French PDA's

When in Paris, we simply couldn't resist soaking in the romantic atmosphere of the city...whether at the Eiffel Tower:

ON the Eiffel Tower:

at the Lock Bridge:

Or even at the gates of Versailles (which was an awfully long train ride to get a kissing photo)

I don't know what's worse, that we took so many PDA pics, or that we had our 13 year old take them!

Bern: Trick Fountains and Medieval Animatronics

In just over a month of being here, we've driven around quite a bit, and one thing we've learned: You know you're getting close to Switzerland when the petrol prices jump. Make no mistake about it, Switzerland is expensive...and being the budget travelers we are, cost significantly colored our experience...though the boys were ecstatic to see Swiss Franks after a month of using Euros.  Switzerland's costliness notwithstanding, we found quite a few gems in its capital: Bern.

1) The Clock. This clock has been chiming the hour with animatronics for over 500 years, which is amazing in and of itself. But to watch the clock is quite entertaining, if not simply to marvel at the engineering of the 1400s. Of course, the downside is that you get to enjoy the clock striking the hour with several other tourists. If you get close enough, you can get your own free guide of the clock!

 

2) The Trick Fountains. In the middle of town is a set of pretty powerful trick fountains. If only we had brought some swim suits!

3) Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. Yep, chestnuts in October. Curls loved them.
 

4) Senic Bern: Surprisingly small and easy to walk around in less than an hour, there are some pretty cool sites.
 
 

Too bad the church with the tallest bell tower in Switzerland was under construction.
But the facade had its redeeming qualities....

Especially the funny-looking gargoyles

 

Reservations: A lesson in flexibility

Sometimes your best laid plans don't work out, regardless of how firm you think they are. Last weekend, we booked our weekend trip for the LDS Switzerland Temple in Bern (which we'll cover in a future post) and the Black Forest in Germany (Schwarzwald). The Black Forest Tourism site has a section for booking rooms in large homes throughout the region (Traveling with a family of 6, space can be hard to find, so staying in a large place is often a must).

Before we left for our trip, we found a place that was centrally located, booked it, and received our online confirmation (note the obvious foreshadowing). After a 3 hour drive through windy, yet scenic hills, we arrived at our location. When we knocked on the door, an old woman who spoke in only German met us, and through her flustered expressions, we gathered that 1) she had no idea why we were there and 2) we would not be staying there, as planned. After showing her the email (which was in German) she simply shook her head and pointed down the hill, signaling to us to find another room. Now, this would not be too big of a deal if 1) it wasn't a holiday weekend in Germany and 2) we didn't have 6 people to find a room for.

Driving up and down the main road and into the various towns, the places we found said they had no room for us. After an hour, we were able to find a new place to stay where the owner was able to put us in two adjoining rooms. The place we found was in a nice quiet town, next to a quite idyllic Black Forest setting.

In the end, we paid more than we planned on, but we also learned that sometimes things work out, even if they're not the way you thought they would.

The Hunt for the Drinking Fountain

One thing you don't expect before you come to Europe is the surprising lack of drinking fountains. Even major cities like Paris have no drinking fountains. We even asked someone at the Louvre, and he said: "Drinking fountains aren't really Parisian. There's water in the restroom, but it's not very good!" We have quickly learned the value of bringing your own water bottle when visiting cities in Europe. If you don't, you end up overpaying for water you can get for free in your hotel or residence.

How to Survive the Louvre with Kids

In college, I majored in the Arts and Humanities...which they told me I could use for any job, but which meant job prospects with a degree in the humanities were nil. I eventually figured out how to use it to my advantage professionally, but one of the things I took from my degree was the beauty of art, music, and literature. I looked forward to the day I could share that beauty with my own children...and what better place to do that then at the Louvre?

Fast forward 15 years, and I've taken my boys to several art museums. However, one thing I didn't realize 15 years ago, is how I'd feel about showing my own sons all the nudity there is in art. 15 years ago, I probably looked past it all, and I get it...the painting and sculpting masters considered the human body God's most perfect creation, so replicating it was the highest form of artistic creation one could achieve. But in today's world of immorality, and being a father of 4 boys, I must admit that I don't like the display of the human body in art--which is probably why I've always been more of a fan of the impressionist works of Monet and Van Gogh, who focused less on the body.

Taking all of this into account, I was both ecstatic and hesitant to take my boys to the Louvre in Paris.  If you've ever been there, the museum itself is more than a gallery, it's a virtual department store of the history of art. Taking it all in requires an entire day...something that even the most artistic youth would tire of.

Plus, with only a day or so in Paris, who wants to spend the whole time in an underground museum? So here's what we did:

1. Find the most memorable art pieces and only see those. I know what you're thinking...isn't that a waste of money? Well, not so. Kids under 18 are free, and you're only paying 13 euro per adult. Our choices? The Mona Lisa (which is so small, it's actually quite underwhelming) was top on our list

2. Celebrate the art that isn't undressed. The Winged Victory is a nice piece for that, as were pieces depicting the Last Supper, the Crowning of Napoleon, and Artemis.

3. When necessary, use a censor.

 Lord Byron was happy to help censor Venus Di Milo

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is an amazing metal structure in the heart of Paris. It sits upon four legs keeping it stable. Who doesn't go to the Eiffel Tower when they go to Paris?

The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Paris World Fair. Some Parisians didn't like it at first, I mean it is a giant metal structure in the middle of the city. But, the Parisians grew to love the Eiffel tower and it is protected today (apparently quite heavily, based on the armed guards we saw).

We did not want to miss out on this exciting experience. We took the gondola to the second story around seven o'clock (sunset). The view was breathtaking. All of Paris was spread out before our eyes. We could see at least one of Paris's unique landmarks in every direction.

That wasn't the best thing about the Eiffel Tower. If you stay up unitl eight o'clock, then the lights start to turn on. Every hour on the hour, hundreds of lights on the Eiffel tower sparkle creating the coolest light show ever. Thankfully, Master Chef was able to take a video of it.

The Eiffel Tower is clearly not a sight to be missed.

Speaking a Little bit of French in France

I am taking French in school so I thought, why not practice my French in France.
One instance where i spoke french was in Disneyland. I don't know what word i said but what ever it was, the worker believed that I spoke French fluently. I had to then ask him "Parlez-vous anglais?" (do you speak english). He was then happy to re-explain the directions in English for me.
Most of the time i helpd my family it was for numbers. Number of pastries, number of passengers for the ride, and price of gasoline.
I wish I could have used more. Next time.