Most valuable players

Three weeks on the road, in two foreign countries, with kids.  What made our lives easier?  Here is my honor roll.

1.  Moleskine Paris Journal  

Nicole Iwawaki gave us this nifty little notebook, which combined all the features of a compact journal with detailed maps of Paris and the a foldout map of the Metro.  Best of all it is all wrapped up in a low key black cover, so it doesn't scream, 'Im a tourist!'  Bob used this constantly while we were in Paris.  Thanks Nicole, we really loved this.

2.  Ziploc bags, 2 gallon size

I'm not normally one to advocate using Ziploc bags for anything, because they're expensive, creepy chemical-laden plastic trash machines.  But for managing the kids suitcases and clothes, they're money.  One bag for shorts, one for shirts... you get the picture.  You can easily grab whatever you are looking for without digging through the whole bag.  It helps keep things from getting wrinkled, and you can compress each bag to help you get everything into the bag.  Thanks to Barb Shoop for this idea, and to my mom for passing it on to me.

3.  Konsyl Psyllium and shaker cup

Three weeks on the road, without our daily fiber shot from our steel cut oatmeal breakfast routine.  This kept adults feeling healthy.  

4.  Black cotton nightie from Gap

Modest enough to be seen in by my mother in law, cute enough for vacation.  This was a step up from my usual borrowed tshirt from Bob.  Logan was thrilled to see me in something feminine for a change.  Also comfy for changing into after a European gut bomb meal in the evening.

5.  A well stocked art set and art packet (one for each kid)

A definite must for restaurants.  The big packet was stocked with blank paper, and the fresh air supplies let their creativity run wild.  Over time we amassed quite a collection of original art, that if I was any kind of good mom I would create an album from.  I stuck in a glue stick hoping they might incorporate things like Metro tickets, or museum maps.  Apparently my kids are about as creative as me:  they never touched the glue stick.

6.  Bob's man purse, or Murse

Also known as a European carrying bag to the Seinfeld fans out there.  We found this cool bag at REI.  He kept the camera, maps, water bottle, wallet, and change all in one place.  I loved not being in charge of schlepping everything in my bag.  

7.  The Dossier

This packet contained the master itinerary, copies of internet reservations, important contact numbers, copies of our passports, and any other important paperwork.  If anyone was going to give me any trouble I was prepared to wave a confirmation statement in their face.  Because, nobody puts the Europe 2010 project manager in a corner!  In a true Murphy's Law type of situation, I never needed an internet confirmation, because I had them... had I not, you know I would have.  Doesn't it always seem to work that way?  But the itinerary and the contact numbers helped me keep my sanity.  

8.  The Mac Book

I felt a little sheepish bringing a computer on our trip, especially when I needed to unplug and connect with my family.  But it was really useful.  We were able to stay in touch with family at home, research restaurants, find the best baguette in Paris, get directions, weather reports.  And it was fun to blog.  Wireless access was pretty common, and Macs make connecting really easy.

Not pictured, but also on the honor roll 

These duffle bags we got for the kids

Big enough to hold everything they needed, small enough for them to tow themselves (although not particularly well, much to the chagrin of the fellow travelers in the RER station and the airport).  They have good compression straps and will be excellent carry on bags for the future.

This toiletry kit we found at REI

This bag held a lot of bottles and had really good pockets and other cool features.

Our sweet new digital camera, the Canon Powershot S90

We are not at all worthy of this camera, but it is sweet!  Small, idiot proof, and it takes great pictures.  It is nice to have a digital with a faster shutter speed.  It was nice to not have to lug around some big ol' SLR model too.

Michelin Map of France

Our friends and family in Europe were surprised we didn't opt for a GPS unit for our rental car.  Where's the fun in that?  That doesn't seem very sporting... and it also makes you completely dependent on some little gadget without any sort of context.  I need more information.... I need more control.  Give me a map any day over some little box with a woman in British accent telling me where to turn.  We had one for France, one for Germany, and one for Burgundy.  It should be noted that the Germany map wasn't quite as good as the France map (hm, wonder why?)

iGoogle

I heart Google.  I'm a huge fan.  I uploaded all of our pictures to Google docs after I pulled them off the camera.  It gave me great peace of mind to know that all of our memories were backed up in case the Mac disappeared, or lost (yet another) hard drive during our trip.

And, the dishonor roll....

What wasn't very helpful?  Turns out the cell phone was kind of a waste of time and money.  The nice man at the Orange cell phone store in Paris gave us a bum steer when he told us the model we bought was unlocked and would work in Germany with a new simm card.  We had to visit a few different stores and wait in a few long lines before we determine it was only going to work in France.  We ended up spending about 60 bucks for something we used about 6 times.  Pox on you, Orange cell phone guy.  That said, anyone going to France, I have a phone with 10 minutes on it, and a very good understanding of how to use it.  You want it, it's yours.

