"Stats" on Our Trip to France 2008

Click here or image above to see photos from our 2008 trip to France.
27 hours time spent in Paris: Bâteaux Mouches, admiring the Eiffel Tower, taking the escalators up in the Centre Pompidou to see Paris from above, playing in the funky fountains outside in Beaubourg, walking the Champs Elysee, taking the metro.

3 different sets of friends seen in Paris - Mommy's friend Carolyn, Nicolas and family, Fabrice and family.

1 rental car and 3,000 kilometers driven in said rental car.

2 grandparents for lots of fun.

16 days: time Reynald spent in France

1 night spent at Pascal's in Metz visiting with him and his family

7 cousins 15 or under, seen and played with

3 nights in Treport at the Baie de Somme in Normandy - kids in RV with their grandparents and Eve and Reynald in a very nice B&B - the Manoir de Beaumont: http://www.demarquet.com/

48 euros per night for two at the Manoir! How inexpensive, even if you are spending dollars!

3 number of times we took the funicular with the kids (twice up and once down) on the cliffs at Treport.

2 people (Reynald and Luka) playing in the waves at Treport while laughing like deux petits foux.

2 stitches Luka got in his chin at the emergency room in Metz. Oops!

3 types of currants growing in Jean-Claude's garden (plus raspberries, cherries, questch and mirablelle, too. Yum!)

4 kinds of lettuce we eat from JC's garden

2 Game Boys that Luka got from his cousins (first one broke, second one is still going strong)

2 aliens, 2 monsters on stilts, 4 donkeys, 5 lambs among various renaissance fare, seen at the Renaissance Festival in Bar-le-Duc (or http://festivalrenaissances.com/)

1 juggler that wanted to brush Axel's teeth with a broom (!)

2 fishing ponds at Mandre (camp ground owned by Reynald's aunt and uncle)

3 horses that Axel got to pet (chevaux de trait)

1 postcard Luka and Axel received while in France (from Eve's friend Diana in Japan)

8 T'choupi videos on the iPod downloaded from YouTube.

3 Trotro DVD's waiting for the kids on arrival in France

3 times the picture radar flashed Reynald while he was driving - ouch, those speeding tickets hurt. (See this posting for more info.)

4 evenings at the campground for kids and grandparents while Mommy out of town.

2 training wheels that are no more - Luka learned to ride a two-wheeler on his own at the campground. Yay, Luka!

5 fantastic days in Frontonas with the Henry Family near Lyon: friends, fun, pool. 3 children in their family: Mathilde, Pierre, Claire. 4 times the kids got to go in the pool! 1 birthday party while there. 5 hours and 2 trains to get there (St Dizier - Dijon - St Verpillier).

1 relaxing day in Nancy with Edith (just Eve)

3 nights for Eve in the camping car - Mommy's "secret cachette"

50th Fourteener climbed by Reynald in Colorado while the kids and I were still in France ;)

Eve in Spain !!!!

Some Spain pics and the scoop below.

Eve and colleague Eduard in Barcelona - the city view behind us

Colleague Eduard showing off his home city
Eve with bike from Barcelona bike tour
Tapas - little works of art!
Original Roman columns in a hidden courtyard.

Famous Gaudi building - dragon (St George) theme

July 10: Mommy trip to Spain! Luka and Axel are having fun taking care of Reynald´s aunt´s campground with their grandparents and sleeping in the "camping car", Daddy is back to work at home, and Mommy is in Barcelona (yee ha!).

My colleague, Eduard, has been giving me the personal tour of the city. It is great to have a personal guide who is a native of the city!

Today, we are working which is very interesting too (if you like all that technical stuff like we do :)

July 11: Spa visit today, took tram up to see great panamoric view of Barcelona, some exploring the city, and real Spanish tapas for dinner at a hip restaurant. Fun, fun!

