Another trip bites the dust… There is always a strange feeling at the end of a long vacation - the longing to get home to your own bed and the comforts of home, and the desire to continue the adventure. After visiting so many great places with amazing food, interestingly enough I am most looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and making homemade tacos with super spicy salsa. (But not at the same time.)

Note - I still don't have a cord for my camera, so unfortunately there won't be any pictures. I saw a camera shop yesterday, but it was closed. Boo hoo!

Yesterday was fun; we started our day with the requisite coffee and croissant and then wandered the neighbourhood of St. Germain. There are a lot of interesting art stores and galleries, and the streets are small, narrow and winding compared to just a few blocks away where the large and grand boulevards begin. We had a date to meet my aunt, uncle, and three cousins whose European trip overlapped ours with a single day in Paris. We had a nice lunch together before parting ways to continue on with our day. It is always fun to see family or friends 'out of context'. They were excited to be just beginning their long European adventure, while we are just ending ours. I wish them lots of fun!

After lunch we walked to the river and towards the Louvre. Initially we had considered going in, but we were all feeling a bit tired so we just walked around the outside instead. The Louvre is not something you want to tackle while tired! We then hopped on the metro and went to the Eiffel Tower - no matter how many times you visit Paris, no trip is complete without seeing it! We arrived from the Trocadero metro station and were disappointed to find that the fountains are undergoing major restoration and the area is boarded up and quite ugly at the moment. Those fountains and surrounding area are really beautiful and a great place to hang out and relax, so on one hand it is fantastic that they are fixing them, but as a selfish tourist I was sad that I didn't get to see them.

The State of Emergency currently occurring in France has been very evident while we have been here; in both Nice and Paris there are many police officers walking the streets, watching pedestrians and cars, and patrolling the metro stations. Instead of feeling bothered by this, I feel strangely comforted. The security was especially evident around the base of the Eiffel Tower - we were here only two years ago and you could freely walk underneath it, while now it is barricaded and you need to go through gates and security to enter the area. It only added to the insane congestion of tourists in the area, so we quickly got away from there and went to a little café for a snack and drink instead. After making our way back to our apartment for a rest before dinner, we were amazed to see that it started pouring only a few minutes after we got back! What excellent timing, and it was also fortuitous that we were planning on going to the Japanese restaurant for dinner that was literally next door, so we didn't need to worry about wandering in the rain.

The sushi was really good, although the menu was very confusing and you couldn't order anything a la carte. Everything came as a meal with soup, salad, and an assortment of sushi that they had chosen in a combination. It took us a while to figure out what to order in a way that we could all share everything and everyone could get what they wanted. By the time we finished dinner the rain had stopped and we took the opportunity to walk off our food. Chloe bought herself a Paris phone case in a gift shop, and although the streets were full of people out socializing and having a great time, we went back to the apartment afterwards because we were all feeling tired. I think if this was the beginning of our trip we would've stayed out for hours, but we are all starting to wither, and our stamina isn't quite what it was at the beginning.

This morning we went to a boulangerie that we saw last night, and unfortunately we had a very disappointing experience. The croissants were fantastic, but the coffee was horrible (I didn't know that was possible in Paris!). The guy working was confused and slightly inept, and the few other diners in his shop looked equally disappointed. I'm not sure how he manages to stay in business - it is definitely not due to repeat customers.

After our (disappointing) breakfast we returned to the apartment to plan our day. Jeff found something online that we hadn't seen before called the 'I Love You Wall'. As we started walking to the metro it started to rain, and unfortunately we had left both of our umbrellas in the apartment. We had a bit of time to travel on the metro; we hoped that when we finally emerged back up on ground that the rain would be finished. Nope - it was pouring! We took shelter in a little café where we ordered some drinks (the coffee was much better!) and waited out the rain. The wall was interesting; it has 'I love you' written on it in 250 different languages. It was cute to see, and of course we took a bunch of pictures in front of it. (Disclaimer - although we looked for a long time, we couldn't find I love you in English!!)

Next up, and just around the corner, was the Sacre Coeur. We did the requisite climb up to the top and took in a beautiful view of Paris. Unfortunately, you can't see the Eiffel Tower from the top due to a large grove of trees blocking the view. What nerve! Lunch came next in a small bistro with a traditional French lunch. Gazpacho, lentils, chicken in gravy… everything was great and the waiter was friendly and humoured us by letting us attempt to communicate in French.

