Traveling by Train

We woke up early on Sunday May 12th to start our trek by train to Lower Largo, Scotland.  We walked with our luggage (2 suitcases, a pack, a computer bag, and a carry-on bad) to our nearest Metro stop.  We had to transfer two times to make it to Gare du Norde in order to catch our ride through the Chunnel.  One of the pieces of luggage is very poorly designed, and has been the cause of much anguish on past trips.  The wheels are very close together so if you start walking quickly or go over an uneven surface it begins to wobble very badly.  Walking the distance we had to cover quickly in order to not miss our train was not very agreeable to this suitcase.  I was proud of Bobby for keeping his composure through it all...I just had to keep laughing (under my breath of course) at the comedy of our entourage.  We have decided that we would love to somehow consolidate even more so that traveling is not so laborious...hard to know what can go though...

We made it to London and rested for an hour in the First-Class Lounge.  We then boarded a train to Edinburgh.  We were all able to sleep in our first class seats. ;)  We watched movies, ate, colored, ate more, and watched the beautiful scenery.  Once in Edinburgh, we had to transfer to another train in order to get to Lower Largo.  Our apartment in Edinburgh wasn't ready so we decided to spend 5 days on the coast in a very small fishing town about 30 minutes outside of Edinburgh.  We only had 20 minutes to make the transfer with all of our gear and were a little nervous.  We were surprised by the care some of the passengers provided us to make sure we made it to the train with ease.  Two couples walked with us, helping us keep the kids occupied while showing us the way around the train station.  It was very nice the generosity of these strangers.

Amelie & Liam playing in the First Class Lounge.

Liam playing with the sugar packets while Amelie watches a movie.

We were able to see lots of sheep, cows, and horses from our window.

Once near Lower Largo, our gracious hosts picked us up from the train station and drove us to the apartment.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a cake, fresh fruit basket, and a goody basket full of treats/food.   So far, we have LOVED Scotland!

I am always relieved at the end of a traveling day when the kids behave and all goes smoothly.  I am thankful how well they roll with the punches.  They are amazing!! :)

Last Week in Paris

Our last week in Paris consisted of both making sure we were able to see and do things we hadn’t had the opportunity to do yet as well as doing what we really enjoyed one last time.   Some of the highlights include the following:

•           Eating a fresh, hot baguette from our local patisserie every evening with dinner.
•      Playing at the Science Museum and eating McDonald’s for lunch afterwards.
•      Going to the neighborhood market for fresh fruit & veggies.
•      Eating Lebanese Chawarma Poulet for lunch after the market.  We would eat these weekly.  The owner and his son would see Bobby and call out to him, “My Friend!"

•      Enjoying some alone time.  Bobby went to the Catacombs & walked around Paris at his leisure.  My day off was a rainy Monday (most libraries and museums are closed on Mondays) so I worked from home instead of getting out like I had planned.  I am more of a home-body than Bobby is. ;)
•     Bobby & Amelie’s daddy-daughter date in Paris which consisted of eating gelato.
•     Checking out a nearby fair and all of the crazy rides & games. 

•      Taking pictures of favorite buildings that we would pass on our walks to and from the metro.

One of the most important places we HAD to go to one last time was the Eiffel Tower, of course.  On Thursday May 9^th, we had our last full day out in Paris.  

Amelie really wanted to ride a bus so we got off the Metro to see the Paris Opera and then caught a bus to the Eiffel Tower.  This was an excellent choice as we had not seen much in this part of Paris. One of the more famous buildings we were able to see from the bus was La Madeleine.  Bobby and I also decided that if were to go back to Paris, we would do a better job of figuring out the bus routes as it was so fun to see the city instead of being underground (and it was easier with the stroller). 

It was a beautiful day so we were able to have a picnic under the Eiffel Tower.   Others who had the same idea surrounded us on the grass.  Liam was a social butterfly, and had to be swept away before helping himself to other’s picnics.   Amelie also was able to purchase two Eiffel Tower’s (one for her and one for Liam) that they will take as their souvenir’s of Paris.  She negotiated the price and paid all on her own. ;) 

Amelie holding up her purchases!

Afterward our time playing around the Eiffel Tower, we decided to take a trip down the Seine both by boat and by walking.   It was a lovely last full day in Paris.

Saturday, May 11^th, was another full day as we were trying to get everything ready to leave for Scotland!  Bobby and Amelie started the day trying to sell one of our strollers we had bought while here.  Traveling with all of our luggage AND two strollers was just not possible.  The Bugaboo stroller has a scooter that Amelie can ride on if she wants to so we have been only using that one anyways.   We tried selling it on Craigslist, but after a couple of attempts to meet up with people it never happened.  Bobby made a sign using Google Translate to say “stroller for sale along with children’s clothes.”  After some crazy looks, a couple of locals informed him that his sign said he was trying to sell Amelie and helped him fix it.  Amelie learned a lot about target groups and overall salesman skills during their outing.  Unfortunately, Bobby was not able to sell it. 

This is the picture of a market near our house where Bobby tried to sell the stroller.