Next up, kid travel techniques, the World Cup, and food tourism.  I'll probably post every other day at this point.

Home again, home again (jiggidy-jig)

Everything went smoothly coming back and getting through customs.  The Eurocar rental drop off at international terminal was fine, and the nice lady at security check point at CDG heartily agreed that Bob’s foie terrine in his carry on definitely wasn’t liquid.  We were one a newer plane coming home so we all had our own entertainment centers, which were pretty awesome.  The kids could have easily stayed up the whole time playing games and watching inappropriate movies, so we shut them down…. Although Auggie did manage to break his console anyway.  Bob was the only one who managed to not sleep a wink on the flight. 

A couple of bold faces lies to the customs agents in SF, 86 minutes of sitting in traffic, and we’re home.  18 hours and 30 minutes of smooth sailing.  

All we could manage last night was a lovely Pizza Emilia's and we were all in bed at 9:00.

Now I’m sitting in a house empty of food, killing time until the markets open to buy some breakfast. 

I’ll wrap up these chronicles this weekend with a ‘MVP’ listing of travel gear and kid friendly travel techniques.  I also have a piece forming in my mind on the pitfalls of food tourism.

Until then, a bientôt!

Le Spectacle

You all know we are cycling fanatics.  So when we discovered Le Tour would finish a stage 2 hours away from Paris, the day before we were due to fly out, it seemed meant to be.  We left our sweet little Domaine with enough time to arrive in Reims at 1:00.  This would give us enough time to get settled and wander over to the stage finish.

I’ve seen some pretty big races, both in Europe and California.  I’m pleased to say that the Tour of California does a pretty good job of creating a big show.  This was pretty amazing though.  Everyone in town came out to watch, either along the side of the road or to the end of the stage. 

Our plan was to try to get to the podium and watch big screen tv coverage, and then see the podium presentations live.  However, the crowds and the sun (combined with a tired Grandma) quickly made us realize this was unrealistic.  So we settled for a few less interested members of our party watching on the screen from a shady spot near the finish, and Bob and I wedged in at the finish line.  Auggie was on my shoulders.  I saw nothing, but I heard Bob calling out the result.  I think Auggie got the best view out of all of us.

This is about as good as it got, which as you can tell from this picture, was pretty horrible.  It's an interesting experience to go from being a well informed, well connected, local viewer to a complete touron.... 

As soon as race was over, everyone – and I mean everyone – started streaming to the podium.  In the name of good parenting, and respecting your elders, we headed in the opposite direction.  So much for our plans!  It would have been cool to see Fabio don the Maillot Jaune, and spray the crowd down with real champagne, but it wasn’t in the cards.

Le tour, we bid you adieu

As an aside, the TV coverage here is great.  It starts before the stage even begins.   For starters Laurent Fignon is one of the commentators... how cool is that? They chat up each of the jerseys and some of the other notable riders.  They cover every kilometer of the action, and they get great live interviews when it it’s over.  Then, they run Tour retrospective shows for an hour after the race.  It’s a cycling fan’s paradise… especially if you speak French.  

In the same vein as my earlier 'trophy hunter' comment, we have added to our cycling viewing Palmeres

2000 - Le Dauphine Libere (Mont Ventoux)

2007 - Ronde von Vlanderen

2007 - Ghent Welvegem

2010 - Tour de France (Reims)

San Francisco Grand Prix (multiple years)

Tour of California (multiple years)

Wine porn

Need I say more?  We are at the cross-roads of greatness.  Forgive me for posting a little gratuitous vineyard action.

Doesn’t look like we’ll be visiting any houses directly, which is fine with us.  After tasting with Chantal in Ribeauvillé we realized how much we would flail as a result of the language barrier.  Chantal worked in the wine business and is a native French speaker, so our tasting experience with her was very informative.  We would be clueless without her, so we’re sticking with the tasting rooms, and restaurants for getting our wine on.  And let me tell you, even this can be dangerous.  The mark ups are nonexistent in restaurants so we can order bottles we can only ogle in the states.  And the tasting rooms have such incredible inventory, we can easily pick up bottles that are the same vintage as the cheesy music they play on the radio here.  (Seriously, what is up with the Phil Collins worship around here?)

The only bummer is the lame limit on bringing wine home.  We blew our wad on the Eau de Vie purchase, so that just means everything we buy, we have to drink before we leave.  I think we’ll be able to live with that.   Bottoms up!

Beaunified vacation

Finally!  A little time to kick back.  And kick back we will do in sweet Burgundian style.  Domaine de la Combotte does not disappoint.  Rooms are very pleasant, the main house in nicely appointed, and most importantly we have a pool!  

