These Boots are Made for Walking

Lilah got her first official pair of shoes today...some snow boots for when we go to Chamonix!  It took some work to find an affordable pair that was small enough for her and waterproof but we finally found them at H&M of all places.  (And they were still $20...)

Today, I spent a lot of time observing French towns in hopes of being able to describe them so I'm now going to take a pass.  They are, thus far, almost all exactly the same (large cities excluded as large cities are essentially the same as everywhere else).  In each of these hundreds, if not thousands of small towns, there is a church, a school, a bakery, a restaurant, a post office, a pharmacy, a clothing/stuff store, a grocer and sometimes a baby store or a pet store.  Larger towns have multiples of one or more of these things and also might have a playground, a couple non-retail businesses and a museum. 

The stores are actually almost never open except the grocer and baker.  So, for day to day commerce, you have to plan in advance when you are going to shop for a particular thing and there is not a lot of variety.  You get what you get.  If you want more variety, you drive the hour or so to the closest big city and then everything is open all day and you have your malls, shopping districts, restaurants, etc. 

Right around the stores are the apartment buildings and townhouses all smashed together.  I have no idea what they look like inside because they usually have the shutters closed and I can't really blame them for that because otherwise one would have no privacy.  On the outskirts of the towns are the single family homes which look a lot like the place we are staying.  Many of them have swing sets.  Then its miles of open space, usually cultivated agricultural land.  Then, you come upon another small town which is the same as the last. 

I think the main difference between here and the US is that people here (again outside of larger cities) seem to live in self sufficient clusteres that are totally remote from other places.  The towns dont blend together via tracts of single family homes the way they do in the US, at least in the places I've lived.  And in my experience, the more rural parts of the US are all single family homes.  I cant remember getting to a town in the US that was miles away from anything else that had row houses in it. 

Oh, and I think I may have to revise my statement from earlier this week about it being more child friendly here.  They make it easier to bring baby on adult activities, however there is less to do for babies and young children.  The attractions are all connected to this small town approach so you have to kind of come upon them as you are driving around.  You cant just Google for "Fun Things to Do with Baby" because the stuff nearby is only frequented by the couple hundred families that live nearby and thus it doesnt register on a search engine even if there is a website.  And, everything here (except the pool) seems entirely centered around the school year.  So, since school is in session right now, none of the Fairyland type places are open.  (Enchanted Forest was closed since its November).  I have no idea what parents and nannies do with their infants and toddlers around here.  I have seen tons of babies being dragged along with their parents doing adult things, but no babies doing baby things.  And, even though the pool is open every day for at least a couple hours, the official baby swim is only once a week (vs every day at the Y at home).  So, I think what people do with their little ones is play with them at home and that they dont socialize themselves or socialize their children until preschool which is fine I suppose, but would not work for an ENTJ like me.

On our drive home today we saw a nice playground in one of the small towns around 30 minutes away.  I think tomorrow we will try the pool and go to the playground.

No bad song today.  However, we did finally identify one of the 4 sounds we actually like that they play on the radio.

We also saw a Coffee Shop named after The Bean!

Just Kickin' It

The last couple days have been spent just kickin' it around the house and they have been wonderful! Yesterday we drove out to the large grocery store and did a full shop.  I made a slow cooked pot roast  and today I am making tacos for some missed flavors. 

It has been very relaxing to take it slow these past few days and good for Lilah to have a little more time to romp around.  The only problem with being here is I have to tell her "no" every 5 minutes as she tries to do things like open the oven, climb up the steep set of stairs, eat electric cords, etc.  It is especially difficult because the main living space is the kitchen.  It is simply not practical to purchase the equipment to childproof it given we are only here for another month however she is mostly likely sick of hearing "no" and having things taken away from here.  When she accepts it, she romps in a play pen type thing Rene got us however she gets bored of it after a while and wants free run of the entire kitchen.

After a slow morning today, we went back to the park we visited a couple weeks ago.  We were hoping to see the area in the way back however it was already closed for the winter so instead we returned to the lake.  We had fun crunching in the newly fallen leaves.

Unfortunately, The Bean is sick right now which is making sleep very difficult for her.  It took me two hours of reading, singing, rocking, etc to get her to sleep last night and she pretty much whimpered all night long so no one got any sleep.  Her face is dripping snot and covered in crust.  All together a not pretty story but at least it is nothing serious. 

