It's been too long since my last post. This dreaded winter has had me feeling less than stellar. It has honestly felt like spring would never come. If I posted earlier, you would have just heard my cries and complaints and probably a bunch of nasty expletives. It's April, people. April. I know, I know, it's affecting all of us. Even my friends and family in the USA. However, when I look at the forecast there and see 50's and 60's I could burst in to tears. We reached a high of 46 today, I think? Today was the first day I felt like spring is nearly here. There was sunshine and blue skies galore and the sun didn't set until nearly 8pm. Enough of my ranting on the weather. Moving on to better and more interesting things. Let's talk about France.
We just spend an amazing and exhausting 4 days in France. It was not enough. I'm leary about long travel with the kids, but truly, we needed at least 2 more days to have seen all we hoped to see. Never fear, we saw a ton. I mean a ridiculous amount of touring in 4 short days. We spent 2.5 days in Paris and the equivalent of one day in the Liore Valley.
In Paris, in 2.5 days, we saw: The Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower (even got to see it twinkle from the top of the Arc), Notre Dame, Palace of Versailles, Champs Elysees and the Louvre. Did we see these sites extensively? Not a chance. The kids get antsy and they can't spend much more than 1.5 hours in one location. We were on the move from sun up until sun down. We ate delicious baguettes and croissants. Oh, the chocolate croissants! Decadent and lovely. Let's not forget the chocolate mousse, creme brulee, crepes and other tasty pastries we tried. The food was fantastic. Even the food we bought from carts on the side of the street. I loved seeing people walking around with baguettes. I wanted to be one of those people. I was the one holding kids hands and looking like a deer in the headlights. As always, traveling in the city with my kids makes me so stressed out. I have to try really hard not to let my anxiety get the best of me so that I can absorb and take in as much as possible. Considering the lack of sleep we all had, we did well. I slept with Cait and got zero sleep. Cait didn't nap and we stayed up until after 10 every night.
Traveling with kids changes the experience. Pre-kids, I could have spent hours walking around the Louvre, sitting in front of paintings and contemplating what the artist's intentions were. Kids in tow, march directly to the Mona Lisa and follow straightest path to 4 other paintings/sculptures on the "must see" list. Get the heck out of dodge before someone starts screaming. Pre-kids, I could have walked up and down Champs Elysees shopping and sipping coffee. Kids in tow, walk quickly down the street, window shopping and wishing you could go in for just 5 minutes, but keep walking because inevitably, someone has to use the toilet, is hungry or is tired of stupid walking. Pre-kids, a stroll along the Seine could be romantic and peaceful. Kids in tow, walk quickly to keep up with running children who are kicking up dirt at strangers. Both experiences are equally valid, just different.
Are you still with me?
We spent half of Thursday and half of Friday in the Liore Valley. This was more my speed and I genuinely wish we had spent more time here. The country side itself, not so impressive. The small villages and incredible chateaus, so worth it. We stayed in a "rustic" hotel. It was more like a B&B, in the village of Chenonceaux. It took 10 minutes to walk through the tiny village to the Chateau de Chenonceau, also known as "Castle of the Ladies." The history is quite interesting and if you have a chance, google it. ;-) Of course, it rained this day, but we had fun anyway. We live in England. We've become accustomed to the rain. The boys enjoyed the garden maze. It was not too crowded and we were able to let the boys run freely through the maze. Fun for the whole family, really. The Chateau spanned the Cher river. This part of our trip was inspired by the Amazing Race season 21. Jason saw it and decided we needed to go. It was a good call, indeed.
After walking through the castle, we headed back to our hotel and rested a bit before heading out to dinner. We ended up in Amboise. I'm terribly disappointed that we didn't head there sooner. We were able to do a little shopping in this adorable town and have dinner, but we arrived too late to go in to the Chateau located there. We never even saw the front side of the Chateau since we kind of stumbled upon it accidentally. Of course, we saw it on the Amazing Race when we watched it today and it's huge! Total Bummer, but once again, we had a delicious dinner and visited a new town.
One final sleepless night and we carried on to Chateau de Chambord. Massive. That is the most appropriate description of this place. Huge, sweeping staircases, ornate details inside and out, it was incredible. The grounds are a part of a park and go on for acres. If we'd had better weather and more time, we could have biked or walked around the property for hours. It was impressive. As a parting gift, Jason bought me a bottle of Chambord. Yum. Can't wait to make some fancy drinks with it.
Off to the airport, with a suitcase containing more glass bottles than when we arrived. Kids happily playing with plastic knights and a princess crown and 2 hours of highway ahead of us. I will spare you the gory details of the airport melt downs. They were plentiful. We made it back to Yorkshire safely. Oddly enough, it felt like home.
We just spend an amazing and exhausting 4 days in France. It was not enough. I'm leary about long travel with the kids, but truly, we needed at least 2 more days to have seen all we hoped to see. Never fear, we saw a ton. I mean a ridiculous amount of touring in 4 short days. We spent 2.5 days in Paris and the equivalent of one day in the Liore Valley.
