Roman Ruins Overload

We were really excited about all the Roman ruins when we first got to Provence.

at La Villasse in Vaison la Romaine

At the Nîmes arena

Under Pont St. Julien

Posing for Rowan in front of Pont du Gard

At the theatre in Orange


Outside the arena in Arles

Our excitement had definitely waned by the end of the trip. On our last day when we visited the arena in Arles, I think Pat and I both secretly echoed Ro's sentiments: "Another arena???"

Cassis and Calanque Port-Pin

Sablet is in the Côtes du Rhône region of Provence, which was unfortunately an hour and forty-five minutes from my favorite place we visited. Cassis is a little village by the Mediterranean, which Rick Steves says is a poor man's St-Tropez (don't know anything about St-Tropez, but assuming it means not very glitzy), and popular with the French. I dragged Pat and the kids there to see the calanques. Calanques are inlets created by the steep sides of cliffs that line the shore of parts of the Mediterranean.

Our first stop upon arrival in Cassis was the Tourist Information Office to see if any of the three calanques were doable with three small children. Thankfully we were assured that the kids could make it to the second calanque, Port-Pin, with no problem (the first, Port-Miou, was just a dock for boats). The third calanque, Calanque d'En-Vau, would be too long (at two hours each way from Cassis) and too hard. It is supposed to be the most spectacular of the three, so I was a little disappointed, though not surprised.

Most of the way to Calanque Port-Pin was ridiculously easy, but about ten minutes or so before we reached it the path became very rocky. The rocks were extremely smooth and slippery, and Ro and Niamh both found it quite difficult.

It was well worth it though. Calanque Port-Pin was amazing (how I wish we could have gone on to d'En-Vau!). The photos I took didn't turn out so great and hardly capture the beauty of the clear, sparkling blue water. Maybe because we were there when the sun was directly overhead?




Niamh tripped in the water while wading, so we stripped her down to her skivvies and laid the wet clothes out in the sun to dry. Didn't work so well, and she had to hike back to Cassis in a wet dress.


Muriel and I on the way back to Cassis.


After we returned to Cassis, we stopped Plage du Bestouan, the beach across the street from where our car was parked, for much deserved ice-cream and some more play time. Rowan was in heaven playing in the waves.

Niamh and Muriel went down to the water for a bit, but were mostly happy to just sit and play in the sand/rocks.

Aathal Bahnhof

The train station near the dinosaur museum was quite small. It felt very remote for being only 26 minutes from Zurich.

The train station at Aathal.

Only two departures in each direction per hour.

Auntie Katie, Niamh, Rowan, and Emily waiting for the train.

A train departs the station.

The train network for Zurich.

La Mer de Glace!

On Sunday afternoon we took the Montenvers train to la Mer de Glace. At the end of the train ride you can take a small cable car down to the glacier and go through tunnels that have been dug in the ice. Emily went down to the tunnels, while he rest of us stayed at the station and ate ice cream. Actually, only Rowan and Niamh had ice cream, which Grammie Annie had to finish for them.

The trip back was a bit painful. Muriel screamed most of the way down until Emily remembered that we had Muriel's duck in the backpack. Muriel calmed down as soon as she had a firm grip on the duck. Spare ducks have been ordered.

Castle Haut Barr!

We visited Castle Haut Barr while we were in Alsace with the Daigles. It was a bit overcast, so we didn't have a fantastic view, but it was still impressive. We had to climb quite a few stairs to get to the top. Rowan climbed all by himself, but Niamh had to be carried up and down.

Rowan seems much more interested in visiting ruins after visiting this castle.

Le Wäedele grillé grantiné au Munster

I am not exactly sure what "Le Wäedele grillé grantiné au Munster" is, but this is what Emily and I had for dinner one night in Alsace. I think it looked better on the plate than it tasted. Don't get me wrong - it was good, but we had high expectations for a huge hunk of meat covered in Munster.

I actually messed up and got the version without the Munster, so I had to sneak some of Emily's. All in all it was a good meal and the kids behaved (more or less). We were lucky to get a table for six without reservations, as the restaurant was very busy.

Farm Martzloff

We stayed at the Farm Martzloff when we were in Breuschwickersheim. We had three rooms:

• One for the Daigles
• One for Emily and Muriel
• One for Rowan, Niamh and me

Niamh and Rowan both slept on the floor, which worked fairly well. Niamh rolled under the bed and got stuck there on the 2nd night. I woke up to her banging her head on the bottom of the bed. She went right back to sleep as soon as I pulled her out, so she couldn't have been too traumatized.

Two of the rooms had stoves and refrigerators, which is always nice when traveling with kids or shopping for cheese. Breakfast was included in the very reasonable rates, which was nice. Especially since there aren't too many shopping options in Breuchwickersheim.

The owner raises and races sled dogs, which was a bit of a surprise. I didn't see any dogs on site, so I'm not sure where she kept them.

The farm is associated with Gites of France. I am not sure what a Gite(should have a ^ above the i.) is, but it seems to be somewhere in between a bed and breakfast and a self catering apartment.

Emily finds this funny....

...but I'm not sure why.

