The kids had a week of school off in the middle of May, so my parents came out and we partied hard. We hadn't seen my parents for over two years because they got home from their mission after we moved to Luxembourg. It was so fun to see them and enjoy the wonders of Europe together. My mom had been here several times but my dad had never visited Europe. A good place to start? The Eiffel Tower.
We got a little bit of sun but I froze all weekend. Good thing we walked a lot to stay warm!
Cheese fondue = mouths full and hearts happy.
Boat tour!
Tiny hotel room means lots of screen time to keep from bouncing off the walls. Nobody complained.
View from our hotel window in the Trocadero area.
The metro becomes your best friend in Paris. Waiting with a side of chips.
I told Adam and my parents to go see the Orangerie museum with the huge Monet water lilies paintings. The kids and I went to the playground in the Tuilleries gardens.
My kids were not pumped to come to Paris. They remembered their first visit all too well and they hated all the walking. But with plenty of down time, screen time and park time, I think it went as well as it could have. Did I mention it was freezing?! I froze.
When the kids were done with the playground, we waited in the Tuilleries by one of the ponds, watching the ducks and making up stories.
The museum-goers joined us and my mom reported that the water lilies paintings would have been much better if Monet had been to Australia. She loves Australia. What can I say?
Also: bare legs?! What the. #randomtourist
We walked past the Louvre to catch a bus tour.
Hey from the top of the bus in front of Notre Dame! Sienna kind of relished the audio tour. Until she didn't.
Dinner at a yummy pizzeria near our hotel.
Adam took the kids back to go to bed and mom, dad and I headed to Sacre Coeur cathedral on the highest hill in Paris.
It was lovely at dusk.
The view from the top!
We walked behind the cathedral to Montmartre neighborhood to score a crepe ...
... and some art.
Our final day in Paris, my parents went to the Louvre and the rest of us went to an amazing playground in Luxembourg gardens. This guy was renting little boats for people to push around on one of the ponds. So cute!
Luxembourg gardens is something else! So was the playground! So amazing I didn't take any pictures. I was also freezing my keister off sitting on the bench while the kids played. Sooooo....that was our last day in Paris. We took the train home to Lux and were so happy to sleep in our beds again.
I shouldn't have been surprised to find that my mom packed two giant bubble wands in her suitcase. She did. Too bad the bubbles were a flop. You have to get the exact right brand of dish soap and the recommended European brand was not in my grocery store. Nice try, ma.
The hotel I booked for my parents had a pool ... yes, it was all for the children! But, luckily, my parents loved the hotel itself, too. Win-win.
After a day of rest, we explored the Wednesday morning market in the Luxembourg city center and all the beautiful buildings there. This is our Notre Dame cathedral.
Hotel de Ville, one of the government buildings.
Produce makes us smile.
The Grand Palais, home of Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg.
On a walk in the valley of Luxembourg to visit Adam for lunch.
A picturesque picnic.
We were pooped from walking, so we hopped on the Petrusse train.
It puttered around town long enough to give us a nice rest.
The next day we toured Vianden castle.
Shun the non-believer. Shuuuuuuuunnnnnnn.
The sun peeked out for a few minutes and we were thrilled.
Pretending to be a prince and a princess. Hoity-toity noses and all.
With the Lux leg of the trip done, we headed to Brussels. I just love this city. Its windows upon windows showcasing beautiful treats is something to see!
I want to camp in the Grand Place. It's my favorite square in Europe. I can never do it justice with my photos.
I took a picture with anyone who would let me join them (Noah refusing behind us). You can bury me here. Just dig up some cobbles.
At the Bourse (courthouse), remnants of mourners of the airport terrorist attack not too long ago.
Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is my favorite walkway in Brussels. The ceiling! The sweets shops! The architecture! It's a slice of heaven.
My mom refused to have her picture taken in front of the Manneken Pis. She thought it was ridiculous.
Onto Bruges! The "s" is silent, and the Belgians spell it Brugge, which I like better than the American way.
Our hotel was small and creaky and right off the main square. Location, location, location.
While Adam was on a long bike ride, the rest of us went to the chocolate museum. Lambers came, too.
This is the outside of the chocolate museum, also a hop, skip and a jump from our hotel.
I wish I'd had time to go back to this adorable florist around the corner from where we stayed. I had my eye on some cute cacti.
Grote Markt, or the Market Place, is the main square of Brugge. It takes adorable to a whole new level.
Lots of walking + a little heat = a lethargic Noah.
Big suckers helped a bit...
Adults took turns touring the Church of Our Lady while the kids ran around on the grass. Inside is housed one of Michelangelo's sculptures, Madonna of Bruges. It's the only sculpture to have left Italy during his lifetime. The Pieta in Italy was finished shortly before this one. It was lovely.
The guys took the kids and mom and I headed for waffles and the lace museum. Yum and yay!
The museum was tiny and the best part was this room full of ladies doing bobbin lacing. It was fascinating to watch them. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before and if my phone wasn't almost dead, I would have taken a video. There are classrooms in the building to teach people this lost art.
This woman was in one of the museum videos. She talked about learning the art in a school set up specifically to teach young girls the trade to give them an opportunity to earn money. She had the fastest hands of the group.
Bobbin lacing pillows of all kinds were on display.
Dinner was a delight... dad chose this one and he chose well. It's called Malpertuus, and it was a little pricey and a lot delicious. It was Flemish food, too, and I felt like our last night in Brugge was complete after eating here. Adam and I had Flemish stew, which is tender roast beef in a rich gravy served with a side of applesauce. Yep, applesauce. Dad got chicken waterzooi, just like chicken and dumplings but without the dumplings. It was delicious. Mom got some kind of ham rolled up with chicory and cheese inside. Rich and also delish. The kids got meatballs. A nice change from whatever garbage food they'd been eating the rest of the time. And fries. Always fries.
Oh, and waffles. Always waffles.
With a side of gangsta and Coke Zero.
The last morning, we scrambled to check out and go to church. A little stressful and maybe not worth it because we were late, but we did it anyway.
Dad grumbled about the cherry red color of his rental car, but he secretly loved zipping all over Europe in it. Trust me. He did.
Back in Luxembourg, we visited the American Cemetery and Memorial that is the burial site for over 5,000 American soldiers, many of whom died in the Battle of the Bulge. General George Patton is also buried there.
It was probably my dad's favorite part of the trip. Note to self: next time dad comes to Europe, plan more trips to WWII sites.
The next morning, mom and dad flew home ... or rather got stuck in Amsterdam for one night due to flight snafus, then flew home the next day.
Great trip, mom and dad! I really do hope you come back!!!
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