoinette as spoiled and selfish, and she was. But she was also a little girl who was given way to much power, she was strong, she had a lot of personality. I have come away from learning more, liking her a lot.

We also saw Saint Chappelle today (it's right next door to the Conciergerie). Built to house the crown of thorns by Louise IX, it is breathtaking. The upper chapel is two-stories of stain glass all the way around the room. When we walked up, I was holding S, and he looked at me and said "This is really cool!". Hooray! We have succeeded in helping our child appreciate culture. At least on the level a three year old can. Looking at him and seeing the understanding that we are someplace special, someplace unique in the world, reminded me again why we dragged our children to France, and how much they are learning and growing here with us.

S has learned a ton while here. On our first day we bought a children's book of the monuments of Paris. The night before we visit one, Gardner reads about it to the kids and they look at the pictures. After the visit that night they re-read. It's really sinking-in. S knows almost all of the famous monuments by name. Tonight he and Gardner were looking at pictures, and one of the Arc de Triumph came-up. Gardner asked him, what it was called, and S answered. Then he surprised us both by saying, "And do you know who built it?.....Napoleon."

Tomorrow we are headed out for a 2 night trip in the Dordogne. I am really excited! A bit off your typical tourist route, and a little more rustic, the kids will love it.

It Takes a Village...

The last few days have been great and Gardner and I have really felt like we are rocking it. We know how to order coffee, we have learned the pertinent bus routes and how to board with the strollers. The kids have been great, we have all been sleeping well and just generally feeling like a part of Paris. But as soon as you feel like you have it all figured out, something new comes up and reminds us, we are in fact in a foreign land, and we don't know all of the "rules".

One thing that has been a surprise for us, is that attitude the french have about children. As Americans, we take our kids everywhere. The French by contrast take their children nowhere. That is of course a gross over-generalization on both accounts. This was all to clear the other night when we went out to dinner. It was a little late. (We sat down at 7pm - early by French standards). When we arrived at our selected restaurant, housed in the oldest still standing home in Paris (built in 1400), there where no other dinners. Perfect, we though, no one to disturb. However as we schelpped in our two strollers and 5,000 bags from the day and got settled, we really looked around and noticed white table cloths and a candlelight and realized we might be in a bit over our heads, or at least our children's heads. Before we had ordered the restaurant had filled. Our children are generally very good in a restaurant, but I was nervous. I hate the idea of my rowdy kids interrupting someone else. S was pretty good. Didn't touch a bite of his food. In fact he screamed "I DON'T LIKE IT!" at a particularly quite moment. But all in all he played the iPad quietly. E of the other hand was not having it. He would not stay in his seat, threw everything he touched on the floor and was generally fussy. And the meal took forever. So long that by the end, Gardner and I were wondering if the waitstaff was trying to intentionally torture us. We had a dialog made-up about how they were so annoyed that we had dared bring our children to their semi-fancy restaurant. Then as we were leaving Gardner accidentally dropped the stroller down the stairs spilling everything out. How embarrassing. Then our waiter, who rushed to help him clean, turned to him, and said "I hope we have done everything we could to make your evening pleasant. I can see how hard it is to enjoy yourself with children. We tired to give you as much time as possible". So that's why is took like an hour to get our plat (main dish)! We assumed they were being jerks, and they were trying to allow us extra time, and not rush us.

Another thing that has happened on many, many occasion is people helping us with our stroller down the stairs.  I mean, all the time. Random strangers will stop and just pick up the bottom and help us carry it. It really takes a village, that is the attitude. Yesterday a shop keeper gave our boys each a little Eiffel Tower key chain. Just to be nice. Made the kids day! They spent all day playing with and trading back and forth their little key chains.

In an unsettling trend, many people have tried to pick S up. I would never, ever pick-up a child I didn't know with out asking the parents permission. But several times we have been struggling down a staircase caring a stroller while holding the baby and trying to hold S's hand, and someone just comes by and picks him up. The first time it happened was at the Louvre. A man was helping Gardner carry a stroller down the stairs and I was holding E and trying to get S to walk while holding my free hand and this woman just came by and picked S up! No, No, No I was yelling while chasing her down the stairs. She gave me a strange look, put him down said something in German and walked away. She was the wife of the man helping Gardner. It happens a lot. It makes me uncomfortable. I realize that people are just trying to help, but I am not comfortable with a stranger carrying my baby (even if is is 3) away from me. Today a man on the Metro did it. I let him, although I never let go of his hand the whole way down the stairs.

There are differences here. The culture goes beyond the language, the currency, the food. It is deeper. It's the way they raise their children. The "it takes a village" mindset. I like it. I'm working on getting used to it. I hope when I come home, I will be a person who offers to help more, and avoids strangers less. If we hadn't brought our children to France, these are things we never would have learned. We are learning everyday.

The Perfect Day in Paris

I can't tell you how lucky I feel today. It's May 1st, Labor Day here in France and it's a major holiday. Almost everything is closed, people spend the day with their families and then celebrate in the city. We just listened to the fireworks from our apartment, although from here we can't quite see them.

