tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51823417983782408012024-03-13T10:29:21.111-07:00Wednesday AdventuresMegan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-2324160599512091772021-01-29T12:00:00.008-08:002021-01-29T13:02:51.914-08:00Winter Getaway to the BerkshiresIn a pandemic year when travel has been restricted and our wanderlust has been fierce, we have found that small changes of scenery are good for refreshing everyone’s spirits! That was pretty easy to do over the summer with our annual trip to Narragansett, but now six months later (and still in a pandemic!) we found ourselves in need of another getaway. We haven’t done much winter traveling before, aside from our annual Christmas trips to New York City, and we aren’t a big skiing family. We didn’t want to worry about quarantine and testing requirements across state lines, so we decided on the Berkshires as our destination. <br /><br />The little kids and I drove out on Friday afternoon, right after they had finished school for the day. Zach and Erin followed later that evening after her dance rehearsal. We did a quick easy on/easy off detour in Chicopee for an early dinner at the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru, which ended up being a highlight of the trip for the kids (clearly we don't do a lot of drive-thru!) Side note - there is also a drive-thru Friendly’s at the same exit, which was very tempting! <br /><br />It was a little hairy arriving after dark because we weren’t expecting the road closure detour on Interlaken Road and the whole area is pretty dark in the evenings, but the house was well-lit and welcoming when we pulled up. Traveling for a week, we really settled in and made ourselves at home. I posted separately about my <a href="https://www.wednesdayadventures.com/2021/01/winter-getaway-packing.html">winter adventures packing list</a> (spoiler alert - it's very different than my <a href="https://www.wednesdayadventures.com/2019/10/packing-for-europe-with-four-kids.html">European capsule packing</a> list!) and <a href="https://www.wednesdayadventures.com/2021/01/how-we-search-for-vacation-rentals.html">how we search for vacation rental houses</a>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSypu2mbkgu-meGsAp_-Ia42RVjojIStv573y8HS8dcCNNLQydPs6-mw6PpIE04q_vnjYxgeNE3w0rqT70fxXl22i8G0T7FuuakQD12O9lfyr_KrvHmnau6Xi5WCeGuLoCqbIzeWyImWfT/s2048/AAA98D45-7365-486C-B489-AB4649B00AB0.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSypu2mbkgu-meGsAp_-Ia42RVjojIStv573y8HS8dcCNNLQydPs6-mw6PpIE04q_vnjYxgeNE3w0rqT70fxXl22i8G0T7FuuakQD12O9lfyr_KrvHmnau6Xi5WCeGuLoCqbIzeWyImWfT/w400-h300/AAA98D45-7365-486C-B489-AB4649B00AB0.jpeg" /></a><br /><br /><b>Our Highlights...</b> <br />We had a long weekend at the start of our trip so we tried to do some of our bigger adventures on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday when we had the entire days free. We tackled smaller hikes and afternoon activities during the week. We headed home the following Sunday morning, so we were there for nine nights total - benefits of remote school/work! <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><i>Saturday:</i></b> Grocery delivery, No. 6 Depot takeout breakfast, Olivia’s Overlook hike</li><li><b><i>Sunday: </i></b>Tubing at Butternut in the morning, Bullard Woods hike in the afternoon</li><li><b><i>Monday</i></b>: Monument Mountain hike, visit with Nana and Papa, Baba Louie’s takeout dinner</li><li><b><i>Tuesday</i></b>: School/work/play in the morning, sledding with Papa in the afternoon at the Stockbridge Bowl Beach hill. I took the day off and escaped for a solo hike at Bartholomew’s Cobble while everyone was working in the morning - best decision I've made all year! Four hours of alone time!</li><li><b><i>Wednesday</i></b>: School/work/Inauguration Day excitement in the morning, visit with Gammy and Riri, No. 6 Depot takeout lunch, Pleasant Valley hike in the afternoon</li><li><b><i>Thursday:</i></b> School/work in the morning, skiing in the afternoon</li><li><b><i>Friday: </i></b>School/work in the morning, Tyringham Cobble hike in the afternoon, Betty’s Pizza Shack takeout dinner</li><li><b><i>Saturday</i></b>: Bartholomew’s Cobble hike in the morning, Erin and I did the Housatonic Flats loop in the afternoon, Mexican takeout for dinner from Xicohtencatl</li><li><b><i>Sunday:</i></b> Housatonic Flats loop in the morning, No. 6 Depot takeout breakfast for the ride home</li></ul><div><b>Hiking </b><br />Most of our activities were hikes. Just this year, with Henry in kindergarten, we’ve been able to start doing “real” hikes as a family. We still max out around 3 miles in distance, and always come armed with a backpack full of snacks and an expectation for some whining, but we generally find that everyone is happy and proud of themselves at the end, even if there is resistance to setting out or complaining along the way. <br /><br />We are members of both <a href="https://www.massaudubon.org">Mass Audubon</a> and <a href="https://www.massaudubon.org">The Trustees</a> so we brought our member handbooks for both, which provided a nice hands-on way to read about their different properties and choose our adventures - all of the same information is available online, too. We also hit a few local properties run by the Berkshire National Resources Council (BNRC). The maps at the trailheads were of varying quality, so we always tried to take a screenshot on our phones before we left home to make sure we had a clear picture with us. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Olivia’s Overlook (BNRC)</i></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Stockbridge</li><li>2.2 miles</li><li>550 feet elevation gain</li><li>1.5 hours</li><li>We did the Charcoal Trail. It was much harder than we expected because of the hills and the snow!</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaFF0Kz-dhvSBUVI9uD6ZvIVEGIue8BX29-AIE1Svn1CL3LWUjb81UMfIxpN5-aOq_ZvOi9Yvzfc-UIdIdn9uytMX8p4f7btOyMNJcW9y7P05BUweBebAyLUjMxVLam_o6n0uVBr8W98q/s2048/82513AE8-9635-47F4-8539-D22260A033B3.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaFF0Kz-dhvSBUVI9uD6ZvIVEGIue8BX29-AIE1Svn1CL3LWUjb81UMfIxpN5-aOq_ZvOi9Yvzfc-UIdIdn9uytMX8p4f7btOyMNJcW9y7P05BUweBebAyLUjMxVLam_o6n0uVBr8W98q/w400-h300/82513AE8-9635-47F4-8539-D22260A033B3.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><b><i>Bullard Woods</i></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Stockbridge</li><li>1.9 miles</li><li>240 feet elevation gain</li><li>1.5 hours</li><li>1 geocache!</li><li>Easy afternoon hike right in the neighborhood</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTZU-G8dWmIxO8VdNkfIYjM_zgOYbAbfrGNCvWFBq3j3OXaH1SyjVPJFOv_Ath4aFSHlP3hkKvaXsmGkcHJk7bYTaEooZ7SElP5bTsEsaWtXdB-YBY7pMjnh8bpIrDeHFjeKbsvxLfu8x/s2048/8565DBF2-E9DE-47EB-B04A-550AABE93EAB.jpeg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTZU-G8dWmIxO8VdNkfIYjM_zgOYbAbfrGNCvWFBq3j3OXaH1SyjVPJFOv_Ath4aFSHlP3hkKvaXsmGkcHJk7bYTaEooZ7SElP5bTsEsaWtXdB-YBY7pMjnh8bpIrDeHFjeKbsvxLfu8x/w300-h400/8565DBF2-E9DE-47EB-B04A-550AABE93EAB.jpeg" width="300" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><b><i>Monument Mountain (Trustees)</i></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Great Barrington</li><li>3.5 miles</li><li>775 feet elevation gain</li><li>2 hrs 40 mins</li><li>We took the Indian Monument Trail (blue) up for a more gradual ascent, snuck onto the Squaw Peak Trail (red) for views from the peak, and went down on the Hickey Trail (yellow). It was very icy in many sections, so we did a lot of sitting down and sliding!</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNSeZ7S0cOfvvelZH1O2hLufyXSMYhp5EFHzNIhe-gGbVJ5zYE7Wo44NgtZpv2eacBg6dNciKnpGgsOHKMg250JsXIFzxzWtM3FRkEec-30i4p2fe6tZkq5UPo0GT64jgDQaBoS2XndIY/s2048/30272F58-A1CF-4886-8132-E48E2EBE516E.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNSeZ7S0cOfvvelZH1O2hLufyXSMYhp5EFHzNIhe-gGbVJ5zYE7Wo44NgtZpv2eacBg6dNciKnpGgsOHKMg250JsXIFzxzWtM3FRkEec-30i4p2fe6tZkq5UPo0GT64jgDQaBoS2XndIY/w400-h300/30272F58-A1CF-4886-8132-E48E2EBE516E.jpeg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWT6mwQzNlDq13kR1uFo5cmLGBXphmiGyIgDSoCXtidoMzPEpowpTUeDGI7hHo8IrvJZFxR7OAHqFnxHgZ2rZlvYypCioR_ufDNjzkKmBZblbi2jXD4dzeS8Hnyrkww3bUuNOb2_GNqxa/s2048/1AA0617F-E579-4172-A14B-4F559343D7CD.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWT6mwQzNlDq13kR1uFo5cmLGBXphmiGyIgDSoCXtidoMzPEpowpTUeDGI7hHo8IrvJZFxR7OAHqFnxHgZ2rZlvYypCioR_ufDNjzkKmBZblbi2jXD4dzeS8Hnyrkww3bUuNOb2_GNqxa/w400-h300/1AA0617F-E579-4172-A14B-4F559343D7CD.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><b><i>Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audobon)</i></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Lenox</li><li>1.25 miles</li><li>157 feet elevation gain</li><li>1 hour</li><li>1 geocache!</li><li>We took the All Persons Trail to Pike's Pond Trail to Yokun Trail and back on Bluebird Trail.</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWQs1bXyO9bW4ubMkLflyDGeqtYL2bbuqllhh82opgUCZVkSNEdG2Kx8Wr6v7Dg0WG3tNzHSbcZmACKXdIYLSlhlk_wbADzzmUKxNKBbFrpuKinD8vqQkSAhZfaLOOwNSHtqyDqN8kOcY/s2048/577E928E-D6EF-4245-8950-57CC6B337FB2.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWQs1bXyO9bW4ubMkLflyDGeqtYL2bbuqllhh82opgUCZVkSNEdG2Kx8Wr6v7Dg0WG3tNzHSbcZmACKXdIYLSlhlk_wbADzzmUKxNKBbFrpuKinD8vqQkSAhZfaLOOwNSHtqyDqN8kOcY/w400-h300/577E928E-D6EF-4245-8950-57CC6B337FB2.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><b><i>Tyringham Cobble (Trustees)</i></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Tyringham</li><li>2.27 miles</li><li>483 feet elevation gain</li><li>1.5 hours</li><li>We did the Loop Trail, with a section of the Appalachian Trail!</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbc3aYPvNGoEVHrVEoyIIFDVoE2cYluvnE0ajj0LYVkl6saRTzWlgNl68QMmf-Yf2c_Kq0tUmm___DpSPB4Scq1JVHUvxgg8i0Qy2tjb05gAXA1fhfWSiL2i480YXQKRLTi4OplQ1Cot9/s2048/0F0043C2-E82D-4BDA-A9FD-AF66A82BF9D9.heic"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbc3aYPvNGoEVHrVEoyIIFDVoE2cYluvnE0ajj0LYVkl6saRTzWlgNl68QMmf-Yf2c_Kq0tUmm___DpSPB4Scq1JVHUvxgg8i0Qy2tjb05gAXA1fhfWSiL2i480YXQKRLTi4OplQ1Cot9/w300-h400/0F0043C2-E82D-4BDA-A9FD-AF66A82BF9D9.heic" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHV-pV4T-82gtiM0O8H9UiOM-Yqg3JIUicUs8Yqqd7TQkc2DidW0urHl8R_HOHyUbz3hiLPjP5Or_Epm1gfmxS7H9MWPRUibi6RojDatnBR-OebOmsnq24Guomty8aI8Hn4ehB4RDgrvI/s2048/A2EF269D-1BD9-42C8-9C39-6D3F6D82C826.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHV-pV4T-82gtiM0O8H9UiOM-Yqg3JIUicUs8Yqqd7TQkc2DidW0urHl8R_HOHyUbz3hiLPjP5Or_Epm1gfmxS7H9MWPRUibi6RojDatnBR-OebOmsnq24Guomty8aI8Hn4ehB4RDgrvI/w400-h300/A2EF269D-1BD9-42C8-9C39-6D3F6D82C826.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><b><i>Bartholomew’s Cobble (Trustees)</i></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sheffield</li><li>3.1 miles</li><li>600 feet elevation gain</li><li>2 hrs 15 mins</li><li>We took Ledges Trail to the Tractor Path, up to the top of Hurlburt's Hill. We made our way down on Tulip Tree Trail, Boulder Trail, and Bailey Trail, back to Ledges Trail at the beginning. Amazing views at the top of the hill and lots of fun trees to climb and streams to cross in the woods!</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFk6lvsY-yLlUjIf3laG6A8r1NS896BqaT6-Vsy7tMhZQkls59He3MGXzuy1T1IrPDIckwDvfTcExKbuE2VN_cqq4i18S2dV7jCUixQAkW7rcX7EeTypHH1LI1MjIfMtqWdvRqx1zOQag/s2048/6ABE628B-1DAD-4FFF-A542-68C700A637A5.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFk6lvsY-yLlUjIf3laG6A8r1NS896BqaT6-Vsy7tMhZQkls59He3MGXzuy1T1IrPDIckwDvfTcExKbuE2VN_cqq4i18S2dV7jCUixQAkW7rcX7EeTypHH1LI1MjIfMtqWdvRqx1zOQag/w400-h300/6ABE628B-1DAD-4FFF-A542-68C700A637A5.jpeg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra1zgNi2FFDCnZHS-ecaP4TALZLi7tLZMiWtPYZEgtabxRW2hE67UTwjgpBgn-NzKD76I9QvYNBSp1lxLpztak2IyiHqEpnjG8K3JdpH7_qLHY_07LxdavjHyiNPKNHQvQH4ympajztrC/s2048/E8ED80E3-E556-4E5C-A04A-1D60426882A5.heic"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra1zgNi2FFDCnZHS-ecaP4TALZLi7tLZMiWtPYZEgtabxRW2hE67UTwjgpBgn-NzKD76I9QvYNBSp1lxLpztak2IyiHqEpnjG8K3JdpH7_qLHY_07LxdavjHyiNPKNHQvQH4ympajztrC/w400-h300/E8ED80E3-E556-4E5C-A04A-1D60426882A5.heic" /></a> <br /><br /><b><i>Housatonic Flats (BNRC)</i></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Great Barrington</li><li>1 mile</li><li>No elevation gain</li><li>30 minutes</li><li>4 geocaches!</li><li>Easy all-persons loop </li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghQI5djPVM2JLwg8NUZPbk9cRiq6p3O-_cgzjeMqowrkm1Qv7BH32o0XBm6WKMpuXz6ZAKY94JwFRTjD_R1BtnyNi__PpXOCniBwm6Jbo4aZAMKdfeEUHi1yPjrtC6i8Eos6QZYp9mIjc/s2048/F417D830-06C8-4738-96CF-A3ED58CCA6AD.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghQI5djPVM2JLwg8NUZPbk9cRiq6p3O-_cgzjeMqowrkm1Qv7BH32o0XBm6WKMpuXz6ZAKY94JwFRTjD_R1BtnyNi__PpXOCniBwm6Jbo4aZAMKdfeEUHi1yPjrtC6i8Eos6QZYp9mIjc/w400-h300/F417D830-06C8-4738-96CF-A3ED58CCA6AD.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzcBegjYgBCa3b83lq_iOcGXUG_rh3INj0OUx6Z0BBd8pYRHdXsfFvc-OIqyBi1sM1vJFBaC8p-Yn35yz281fpIbse1fSz-dw30fgI1tv-PdxUaJl_bvbNaeXlm4A80pwj1_ihpUe-kHL/s2048/892117A3-D504-4066-8754-1D53450E7A0B.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzcBegjYgBCa3b83lq_iOcGXUG_rh3INj0OUx6Z0BBd8pYRHdXsfFvc-OIqyBi1sM1vJFBaC8p-Yn35yz281fpIbse1fSz-dw30fgI1tv-PdxUaJl_bvbNaeXlm4A80pwj1_ihpUe-kHL/w300-h400/892117A3-D504-4066-8754-1D53450E7A0B.jpeg" /></a><br /><br /><b>Snow Sports </b><br />We went to Ski Butternut twice, once for tubing and once for skiing. I was a little nervous about crowds, but we felt very safe both times. <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Tubing is available on weekends/holidays only, so we made a reservation for the first slot on Sunday morning (10am-12pm). It was more crowded we expected when we pulled in, but you’re naturally social distanced based on the size of the snow tubes and masks are strictly enforced so we never felt uncomfortable. You check in for your reservation at a little booth outside.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>We went skiing on a Thursday afternoon and it was very empty. We signed the big kids up for a First Timer Package with a 2-hour lesson and rentals, and the three of them were the only ones in the group, along with two instructors. They are strict on the age 6 minimum because the instructors aren’t allowed to help the kids up this year, so Zach and I just bought afternoon passes/rentals for ourselves and Henry, and tagged along next to the kids’ lesson to pick up tips! The mountain is small and we stuck to the beginner area with two magic carpets, but it was perfect for our level of interest and experience.</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmIvSYt167q1XRpok7DCVb_NEaHUsCLuu1eYiauMs-9bi1AOYJtUMkwdftFV5zmB7XvNTcDEzBr1ln6y9ar5uhruZ4yHJwmg46UukKy0-Z5AWHQraDKt5y3DjNLE9sYvYN8UcIMkZ87ae/s2048/5E2ACF0B-BA80-4D11-832A-610F63A3723E.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmIvSYt167q1XRpok7DCVb_NEaHUsCLuu1eYiauMs-9bi1AOYJtUMkwdftFV5zmB7XvNTcDEzBr1ln6y9ar5uhruZ4yHJwmg46UukKy0-Z5AWHQraDKt5y3DjNLE9sYvYN8UcIMkZ87ae/w300-h400/5E2ACF0B-BA80-4D11-832A-610F63A3723E.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPVdnESmo9txtO7aayyy2YhRyohgzG5d3wyi_wX2g3ut405CiFFPCK-cGLNE83h9VrjSfvITxTWKuZbiv1L0Fmyb4wCJZ9gB_AkMYWIFgzdL_D_OL0J0lJaG4gTLZ3RenzeiHA109SWH4/s2048/D66AA558-FB24-47E4-9AC0-7610177654C0.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPVdnESmo9txtO7aayyy2YhRyohgzG5d3wyi_wX2g3ut405CiFFPCK-cGLNE83h9VrjSfvITxTWKuZbiv1L0Fmyb4wCJZ9gB_AkMYWIFgzdL_D_OL0J0lJaG4gTLZ3RenzeiHA109SWH4/w400-h300/D66AA558-FB24-47E4-9AC0-7610177654C0.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><b>Food </b><br />We did an Instacart delivery from Big Y on Saturday morning, and made two quick runs into Guido’s Market for some specialty items mid-week. We mostly cooked our meals at home, but did takeout a few times and found all of the restaurants to be well-equipped with Covid precautions. <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><i>No. 6 Depot (West Stockbridge)</i></b>: the best coffee! We ordered breakfast/coffee twice and lunch once, and everything was always delicious. Online ordering/curbside pickup. </li><li><b><i>Baba Louie’s (Great Barrington)</i></b>: everyone said this was the best pizza in the area. We thought it was pretty good - the kids' main criticism was that they don't have a plain cheese pizza, unless you count a Margharita pizza (and ours don't.). But the salads were enormous and they had lots of interesting pizza options. Online ordering/curbside pickup. </li><li><b><i>Betty’s Pizza Shack (Lenox)</i></b>: the kids gave this 5 stars and we really liked it too. The small pizzas were almost as big as the large. Phone ordering/cash only. </li><li><b><i>Xicohtencatl Mexican (Great Barrington)</i></b>: yummy, big portions - we split 3 entrees and 2 appetizers (and supplemented with mac and cheese at home). Phone ordering/inside pickup. </li></ul><b>Shopping </b><br />I love a good local shopping trip on vacation and really miss the luxury of perusing stores. I did pop into Shaker Mill Books and the Country Store in Stockbridge, and What a Gift in Lenox. They all mandated use of hand sanitizer at the door and had a limit on the number of customers in the store, and except for the Country Store, I was the only person in each shop the entire time. </div><div><br /></div><div>We crammed a lot into our week+ away, and accomplished almost 25 hours toward our #1000hoursoutside challenge even while balancing remote work/school most mornings. We balanced all that out with lots of hot chocolate, card games, and Netflix in the king sized bed every evening, to make sure that we all felt like we were on vacation! The change of scenery was good for everyone's spirits, and the kids gave the trip 5 stars in our debrief when we got home. The Berkshires was definitely a great choice for a winter getaway, and we look forward to returning again to explore it in a warmer season!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-l-wbPqFHOyzc4GSjsJJhgZsdTwHf1JeU3FP3AzHVtVdhEIv6704N_UATU-2i0zSdzIPv4UZ6A3MB5hkrsL_-RdfN2j1zotbUdF_ZL5G5Us59pRj585SOzrLwB3d78cM1eE-Sv1WLlGb/s2048/F2506F95-8A1D-4BEE-B436-27B220A07D2E.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-l-wbPqFHOyzc4GSjsJJhgZsdTwHf1JeU3FP3AzHVtVdhEIv6704N_UATU-2i0zSdzIPv4UZ6A3MB5hkrsL_-RdfN2j1zotbUdF_ZL5G5Us59pRj585SOzrLwB3d78cM1eE-Sv1WLlGb/w300-h400/F2506F95-8A1D-4BEE-B436-27B220A07D2E.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br />Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-77528878996154984512021-01-28T12:03:00.001-08:002021-01-29T12:41:20.930-08:00Winter Getaway PackingThe nice thing about packing in a pandemic is that you know you aren't going to see anyone or go anywhere that requires dressing up! The forecast called for cold temperatures so we made sure we had lots of warm layers and comfortable clothes since we knew we'd be doing a lot of outdoor adventuring. We had laundry in the house and it was helpful for washing clothes mid-week for clothes, but was even handier for throwing wet snow gear into the dryer almost every night. <br /><br />I typically give the kids a packing list about a week before we leave on a trip. I write it on a post-it note and stick it to the wall in the hallway outside of their bedrooms. They usually take a first stab at packing, and then I edit a day or two before we leave. They each pack their own suitcase, and we used a reusable grocery bag for each person's winter gear, which was super helpful for keeping it sorted both while we were packing and while we were away.<div><br /></div><div>And of course, the sourdough starter, two fresh loaves of bread, and my birthday flowers made the trip - precious cargo in the front seat!