Hello from Brussels.  It's our last night here then we will be going to Dusseldorf for our flight to the states on Friday.  Can't believe it.  It felt like such a long time when we started but now it seems to have been a just a moment--or a blur of moments.

Yesterday we went to a flea market and found a few treasures, then walked the area around our hotel.  We are on Rue De Louise and there is every shopping possibility you can think of.  From Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Christian Dior, to H&M and Zara, and lots of local boutiques in between.  Not to worry, I only tried on the beautiful red-bottomed Christian Louboutin pumps, I didn't actually buy them!  Today we walked to the Grand Place where the history and architecture are mind-blowing.

 We also saw Little Julian--a tiny fountain that is statue of a young boy peeing.  It's legendary and promises to bring good luck.  It took all my strength not to buy the Little Julian souvenir wine key with the screw in a most compromising and distasteful location.   Check out Little Julian lore:
http://visitbrussels.be/bitc/BE_en/monument/797/manneken-pis.do?tabbedPanelsTab=quartier&property=QUARTIERS

Look closely to see Little Julian in the background.

Last night we went to a delicious restaurant called Chez Oki.  We are becoming fond of strange fusions and this was no exception--Japanese/French.  It was about a 10-minute walk down cobblestone streets from our hotel, and worth every ankle turn in my heels.  I chose the 4-course surprise chef's menu, and the girls chose a tempura fish dish.  We split all the courses of my meal, with the easy favorite being the first course.  It was a "Foie gras sushi" served with a caramelized soy sauce.  It was so delicious that after we ate all the other courses, we ordered another foie gras sushi!  Other highlights--second course tuna/shrip sashimi ravioli, and the dessert which was a coffee creme brulee.  Wish we had the restraint to stop and take photos of all of those dishes, but we were starving!  Here's a link to the restaurant:
http://chez-oki.com/

The girls all decked out for Chez Oki

We have also had our fair share of waffles and chocolates, of course.  The only local favorite we have missed is mussels and frittes, which we plan to hunt down this evening.

waffle gluttony

We are off to Dusseldorf tomorrow.  One night there and we will be heading home.  I am hesitant to give my girls back to their world--the one where I am driver/cook/complaint manager/social director. I have much preferred being traveling companion.  But I know reality awaits and am just crossing my fingers that we can take the prospective this trip has given us back into our everyday lives.  It's possible, right?

Love to all!  xxoo

Just got back from the Eiffel Tower and shopping along Champs-Elysees.  We hoofed it to the second platform of the tower and took the lift from there.  I was winded.  I'm out of shape.  My neighborhood ladies, get ready for some serious loop walking when I return!

We leave tomorrow for Brussels.  Matt had to fly to Atlanta for business--good for him because it means things in the states are busy, but sad for us.  But we will rally, and are excited to get to our hotel in Brussels and finish off our trip in a really cool old city.  We will be home on Saturday.  Can not believe summer is almost over!  Can't wait to catch up with everyone and hear about all of your summer adventures.  Quick trips when I get back.  We are headed to Napa for Matt's brother's birthday celebration and I have got to get to Chicago to meet the new babies.  Never a dull moment!

Sitting on the train en route to Paris.  This will be a 5.5 hour journey and we are all settled in.  It was difficult to leave Nice, particularly on a perfect cloudless day.   Mostly in Nice we were beach bums—the waves were great and even I loved playing in them (be sure to ask Delaney about my colossal wipeout), but we did take a trip over to Monaco and Monte Carlo to see how the other half lives.   Yacht after Yacht lined up in the port and Bentleys and Ferraris and Rolls Royces, oh, my!  We took a tour of the less than 1 square mile country and learned lots of rich history.  I loved that part.  Also visited the Jaques Cousteau Aquarium, and watched the changing of the guard at the palace.  Kids were fascinated by real royalty,  and it was fun telling them about Grace Kelly.  Pictures of her were all over in the different areas of town.  She really was so beautiful.

We had a delicious dinner two nights ago at a restaurant called Papayou in Nice.  It’s French/Italian/Thai.   Sounds like a strange fusion, but it was one of the best meals we’ve had yet.  We had spring rolls and a burata, tomato, basil salad to start.  For dinner we ordered the duck in a red curry/coconut milk sauce, beef with thai basil, and a chicken dish served in lemongrass/coconut milk sauce.  For dessert we had peach soup with mint and chocolate mousse.  We had a bottle of Cote Du Rhone that was perfect with the meal.  Kids had the finest bottle of 2012 Coca Cola we could find.  As we finished dessert, a group of guys started playing folk versions of Michael Jackson and Jesse J, which made us all very happy.  Matt sent them each a beer.  That made the guys very happy.

appetizers

We took some photos out on the beach one evening just before sunset and found a good Samaritan to take a few of all of us together.  I love that we have photos to commemorate our time in Nice.  It is definitely among my fondest memories of the trip so far.  We were all together, relaxed, and happy.  It was frustrating that the internet was spotty, and that I didn’t not have my phone(I know it is sitting somewhere with the lost camera having a good laugh at my expense), but perhaps that was part of the charm. 