We are in a little village 8k outside of Beaune, and all around the Domaine are vines, trees… nothing but green and hills.  Very quiet, the perfect antidote to the driving and the city living we’ve been experiencing up until now.  

The Domaine is run by a lovely family, their side line is truffles.  They have cultivated trees over the years to produce them, and they also hunt wild ones.  Denis runs the operation, with the help of his two sweet dogs, Roof and Clochette, who are totally scratching our dog missing itch. 

There are tons of hiking and biking trails, all which link up between villages, all of which have a better wine pedigree than the next.  This is adult vacation heaven.  I highly recommend this place for anyone who likes food, wine, or the sweet life.

There have been some really nice people staying at the Domaine along with us.  Most are from Belgium… and you know how Bob and I love the Belgies.  But, I’d like to plant a seed for some our more intrepid travelers:  Let’s take this place over some time in the future.  Great kitchen, pool for the kiddies, and the center of the wine universe a few kilometers down the road.  Could be a great place for a fun group.

Alsace – the best of both worlds

Just like we ramped up in Germany, we ramped down by coming back to France through Alsace.   It is an interesting place.  It has alternated between being part of France or Germany depending on who was in power at the time, or who won the last war.

This was my first time visiting this part of France.  As our friends who live there say, it has all the cleanliness and order of German society, combined with the bon vivant lifestyle of France.  It was extremely picturesque and quaint.  We stayed in a town called Ribeauvillé, which is in the heart of the Alsatian wine country.  It isn’t considered the prettiest village which is laughable because it was right out of a story book.  Geraniums, exposed beams, peaked roofs… the whole bit. 

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna’s dear friends Chantal and Lupe.  Chantal grew up outside of Strasbourg and they now own an apartment in Ribeauvillé in addition to their home in Sebastapol.  It was our first time dining in a private home in France and I realize one of the reasons I like Germany so much is because we aren’t in restaurants the whole time.  There is something about sitting around someone’s table, and being hosted that is very comforting. 

Chantal and Lupe had great ideas for things to do.  Since we had only one full day we settled on a short list of activities.

First a hike up to the castle ruins above town.   It was the first time Auggie has lead the charge up a mountain.  I guess we just need to always hike to castles if we want Auggie to like it.

We watched a small wine outfit use their bottling machine the day we arrived, and by coincidence it was the same winery Chantal took us for a tasting.  Monsieur Wymann and his family have been making wines for generations. 

Finally, Bob and I headed over to Mette the local Eau de Vie producer to sample their products and find a few to bring home.  The list of flavors they make was pretty outrageous…. Ginger, star anise, and basil were some of their more unusual offerings.  Just trying to figure out which ones you liked best with the smallest of sips was enough to knock a person on their duff for the rest of the afternoon.  We ended up with the classic Poire William, as well as a small bottle ginger and a small bottle of the surprise hit of the tasting, strawberry.  Future dinner party guests, consider yourself warned:  The Gade house has refilled their schnapps stocks.  Look out.

Ribeauvillé and Alsace were very enjoyable.  It was humorous to watch Bob start sentences in French and end them in German, and funnier still that no one batted an eye when he did this.  The food was good.  Lots of vinegar based salads, smoked meats, and yummy cheeses.  The wines are delicious but after over a week, I’m starting to miss reds.  It’s all whites, all the time here.  Tarte flambee, or Flamenkuchen as it was called in Germany, is the local specialty.  When you order it they keep bringing you more until you tell them to stop.   Good thing they don’t do it like this in the states.

Our thanks to Chantal and Lupe for showing us a great time!

Baden Baden

Auggie can finally swim!  Or, more specifically, Auggie is finally willing to swim.  He is still far from water safe.  But at age 6 years, 3 months, he finally overcame his terror and pushed off the stairs and swam out to me.  Face in the water, big arms….. the whole deal.  What did it take?  3 years of alternately coaching, cheering, shaming and forcing him to try it.  Why did he finally decide to do it?  Because he was inspired by being in a 8000 square foot water complex in the heart of the spa country of the Black Forest.  Just goes to show that sometimes you have to wait until your kid is good and ready.  And unfortunately for us, in order to get Auggie good and ready you have to take him to Europe and style him out at the nicest pool complex I have ever (and probably will ever) visit.  Check it out here

This place was sweet!  Auf wieder sehn, Deutschland.

Wiesbaden

Next on the docket was a quick trip to Wiesbaden to visit Franz and Martina, family friends.  They hosted us for a lovely dinner, and breakfast the following morning.  Franz lived in the states after the war and has great stories to tell about his childhood in Germany, his life in the US, including experiences in the Air Force.  He tells jokes and does a better southern accent than I can.  He also really knows his art. 

This one is of the kids and our hosts, in front of part of his collection.  This piece is from the Italian Renaissance.  

