~ the great holiday wrap-up ~

Last days - Euro Disney, Paris and home

1.  Favourite place?  Venice
2.  Worst day? Daddy stuck the needle into my toe to try and help it from getting a worse in infection
3.  Funniest thing that happened? Daddy driving though a pedestrian mall
4.  Favourite gelati flavour? Mandarin
5.  What did you miss most about home?  Everything
6.  Where did you wish we'd gone (that we didn't)? Belgium
7.  Best meal? I don't have one
8.  Best day? Going up the Eiffel Tower
9.  Yuckiest thing you ate? I liked everything
10.  Nicest apartment/hotel? The one in Monpazier
11.  Strangest thing that happened? Daddy can't count to four
12.  Which country would you like to live in?  France
13.  Where should our next holiday be to? Belgium
14.  Something you'll always remember about Spain? The man with the gun in Barcelona 
15.  Best thing about travelling? You get to see and try new things
16.  Worst thing about travelling?  Driving all day
17.  Weirdest food you tried? Anchovies 
18.  Most interesting excursion? Musee d'Orsay
19.  Boringest thing? Staying at in the hotel all day
20.  Favourite souvenir? Glass ink pen
Grace

Favourite place? Legoland
Worst day? When I got stung by a bee
Funniest thing that happened? David drove into a pedestrian mall
Favourite gelati flavour? Tiramisu
What did you miss most about home? The cats
Where did you wish we'd gone (that we didn't)? Canada
Best meal? Pasta...spaghetti bolognaise...
Best day? When we went to Legoland
Yuckiest thing you ate? Oregano on a pizza
Nicest apartment/hotel? San Sebastián
Strangest thing that happened? Daddy letting me have McDonalds 3 meals in a row
Which country would you like to live in? Italy
Where should our next holiday be to? Italy
Something you'll always remember about Spain? The beach in San Sebastián
Best thing about travelling? Watching movies on planes
Worst thing about travelling? Driving in a car for 7 hours with no iPad
Weirdest food you tried? Anchovies
Most interesting excursion? Clinging the Eiffel Tower
Boringest thing? Staying home until lunchtime doing nothing
Favourite souvenir? Harry Potter wand 
Jack


1.  Cinque Terre
2.  I don't have one
3.  Dad dropped his undies out the window
4.  Passion fruit
5.  My bed
6.  Belgium
7.  Tortellini in soup
8.  Climbing the Eiffel Tower
9.  Roasted capsicum
10.  Most of them
11.  That dad couldn't count to two
12.  France
13.  Belgium, Switzerland, France and maybe Germany
14.  They have dinner very late
15.  Going to new places and trying new food
16.  Spending hours on planes and in cars
17.  Mummy's truffle and (pesto?) pasta
18.  Eiffel Tower/London eye
19.  Car trips
20.  Florence book
Lily

Favourite place?   Italy (generally).  Cinque Terre (specifically)
Worst day?  driving through the bad lands in northern Spain
Funniest thing that happened?  that whole debacle at the first toll booth still makes me giggle
Favourite gelati flavour?  Blueberry ricotta from the place in San Gimignano
What did you miss most about home? My house and my cats
Where did you wish we'd gone (that we didn't)? Prague
Best meal?  Mother's Day dinner at a fabulous French bistro
Best day? Seeing the Eiffel tower for the first time (again) and the looks on the children's faces
Yuckiest thing you ate? a gelati in Volterra
Nicest apartment/hotel? Monterosso
Strangest thing that happened? the gun incident on the Barcelona train
Which country would you like to live in? Australia
Where should our next holiday be to? It will be Bridport.  I wish it was Japan.
Something you'll always remember about Spain? that the post offices were never open
Best thing about travelling? the food
Worst thing about travelling? Gross toilets
Weirdest food you tried? nothing outside my comfort zone this trip
Most interesting excursion? walking the modified Cinque Terre tracks
Boringest thing? the same music in the car over and over and over
Favourite souvenir? my dinner set from Finland
Al

 
Favourite place? Venice
Worst day?  No complete bad days, bad moments influenced by stress, tiredness and misunderstandings
Funniest thing that happened? My children and their interpretations of life
Favourite gelati flavour? Licorice
What did you miss most about home? House
Where did you wish we'd gone (that we didn't)? French/Swiss Alps
Best meal? Bistrot des la  Vignes, Passy( our last meal in Paris)
Best day? Sunshine , a happy family, a good meal , maybe a beer or wine , a new experience. There were many of them. How could I name one!
Yuckiest thing you ate? I like all food
Nicest apartment/hotel? Monterosso, Cinque Terre
Strangest thing that happened? The gun
Which country would you like to live in? Coastal Italy ie Cinque Terre
Where should our next holiday be to? Walls of Jerusalum
Something you'll always remember about Spain? Gaudi and the gun
Best thing about travelling? seeing new places
Worst thing about travelling? crowds but more specifically crowds who smoke, push, have little concern for the person next to them.
Weirdest food you tried? Fois Gras
Most interesting excursion? Grottes de Niaux
Boringest thing? waiting in lines
Favourite souvenir? Tour T shirt
David


So that's it

 ...(6 countries,) 5 travellers, 4 red suitcases, 3 gelatis a day, too many photos, one big adventure ... 

we loved it (but we're glad to be home).
 

...le Tour de France...