Delaney doing her "Blue Steel"

I am anxious that our time is winding down.  Have we done enough?  Have we seen enough?  I want more time!!  But I know when the dust settles and we have been home for a while, I will look back and know that we saw and did exactly the right amount.  And hopefully, we are all just a little bit better for it.

PS.  Just got to our hotel in Paris--our first hotel experience in Europe.  We have as many towels as we like and two separate rooms.  You know what that means, right?  You got it...we have our OWN bathroom and I don't have to share hair products with those two little divas!

Au revoir pour maintenant!
xo
Leah 

Bonjour, from Nice!  After a long day of travel that I do not wish to discuss, relive, or ever experience again, we have arrived!  Our apartment here is, to use an overused word, A-mazing.  Here are some photos:

The view is so perfect and I am sitting on that white lounge chair on the balcony as I write.  Temperature is in the low seventies and the sun is setting.  Ahh...I can almost forget about the six hour train ride from hell.  Oh, that's right, I'm not talking about that.

Onto brighter things...

Our trip to Lake Como.  Alas, no George sightings, but not to worry...I received a marriage proposal from an elevator operator in Rome.  I'm hoping it was my less than stellar grasp of the language, but I'm pretty sure he said that American women are cheaper than Italian women so would I marry him?  Those Italians really know how to turn on the charm. But I digress...In Como, we took the funicular train up the mountain which was fun, but not much to see from the train.  We did have a delicious meal at the top, sitting outside looking over the lake.  A very proud Italian man (is there any other type?) was working his grill and served us "all things from my land.  My wine, my beer, my vegetables, my fish."  So we ate trout and polenta, potatoes and homemade bread.  Of course we tasted his wine and beer, and finished off with his wife's homemade lemon cake.  We needed Grappa after that.

Then we took a ferry to Bellagio where we shopped and put our toes in the water, and enjoyed just walking around.  No words to describe the beauty.  I'll let the photos tell the story. 

Funicular train

The girls

 

In our last week in Milan, Matt travelled to Germany and Monaco for work, and the girls and I took day trips to Rome and Verona.  Pictures on that to follow--haven't downloaded them yet.  We had fun in both but not in either place long enough to do more than cruise the main sights ("Look kids, Big Ben, Parliment!").  Made a wish in Trevi Fountain, wrote letters to Giulietta at Casa Di Giulietta (Juliet's house), all the girly fun things Daddy wouldn't be too sad about missing.  We loved Verona and hope to have a chance to return for a longer stay some day.

So we left Milan today and it was bitter sweet.  Milan won me over in the end.  It was new and old, reverent and whimsical, fashion and food.  There is a sense of resilience there, a quality I can't quite put my finger on, and yet I feel it just the same.  We will miss Navigli and the cool art scene (I am kicking myself for not buying this painting I fell in love with by a local artist...wonder if he has a website???), the guys in the street playing "Hotel California" on their guitars, the pizza, the pasta, the caffe, the gelato, our oasis in the desert, the Indiana Post, where we could eat a cheeseburger and have eggs and bacon for breakfast on the weekends.  But we are thrilled to be at the beach, out of the sweltering heat, and reunited with Matt.  The Mediterranean is crystal blue and inviting, even to this aquaphobe (my word, thank you).  Rocks and no sand...I am down with that.

Our prayers are in Colorado today.  Horrible news to wake up to.  It's all anyone can talk about here.  They cancelled the Batman premiere in Paris.

Love to all.
Leah

Hello.  We have been busy little bees.  Friday we hiked Cinque Terre and yesterday we toured Lake Como.  Both were so beautiful and I know I don't have words to do them justice.  We made it to all five towns in Cinque Terre and were able to hike most of the way.  The trail from Vernazza to Corniglia was closed.  They had terrible storms in October which led to landslides and horrible destruction to the town and the trail.  We saw a house that was literally cut in half.  You could still see clothes hanging in the closet.  The hike was challenging and it was hot, so we didn't mind taking the train for that portion! Delaney and I were discussing how crazy it was that a few months ago she showed me this picture on Pinterest and said she'd love to go there someday.  It was of Manarola and she saw it live and in person on Friday.  I think she understood the magnitude of that fulfilled wish.  Here are some highlights:

That's a lot of stairs behind us!

and more stairs...

