Europe Through the Back Door Family Style

We did it! We survived a two week whirlwind trip in Europe with a 2 and 5 year old. Not only that, we managed to get back into the travel style we adopted when we read good 'ol Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door some years back. Carry-on only, 35-40 litre packs and only just the basics. Buy the shampoo when you arrive! I have no idea how we got so off track but when we had kids we started to travel with double strollers, carseats and enough clothes to dress the kids 3X a day. In reality it was all the stuff that made travel with the kids so much more stressful. Could we do Europe with each little carrying their own pack and forgo all the checked baggage?


Photo evidence:

One small pack each, the diaper bag full of activities, a bag to stuff the Ergo carrier into and a stroller that folds down to the size of a purse. That's it. No electronic devices, no suitcases. We flew through airports, skipped the lines, jumped onto buses and trains and walked across towns from train to Inn with no problems. With Caelen in the ergo on Joel's back and Austen in the stroller we even managed to have them both sleep while on the move. So, it was a great, relaxing and fun family trip and we are really energised to travel so much more with the boys.

Europe On The Calendar Again!

Our last trip to Paris was in 2011

We did it! We booked our first trip to Europe with the kids in mid-July. It's going to be the four of us, traveling light and as simply as possible. A week in France for a reunion with our dear friends from Singapore and a week in the UK visiting my second cousins and great uncle and seeing a castle or two.

We land in Paris and spend a night in a quaint Inn in the Marais, stroll some of the sights and then catch a train to Bordeaux for our Singapore friends visit. After about 5 days in Bordeaux, we will take the train to Paris and chunnel to London to spend a night there (and a day exploring - Austen is determined to see Big Ben so we better do that) before heading out to our thatched cottage we have rented for a week in Oxfordshire.  It's the most we have ever moved around with the kids and are hoping they aren't too upset by the changes. Finding the space to travel and make it feel unhurried is our new challenge. We also are not bringing Joel's bike, the big double stroller, car seats, electronic devices (aside from phones), or anything that doesn't fit into a carry on bag. That is my mission anyway. Pictures of this actually happening pending.

Our baggage pile on the way to Montreal in 2016. This is what travel hell looks like.

Our Summer Travel Destination Will Be...

Europe! Yes, we are taking the boys on a 9-hour flight at ages 18 months and 4. Austen, who has difficulty with sitting still for all 10 minutes of circle time at preschool is probably going to love sitting in his seat for an entire day but what can I say. We're gluttons for punishment.

The plan is to spend a chunk of time in Italy somewhere in Tuscany. We will be having a little reunion with some dear friends we miss so much from our time in Singapore. We'll also be finishing our travels with a week in London. Nothing is booked yet, no dates are set in stone but the wheels are churning.

Eating across Paris

Paris is one of those places where you want to be able to say "I had the best meal of my life" but sometimes with all the tourist traps it's hard to really find a truly great meal. It's harder still to find a truly great meal that's not going to break the bank.

Before we left for Paris my good friend and fabulous Parisian, Noras, sat down with me one afternoon and shared her hidden gems of the city with me. I made several google maps that can be easily printed out for your next trek to the land of caloric bliss.

The Eiffel Tower

 

On our first trip to Paris on our honeymoon over four years ago we eyed the long line ups for the Eiffel tower. It was tempting to queue with the masses but instead we satisfied ourselves with strolling around the base like most visitors do.

Joel's parents bought special tickets to have a small group tour on this trip which allowed us to jump the queues and enjoy the tower with almost no waiting at all. We went this morning and were rewarded with a clear beautiful day for the experience. I thought I'd chicken out at the second level but I made it all the way to the top. The views were incredible and above all the feeling of being in this iconic place is hard to describe. So many history lectures came to life in my imagination. I really had no idea I would be this swept away by a monument but there you go. That's the beauty of travel.

Tomorrow is our last full day before we leave for London. It's one we have chosen to fill with domestic tasks... Stocking up on toiletries and buying hardware. You'd think we lived on an island or something.

Christmas in Paris: the 24th

We expected the 24th to be a day of shops closed for the season and shelves bare of breads and pastries. We started the day with a walk down to a bakery we found that has the most marvellous crossants. They were very busy and there were certainly many special orders lined up but we were surprised at the surplus of bread they had for the day. As we walked the city the rest of the afternoon we saw an over abundance of food at bakeries everywhere and hardly anyone out shopping. Shops were staying open late but it was clear that there was going to be a lot of food to waste this year. We mused that the financial climate in France right now may have taken a toll on consumer spending. Floral shops were packed to the gills with arrangements that looked as if they had over-ordered many times what they needed and the christmas tree vendor still had almost full stock of trees left by 3pm on Christmas eve...