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23zPj6BEkRpBY55ZfWuN0BacFj9mJhBJg-FzEZmrGkERWLxuc4yKJWrqtNESyIUQGPNo2PCvrQdhjqNG2kTyjgAv4YNzEBa3yYoFJAG5EARIKJnB_XVATTiN_umDLjVlPaFgOr6F8tUtY/s2048/CFC73CF6-3DE3-4297-AA73-D300E25F5350.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23zPj6BEkRpBY55ZfWuN0BacFj9mJhBJg-FzEZmrGkERWLxuc4yKJWrqtNESyIUQGPNo2PCvrQdhjqNG2kTyjgAv4YNzEBa3yYoFJAG5EARIKJnB_XVATTiN_umDLjVlPaFgOr6F8tUtY/w400-h300/CFC73CF6-3DE3-4297-AA73-D300E25F5350.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's what we brought:<br /><br /><b><i>Boys:</i></b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>2 PJs</li><li>5 underwear, 3 wool socks, 2 regular socks</li><li>3 long underwear sets</li><li>5 pants</li><li>5 shirts</li><li>3 sweatshirts</li><li>Sneakers</li></ul><b><i>Girls:</i></b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Same, with 2 fleece leggings in place of 1 long underwear and 1 pants</li></ul><b><i>Adults:</i></b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Same as kids, with 2 pairs of jeans and a few Zoom-appropriate tops</li></ul><b><i>Winter Gear:</i></b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Hiking boots (Mom and Dad), Uggs (Mom)</li><li>Snow boots (all)</li><li>Snow pants - we wore these almost every day for hikes and snow play</li><li>Gloves/mittens - 2 or 3 pairs each</li><li>Hats - 2 each</li><li>Balaclavas - great for warmth and built-in masks</li><li>Masks</li><li>Hand/toe warmers</li><li>Boot dryer - best purchase of the winter!</li><li>Sunglasses</li><li>Flashlights - fun (and helpful!) on late afternoon hikes</li><li>Hiking backpack - we have a lightweight drawstring backpack that we use</li><li>Water bottles</li><li>Sleds</li><li>We had planned to bring snowshoes, but there wasn't enough snow on the ground so we left them home</li></ul>In hindsight, our packing list was pretty accurate. <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>We never wore our sneakers because we basically lived in boots.</li><li>We wore our snow pants almost every day to keep us warm, even on all of our hikes. I am confident that I wore my snow pants more in this one week than cumulatively over the past 5 years! </li><li>We Amazon Prime'd two extra pairs of kid mittens to the house because we found we were using multiple pairs a day and couldn't keep up with drying them! </li><li>We could have cut down the pants/shirts/sweatshirts by one, but were glad to have the variety.</li><li>We lost one mitten and one balaclava somewhere in the house over the course of the week. Ce la vie...</li></ul></div>Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-89463070086864164902021-01-01T12:42:00.012-08:002021-01-29T12:57:19.367-08:00How We Search for Vacation Rentals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoIvJ2Z9-v6UjOVeI0QmXn_DcOz2xU97AadpOGfittqVKRnmlMtpIlz3rzg4qZNIDSJAUh1nbhvdqXHubW3Rdw5oIzBgoLbjFsPmB9tQCWMOvQVjkxkDa0P4gajH97wvrolbBL56Wm4B0/s2048/31BF5B49-789E-41BF-ADA0-274E9AC79D74.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoIvJ2Z9-v6UjOVeI0QmXn_DcOz2xU97AadpOGfittqVKRnmlMtpIlz3rzg4qZNIDSJAUh1nbhvdqXHubW3Rdw5oIzBgoLbjFsPmB9tQCWMOvQVjkxkDa0P4gajH97wvrolbBL56Wm4B0/w400-h300/31BF5B49-789E-41BF-ADA0-274E9AC79D74.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Traveling with a family of six, it almost always makes more sense to rent a house than to stay in hotels. We love being able to cook meals at home and have space to spread out. Especially in the pandemic where we're not comfortable going into hotels or restaurants, vacation rental homes are a great option. Even before the pandemic, we had used these sites for many years for our summer Narragansett rentals, as well as for our trip to Quebec City last year.<br /><br />We’ve had good luck with both AirBnB and VRBO in the past, and generally use whichever site has the house that is the best fit for our trip. There tends to be a lot of overlap between the two sites, but it’s not 100% so it’s worth checking both. <br /><br />Here's how we approach looking for a vacation rental: <div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>First, I look at location. I prefer to search in the “map view”, and zoom out to a pretty wide circle around the general area we’re headed to. It’s a good way to see the variation in price across different towns/neighborhoods, and get a sense of what’s available. For our winter getaway during the pandemic, an in-town location wasn't important to us, but we wanted a large yard for the kids to play in when they finished school each afternoon.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Next, I set our number of guests and minimum number of bedrooms. We can get away with three bedrooms for a weekend trip, but prefer a minimum of four bedrooms for longer trips, especially when we’ll be working/learning remotely.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Some house listings include floor plans, which is helpful for getting a sense of layout. The house we rented in the Berkshires had two bedrooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs, which is not our ideal configuration with four kids, but it was helpful knowing that ahead of time so we could start managing expectations with the kids about who would sleep where! </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I always filter down to houses that have good reviews (4.5 or 5 stars) from prior renters. Reading the comments/reviews is super helpful. The house we rented in the Berkshires had a few reviews from other families who had visited during the quarantine and it was reassuring to read their comments about the strong WiFi and Covid safety protocols. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Laundry. Always make sure there is laundry! We somehow overlooked this key detail when we rented on the Cape last summer and will never make that mistake again! </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Always check the cancellation policy - I’ve been surprised at how different the cancellation policies are for different houses. Some of them have no cancellation flexibility, and others offer cancellation up to the week of your trip.</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>Happy traveling!</div>Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-45051197910246358492020-01-06T09:09:00.001-08:002021-01-25T10:24:40.021-08:00Christmas Trip to New York City - Year Three<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
For our third annual Christmas trip to NYC, we brought the boys with us and made it a full family trip! We drove down to Rowayton the day after Christmas and did family Christmas in CT and stayed the night. The next morning (Friday), we took the train into the city around 10:45am, and got to our hotel around noon. We stayed at the <a href="https://www.affinia.com/shelburne-hotel-suites/">Affinia Shelburne</a>, the same hotel for a third year in a row - why mess with success? - and it was great as always. We reserved a suite and they provided a travel crib for Henry, so we had Erin and Ryan on the sofa bed in the living room, Nettie on a pillow nest on the floor next to them, and Henry in his travel bed in the kitchenette. They all had plenty of space and we had the bedroom/bathroom for ourselves. We love the convenience of the Murray Hill location for getting in and out of Grand Central, and the rooms are so spacious, especially by NYC standards. </div>
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<b><i>Our Highlights:</i></b></div>
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<b>Day 1:</b> </div>
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<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We dropped our bags at the hotel around noon. Check in was at 3pm so our room wasn’t ready, but they stored our stuff for us. Immediately hit Bagel Express (the girls’ favorite!) for lunch.</li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We walked from there to Central Park. This was a pretty long way, but we took our time and there was lots to look at along the way. I once again regretted not bringing a stroller, but Henry did his best and supplemented with lots of shoulder rides from Daddy.</li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The kids climbed all over the giant rocks in the park, looked for Stuart Little (or “Short Little”, as Henry kept shouting for!), and watched the skaters on the rink. We found the Central Park Carousel and took a ride, which was fun for everyone. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We got a couple of giant pretzels from a street cart when Henry informed us that he was “speeding hungry”. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We rode the subway back to the hotel and checked into our room, where we all spent some time lounging at the hotel and resting our legs. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After a little rest time, we walked to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On the way, we caught the light show at Saks. We loved the Frozen theme, but did not love the crowds - never have we seen it so crazy packed!</li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We had planned to hop in a cab to dinner, but the traffic and crowds were so thick that we escaped into the subway instead. The trains were really bad our whole trip - really long waits for almost every subway, which was super frustrating and slow. That was a bummer because we had finally gotten comfortable with navigating the system, but we exercised our best patience and stuck it out. We took the subway to the Meatpacking District for dinner at <a href="https://sugarfactory.com/location/nyc-meatpacking-district/">The Sugar Factory</a>! What an experience! The service was terrible and we waited over an hour for our food (we were all “speeding hungry” by that point!) but everything was a hit when it finally arrived - the rainbow sliders were adorable and came with five or six burgers so the kids split one order. The real treat was the crazy shakes and sundaes, any one of which could have fed our entire family! We splurged and let everyone pick their own, and their jaws dropped when they saw them! The restaurant comped them all because of the slow service, so we all left happy even after the wait. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We grabbed a cab ride home to the hotel. Everyone had logged almost 30k steps and fell into bed, even after all the sugar!</li>
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<b>Day 2:</b></div>
<ul>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We checked out of the hotel and left our bags in storage with them, when we set out for the day around 8:30am.</li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Another stop at Bagel Express for breakfast.</li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We took the subway to Soho for our 10:00 tickets at the <a href="https://tickets.museumoficecream.com/event/new-york">Museum of Ice Cream</a>. This was fun! We spent about 90 minutes there, and the experience was very interactive and filled with lots of ice cream tastes and fun things to see and do. Nothing could top our awesome experience at the Color Factory the year before, but the Museum of Ice Cream was a very close second and we would recommend it. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After the museum, we wandered around Little Italy and poked into some cute Italian groceries while we waited for the restaurants to open at noon. We didn’t expect to be hungry after so many ice cream samples, but we were all ready for some real food and had a lovely sit down lunch at <a href="http://www.margheritanyc.com/">Margherita’s</a>. We got there right when they opened at noon and by 12:05, all of the ten tables or so were filled with a line of other customers at the door. We split some delicious pizzas and everyone was fueled up and reenergized. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We poked around in a couple of cute shops in Soho, picking up some yarn for Gammy and some fun things in the tea shop for home. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Our next destination was the <a href="https://www.siferry.com/">Staten Island Ferry</a>. We’d like to do the full Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island experience when the kids are a little older and the weather is a little warmer, but the ferry ride was the perfect way to get some great views of Lady Liberty and a cool boat ride - for free! The ferries run every half hour, so we had missed one by five minutes but got first in line for the next one. The ride itself also takes about 30 minutes, so we positioned ourselves at the front of the exit line afterwards and did a crazy Amazing Race-style sprint to the return boat, which we made by the skin of our teeth. </li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It was just about time to head back to Rowayton so we went back to Grand Central to grab a train around 5pm. Zach ran back to the hotel to pick up our bags while the kids and I checked out the <a href="https://www.grandcentralmarket.com/">Grand Central Market</a> and picked up some yummy train snacks.</li>
</ul>
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We spent one more night in CT before driving home on Sunday. It was a jam-packed 36-ish hours, with a good mix of walking, eating, and fun activities. The vibe was a little different with the boys in tow, but it was a great family getaway and the boys enjoyed their first little taste of NYC!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVGYId2g-sn5lMPzhO2xF-7ftObuUIXqTIkihDz7Fs5dquIg_dJddu9yTKIYMM3p5eGJHyRkXpWV1F5kjAl2IG9kFuI2x74bCAWdUTO9ra3NExwTsQAeN9Ge_b3smNpb3tdT46T0i_RPK/s1600/EA375DC3-55AA-4344-A1A2-3BC209F2FB81.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVGYId2g-sn5lMPzhO2xF-7ftObuUIXqTIkihDz7Fs5dquIg_dJddu9yTKIYMM3p5eGJHyRkXpWV1F5kjAl2IG9kFuI2x74bCAWdUTO9ra3NExwTsQAeN9Ge_b3smNpb3tdT46T0i_RPK/s400/EA375DC3-55AA-4344-A1A2-3BC209F2FB81.jpeg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOObhrRSh85RuxbyHvstZSRjjHH8xSLhey5gRw-1lFhsVSXV8OJLv8pkwf1MxNIDKpg02e8-EMiEy-Z5IiGEniRZuH4IxMfhfdOqbopk6zZJAKGDTyHTBb5oirIlOe0YIyxkyOloLQ1Vc/s1600/F5621AC9-9250-4915-9C71-B0B9F1A903E0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOObhrRSh85RuxbyHvstZSRjjHH8xSLhey5gRw-1lFhsVSXV8OJLv8pkwf1MxNIDKpg02e8-EMiEy-Z5IiGEniRZuH4IxMfhfdOqbopk6zZJAKGDTyHTBb5oirIlOe0YIyxkyOloLQ1Vc/s400/F5621AC9-9250-4915-9C71-B0B9F1A903E0.jpeg" width="400" /></a>Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-30458056601807624492019-10-31T08:53:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:25:06.498-08:00Eating Our Way Through MontrealWe had a delicious three days in Montreal! We ate our way through the city and walked about 9 miles a day in exchange. Montreal felt almost even more French than Quebec City, but much bigger and more modern. Erin captured it well when she said Montreal felt like New York City, while Quebec City was more like Florence. Whereas Quebec gave us the old, historic feel, our time in Montreal felt more like a weekend we might spend at home in Boston - but in French!<br />
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<i><b>Here are our highlights!</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<b>Friday:</b><br />
The drive from Quebec City to Montreal took about 3.5 hours - it was a pretty easy drive, but we had more traffic along the way than we had expected. We arrived around 4:30pm, valet parked at the hotel, and took a little time to settle in while the kids played with the <a href="https://ourwednesdayadventures.blogspot.com/2019/11/extra-long-weekend-in-quebec-city-and.html">new toys they received when we checked in</a>.<br />
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We headed off to our first destination, the <a href="https://www.basiliquenotredame.ca/en">Notre Dame Basilica</a>. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZf9RNaHSCW5SV_fLjtBiZQWd3NibxbyU8UWcF0d9PYn14W5-rfA3kkYDQV0DuMvGtOb5jmC0xUdVVQdrRVY7NQDG3xVePixgOOQlAvXglHCHrLfZq5FqciugK19RzZ7KrX8NZoZWYs7D/s1600/IMG_5021.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZf9RNaHSCW5SV_fLjtBiZQWd3NibxbyU8UWcF0d9PYn14W5-rfA3kkYDQV0DuMvGtOb5jmC0xUdVVQdrRVY7NQDG3xVePixgOOQlAvXglHCHrLfZq5FqciugK19RzZ7KrX8NZoZWYs7D/s400/IMG_5021.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxiAcl7vpoANgOVWEeuYEdts7U3iz_17e-L3jdkj6TUfwt8uMWYL-waz9VEbD_ITp22PYd1FA5CBt9IMXA6V69Pxk3IBCErgsIfPrlM2vk55hDI3ucf_j92dHBPwvbZBUTPgF7aPfrRT9/s1600/IMG_5022.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxiAcl7vpoANgOVWEeuYEdts7U3iz_17e-L3jdkj6TUfwt8uMWYL-waz9VEbD_ITp22PYd1FA5CBt9IMXA6V69Pxk3IBCErgsIfPrlM2vk55hDI3ucf_j92dHBPwvbZBUTPgF7aPfrRT9/s400/IMG_5022.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
We had 6pm tickets to the <a href="https://www.aurabasiliquemontreal.com/">Aura</a> light show in the basilica. We had read a few recommendations for the show and made a last minute decision to buy tickets (while sitting in traffic on the drive!) and it was definitely worth it. It was so cool!! The whole experience lasts about 45 minutes. You can walk around the basilica for the first 20 minutes or so - everything is lit up and they've done some crazy high tech things where the paintings have this amazing animation and things are highlighted in different ways. The second half is a music and light show, which was really neat. It is very loud and Henry got a little freaked out, but the woman at the door was so kind and let us watch from the chapel, where the glass windows dulled the volume but still let us see everything well. The girls thought it was so neat and Erin said it was her favorite part of the trip. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HAD_BS4Xx64KquLAwboV-G7UkEmnU4HwSq8fxunrnQV1H5Ofl2bycl9_0dj56W2azwgDWcjP5UiDbAUW4_a63H0sPU33Vwd1uAIfEjFcTZFk5SlEGEPRMPucPd8L7tOD0esU2QChzLK0/s1600/IMG_5023.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HAD_BS4Xx64KquLAwboV-G7UkEmnU4HwSq8fxunrnQV1H5Ofl2bycl9_0dj56W2azwgDWcjP5UiDbAUW4_a63H0sPU33Vwd1uAIfEjFcTZFk5SlEGEPRMPucPd8L7tOD0esU2QChzLK0/s400/IMG_5023.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOG83FWqXeOOMh2qRYnoome11Cjgg6NnBzM2j9xcXlhX-sM7g0a44YvXtGMp30kLYyEoDg7cqmn4ZOtieMT1zcYtrJI7zIsrZm35q4VY9Kq0CZwYzZ-wHI7Ql7pt3RImvWLrJ65q9F8_f/s1600/IMG_5024.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOG83FWqXeOOMh2qRYnoome11Cjgg6NnBzM2j9xcXlhX-sM7g0a44YvXtGMp30kLYyEoDg7cqmn4ZOtieMT1zcYtrJI7zIsrZm35q4VY9Kq0CZwYzZ-wHI7Ql7pt3RImvWLrJ65q9F8_f/s400/IMG_5024.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUo68lSL5IU668i7thxKu6HwNYXSiiLdRJesmCv3EY7q7FDaoXPUfKHwQMsEOY9JX3nA-FswBmqV4Oo1fZ4Be73DNpyjSi4QsYbu-Ag-mPzo04W6Vk1fGEYgLez7nV_4kT9TiiZpjZb4L/s1600/IMG_5028.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUo68lSL5IU668i7thxKu6HwNYXSiiLdRJesmCv3EY7q7FDaoXPUfKHwQMsEOY9JX3nA-FswBmqV4Oo1fZ4Be73DNpyjSi4QsYbu-Ag-mPzo04W6Vk1fGEYgLez7nV_4kT9TiiZpjZb4L/s400/IMG_5028.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
After the show, we walked to <a href="https://jardinnelson.com/en/">Jardin Nelson</a> for dinner. We had read about the restaurant in a New York Times travel review, but didn't realize it was in such a cute little bustling square (Place Jacques-Cartier) in Old Montreal. It was the cutest little place and we got a kick out of sitting outside on the patio under the heat lamps. They had good options for the kids, but Erin and Ryan both ordered off the adult menu and that was good too. Zach went for a local recommendation - duck confit crepes - while Erin had a Caesar salad and Ryan got a different kind of crepes with eggs and sausage. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxP4bT-lhHfMo2QjMlYVBdnpamGbtg00i8xwyjmE4qnZX2NXIR037nF77vkecmV27JU16mLbPTGIe6B34j60IRD_wd8PX3QjHVbCbb9-gS2LvrNfETf5PDF9iyC_KfGkWRf_Lh40-sr94/s1600/IMG_5088.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxP4bT-lhHfMo2QjMlYVBdnpamGbtg00i8xwyjmE4qnZX2NXIR037nF77vkecmV27JU16mLbPTGIe6B34j60IRD_wd8PX3QjHVbCbb9-gS2LvrNfETf5PDF9iyC_KfGkWRf_Lh40-sr94/s400/IMG_5088.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
