Lunch with Paris and Mr. Eiffel

We travel to Peter’s family in Zurich today: a straight TGV train from Paris to the Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in 4 hours.  We booked the tickets before leaving so we simply had to arrive and board.  Which meant we had extra time.  So we threw our luggage in the baggage check at the train station and popped on the Paris Metro to this place:

After Euro Disney we were not excited about waiting, lines and people.  So we happened to not mention the fact that you can go UP in the Eiffel Tower to the girls.  We decided that the romantic view (what they see in their books) would probably be most important.   We said hi to Mr Eiffel for a while and then settled-in at a park to relax, eat lunch from a local street vendor and play. 

Ummm... Mr Eiffel is in front of you people...

MJ taking her own pictures.

Sophia said she wanted to take a picture too.  Funny girl.

Little tickle moster in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

Peter doing his bench press exercises.

The view from our picnic spot.

MJ making an epic daisy chain.

When you travel with kids the same daily happenings happen on the road.  You expect it.  Kids have melt downs, kids need snacks, kids pee their pants, kids need quiet playing time… You just have to be a little more creative then at home.  Madelyn lost a tooth .  So...

Blog survey question???!!!:

Do you think the tooth fairy delivers coins based on the country you are from or the country you are in?  Peter and I's guess is:  in.  Therefore, Swiss Francs.  

What do you think?  

We’ll find out tonight… 

MJ wiggling and pulling in the Paris Subway.

The actual travel for kids is half the fun.  I mean the getting from point A to point B.  I plan to expand on this concept when I get home, but seriously planes, trains, trams, cable cars are fun stuff.  Here are our adventures on the Paris trains...

Goofing around waiting for Daddy to buy our tickets.

Once we boarded the train we enjoyed MJ and Phia’s company for less than 30 minutes.  Then they succumbed.  Jet lag + up at 5am + the train movement lullaby = asleep the whole train ride.  I too had a head bob dance going on for about an hour.

Reading a little Ivy and Bean.

We are now in Zurich, settled in at Peter’s cousins house and as usual enjoying this city we know fairly well. 

More adventure reporting soon,

~Lisa

June 27

Euro Disney

Sounds cool, right?  Disneyland in Europe!  We are so chic…

Ugh.  It is still Disneyland.  Las Vegas for children: over the top extravagance, over the top costs and over the top… well… moooooo.  This is NOT my kinda travel.  Let me get this straight from the beginning:  this blog is not about this kind of travel.  Buuuuut we had to go to Europe (I know, I know… boohoo) for Peter’s yearly family get together and, well, we thought… why not!  The girls will love it, right? 

Well, I’m not sure overwhelming happiness is what I would use to describe the whole time, but certainly part of the time.  It was good for about 2-3 hours each day.  Skipping, smiles, laughter, excitement, joy, love, wonder, mystical aura.  Then the over stimulation, waiting, too much junk food, waiting, walking for miles, waiting and then some more waiting…. Mooooo…. Set in.  I think one day of Disney was good for me.  Three was toooooo long.  All the parents we saw (French, Spanish, Italian, German, Slovic, Indian) are in a constantly changing circle of bliss (child is so happy), frustration (child is not listening) or exhaustion (child is in melt down). 

I had a few blissful moments of just sitting, watching and observing – aka stroller naps.  I loved watching the parents faces as they walked out of a ride with their cuties.  They immediately were smiling, turning to their children and waiting for that look.  The look of joy, of magic, radiating from their whole body.  Oh ya, this is why we are here.   Being a parent is hard, frustrating, exhausting, boring, and often swallows you whole.   As much as Disneyland is marketing, consumerism, flashy extravagance and over indulgence… it is also about  seeing the twinkle in their eyes.  When MJ and Phia smiling, laughing and are bursting with energy.  So am I.

Peter said Disneyland is like childbirth.  After awhile all you remember from the trip is that mystical aura of happiness and wonder and you forget the rest.  The pain, the suffering, the exhaustion, the impatience, the melt downs… I guess it really is the Magic Kingdom.

Peter and I are absolutely thrilled to be LEAVING this place tomorrow and heading to Peter’s family in Zürich, Switzerland.  We will be boarding a TGV train late in the day (hmmm… maybe a quickie to the Eiffel Tower on the way)… and will be spending tomorrow evening in Winterthur – a suburb of Zurich. 

More soon,

~Lisa
june 26

Dancing on the walk to the park entrance on Day One.  Seriously excited.

Daddy dncing too...

First position, followed by plie and pirouetee in the front of Aurora's castle.

Disney Swim.

Baquette anyone?

Dude, Dad, come on!  Hurry up.

I hear ya sister.

Feeling done ... with an hour in the wait for Aurora still to go...

Wow... this is her real life castle Mommy!

OMG! The real Aurora.

This is just seriously cute.

Welcome!

Day 1, June 20 2012

I have been writing this book - Milk To Go - for ummmm... five years?  The concept of my book is / was to inspire people to travel with their kiddos.  But really, traveling with my girls is an ongoing adventure.  As soon as 300 pages of fun is described and photographed there are several more new and exciting trips to talk about.   So I am thinking a blog is the way to go! Let me know what you think...  and pass Milk To Go along to your friends and enjoy!


The Concept
Milk To Go will be my photographic travel blog with an emphasis on kids.  My goal is to inspire you TO GO.  Milk can be purchased anywhere.

Escape from your home.  Home means dinners to plan, laundry to do, toy rooms to clean up, schedules to keep, rules to adhere to....

I love my home, I love my studio, I love the place we live and our routines here.  We live on beautiful Fidalgo Island in Anacortes, Washington. But I also love seeing, observing and, of course, photographing the world.  Every few months I get the itch.  I have to get out.  I love the simplicity of being on the road.  The only thing to do is be in a new place and enjoy my family.  

Yes, yes... it’s not all rainbows and lollipops.  I have plenty of stories about pumping breast milk on a 9 hour flights, changing diapers in the strangest of places, massive blow-outs at inopportune times, vomiting from turbulence that has my 5 month old squealing in delight.  But that is funny stuff!  I love it... after it’s all cleaned up.  In laughter and in vomit, I hope you will enjoy our moments.

The Players:

 

Yup that's them.  The Motley Crew.

Madelyn Jill, 6 years old, aka MJ





Sophia Rose, 3 years old, aka Phia





   
... and my very patient, obliging and ultra supportive husband Peter.  (Peter has no middle name.  He is Swiss - middle names are a waste of time).

So then...

 

Welcome to Milk To Go:  

a photographic travel blog about kids and families seeking adventure.

Welcome to my family.  

First adventure to be reported on starts in T-minus 1 day.  

More very soon.... Lisa