Champagne, Paris, and Bruges

We have just returned from our first real vacation in Europe. It was great but with Amy's schedule we were only able to get away for one week. One week is better than nothing. We drove from Amsterdam to the Champagne Region in France. Our plan was to do a couple of tasting but we hit bad traffic on the way and got there to late to do tasting on the first day. The second day we got to go on a tour of Mercier. It was perfect. They have a train ride through the caves that they do all their mixing and bottling in. Abigail loved it. After that you can walk the vineyards if you want. It was a good chance to let Abigail and Lucas stretch their legs. We actually saw sun as well. It hasn't stopped raining in Amsterdam for the past two months so it was great to have a day without rain and to see the sun.



Next stop Paris. If you ever think about driving in Paris, DON'T. It is a bit crazy. Their road system is like a bowl of spaghetti. Paris is beautiful and big. My advice is to have comfortable walking shoes if you are going to do the tourist thing, lots of walking. We were able to do a river cruise, tour the Louvre, walk to the Arc de Triomphe, dance under the Eiffel Tower, and run through lots of parks. Abigail did her best Marline Monroe impression at the Louvre. The best part was it was sunny and warm the entire time we were in Paris. We realize that vacations are a bit different now then they were without a child. The most difficult thing was finding dinner. Abigail was so tired by the end of the day that she wanted to go to sleep around 8:00 but the restaurants don't even open until 7:00pm. 7:00 is really early to eat there because most Parisians eat around 9:00 or 10:00. If the time challenge wasn't enough, a true French menu is a set, three serving meal. It takes about two hours to eat if you are trying to hurry. I don't know many two year olds that can sit for that long. We were able to get one great French dinner at a restaurant where we sat outside at an end table so Abigail was able to play on the sidewalk.





On our way back to Amsterdam we stopped for two nights in Bruges, Belgium. Amy and I fell in love with the city. It is a small, charming, old, classical European city. Not much to do there but just walking the streets and shopping is well worth the trip. Oh yeah - the chocolate and the beer help make it an enjoyable town. Abigail went on a horse carriage ride. I thought she was going to burst from the excitement. At one point she squealed so loud the dogs were running away. She is an animal lover. Lucas even became a bit more proud. I think he knew he was back in his home country. We even got to see a local bike group race through the streets. Abigail wanted me to go out and do it to. You have to love kids. She thinks I can do everything. Abigail experienced her first concert here as well. It was in Flemish but she loved it anyways. She sat on my shoulders and waved her arms, clapped, and I think if we would have given her a lighter she would have had the true experience. All and all what a great trip. WE can't wait to go see more of Europe.