Paris: The city of lights, love and pickpocketers

Oh Paris, I think we have a love hate relationship. The first time I visited it was my first experience in Europe having just graduated from high school and I was disappointed in how unsafe and dirty the city seemed. On my second time around I much more appreciated the city now having been other places for comparison, yet despite the city's beauty and history the first thing that will come to mind when I think of Paris is pickpocketers. Lucky for us while I did catch a man in the middle of trying to unzip my purse within hours of our arrival in the city, it far from ruined our visit. Instead we enjoyed a beautiful few days visiting countless museums, monuments, palaces, early morning runs along the Seine in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower and watching some of the best tennis in the world!

After just a few days back home from visiting the Greek Isles we took off on an early Saturday morning train to Paris. The high speed French train was great and got us there within four hours. It was a nice day so after finding our hotel (which may have been the smallest one we have stayed in yet, that is until we went to Stockholm the following weekend) and grabbing lunch we made our way to the beautiful Sacre Coeur. Situated at the top of a hill a little outside of the main heart of Paris we almost overlooked visiting it, but upon seeing it I remembered how stunning it was from when I visited before and was glad we made the return trip.

Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart)

From there the rest of our afternoon and evening was dedicated to the Eiffel Tower. Since we had not purchased advanced tickets we had to wait in line well over an hour to go up.  And unfortunately for unknown reasons the very top level was closed off the day we went. Yet, the best views are from midway up anyways so we enjoyed being able to point out every monument in the skyline from there and were actually glad not to be going all the way to the top as it was already extremely windy and cold just where we were at.

Windy views from the Eiffel Tower!

It quickly got late and while we were hoping to enjoy a boat ride along the Seine we decided to skip it and enjoy a French dinner of crepes on our way back to the hotel which wasn't too far from the Eiffel Tower. On our way back we pondered why the French seemed to have dedicated that small area of Paris to the United States as we came across a miniature Statue of Liberty, followed by streets named after both President Kennedy and Roosevelt!

The Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower?

Back at the hotel that night we started making plans for Sunday as we were headed to the French Open! Although the draw had been released the day prior they had not yet released the actual schedule of play and court assignments. Months earlier we had secured great center court seats and so when we saw that night that of the four matches scheduled for center court on Sunday two of them were Federer and Serena Williams we couldn't have been more excited!

Two of four checked off the list, onto #3 very soon!

Very cool way to display the draw, handwritten after each match was completed!

Upon arriving at the grounds of Roland Garros on Sunday morning we met up with a friend from Zurich that had also secured a ticket for center court that day. While the first matched scheduled was a relatively low seed on the women's side we were still all anxious to get in the court and see the famous red clay for ourselves. As we recalled from watching last year's tournament most of the French did not make their way onto the court until much later in the day to only watch the highlighted matches, so we almost had it to ourselves. While we had bought two tickets just as we suspected there wasn't a whole lot of time that all of us sat and watched together. Little miss Emma was just a little too excited and tennis spectators (especially French ones I think) aren't the most tolerant of even the smallest of noises. So Emma primarily only "watched" during nap time. We thought we had a good plan of feeding her extended snacks while we were in watching to keep her entertained but that idea failed when we discovered that she simply is becoming very vocal very quickly and wanted to let everyone around her know how much she was enjoying her snack by repeatedly saying "mmmmmm..."

Emma at center court!

Go Roger!

Serena dominated her match!

Nevertheless we enjoyed our day split up between watching the matches on center court and meandering the grounds with Emma. Emma being her cute self managed to get a game used ball given to her, and we literally almost bumped right into Serena coming from her practice session. I'm most certainly glad we didn't actually bump into her because she looked mean. Mean and strong. Her legs and her arms are huge, especially when you are within feet of her - she is one tough lady. Let's just say I don't think most of us would want to run into her in a dark alley!

Someone's excited to get a game used ball!

While it has been nearly seven years since we were at the U.S. Open it was hard for us to remember and compare the two tournaments. But we were quite impressed overall with Roland Garros and really enjoyed our day there. Now onto Wimbledon to see how it compares!