Tomorrow, we are going to see Valence and visit an Enchanted Forest (kids attraction).  It sounds like it will be full of cool things for Lilah to see and is only an hour away, which for here is not far at all.  Not sure whats on tap yet for the rest of the week but then we go to the French Riviera for a long weekend.  Here is a picture of where we will be staying.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE air b&b?  We are paying $110 a night since it is off season. During summer it goes for over $6k a week. 

Well, that's all for today.  Except for the bad song of course.  I really cant get over how each day there is a new one to share.   I am really craving some good music to listen to in the car since we have to drive so much.  There is truly nothing but crap and talk I dont understand on the radio.  At least they dont bleep out the naughty words which for some reason still cracks me up.

Fuck You Very Much

Far from the Home I Love

As of today, I have officially been away from home longer than I even have in my life.  This is significant because at my core, I am a homebody.  Generally speaking, by the end of a vacation, I am running for my front door.  I knew going into this trip that it would have to be a time of growth for me or I would go nuts.  Right now, I am feeling a bit unsure where I stand.  Overall, I am glad that we still have another month to play. 

Then again, I miss my friends and family.  I have gained at least 5 pounds and feel icky.  I have no routine because our two choices are either being on the road where we feel rushed or being here where you have to drive 45 minutes to get to a place you can safely take a long walk.  This last week and a half on the road was hard for me.  Honestly, I stopped having fun a few days in so we spent a lot of time thinking about what we like and dont like about travel so that the last month goes better.  

Here is what I discovered about myself.  First, for any trip of more than a week or so, I think its important for me to have a home base where I can come and regroup in between jaunts without feeling any of the stress of travel.  That is why I LOVE house swaps (well one of many reasons) and I feel better already to be back at Rene's.  Another thing I need is to always stay in any given place at least a couple nights.  On this road trip, I realized we were spending a few hours a day either packing or unpacking and that was no fun.  I have a limited capacity for looking at cathedrals. I mean this literally, but also metaphorically in that I dont like going to a lot of places, seeing something to check off a box and then moving onto the next thing.  It all starts to blend together.  I hate to feel rushed.  I especially dont like rushing to leave the house in the morning.  In my opinion, that is not something that people who are on vacation should do.

So, how to maximize enjoyment for the rest of our trip?  Here is what I am thinking...

1. Stay everywhere at least 3 nights and accept this means saving more cities for next time
2. Plan no more than one major or two minor things each day
3. Focus on doing fun activities rather than seeing sites
4. Minimize eating out, learn how to cook the regional foods and supplement with healthy favorites from home
5. Get exercise daily, even if that means rocking out to some tunes at home
6. Try to set up more Skype dates so I feel connected to home

On that note, if you are reading this and have some time to skype this week, let me know.  My night is your morning and if you stay up late, my morning is right before your bedtime.

And now, with no further ado...

Sexy Lady

Anything You Can Do....

We can do better...

On the whole, France is a lot more kid friendly than the US.  The play structures are cooler, the clothes are cuter, the mother's rooms at rest stops...exist.

Today, we stopped for lunch in a suburb crowded with chain restaurants and picked the place with free spots in the parking lot.  There was a baby about Lilah's age sitting next to us and one on the raised area right behind us who made the exact same cooing noises and she does which kept confusing me.  When I went downstairs to wee, I was thrilled to discover that they had a baby rumpus room.  Of course, she learned how to climb the stairs after the camera stopped rolling.

These pictures were also taken at a rest stop.

 The high chair came to us shrink wrapped with the bib, spoon and napkin underneath

Playground at Rest Stop (the also had a toddler playground)

These are from the Mothers Room (the tiny toilets are commonplace)

All of the restaurants we have been to have been happy to take Lilah and most have even had high chairs and toys, though the travel high chair has still been a godsend for meals in our room and those few times when a chair could not be provided.

Today we found a used baby stores with prices around the same as used stuff in the US, but for items that were "France Level Cute".  I finally dragged myself to the cash register as the store was closing but I picked up some really great stuff for her that I cant wait to show off.  They also had some cute and well priced snow suits but I am going to wait on that in hopes that the one we brought will be enough for Chamonix.  I do need to get her some boots though since we is very close to walking.  Perhaps I will go back in the morning.

