Family Overseas Adventures: October 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Chasing Sheep

After a few days in Paris, we packed up & headed to England.
Logan to London for work, the kids & I to Somerset to visit dear friends (who moved back from Kiev)

(note the joy - nothing more fun than a travel day!)

Upon entering the country, we appreciated the English everywhere - but I was even more excited about the fab groceries - even in the train station

(How we miss quality prepared food - I love you M&S Food)

The main draw....friends reunited

We enjoyed the novelty & beauty of the countryside

Especially watching their dog Maizy chase the sheep

(As city people, 10 sheep in the yard is novel - but a tiny dog chasing them, hilarious)

We were impressed with just how old & grand it all is

(nearby village of Wells)

Excited by English, we left the Saturday market with ~20 books

And how quaint the villages are

Most have a village pub - this one's ~5 minute walk from their countryside house

While the delish English fare didn't help our Weight Watchers, it was fantastic

Being a 'getaway destination' for Londoners, we also enjoyed the random amusement of this part of England

A play zone meets cheddar cheese caves meets prehistoric animals....

Who doesn't love silly mirrors?!

Especially the ones that make you tall & thin...

Cheddar cheese caves with a ghost story telling tour guide...

(Cheddar originates from these parts - thanks to the caves' constant ~12c temps & humidity)

As if that weren't random enough....

Living where English is rare, we enjoyed a movie

(Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 in 3D)

And being American, appreciated wine as a theater treat

Way too quickly it was time to head back

Our final English site - a Stonehenge drive-by

A whirlwind few days - the highlights reported were seeing Leah (Zoe), Maizy the dog (Xavier) & the cheddar cheese (Quincy)

And, once again, the kids showcasing the thrill of travel days

THANKS Nicky, Jock, Hannah & Leah for the hospitality & showing us some of England's best

Here's to a country with charm that runs as deep as it is old

Monday, October 28, 2013

One thing I love about European schools - just 8 weeks after school starts we get a week off - Fall term break!

We were invited to visit friends that moved back to England (from Kiev), so stopped in Paris en route for a few days.

While Paris is fab for adults, we weren't sure how family friendly it would be?

Off to a good start when we learned it hosts 1 of the only 12 international locations of Chipotle.

We headed straight there from the airport

Paris for a burrito?!

Let's not judge - there's no Mexican food in Kiev

Happy to report its almost identical - except wine instead of Margaritas

(As much as I love wine, I have to admit, it's an odd complement to a burrito)

Fabulous parks
Not only did this one have a cool climbing feature, but you were required to check your kids in for 1 hour of supervised, locked-in play - for FREE!

Wow factor sites
Given its notoriety, we had to visit the Eiffel tower with the kids.....

And given European Vacation movie inspiration, we had to go American Asshole Tourist

The boys adamantly refused to partake - and only agreed to a quick picture after demanding 2Euros a piece

(Quincy also specified that was the photo only price. Should I post it anywhere, there would be an incremental fee. Damn that Mr. A & Grade 4 Business Unit!)

While we hadn't planned to visit the Louvre (figuring it too boring for kids), Quincy announced "The world's most famous painting - Mona Lisa - is there. We HAVE TO go!" Hard to argue with that.

We lucked out - scalped tickets to avoid a looooong line & made a bee-line for her...

Quincy was surprised how small she was - but the part that cracked me up....

....the kids totally engrossed in the DS Audio Guides. Sitting in front of masterpieces looking at the pictures of them on the tiny screens!

Our apartment was just a block from the cool 'inside-out' Pompidou

Logan, Q & I enjoyed the Lichtenstein exhibit

Outdoorsy
I never imagined French people sweat, but apparently they are quite a fitness oriented bunch. There are running paths & bike lanes abound.

(a self portrait running along the Seine)

And, we LOVED our Fat Tire city bike tour...

(thanks for the tip Zoya!)

Shopping & Style
We loved our cool neighborhood - Marais - with loads of restaurants and boutiques

The nearby falafel restaurant recommended made Logan smile

Zoe & I especially loved all the shops.

Zoe: "I love shopping, we are going to come home with SO MANY shopping bags!"

Zoe later: "I LOVE Paris!"

Looping back to the question: is Paris family friendly? We say hands down "oui"

Here's to school breaks in October - wish we could import those!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Guess which airport

This weekend my alma matter hosted our 20 year reunion. It's a long way to haul, but the allure of spending a weekend with some of my dearest friends won

Of the 5 day trip, 48 hours were in planes and airports. May as well take advantage of the time - let's play a little game....

The 3 airports - Kiev, Munich and San Francisco each have their own distinct personality. Can you match the environment, people & food to their city???

City A:

Conservative shoes and bright pants