Because all of  the museums were closed today, we were at a bit of a loss at what we should do. We woke to a crystal clear blue sky, packed a picnic and headed (all the way across Paris) to a fabulous park. Buttes Chau Mont is on the edge of Paris in the 20th district. It used to be a stone quarry. Now it's a haven. Steep hills covered in grass, beautiful flowers, tall trees and a river that runs through the bottom. We ate on the lawn. Cheese, salami, a baguette from the little corner shop, apples, and pretzels. After lunch S and E played out there energy on the playground. We walked to the vista, and them through the park down the the river. Just soaking up the sun and the people. It was such an amazing day to be there. The park was packed with Parisians, all just out having a day with their families. We have found the children of Paris. Hooray! Love being not the only mom in sight. Everyone was so pleasant and joyful and the mood was contagious.

We left the park and got a quick cafe-crem and rode the bus to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. It is huge and so beautiful. I think it's interesting you can rent space here, in 10 year terms. Then if your decedents don't pay your rent when the bill comes due they move you out to free up the space. We saw the resting places for Chopin, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde. Best of all the kids napped the entire time and woke happy and refreshed. We caught the bus back to the 4th (I know the bus is not as glamours as the Metro, but they are clean, efficient, easy to find and most importantly when you have a stroller or two - stair free).

We had dinner outside at a little cafe, and then walked a while by the Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame. The city by dusk was buzzing with people all celebrating. Much like the feeling you get on the 4th of July.



Happy, worn-out kids showered and right to bed. We didn't see any major tourist sights, or eat in any fancy restaurants but for our family it was a perfect Parisian day.

Tough Times in Provance

This morning Gardner was checking his email and looking at the pictures I have posted on my facebook and he joked "Wow, from these pictures it looks like we are actually having a good time". We both laughed, because of course we are having an amazing time here in France. However, we have definitely had some rough moments too. I thought since I'm always talking about the great experiences, I might tell you a few less than wonderful ones, memories all the same. Please feel free to laugh at us. I hope these stories are ones that will get funnier with time.

So this past weekend in Provance was interesting. On Saturday we had picked out this restaurant in a travel book that sounded great. It had a nice view of Provance, it's way up in the hills, in a cute tiny town, just like you see in the movies. Supposedly casual with excellent food. So we drove out there after visiting a complete Roman amphitheater in Neimes. We were all ready for lunch. So we hiked-up the hill. Each Gardner and I pushed a stroller up this super street cobblestone hill. It took us 45 minutes to reach the restaurant, only to find it closed! We searched the town and can't find anything open. So back into the car we go. Now it's 1:30 and we are all really hungry. We drive on to the next little village. Calling restaurants along the way. They all stop lunch service at 1:30. We are starting to panic because the kids are all wound up with hunger and we are really feeling it to after our little workout. We finally found a little outdoor place willing to take us. The food was actually good. Crisis adverted.

On Sunday after a great morning watching S climb around a huge medieval castle in Les Baux we went to Avignon to see the old Papal Palace and the famous bridge. Now in France they have a nursery rhythm about dancing on this bridge (part of it's claim to fame is that is only spans haft the river). So after a disastrous tour of the Papal Palace, during which S threw a non-stop tantrum complete with screaming on the floor and constantly trying to run away, and a quick snack for S (clearly he needed it). We had just enough time before our train to go out and dance or at least stand on the bridge. This is something Gardner was really looking forward to. So he looks in our Rick Steve guide, which is usually good for these things and we head up, yet another steep hill. Once at the top we realize we are at the bridge overlook and the bridge it's self is actually down way below. Crap. Ok, Rick says to head through the park, then down 3 flights of stairs so we can walk along the river. Ok. I'm starting to get worried about getting to the train station on time. It's hot, Gardner is getting annoyed that we are clearly in the wrong place, we start charging down the hill, and near the bottom, my ankle rolls, and I fall. My ankle really hurts random people come over to see if I'm ok. I start crying. So embarrassing. Then I learn that I have ripped my jeans in the knee. Insult to injury. I only have a few pairs of pants with me on the trip and now one is ruined. Thankfully my ankle is ok. A little sprained and swollen, but a couple days later it is feeling better. We finally find the entrance to the bridge and at this point everyone is mad, tired, hot, and hungry and we are late to leave for the train. Plus diapers still had to be changed, baby still needed to nurse. So we left never getting to dance on the bridge of Avignon. A reason to go back to Provance.

There have been countless tantrums, including one today where S threw himself face down on the floor of the dirty grimy Metro station because he wanted to ride the escalator up by himself and the rule is that you have to hold hands with mommy or daddy. Of course there was a huge mass of people all trying to get on to witness the crazy. Gardner had to get him off the floor kicking and screaming the whole way up, while French business people rolled there eyes in manner that suggests that their child would never behave that way. But that is kids for you. This tantrum was sort of out of the blue, but usually when he really acts out it's because he is over-tired or hungry, or God help us, both. So we generally try to keep him rested (as much as possible) and well-fed.

E decided out of nowhere last week that he no longer eats baby food purees. This after we tracked down a Super Marche out of town and imported an entire suitcase full of baby food back to our apartment. Finger foods for a 10 month old baby at home can be a challenge, but on the go while traveling are a real pain in the butt. So we are managing. It actually took me several days to figure out why the was refusing to eat. Was he sick? Teething? Just not hungry? So the only thing he ate for three days was crackers, breast milk, and apple sauce out of those squeeze packets. We are figuring it out though, tonight he had pasta cut into small pieces, chucks of cheese, and peas. Happy baby.

Things are great, but you still have to parent, even when on vacation on France. I am comforted remembering that I would be dealing with a lot of the same problems at home in California. And during the hard times I try and force myself to remember that we chose this, and that I really would rather change diapers, even the messy, gross ones here in France.