We struck out on finding gelato after dinner - for some reason everything was closed by 8pm - but we had a good walk back to the hotel and everyone was ready to fall into bed with promises of gelato the next day.<br />
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<b>Saturday:</b><br />
Our main attraction for the day was the <a href="https://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/">Science Center</a>! We walked down to the Old Port and stopped first at <a href="https://oliveetgourmando.com/">Olive et Gourmando</a> for breakfast on the recommendation of friends. We way over-ordered but nothing went to waste! All of the pastries were to die for and we kept a few in our bag for snacking on throughout the day. Erin and I got the chia pudding, which was beautiful and filled with seasonal fruit (although she was not a fan of the addition of pumpkin puree). <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUifUYMdmh5zHDO2AJfYEefTz4Q9K14XXT-ljuaiKNaqG-Po6ocnnD65sQOQLzh7EpkqfdpBy6-ot3Ip9gE-Mrz7jB8MS2eXHt2FR1gdsk66M-8VhxT3sqW43FML-4AAnia0BjfmVQ3zC/s1600/DSC00884.jpg"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUifUYMdmh5zHDO2AJfYEefTz4Q9K14XXT-ljuaiKNaqG-Po6ocnnD65sQOQLzh7EpkqfdpBy6-ot3Ip9gE-Mrz7jB8MS2eXHt2FR1gdsk66M-8VhxT3sqW43FML-4AAnia0BjfmVQ3zC/s400/DSC00884.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkpkfSMZoFtbZyPh5M835kO6hvU6nq64xFnvrIUtYDjEUOAJEXUF2TKwGbEkDdJiiDRMat0uosKpv0IQw2qQbG_PJGmTncnV9uFcGIrdcCOZUWEnbTFrrlgTI9Z7T9-mWEP2wS1Ian8VS/s1600/ISKC9EW3QBGTa1dlV%2525%252BiDA.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkpkfSMZoFtbZyPh5M835kO6hvU6nq64xFnvrIUtYDjEUOAJEXUF2TKwGbEkDdJiiDRMat0uosKpv0IQw2qQbG_PJGmTncnV9uFcGIrdcCOZUWEnbTFrrlgTI9Z7T9-mWEP2wS1Ian8VS/s400/ISKC9EW3QBGTa1dlV%2525%252BiDA.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6llRjjzgeGbgmnNFIgk-SnczJy4Gg8RI5aWzirIbXB9S8_-FYQUys_33T7nQyYflsJp5mF24Eqaxunow94mFEPkyuPHQepj6wgx-uVYQjeGUOqcMR0ZdeVuxk7-B5zoCE4OvvhPpUsa7o/s400/IMG_5037.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfdClIyRFNBWC0WAUMfCSYoG_inJzsBn6kIWljJNUDnsHTgVCmFJ4bbzdRoknm_ucYiNagsqABJXN8N4YtROcm1Wl65FgHs-cqOJYKJVdU278Q9UnZjT4GBKtP5HtLUBBl80UrJkSsx4D/s400/IMG_5038.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3HiZNjT-lUjKw4KTnupATecehifrMkuuIO6GSlWfn_ByHdyw8BTc3eDulDAwGfLTey3RxCiLM2DcLNs6QgdugnEjiUIMRpfMbffUZtgq61Zg5I3e-Os15D6GBvcxFN9VtMsvcs7oZTTV/s1600/IMG_5039.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3HiZNjT-lUjKw4KTnupATecehifrMkuuIO6GSlWfn_ByHdyw8BTc3eDulDAwGfLTey3RxCiLM2DcLNs6QgdugnEjiUIMRpfMbffUZtgq61Zg5I3e-Os15D6GBvcxFN9VtMsvcs7oZTTV/s400/IMG_5039.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrHqKS-w344PQpXSe40Kbfq3Age5wK0TPzbRzi_vRy_m1uyUuqI2U4XEh7dmcBcl0v0UNkYKtj_qu9xGbGhkvL0jexkjC76hJK06n8hzgsJmPguhHDvsMyp82V1K40YsK9v5DqmUtpuE8/s1600/IMG_5040.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrHqKS-w344PQpXSe40Kbfq3Age5wK0TPzbRzi_vRy_m1uyUuqI2U4XEh7dmcBcl0v0UNkYKtj_qu9xGbGhkvL0jexkjC76hJK06n8hzgsJmPguhHDvsMyp82V1K40YsK9v5DqmUtpuE8/s400/IMG_5040.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0bfqo9wZAd6lAOfhackjCuYY1MibqnDj3QwtUD1oPKR83Nv0eC1zUQ0ECfYO5ExNWrcyWs2pFK1PxT1sYDuZYk9-N17nTMEqUlBzt2tdLKkqbN2bwZB67ZzXh06IHtBEC9EFdpBJoWRY/s1600/IMG_5049.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0bfqo9wZAd6lAOfhackjCuYY1MibqnDj3QwtUD1oPKR83Nv0eC1zUQ0ECfYO5ExNWrcyWs2pFK1PxT1sYDuZYk9-N17nTMEqUlBzt2tdLKkqbN2bwZB67ZzXh06IHtBEC9EFdpBJoWRY/s400/IMG_5049.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
The Science Center was awesome! Our favorite attractions were the human body exhibit, which the kids declared "less creepy" than Body Worlds and loved all of the interactive games and stations to play with, the sports and wellness exhibit, and the creativity center. This was like one big maker station and we spent almost an hour in there. There were about seven different challenge stations, each equipped with a ton of different materials and supplies to create with. We tinkered with the challenge of how to build something that can make it from one end of a clothesline to the other. We were all working on it, using all sorts of materials and weights and balancing tricks - until we looked over at one point and Henry had rigged up a simple contraption all on his own that accomplished the goal on his first try. Touche, little inventor man.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbz8NsQYgy2uXZYIv3DqA5ctB_misUXcAG9yOo3XNKiondygHYVbToz_GsTWOdhAi0pJc1wo94Ka1fAb-4qUF3n18Cy44hjQwwD828RB5HS39itPkHI3ROOQbMT7dQALlyjBTroh8ZR1qb/s400/IMG_5063.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZNcpDB-P7rv9SXTo06Ef7gFzjs-XroYIyHgpZM7t10UeGPJEAOcLtX1ZpsYN2goKw4jR2Qc1_nDxJPdlukiijctxIfV-WjfDFbQ5k1kTotOdi-fwyAb6spUCCsCjbUMW6dnCMHLILZvS/s1600/IMG_5065.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZNcpDB-P7rv9SXTo06Ef7gFzjs-XroYIyHgpZM7t10UeGPJEAOcLtX1ZpsYN2goKw4jR2Qc1_nDxJPdlukiijctxIfV-WjfDFbQ5k1kTotOdi-fwyAb6spUCCsCjbUMW6dnCMHLILZvS/s400/IMG_5065.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPc0J_JxpxwvG9Mq5p_MhTLdXoYtzIHcIZhciSDB4qK4iY8e-IFMXWI7Mlk2hjpm6TFDhrcm9o8EkFSN2aPZ0PHnfXJrNTIltSRDwHNabzNjwp5fLkdDGyXKh6KjARGDl1XlsCtCWFdftM/s400/w1o57F%2525kSIK4pxuRGsUHIQ.jpg" width="300" /><br />
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After a couple of hours in the science center, we walked along the waterfront and Henry spent some of his souvenir money to ride this cute little train.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgGXW-UI0ldZFu0FdJnylnpOH7a_5WzX-GLuTNX7tDamIxlSDb7zcwRZT8I1GRams8Ffrl82YQRc_TubOikDIFAf20mrDurEPaaIE_7KdMSff2S2XZY9QJWCUA4ZN1YIv46ng2NPvbMyZ/s1600/IMG_5083.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgGXW-UI0ldZFu0FdJnylnpOH7a_5WzX-GLuTNX7tDamIxlSDb7zcwRZT8I1GRams8Ffrl82YQRc_TubOikDIFAf20mrDurEPaaIE_7KdMSff2S2XZY9QJWCUA4ZN1YIv46ng2NPvbMyZ/s400/IMG_5083.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDw3s3BPznbGu6Ld9z4MOo1ba1M1R-CpYAoKzsaLhPWWw6RX23y8hZuVkwU2yHHlLe3A49tGX-N1cDYa7kwrdzKEH0E1S6RZGj-R6JCnrcP2J5HjZeREnf04agCwe_tYEi_tSvpJULSkmM/s1600/DSC00887.jpg"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDw3s3BPznbGu6Ld9z4MOo1ba1M1R-CpYAoKzsaLhPWWw6RX23y8hZuVkwU2yHHlLe3A49tGX-N1cDYa7kwrdzKEH0E1S6RZGj-R6JCnrcP2J5HjZeREnf04agCwe_tYEi_tSvpJULSkmM/s400/DSC00887.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFQkJdflfKC2nJhpJ9T-9IsIx5FOLwXPf02biKsMn7d_j4yMp1ZAzWfZvkiFCd80q70Aacd8NON0ETndztAW5qZssL5_tIDztypK8gpngBWdu231PVXScrhG7gYYeaLK722l7n_WVcLkA/s1600/IMG_5085.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFQkJdflfKC2nJhpJ9T-9IsIx5FOLwXPf02biKsMn7d_j4yMp1ZAzWfZvkiFCd80q70Aacd8NON0ETndztAW5qZssL5_tIDztypK8gpngBWdu231PVXScrhG7gYYeaLK722l7n_WVcLkA/s400/IMG_5085.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
We popped into <a href="http://www.mllecatherine.ca/">Mlle Catherine</a> for gelato for lunch and explored the adorable little shop next door.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisASPiR7zfkyzC1dPrT-7HHXpsVRn_0l5SfK8IVKbY-NiDj7JIU3lSXdCeOWaowJ7Qpca6eAFZg0GJbjzVoTjCQ8Uye9IyUiCrVtUxmTFhEWRwCig6koI57GNYd1u1Kpm0W8RePSJlRleJ/s1600/IMG_5090.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisASPiR7zfkyzC1dPrT-7HHXpsVRn_0l5SfK8IVKbY-NiDj7JIU3lSXdCeOWaowJ7Qpca6eAFZg0GJbjzVoTjCQ8Uye9IyUiCrVtUxmTFhEWRwCig6koI57GNYd1u1Kpm0W8RePSJlRleJ/s400/IMG_5090.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMYcYEclTaliIW4LYqK9eBXENTXICuk3Kb1Kk2jytDCNvzcvCvYHlaMOEseQCocKAZQdEknM08glop472qEIijVtywVXchw730EhTKFvEi1_UrfijjI55fhYYtVxpl5LlVofi5reFvQ2y/s1600/IMG_5091.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMYcYEclTaliIW4LYqK9eBXENTXICuk3Kb1Kk2jytDCNvzcvCvYHlaMOEseQCocKAZQdEknM08glop472qEIijVtywVXchw730EhTKFvEi1_UrfijjI55fhYYtVxpl5LlVofi5reFvQ2y/s400/IMG_5091.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
We were all feeling a little vacationed out at this point, so headed back to the hotel for some down time. Zach and the little kids went ahead while Erin and I found a grocery store and shopped for some snacks for the room. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD30n7_HiNnl-86d8TIvgQKxUvesFzx1o4-tmNwr11XVg07rs0rc9SODujPEkqJywXNKA2zHQ2mhPQA7ZkPnu4pwLLYgn7hWbc84dX4Gcx39IzYubWAaM53dnMX9eWEivTY3t68yeneqWB/s1600/IMG_5103.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD30n7_HiNnl-86d8TIvgQKxUvesFzx1o4-tmNwr11XVg07rs0rc9SODujPEkqJywXNKA2zHQ2mhPQA7ZkPnu4pwLLYgn7hWbc84dX4Gcx39IzYubWAaM53dnMX9eWEivTY3t68yeneqWB/s400/IMG_5103.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
After some chilling out time, we headed off to meet up with friends from home who now live in Montreal. We played around in the park for a bit and no one minded the light rain, which helped us justify bringing the rain gear along! We went out to dinner at <a href="http://www.resto-universel.com/en/locations/peel/">Universel</a> where we all got our first taste of poutine.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54XWN6kzRfS5YQbwYFs95ZrGwXc5fq02AXycyTfOw7YIH7HJVAsToTSeAF1hSXhYChWnxfsfOjBk1O74hP0OVe2RH7IfWY3QPZ76NK5j4HK01sqCcdK3vRuTYbYAaz-iYTj-IauuBHUlb/s1600/IMG_5105.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54XWN6kzRfS5YQbwYFs95ZrGwXc5fq02AXycyTfOw7YIH7HJVAsToTSeAF1hSXhYChWnxfsfOjBk1O74hP0OVe2RH7IfWY3QPZ76NK5j4HK01sqCcdK3vRuTYbYAaz-iYTj-IauuBHUlb/s400/IMG_5105.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaLbw7OGv-xJpRKumPRyDPGbT05fpfjUxk28PnMGxeYIyIFoEP7GildBmwAlXnv0TzlyOcU7V59ztclxbCHaPx0ZEx5pyBIIQahTzMygZ-0hgY41yR3TSG-Y0tIK_ZeOju4o-SzrTXrn9/s1600/IMG_5109.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaLbw7OGv-xJpRKumPRyDPGbT05fpfjUxk28PnMGxeYIyIFoEP7GildBmwAlXnv0TzlyOcU7V59ztclxbCHaPx0ZEx5pyBIIQahTzMygZ-0hgY41yR3TSG-Y0tIK_ZeOju4o-SzrTXrn9/s400/IMG_5109.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzTHgtLII_ctrqhpP_mQ9Ei97Eh3eIlvRNfDi9aWaf9b-jA-5XQfVoTXswsWef9qkaikwPyrP6NTEhcLVJIWIjMIBI_axI1-TyB4fdWsPpUcX3jAhctVmV5TobIqD1kbk7Q6ChOYzr7d4/s400/IMG_5111.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<br />
<b>Sunday:</b><br />
One of the things the kids really wanted to do on the trip was eat breakfast in the hotel. (Why?!) We did this on Sunday morning and it was a pleasant surprise! We saw more kids than we had seen in the entire city up in the hotel breakfast room, which had quite a nice selection for a free continental breakfast. <br />
<br />
We walked back to the Notre Dame Basilica for Mass (in French!). We love attending Mass at the beautiful, historic churches even if they aren't in English - we had done the same thing in Florence at the Duomo. Even if we can't follow along during the whole Mass, it's such a special way to see the churches and really enjoy getting a great look at all of their unique features while sitting there for Mass. You can notice things and enjoy them in a way that you don't during a regular walk-through visit.<br />
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After Mass, we headed back to the hotel to change into comfy clothes and plan our day. We also packed lunches with the provisions we had bought at the grocery store, which was a great decision. We jumped on the metro - which was one of the trickier experiences to navigate given that the ticket machines were mostly in French - and headed to the <a href="https://parcolympique.qc.ca/en/what-to-do/olympic-stadium/">Olympic Stadium</a>! We rode out to Station Pie IX and it was about a 10 minute walk from there, with well marked signs along the way.<br />
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb0zVO7jOVSpb5Nbf1Cbz7KjVfQ_92LIUlmysm-JzJcvKI7U2SSFA5cYiiKfeViBN3YBVWGIhzj-M4fyoA2Jc_ZGpPmzZ9hl726RWKgVqO3rH7DzmERMDKjShePRpOGeT2Y-U9jx5BzQi/s400/IMG_5124.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLDQngJI6WEiDJHDsPIKkGx0iIBqTw4mo_2oewcs693PvYEjk7nBVvvMQuCrjyrNKwrPbakniM2kL11NBw8TyhdwpKB-bMfQGjCHGVYsngu_qpIvCOnltwKOexrrqPzrUNC1UHswVN1Qa/s1600/IMG_5126.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLDQngJI6WEiDJHDsPIKkGx0iIBqTw4mo_2oewcs693PvYEjk7nBVvvMQuCrjyrNKwrPbakniM2kL11NBw8TyhdwpKB-bMfQGjCHGVYsngu_qpIvCOnltwKOexrrqPzrUNC1UHswVN1Qa/s400/IMG_5126.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
The Olympic Stadium is on the outskirts of town so the metro was the way to travel. It is located in a huge complex, in the same area as the <a href="https://m.espacepourlavie.ca/en/mobile/biodome">Biodome</a> (which was sadly closed for renovations) and the <a href="https://espacepourlavie.ca/en/botanical-garden">Botanical Gardens</a>. We could have spent twice as much time out there and still not seen everything there is to explore. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydj7etw3EGhJXoQPLUFR4JcsagursT861n0gLmM5oOaNnTm2GKi2XIUWYXQAsvIBPayQ-EvEqt3fnXxusMoqmyCNLy4OrvmdM3mP0i-YZiWSqhtG25zLoIo_V6FRB6m0AhkQg-jPF4YwE/s1600/IMG_5130.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydj7etw3EGhJXoQPLUFR4JcsagursT861n0gLmM5oOaNnTm2GKi2XIUWYXQAsvIBPayQ-EvEqt3fnXxusMoqmyCNLy4OrvmdM3mP0i-YZiWSqhtG25zLoIo_V6FRB6m0AhkQg-jPF4YwE/s400/IMG_5130.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
For this visit, we stuck with the Olympic Stadium and that alone gave us hours of entertainment. The first stop was the pool complex. There was an amazing ninja warrior type obstacle course going on in the pool and Nettie has declared that she'll be having her next birthday party here.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1aRl6j5dc2KjH-wD2pgbUpaT8OBGXpe7v7KPMaiuGX8wqbaioGNLEMaL9ilKwNpe8dqP0bmwf_aIgeIN2wF8sfrnvO60ccs0tN6QD7W9QxBwh2j4ABpupttwJcsft3LEhu7mFmzBWY37/s1600/IMG_5129.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1aRl6j5dc2KjH-wD2pgbUpaT8OBGXpe7v7KPMaiuGX8wqbaioGNLEMaL9ilKwNpe8dqP0bmwf_aIgeIN2wF8sfrnvO60ccs0tN6QD7W9QxBwh2j4ABpupttwJcsft3LEhu7mFmzBWY37/s400/IMG_5129.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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After the pool, we went into the Olympic museum. There were plenty of exhibits that were interesting for both kids and grown-ups and we took our time wandering around. We opted not to take the guided tour and still feel like we learned a lot and saw what we wanted to on our own.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6fmBaS7LA3O-3z8WRwdrr_zWhEfaGH-MRT7j-Nvg43Rn6cO-R1NFaxTFX_qwVnS82GJR9SQQM0jof9ojpGx3iNAURTJeXpEe44j8nFi54aAJ1S1Kx_bnlOMMzBRaElsj9IL6sH_Mz42_/s1600/IMG_5137.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6fmBaS7LA3O-3z8WRwdrr_zWhEfaGH-MRT7j-Nvg43Rn6cO-R1NFaxTFX_qwVnS82GJR9SQQM0jof9ojpGx3iNAURTJeXpEe44j8nFi54aAJ1S1Kx_bnlOMMzBRaElsj9IL6sH_Mz42_/s400/IMG_5137.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
We wandered up to the soccer stadium next, but you couldn't really get close to see inside it very well. But there was a big grassy area nearby so we took a break to eat lunch and rest our legs. And practice our Olympic jump shots, in Nettie's case.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW5nxJbRauTJXixUwF1pPUdKZsFUyXBHJ6UfPqzFjYS_K5JFYW_tmZNWsmWFAeXulhe31Tv-XJZ2GcaRwV7P2iWrx9ayFv-JoURYY0MG6yy58ERFhwzwXY19-Il7e9aSHNnfRnD5EE0MH/s1600/IMG_5144.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW5nxJbRauTJXixUwF1pPUdKZsFUyXBHJ6UfPqzFjYS_K5JFYW_tmZNWsmWFAeXulhe31Tv-XJZ2GcaRwV7P2iWrx9ayFv-JoURYY0MG6yy58ERFhwzwXY19-Il7e9aSHNnfRnD5EE0MH/s400/IMG_5144.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEMTKDtkdWsGmjU5O1VyOWRE0ze9_T0C7X2kbukgaOUStRBv2NImsWSIxW35YiX95w6uWFwEa1b1SUsWGro_4AgtQejkEp6wQ4tTVh5Atg401wgtK6mUTYv2s5Q1vKpRNwzLgt7mDcuyw/s1600/IMG_5156.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEMTKDtkdWsGmjU5O1VyOWRE0ze9_T0C7X2kbukgaOUStRBv2NImsWSIxW35YiX95w6uWFwEa1b1SUsWGro_4AgtQejkEp6wQ4tTVh5Atg401wgtK6mUTYv2s5Q1vKpRNwzLgt7mDcuyw/s400/IMG_5156.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
While we opted out of the guided tour, the kids enthusiastically opted in to the funicular ride to the top of the <a href="https://parcolympique.qc.ca/en/what-to-do/the-montreal-tower/">Montreal Tower</a>. I was nervous that it was going to be open air or really scary up there, but it was totally safe and really cool. It is the tallest inclined tower in the world and the views from the top were awesome. The ride took 2 or 3 minutes and we spent about 20 minutes exploring when we got up to the observatory. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHvbeTA6bxKWzQBK5gpYHBhYNyDm8FZEyBw_pbMoavRRXURCd_URTxO7Y7S2eD4R7ujYXJBamK4pyGnYTvnZYLevHJRkOBtUr_JWcyGaGHVMko7HkAeL6p8z-6BhuvtksF1wqQhrATLCl/s1600/IMG_5160.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHvbeTA6bxKWzQBK5gpYHBhYNyDm8FZEyBw_pbMoavRRXURCd_URTxO7Y7S2eD4R7ujYXJBamK4pyGnYTvnZYLevHJRkOBtUr_JWcyGaGHVMko7HkAeL6p8z-6BhuvtksF1wqQhrATLCl/s400/IMG_5160.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP6F7iF7NprLbtJ92u10KOIjKDm-lfNzmGyRLznRWvqqGl39FqDF03ffTK05h4oPjEVWuGVcF6sEtnwUJHeej_G8gjEexkBuJm5mQw5iEjh0ZIs0Lh_Vm4yjOLpjtObYexf6xPWtBFQaI/s1600/IMG_5162.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP6F7iF7NprLbtJ92u10KOIjKDm-lfNzmGyRLznRWvqqGl39FqDF03ffTK05h4oPjEVWuGVcF6sEtnwUJHeej_G8gjEexkBuJm5mQw5iEjh0ZIs0Lh_Vm4yjOLpjtObYexf6xPWtBFQaI/s400/IMG_5162.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
They had a fun photo booth and a nice gift shop at the top as well.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiFMCl1IgKWd3eOn9xuyaaZl-_C4b_J0LOrZQuJzXlSTeK2i94tk-KRMdeJW5PCmuc9UB-8aIxEWshb3z3A2QWptC5RqAY5lnMfSo819V4W9V_UpWVlhepFt_I-on09ZnJVi_wUSwYnk5/s1600/NlJd9T0PTPe22Tq6tVYMLw.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiFMCl1IgKWd3eOn9xuyaaZl-_C4b_J0LOrZQuJzXlSTeK2i94tk-KRMdeJW5PCmuc9UB-8aIxEWshb3z3A2QWptC5RqAY5lnMfSo819V4W9V_UpWVlhepFt_I-on09ZnJVi_wUSwYnk5/s400/NlJd9T0PTPe22Tq6tVYMLw.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwf1_a8YEbHU7CZ6dDx5C-3hAma9DG2ps4kj-iLPqhXfphEWoOBz86x5cweB2xkqPgGIMpjHNQ2E9c0bjk3PAe7PyU8FHjAPFhKrerpLdn0P95Mx0iBjD38KUjZwj4sdmOno1S-3QEARq/s1600/NVvpgd6QSX%252B58h4qabN3Zg.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwf1_a8YEbHU7CZ6dDx5C-3hAma9DG2ps4kj-iLPqhXfphEWoOBz86x5cweB2xkqPgGIMpjHNQ2E9c0bjk3PAe7PyU8FHjAPFhKrerpLdn0P95Mx0iBjD38KUjZwj4sdmOno1S-3QEARq/s400/NVvpgd6QSX%252B58h4qabN3Zg.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
We wrapped up our visit at the stadium and thought we might walk over to see a bit of the Botanical Gardens, but we started walking in that direction and basically hit a wall. Everyone's legs were tired, Ryan took a major wipeout on Henry's scooter, we were hungry and thirsty, and Nettie broke her newly purchased souvenir. We aborted the gardens plan and rerouted ourselves to Station Viau, which was not as close by as we had anticipated. Those subway seats never felt so good when we finally got on the train! <br />
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Our destination was Schwartz's deli, with hopefully some gelato along the way. We had thought we might incorporate our visit to Mont Royal in this same trip, but quickly realized that it needed to be its own adventure for a different day. We were done walking, let alone hiking a mountain! We did take the Metro to the Mont Royal stop and walked from there to Schwartz's, which was farther than we expected but in a cute, bustling area. Unfortunately cute and bustling did not come with a plethora of gelato shops and we were like camels in the desert looking for a mirage! <br />