St. Patrick's Day Dinner

My mobile phone started ringing at 3:30, but I was on conference call and could not answer. It rang a few more times before I was finished with the conference call at 3:40. I call Emily back and hear "The beef is disgusting. Go to Migro and get some sort of beef." This is not what I wanted to hear 2 hours before our dinner guests arrive.

When I get to Migro I start thinking to myself "how do I know that what I get will be different then what Emily got?" I review the options, pick one, and head home. I get home to Emily reviewing options with her mother via Skype and there is a rather unattractive pile of beef on the counter. In order to get dinner done on time, Emily is using the pressure cooker to get the stew done quickly. The stress level was a bit high until everything was in the pot, but reduced quickly once everything was cooking. The guinness beef stew turned out great - we'll have to try it again with the correct meat from the beginning.

The photo below was taken right before dinner. We invited the Elkos over, so there were six kids - it was a lively dinner.

L-->R: Rowan, Ben, Jennifer, Ben, Niamh, Zoe, Muriel, Patrick

Missing: Emily (photographer), Dan (Business trip)

Sunrise over the Alps!

Taken by Emily on her morning walk.

A Historic Ride

Another post from the drafts folder:

This year is the 150th anniversary of rail service between Lausanne and Geneva. This weekend they had a steam train pull older coaches. We took the the stream train to Geneva and then took the ICN back to Morges.

Steam train at Geneva

Rowan and I check out the scenery

A first class compartment

Rowan in the 1st class compartment

Rowan and I in 2nd class.

Niamh and I on the train

Emily, Muriel(hidden in sling), and Niamh on the train

The controller

Door in 2nd class

I think the thermostat was set to hot

Rowan and Niamh at our seats.

Walking to our coach in Lausanne

Two down, X to go

This week we completed our 2nd year in Morges. Here are a few photos from our first few days in Morges.

Spain Day 5: Part 1

We ran a few errands in the morning, the most important of which was to visit Formatgeria La Seu. Emily went in while I walked the kids. The staff took Emily into the cheese room and let her try whatever she wanted. She came out with two cheeses and a package of olives. We haven't tried the cheeses yet, but you can expect a full report in the near future.

Spain Day 4: Part 2

Niamh, Muriel, and I were a bit tired today, so we took an afternoon nap. Emily and Rowan went shopping/snacking. They visited Caelum, Escriba, and Art Escudellers.

After the nap we headed to Casa Mila via the metro. The metro stop closest to where we wanted to go was under construction and the elevators were not working. We had to put the stroller on the escalator a few times, which was no big deal. Unfortunately, there were a few instances where I had to carry the stroller (and Muriel) up the steps. I wasn't too happy.

Emily and Rowan went into Casa Mila while the girls and I wandered around. Emily and Rowan liked the exhibit, but it didn't compare to the Sagrada Familia even though they were designed by the same person.

After the Casa Mila we decided to look for the Enric Rovira Shop, which meant another metro ride. After carrying the stroller back into the metro station I realized that we had to exit the station and go in another entry due to the construction work. We finally made it to the track only to realize that we were on the track for the wrong direction. We went back up the steps and down the other side. We finally got to the correct station and then we couldn't leave the station because the stroller/wheel chair exit wasn't working correctly. We had to have someone come over and unlock a door for us.

All that and we couldn't find the shop. We may try again tomorrow.

Rowan atop the Casa Mila

Spain Day 4: Part 1

This morning we took the metro to the Sagrada Familia. I think it disproves the theory of "seen one church, seen them all" to which I had subscribed (is that the correct way to get rid of a dangling preposition?). I have to say it was amazing and I'm not normally one to classify anything artsy as amazing. I think the construction will be done in about 25 years, which means we'll need to schedule a return trip in 2034.

Emily took Rowan up one of the towers and walked back down. I went up after on my own and can't imagine walking down with a 4 year old. The steps were steep, narrow, and, at least in some places, dark. The good news is that we went early and there wasn't a crowd. I don't think it would have been too enjoyable if the stairs were just one big line of people.

Rowan and Bun on the tower.

Rowan running around to burn some energy with what I think is the main door in the background.

This might be the side door. If you look close you can see Rowan, Niamh and Emily next to the door.

Niamh playing at the playground across the street.

Emily and Muriel at the playground.

The Spanish seem more friendly than the Swiss/French

I'm not sure if friendly is the correct term, but it is probably close. Yesterday Emily and the child she was carrying were offered a seat on two different metro adventures. That wouldn't have happened in Switzerland or France.

After we got off the train a lady made sure we knew where to find the elevator to the street. Another lady tried to help with the exit that wouldn't open.

I have to say I am impressed.

Spain Day 3: Part 2

Emily and Rowan visited the chocolate museum while I took the girls for a walk around Barcelona. Emily gave it 1.5 out of 3 triangles (3 triangles is a must see according to Rick Steves). Her score includes a .5 bonus for Rowan having a good time. After they were done I went in and had a cup of hot chocolate and I have to say it was way better than the stuff we had in Paris that was supposedly the best hot chocolate in Europe.

Rowan and his hot chocolate

The statues in the museum are all made from chocolate.