Tips for eating tapas in a real Barcelonan tapas bar (courtesy of Eduard educating Eve at one of the currently most popular tapas restaurants in town): everyone stands, like at a reception. Take a clean plate from the bar--you can share the plate with others in your party. Select tapas that look interesting to you from the many plates of gorgeously presented little masterpieces.

Push your way in among the many people at the bar if needed, or ask the bar man to pass you a specific plate of tapas you cannot reach. Here in Barcelona, there were many fish tapas, but also crab, chicken, cheese, vegetable, olives--lots of different choices. Eat as many as you want. Keep all the toothpicks from each tapas you ate. When you are ready to pay, the server will count all the toothpicks you have and charge you accordingly. Have fun!

July 12: A great guided Bike Tour of Barcelona for half the day; tapas again for lunch ;) with some friends made on the bike tour at a good place recommended by the guide (I saw dessert tapas here as well: small, satisfying morsels of sweetness to finish off the meal.); visit to the Cathedral of Barcelona with a visit of the roof top as well; relaxing pedicab drive to Gaudi's church. First purchase for the condo back home - for the boys' room. A lovely dinner at Cafe Princesa. The food and service at this restaurant were excellent. If you are in Barcelona and want fine dining, check it out: http://www.cafeprincesa.com/.

July 13: post cards to write and then it's leaving, on a jet plane and back to France.

Language fun: All public signs and things like newspapers are bilingual in Spanish and Catalan. It is fun to read the signs and try to figure out what you can from both Spanish and Catalan, and note the differences (even if you speak neither).

I was not able to learn any Catalan words (but Gracias - spelling? which differs from Spanish in pronunciation and probably the spelling as well), though my friend was very helpful and is, himself, bilingual in both languages, I got by with a few key Spanish phrases since my Spanish is basically non-existent. Resulting in....

Eve's list of essential Spanish phrases:

Tapas - Tapas
Cidra (spelling?) - hard cider in bars
Servicios/lavabos - facilities/restroom

Sangria - well, you know that one. ;)

Yes - Si
No - No

Thank you - Gracias

Hello - Hola (when entering stores)

Goodbye - Adios (when leaving stores)

Good morning/good day - Buenos dias

Good afternoon - Buenas tardes

Good evening/night - Buenas noches

See you soon - Hasta luego

I don’t speak Spanish - No hablo Español

(Knowing the numbers 1 - 10 and mutiples of 10 is also helpful.)

This list got me far, as many people speak English and are very friendly. Even when there is no common language, it is fun to communicate and be successful at getting the point across, even if it is with gestures. Or, even if someone speaks English, it is polite to say "thank you" or "goodbye" in the local langauge. Web sites and guide books will give you a more complete list of "essential" phrases, but this is what worked for me.

Little known fact about Barcelona:

Eduard told me that he saw in the city's laws that it is not illegal to walk the streets naked. So, if you decide to do so in Barcelona, you may make a splash and have people pointing and laughing at you, but you will not be arrested! Something to add to your "must do" list?

New Tips for Traveling in France

Tip #1:
Safe Kid Car Seats in France

If you are traveling with a child still in a 5-point harness (infant or toddler), if you are bringing your own car seat, be sure to bring the metal clip provided so you can block the car's seat belt.

Cars in France do not have locking seat belts and you need it to keep the child seat actually restraine and not sliding freely even though it is in the seat belt. Or, you can rent a seat at the rental car check-in (or buy one at Cora, Auchan or LeClerc for the same price). French kid car seats have a built in way to block the seat belt.

Tip #2:
Avoid Speeding Tickets

All through France on the highways, there are automated radar machines that take pictures of your car if you are speeding, even slightly over the speed limit. Be aware of this and don't learn the hard way. This is a new initiative in France the last few years and we were surprised by it (and have several tickets to pay!). You must respect the speed limits or you will pay the price!

Even if you rent a car, the rental company will eventually charge your card once they are notified of the speeding tickets by the French police (through the mail).