Europe - Paris

Paris was our final stop on the trek across Western Europe. Our former neighbors from Virginia, the Cliatt's, were the perfect hosts. Their place was centrally located, their kids were perfect playmates, and their beds just right for recovering from a long day of site-seeing. Our first night in, the Cliatt clan took us on a 15 minute walk from their place to Trocade'ro to see the Eiffel Tower lit up for the night. Every hour over 20,000 lights flash for 5 minutes to make it "Sparkly" as Ellie said.

The next day, with a little help from Steve, we took a short ride on the RER out from Avenue Foch to Versailles (see if you can find it on the map). Ellie slept through most of the tour, but the rest of us enjoyed it. It is easy to see how France became the center of power in Europe during King Lois XIV reign. Although I have to say, he comes across as having a bit of an ego. Self styled as the "sun king", his nobles ritually greeted him each morning as he rose from bed to shine his light on his subjects.

After Versailles, it was back to Eiffel Tower. We climbed up to the first level, Dave carrying Ellie. From Level 1 - 2, everyone, including Ellie, climbed the stairs. That's us celebrating our victory. It was late, so we hoofed it back to our home base, the Cliatt's.

Tyler and Ellie had a great time playing with Carter and Charlotte. Steve and Sara Beth graciously watched our kids that night while Melissa and I had a late dinner. First, we walked the 5 minutes to the Arc de Triomphe. Yet another climb to the top, but it was worth it. First, the view down the Champ-Elysees at night was spectacular. Even more entertaining was watching the traffic in Paris' most famous, and dangerous, round about. No way you could convince me to drive in that mad-house.

The next day, after tearing the kids away from playing, we managed to drag them to the Louvre. Keep in mind, living in DC for 10 years, with National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian, and Corcoran, it takes a lot for a museum to impress me. I was impressed. That place is gigantic! We did get to see the Mona Lisa (the kids got front row!) and a couple of Michelangelo's statues. After a quick bite for lunch, it was off to the Notre Dame Cathedral. While I couldn't find touch-down Jesus , I did find at least one guy watching us. Something about the way he looked told me it was time for us to head out.

That is exactly what we did the next day. Again with help from Steve, we took ourselves and all our luggage via the Metro to the train station. Just in time to catch a bullet train from Paris to Brussels.

We spent the next day recovering in Brussels before having a fabulous dinner out with the Robinson's and their friends. The next morning, it was off to the airport and the long flight home. I will leave you with humorous pic taken at the airport featuring our friend and beloved mascot of Brussels, the Manneken Pis.

Europe - Normandy

We spent a couple of days in Normandy, visiting the site of the D-Day landings. Everything from the museums to the outdoor monuments was extremely well done. It was perfect mix for the kids, spending time in museum and outside climbing on old cannons and in bomb craters. Although the irony of watching the kids play on the old cannons and in the bomb craters was something to behold.

First stop was to Longues-sur-Mer to see the remains of 4 German 150mm canons. The defenses they built are still impressive, 60 plus years later. The massive guns could launch shells 24 km, and rained havoc down on the Allied ships the morning of D-Day.

We also visited the Rangers' monument at Pointe du-hoc . The story behind the Ranger battalion that had to scale these massive cliffs to knock out German cannons is amazing to see. The kids had fun running in and out of the massive craters left over from the Allied bombing and shelling.

The final stop was to the American cemetery at Omaha beach. The weather was very foggy, but it seemed appropriate as we toured the grounds. The highlight of the trip was meeting our new friend, Buddy. Buddy was part of the second wave of Allied forces that landed at noon on D-Day. It was an honor to shake his hand and introduce him to Tyler.

Europe - Mt. St. Michel

After Monet's Garden, we headed West towards the Coast to visit Mont Saint Michel in Normandy. This location is amazing as it it an island during high tide and connected to the mainland by a small bridge during low tide. The tides here are among the greatest in France, with a swing of up to 14m between the high and low water marks. The first monastic establishment began construction in the 8th century. The age of the beautiful sites we visited while in Europe is difficult to grasp.

Despite the fog, the site was still impressive, especially under the lights at night. The facility is still home to monks and nuns. Because we were there on a Sunday, we were fortunate enough to catch part of Mass. The singing was beautiful. The kids were mesmerized - Ellie stretching to see where the "beautiful singing was coming from." The kids also enjoyed climbing up to the top of the monastery, 250 above sea level.

The gothic architecture throughout is beautiful. The thought and planning that went into the planning are astounding. For example, half way up, you encounter a 'cloister garden', a place where monks could meditate. While our kids didn't meditate there, they did have fun playing.

Our next stop is Normandy and WWII memorials before heading off to Paris for a few days.

Europe - Giverny France and Monet's Garden

On Sunday, we left safe confines of the Robinson abode to strike out on our own. We were headed from Brussels to Normandy, France. But first, a stop at Claude Monet's home in Giverny, France.

Monet's home has two beautiful gardens, much of which is recognizable from his paintings. While it is a little out of the way, the trip was worth it.

The kids had a nice time running around, stretching their legs and even looking at the paintings. Looking at the gardens, it is easy to see where Monet receive his inspiration for classics such the water lillies paintings.

Europe - German Castles

Next stop on the tour was a visit to Germany. We took a train from Amsterdam to Koeln (Cologne), where we visited the main attraction, its Gothic Cathedral. To say we were impressed is an undestatement. Started in 1248, it was not completed until 1880, and houses the golden shrine of the three magi (remains of the 3 wise men).