A short rest before dinner was necessary, and thankfully we had one because our evening turned out to be very long. Dinner was fantastic (interestingly enough, our final French dinner was in an Italian restaurant), and then we capped the evening off with a view of the Eiffel Tower lit up. We waited for it to sparkle (it sparkles for 5 minutes every hour, on the hour). It is gorgeous, and I'm not sure it's possible to get tired of seeing it like that. The kids wanted a final crêpe before leaving which they ate in the sparkly shadow of the tower. We took a long walk, followed by two metros, before finally making it back to our apartment close to midnight. Zzzzz! We leave tomorrow afternoon so we have one final breakfast and lunch before we leave. I have a strong feeling that one of them will involve a croissant…  :)

I was way too tired last night to write a blog… I am currently sitting on a train travelling between Nice and Paris and felt it was the perfect opportunity to catch up on the events of the last day and a half. (Edit - the first half of the blog was written on the train, the second half was written from the comforts of my bed!)

 

Yesterday was our one and only full day in Nice and we wanted to make the most of it. I would like to give a shout-out to the Novotel Nice Centre, because for the price it truly delivered. Breakfast was included with our room; you could enjoy a plentiful buffet, but if you preferred you could order room service for free. We discovered this at around 11 pm and quickly decided that room service was the way to go for the next morning. It was really nice - fresh orange juice, a bowl of fresh fruit (whole peaches, apples, oranges and strawberries), and of course baguettes and croissants. It was an excellent way to start the day.

Julia wanted to swim in the pool, but after half an hour she was bored so we headed towards the beautiful old part of Nice to find lunch. We ate at a lovely beach club right on the Mediterranean. We were in the shade and had a beautiful view of the ocean with a gorgeous sea breeze. As it was our only day in Nice, I felt it was appropriate to order the Salade Nicoise. Chloe did the same, and we both loved it. The water was a gorgeous colour of blue and it was really the perfect place to have lunch. Afterwards, Jeff and Julia rented two beach chairs while Chloe and I headed into the narrow streets to do some window shopping. Chloe and I ate some delicious gelato and wandered around looking in interesting little shops. After a few hours we met back up with Jeff and a slightly sunburned Julia who had spent the entire time bobbing in the water. That truly is her happy place!

Back at the hotel we cleaned ourselves up and had a little rest before going out for dinner. It may seem counterintuitive, but during past visits we have found amazing Vietnamese food in France. Vietnam was occupied by France for a long time, and some of their cooking is intricately linked. (Have you ever eaten a Vietnamese sub and wondered why it is served on a baguette?) So, with that in mind, we searched out a Vietnamese restaurant with excellent reviews. We found it, but to our disappointment it was closed. We ended up eating a delicious meal at a restaurant with a lot of authentic Nicoise dishes. It was really good, and of course we capped off with more gelato. Just because we left Italy doesn't mean that we can't eat gelato multiple times a day.  :)

This morning we decided to go down to the buffet (as opposed to getting room service), and it was really nice. This is the third Novotel we have stayed in this trip (London Blackfriars, Genova City Centre, and Nice Centre), and they have all had drastically different breakfast buffets. London had the traditional English brown beans, sausages and eggs, Genova had a strange combination of food, no fresh fruit, but excellent croissants, and this one today in Nice was by far the best. Lots of fresh fruit, beautiful baked goods, cheeses, meats, and eggs and potatoes if you'd like. It was really delicious, and much better than the donut and Tang you receive as a free breakfast in some hotels.

We took a taxi to the train station and our driver was hilarious. Jeff wondered later if he was a wanna-be comedian trying out his jokes on unsuspecting travellers. In any case, we were chuckling for the entire journey. He talked about his two boys (aged 14 and 10) and his wife, and we were in stitches. It made for a very amusing commute. Our train today departed from Nice at noon, and after a half an hour delay (which seems to be the story of our train travel this summer) we were off. We were on the top level of a double decker train travelling about 300 km/hr across the French countryside. When we entered tunnels our ears felt strange, but it was wonderful to be able to walk around and do whatever we pleased while getting from one point to the other. For lunch on the train I had a nice risotto, Jeff had a croque monsieur, and the kids had chicken farfalle pasta. Not too shabby!

We got to our apartment and were slightly disappointed by the size - it is tiny! There is very little storage and so we put our things away as best we could. Accommodations on this trip have not been up to par compared to our other European adventures, but it will make us appreciate the future great finds even more. The location of this apartment, however, is fantastic. We are between St. Germain and the Latin Quarter and there are a lot of great shops and restaurants all around us. Tonight's dinner was fondue, and it was great. Not a 'light' meal by any stretch of the imagination, but super delicious. Hunks of baguette dipped in gooey cheese, cubes of beef sizzling in oil, and a pan of potatoes with cream and bacon. Dinner of champions! They served a small green salad with it which was much appreciated, and we felt the red wine was full of antioxidants and basically a vegetable side dish.