This was the Lover's Path between RioMaggiore

Delaney and Maddie cemented us there!

Legend is that lovers write their names on locks and throw the key into the ocean.  

More on Lake Como later!

Love,
Leah

Buongiorno!  We are well into week three (sniff--it's flying by too quickly!)  and settling into a routine here in Milano.  It pretty much goes like this:  Girls sleep until noonish, and I use that time to have a coffee, and go for a run/walk to explore the city.  I come back, they shower, get ready, and we head back out for shopping or an activity.  Then by about 4:00 (that would be 16:00 here!) they are ready for nap time.   During nap/rest time, I sit in a cafe and read while having my afternoon espresso.  I collect them again and we all get ready for dinner and night time fun.  Night time brings out all of the young, fun, and ready-to-party crowd in Navigli--it's crazy how quickly the streets go from vacant to Mardi Gras (minus the beads and nudity).  There are swarms of mosquitoes that rival any I have ever experienced (that is saying a lot since I hail from the Sunshine State--winter home to retirees and summer home to mosquitoes), and almost every bar/restaurant keeps repellent on hand for patrons to use.  Pretty clever.  Most nights we are finishing our gelato just as the party is getting started, but that is okay with us!

Yesterday the girls and I were such touristas!  We took a tour of the city on a double-decker bus.  In all honesty, the girls indulged me this very hot, long, but sooo interesting history lesson of Milan.  I was so sad to see all the buildings that were destroyed during WWII, but I'm proud of the way Milan has rebuilt and become a thriving metropolis...and also the mecca for fashionistas everywhere.  I feel like I am on a pilgrimage.  It is my duty to contribute.  It's my DUTY!!  So I contributed to several stores and might have found a vintage Gucci bag that was orphaned and needed a home (it's my duty).  The girls also soldiered up and have landed some pretty great shoes and clothing items.  I know, we are such givers.

Thanks, Lane and Mads.  You were troopers.

Today, Matt is back from Prague (I'm sure he will fill you in on that later--looks beautiful, and he had his first work experience abroad) and we are headed to the Duomo (cathedral) and taking the stairs to the top.  No, we are not wearing appropriate shoes.  It's Milan.  We will suffer.  Tomorrow taking the train to George's house, I mean Lake Como, and spending the day there.  Will post photos of all.

Finally, I will close with some complaints, epiphanies, and general observations from our trip thus far:

1.  It really sucks sharing a bathroom--one tiny bathroom--for the four of us.

2.  It is ridiculous that we have five bathrooms at home.

3.  I really miss chips and queso.

4.  Train travel, bike travel, and walking are fun, and a great way to see the city.

5.  I miss my car.

6.  Tight living quarters leads to bickering.

7.  Tight living quarters leads to quick make-ups.

8.  My girls are hilarious.  

9.  My girls drive me crazy.

10.  We miss Matt the same way in Europe as we do in the US when he travels for work.

11.  Eating dinner at 10:00 is weird.

12.  Italians think our eating habits are weird.

13.  Cappuccino in the morning is to die for.

14.  Gelato before bed is a necessity.

15.  I am horribly homesick.  

16.  I don't want this trip to end.

Ciao, hugs and kisses.

Leah

Hi, Folks!

Matt just posted, but I wanted to include some cool pics now that we have a good camera.  He really captured the beauty of Urbania:

Here are some mummies from the Chiesa dei Morti (Church of the Dead).  Yes, they are real and it was very creepy.  There was some sort of mold or bacteria in the soil that preserved them and when they were unearthed to be buried outside city limits (for sanitary reasons) they were found almost completely in tact.  Some are from the 1500s.  One was a mother who died during a C-section.

 

Also some of Maddie and her dance crew on her last day, and just some silly shots of our last night in Urbania...until next year!

You are too big to be on Mommy!!

First impressions of Milan...we love the area where our tiny apartment is--It's called Navigli and has some of the few remaining canals in Milan.  It's artsy and laid back...described as "...one of the few places in Milan you will find Italian hipsters and goths."  Pretty funny.  Cafes and restaurants surround us and so far we feel right at home.  From here we will travel to Cinque Terre--probably sometime next week.  Lots to see here in Milan, and of course George is waiting for us in Lake Como!!

Here's the tiny shower--it's like a phone booth:

Some highlights of Navigli.  Matt found a beer joint that gives you beer in a plastic cup and gives you a Euro back when you return it.  He's in heaven.  Photos compliments of Delaney:

Ciao for now.  Matt is off to Prague tomorrow for a couple of days for work.  Don't shed a tear for those of us staying behind...we are staying here to shop!  He'll be back on Wednesday and we will go check out more sights in and around town.  Miss you all!! 

xo

Leah