In Paris, in 2.5 days, we saw: The Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower (even got to see it twinkle from the top of the Arc), Notre Dame, Palace of Versailles, Champs Elysees and the Louvre. Did we see these sites extensively? Not a chance. The kids get antsy and they can't spend much more than 1.5 hours in one location. We were on the move from sun up until sun down. We ate delicious baguettes and croissants. Oh, the chocolate croissants! Decadent and lovely. Let's not forget the chocolate mousse, creme brulee, crepes and other tasty pastries we tried. The food was fantastic. Even the food we bought from carts on the side of the street. I loved seeing people walking around with baguettes. I wanted to be one of those people. I was the one holding kids hands and looking like a deer in the headlights. As always, traveling in the city with my kids makes me so stressed out. I have to try really hard not to let my anxiety get the best of me so that I can absorb and take in as much as possible. Considering the lack of sleep we all had, we did well. I slept with Cait and got zero sleep. Cait didn't nap and we stayed up until after 10 every night.
Traveling with kids changes the experience. Pre-kids, I could have spent hours walking around the Louvre, sitting in front of paintings and contemplating what the artist's intentions were. Kids in tow, march directly to the Mona Lisa and follow straightest path to 4 other paintings/sculptures on the "must see" list. Get the heck out of dodge before someone starts screaming. Pre-kids, I could have walked up and down Champs Elysees shopping and sipping coffee. Kids in tow, walk quickly down the street, window shopping and wishing you could go in for just 5 minutes, but keep walking because inevitably, someone has to use the toilet, is hungry or is tired of stupid walking. Pre-kids, a stroll along the Seine could be romantic and peaceful. Kids in tow, walk quickly to keep up with running children who are kicking up dirt at strangers. Both experiences are equally valid, just different.
Are you still with me?
We spent half of Thursday and half of Friday in the Liore Valley. This was more my speed and I genuinely wish we had spent more time here. The country side itself, not so impressive. The small villages and incredible chateaus, so worth it. We stayed in a "rustic" hotel. It was more like a B&B, in the village of Chenonceaux. It took 10 minutes to walk through the tiny village to the Chateau de Chenonceau, also known as "Castle of the Ladies." The history is quite interesting and if you have a chance, google it. ;-) Of course, it rained this day, but we had fun anyway. We live in England. We've become accustomed to the rain. The boys enjoyed the garden maze. It was not too crowded and we were able to let the boys run freely through the maze. Fun for the whole family, really. The Chateau spanned the Cher river. This part of our trip was inspired by the Amazing Race season 21. Jason saw it and decided we needed to go. It was a good call, indeed.
After walking through the castle, we headed back to our hotel and rested a bit before heading out to dinner. We ended up in Amboise. I'm terribly disappointed that we didn't head there sooner. We were able to do a little shopping in this adorable town and have dinner, but we arrived too late to go in to the Chateau located there. We never even saw the front side of the Chateau since we kind of stumbled upon it accidentally. Of course, we saw it on the Amazing Race when we watched it today and it's huge! Total Bummer, but once again, we had a delicious dinner and visited a new town.
One final sleepless night and we carried on to Chateau de Chambord. Massive. That is the most appropriate description of this place. Huge, sweeping staircases, ornate details inside and out, it was incredible. The grounds are a part of a park and go on for acres. If we'd had better weather and more time, we could have biked or walked around the property for hours. It was impressive. As a parting gift, Jason bought me a bottle of Chambord. Yum. Can't wait to make some fancy drinks with it.
Off to the airport, with a suitcase containing more glass bottles than when we arrived. Kids happily playing with plastic knights and a princess crown and 2 hours of highway ahead of us. I will spare you the gory details of the airport melt downs. They were plentiful. We made it back to Yorkshire safely. Oddly enough, it felt like home.
Love your writing! You're so funny and honest. I'm glad you got to see some of Paris, even if it was hectic. Maybe some day I'll get there.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steph. I just try to keep it in perspective, ya know. The opportunity is amazing and a blessing, but it's certainly not easy. :)
DeleteI went to Paris and Chateau de Chenonceau when I was 15. It was fun to read it from the mom's perspective. I give you so much credit. It would be easy to stay home as the kid's are still little. We're starting to venture out as well but it's never relaxing, is it!!
ReplyDeleteVery cool that you've been to Chenonceau! Did you visit other Chateaus, too? It is never relaxing, though walking gardens and parks is way more relaxing than actually going in to a castle or museum. :)
DeleteSteve and I stayed in Chenonceau too! We loved it there. You make me want to go back! I'd love to take the girls. I think it would be a great experience for them. Hope all is well with you Julie!
ReplyDeleteI want to go back, too. Really beautiful and amazing place. :) I love when I know other people who have been there. It seems most people do the big cities, but skip the "country" stuff. We have been trying to do a bit of both.
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