This was our schedule in the last 3 weeks: 1. Have baby girl. 2. Come home from hospital and sort through stuff to separate for 3 shipments… household goods, luggage for 6 people to live out of for 2 months, and supplies for a 10 day trip to France. 3. Check out of Stuttgart, finish work. 4. Leave for France for 10 days. 5. Come back for one day and get passport for baby in Frankfurt. 6. Whoa, hurricane in VA = new plane tickets and 4 more days in Germany. 7. Spend time with favorite friends, hit a fest or two, and photograph two of my favorite families. 8. Fly to the States with our new family of 6. 9. Settle in Virginia Beach and meet our new wonderful neighbors. 10. We survived, God is good!
Our last big trip in Europe was another French adventure. We went to the Alps, then to Languedoc region, then to Provence before heading back to Germany. We were also able to stay one night with Cambria’s physical therapist who has become a dear friend. She has a house in the Black Forest. Beautiful!
Here are some photos. I tried to document our little Vivienne as much as possible for her first traveling adventures. I’m lucky that she is such an easy baby so far. Sorry for the dark pics, I’m working off the laptop and don’t have my regular setup.
Schwarzwald with Frau Bontscho
relaxing in the garden
St. Peter's
Cambria with Frau Bontscho
Driving through Switzerland, always beautiful!
lovely town of Chamonix
We arrived to Chamonix after the Black Forest and got settled in a cute little chalet in town. The thing to do in Chamonix is ride the gondola to the Aiguille du Midi and then into Italy via the Panorama train. Babies aren’t allowed, so the next morning Caden and I ventured up the mountain at the crack of dawn. What an amazing experience, and definitely one of our favorites in Europe.
serious hikers making the trek to Mont Blanc
we did not make the trek
Caden and I with Mont Blanc in the background.
riding the Panorama train to the Italian Alps
The next morning PJ and Adelaide rode to the top together. So cute.
snow in August
Chamonix, France
Hiking with the family with limited gear (no backpack for Cam) Super dad!
yummy fondue
The next day we took the kids to Le Paradis des Praz. It’s a fun little amusement park in the middle of the Alps. Favorites were the luge and the giant zip line.
flying high
we all took turns on the luge ride
After Chamonix we headed to the adorable lake town of Annecy. It was very hot, so we spent the afternoon at the park and on the lake.
Hanging out in Annecy.
lovely boat ride with the alps surrounding us
monkey's on the boat
Annecy, France
On our way to the Languedoc region we stopped halfway in Nimes, a city in Provence. There was some impressive Roman ruins in the town. In between sites we had a lovely French meal at a cafe. One of the things I will miss most about Europe is taking time out of the day to enjoy a slow, excellent meal.
Roman amphitheater in Nimes
A few minutes from Nimes is one of my favorite sites ever… the Pont du Gard. We were here 2 years ago in April. This time the water was warm and we stopped to have a swim with the locals.
Pont du Gard
The next stop on the trip was to the medieval city of Carcassonne. It’s by far the best fortress city we have seen. We got there late at night and were able to see it lit up for a bit. Then we toured the walls the next day. Carcassonne is where the movie Robin Hood was filmed in the 90′s. I was quoting lines from the movie all day long.
Carcassonne, France
peek-a-boo
local grape vines
After doing the medieval thing, we went straight to the beach. Collioure was gorgeous. It had a castle, stone walls, a windmill, great food, wine, and a fun night scene. Great place for families.
Collioure, France
castle and windmill views
relaxing in the shade
fresh seafood boat
sunset dinner
midday siesta
We said bye to South France and packed up the enormous van to Provence. I can’t get enough of Provence. The smells, colors, food, people, and villages are so wonderful. Oh, and the shopping. Reason enough to make a trip to there. My favorite finds are lavender, linens, soaps, tapenades, wooden utensils and homemade Provencal dresses for the girls. We’ve been all over Provence. This time we settled in Avignon and visited St. Remy for their fabulous Wednesday market.
All the lavender had just been harvested before we got there. It smelled wonderful!
carousel in Avignon
Vivienne's first carousel ride. Big brother Caden was her chauffeur.
pont d'Avignon, built in the 12th century
Vivi and I at the park at the top of the Palace of the Popes.
lollipop break at Le Cure Gourmand
Palace of the Popes at sunset
my shopping partner and I picking out French linens in St. Remy
Provencal dresses
market day in St. Remy
After the market chaos we went to the St. Paul’s Monastery in St. Remy. This is where Van Gogh stayed after he cut his ear off. It’s still a working insane asylum. Our kids thought it was cool and had fun looking at the scenes where he painted some of his most famous works.
field at the monastery where Van Gogh did over 100 paintings
the Starry Night views were our favorite
Van Gogh's bedroom
we were starting to feel a little insane at this point
all the insanity made us hungry for Escargot
Provence