By the time dinner was done it was pouring and we headed towards home after grabbing some bottles of water from a supermarket. We are all pretty tired so are taking advantage of the good WiFi and calling it an early night. I still can't find my computer cord so no pictures (Joyce lent me hers the other day before we parted ways, but now I need to track one down in Paris!)

We love this city, and it is nice to be back. It has taken a beating in the last year which makes me sad, but that is all the more reason to visit. Bon nuit!

Oops - it has been much too long since I sat down and wrote a proper blog. We have been having a great time for the last few days with our friends from the Netherlands. We have a four bedroom apartment on the top floor of an apartment building in Rapallo, Italy. The location is great, but it is admittedly VERY hot. There isn't any air conditioning, and the few fans we have are a bit feeble. However, the company is excellent and we are having fun at the beach, strolling the streets, and searching out great restaurants. Their two children are ages 8 and 2 and everyone is getting along perfectly and going with the flow.

We must have extremely tasty blood to these Italian mosquitoes, because our entire family has been eaten alive. They are bloodthirsty, voracious little buggers and we are keeping the Italian economy afloat with the purchase of many different sprays, lotions, and gels to try and manage the situation. At least we have figured out how to keep them out of the bedrooms, even if it means a hot and sweaty sleep.

Yesterday we took the train to Genova (Genoa) for a little day trip. Our intention was to get there for lunch, but we didn't plan our timing very well because we arrived around 2:30 and most restaurants close at 3 pm. By the time we found some good places they were all closed - we were all hot, sweaty, and starving which made decision making even more difficult. Poor little Viggo (the two year old) had a breakdown; I think we were all feeling that way but not acting on it. Kids get a pass on that! We had lunch at one of the only places we could find, and although the food looked great through the glass case, we were less than impressed to get our plates of food and realize that they had microwaved everything! I had pesto lasagna and the plate was super-hot but the food was lukewarm. Sven's pizza was soggy and disappointing. We all ate enough to fend off starvation and then moved on. Disappointing.

I must admit that the day in Genoa didn't turn out the way we all thought it would… we wandered around waiting to see something fantastic but it was hot and hilly and we were all getting a bit tired. There were a few gems though, the University of Genova had a gorgeous little garden and there were a few interesting old palaces along Via Garibaldi where the very rich lived hundreds of years ago. If you were fortunate enough to do the 'Grand Tour' back in those times, Via Garibaldi was a must-do on the list of things to see. You could peek into the main areas of a few of them and there were ornate fountains and beautifully intricate paintings on the ceilings. Joyce and I imagined ourselves 300 years ago strolling along with our parasols admiring the buildings. Then we thought about the horribly hot dresses and corsets, layers and layers of material chafing and hot shoes pinching our feet. Ugh. We were struggling with the heat in the clothes we were wearing, and had we appeared in public dressed like that at the time, I'm sure we would've been stoned or hung up in the piazza for all to see. Shameful!

Many of the beaches around here are privately owned and so you have to pay an entrance in to a 'beach club' for the day. With admission you get a lounge chair and access to all of their amenities. The first day we walked around the harbour and tried a few places but they were full, so we went to the only place that had room for us. It was nice and had chairs right on the beach where we could easily watch the kids. The food was very reasonably priced (considering that they had a captive audience), and there were floating play structures in the water which were a nice distraction. The only downside was that the beach was rocky, and walking to the water's edge was difficult and funny to watch.

Today's beach club was much bigger, and it was sandy, instead of rocky. We stayed for much longer than we should have, because we all now see how effective sunscreen is - and how ineffective it is when not applied correctly. It was a nice day, sunburns and all, and we are looking forward to our reservation for dinner tonight. We ate lunch at a great restaurant a few days ago and made a dinner reservation so that we could enjoy the food again. We are planning on being hungry because there were so many good things on the menu and we want to eat it all! The ravioli with truffle sauce is calling my name and it would be rude to ignore it.  ;)

I would love to post some photos, but I can't find the cord that connects the camera to my computer. If I see an electronics shop I will grab another one, but for some reason I haven't yet seen a Radio Shack in small town Italy. For now, my words will just have to paint the picture!

A lot has happened in the last few days - the main thing being that after a fifth night of sweltering heat and swarming mosquitoes, we decided to abandon our apartment and head for an air conditioned hotel. Renting a place on the fifth floor of a very old building that doesn't have air conditioning was a mistake - one that we won't make again. I guess I just assumed they would have A/C… and we all know what assuming does. Live and learn. Luckily Sven and Joyce were also up for the change of venue despite the fact that we were leaving behind two nights of paid accommodation. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

We decided upon the Novotel in Genoa because it was relatively cheap, less than an hour away, and it had an outdoor swimming pool. That first night in the hotel with A/C and no mosquitoes was absolute heaven. Plus, the bathrooms in the apartment were so strange - you almost had to climb into a little cubby to use the toilet; hotel bathrooms are amazing! Also, the shower in the apartment got the entire bathroom soaking wet so it was impossible to keep it clean, especially with 4 adults and 4 kids. It felt like indoor camping. We were up for the adventure, but we were beaten by tiny flying itch-machines. Not so big and strong anymore, are we!