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We finally got to the deli and Zach checked another local specialty off his list with the smoked meat sandwich. The kids and I also found a delicious homemade ice cream shop right across the street called Ripples, and ice cream has never tasted so good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfWudZLzQIJkjunOB3tKqke-RamGfTowuXOMbJ0UqEmq2FdSJJ5iQMwaR1bVCFpZdRkdyIyxbEGXScCy9wu2yHLcHfPPu0Z53EmWcV-MLXcxqbUr5BlelJBls_uPaMjJ9Ry9uuJLn3-ZM/s1600/UkxSCUxgRFKWlAUgXbU%2525yQ.jpg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfWudZLzQIJkjunOB3tKqke-RamGfTowuXOMbJ0UqEmq2FdSJJ5iQMwaR1bVCFpZdRkdyIyxbEGXScCy9wu2yHLcHfPPu0Z53EmWcV-MLXcxqbUr5BlelJBls_uPaMjJ9Ry9uuJLn3-ZM/s400/UkxSCUxgRFKWlAUgXbU%2525yQ.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Because we were already at about 9 miles walked for the day and what's a few more, we decided it would be almost as close to walk the rest of the way back to the hotel rather than finding the Metro again. The unexpected bonus of this plan was stumbling upon the Dollarama, which was another of the kids' preferred destinations after hearing about it at dinner the night before. No better way to maximize your souvenir money than shopping at the dollar store! <br />
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Our legs were about to fall off when we got to the hotel, so it was the perfect night to crawl into beds and couches for some TV time and dinner in the room. Thank goodness for that grocery run!<br />
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<b>Monday:</b><br />
We woke up Monday morning feeling refreshed and hungry to check the last thing off of our must-do list - Montreal bagels! There is an intense rivalry between Fairmount and St. Viateur bagels and sesame is the famous local flavor. Zach and I had eaten at St. Viateur on our previous visit to Montreal so we decided to try Fairmount this trip. Yum! The sesame bagels were fresh from the oven and still warm and we bought a dozen to take in the car for our drive home. They didn't last long - I think everyone had two before we had crossed the border! We would have bought more but it was cash only - and therefore the perfect way to use up the last of our Canadian money on our way out of town. <br />
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With bagels in hand, we hit the road for home, <a href="https://ourwednesdayadventures.blogspot.com/2019/11/to-canada-via-nh-and-vt.html">via Vermont</a> and Ben and Jerry's! It was a fun, delicious visit to Montreal!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_MqAUy-VorL_N5yINnOLR2Nz2ijt9rxh7Pega769YH34BJysG5BkE3SSp6NUyP4E8MJ4Q59iTzlrjlM7Kqb4wShOqYXjVIukij0jltZ3OkZpgNCL7VZLTmym-_MQTk7_Y_NRZ1DbSIRW/s1600/IMG_5191.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_MqAUy-VorL_N5yINnOLR2Nz2ijt9rxh7Pega769YH34BJysG5BkE3SSp6NUyP4E8MJ4Q59iTzlrjlM7Kqb4wShOqYXjVIukij0jltZ3OkZpgNCL7VZLTmym-_MQTk7_Y_NRZ1DbSIRW/s400/IMG_5191.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth8RdoVBO2t1fBOGLROd3QwkJmw9oTphmoO60O1-d599l84HiXMD_Zo6bERfg9WRzVVfVtyfg9lMbEcbO8MQf8FhQGa5JmwQ0xtqAezmLLZBAvjRYedRrJg9hYyXsMvPFNA1IZ2zwP_3R/s1600/IMG_5193.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth8RdoVBO2t1fBOGLROd3QwkJmw9oTphmoO60O1-d599l84HiXMD_Zo6bERfg9WRzVVfVtyfg9lMbEcbO8MQf8FhQGa5JmwQ0xtqAezmLLZBAvjRYedRrJg9hYyXsMvPFNA1IZ2zwP_3R/s400/IMG_5193.jpg" width="300" /></a>Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-58118202240823157322019-10-26T08:46:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:25:29.990-08:0036 (ish) Hours in Quebec City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We loved Quebec City! We stayed in Old Quebec, which had a similar vibe to Florence - a small, old, walled city, with cute shops, historic buildings, and cobblestone streets. Our <a href="https://ourwednesdayadventures.blogspot.com/2019/11/extra-long-weekend-in-quebec-city-and.html">Airbnb</a> was in a great location and we walked everywhere.</div>
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<b><i>Here are our highlights!</i></b></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG4ncOM4otIiyX_DXvxord80Xcqz3-55oBaXJzi-fzb52HVUbetOpQcoUbFM0Pc4BkvKzXhP20BHIp12Rm3nuAz9n7lJ1rnbAP2ZasGKtttBAdZty5jWL6QH3ACfOCq_9Fv9c_f_5M4VE/s1600/DSC00818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG4ncOM4otIiyX_DXvxord80Xcqz3-55oBaXJzi-fzb52HVUbetOpQcoUbFM0Pc4BkvKzXhP20BHIp12Rm3nuAz9n7lJ1rnbAP2ZasGKtttBAdZty5jWL6QH3ACfOCq_9Fv9c_f_5M4VE/s400/DSC00818.JPG" width="400" /></a>
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<b>Wednesday: </b></div>
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We arrived in town around 5pm - we were literally outrunning daylight as we tried to find our apartment and get settled before sunset. Everyone was a little stir crazy after a 9 hour road trip, so we got some wiggles out exploring the apartment and settling in. We had read a recommendation for Restaurant Parmesan and were excited to discover that it was literally a 2 minute walk from our apartment (which became a 10 minute walk when we got turned around on the winding roads.). Unfortunately it was all booked, but the manager sent us two doors down to <a href="https://polinapizzeria.com/">Polina Pizzeria</a>. They sat us right away and we had a good meal. It wasn't anything to write home about, but the kids were happy with pizza and pasta and the vibe was very kid friendly. </div>
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<b>Thursday: </b></div>
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We had a rocky night's sleep, but everyone was still excited to get out on Thursday morning to start exploring. We knew that we only had one full day in QC and decided to spend the day walking and wandering to see as much of the sights as we could. </div>
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- Breakfast at <a href="https://www.paillard.ca/">Paillard</a>. Voted best croissants in Quebec City! The treats were yummy, although the atmosphere felt a little sterile - I don't think it's a chain, but it felt very modern and grocery like. But no one was sad to start the day with chocolate pastries, so it got a thumbs up all around.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi765_byzaXSysTzMpR11UN6vcZhDmNBz_Me3hVhHFunAne8kgjVHmy3h6D5WKv-te8MDILK03LxSb24q8gc1BkH9MAJTZussKcnwKHdlK9Q_DvEr9mH4xq8819MNrhTA6FMgcT9ZbpGF5F/s1600/fullsizeoutput_980f.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi765_byzaXSysTzMpR11UN6vcZhDmNBz_Me3hVhHFunAne8kgjVHmy3h6D5WKv-te8MDILK03LxSb24q8gc1BkH9MAJTZussKcnwKHdlK9Q_DvEr9mH4xq8819MNrhTA6FMgcT9ZbpGF5F/s400/fullsizeoutput_980f.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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- Horse drawn carriage ride! This was something that Henry had really wanted to do in Florence and we couldn't pull it off, so we promised him we would make it happen in Quebec. It was awesome! The driver let all six of us ride in one carriage and bundled us up under warm blankets for a tour of the city. He took us around Old Quebec as well as parts of the new city. It was a great way to get our bearings and see a lot of the city, and Zach and I found the driver's narration to be very informative. The kids loved the ride and were especially excited to feed carrots to the horse at the end. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jIH-6qdFFGBO3V-40u8tZOzduKqUrxj_U_eX1WvxRu6JseTKA_aA4GEbTh94ZddCoLUJasZDBxesdyhEGzLFv_cmrJtjlmCKDcO1rogDltU1dzcPBlgGDOcLU2hpNiHHp8dO6j9rg7Q6/s1600/%2525%2525r4syOhQ6ab1zOIZVUFFw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jIH-6qdFFGBO3V-40u8tZOzduKqUrxj_U_eX1WvxRu6JseTKA_aA4GEbTh94ZddCoLUJasZDBxesdyhEGzLFv_cmrJtjlmCKDcO1rogDltU1dzcPBlgGDOcLU2hpNiHHp8dO6j9rg7Q6/s400/%2525%2525r4syOhQ6ab1zOIZVUFFw.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNrAayYM_F7bxqDIIxjPj_0oDZMVkLDkW3n6Q5hN2Amt8OloFjEoRSo4oZDPYpM18qKFgU65mZNENQIUE-VMrD47N8TUzjp1jsHjasdBj-kIPojjbyItN32RZGDXYfuQWIawowKF1Wi8o/s1600/HaSufxZ8Rte5FA15Z%252BkTgA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNrAayYM_F7bxqDIIxjPj_0oDZMVkLDkW3n6Q5hN2Amt8OloFjEoRSo4oZDPYpM18qKFgU65mZNENQIUE-VMrD47N8TUzjp1jsHjasdBj-kIPojjbyItN32RZGDXYfuQWIawowKF1Wi8o/s400/HaSufxZ8Rte5FA15Z%252BkTgA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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- <a href="https://benjo.ca/en/store">Benjo toy store</a>: The kids had read about the store in the travel books and knew it was enormous and had a special kids-only entrance. They were sold :) It was kind of off the beaten path, into the new city, but it was a nice walk and not hard to find. We timed our arrival at the toy store with Zach's work conference call, so he settled into the store's cafe while the kids and I wandered for almost an hour. They all made some hard decisions about how to allocate their souvenir money, but everyone left with some sort of special treasure (small enough to carry, as was the rule!).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCt2ohTq3Evg6Rvzrb_tJrJ9Mfial6TViY2-LG1qQ1qVT806n1kx_EwN8e2_hcO_Ckkp8n2xL78qt9TJxn8nTFS2RYuhtCFoLZgU_15-TsRj0L0gTOT19aaBLVI3dgS6Bxdhcc1eVK0wA/s1600/IMG_4843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCt2ohTq3Evg6Rvzrb_tJrJ9Mfial6TViY2-LG1qQ1qVT806n1kx_EwN8e2_hcO_Ckkp8n2xL78qt9TJxn8nTFS2RYuhtCFoLZgU_15-TsRj0L0gTOT19aaBLVI3dgS6Bxdhcc1eVK0wA/s400/IMG_4843.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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- Crepes for lunch: We were fading a bit and needed an energy boost, so found a sweet little creperie for lunch, called <a href="https://www.cassecrepebreton.com/menu.html">Casse Crepe Breton</a>. It had an open "kitchen" where we could watch them making the crepes from our table. We had a combination of sweet and savory crepes and everything was delicious!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKZ3HGF3yBEH4zG2AAL2blMPgu3VGaPKggtnsVkNc5iRtibY8t5ROzhtBAwpRMTt5tjTSypk3UztT_m69JPqgX82Z1x66Sf82tajIkAigb8LmyEJc4hg7g1C4g4W3sygv-DX1KVoVuzS4/s1600/76xwdXGgQROgZ6XdQ9DxiA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKZ3HGF3yBEH4zG2AAL2blMPgu3VGaPKggtnsVkNc5iRtibY8t5ROzhtBAwpRMTt5tjTSypk3UztT_m69JPqgX82Z1x66Sf82tajIkAigb8LmyEJc4hg7g1C4g4W3sygv-DX1KVoVuzS4/s400/76xwdXGgQROgZ6XdQ9DxiA.jpg" width="300" /></a>
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- Chateau Frontenac, Terrace Dufferin, funicular ride and Quartier Petit Champlain: After lunch, we wandered over to explore the boardwalk around the Chateau Frontenac. Zach and I had stayed there when we visited before kids and it made for a lovely, high end potty stop with the kids! Everyone was wide-eyed about the toboggan slide and begged to return during winter carnival someday. We rode the funicular down to the Quartier Petit Champlain, which was a short but fun ride with a good view. We poked in and out of some cute shops, had fun checking out all of the Halloween decorations on the streets, got a maple taffy treat (yum!), and found a gorgeous umbrella installation where we took some pretty photos. </div>
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- Dinner at <a href="https://lecafedumonde.com/#/">Cafe du Monde</a> in the Old Port. We went back to our apartment for some down time before heading out again for dinner. We decided to go down to the Old Port, which was one of the only areas of the old city that we hadn't explored yet. It was about a 15 minute walk from our apartment and had great views of the port and its giant cruise ships. Having had Italian for dinner the night before, we wanted something more French bistro and this fit the bill. The restaurant was enormous, had a great kids' menu, and good bistro fare for adults too. Erin and I shared a maple sugar pie for dessert, which was a delicious local treat that we are hoping to replicate at home for Thanksgiving!</div>
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<b>Friday:</b></div>
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Everyone slept much better after Thursday's adventures and we woke up hungry on Friday! We knew we had to check out of our Airbnb by 11am so we got an early-ish start and headed out for another bakery destination.</div>
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- Breakfast at <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/le-paingr%C3%BCel-qu%C3%A9bec-2">Le Paingruel</a> and coffee at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g155033-d9883985-Reviews-Cantook_Micro_Torrefaction-Quebec_City_Quebec.html">Cantook Micro Torrefaction</a>: WORTH THE WALK!! Now this was the kind of authentic, local, French bakery we were looking for. It was about a 15 minute walk from the apartment, outside the walls of the old city, and totally worth it. The bakery was a tiny little shop with a lovely baker. We drooled over all the treats before settling on a good variety of choices - and actually went back in for seconds after we polished those off. Erin got a pear and chocolate pastry that she swears is the best thing she has ever eaten. We also got coffee across the street at a bustling local shop, which was the perfect complement to our breakfast. We took a baguette to go and headed back toward the old city.</div>
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- Walking the walls of the old city: You can walk all around the old city on top of the city walls, which Zach and the big kids did while Henry and I headed back to the apartment to pack up. This turned out to be a good decision, as Zach was surprised to find that there are no railings in many spots up on the pretty high old walls! They walked the walls all the way around to the boardwalk near the Chateau for some great views and sights.</div>
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- <a href="https://www.sepaq.com/destinations/parc-chute-montmorency/index.dot?language_id=1">Montmorency Falls</a>: we packed up and headed out of town around 11am and drove to Montmorency Falls, just outside of Quebec City. This was super easy to do and worth the stop. We explored on foot for awhile, and Zach and the big kids walked across the falls on the footbridge while Henry and I found a playground right next to it (another smart decision for the height fearing among us!). We all took the funicular/tram from the top to the bottom of the falls. This was a great ride with really good views of a different side of the falls, and the kids liked the little souvenir shop at the bottom. </div>
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We spent about an hour at the falls before hitting the road for Montreal. Overall, we had a great time in Quebec City and felt like we were able to hit all of the highlights in the time we had. If we had to do it again, we would have tried to arrive a few hours earlier in the afternoon on Wednesday to give us a little more daylight time to explore upon arrival, but there really isn't anything major that we had hoped to do that we didn't fit in. It was such a cute, old city with a very European feel, and had plenty of sights and shops for adults to enjoy while simultaneously being very kid-friendly. </div>
Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-38267537621160353722019-10-22T07:59:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:26:10.563-08:00To Canada, via NH and VTOur trip to Canada was the longest road trip we've ever embarked on with the kids (aside from a crazy 1,300 mile trip we took when Erin was 13 months old and our only baby!).<br />
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We knew we would all benefit from breaking up the drive with a few stops, and aimed to make the stops a memorable part of the trip rather than just doing a bunch of gas station potty breaks (although we had our fair share of those too!). </div>
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We started the trip with the longest leg of the drive, which was the 7 hour trek to Quebec City. This was a good decision and it was great to have the longest drive behind us once we arrived. We traveled up to Canada via New Hampshire. </div>
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We left Needham around 9am after a stop for bagels and coffee, and our destination stop was <a href="https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/park-sites/flume-gorge">Flume Gorge</a> in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We got there about 2.5 hours into the drive, which almost felt too soon to stop, but it was a gorgeous destination and worth the detour. It was easy to find and right off the highway. </div>
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We thought it was a little touristy when we arrived and were surprised that we had to pay admission, unlike many other hikes in the mountains. But once we got on the trail, we realized how much infrastructure there is to maintain and were more than happy to pay to support it. </div>
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We did a hike that was about a 2 mile loop and it was totally kid-friendly. There were a couple of spots with narrow-ish stairs, but plenty of others where it was wide open trail. The map was easy to follow and they had little Bingo type scavenger hunts for the kids. We couldn't have timed it any better with the foliage and the views were just breathtaking with all of the gorgeous leaves. </div>
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The whole stop was about an hour, which was just enough to keep us on schedule for the drive while giving everyone a long enough break to move around. We made two other stops on the way up to Quebec City, one for lunch (the kids' first Happy Meals at a random McDonald's before we crossed the border!) and another for a potty break (at a Canadian McDonald's!).<br />
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We traveled from Quebec City to Montreal about halfway through the trip and did this route without any stops, aside from <a href="https://ourwednesdayadventures.blogspot.com/2019/11/36-ish-hours-in-quebec-city.html">our visit to Montmorency Falls</a>, which was just about 15 minutes outside of Quebec City.<br />
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On Monday, we headed home from Montreal via Vermont. We took the scenic route through the Hero Islands on the recommendation of some friends, and this detour added about 30 minutes (?) to our trip but was gorgeous, and we think may have saved us some time crossing the border because it took us through a tiny little customs stop where we were one of only two cars going across. <br />
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We took most of these pictures out the window while we were driving, but we did pull over for a couple because the views were just so pretty.<br />
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Our destination stop on the way home was the <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/factory-tours">Ben and Jerry's factory</a> in Waterbury, VT. This was another easy, right off the highway stop, and well timed about halfway through the drive. We did not anticipate that Columbus Day is the busiest day of the year there - but between foliage, Columbus Day weekend, and Canadian Thanksgiving, it totally makes sense. We had to disappoint four kiddos by telling them we couldn't wait an hour for the next tour, but everyone got over it pretty quickly when their big ice cream cones came out.<br />
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We were racing the clock to get home for Erin's soccer practice at this point, so we pretty much drove straight home from Ben and Jerry's, with one stop to switch drivers and a crazy overland detour once we got into Massachusetts to avoid bad traffic on 95/128. <br />
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Overall, the road trip was very doable and made much prettier by the timing of the foliage. It was very helpful to have two destination stops on our routes, to give ourselves something to look forward to and to break up the time in the car with stops that were just as memorable a part of the trip as the final destinations.
Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-13730384983261882762019-10-19T11:15:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:26:33.839-08:00Extra Long Weekend in Quebec City and Montreal<b>Road Trip!!</b><br />
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As we were looking at the school calendar this year, we noticed that in October, between a Jewish holiday on a Wednesday and Columbus Day on Monday, we could take a 6 day vacation while only missing two days of school. After our trip to Europe, we (or at least I!) have totally caught the travel bug and feel like we've opened up a whole world of possibilities for traveling with the kids. We wanted to keep the European vibe going after how much the kids enjoyed Paris and Florence, and decided to make it a road trip north to Canada. <br />
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Zach and I had visited both Montreal (on our "mini-moon" after our wedding) and Quebec City (on a November long weekend before kids) and knew that they would be fun destinations with the whole family.<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtsoL1QArI6vADswZKLfIdNqUlBAsFlxkJSKy1rdS1WRZ4m6wEZx3fjmZSM8LwOotZLrBVjQW-fe_R92guI8w_XBRkcZ4K11H4TgzwDVJU1JHgGcdNZCjq4Zm8pzs1XBuy5-UXcfmXo1o/s400/IMG_4796.jpg" /><br />
<b>The Stats </b><br />
<br />
<li>6 days</li>
<li>5 nights</li>
<li>4 kids, 2 parents</li>
<li>17 hours of driving</li>
<li>900 miles (of which Zach drove 800!)</li>
<li>1 minivan, 1 scooter (see below!)</li>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbQehagkfiNMYUqsXaBHxvri7Q9N2iBc_vOx3nZRipWIO0UXERo1Nz-o3ptSlZo5ztQftKC_FiwKX1Mgi4ehiwt-_kpaqVQJceqzGH7dSaIMS18CHFsh1ZzV5uWufYSs5NBJnQ1mXOnwr/s1600/0ku66WlyTKCKVE6%2525k7l6Gg.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbQehagkfiNMYUqsXaBHxvri7Q9N2iBc_vOx3nZRipWIO0UXERo1Nz-o3ptSlZo5ztQftKC_FiwKX1Mgi4ehiwt-_kpaqVQJceqzGH7dSaIMS18CHFsh1ZzV5uWufYSs5NBJnQ1mXOnwr/s400/0ku66WlyTKCKVE6%2525k7l6Gg.jpg" /></a><br />
<b>The Itinerary</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Wednesday 10/9/2019: Departed Needham, 9am</li>
<ul>
<li>First stop: Flume Gorge, in the White Mountains of NH</li>
<li>Destination: Quebec City, Canada: arrived around 5pm</li>
<li>2 nights in QC (Airbnb: L’APPARTEMENT CENTRAL au coeur du Vieux-Québec)</li>
</ul>
<li>Friday 10/11/2019: Departed QC, 10am</li>
<ul>
<li>Destination: Montreal: arrived around 3pm</li>
<li>3 nights in Montreal (Hotel: Le Square Phillips Hotel & Suites)</li>
</ul>
<li>Monday 10/14/2019: Departed Montreal, 9am</li>
<ul>
<li>Destination: home, via Hero Islands and Ben and Jerry’s Factory!: arrived 5pm</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrpzDP4OFNiuh2zcN3iodrvGrXTWGMqldLZZOJbkbPH0I8Q_Bw1I0gg3rOmx2KHFRPgGZuTwrBnf_ZWbE7XBXnpwzM4SklaJ3PJDckSnyKPvYAPxvEZhKs7X0YEx_thHndARZihCaciRq/s400/IMG_4799.jpg" /><br />
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<b>Packing </b><br />
Layers, layers, layers! The weather forecast fluctuated a lot in the week before we left. We packed rain boots and coats for everyone because at one point, it looked like the entire trip was going to be a wet one. We never needed them - thank goodness! It was chilly in the mornings and evenings (40s), but warmed up to the low-mid 60s many afternoons, which with the sun, felt quite balmy. We wore and shed many layers throughout the day. We had hats and gloves, but didn’t need them as much as we would have predicted, and the kids got down to t-shirts a few days after some running around. The cities were both pretty casual and while we brought some “handsome clothes”, we prioritized comfort and harmony over wrestling Ryan into said handsome clothes most days.<br />
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<i>Boys:</i><br />
<ul>
<li>2 jeans, 1 cords, 1 chinos, 2 sweatpants</li>
<li>3 sweatshirts/sweaters</li>
<li>4 long sleeve shirts</li>
<li>2 short sleeve shirts</li>
<li>6 underwear, 6 socks</li>
<li>2 PJs</li>
<li>Patagonia down sweater</li>
<li>Raincoat</li>
<li>Rain boots</li>
<li>Running sneakers, Adidas sneakers</li>
<li>Hat, gloves</li>
</ul>
<i>Girls:</i><br />
<ul>
<li>Same, with one dress/tights swapped in for one pair of pants/shirt</li>
</ul>
<i>Mom:</i><br />
<ul>
<li>2 jeans, 1 black jeans</li>
<li>3 long sleeve shirts, 1 short sleeve shirt</li>
<li>1 chambray shirt, 1 blouse</li>
<li>2 lightweight layering sweaters, 3 warmer sweaters</li>
<li>1 set of workout clothes</li>
<li>Patagonia down jacket/raincoat</li>
<li>Vest</li>
<li>Running sneakers, Adidas sneakers, black booties, rain boots</li>
<li>Hat, gloves</li>
</ul>
<i>Dad: </i>on his own :)<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8N3aV0l_n_6Ylem6pt5PcH146RY3BfFpYNdZAfJOQYv6FflOJiZiqtE8veyEmJKij2vXmdFYfn6749aDz4jUgrvzuenUGvTwQboPHC58Pf392lAaCH0mVcrojrGYLWXBMdTOMm-k-D0Ui/s400/IMG_3207.jpg" /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFIV7VsQHWDF67WpMp1_a7TUHkFwyjTBfue-wYN2GUQyuZBh-JjRAiWevfTwBwiFo4_j1Pw7GOtrL2LNYm6XQiqRmQfhmukyi-JuIaYQ8Nt7Fk3Prl7IafGbP1xzq95g6-TRIGetrXuge/s400/IMG_3211.jpg" /><br />
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<b>Lodging </b><br />
This was our first experience doing Airbnb and it was great! There were pros and cons to our specific apartment, but the experience was seamless and we always prefer having a little more space and kitchen amenities. We stayed in a suite-style hotel in Montreal though, and that was great too.<br />
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In Quebec City, we stayed in <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/trips/v1/18de81c8-172a-4cd9-bea6-48b570c700ea/ro/RESERVATION2_CHECKIN/HMAKKBRQAW/g">an Airbnb in Old Quebec City</a>. The location was amazing. We walked everywhere and were right in the heart of the old city. Parking was not ideal - we knew it was off site, but did not realize how small the parking garages would be. The minivan just fit, and we would have had a problem if we had brought my Infiniti. Our Airbnb host was responsive and provided clear, easy to follow instructions.<br />
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The apartment was a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom with kitchen and laundry (neither of which we took advantage of in our 2 night stay). We put the kids in one bedroom, which had the laundry room adjoining, where we set up Henry’s travel crib. The downside to the apartment was that the master bedroom did not have a full wall - it was one of those setups where the wall ended about 2 feet short of the ceiling. Unfortunately since the kids like the hallway light on to sleep, it meant it was basically broad daylight in our room all night. We also didn’t do melatonin at bedtime, which we usually do on the first night of a trip, and I totally regret it. The kids were wound up (even though no one slept a wink the entire drive) and had a really hard time settling down. We switched things around the second night, keeping Henry in his “laundry room” and moving the kids to the master so we could have the regular bedroom with walls, and everything was much, much better.<br />
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In Montreal, we stayed in <a href="http://www.squarephillips.com/en/home.html">a hotel in the downtown area</a>. It was so family friendly! We were blown away when we checked in and they offered the kids a welcome gift - they rolled out a full size wagon, overflowing with toys, and let each of the kids choose something. They weren’t anything fancy - Nettie got a pack of 12 glow necklaces, Erin got a PlayDoh set, Henry chose a cement mixer (of course), and Ryan picked some sort of ninja guys. But it made such an impact - they were thrilled and it gave us all some much needed normalcy and down time to chill out and play with toys in the room for a bit. We had a family suite, which had a kitchen, living room with sofa bed, a full bedroom, and an alcove area with another bed. We took the bedroom, put Henry’s crib in the entry way area, and rotated each night with one big kid in the sofa bed and two more in the alcove bed.<br />
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<b>Lessons Learned</b><br />
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This was a totally doable itinerary for an extra long weekend. It was a really good decision to do the longest drive on the first day. We had toyed with going to Montreal first since it’s closer, but are really glad we drove all the way to Quebec instead. It was helpful to be able to tell the kids when we arrived that the longest drive was behind us, and it was nice to know that we were making our way closer to home the rest of the trip.<br />
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I admit, I’m not a big road trip fan. Zach would prefer to drive everywhere over flying, and I just don’t love spending that much time in the car. But it was totally fine and now we know the kids can handle it. We relied heavily on technology, especially on the first leg of the trip - I think the kids watched 3 movies on the way up to QC. But we dialed that back a bit on the way home and leaned on a few new car activities that we had purchased for the trip, and that worked out fine too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopROSnd2d5nWnljGvtcaiBSMoTr1UG7wIM6UT-YvZf0osMC9ChbPAVMzEmA5Qg4xfvN222ReRpQHdHgkFpKxiNXkaqhwKtaaCbrrOQ7OEtuSPQhR8IqgTn_oYxJFg32K4_0M2M8kWK3-5/s1600/Tr1uT%252B8AQgaBtN3ypOSZoA.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopROSnd2d5nWnljGvtcaiBSMoTr1UG7wIM6UT-YvZf0osMC9ChbPAVMzEmA5Qg4xfvN222ReRpQHdHgkFpKxiNXkaqhwKtaaCbrrOQ7OEtuSPQhR8IqgTn_oYxJFg32K4_0M2M8kWK3-5/s400/Tr1uT%252B8AQgaBtN3ypOSZoA.jpg" /></a><br />
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We stopped at Flume Gorge on the drive up, which was about 2-2.5 hours into the 7ish hour drive. It almost felt too early to stop, and we spent about an hour there, which felt too long. But we loved it and would totally recommend. It felt like more of a “destination”, and part of the trip, rather than just another rest stop for food and bathrooms. Totally worth it.<br />
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Phones work in Canada, and we relied on them a lot for navigation. We only turned our phones on once in Paris and a handful of times in Italy, but we found maps a little harder to use in QC (construction road closures didn’t help our cause), so the GPS came in handy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-2JrW6IUWvFGEPaZPCnvoKhHlF6ps21DYCsY_7o_vlPk1tUijQsgWTXumHwlvdBqO44p1kek4LXalpRsh9W8-wQCx2FLArkSgCyjuD5woZT4NIwOGOyVwfwRdTEiQ4rX1I0aV654RfSe/s1600/fullsizeoutput_9b70.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-2JrW6IUWvFGEPaZPCnvoKhHlF6ps21DYCsY_7o_vlPk1tUijQsgWTXumHwlvdBqO44p1kek4LXalpRsh9W8-wQCx2FLArkSgCyjuD5woZT4NIwOGOyVwfwRdTEiQ4rX1I0aV654RfSe/s400/fullsizeoutput_9b70.jpeg" /></a><br />
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Never, ever bring only one scooter again!! I think 90% of the arguments on this trip were caused by the fact that we opted against a stroller and instead brought one scooter for Henry. Big mistake!! Either he was still tired and could have used a stroller (we did walk 8+ miles every day…), or the big kids were angling for turns on said scooter and Henry didn’t want to share. Either way, someone was basically always mad about it. Next time, I would bring a stroller along, and either bring 4 scooters or none. Lesson learned.<br />
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I might flip flop our time and spend 3 nights in QC and 2 nights in Montreal, but it’s hard to say. We loved QC - it had that very European, old city feel, and we loved wandering the streets, popping into the shops, and exploring the walls and landmarks. Montreal also felt very French (maybe even more so?) but very modern - I think it was Erin who said it reminded her of NYC. There was a ton to do there, which is how we initially decided to spend 3 nights, but it felt more like things we would do at home in Boston - science museum, etc. It’s hard to say - there were things we would have liked to do in each city that we ran out of time for, so both have tons of options and resources. Just two very different feels.<br />
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I will share more photos and details of our highlights and activities in each city separately, but would highly recommend this trip! It was a lot of driving, but doable, and an awesome way to have a very European experience just a few hours from home.Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-53667758347895743902019-04-14T08:54:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:27:00.921-08:00Under the Tuscan Sun<b>Wednesday</b><br />
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After our week in Florence, our last stop on the trip was the Tuscan countryside. Ahhh, it was so beautiful, the scenery almost looked fake. <br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CTukz6YOozlU0CEpFofUJ1cAAfWMEMWyb01eoE1h-ebaN3wAVEOSGrJosgt2aWg7ZJ7ORYUo01a0rk2yPc3v_5r7Gmpn8BebBLp153SwYr4JPasCke2uQc7ptp6pS3xifPY8FUwiGRhv/s400/FrX0qoaxTKiNuw8WukjlKQ.jpg" /><br />
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Before we got to the beautiful scenery though, we had to get out of Florence, which ranks among the most stressful moments of the trip! Let me save you the trouble and let you know that rental cars are not allowed within the walls of the old city. We didn't know this, so Zach walked out to the Avis place to pick up the car while the kids and I stayed back at the apartment to pack up. He got the car, found out he couldn't drive it to us, and had to walk back - probably a 20 minute walk. Adding to the stress, it had started raining and we were bumping up against check out time and we hadn't eaten lunch and had promised the kids one last gelato stop that we quickly realized we wouldn't be able to fulfill. Tensions were running high! Thankfully our apartment owner was super sweet and helpful and called us a cab and helped us bring all of our bags downstairs while we waited for Zach to get back. We took the cab to Avis and then played the fun game of Tetris trying to get all of our belongings into the car - when they say mini-van in Europe, they mean MINI-van.<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpc3Rb5X_oJkkCL7wv3r5Ch8cIOc2gtEa02OV0M64ZTS47yjEtG1TdI2Ljf7WOCDahpRSGqLz5Qf8t50yh80Wo6SSDt92vjyCSVyLLBDQRqao1eFVYhBqNiaKbtOeScVU34SzYrTdMZiki/s400/IMG_0057.jpg" /><br />
Once we were locked and loaded, we hit the road! We were heading to <a href="http://algelsobianco.it/?lang=en">Al Gelso Bianco</a>, in the Tuscan town of Barberino val d'Elsa, where we would be staying for the rest of the trip. It is a working vineyard where they produce olive oil and wine and we were looking forward to a totally different experience out in the countryside. We decided to take a slightly circuitous route in order to see Pisa on the way.<br />
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Pisa was a quick stop but really cool to see. We thought the town was a little sketchy and there wasn't much to it, but once we parked the car and walked to where the Leaning Tower is, that was pretty neat. You have to be 8 years old to climb the tower so only Zach and Erin went to the top, and they said you could definitely feel the leaning from inside. We popped into the beautiful church, took the requisite photos, had a sub-par gelato, and got back on the road.<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4C9L7J6MbeVKWwRQ91UhUhAotMYjy67EcachBjJEL_iI-_SG4AM7NnJ2dKXI3JE2y8xLND0kz03JNF3-f3zMybWrTkPwxx182pGRYIpuZjBjLw9Y3XRcnpH06DXWX_bxMrvhWJoQv2En/s400/IMG_0066.jpg" /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkEhyphenhyphenj5XsmSBGIXzb4wyLO5stSdCeyV1xQVxGgWjLlqTyekH2_cKhGJqLv0RoKk6-bpKNhcXsqzDntNNqe90TJts-usbYkfFX5RQS5BEU0eA_0j1wnVX-QZZINmLeV54ggcVesqrC4s5E/s400/IMG_0069.jpg" /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutPnwCrhjuQL_m0_NSocgCHy2v65U32sGECRcyJatlH-m6jGuxiMHsr-rl-hXlyDlxIyWikwsv7ZICx579kuHfCJCxM_pA8tBQN4oRjnYePWFIiOXsJxttiijYKI4a4JqFIAbhrTvENRt/s400/IMG_0071.jpg" /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3M12xANM-brM4ZfW-Q9i2QKmWbzn6ODQu-q42t7QzE83FsnrJFCRQlJrYqp7Bw8Tbxewcmp4zlpsemIVz-Hjqz0_YptgDxkoXa7ORt1O2X76ETdHW2DwvsKcyxdSb77CK9u4pv8c1v2U/s400/IMG_0084.jpg" /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbouRbsfi1CHEpUcPrtlYW8b-QTp0B7Lhc6iSvNUi2ooYpqDBUBpSfxQC-MLsCcEURK0v6NIZQS9YFJ1gGuQqzWfMkP6gD_Yjmdzud4TUNPTSIGBv9OwyJIybRO4fUmi6jCplmCGE_rin/s400/IMG_0101.jpg" /><br />
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The kids were fascinated and stressed out by the fact that we were doing all of our navigation by paper maps and directions print outs since we didn't have our phones turned on. We were pretty proud of ourselves, even though we definitely circled through a few rotaries multiple times while we tried to figure out the signs!<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKJ2wuaqdfV5-60KyodzJjmiJQayMoG80kdJO1sJ0iY6kQ-A4qtf4DTypW0JHR1WezQWC5k4dCQaTI9uEvNgGlK0kvtJf5ge1of6H5nw13CkOC3V0hcW59ANG0Zh6l4rr8C4NBYBZwo1k/s400/IMG_0059.jpg" /><br />
We arrived at Al Gelso Bianco in the late afternoon, and thank goodness we made it in daylight because it was definitely down a winding country road! The kids were immediately excited and it was a great change of pace to get out of the city and into the sprawling grounds of the vineyard/farm. We had packed lots of leftovers from our chef's dinner the night before so we spent the rest of the afternoon getting settled, exploring the grounds, running around and meeting the farm animals. The kids were particularly fond of the two farm cats! <br />
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We were glad we had brought food and basics from Florence because the apartment was very minimally stocked. We had actually snagged a roll of toilet paper to take with us and didn't need that, but didn't have any paper towels, hand soap, or obviously any food items waiting for us. <br />
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<b>Thursday</b><br />
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We woke up to rain on Thursday morning, but it worked out well because we had scheduled our cooking class and that turned out to be a perfect drizzly day activity. We ate breakfast in our room from the provisions we had packed from Florence and headed over to the cooking class kitchen at the farm for a 10am class. We were in class with two other families - two moms traveling with their kids - and the kids were happy to have others to play with. The class was awesome! We made pesto, pasta, gnocchi, and a delicious apple cake. The kitchen was super cute and everything was really hands on and geared toward families. <br />
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After the food was prepared, we had about 45 minutes of free time while it cooked. During this time, they hosted a tasting of their house made wines and olive oils for the adults while they sent the kids off to explore the grounds - this was rather nerve-racking for me as they ended up all over the mountainside looking for animals and out of my sight, but the older kids in the class took care of them and Zach popped out to find them as needed.<br />
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<br />
When everything was cooked, we all came together for a hearty lunch of all the food we had prepared and wines we had tasted. It was delicious and such a cool experience!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRW01yagJ0Ho2pPm1E72VH_7R9UOw-WUFyBKhIE3xp6Gg_kDeCZrOYiWSsdk830YFEi1gKRDKEX5cu5wU9Dle-dUjgWQgARi0q7WLJYI6S-8Q4s8RffjT9C5QEY4gC74m29LsyrFEuHI0/s1600/IMG_0204.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRW01yagJ0Ho2pPm1E72VH_7R9UOw-WUFyBKhIE3xp6Gg_kDeCZrOYiWSsdk830YFEi1gKRDKEX5cu5wU9Dle-dUjgWQgARi0q7WLJYI6S-8Q4s8RffjT9C5QEY4gC74m29LsyrFEuHI0/s400/IMG_0204.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />
After class, we headed back to our apartment for some rest/quiet time and then did some more exploring on our own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWpbDVg0rrYLLz-cKIFeOzaoXNA4uUSEAQKe-_f3GjHZGZXGH4H54x-xxSQusacyqpvkPwKyRjeX9xH7iE_5yZNHYOThpi59LPQG4Bo8n8Pdmb5m2PLWChqRO7w_LOcr73kvbO7Bv-L_W/s1600/IMG_0306.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWpbDVg0rrYLLz-cKIFeOzaoXNA4uUSEAQKe-_f3GjHZGZXGH4H54x-xxSQusacyqpvkPwKyRjeX9xH7iE_5yZNHYOThpi59LPQG4Bo8n8Pdmb5m2PLWChqRO7w_LOcr73kvbO7Bv-L_W/s400/IMG_0306.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We knew we needed to find food for dinner, but when we headed out to a local pizzeria for an early meal, it wasn't open yet. Italians don't eat dinner at 5pm like Americans do! We were afraid to be driving around in the dark on those winding roads, so decided to hit the grocery store instead. We poked around the little towns nearby, got a gelato, and stocked up on provisions for dinner and breakfasts. We were enjoying the slower pace and open space to run around so the kids were happy to have this downtime at the farm while we ate in.<br />
<br />
<b>Friday</b><br />
<br />
The kids would have been content to chase the cats around the grounds for another day, but we decided to discover a bit more of Tuscany on our last day. We headed out to Siena, which was an easy drive south. It was another cute Tuscan town - we went out for lunch, got gelato, did some great souvenir shopping, and climbed to the top of another tower for a beautiful view. The church was incredibly beautiful and it was really cool to see where they run the Palio horse races. Admittedly, everyone was a little burned out by this point in the trip and the weather was a little chilly and raw, but it was a worthwhile day trip and totally doable in an afternoon.<br />
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<br />
There had been a mix up with our reservation at Al Gelso Blanco so we ended up having to move to a different apartment for our last night, which was annoying but actually worked in our favor overall because we had packed everything up and were ready for our sunrise departure to the airport on Saturday morning. <br />
<br />
<b>Saturday</b><br />
<br />
We left as the sun was rising and drove all the way back to Florence for our flight to Paris, and connecting flight to Boston. <br />
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Our overall itinerary was such a perfect mix of big city (Paris), small old city (Florence) and countryside (Tuscany). We loved every bit of this trip and couldn't recommend it enough!Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-48286027886922555652019-04-11T03:20:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:27:19.964-08:00Our Week in Florence - Part Two<b>Monday:</b><br />