We spent the early evening taking a river boat down the Seine on a special champagne tasting cruise. It was truly the most gloriously touristy thing, we began under the Eifel tower and cruised past Notre Dame and the Louvre while our guide walked around with bottles of bubbly answering our questions about champagne production.

After the boat tour we cabbed back to our apartment and began heating all the part of our Christmas dinner. It was a great feast and a very memorable Christmas.

Christmas in Paris: the preparations

We spent our second day, Dec 23rd, out walking the streets of the city trying to gather all the ingredients for our Christmas dinner on the 24th. Not all things made it to the 24th... here are some of the places we went and things we consumed.

First there were Macarons from the Laudree patisserie. We had all the most unusual flavours we could find. I really liked the gingerbread flavour.

Quatrehomme is a magnificent cheese shop. We filled a bag with an impressive spread of cheese for our feast. Not sure what its official name is but we especially enjoyed a truffle cheese which the shop makes just for the season.

Rue Cler, the famous gastro corridor was our stop for lunch but it was also where we found street vendors selling roast potatoes, roast chickens and all the sides. We picked up a quiche here for me and I fought off the cold with a hot chocolate thick enough to pass for fondue.

We couldn't have a proper Parisian Christmas feast without a visit to Lenotre... Our purchases here included a pyramid made of dinner rolls in every variety they make and a Buchedenoel which you can see in all its glory below.

Landing in Paris

Paris, a set on Flickr.

We landed in Paris yesterday at 6am and are now staying at an apartment Joel's parents are renting. This places is like a movie set, frecos painted in the hallways, Victorian furniture, chandeilers over the beds, windows opening out onto views of historic buildings.

We spent our first day out walking and shooting a few pictures on the iphone. I have started an album on flickr which we'll keep adding to as the week progresses.

Oxford

We are just nearing the end of a three day stint in Oxford visiting our friends here. We've enjoyed the architecture and history surrounding us everywhere. I had a tour of the Bodleian Library in the University which included the examination room in the Divinity school (built in 1427-88) and part of the research library (1602) that houses the oldest books and manuscripts in England.

Tomorrow we leave for Sweden!

The Lake District

John and Martin took us to the lake district and toured us through rocky hills and lush valleys. We enjoyed seeing a rougher, more rustic section of England. This area is loaded with sheep which look more like insulated goats. Beatrix Potter is famous for purchasing the very land we traveled today in the interest of keeping it as is, for the public, and in perpetuity.

Ulverston, Cumbria UK

We arrived in Ulverston last night after 21 hours of travel. Our roundabout route took us via Calgary, then into Heathrow, Manchester and finally a train to Ulverston, South of the English Lake District. Because we actually lost 8 hours in there it made August 25th actually our shortest anniversary ever.

So here we are, in this amazing historic town staying with our friends, Martin & John. They own a B&B right in the middle of the town with every kind of shop just a few steps away. The buildings around us date back to the 1100s and we're staying in the top room of this 250 year home full of original woodwork and collected Georgian era antiques.

Today we went for a stroll through town taking in some rain along with the touristy things Ulverston is known for. One important stop was the busy community theater where Laurel and Hardy stand in the doorway. This is the birthplace of Laurel and a museum to this effect is here too.

We are snapping pictures as we go along and posting them to our flickr account if you want to see more.

Italia

 

We went on a driving trip to Italy today for lunch. It was beautiful. 30 degrees and sunny. We stopped for a stroll on a long beach with the most perfect teal water and rolling waves... and crispy Italians...

Had pasta and pastries (why do our clothes still fit? It beats all odds) and then headed back to France again. I'll never get over the views of the coastline here. The N7 road we take between the towns in high up, cut into the side of the cliffs and all you can see is teracotta rooftops and blue shutters and of course the sea. The roads were congested today with the mega yacht show going on in Monaco. The man on the radio is asking us if we have thought of insurance for our mega yacht, and have we been properly covered for our precious artwork on board. This is another planet entirely.
This is our last night in France and then we head back to London tomorrow and then the cruise begins...

Paris

Last night, after eating and drinking too much Italian food... We walked along the Sienne river to the Eiffel tower. It was enrobed in green light and sparkled a magical epilepsy inducing sparkle of epic proportions. It must have something to do with the Rugby world cup, because there was a big inflated Rugby ball hanging deep from the crotch of the towers legs, It was Soooo big, yet alone. Missing a brother no doubt. Also, when you see 12-15 rats lounging on the grass in the shadow of the tower, and they don't run away from you, you think they could get away with being Parisian squirrels. Just a thought. That's it for my inappropriate post.

Joel