It's interesting, because during the day the apartment was actually great. There was a nice breeze through it and we would have breakfast on the terrace all together. (It was gezellig, as the Dutch say.) But, we weren't going to be fooled again, and we had to stay strong with our decision to leave. We packed up our things and portofinodecided to use our convenient location for one quick excursion out to Portofino for the afternoon. You may have heard of Portofino - it is like the St. Tropez of Italy. Lots of money, fancy stores… a playground for the rich and famous. We've been to St. Tropez and it really wasn't our cup of tea, so admittedly I was skeptical of Portofino and it's supposed charms. Well, I was wrong - I loved it! It is really quaint and cozy, and we had a fantastic lunch at a little restaurant that Chloe found on TripAdvisor. Jeff and I both ordered "Grandma's spaghetti' and it was hands down the best spaghetti I have ever had. Yum, yum, yum. We followed that with artisan gelato from a little shop that was mind blowing delicious. boatAhhhhh. To add to the fantastic afternoon, Jeff arranged a private water taxi for the 8 of us back to Rapallo. It cost a about 40 euros more (total) than taking the public ferry back, and it was well worth it. Great views of Portofino and the little towns along the way as we zipped around on our little boat. Awesome. (One last note, Portofino was so cute and almost felt fake. I swear that Walt Disney made it, because I felt like I was at Epcot!)

After our great afternoon, the car was loaded and Jeff and Sven drove the luggage to the hotel in Genoa while Joyce and I took the kids on the train. It ended up being quite the trip as it was a crowded train and we had to stand for the entire 40 minutes in to the city. (The first 15 minutes were next to many stinky men who thankfully got off after a few stops.) After getting off the train we had to take the metro a few stops until we got to the right part of the city. By this time is was almost 8 pm and we couldn't believe how well all of the kids were doing. The guys had arrived at the hotel and unloaded all of the bags before walking towards the metro stop to meet us about 2 hours after we said goodbye in Rapallo. It was a long haul but totally worth it. We had dinner at the hotel, and it was 'International Buffet' night. Ummm, well, let's just say it was a valiant effort. Ham and rice salad, couscous with vegetables, watermelon, pizza, french fries, grilled eggplant. It was a strange combination of food. We were tired and hungry and it did its job.

The following day (yesterday) we hit the pool. The pictures on the website were a tad misleading - I'm not sure that the pool deck had been mopped in 2 years. Ick. Keep your flip flops on kind of dirty… The pool itself was good though, and Luna, Julia, and Viggo had a great time swimming for hours. It's been so nice for Julia to have someone else to play with in the pool - that girl is a fish. Despite the language difference they have managed to have great fun together, and it's been a wonderful week. Interesting note - there was a lifeguard at the pool who spent the entire time reading a book, smoking, or looking at his phone. This became particularly amusing when he had to close the pool for 20 minutes while he ate his lunch.  ??!?  Only in Italy.

keldersLast night was our final dinner with the Kelders and we went to a pizza place that touted itself as a 'Tipico Pizzeria'. From the outside it didn’t look like much, but it was absolutely fantastic and a great way to cap our week together. We ended it with limoncello and toasted to great friends. We parted ways this morning as they headed towards Pisa and we made our way to Nice. We took a train along the Mediterranean coast and the views were fantastic. At some points we were right along the water and it almost felt like we were on a boat! After crossing in to France from Italy the train was stopped and they did passport checks; a few people were removed when they didn't produce one. After all that has happened in France this last year, I am happy for the extra security.

Our hotel in Nice is nice and will be our home for the next two nights. We only have one full day here and Julia wants to swim in the pool while Chloe wants to explore the shops. Jeff and I just want a nice glass of wine and some French food - should be easy to accomplish everyone's wishes! After many weeks in Italy I am happy to hear French - I am so much more comfortable with the French language and already feel more at ease. Italian just never stuck, no matter how hard I tried.

Bon nuit!

My blogging has been few and far between since arriving in Rapallo on Sunday evening. I am having WiFi issues, but I am also having too much to fun to sit at my computer. We are with our good friends Sven and Joyce and their two kids Luna and Viggo, and on the first night the adults stayed up drinking grappa until 2 am... Makes for fun times and non-existent blogging! 

Rapallo is a beautiful little town and we are having fun. I plan on writing a proper blog in the next few days because there is a lot to talk about! 

ps - I did this on my iPad so please excuse any formatting issues!

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