After Cologne, we hopped in the Robinson's car for a trip to Burg Rheinfel in St. Goar Germany. After touring the castle ruins, we took a ferry down the Rhein to see numerous other castles. The Kohn-Dusseldolf ferry was a wonderful way to travel. The adults relaxed on the deck, enjoying the sun and drinking German beer as the kids played on the slide.

After an all too short ride, we talked the kids into getting off in a small, picturesque German town right out of a story book. We walked around for a short while before jumping on a train back to the cars. Last stop for the evening was a to Moselkurn. The next day morning, we hiked to Burg Eltz, which is one of the best preserved castles in all of Europe. Construction started in 1157, it has been in the Eltz family since. It is still occupied by the decendents of the original owners. It looks like something right out of the sound of music.

I-am-ersterdam

After visiting the gardens, we continued up to Amsterdam. Highlights included visitin Van Gogh Museum & the Ann Frank House, both of which made good impression on the kids.

Amsterdam is a wonderful city, with great night life, lots to do and very easy to get around in. That is if you keep an eye out for all the bikes. Everyone uses bikes here, to work, for play, taking kids around, all walks of life. At the train station, inside of a park and ride, there was a park your bike garage, two stories tall.

Tyler really enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum, especially the famous Sun Flower paintings, which he studied in his art class.

Both kids seem to get a lot out of the Anne Frank House, which is extremely well done and kid appropriate. Very moving - I highly recommend it.

More Keukenhof - this time with People

Figured I better show some pictures with us actually in them, or you might not believe we were there. First up, a shot of my beautiful bride and I. That is followed by our wonderfully photo-genic kids, then finally a rare family shot. We were really, really lucky to hit the gardens at the right time. Unlike the US, Europe has had an unusually warm spring.

Europe - keukenhof

Don't really have any good words to describe how beautiful the gardens at Keukenhof are, so I will just post some pictures.

Europe - Brugges

We spent our second day in Europe visiting the historical Belgium city of Brugge (or Brugges if you are Dutch). The architecture of Brugges provides yet another example of classic European beauty. We stayed busy shopping, riding a boat on the canal, climbing 366 steps up the clock tower, and seeing one of the few Michelangelo statues outside of Italy - the Madonna.

Our first activity was hopping on one of the many boats along the canal that winds through the heart of Brugges - a great way to see the city. Plus great fun for the kids.

After the ride, we decided to visit Our Lady Church. The architecture inside the church is impressive, but what makes the visit a must see is that it houses one of the few Michelangelo's outside of Italy. It is worth the visit.

Our final stop of the day was up the Brugge Clock Tower. For a few Euros, we had the priviledge of climbing 366, narrow, twisting steps up to the top of the bell tower. It was pretty challenging to navigate, with people climbing both up and down. Dave had the extra challenge of carrying Ellie the whole way.

Europe - Brussels

We have been in Europe for 5 incredible days. I can't believe all the things we have seen so far. There is no way this trip would have been possible without the help of our friends, the Robinson's and Cliatt's. We can't thank you enough.

After an overnight flight from DC, we arrived early Saturday morning in Brussels. After dropping our luggage off, the Robinson's whisked us off to see Brussels, determined to keep us awake the first day and make the time adjustment as easy as possible. Thanks to a busy schedule, lots of coffee for Dave, and playtime for the kids, it worked perfectly. Hope we are half as lucky on the way back.

Our first visit was to historic Grand'Place in downtown Brussels, also known as Market Square. To say we were impressed is an understatement. This is our first trip to Europe, and the architecture is incredible. We strolled around hitting all the tourist highlights, including the famed Manneken Pis.

After seeing the sites, we looked for a good place to have lunch. Dave and Melissa had the mandatory "mussles in Brussels" and some very good local beer. I don't know if I will be able to go back to American beer after this.

Lunch was followed by more walking around, then an early night. The kids settled in great, Ty sharing a room with Will and Ellie sleeping in Emily's room. In all, we couldn't have asked for a better first day! Tomorrow it is off to see Brugges (or Brugge, depending on which part of Belgium you are from).

Easter Eggs, Dancing and Soccer - Must be Spring

I wanted to post one more update before we head out on vacation. That's right, I said the "v" words, but more on that later.

First, an update on the kids' activities. Saturday was the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. The day started out nice, but quickly cooled off as the wind picked up. At least the rain held off. Ellie and Ty both had lots of fun grabbing as many eggs as they could. Ellie particularly liked the purple and pink eggs. Melissa behaved herself this year by not taking any eggs for herself.

Ellie is almost finished with her dance class. We have a recital in a couple of weeks where she will show off what she has learned. If you click on the picture to the left, you can see a little tap routine.

Tyler has finished basketball and is on to soccer and baseball. Dave "volunteered" to coach Ty's baseball team. By default, Melissa is "Team Mom" and has been taking care of the administrative side of things - lots of phone calls and emails. Games don't start until May, so for now, it is more soccer. He definitely stays active, and loves it!

Okay, back to the vacation comment. We are going to Europe for a couple of weeks to visit friends in Brussels and Paris. It is something the whole family is really looking forward to - now that we ALL have our passports. A warning to anyone else considering international travel (including Canada and Mexico) - plan WAY ahead!!! The State Department is inundated with passport applications and it is taking several weeks to even get your application into the system to be tracked.

Our good friends from back East, the Robinson clan, have kindly opened up their house as home base, Kirsten has put together an AWESOME itinerary which includes trips to Amsterdam, Brugges, Luxemburg, Normandy and of course Brussels. If we're lucky, our trip to Keukenhoff Gardens in Amsterdam will coincide with the blooming of the tulips. We are then off to visit former neighbors, who are on assignment in Paris, for a couple of days. Dave will have his laptop, so we will try to make a few posts while we out of town.