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We were all feeling revitalized after quenching Ryan’s thirst for a game of catch on Sunday and he was begging to go back for more. Sadly, we realized that the Boboli, along with most museums in Florence, is closed on Mondays. I was able to sneak out on an early morning run before Zach left for his meetings - can't beat the views on that run!<br />
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The kids had slept in thanks to our late jetlag schedule so we decided to have a lazy morning at home. We did laundry for the first time, which was good because they typically don’t have clothes dryers in Italy so everything was hung on racks to air dry - doing laundry for six people this way becomes quite the time consuming process!<br />
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We headed out late morning and walked a bit off the beaten path to find a local playground. It was about a 15 minute walk, but worth the trek for some playtime and the feeling of some normalcy like a day we might have at home. One of our goals for our time in Florence was to just experience day to day life there, especially during the few days when Zach was getting up to go to meetings and the kids and I were free to explore on our own. Shopping at the Central Market, going to the playground, and doing laundry abroad were some of our most memorable experiences, right up there with the cultural tours and sightseeing. It's such an important part of travel with kids, just exposing them to new cultures and allowing them to experience day to day life in another language or another country. <br />
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Everyone needed a little gelato pick-me-up after our playground time, so we visited La Carraia, the Gelateria that Viola and Vittorio had recommended. Yum! <br />
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We wandered around a bit more, exploring the Ponte Vecchio, taking a few more carousel rides, and ultimately ended up back at Hosteria de Ganino for lunch.<br />
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After lunch, we went back to our apartment for some quiet time before meeting up with Zach at the end of his meetings. Kate had found us a babysitter for Monday evening so that I could attend Zach's work dinner event. <br />
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I was a little nervous about leaving the kids, but they all did great with the sitter and Nettie got a ton of great insights from her for her Italy country project at school!<br />
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<b>Tuesday:</b><br />
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The big excitement of the day was that Erin went off to school with Viola for the day! The girls had been pen pals for a few months and were fast friends when they met on Saturday, but we were still beyond impressed by Erin's poise and bravery in heading off to an Italian school for an 8 hour day! She loved every minute of it and had so many stories for us at the end of the day. What an amazing experience!<br />
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While Erin was at school and Zach was off to his final morning of meetings, the little kids and I found Kate's favorite bakery and restocked ourselves with some of their delicious treats for lunch and snacks. And stopped for gelato. Because when in Florence...<br />
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We took our treasures to the Boboli Gardens for more play time, and the kids were excited to show Zach around when he met up with us at noon.<br />
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One of the other treasures we picked up in our travels was a small set of watercolor paints and brushes from a sweet little art shop, so the kids (and I!) had a great time back at the apartment in the afternoon playing with those.<br />
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It was such a treat on Tuesday night to have a local Italian chef come to our apartment for a cooking demo. We had an amazing meal and she did a wonderful job of engaging the kids in different kitchen tasks. She made a delicious sausage and baguette appetizer, chicken cacciatore and roasted potatoes, and the kids made tiramisu for dessert. We tried to scribble down recipe notes as she was cooking from memory so we can recreate some of these dishes at home! We ate appetizers on our roof deck before the sun went down, and it was such a perfect finale to our time in Florence. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsz_FPuHBcCfG_ZVeosgDFh6AI9EgzS_WSbST2IVMfrgsxvSTpj8vKqJ7-fydpwZ-xeWMSHGORTSb8O-FrdkEwFUfuA0MCmo7PJOYm8DuO1hXXAlyielbYAHdGgcU0DQKw55v0Nxow3kM8/s1600/5677C205-42F5-43A7-9222-43AE22F2E4EA.heic"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsz_FPuHBcCfG_ZVeosgDFh6AI9EgzS_WSbST2IVMfrgsxvSTpj8vKqJ7-fydpwZ-xeWMSHGORTSb8O-FrdkEwFUfuA0MCmo7PJOYm8DuO1hXXAlyielbYAHdGgcU0DQKw55v0Nxow3kM8/s400/5677C205-42F5-43A7-9222-43AE22F2E4EA.heic" width="300" /></a><br />
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<b>Wednesday:</b><br />
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We had a few hours left in Florence before our departure for Tuscany. We had tickets to view the David at the Accademia so we headed there first. Zach and I had seen the sculpture on our last trip to Florence, but it was just as spectacular seeing it again. We had read several books with the kids before our trip and one of Ryan’s favorites was The Stone Giant, so he found it especially cool to see David in person.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoiSbN_U-1L4e-AFbYjUZDcghWJxs8-bTr_FFjz2ERGAn83Pl3eisl22a6TyH42u3ZR_hKnpneY4YORQp9BRPaUF3Uq3fFwmNUtr9Y8Zp9txCUM0tMp6laUgKaVF2nXL4uUyAe0mvee93/s1600/3C9E4943-48F8-469B-A6EB-0F9C4DAC6ECC.jpeg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoiSbN_U-1L4e-AFbYjUZDcghWJxs8-bTr_FFjz2ERGAn83Pl3eisl22a6TyH42u3ZR_hKnpneY4YORQp9BRPaUF3Uq3fFwmNUtr9Y8Zp9txCUM0tMp6laUgKaVF2nXL4uUyAe0mvee93/s400/3C9E4943-48F8-469B-A6EB-0F9C4DAC6ECC.jpeg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXwb3ZnjLt_tcJ2KaNEbOHbVTHGaMoB7S99HcS6mp15_ddIJS9TK1qB_5VDAIq3sFpzNhlk4cXQ_jseGQcpxfbYbFlJB-m4ZPak8y9SqL0sbIf-tMenC7OWZt08B7F1dPI7_msiH04dye/s1600/FE1E46FE-E881-47C1-B631-ED60E7C21BA4.heic"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXwb3ZnjLt_tcJ2KaNEbOHbVTHGaMoB7S99HcS6mp15_ddIJS9TK1qB_5VDAIq3sFpzNhlk4cXQ_jseGQcpxfbYbFlJB-m4ZPak8y9SqL0sbIf-tMenC7OWZt08B7F1dPI7_msiH04dye/s400/FE1E46FE-E881-47C1-B631-ED60E7C21BA4.heic" width="300" /></a><br />
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As a side note, some of our other favorite kids books were Pippo the Fool (about the building of Bruneleaci’s duomo), the Bella and Harry series (for both Paris and Florence), and the Mission: Paris and Mission: Florence scavenger hunt books.<br />
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We didn’t stay too long at the Accademia but took a stroll through the nearby exhibits after we saw the David.<br />
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After the museum, we wanted to show Zach the Mercato Centrale and enjoy one more delicious pizza and burrata toast before we left. We ate our early lunch - including an adventurous taste of lampredotto, which even Zach couldn’t stomach. Look it up and you’ll understand!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4unilTGa01fw5VlhTIqJVF567oaf6-G8yqKvgeAi2ybS5s6Mttx9fJXzbtjnhnSw4uXz2iT2u53eqRHPDvxZ5Vx0bSSYKDO7YicPgVG7baDsnMbw6pI8MVXw9oBV089gfI42SPee9K75/s1600/499FCAF7-ED65-494F-BBBC-A3B344F77E5B.jpeg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4unilTGa01fw5VlhTIqJVF567oaf6-G8yqKvgeAi2ybS5s6Mttx9fJXzbtjnhnSw4uXz2iT2u53eqRHPDvxZ5Vx0bSSYKDO7YicPgVG7baDsnMbw6pI8MVXw9oBV089gfI42SPee9K75/s400/499FCAF7-ED65-494F-BBBC-A3B344F77E5B.jpeg" width="300" /></a><br />
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We headed back to our apartment and let the kids watch a movie while I packed up and Zach began the torturous experience of picking up the rental car. Read all about that in our Tuscany post!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkhQ8vCgzmlxuLMySlHr7BSWwz-tARHV5ORLlCQUn6-7YeMqSav0u-HS4s5uXJd4pWNBQf3JckZ5e7Ubz00y7xj9lGYhs3HIORmyZZS069-ULNYNcS_0ACYUd_uKbnPSL57wMbfuhbdMM/s1600/49C670D7-B189-42A2-8EFE-07908AB34E82.heic"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkhQ8vCgzmlxuLMySlHr7BSWwz-tARHV5ORLlCQUn6-7YeMqSav0u-HS4s5uXJd4pWNBQf3JckZ5e7Ubz00y7xj9lGYhs3HIORmyZZS069-ULNYNcS_0ACYUd_uKbnPSL57wMbfuhbdMM/s400/49C670D7-B189-42A2-8EFE-07908AB34E82.heic" width="300" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTl0tg5_1X3jlcIAoIcfKNKfOdh_7fmMgKLvIa_JmMxOoeVHHDfWMaxkiq5CGg6Cb6qRIU6bZaw_Mgbu3cFlmBzdECO2x72DfwseIcJkbAUfXcQBPaaUjf4Pjtprg0KuTux0ISZt0JAhWO/s1600/D9172FE3-A3AC-4B93-A5D2-9C7FA2FFE8E3.jpeg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTl0tg5_1X3jlcIAoIcfKNKfOdh_7fmMgKLvIa_JmMxOoeVHHDfWMaxkiq5CGg6Cb6qRIU6bZaw_Mgbu3cFlmBzdECO2x72DfwseIcJkbAUfXcQBPaaUjf4Pjtprg0KuTux0ISZt0JAhWO/s400/D9172FE3-A3AC-4B93-A5D2-9C7FA2FFE8E3.jpeg" width="400" /></a>Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-65796184793954016802019-04-08T06:37:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:27:34.451-08:00Our Week in Florence - Part OneAh, Florence! How will we ever sum up our week? Probably with a million pictures and tales of daily gelato... ;)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFIP31OSe_U8py_hPseGXVbhNrnwkcmuPgGqUyTpBw4hLGRGAODln_NSFh7Od0SHx4LNF8TDTnGQ01tIhcHPSwURFGPPf3plcOJDhco94cyhaw-vRCRAcEKVqsRQxQ-cRh0soKOWd4inQ/s1600/EDF0A36B-526F-4836-B831-CA7C81D51262.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFIP31OSe_U8py_hPseGXVbhNrnwkcmuPgGqUyTpBw4hLGRGAODln_NSFh7Od0SHx4LNF8TDTnGQ01tIhcHPSwURFGPPf3plcOJDhco94cyhaw-vRCRAcEKVqsRQxQ-cRh0soKOWd4inQ/s400/EDF0A36B-526F-4836-B831-CA7C81D51262.jpeg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDbzo-wPBA5nc0O3nOz3q7Ul-_SEIpT4oJHUILtM4Iw5eLO-e1aPpEPr1YtaGqhQrMUmYGn_hoVZwpIpmHhfmEG5UMW1HEPqMI4Z1__kYG3DJwNKagJkZDnDhY1A9QOdQ4CR-pZ6v7jEy/s1600/24BB74AE-9A61-4E2E-9AA7-B7F5F26FAB43.heic"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDbzo-wPBA5nc0O3nOz3q7Ul-_SEIpT4oJHUILtM4Iw5eLO-e1aPpEPr1YtaGqhQrMUmYGn_hoVZwpIpmHhfmEG5UMW1HEPqMI4Z1__kYG3DJwNKagJkZDnDhY1A9QOdQ4CR-pZ6v7jEy/s400/24BB74AE-9A61-4E2E-9AA7-B7F5F26FAB43.heic" width="400" /></a><br />
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<b>Friday:</b><br />
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We flew from Paris to Florence on Friday morning. It was only about an hour and a half flight, but the travel day took more out of us than we had expected. I think we were still jet-lagged, and we had some language barriers in the intra-Europe airport terminal, but overall it was a quick and easy flight and the Florence airport is only about a 20 minute drive to the center of the city.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qDgm6rUfTIy_01uWh2xvpzt8E5bejKaijWvwUazAamHgOYZxagGmd3XKb1yLaKowOLNb853ThiLQnCFBpte5u1lACUOoNOl021XAlmagNpQkpJC6f43RajrpiH1NIfK1M_qW-nyXkmsS/s1600/1D225755-5181-4304-BFFF-A81C4E17ADCC.heic"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qDgm6rUfTIy_01uWh2xvpzt8E5bejKaijWvwUazAamHgOYZxagGmd3XKb1yLaKowOLNb853ThiLQnCFBpte5u1lACUOoNOl021XAlmagNpQkpJC6f43RajrpiH1NIfK1M_qW-nyXkmsS/s400/1D225755-5181-4304-BFFF-A81C4E17ADCC.heic" width="300" /></a><br />
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Our time in Florence was beautifully scripted by our dear friend Kate - Zach's friend from Middlebury who I've stolen as my own friend! - and she has lived in Florence since college. She was a wonderful resource as we were planning and booking our trip, making sure we were well taken care of and hit all the highlights. She gave us the extra special friend treatment, but she has her <a href="http://bgprincipessa.com/">own travel business</a> now too for others looking for her expertise.<br />
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We stayed at a great apartment called <a href="https://www.casa-ventura.com/">Casa Ventura</a>, which was centrally located right off the Ponte Vecchio, and very well appointed. <br />
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It had amazing views and a beautiful roof deck, and two bedrooms, full kitchen, living area, and laundry. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4Z1D3QXtrW3J61iVrss5-ld_CwrhHEOKK8pdEQDWd_4VhVa2NkFnRo0BSGlmAQYPd3mql82h8xlj9HT6BFnqj-Dwxdoqu1HOu7f9nR0FMzEGztc494PCex65xtEuSuu2TK8PhyphenhyphenN_kTzb/s1600/1207E6BE-56A2-4D7C-90F4-43EA60BE46AD.jpeg"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4Z1D3QXtrW3J61iVrss5-ld_CwrhHEOKK8pdEQDWd_4VhVa2NkFnRo0BSGlmAQYPd3mql82h8xlj9HT6BFnqj-Dwxdoqu1HOu7f9nR0FMzEGztc494PCex65xtEuSuu2TK8PhyphenhyphenN_kTzb/s400/1207E6BE-56A2-4D7C-90F4-43EA60BE46AD.jpeg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsYhCtismRU36U39Y44Lf-Yj4w2jGzhaMvy047cERh4-dY4gtf0925C785TVjWS7Cdjys5CdPhil-XFc3oq1j6EOBJR1HpCCkz6oLyODQ1AdgNhf3SnzTTVI1jMCLI7Fig6knUHNFFOsJ/s1600/8AF567E2-3607-4F65-A984-17E09ADCEBA2.jpeg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsYhCtismRU36U39Y44Lf-Yj4w2jGzhaMvy047cERh4-dY4gtf0925C785TVjWS7Cdjys5CdPhil-XFc3oq1j6EOBJR1HpCCkz6oLyODQ1AdgNhf3SnzTTVI1jMCLI7Fig6knUHNFFOsJ/s400/8AF567E2-3607-4F65-A984-17E09ADCEBA2.jpeg" width="300" /></a><br />
We put all of the kids in one bedroom - Nettie and Ryan shared the bed, Erin made herself a little bed on the floor with the patio cushions, and we put Henry's crib in the alcove between the bedroom and bathroom. Just don't ask about the naptime when he locked the door and trapped himself in said alcove.<br />
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We met Kate at the apartment when we arrived and she got us started with a few of her family's favorite local grocery items - yum! We got settled in, unpacked, and explored the apartment, and then set off to meet Kate for dinner that evening at Piazza Santa Spirito, which was right on a piazza where the kids could run around and I could enjoy my first Aperol spritz of the trip. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzmLUVGfCvpSDlpIhhtN2jjZdfwFyk-PgI3wPMsFpx3ERkakDqpGbpNkYOm9fd-GplE7aPumgPAVKOs7wbCuHHVnznadUW786Vw16VGbQ2BvHcZ-X3EDj7w8MqeeWWhGIv4IjSjOHhz5u/s1600/917F93BC-B128-4443-B258-95C3A609BDC1.heic"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzmLUVGfCvpSDlpIhhtN2jjZdfwFyk-PgI3wPMsFpx3ERkakDqpGbpNkYOm9fd-GplE7aPumgPAVKOs7wbCuHHVnznadUW786Vw16VGbQ2BvHcZ-X3EDj7w8MqeeWWhGIv4IjSjOHhz5u/s400/917F93BC-B128-4443-B258-95C3A609BDC1.heic" width="300" /></a><br />
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The kids integrated with some random Italian kids who were also playing there and had a blast - amazing how kids make friends wherever they go! We stopped at the Santa Trinita gelato shop on our walk back, kicking off our daily gelato habit for the rest of our time there!<br />
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<b>Saturday:</b></div>
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Kate had organized a walking tour of Florence for us on Saturday morning, which was a great way to get our bearings and learn more about the city. Florence is actually a very small city and by the end of our time there, we really knew our way around. Our guide, Siro Chini, was very knowledgeable and did a great job gearing the tour to the kids level of interest and attention. Their patience waned a few times, but he steered us toward a gelato stop and all was well. <br />
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He recommended a place for lunch called <a href="https://www.hosteriaganino.it/">Hosteria da Ganino</a>, which was so easy and good, I ended up returning there with the kids again later in the week. Hooray for outdoor patio seating! These giant noodles were the kids' most favorite - we bought a box to take home!<br />
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After lunch, we rode the carousel, went home for rest time, and headed out on a long walk in the afternoon to explore the Piazzale Michaelangelo. It was a hilly trek up to the top, but there was a cool garden, amazing views, and a little space to throw the football. <br />
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We were feeling a little stir crazy after our first 24 hours in Florence because Ryan was really craving a good park to run around in and they are hard to come by in the old city center. Unlike Paris, which had parks and gardens on every corner, Florence was a challenge. <br />
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Kate and her family hosted us for dinner on Saturday night and it was really great to get the kids together. Erin and Kate's daughter Viola had been pen pals for a few months leading up to the trip and they were instant buddies. Ryan and Nettie had fun running around with Vittorio and we all had a delicious dinner in their home. <br />
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Italians eat much later than we do at home so we stayed on a very late schedule for the entire trip, which actually helped with the jet lag. We were in for a big surprise when we got home from dinner around 11pm and learned that it was daylight savings in Italy and therefore actually midnight! There's nothing like jet lag + daylight savings to really throw you out of whack!<br />
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<b>Sunday:</b><br />
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Thankfully with the jet lag and the time change, everyone slept until almost 10am on Sunday morning - except Zach, who had to be out early for his first board meeting (the whole reason we took this trip!). The kids and I had a lazy start and then made our way to Mass (in Italian!) at the Duomo, which was a really cool experience. Even though we couldn't follow along with everything in the service, it was a great way to see the old church - there is lots to look at and plenty of time to take it all in during Mass. <br />
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After church, we went to the <a href="https://www.mercatocentrale.com/">Mercato Centrale</a> to find treats for lunch. It's a big open market, similar to Fanueil Hall at home, and we got a couple of delicious pizzas and the most amazing burrata toast (which I now recreate for lunch at home as often as I can). <br />
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We ate outside in a piazza before making our way to the <a href="https://www.uffizi.it/en/boboli-garden">Boboli Gardens</a>. <br />
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The Boboli was the answer to our prayers for Ryan's need to run around. You do have to pay admission and explore a bit off the beaten path to find the open space, but it was beautifully designed and satisfied a tourist experience and some play time all in one. <br />
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We reunited with Zach in the afternoon for a quick gelato before he headed back out for a work dinner and we ate at home in the apartment.<br />
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More on the second half of our time in Florence in the next post!</div>
Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-32994578000759491212019-04-04T13:29:00.002-07:002021-01-25T10:28:00.652-08:00Paris in the Springtime (Family Style!)The amazing thing about travel - and kids - and maybe especially travel with kids, is how quickly we forget the hard parts and only remember the joys. We all loved our time in Paris, and if you asked me how it went, I would say it was amazing. And yet, as I read these travel journals now a few months after our trip, it reminds me how sick I felt, how hard it was, and how everyone took a turn to be cranky. It's real life. But maybe that's all the more reason to take the adventures and do the hard things. The day-to-day routine at home is hard too - why not do it in Paris?! <br />
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While I think we overdid it in our two days in Paris, we knew we wanted to make the most of our time there, and also knew that the rest of our trip would be taken at a much more leisurely pace. It was such a great whirlwind tour of the city and we were so pleasantly surprised with how kid-friendly it was and how much we all loved it. For a place that started as a flight connection, we are so thrilled we made it a stop along the way.<br />
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We were so relieved that everyone slept well on our first night, and realized very quickly that we were going to survive jet lag - and European culture - by staying on a much later schedule throughout our trip. The kids (and parents!) started to wake up around 9am and we all got dressed and ready to head out for the day. I still wasn't feeling 100% but was exponentially better than the day before, and it was a beautiful day for exploring. During our time in Paris, it was sunny and ranged from the high 40s in the mornings to mid 60s during the afternoons. We were glad to have our down sweater jackets and peeled off layers as we went.<br />
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Everyone was ready for the day and starting to get hungry around 10am. We had a breakfast recommendation from Aunt Lael so we headed out around in search of <a href="http://www.carette-paris.fr/" target="_blank">Cafe Carette</a>. It was a short walk from our apartment, through the Trocadero, where we stopped for some amazing views and photos with the Eiffel Tower.<br />
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The restaurant was bustling when we arrived, but we loved it immediately. It was adorable and so Parisian - black and white tile floor, open window front, and a glass case filled with macarons in every color of the rainbow. There was a woman behind the counter tying little pink ribbons around the necks of these adorable rooster-shaped chocolates, and the kids were fascinated.<br />
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I was worried about getting in because it was pretty crowded with businessmen reading their newspapers and ladies who brunch, and we weren't a subtle group - six people, four kids, and a stroller! But the staff was so friendly and welcoming, and they found us a great spot right in the window.