Family photo at Roland Garros

Monday was to be our big siteseeing day with a laundry list of places to try to make it to. I must say I am sometimes amazed at how much we can squeeze into a day, especially with Emma. As she keeps changing with every trip we go on there are things that become a little easier and those that become a little more difficult. Yet one thing we never have to question is how cute and fun she is to travel with!

Precious daddy daughter moment

We started the day at with two famous churches - Notre Dame first and then worked our way down the river making a stop at Saint Chapelle, next up was Steve's daily stop for a croissant (mine for a coffee), followed shortly thereafter for lunch at a nice little outdoor cafe which was situated on a very busy intersection where we both witnessed a car accident and a foot chase while eating (not sure what it was about but thinking one person stole something from a nearby store), from there it was onto our museums for the day... the Louvre and the Orangerie.

Notre Dame without the scaffolding and with a clean facade in comparison to my first visit!

Beautiful inside of Saint Chapelle

The stained glass in Saint Chapelle was amazing, photos definitely do not do it justice!

The size and beauty of the building still impressed me just like the first visit

Bridge of locks on the Seine to "lock your love forever"

Just a normal day practicing our walking at the Louvre

By then we were all getting quite tired of both walking and being a tourist (although Emma had already managed three naps and her walking was perhaps not quite as strenuous), but we made our way onto the last two places on our list: Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. It seemed to be a busy day in that area of the city as there was a special military ceremony being held at the Arc de Triopmhe and we nearly stumbled across the red carpet for the premier of the movie the Hangover III. We didn't stick around to see the stars make their appearance but instead enjoyed visiting the top of the Arc de Triomphe which was well worth it and not something I had previously done.

Classic Arc de Triomphe photo

View from the top

Cool photo from the top to show five of the twelve streets converging at the Arc de Triomphe

It seemed like the weekend had gone much too fast when we realized it was already Tuesday and we would be headed back that evening. Yet we were excited to have enough time to sneak in a trip to Versailles, which is on the outskirts of Paris. While it was a rainy, cold day, it still could not downplay how amazing and over the top this palace and its grounds were. The size of the palace alone was impressive but when you added on the enormous gardens it truly is like it's own small town. In fact we read that at one point in time there were over 4,000 royalty and court members that lived there along with their families!

The "backyard" of Versailles

Beautiful chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors

On a nice day we could have easily spent the entire day just meandering the immense palace grounds filled with well groomed bushes, trees, and beautiful fountains. Yet since it was not the most pleasant of days we found ourselves ready to get back to the city and on our way home.

Although I find myself thinking it after almost every trip, I really started to realize after our visit to Paris just what a great traveler Emma is and how much she "encourages" us interact with others and strike up conversations (which can be very intriguing) with people from around the world. It's hard for people not to smile when they see her, and I just can't help but to think how lucky we are that she is ours!

Absolutely love this girl!

We've got a talker!

Emma's 11 month birthday quickly came and went amidst all of our traveling. We were actually in Paris at the time. And now here we are days away from her one year birthday! Where has the time gone?!

Although it may seem like I didn't take my usual quota of photos during her 11th month I think we did perhaps exceed most months when you take into consideration that during that month she visited Germany, Greece and France! And of course I think we took just a few photos in each of those spots.

While we were busy traveling it was nonetheless a memorable month for Emma developmentally as we heard her say her first words outside of mama and dada. We were in Mykonos to be exact when we heard her quite deliberately say "banana." My mouth about dropped when the three syllable word came out at breakfast as I started peeling a banana for her. Most times now it doesn't come out as banana but more like "manana," but I now know exactly what she is referring to. It was without a doubt one of the most exciting moments thus far as I really thought "wow she is learning things so fast and I am teaching her these things everyday!" And to our surprise just a few days later in Santorini she said "all done." It is so interesting to see what words they say first and I guess it really just goes to show you how carefully they are listening to everything you do say. Now I know I really do say "all done" as we finish every activity throughout the day!

