We're Home

I don't know exactly where to begin to try and explain the drama surrounding our trip home. First, the moving company didn't have a truck large enough for all of our belongings so we had to wait for another truck to ensure our stuff would all be shipped home via air together (because there was no way I was waiting 4-6 weeks for it to arrive via cargo ship). Oh, did I mention that while we were sweating this out we received a phone call from NJ saying that the plumber busted a pipe while he was opening the house? Yes that's right, the professional plumber did exactly what we were trying to avoid these past 8 months. Our master bath, family room and part of our kitchen require major renovations but at least it's on his tab. (I'm not too upset because I was dying to renovate that bathroom and family room anyway).

Then on the day we left Paris and began our road trip to England our rental car died in the middle of a highway in the French countryside. 4 tow trucks, a ferry and about 12 hours later we safely arrived at our hotel in Southampton, England at 3am. There was just one minor scare at the border control in France as it took a good 20 minutes for them to locate Angus's microchip.

All went smoothly in England and aboard the Queen Mary. It was a fantastic trip. Angus and Madison did wonderfully and we all really enjoyed ourselves. When we arrived home last Friday were definitely shocked by the state of our house. Luckily it is manageable and we are still able to live here while we wait for construction to begin. We are looking forward to planning the renovations.

Paris was a wonderful experience and I would not trade it for anything. I am definitely looking forward to our trips back there. But we are all very happy to be home with our family and friends.

We're Leaving!

Well I can't believe today is here already. This afternoon we will getting on the road and heading to Southhampton, England. Saturday we set sail on the Queen Mary 2 and will be arriving in Brooklyn, NY on Friday, May 8th. We have a few days in between our arrival in Southhampton and our departure on Saturday. I hear the town is full of shopping and restaurants so we'll have tons to do. We just want to get there early to ensure there are no issues with Angus crossing the border :)

Our last weekend in Paris was very lovely. Although the weather did not cooperate, we still did lots of walking (and eating!). Saturday night Kevin surprised me with drinks at the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz, followed by dinner at Senderens. It was a perfect evening and the food was like nothing I've ever had. It was amazing!

On Sunday we had our last brunch at our fave local spot, Le Gare. The waitstaff adores Madison and showers her with tons of attention and make it a really nice afternoon for all of us.

Looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone! We hope you enjoyed the holidays as much as we did. Madison had a fun filled weekend of shopping for clothes and shoes for the cruise. We had a very nice lunch at Le Gare for Easter sunday. Attached is some video of Madison chatting on "her" blackberry (just like her daddy!).

What a great weekend!

This past weekend we took a road trip to the Normandy region of France; which included Caen, Bayeux, Omaha Beach, Cabourg, Deauville, Trouville, Honfleur and Etretat. Our first stop was the Memorial Museaum in Caen. It was a very modern museum which recounted World War I, World War II and the Cold War. From the museum we drove into Bayeux.

Bayeux is a very lovely, quaint little French town with lots of shopping and cafes. It's main attractions are the Bayeux tapestry, a 230 ft long tapestry which depicts the 1066 Norman invasion of England, and their own Notre Dame cathedral. Our hotel, Hotel d'Argouges, was a beautiful French hotel made up of three "houses". We stayed in the Garden House overlooking the courtyard. Later that night we walked around town and had dinner at Le Pommier.

The next morning we headed to Omaha beach to visit the American Cemetary and the D-Day landing sites. The cemetary was breathtakingly beautiful and very serene. On the D-Day landing site in Omaha there is a spectacular metal sculpture called "Les Braves". It was created by a Frenchman to honor the Americans who gave their lives to liberate his country.

After Omaha Beach we drove to the seaside resort town of Cabourg. We stayed at Le Grand Hotel de Cabourg and it was gorgeous. Marcel Proust used to come there to write. Now they have a suite named after him and you can stay in the same room he used to. Our suite had an amazing ocean view and the entire room was just so impressive. We walked around town and then had drinks and dinner back at our hotel, where we ejoyed the world's best frozen cosmos, oysters and a fantastic French seafood dinner.

The next morning we drove through the other seaside towns of Deauville and Trouville and stopped in Honfleur for some walking and lunch. Afterwards we drove to Etretat and hiked up their famous cliffs that surround the small town. The view from top of the cliff was breathtaking! It was definitely worth the climb.

The weekend went off without a hitch and we had sunny but chilly weather all the way through (it's said that it rains daily in Normandy), so we were very fortunate. Now we are back at our apartment and getting ready to enjoy our last month of Paris. We still have some sites and museums to visit (and some restaurants!) before the big move!!!

Isn't She Lovely

It's still hard to believe how fast Madison is growing up!

Springtime in Paris

The weather these past few days has been gorgeous...clear blue skies and sunny! We visited Versailles Palace on Saturday but there was an issue with the stroller. Instead of visiting the inside of the palace we walked around town, got lunch and then walked the palace gardens. We are definitely going back soon (this time with the baby bjorn) to see the inside.

Yesterday the weather was not as nice but we still took a long walk after lunch and took Madison to the park by the Eiffel Tower. I still can't believe these parks do not have any swings :)

This upcoming weekend is very exciting. We are taking a road trip to the beaches of Normandy and staying in the towns of Bayeux and Cabourg. We'll be sure to post pics of the trip and our hotels. Bayeux is an old French country town and Cabourg is more of a seaside resort town.

Time flies!

Can you believe that yesterday we officially booked the moving date for our return to the U.S.? Hard to believe that in 6 short weeks we will be getting packed up and hitting the road to begin our journey back home. On April 28th the movers will come to pack up our apartment. The following day we will begin our road trip to Southhampton, England, where we will board the Queen Mary 2 on May 2nd. The transatlantic cruise is 6 days and we are really looking forward to it. We will arrive in Brooklyn, NY on Friday morning, May 8th.

For the remainder of our stay in Paris we will be taking full advantage of the gorgeous spring weather that has already begun. Next weekend we will be taking a long weekend trip to visit the beaches of Normandy and the seaside resorts of Trouville and Deuxville.