Today we watched the Tour de France.  A few hours before the bike riders came some trucks came past and threw toys, clothes and food at us.  Lots of buses went past too - one for each team.  There was an Australian one with a boxing kangaroo at the front.  
When the bike riders came past we blew our whistles loudly and shouted.  
Jack

The Tour de France was lots of fun. We wandered for ages this morning and then got some snacks and found our place near the track. After 4 long hours lots of cars and trucks came with freebies including: hats, lollies and lots of other junk as Mum calls it. When the first cyclist came there were cars and police motorbikes following him and the others were far far far behind. I think I might have lost my voice with all the shouting I did. And everyone but me bought a top from the stands but Mum bought another one so she's thinking about giving it to me. 

Lily

I'm not usually one for bike-riding so much - just thinking about it makes my bottom sore! But the Tour has always appealed - and even more so when its not on during the middle of the night.

The weather was not auspicious today but Gerardmer was buzzing - and pretty.  As with other towns on the Tour route they have gone all out with gorgeous flowers, banners, shop windows and bike paraphenalia. 

After claiming our position at the top of our chalet's driveway (about a kilometre from the finish line) we were then quickly moved aside by two ambulances and a fire truck that came to render first aid to a lady who had collapsed in the crowd - we were useless - couldn't even manage to ask about chest pain in any recognisable language!

Once the rain and thunder started Jack was all for watching on the tv in the chalet...saved by the caravan of freebie throwing sponsors...you had to be quick though...there was some fairly bad behaviour by adults chasing an ugly free hat or two.  

The race went by quickly (and blurrily if I look at my photos) in a flurry of bikes, shouting, cars, trucks, whistling, motorbikes and camera clicks.

Luckily we have a few yellow t shirts and a sack full of hats and key rings to remember it by.

Al

This morning we walked down to Gerardmer for breakfast.  We had hot chocolates, coffee and a baguette.  We didn't have croissants because the bakery had sold out.  We went to a couple of the Tour stalls.  Everyone bought something - Mummy, Jack, Daddy and I all got t-shirts and Lily chose a key ring.  

We walked back up the hill to our chalet.  Then Daddy, Jack, Lily and I set up some chairs at the edge of the track while Mummy was packing the suitcases.  

We saw 2 men riding bikes with trailers full of Heineken beer.  

Before the riders came through there were trucks and cars throwing freebies  - we caught some hats, keyrings, junk food, wrist bands and a rubber.

The first rider was way ahead of the others.  Their were lots of cars near the riders with spare bikes and wheels on top.  As the riders went past we were yelling, screaming, blowing our whistles and clapping the bangers.  

Grace

Those watching for my nude dash at the finish line of Stage 8 Tour de France at Gerardmer were either relieved or disappointed.
The weather and the subsequent cancellation of helicopter coverage forced me to abandon this mission.
Fantastic day otherwise and I am glad we detoured to see the great race.
Paris tomorrow

David

...venice...

Days 80-83 ... Venice

Well it's very different from everywhere else we've been. We were only there for four days and so much happened!  We watched a man blowing glass, had a ride in a gondola, went to Burano to see the brightly coloured houses, walked to the Rialto bridge and survived a vicious thunder storm. 

When it happened we were having dinner and the sky was clear, then it suddenly changed and the wind getting stronger blowed over an umbrella. At this point Jack was in tears:(. The thing he was most scared about was not paying the bill! 

The coloured houses were cool and I took about 100 photos! And the gondola ride was just fabulous. We got to see all the buildings from a different angle and our gondolier was singing funny songs and giving us information about the city.  All round pretty great............ 

But I DON'T want to go home. ( maybe I do )

Lily

In Venice in our hotel the washing line was outside the window.  When Daddy was hanging out his undies he accidentally dropped them out the window onto the street.

Yesterday we went on a gondola ride.  It was lots of fun.  We saw lots of other gondolas too.  

I liked all the boats in Venice and all the canals and the bridges.  When the police boat went past it made the water very wavy.

We caught a ferry to the glass island.  We saw a demonstration of making glass. They put a long stick in the fire and then blow and twist the glass into shapes.  

Jack

It may be a city that is sinking, that floods weekly in Winter and Autumn and occasionally smells but wow Venice is beautiful.
Whether you are catching the water bus, riding a gondola ( more expensive than first class travel per km) or getting lost walking the canals it is captivating .
What surprised me was that Lily and Grace wanted to shop...and shop....and shop! Al tried to stop them!
Jack was just worried about a big flood and traffic rules on the grand canal.
We leave Italy tomorrow and Jack said he would come back to Italy as they eat pasta. 
Hoping that Richie Porte is in front of Tour when we get to Gerardmer and Germany does not win the World Cup (Al picked them to win a month ago)....They are bit like Collingwood!
The journey home has started.

David

On Monday we caught a ferry to Murano.  Murano is a famous glass making town (nearly every shop is full of glass).  In the back of on of one of the shop someone was doing a glass blowing demonstration.  It was really interesting to watch............. first he got a blob of melted glass on the end of a long metal tube and blew into it and started to shape it in the end it turned out to be a vase... he also made a horse.  

Later we caught another ferry to Burano a town near Murano ...all the  houses and shops were different colours.......it was beautiful.

On Tuesday we got to go on a  gondola ride.  The boat ride was really fun. The paddler is called a gondolier...our boat was called Serena after the gondolier's wife.

Grace