Happy now that the sticker and headband are off!

Along the lines of talking she also became much more vocal in all forms of communication during her last month. She especially likes to communicate with animals (real or fake) that she sees. Most of the time this comes out in the form of panting, but mooing sometimes comes into play as well (of course both of these do not explicity apply to dogs or cows, all animals are fair game!).

How can you not laugh when you watch this? Thank goodness for these toy animals that were the best airplane gift ever!

She also loves to interact with people by coughing back at them if they make any sort of noise close to a cough or sneeze. In general she just loves to do anything to get a reaction out of the people around her! Making friends is certainly one of the things she does best, and we feel extremely lucky at how happy of a baby she is most of the time. We often have complete strangers tell us what a happy baby they think she is and they are impressed by how much she interacts with them. To say we feel blessed is an understatement considering how much we travel with her and she is in public because otherwise we know things could be much more difficult!

Emma loves to play peek-a-boo!

She continued to gain confidence a little at a time when it came to walking with less support and standing more confidently. Although we are anxiously awaiting her first steps as we anticipate some things will become easier, we also know many other things may become more difficult! Also, we continue to wait and wait and see when that first tooth will finally come. She may be diving into that first birthday cake toothless come her first birthday!

Just because there is no walking doesn't mean there is no climbing!

I simply fall in love with Emma more and more each day and it is so much fun as she becomes older and more able to communicate with us. I cannot wait to see what the end of her first year and beginning of her second year has in store for us! But I know one thing for sure and that is there will be many fun times ahead!

Too concerned with getting that sticker off to smile for the camera!

Greek Isles Part Two: Santorini

Although we really enjoyed our time in Mykonos, we immediately fell in love with Santorini. As soon as our ferry started making its way into the caldera and the dramatic cliffs came into view we knew we were somewhere special. Never before had we seen anything remotely similar. To say the least we knew we had made a good choice and were excited to see our hotel (which was built into the side of the cliff as many of them are) and to explore the beautiful island of Santorini.

Our hotel shuttle met us at the port and from there we made our way up an impressive climb of a road that wound its way up the side of the cliff.

If you look closely you can see the zig zag of the road in the side of the cliff.

Upon arrival at our hotel we had to descend quite a few stairs followed by two elevators just to get to the reception as the entrance to the hotel from the road was at the top of the cliff. The hotel was amazing in the way it was staggered into the side of the cliff with each room being at a slightly different level. And to say the least the views from our room were simply incredible.

View from our hotel room onto the main pool at our hotel with part of the island in the background

Not a bad for a "splash pool" at the hotel

What a view from our hotel!

As it was already getting late we quickly found our way to the hotel restaurant where we enjoyed more great Greek food with a view of the sunset. However, the first night's sunset (along with the one we saw every other night on the island) was a bit disappointing as a slight haze in the sky prevented us from seeing the dramatic colors that the island is famous for. Yet it was hard to be too disappointed as everything else about the view was stunning. Good thing it did eventually get dark though as I am quite sure we could have sat and looked at that view all night, but instead we sat down to map out or plan for the next three and a half days so we could make sure to see and experience as much of Santorini as possible.

Sunday morning we set off on the 45 minute rim walk from our hotel in the town of Imerovigli to the largest town of Fira. We enjoyed meandering our way along the cliff that is filled with beautiful hotels, restaurants, and shops. It was hard not to take a photo every few steps. Some of our favorite views included those of Skaros Rock, Nea Kameni (the small uninhabited island in the center of the caldera that is formed by volcanic remains), and the cascading cliffs. We enjoyed a great lunch on an outdoor terrace that sat high above surrounding buildings and allowed us once in a lifetime views.

Ready to go on our first day in Santorini!

View of Skaros Rock and Nea Kameni along our walk



View on the town of Fira and the beautiful cliffs

Family photo!

Emma loved watching the donkeys!