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Zach and I each ordered the Carette brunch, which was absolutely delicious. It came with juice, coffee, toast with jam, a choice of pastry (I chose a brioche and Zach chose the pain au chocolat), and scrambled eggs. We supplemented with crepes for the girls and hot chocolate for the boys and shared everything around. It was the perfect amount of food and everything was excellent - the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever tasted! We also took a box of macarons to go, which made for great snacks later in the day. Nettie had a little moment of tears when she couldn't take a chocolate rooster home, but we knew it wouldn't survive the long day of walking around we had ahead. I still have a little regret about not buying one though. We weren't fully in vacation-mode yet!</div>
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The cafe was on a little roundabout behind the Trocadero and there was a stop right there for our hop on/hop off bus, which worked out perfectly. We hopped on the red line bus after brunch and rode straight to the Louvre. One of the key things we did going into this trip was to set expectations at a kid-friendly level. We had no disillusions that we would be spending hours in all the museums or eating out in fancy restaurants. It was a family vacation and we approached it with those expectations so no one would be disappointed. We aimed to accomplish one or two touristy goals per day, and interspersed them with plenty of kid-friendly activities. The boys were not psyched about going to the Louvre, but we made a deal that we would do the museum for Mommy and Daddy, followed by a return trip to the trampoline park for the kids. We made those kinds of deals pretty much constantly throughout the day, and the days that followed!<br />
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We had our museum pass from the bus package so we got right into the Louvre. There were lots of things to find in the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Paris-Scavenger-Adventure-Travel/dp/0989226743" target="_blank">Mission: Paris book</a> so the kids enjoyed counting the glass pyramids and taking the escalator under ground into the museum. I had a moment of anxiety when we split up to find the Mona Lisa - half of us took the elevator while the others took the stairs. The thing you learn pretty quickly when traveling abroad is how resourceful and patient you have to be when you don't have access to your phone! I was a little panicked when we couldn't find Zach right away and I didn't have the option to call or text him, but we made our way to the Mona Lisa and met up again there. For the record, we used the Verizon Wireless travel pass, which costs $10/day (per phone) when you activate it by sending a text, making or receiving a call, or activating data. Our goal going into the trip was to do that as infrequently as possible, and we did pretty well. <br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">One of the favorite books we read before the trip was from the series <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Visit-Paris-Adventures-Bella/dp/1937616010/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+adventures+of+Bella+and+harry+paris&qid=1561170093&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">"The Adventures of Bella and Harry"</a> - they are two Chihuahuas who travel all over the world and visit different cities. Henry loved the Paris one and was excited to see the Mona Lisa after reading about their journey. He did ask where Harry was too, which was pretty funny.</span></div>
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Another thing that worked really well on our trip was that the big kids had their own cameras. They had gotten them for birthdays and Christmas the year before, and I bought <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUGZDJ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">these handy carrying cases</a> so they could be independently responsible for them walking around. They brought them almost everywhere and it really kept them entertained. I also treated myself to a new camera for this trip and am obsessed! It is the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I8BICB2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Sony Alpha a6000</a> with <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0096W1P5W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">this lens</a> and I totally recommend it! The quality is as good as my old DSLR but it's smaller and lighter for toting around - it fit well into my bag and I used it every day. The best thing is that it has a built in Wifi connection, so I was able to upload my photos every night directly to my phone for easy saving and posting. My biggest gripe with using "the good camera" in the past was that it was such a pain to find the cords, plug it into the computer, and download everything - this eliminates all of that hassle! </div>
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After we saw the Mona Lisa, the kids were begging for the trip to the trampolines so we didn't stay in the Louvre much longer. We walked through a couple more rooms of paintings on our way out, which was totally worth it for the laughs we had when Henry pointed out all the curly blonde cherubs in the paintings and asked why the artists had painted him! <br />
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We left the museum and explored a new section of the Tuileries that had some cool tree mazes on our way back to the trampoline park.<br />
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We bought the 8 pack of tickets so the kids could have two rounds of jumping, and they used their own euros to go a third time. It was a huge hit. Ryan would have stayed all day, but we lured him out with an awesome playground right next to it and they all played for another 30 minutes or so.<br />
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We knew we needed to move along if we wanted to do anything else, which wasn't a popular decision. We basically dragged them out of there kicking and screaming, with the promise of finding food. Bakeries and food shops were once again harder to come by than we had expected, so we were all pretty starving at that point.<br />
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We walked along the Rue de Rivoli, parallel to the gardens. We walked past all the fancy stores and popped into a couple of not-fancy stores for postcards. The girls loved watching all of the street artists and we stopped to buy a watercolor painting from one of them. She was the sweetest woman, and despite the language barrier, she helped us select our favorite. We actually got two favorites - Ryan, rough and tumble as he may be, has the sweetest little sensitive soul and was dead set on choosing the pink flower shop print! I thought it would be perfect for my office, but we've had a few negotiations since we got home on whether that is actually his or mine! The artist gave the kids each a hand-painted bookmark as a thank you, which was very sweet.<br />
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The paintings buoyed everyone's mood for a bit, but when the thrill of that stop wore off, we relapsed into cranky mode when we realized how hungry and tired we all were. We walked back to the <a href="https://www.bigbustours.com/en/paris/paris-bus-tours?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgLLoBRDyARIsACRAZe4fvw2fKq3x7GIOYm9riEp8fAOHLIGAPYq7x99kityohyYAx7qbamQaAqrEEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Big Bus office</a> in hopes of catching the blue line to Sacre Coeur. We asked about a bakery where we could grab a baguette for lunch and they pointed us to the Monoprix around the corner. We never would have found this on our own - it looked like a department store from the front and was basically like a Target - there was food in the back, and I was desperate for lip balm by this point (airplane dehydration?) so it was a win win. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but the baguettes were fresh and delicious and we grabbed some cheese, fruit, and water as well, along with a few sandwiches.<br />
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This was another tense moment because we had left Zach and Henry behind to wait for the blue line and with no means of communication, crossed our fingers that our timing would work out. Thankfully the blue line took forever and we made it back in plenty of time. We all felt better after resting our legs and filling our bellies, and the kids were excited to climb on the bus again.<br />
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Look, it's the ballet from Leap!<br />
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Things kind of went south from there, and if I had to do it again, I would skip the blue line entirely. It was not nearly as user-friendly as the red line - they didn't announce the stops and the map was confusing, unlike the red line where everything was really easy and obvious. As a result, we missed our stop. We should have pulled the plug and changed our plans at that point, but we decided to power on and ride the loop around again. The kids were having fun listening to the audio tour, Henry fell asleep on the bus, and we had food, so no one except Zach and I really knew that things were going awry. We finally got off at Sacre Coeur, but unfortunately the driver had gone a little too far so our directions were thrown off and we got totally lost. We took a really long way through some very sketchy neighborhoods, and finally turned on my phone for a Google map that wasn't even that helpful. Low point!!<br />
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Eventually we found a roadside sign and got ourselves straightened out. We found Sacre Coeur and it was gorgeous. Zach and the big kids climbed to the top, which they thought was scary but cool. Henry and I waited at the bottom and were able to see them up above, which was also scary but cool!<br />
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If you look really closely in this picture, you can see Zach and the big kids way up there!</div>
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We scouted out the funicular and got tickets for the ride down, which everyone loved. We bought some fruit from a street vendor and found ourselves on the right side of the Montmartre neighborhood, which was way more appealing than the creepy way we had come in!<br />
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The last thing Zach and I wanted to do at that point was get back on that darned blue bus, and we remembered at just the right time that we had free Metro tickets in our bus pass. There was a station right there and it was super easy to navigate, even having to ride two different lines to get to the Ile de la Cite stop, where we hoped to catch a glimpse of Notre Dame. We didn't go inside, which I regret given the events that happened soon after we returned home, but we admired it from the outside and the kids had fun counting the statues and finding the gargoyles, according to their Mission: Paris book.<br />
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We went in search of Berthillon gelato, which is supposedly the best in Paris and "right around the corner from Notre Dame". Let me tell you, it is neither. There are a million restaurants in the neighborhood that serve this gelato (kind of like the "we proudly brew Starbucks" at home), but all the guidebooks had encouraged finding the real thing. We finally did, and admittedly, in our "family style" vacation, it was a little disappointing. The flavors were really fancy and exotic, and therefore not kid friendly. The mint was made with real mint leaves and tasted very herbal, and the fruit flavors had things like rose water infusions, so no one really loved it. I'm glad we could check it off our list, but I would file this under the too ambitious category for the day.<br />
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By this point, it was almost 8pm and we were still far from home and it was dark. The city looked so pretty all lit up and the kids were hanging in there remarkably well, but we knew we couldn't walk all the way back to our neighborhood. We hopped the Metro again, which was a great call. Paris Metro for the win - totally recommend! We were intimidated but it was totally doable. We got off about 3 stops from the Eiffel Tower, and walked along the river where a nice American couple offered to take our picture with the tower lit up behind us.<br />
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We walked past our apartment and decided to eat at the other bistro that was across the street from Firmine, where we had gone the night before. It was called <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d11956755-Reviews-Le_Petit_Suffren-Paris_Ile_de_France.html" target="_blank">Le Petit Sufren</a>, and it hit the spot. It was convenient and tasty and the waiters were very friendly, which was important when we ordered escargot and couldn't figure out how to eat them!<br />
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Ryan and Erin shared a burger, Nettie and Henry ordered fish and chips from the kids' menu, I had a goat cheese salad and Zach got the steak frites. We had a lot of laughs with the escargot! Everyone tried them except Nettie and Henry - even me! Erin and Ryan loved them and went back for seconds. Henry really wanted to try frog legs, since Bella and Harry ate them in the book, but we never found them on a menu!<br />
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We didn't see the twinkling tower again, but everyone was ready to fall into bed after a super long day of exploring. I think we walked 19,000 steps and saw a week's worth of Paris sights in a day!<br />
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On Friday morning, Zach and Erin were awake around 8:30 so they walked back to Cafe Carette while the rest of us took a little longer to get ourselves going. They brought a big box of pastries back for our breakfast (yum) and we enjoyed those while packing up. We ordered an Uber and headed to the airport around 9:40 for our flight to Florence.<br />
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We can't wait to return to Paris for a longer stay!</div>
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Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-1498031065258962392019-04-03T13:28:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:28:10.986-08:00Our Journey to Paris!<div class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
When we planned our trip to Italy, we expected we’d fly into Rome and make our way to Florence, as Zach and I had done on our first trip many years ago. </div>
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As we researched flight options, though, we found that Paris was a much better choice - more flight times and almost 1/3 of the cost. Sold! Once we knew we were flying into Paris, we decided to stay a few days to break up the travel and visit another city. The kids were really excited about Paris (macarons! the Eiffel Tower! the movie Leap!) and Zach and I had each only spent a few days there during our study abroads, long before we knew each other. It was a great decision and Paris was such a highlight of the trip! As fancy and romantic as I think of Paris as being, it was really kid friendly and we all loved it. There was so much green space - parks and gardens and playgrounds - which were all really great for kids to run around and explore. There are carousels everywhere and the food was a mix of adventurous and accessible. I'm so glad we added Paris to our itinerary!<br />
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Our kids had never done more than a one hour time change and the sleep routine is king in our house, so I was super nervous about the overnight flight and five hour time difference (and how excited were we when we learned that we had to do daylight savings time AGAIN while we were over there?! NOT.). We booked the trip in the fall and told the kids about it on Christmas Eve, so we had plenty of time in advance to get excited, set expectations, and make plans. Our family motto for the trip was “patience and flexibility.” We told the kids (and ourselves) that everything was going to take longer than we thought and pretty much nothing would go as planned, so we needed to be patient, flexible, and love each other well through it all. I think Mommy and Daddy needed those reminders more than the kids!<br />
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The overnight flight was the first test of this motto! The flight was at 8pm on Tuesday, and we got to the airport around 5pm with kids in PJs and bags of food packed for dinner and snacks. </div>
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The plane configuration was 2 window seats on each side with 3 seats in the middle. We had those middle seats, and Erin, Henry and I sat in front of Ryan, Zach, and Nettie. </div>
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What we did not bargain for is that when the flight left at 8pm, there was a good 2 hours of service - dinner, drinks, etc. - before they turned the lights down. Why?!? We gave the kids melatonin gummies, which we had “practiced” with a few times at home before the trip (those things are MAGIC), but it was hard for any of us to settle down because of excitement, uncomfortable seats, and all the lights on - even when the service ended, tons of people on the plane had their TVs on, which was a huge distraction. Consistent with our expectations, the flight went nothing like our expectations! Nettie, who is generally our kid who needs the least amount of sleep and is often caught reading well past her bedtime, slept almost the entire flight. Henry, who loves himself some beauty rest, was bopping around the whole time. All in all, everyone slept at least an hour or two, and the time passed pretty quickly and uneventfully.<br />
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When we arrived in Paris on Wednesday morning, we flew through customs and baggage quickly and easily, and got in a cab to the hotel. I didn’t realize that it was a solid hour ride from the airport, but it was a blessing because all four kids fell asleep in the car. </div>
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We stayed at the <a href="https://residence-charles-floquet.fr/" target="_blank">Residence Charles Floquet</a>, an apartment style hotel with three bedrooms, living area, and small kitchen, in the 7th Arrondissement right near the Eiffel Tower. It was a cute little area and while it was a bit removed from all the major sights, it had a really nice neighborhood feel. </div>
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I felt really ill by the time we got to the apartment - in hindsight, I wonder if I had vertigo or if it was just exhaustion and nerves from the trip - but I felt very dizzy and off-balance, nauseous and anxious for almost 36 hours after we arrived. Almost immediately upon getting to the apartment, which was around 9:30am, we all lay down for about two hours. Ryan and Nettie were sharing a room and I don’t think they slept - they were excited and played with their backpack activities (paper airplanes everywhere!) but Erin and Henry were out cold and Zach and I caught a few winks too. It was nearly impossibly to rouse Henry, but we all rallied, changed out clothes, and headed out to explore, probably around 12:30/1pm.</div>
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We knew our first destination was the Big Bus Paris office, where we wanted to get our Paris Pass for the hop on/hop off bus tour and museums. We asked the concierge if he could point us in the direction of the Louvre and he said, “it’s way too far to walk - you have to take the Metro.” So of course, we walked. 😉 Never so thankful for that stroller!</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Our plan for adjusting to the time change was to take that first nap, and then get as much fresh air and exercise as we could in order to power through until bedtime. It was a struggle at times, but we did it and it was worth it! We had brought the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Paris-Scavenger-Adventure-Travel/dp/0989226743" target="_blank">“Mission: Paris” book</a> along, which was great - it’s basically a kids’ scavenger hunt and I would highly recommend it. We didn’t follow it to a tee, but it gave the kids some ownership of what we did and stuff to look for along the way. </span><br />
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We meandered our way from our apartment near the Eiffel Tower, up to the river, and throughout the city. Everyone had their turn to be cranky and fought over who got to ride in the stroller, and I was feeling terrible, but it was a beautiful day and we felt like we were off to a good start. One of our main lessons learned that day was that street food was way harder to find than we thought - we had expected to find crepes carts on every corner, bakeries to pop into for a baguette, etc. It may have just been the route we took, but at one point we were splitting a bag of Cheez-It’s from the airplane six ways 😂 Finally we stumbled upon a crepe cart on one of the bridges - Nutella banana and lemon sugar crepes were the kids' favorites!<br />
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We landed at the Tuileries and Erin found a map that mentioned an in-ground trampoline park. The kids found it right away and it might have been their favorite thing of the whole vacation. They each did two rounds of jumping and then decided to use their own euros for a third turn. They also checked out an awesome playground and took a ride on the carousel. After all this playtime, we stopped at a patisserie for some treats, at which point I was really having a pity party that I felt too sick to eat any of these delicious things, but those chocolate eclairs sure perked the kids up!</div>
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We finally found our destination of the Paris Pass office. <a href="https://www.parispass.com/?aid=264&utm_medium=search&utm_source=GooglePSP&utm_adcampaigngroup=PSP&matchtype=e&utm_term=the%20paris%20pass&utm_creative=333116728545&addisttype=g&KPID=go_cmp-596249923_adg-27855355387_ad-333116728545_aud-396508907030:kwd-4506954224_dev-c_ext-_prd-&gclid=CjwKCAjwuqfoBRAEEiwAZErCsgUzSfmq203q0Wx8uY3hgs3LulRNJHaJAAr37njR1I_LQHS025JCmhoCc0AQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">The Paris Pass</a> was perfect for us and I would totally recommend it. We got the two day pass, which gave us unlimited use of the hop on/hop off bus, a metro ticket, and admission to most of the major museums. We bought it after 4pm (yes, it took us awhile to walk there 😆) so that day was free and the pass was good for two more days after that. The hop on/hop off bus tour was a huge hit - it was so easy to get around to all the sights and the kids loved the novelty of the open air top level. Ryan napped on the bus a bit too, which was a bonus. The museum pass was great to have too, because it let us skip the ticket lines and we didn’t feel guilty if we only spent an hour in each place, since it was included in our ticket price.<br />
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We didn’t want to overdo it on the first day (although re-reading this in hindsight, it feels like we missed that goal!) so we mostly just rode the bus all around and saw the sights, but we hopped off at the Musée D’Orsay and spent a bit of time in there. The boys were cranky about that but the girls and I enjoyed seeing the impressionist art and I was feeling a little better by then.<br />
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It was chilly on the last bus ride home to the Eiffel Tower, but we rode all the way through the Arc de Triomphe on the way back, so had a great big loop of the city. </div>
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We got off at the Eiffel Tower stop, walked past our apartment, and had dinner in the neighborhood at a place called <a href="http://firmine.lafourchette.rest/en_GB/" target="_blank">Firmine</a> that our friends had recommended. Once we sat down, I felt terrible again but everyone else enjoyed it. The service was very French - slow, one course at a time, and you had to ask for the check, but there were lots of kids in there and it was super convenient and fun to be in a real neighborhood bistro. The kids got pizza and pasta, Zach had a delicious burger, and I had the French onion soup (when in Rome...).<br />
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We walked back to the apartment after dinner and got upstairs just in time to see the Eiffel Tower twinkling from 9-9:05pm, which was such a highlight! We didn’t know what time that happened and felt so lucky to catch a glimpse - Ryan said it was his favorite part of the trip. The kids crashed at about 9:30/10:00 and slept almost 12 hours - success!</div>
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Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-86413371446839722412019-03-31T13:25:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:28:30.337-08:00Packing for Europe with KidsOne of the most intimidating parts of our family trip to Europe this spring was packing for six people for two weeks!!<br />
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Here’s what we were working with: <br />
<ul>
<li>3 destinations </li>
<li>4 kids (ages 9, 7, 6, 3) </li>
<li>2 parents (one of whom needed work attire) </li>
<li>Spring weather (the forecast when we were packing ranged from a low of 48 to a high of 72) </li>
<li>A mix of city and country settings </li>
<li>The option to do laundry at the midpoint of our trip </li>
<li>A travel crib, diapers, and a stroller </li>
<li>Three Bubble Bum inflatable car seats </li>
</ul>
See why we were intimidated?! After much brainstorming and planning, our packing strategy ended up working out really well and has given us a good foundation for future trips!</div>
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Here are a few things that we found to be really helpful.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Start Early </b><br />
<ul>
<li>I started an early draft of a packing list at least a month before our trip. It was helpful to start thinking it through and editing well in advance. </li>
<li>Especially when you’re traveling into a different climate, make sure to inventory wardrobes and have everyone try everything on ahead of time. The weather in Europe isn’t drastically different than in Boston, but we were coming off of a long winter and needed to pull out and try on t-shirts and dresses from the prior season. Also, things like holes in the knees of kids’ jeans that don’t bother you for going to school every day may not be what you want to take on a trip. </li>
<li>This planning gave us a good sense of where we had gaps to fill with a quick (online) shopping trip. My girls especially like to wear matching outfits (I promise, it’s all their idea!) and we've found it’s actually really helpful when traveling because you can find them more easily in a crowd and it reduces the decision making of packing and getting dressed - two of everything! </li>
<li>As much as possible, put the vacation clothes aside ahead of time. We laid out almost everything we were going to pack - especially for the kids - a week or two before the trip. This really helped to minimize the last minute laundry scramble because we knew the favorite PJs or nice sweatshirts weren’t in the wash since we had set them out of the daily rotation in advance. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>2. Capsule Packing </b><br />
<ul>
<li>I’ve read a lot about capsule wardrobes recently and while I love the idea, haven’t been able to pull them off in reality - I think especially when you have a lot of hand-me-downs in the mix for kids, and a diverse wardrobe of business formal, business casual, and mom life clothes, it’s really hard to slim down to an official capsule. But capsule packing, I am fully onboard with. </li>
<li>The basic concept is that you have a limited number of versatile, quality pieces that can be mixed and matched to make a ton of different outfit combinations. For our trip, I really tried to make sure that almost all of the tops could be worn with almost all of the bottoms. That leggings could be worn on their own as activewear or under dresses as an additional layer. That instead of bringing a pair of black work pants for dinners, I went with a pair of dark black jeans that could be dressed up as such, but just as easily worn with sneakers on a travel day. It also helps you feel like you're not repeating the same outfit over and over since you can mix and match in different ways.</li>
<li>The capsule packing also helped with layering, since most everything was interchangeable. We knew layers would be important given the wide range of forecasted temperatures we were packing for, as well as cold airplanes, air conditioned restaurants, hot trains, etc. </li>
<li>Shoes are always the bulkiest thing to pack, and yet the hardest thing for me to pack light on. The boys brought two pairs - one pair of running sneakers and one pair of “fancy sneakers” - Henry has some chambray Toms shoes and Ryan brought a pair of Adidas Superstars. This was perfect - they mostly just wore their running shoes, but put their fancy sneakers on when we were touring around cities or going out to eat. The girls brought the same, plus a pair of Rothy’s. They only wore the Rothy’s a couple of times and could have gotten away without them, but they take up no space and were nice to have. </li>
</ul>