After a day of cleaning and packing, we decided to go to Pont des Arts to clip on our love locks.  We couldn’t leave Paris without symbolizing our undying love for each other!  We chose to clip our love lock on the bridge that is for the committed love.  You clip on a lock with your names on it, and then throw the key into the Seine.  We ended our Paris trip with this romantic act.

The First Sunday of the Month = Free Museum Entry

As we were planning out our last couple of days in Paris, we saved a couple of specific museum's for May 5th (1st Sunday of the month).  We were able to explore the Cluny Museum (which means Museum of the Middle Ages) as well as Pompidou (Modern Art Museum) for free!  We had intended on seeing the Thinker at the Rodin Museum, but we spent our day playing on a playground near the Cluny Museum, eating a snack at the fountains outside of Pompidou, and playing in the children's area at Pompidou instead.  Museum going can be difficult for two little ones, but by taking these small breaks to ensure play/free time for them helped them make it through wonderfully.  The entire family had a lot of fun!

The Cluny Museum had been high on my list of museum's to visit after Morgan & I toured through St. Chapelle.  The tour guide at St. Chapelle talked about The Cluny and how some of the original stain glass as well as other original pieces from the Middle Ages were located in this smaller museum.  During the French Revolution, the heads of the 12 Kings of Judah outside of Notre Dame were cut off being mistaken for Kings of France.  A citizen saw this and buried all of the heads in his back yard for safe keeping.  In the 1970s, these heads were discovered.  You can see these original pieces of Notre Dame in the picture below:

Outside of the Museum there was a large chess board with pieces set up.  Amelie and Liam LOVED playing with the pieces.  Liam especially loved the horses as that is one of his favorite words.  Amelie had fun making patterns with the pieces.  The courtyard of the museum had beautiful architecture, and the sun was shining so Bobby and I enjoyed watching them play.

Amelie spent time lining the edge with the pieces, and then placing the horses in the middle.

Near the entrance of the Cluny Museum.

Amelie showcasing the Sundial carved on the wall of the Cluny.

Right outside of the Cluny Museum is a little playground.  We stopped for a picnic while playing on the playground with a family from California.  The family had a little boy near Amelie's age.  He was eating lunch when we first arrived and later his father told us how he hurried through his lunch because he was so excited to hear an English speaker and just HAD to play with her (Amelie).  It was really cute.  Amelie had a wonderful time playing tag and other games while being able to converse with her new friend.   We also had fun talking to the parents and exchanging stories of family life in Paris.

The Pompidou Museum was next on the list.  This museum was on the top of Bobby's list of wanting to visit. When we first arrived we went straight to the Children's Interactive Area.  Amelie and Liam had fun stacking cups, playing with colorful play dough, playing with washers and magnets, and more. Liam flirted with one of the workers by building towers with her while saying "boom" over and over, and then chasing her around if she were to stand up and try to walk away.  He blew her a kiss as we left the area.  There was so much fun modern art in forms of sculptures, paintings, objects, furniture, and more.  We had fun talking with Amelie about the different aspects of art while answering her many "Why" questions.  There were no barriers around the artwork at this museum, but just black lines on the floor instead to indicate where you should not cross to protect the art.  Liam stayed in his stroller for most of the time, but near the end he would not have it.  He was a wrecking ball waiting to happen so we left.

There was a giant ball of play dough in the center of a box.
Using the holes to reach in to grab what you would like. 

The large open rooms encouraged Amelie's artistic dance moves.

View of Sacre Couer from an open area with fountains.

The fountain area was a perfect place to stop and enjoy a snack.

One of the things we love seeing in Paris is the old neighboring the new. 

For some reason, museums exhaust me!  I was happy for what we were able to see and do, but I was relieved that we would not be going to another museum for a couple of weeks at least!

Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes

On Thursday, May 2nd, we went to Jardin des Plantes to view the gardens in the Spring as well as made our way to the zoo (menagerie).  Jardin des Plantes is the first and thus the oldest civil zoological garden in the world.  If you are interested in learning some of the cool history of the zoo and gardens check out this wiki page.

We had so much fun playing!!  The gardens were stunning and Amelie LOVED all of the paths winding through the gardens.  She would run and run and run.  I think she thought she was Dash from the Incredibles.  When Liam woke up from his stroller nap and joined the races.

Bobby and I took turns joining in the fun of running with Amelie. :) 

Liam really was trying to keep up with Amelie.

One day he will be able to keep up! ;)

Going to the zoo was not our original intention for the day, but we ended up caving.  There are a couple of animals you can see for free and Amelie and Liam were enamored that we just couldn't say know.  Liam now sees a kangaroo and says, "hop, hop, hop."  The zoo had a lot of really neat (and rare species) animals.  They had many houses set up to view specific animals: reptile house, cat house, monkey house, etc.  Overall, great experience.

Have you ever seen anything like this?  We were all in awe.

Liam will tell you these were horses.

We ended the day with a little photo shoot in the gardens.  

Helicopter sighting during the photo shoot.  We have to stop and wave!

Of the MANY pictures taken, this was my favorite!