Hamburg rocks!

I’m not sure how many Americans are familiar with Hamburg.  It’s pretty far north, on the Elbe river.  It is one of the biggest international shipping ports in the world.  It hums with efficiency and energy.  It is also incredibly beautiful and stylish.  I love this city.

Adding to our enthusiasm was the fact that the weather was gorgeous, the days were long, and we were well situated in a pretty sweet hotel along one of two lakes in the center of the city, not to mention canals that put Venice to shame (mostly due to the fact that they don't reek).   All day people bike and run around the lake, families picnic in the evening, and sweet little sailboats and canoes cruise around.  It was incredibly picturesque.  Immediately after our arrival we rented a canoe for a little early evening paddle. 

And no, that is not Auggie's beer, that is my beer, that he is holding for me while I take the picture.  But another great example of the way the Germans are good self policers.... you can buy a few cold beers from the guys you rent the canoes from.

Hamburg is the hub for visiting Bob’s family.  Both his dad’s mom and his dad’s dad come from nearby.  We visited the home that Bob’s great grandfather built with his own hands, and raised Bob’s grandfather in.  We visited the remaining cousins of Bob’s grandmother.  It was very sweet to introduce them to our children.  They all seemed really happy to see us.  It’s fun to listen to what sort of questions they have about the US.  By this time Bob’s German had warmed up sufficiently, which was key, since there was not a whole lot of English spoken with the older family members.  These visits might not have been the most fun for the kids, but they felt really important to us.

Luckily, we hooked up with Bob’s cousin Tillman prior to coming to Germany.  He was our point person for organizing some of the family visits, and he also provided us with some good tips on restaurants.  Best of all, he invited us to watch the Deutschland v. England game with some of his friends.  (Always fun to hang out with some locals, and to my English friends, what happened?  Your team folded like a wallet!)  He also took us on a very, very cool tour of the city.  All good times.  Thanks Tillman!

Reconnecting in Münster

Our first stop was for three nights in Münster.  We came to visit Isa, who was married to Warren when he passed away.  We also took the opportunity to visit with the family who hosted Bob here when he was exchange student in the summer 1988. This was a good entry level start for us… Bob could get his German warmed up after a long hiatus, and we stayed in a private home where we were very well taken care of by Isa.

We enjoyed walking around town, with Bob showing us his old haunts from his exchange program days.

We finished up the day at the park.  And I thought French parks were cool!   They even have toys for adults.  I guess maybe American parks just kind of suck?

We had a really nice time visiting with Isa and her family.  This is from the first night when we sat down to dinner.  Potatoes, ham, and spargel all in one dish.  Score!

These are a few highlights of the international playdate set up with Isa’s grandchildren.  Auggie might have met his match with Matilda.

And here we have the whole crew.

I had my first opportunity to drive our rental car home from dinner with the Gutchke’s, Bob’s German host family.  The Germans take their drinking pretty seriously, but they even more serious about drinking and driving.

We also broke down and took the kids to the local carnival or Send.  Wow.  

Come to find out Carnies are Carnies, everywhere in the world.  In Germany, they happen to be Polish.  The rides seemed slightly less rickety in their construction, which is not to say they were at all safe.  We all got injured.  Logan – fat lip on the log ride.  Alix – stiff neck from the most terrifying octopus ride ever.  Auggie and Bob – bruised shoulders and chests from the bumper cars.   Aug had a terrible Indian burn on his neck too (which I know is very un PC term, but I don’t know what else to call those).  So in spite our initial enthusiasm, we hobbled away from the Sent feeling a little humbled (and grossed out)…. Send 4, Gades 0.

Hallo, Deutschland!

Germany has been the surprise hit of our adventure.  We have all been happy here, for different reasons.  We all have enjoyed the warmer weather.  The German’s sense of order and cleanliness is something I welcome after the chaos of Paris.  And truth be told, they also serve kick ass breakfasts.

The kids have loved the parks, and the manner in which children’s interests are woven into the fabric of the community.  They have also liked the food, although they haven’t branched out very far from sausages or schnitzel.  In fact, they have eaten schnitzel every day. 

Bob is back in familiar territory, and happy to be reconnecting with friends and relatives for the first time since his father Warren passed away in 2003.  He is the lone American Gade, solely responsible for maintaining the connections with the German variety Gades.  This is made a little bit more difficult by the fact that few of them speak any English, if any.

And so begins the sentimental portion of the journey… as well as the driving adventure.  Our rental car is a bit of a disappointment, in that it is a Ford.  We’re surrounded by the coolest cars and we get a Ford!  But we did pay extra to secure a diesel, and it is a 6 speed manual transmission.  Not something you see every day in the states.  It will do, especially since it has a turbo diesel.  

Bring on the Autobahn!