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<b>3. Packing Cubes</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>I was always hesitant to embrace the packing cubes system because I am a die-hard “roll my clothes” packer. I have traveled for work a ton over the years and generally pride myself on taking the smallest bag I can. Always carry on, never check! Part of my rolling system involves stuffing everything I can into whatever shoes I’m bringing, and then organizing it all into the suitcase like a game of Tetris. </li>
<li>But, for our longer trip, I figured out a great system for the packing cubes and it was a total game changer!! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075LXDCGD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">We used these</a> - medium size for the boys and Nettie, and the large size for Erin, Zach, and me.</li>
<li>I dread packing and repacking multiple times on a trip, and I know that my kids love to totally “move in” whenever we go somewhere. When we go to Narragansett in the summer, we’ve barely finished unloading the car and Erin has unpacked her entire suitcase into the dressers! Our first stop on this trip was Paris, where we were staying for two nights before heading on to Italy for the longer portion of our trip. </li>
<li>When I was packing, I laid out all the clothes we would need for Paris - including PJs, socks, underwear, shoes - and put together a packing cube for each person with just those clothes. I packed everything else for the rest of the trip in the bottom of the suitcase - rolling clothes and stuffing shoes as usual - and then laid the packing cube right on top. When we got to Paris, we were able to take the packing cube out, live out of that for the three days, and didn’t have to disturb anything else in the suitcase. When we left Paris, all of the dirty laundry from that part of the trip went back into the packing cubes and those went straight to the washing machine when we arrived in Florence. It worked so well! </li>
<li>The other bonus is that it simplified the decision making around getting dressed when we got to Paris. We were jet lagged and a little (a lot?!) overwhelmed by the start of the trip, and we didn’t even have to think about what we should wear on day 1 because we had already made that decision at home. It also helps a ton if you have picky kids - we had talked with our boys before we left about how Paris is a city and we would be wearing more of our “handsome clothes” there, which is what we put in the packing cubes. It didn’t totally avert a meltdown on Ryan’s part, but made things a little easier that he wasn’t pulling out Nike gear that we had to say no to - that stuff was safely buried in the bottom of the suitcase for the latter part of the trip! </li>
<li>On the back end of our trip, we had another three day stay in Tuscany and repeated the same strategy. The bottom of the suitcase was pretty much filled with dirty laundry at this point, and the packing cube held everything we needed for the Tuscany stay, which made packing up to go home that much easier.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uCtLWiC2GSdDbsWlNzfLSFgd2UoLTkt4Bm8l0KrEAmdbFXerZvw_c7I6kFhPJQg_FZvNdMf2cXnbjWPh9sdgoKgkoVPOxpQb3MMz8ZnO4EsnOLkWhkfB-DXDefFkbj-Jt_AALJAiBfM/s1600/2019-03-23+13.46.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uCtLWiC2GSdDbsWlNzfLSFgd2UoLTkt4Bm8l0KrEAmdbFXerZvw_c7I6kFhPJQg_FZvNdMf2cXnbjWPh9sdgoKgkoVPOxpQb3MMz8ZnO4EsnOLkWhkfB-DXDefFkbj-Jt_AALJAiBfM/s320/2019-03-23+13.46.32.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WmVDE4O78RWdCq6B0FizSP6BfxHrOS2y74aIfSK5q0LKXeDnrciL8lhr4JbTnim_Bx6R2eepBA4FdIBZmf9LTqUFWP_bJRSVRFEDp7okxsuGqpmx8JlE5xKEAz00D8BbeP4Q_wj9RhU/s1600/2019-03-24+17.06.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WmVDE4O78RWdCq6B0FizSP6BfxHrOS2y74aIfSK5q0LKXeDnrciL8lhr4JbTnim_Bx6R2eepBA4FdIBZmf9LTqUFWP_bJRSVRFEDp7okxsuGqpmx8JlE5xKEAz00D8BbeP4Q_wj9RhU/s320/2019-03-24+17.06.13.jpg" width="240" /></a></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><b>4. Laundry </b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<ul>
<li><span style="text-align: center;">Knowing we had the option to do laundry midway through the trip definitely simplified our packing and took the pressure off. However, we didn’t totally count on it when we were packing and I’m glad for that. Did you know they don’t have dryers in Italy? While I knew we would be able to do laundry, I didn’t anticipate that everything would have to air dry - it is no joke doing laundry for six people on a drying rack! The result of this was that doing a load of laundry was actually like a three day process - we couldn’t just throw the PJs in the washer and be able to wear them that night, so it was good that we had packed an extra pair. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: center;">Other than PJs, do not plan on kids being able to rewear anything without it being washed. Especially if your trip involves gelato. I rewear my jeans several times at home before they need to get washed, but am really glad I didn’t count on the kids doing the same. Kids get dirty. They drip gelato, they drag their feet and kick up dust, they find a playground and grass stain their pants. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: center;">Even for the adults, traveling is messy. I packed two pairs of jeans for myself, which seemed unnecessary as I tried to lighten my suitcase as much as possible, but I was so glad I did. After our first day in Paris, where we had walked all over the city and been off and on several buses and trains, I just felt kind of grimy and was glad I didn’t have to put those same pants on the next day. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtviqetLdQJ7fNSHQ9nmQXYaKAFEWVHGvWR-fctWa2uRSHeNqJOOK8VcbLoOZMIWvuNrlJ-pii66T_A3OnRGddrc476PsvgFCpI2BWu_4I_jkg9HH7400kXtTXkXat66IjjToNKmGtXE/s1600/2019-04-02+09.57.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtviqetLdQJ7fNSHQ9nmQXYaKAFEWVHGvWR-fctWa2uRSHeNqJOOK8VcbLoOZMIWvuNrlJ-pii66T_A3OnRGddrc476PsvgFCpI2BWu_4I_jkg9HH7400kXtTXkXat66IjjToNKmGtXE/s400/2019-04-02+09.57.44.jpg" width="300" /></a></span>
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<div>
<b>5. Take Pictures </b><br />
<ul>
<li>While it was helpful to write down a draft list at the beginning of our packing process, the most useful thing I did was take photos of everyone’s clothes laid out before I put them into the suitcases. It was a great reference to have during the process, because I generally packed one kid per day in the week leading up to our trip. Once the clothes are in the suitcase, forget about it - it’s too hard to see or remember exactly what made the cut. But being able to look at the photos of Henry’s clothes a few days later when I was trying to do Ryan’s was really helpful. </li>
<li>I also took a photo of everything we brought the morning before we left for the airport - all the suitcases, backpacks, coats, stroller, etc. I can’t tell you how many times I looked back at the photo to remember what our total count of items was - and how many times a day I counted to make sure we had all of them with us. </li>
<li>Thank goodness we never needed this, but having photos of all the bags also gave me a little insurance policy in case we had lost one and had to show the airlines what it looked like.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql_1Km7uCFUPpAlnbYegbfcESrc379nYWHdz_41vSZUkh17x3VFwGUHHrVAf91U4MVh2zyG-BEYMPk_IN9ZYRe5ShwiHTZRxU16x-rQamOLnwwHPSJv-lbffknS37OXNGwfuwKMUWlRM/s1600/2019-03-26+15.15.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql_1Km7uCFUPpAlnbYegbfcESrc379nYWHdz_41vSZUkh17x3VFwGUHHrVAf91U4MVh2zyG-BEYMPk_IN9ZYRe5ShwiHTZRxU16x-rQamOLnwwHPSJv-lbffknS37OXNGwfuwKMUWlRM/s400/2019-03-26+15.15.18.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<b>6. More and Smaller </b><br />
<ul class="ul1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">
<li>Since there are so many of us and the kids are small, it was actually helpful to have more smaller bags than a couple of huge ones. A lot of people have asked me if it was annoying to have the kids pulling their own suitcases, but we found it was actually better. It gave them something to do - we knew they couldn’t run off from us in the airport when they had suitcases in tow - and it (sort of) lightened the load that Zach and I had to be responsible for. He and I packed our large suitcases, mostly because he needed suits for meetings and I needed space for diapers for Henry, raincoats for everyone, and that extra pair of jeans I decided to bring! We debated at one point bringing one more huge bag for all of the kids’ stuff, but I’m so glad we decided to have each kid take their own rolling carryon suitcase. </li>
<li>In addition to the suitcases, we each took a backpack. We learned from our Disney trip that the backpacks were actually much harder for the kids to be responsible for because they got heavy after awhile, so we ended up carrying them in addition to our own. We still brought them to Europe so everyone could contain their airplane activities, etc., but we tried to lighten them up as much as possible.</li>
<li>At the last minute, we also decided to bring an extra duffel bag (<a href="https://birdling.com/collections/all/products/weekender" target="_blank">this one</a> - it's the best!). This was a lifesaver throughout the trip. It was big enough that we could throw Henry's backpack in it so he didn't have to carry it, and it gave us extra easily accessible space for things like water bottles, the smaller tote I used every day for walking around (<a href="https://www.madewell.com/the-canvas-medium-transport-tote-H6862.html?dwvar_H6862_color=NA6148&dwvar_H6862_size=ONE%20S&cgid=accessories-bags&position=13&position=13&activeChunk=1#start=1" target="_blank">this one</a> - it was perfect!), and for bringing home souvenirs.</li>
<li>The two things that almost put us over the edge when trying to navigate through airports and cities were the travel crib and the stroller. They were two more heavy, bulky things that we had to worry about and Zach had to lug around. But they were necessary for us at that point, and will make travel feel that much easier in the future when we no longer need to bring them along! We were so glad to have that stroller too - everyone was fighting over whose turn it was to ride! </li>
<li>These are the suitcases the kids have: </li>
<ul>
<li>Ryan and Henry: <a href="https://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/fairfax-green-navy-stripe-spinner-luggage/?pkey=s%7Csmall%20spinner%20luggage%7C29">Pottery Barn Kids Small Spinner Luggage</a> in green/navy stripe </li>
<li>Nettie: <a href="https://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/mackenzie-navy-multicolor-heart-luggage/?pkey=s%7Csmall%20spinner%20luggage%7C29">Pottery Barn Kids Small Spinner Luggage</a> in aqua glitter (color no longer available) </li>
<li>Erin: <a href="https://www.pbteen.com/products/jet-set-labyrinth-cool-carry-on-spinner/?pkey=s%7Ccarry%20on%20luggage%7C92">Pottery Barn Teen Carryon Spinner</a> in blue tile print (color no longer available)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwhf5BWmAY4Ow-aardwCHq-EiWYrUBfuJNA19S6zlmNz1GnDMu8D1TGfAYoXYRJA9eKlr5BxQMh4jUaWGqdhek20MW24TJCGvQTnBrwPU9lnxPFFyeKhHY-geG9oa_w3F8bub4WdRtlE/s1600/2019-03-23+13.46.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwhf5BWmAY4Ow-aardwCHq-EiWYrUBfuJNA19S6zlmNz1GnDMu8D1TGfAYoXYRJA9eKlr5BxQMh4jUaWGqdhek20MW24TJCGvQTnBrwPU9lnxPFFyeKhHY-geG9oa_w3F8bub4WdRtlE/s320/2019-03-23+13.46.46.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlxL_3OgB_5tfTuhE6N-y3lULrYO5Er0S-1mQXbbjDPuwSY7Rf5GOXUjL2LPyJQHhlSyP5V_X1_DyoZ5o5FRnID6RdHdRez2zlBBe4aLIBaYT4rserNon-a7jB6WfTA50XFl8T-53nxE/s1600/2019-03-23+13.26.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlxL_3OgB_5tfTuhE6N-y3lULrYO5Er0S-1mQXbbjDPuwSY7Rf5GOXUjL2LPyJQHhlSyP5V_X1_DyoZ5o5FRnID6RdHdRez2zlBBe4aLIBaYT4rserNon-a7jB6WfTA50XFl8T-53nxE/s320/2019-03-23+13.26.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgEvu9upldAfCCo_FfgVEGt-7RT8GAt2miHO_k_921Zc2RDuIrn3FtpPWnsrVxOx9e6iKedijuZW9DSbOyfGoCzYYqzFb7A1xsy74pTn_Y6b6y8pSQY-tIRt3eJ5B04ZRrOJck_p2Gpk/s320/2018-12-26+14.16.11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't look too closely - this is a Christmas picture from NYC, but is a better view of the girls' suitcases. The American Girl dolls did not have their passports for Europe!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>7. Food </b><br />
<ul>
<li>We figured out a great system for food during our Disney trip and replicated it for Europe. </li>
<li>I used to pack a ton of snacks in my backpack, which made it really heavy and also made me feel like I was constantly doling out food or saying yes or no to snack requests. </li>
<li>Now, we pack a gallon size Ziploc bag for each person and everyone is responsible for their own food. Depending on the travel timing, I usually pack each person a PB&J sandwich, two pieces of fruit (usually apple, banana, or clementine), a couple of granola bars, a bag of chips or crackers, a squeeze pouch of almond butter or bag of nuts, a bag of dried fruit, and some gum (or lollipops) for take off and landing. Each kid (and adult!) carries their Ziploc bag in their own backpack and decides what they want to eat and when. When we went to Disney, Henry had eaten 90% of his food before we left Logan Airport, and Erin brought about half of hers back home at the end of the trip. But they can see what they have, eat when they want to, and know that when it’s gone, it’s gone. It gives them freedom and independence, and lightens my load (physically and mentally!) significantly. </li>
</ul>
<b>What We Packed for 12 Days:</b><br />
<b><i><br />Boys:</i></b><br />
- 2 PJs (plus one worn on the plane)<br />
- 1 sleep sack for Henry<br />
- 6 underwear (diapers for Henry)<br />
- 6 pairs of socks<br />
- 2 pairs of jeans<br />
- 2 pairs of sweatpants<br />
- 2 pairs of chino/corduroy pants<br />
- 4 short sleeve t-shirts<br />
- 4 long sleeve t-shirts<br />
- 1 button down shirt<br />
- 2 collared Polo shirts (1 short sleeve, 1 long sleeve)<br />
- 3 sweatshirts<br />
- 1 pair running sneakers<br />
- 1 pair "fashion sneakers"<br />
- Patagonia down sweater jacket<br />
- Raincoat<br />
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<b><i>Girls:</i></b></div>
- 2 PJ's (plus one worn on the plane)<br />
- 6 underwear<br />
- 6 pairs of socks<br />
- 2 t-shirt dresses (one long sleeve, one short sleeve)<br />
- 1 chambray jumpsuit<br />
- 4 short sleeve t-shirts<br />
- 4 long sleeve t-shirts<br />
- 1 sweatshirt<br />
- 1 cardigan sweater<br />
- 4 pants (1 jeans, 1 pink jeans, 2 pairs of "dressy leggings" - stretchy pants with buttons/pockets)<br />
- 2 pairs of "exercise leggings"<br />
- 1 exercise outfit (sporty tank top and long sleeve shirt to wear with leggings)<br />
- 1 pair running sneakers<br />
- 1 pair "fashion sneakers" (Adidas Superstar)<br />
- 1 pair Rothy's<br />
- Patagonia down sweater jacket<br />
- Raincoat
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<b><i>Mom:</i></b></div>
- 2 PJs<br />
- Underwear, socks<br />
- 6 pants - 2 blue jeans, 1 white jeans, 1 gray jeans, 1 black jeans, 1 cropped green chinos<br />
- 2 dresses<br />
- 4 short sleeve t-shirts<br />
- 3 long sleeve t-shirts<br />
- 2 blouses (1 gingham button down, 1 eyelet pullover)<br />
- 2 sweaters (1 lightweight cotton crewneck, 1 long cardigan)<br />
- 1 lightweight blazer/jacket for dinner events<br />
- 1 down vest for layering (worn on the plane with a t-shirt and joggers)<br />
- 2 workout outfits<br />
- 1 running sneakers<br />
- 1 "fashion sneakers" (Adidas Superstar)<br />
- 2 Rothy's (casual camo loafer, dressy leopard points for dinner events)<br />
- Black waterproof ankle booties<br />
- Patagonia knee length rain parka with down sweater liner (wore separately and together)
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<b><i>Dad:</i></b> couldn’t tell you. Sorry! 😉<br />
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<b> What I Would Do Differently </b></div>
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<li>Overall, our packing strategy worked out great and I am really proud of it! It was no easy feat going in. </li>
<li>It’s hard to say that we would do anything differently, because hindsight is 20/20 but I think we did the best packing job we could have at the time. We packed raincoats for the kids, in addition to their Patagonia down sweater jackets. They wore the Patagonias every day, and only needed the raincoats once. In hindsight, we didn’t get our money’s worth out of carrying the raincoats around for two weeks, but we were sure glad we had them on that one rainy day - and sure glad we didn’t need them more than that. </li>
<li>The kids wore PJs on the overnight flight, in addition to the two pairs that we had packed, so they ended up with three pairs of PJs and would have been totally fine with two. </li>
<li>I wished I had thrown in a pair of shorts for the boys when the weather hit 78, which we didn’t think we needed based on the forecast. The girls were fine in dresses, but the boys were hot that day. We almost stopped to buy shorts at the H&M in Florence, but decided it wasn’t a big deal for one day. </li>
<li>The girls and I each had probably one more dress than we needed, and the same for the boys with collared shirts. I had imagined that we might dress up for dinner, at least in Paris, but we ended up just really powering through each day and going straight out to eat from our walking around during the day. I also knew I would have at least one dinner event to attend with Zach's conference and packed for two, just in case. </li>
<li>I overpacked on shoes (per usual!) but wore them all and was glad to have them. I brought my running sneakers, which I wore on the plane and once or twice when I got out for a run. I also brought a pair of Adidas sneakers, and they were probably my most worn pair of shoes - they are comfortable for lots of walking but still look nice - and we happened to read an article online the day we left about how they are very trendy in Europe! Who knew?! I brought two pairs of Rothy’s - one more casual and one dressier - this seemed totally unnecessary but I wore them each several times and they didn’t take up a lot of space. The dressier ones were perfect when we went to dinner with friends and when I went to one of Zach’s dinner meetings. The casual ones were perfect on days when we didn’t do a ton of walking and for putting on at the end of the day - while we didn’t change into dressier clothes for dinner, it was always nice to take off sneakers at the end of the day. The one pair of shoes that I could have done without was my black waterproof suede ankle booties. They took up a lot of room in the suitcase (although not too bad when stuffed with workout clothes!) and I only wore them two or three times. They were perfect on our rainy day in Tuscany and I was also glad to have them when it was 45 degrees on our first morning in Paris, but I could have roughed it with my Adidas sneakers if I hadn’t brought them. </li>
<li>I think some of it depends on how much you are willing to “rough it” and how committed you are to taking the smallest bag possible. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t pull this off in my carryon suitcase (I’m telling you - I take a lot of pride in packing light!) but once I accepted that it made more sense to take my larger checked bag, it was really nice to have the extra pair of jeans and shoes. </li>
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All in all, we were really happy with our packing strategy and everything that we brought. I’m not sure we would have been brave enough to undertake two weeks in Europe with four kids under 10 if we hadn’t had the excuse of Zach’s meetings in Florence. But now that we’ve done it and know it’s possible, I feel like we’ve opened up a whole world (literally!) of possibilities and can’t wait to travel more with the kids. I will definitely be using these notes and photos for future reference! Hope they are helpful to you too!</div>
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Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-52477400461102184652018-12-31T07:45:00.001-08:002021-01-25T10:28:48.434-08:00Girls' Christmas Trip to New York City - Year TwoFor our second annual post-Christmas girls’ trip to New York City, we planned to stay two nights in the city. We stayed at the same hotel - the Shelburne Hotel by Affinia - and it was even better than our first stay. They offered us a free upgrade to a suite, but all of the suites were full, so they gave us two adjoining rooms for the price of one. We actually called Zach and the boys to see if they wanted to join us in all of our extra space, but they weren’t able to so I quite enjoyed having my own room!<br />
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Having done all of the first-timer Christmas-in-New-York attractions last year, we were able to get a little more creative and explore some different things in the city.<br />
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<b><i>Our Highlights:</i></b><br />
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<b>Day 1:</b><br />
- arrived at the hotel mid afternoon, settled in, and spent some time studying the map with the girls and circling things we wanted to do<br />
- American Girl store<br />
- dinner and frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity - reserve your spot online and then make your way there. We still had a short wait when we arrived, but totally manageable and #worthit<br />
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<b>Day 2:</b><br />
- breakfast at Bagel Express<br />
- Color Factory! The most fun thing we did this year, and the only thing we planned and bought tickets for in advance. We loved it! <br />
- wandered around Soho and the Village - poked around the NYU Bookstore, got hot cocoa at the biggest Starbucks the girls have ever seen, people watched in Washington Square Park<br />
- checked out the Beautycounter shop on Prince Street<br />
- cookies from MILK Bar and giant slices of New York pizza<br />
- Big Apple Circus with Gammy, Riri, and cousin Clem, with dinner afterwards nearby<br />
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<b>Day 3:</b><br />
- Breakfast at Ellen’s Stardust Diner - we got there early and waited about 30 minutes in drizzly rain. The food was mediocre but the girls loved it and got the biggest kick out of the singing and entertainment.<br />
- Rockefeller Center tree<br />
- FAO Schwartz<br />
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We took the train back to Rowayton for a quick goodbye to Gammy and Riri before driving home. Another great girls’ getaway!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEBmERe7_TEbmRdF4WV7mqmaLD86Y20TPq2hhGhq1U6VL5w5BHT_73U5fN0UwWMAgz8iyJD_dmNKjhPVIjPSMJkJQS5qIhiNXqEfwf08b_vIAO71kn5w4k5f1HtUHtJpY0p5D2xXNey6s/s1600/A437F8F8-9370-4A0C-8CD5-A23C0054271C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEBmERe7_TEbmRdF4WV7mqmaLD86Y20TPq2hhGhq1U6VL5w5BHT_73U5fN0UwWMAgz8iyJD_dmNKjhPVIjPSMJkJQS5qIhiNXqEfwf08b_vIAO71kn5w4k5f1HtUHtJpY0p5D2xXNey6s/s400/A437F8F8-9370-4A0C-8CD5-A23C0054271C.jpeg" width="300" /></a>Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-19007098843139056752018-06-30T07:46:00.001-07:002021-01-25T10:29:16.012-08:00Girls' Getaway in VirginiaWhen Erin got Virginia for the third grade state fair, it was the perfect excuse for a long overdue visit back to Charlottesville! We had a few days in June between when school ended and when camp started that made for the perfect little girls’ getaway. We planned a great little itinerary that allowed us to see friends, get in some educational field trips, and visit one of my favorite places in the world. It was a great reminder that you can take an awesome trip in just a few days, and that Marriott points, Jet Blue miles, and staying with friends can make it very economical too.<br />
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<b><i>Our Itinerary and Highlights:</i></b><br />
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<b>Day 1: </b><br />
- Fly from Boston to Richmond<br />
- We stopped in Jamestown for a (very) short time - it was literally over 100 degrees outside and visiting the 2,000 degree glass blowing shed was not the perfect activity for the day! But it was cool to see and hit one of the areas that Erin had researched.<br />
- We drove from Richmond to Williamsburg and stayed at XXX.<br />
- The hotel had an amazing water park and pool so we spent most of the afternoon there, before driving into Williamsburg for dinner at the XXX and a trip to the candy store.<br />
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<b>Day 2:</b><br />
- Breakfast at the hotel<br />
- We met up with Kristie and her kiddos to spend the day at Colonial Williamsburg. Even in the heat, the kids were troopers and really got a kick out of the old village.<br />
- After our day in Colonial Williamsburg, we drove to Richmond and stayed the night at Kristie’s house.<br />
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<b>Day 3:</b><br />
- We had a great day of normal home life with Kristie and her kiddos. We played at home, went to the pool, and made dinner. It’s such a nice change of pace, especially when traveling with kids, to spend a day or two in a real home with friends.<br />
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<b>Day 4:</b><br />
- We drove from Richmond to Charlottesville.<br />
- We took a trip to Monticello on our way into town. The girls were surprisingly interested in the guided tour, and loved running around the beautiful grounds.<br />
- We ate our way through all of my old favorites, walked around Grounds, and overall had a great time introducing the girls to the beauty of UVA.<br />
- We stayed at XXX.<br />
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<b>Day 5:</b><br />
- We finished up our time at UVA with breakfast at Bodo’s, a visit to the Rotunda, and a stop at my first year dorm.<br />
- We drove back to Richmond and flew home!<br />
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I am already hoping Nettie gets a state we can visit when she has her 3rd grade state fair!Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5182341798378240801.post-56931934502045562182017-12-31T07:44:00.001-08:002021-01-25T10:29:30.456-08:00Girls' Christmas Trip to New York CityWe added a girls’ trip to New York City onto our Christmas in Connecticut! Truth be told, staying two nights in the city was totally a last minute decision. Nettie had been fighting a cold and mild fever and the weather forecast was in the teens. We knew we were staying one night with one of my dear friends and her two sweet girls. We packed really light - just a backpack each - but decided to pull the trigger on a hotel for the night before at the last minute, partially to solve the “what are we going to do with our stuff all day” conundrum. #worthit And bonus, a fun tradition was born!<br />
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<b>Hotel</b>:<a href="https://www.affinia.com/shelburne-hotel-suites/special-offers/shelburnegetsstyled/"> Shelburne Hotel by Affinia</a>.<br />
Can’t recommend it enough. It’s located just a few blocks from Grand Central, easily walkable with kids and stuff in town. We had an amazing view of the Empire State Building from our room, and they upgraded us to a suite. It wasn’t loud, the rooms were big (especially for NYC), and they were very kid friendly.<br />
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<b><i>Our Highlights:</i></b><br />
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<b>Day 1:</b><br />
- dinner at the hotel restaurant with Aunt Caitlin<br />
- overnight at Shelburne Hotel<br />
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<b>Day 2:</b><br />
- breakfast at Bagel Express<br />
- Rockefeller Center tree<br />
- reading room at the New York Public Library<br />
- whispering wall at Grand Central<br />
- department store windows<br />
- walked through Bryant Park<br />
- walked through Times Square<br />
- food court and Eloise boutique at The Plaza<br />
- American Girl store<br />
- dinner and sleepover with friends<br />
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<b>Day 3:</b><br />
- Amtrak home to Boston<br />
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The girls loved taking the Amtrak home! It was super convenient too, because we all drove to CT together, and then Zach and the boys drove home for work and daycare while the girls and I had our time in the city, and then we made our way home on the train. Side note: Amtrak has since changed its pricing so you can only buy one half price child ticket per one full price adult ticket. This is such a bummer, because it was very reasonable for me to take the Amtrak with the girls and now the cost is much higher having to buy two full price tickets. Boo.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASjmOJiEmS0BX6g23WSOLm5wgkt0NDSOjgWa-MnoMXS4r4BxghEP4T-Vk468GHihnLF6m-yvydoYR91QDPAbYQJwXLxk2T7ugSbu4JtGm6i0NJcsaDoMF2CTi3QMwZiMGPpuK4Xdt6PUe/s1600/1B4A8919-C19D-4555-A765-6ACC0EB19083.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"> </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj951EyUKrK1MP61tBiMYsBQs4G73mu7C4TKiVpMJnGFptC9L_3eNYjQdjTakQ7Ldoj1Wyn1LZN_zLqeW9tXBrAumhCJXkYdf9gE4c8rCpFwMQeTHDlGgy6Y-tYknb0425-lC4hIvjBiL-O/s1600/9152DF20-4DEA-4A61-B08B-3B12386B58C4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj951EyUKrK1MP61tBiMYsBQs4G73mu7C4TKiVpMJnGFptC9L_3eNYjQdjTakQ7Ldoj1Wyn1LZN_zLqeW9tXBrAumhCJXkYdf9gE4c8rCpFwMQeTHDlGgy6Y-tYknb0425-lC4hIvjBiL-O/s400/9152DF20-4DEA-4A61-B08B-3B12386B58C4.jpeg" width="400" /></a>Megan Bourquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13373034945711010395noreply@blogger.com0