Holy cow I don't even know where to begin. A big chunk of our summer went into this trip. We were gone for about 3 three weeks but it seemed like so much shorter while we were there! Besides the lack of central air in europe I loved everything about it. At least what I saw. No country is perfect after all. Julian struggled a bit not being on his normal routine but I think he did fairly well for being just shy of 2 and traveling to 6+ cities within 3 weeks.
The main reason we went on this trip was because Mario had not been home since he moved to the States 11 years ago and I had never really seen Europe. With Julian about to turn 2 we figured this would be the best time to go since we would have to pay for more tickets or wait a really long time for kids to be old enough to leave with grandma and grandpa for a significant amount of time. I am so glad we decided to do it sooner rather than later! It helped me understand Mario a little more and also made me want to strike the food of America :P
We started in Paris, where we met Mario's Parents and their really good family friends. Then we went to Venice for a few days where we got really nice and roundy from gelato and pasta. After that we headed to España! In order: Barcelona, Torres de Barbues (el pueblo where Mario's grandpa is from), Zaragoza (where Mario's Mom grew up), Oliva (where Mario's parents have their beach cottage), Toledo, Madrid, Alcala de Henares (where Mario grew up), Zaragoza again, and then departed from Barcelona. It was a good mix of sight seeing and family & friends. I could probably write a novel but I will try to keep it as short as possible. I will just focus on Paris in this entry. For only being there for 2 days, we sure did take a lot of pictures!
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Unfortunately, this carry on did not stow away
neatly. Even when he was sitting "still"
he was causing a ruckus. We love him anyway! |
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Overall he did well for being almost two,
without his own seat, trapped on
an airplane for 8+ hours. So did we ;) |
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| Not gonna lie, the movies were a lifesaver. |
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No hesitations for us. As soon as we landed
we were off on our first adventure! |
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The Notre Dame! Every inch was so
detailed! It amazes me that it was built
so long ago and yet there it is. |
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I was under the impression Parisians were
trend setters. Risk takers for sure. I truly hope
this style doesn't make its way to the States. |
Just a typical intersection in Paris. I definitely fell in love with all the whimsical architecture.
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My breath truly was taken away at the
first sight of the amazing piece of art. |
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| One bucket list item down! |
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| Di Deeeee! |
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| ...silly American. |
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| Enjoying some snuggle time... |
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| ...while we watched some street performers. I love the city. |
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Julian Was Here! Fun fact: This was the
exact spot he started to make the
European siren sound..."neeno
neeno neeno!" |
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Our picture taker wasn't trying to be artistic.
She truly just didn't give a crap. |
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| Julian didn't care the carousal was right next to the Eiffel Tower. He was just happy to ride a "Diego"! But I did : D |
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| Awwww |
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| It isn't called the City of Love for nothing! |
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I know I know, another picture of the Eiffel
Tower but it was the sole reason for
going to Paris! And there are still more :) |
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It was amazing from every angle :)
Even Up!
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| :) |
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| Bahahaha! |
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| ♥ |
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But night time was by far my favorite!
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| Just ignore the blurriness :) |
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| Oh those twinkling lights!! |
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| Lunch at a Parisian Cafe... |
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...by the EIFFEL TOWER! Okay
I know I am a little obsessed. |
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They didn't have any booths...so we took all
the tables and and made one :) |
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Night Night Julian...this was a frequent occurrence.
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They moved their "menu" right next to us so we could try and
decipher. There wasn't too much English off the beaten path. |
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| We mainly guessed. |
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Start the bus tour!
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Oh did I mention there was a heat wave across
Europe the whole time we were there? I thought the boat tour
would be so refreshing. Too bad the entire boat was
encased in a glass covering. It was like we were trapped in
a greenhouse! |
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| Some alone time... |
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| ...at the Louvre! |
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The women in Paris sure did like to show
a lot of skin... |
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We couldn't leave France without a pastry...
and oh what a pastry it was. |
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Our hotel was in a fairly non-touristy
part of town and was tré chic! |
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It was in this little alley of a street that
was about the size of a sidewalk. |
Our view...it was even more picturesque in person!
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Also, there was no air conditioning
in this particular hotel. So Julian was
naked a lot and frequently found his
way to our tiled shower to cool off. |
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Not a bad idea my little model of a son.
Not a bad idea.
|
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| Oh and this was the whole bathroom. |
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We lost something in every country. I believe a car was our
first causality. But Julian also got a car from each
city so that was a win for him. |
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| The other view. This gives it a bit more justice. |
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| Tré chic though, no? Haha! |
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Our room...this picture actually makes it look bigger than
it really was. So you get a better idea, that closet
where Mario is, was the bathroom. |
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| Even the fences in Paris are beautiful. |
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Julian was enamored with the many modes of
transportation in Europe. |
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Although, the waitress did wait 15 minutes to take out order
so she could inform us, "Zee kitchen haz jist closed", we
probably would have ordered this anyway :P |
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| But who cares when you have amazing cheese! |
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| Game on. NOM NOM NOM NOM! |
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| I spy three red cars... |
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Fact: you can take a stroller on an
escalator, just ask a European. |
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