Daddy and daughter enjoying the views from lunch

As it was quite a bit warmer in Santorini than it had been in Mykonos we were very anxious to get back to our hotel and test out the pool. It did not disappoint (us nor Emma) other than the water still being a little chilly. We quickly concluded that this would have to be a daily stop on our agenda!

Too cute... someone's really starting to like this swimming stuff!

It's easy to get tuckered out quickly after a swim.

After relaxing poolside we had an ambitious evening planned as we set out for a two hour hike from our hotel towards the town of Oia, which was in the opposite direction that we had gone that morning. Although our hotel receptionist seemed quite concerned about us doing the hike, we found it not particularly challenging, but just that it was fairly remote for the entire walk as the island gets quite narrow for much of the hike. We ended in Oia just a little ahead of the sunset, but it turned out to be not much of anything just like the night before.

Stunning scenery all around us

View of the Caldera

You can see both sides of the island in this photo with the far left side flat as a pancake and the right with the dramatic cliffs.

A little ways into the hike with our destination to the far left.

Dad and daugher sporting their shades

Halfway point family photo

So many beautiful old churches, some of which are still used today in remote parts of the island

We made it - enjoying the views in Oia looking back on the rest of the island of Santorini

Beautiful sunset or not it had been an evening and a hike we will surely never forget. Fingers crossed we will one day be lucky enough to come back and do it again.

We had a fun day planned on Monday as we headed out sailing on a catamaran around part of the island and throughout the caldera. We lucked out as it was early in the season and instead of the more typical 8 or 10 passengers there was only us and one other couple. The crew was a lot of fun and did a great job of narrating what we were seeing as we cruised around the island making quick stops to jump in and go swimming. Steve got in the water twice, but I only made a quick hop in once as it was freezing cold in most spots and even the "hot springs" where I swam near the volcanic remains was still quite cool. Emma did great and seemed to really enjoy being on the boat, especially when she got to lay on the net with her dad. Although the excursion lasted the majority of the day it was over in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Yet I think we all realized we had been out on a boat in the sun all day as we were exhausted and happy to have a relaxing evening back at the hotel.



Red sand beach

Relaxing and enjoying the scenery

Stunning cliffs and beautiful water!

Our little sailor!

We like family photos, whether or not we're all sitting still

Swimming in the hot springs near the volcanic remains of Nea Kameni, the water was a distinct green.

Our last full day arrived much too quickly. We decided to start off the day with another hike, this one out to Skaros Rock, which distinctly juts out into the caldera from the rugged cliffs. It was a lot of steps both up and down to get out and around the rock, but it provided great views back on other parts of the island. Steve even hiked to the top of the actual rock to get some of the best views of all!

We walked down from the cliffs to only have to walk back up to get to the actual rock.

View back from Skaros Rock on the town of Fira.

By the end of our hike it was quickly getting quite hot outside so after finding lunch we made our way back for another afternoon by the pool. From there we decided to spend our last evening back in the town of Oia since we had really liked it for the brief time we were there on our second night. We enjoyed wandering through many unique shops full of local crafts and we enjoyed perhaps one of the freshest fish dinners we will ever have as we ate right in Oia's port and picked our fish out that had been caught just a couple hours before. However it was quite a hike just to get to dinner (or maybe more of a hike after dinner) as the restaurant was some 300 or 400 stairs down below the actual town. Although there were donkeys you could ride we decided not to as unfortunately the donkeys appear quite poorly cared for and instead just hiked both up and down!

Town of Oia, just amazing to think of how difficult it was to build into the side of the cliff

More beautiful views of Oia and the port below

Last night in Santorini

A certain little miss is always busy making new friends.

What a fun time together!

The evening in Oia was the perfect end to a magical trip. We did still have part of the day on Wednesday, but we decided to keep it simple and just enjoy the hotel pool a bit in the morning before heading for our flight home.

Goodbye Santorini!

While it is difficult to compare Santorini to anywhere else we have visited in Europe, it is no doubt near the top of the list of all time favorite vacation spots. To see an island formed in such a unique way from a volcano was a once in a lifetime experience, I just hope I get to experience it again one day!