Tomorrow, we head back to Rene's for real.  The drive was out of the question from Mont St Michele today so we stopped in Bourges to see the cathedral.  There is also a Christmas Market tomorrow!

And of course, Bad Song of the Day (aka a Parents Worst Nightmare):

Criminal

Food Glorious Food

Chris and I just got back from one of the best meals we have ever had.  Certainly the best since our DINK days.  At a hotel restaurant no less. 

Tonight is our night of decadence.  We are actually staying in a hotel, rather than in an AirB&B place and so with that spirit we went ALL OUT at dinner.  First course, the Mussles and Frites.  And when I say muscles, I dont mean the 15-20 measly shells you get at an American restaurant, even a good place.  I mean a mountain of muscles that literally took us 30-minutes to eat, each of us going full steam ahead.  Then the fish soup, super tasty esspecially with the crusty bread they brought.  Next came the lamb stew with couscous pilaf.  Lamb was raised in the way of the region (something special with being raised in the salt marshes).  Of course there was the cheese course (I sat that one out...too stinky) and finally, dessert.  Creme Brule and Crepes 3 ways (with chocolate sauce, home made caramel paste and lemon butter).  Relatively certain that I have gained 5 lbs tonight but it was worth it.  Oh, and, although Lilah sang loudly and threw stuff off of her high chair at least 100 times, she did let us get through a 2 HOUR formal dinner, flirted with both of our waiters and caused no permanent damage to anything at all, even the stuff we accidentally let into the splash zone.  All in all a perfect day.

The House of Stone and Light

After seeing the big guns this morning, instead of sticking with our agenda, we headed to Mont St Michele...

I'm so glad we did.  In fact, I would say it is my favorite thing we have done so far on the trip!

Although, like all beautiful places, the path up to the abbey is cluttered with overpriced restaurants and tshotchke shops, the main attraction itself felt quite peaceful, especially this one sanctuary that we only caught on our way down.  There was nice choral music playing and it made me think that I wanted to take Lilah to hear some live holiday church music while we are here. 


Yesterday after the museum, we went to the Military Cemetery which was also very peaceful and exceptionally well created.  They have a tradition of letting visitors participate in the raising and lowering of the flag each day.

Tomorrow, I think we end the road trip and hightail back to home base to get our bearings and plan the next phase.   We are considering going up to Chamonix.  So excited!

Prego Update:  A lot of pain last we heard but on the mend.  No update for today yet as we missed the vets call :-(

Oh and lest you think we forgot, Bad Songs of the Day:

Turn this Club Around

Champagne Showers (LMFAO who I sometimes like)

Why

I had a whole other post written last night, but then I realized all the details are not the real story here so I'll get those out of the way.  Prego had major back surgery yesterday, performed by his caring neurologist at VCA Ronhert Park. We had a text from my Mom when we woke today in France saying things looked very good however it is only 3AM CA time as I write this and it is Thanksgiving so I will not be able to talk to the vet again until mid day Friday.

In my rational mind, I am searching now to come up with a clear explanation for myself and anyone who might question me as to why I have spent more than $10,000 on my dog over the past two years.   The best way I can explain it is this.  First, I love him.  Although I know there will be a time one day where he must pass on, my heart tells me that this way not that time.  He is only 25% done with his life and doing this surgery all but guaranteed he could live it out.  To take that away from him seemed heartless.  Second, when I adopted him, I made a moral promise to myself, to the universe and to him that I would take care of him and to me that means if one of the best vets in the region is telling me that he is confident he can do surgery and that if Prego was his dog, he would do it, it really seems to me that I have no choice, regardless of the financial strain it puts on me.  If Prego was 16 years old, I might have made a different decision, but he is not 16, he is 4 and I just couldnt imagine saying good bye under these circumstances (though the vet and I did talk about it).  I also knew that I would feel that every dollar I spent for some time forward was his blood money.  Really there exists no physical thing in this whole world which I might otherwise spend that money on which is more important to me than having Prego around.  I miss him.  I wish I could see him.  I will ask the vet to take a picture and scan it for me when it is morning there. 

Since this is Thanksgiving,  I guess it is time for me to say what I am thankful for this year so here goes, in chronological order.  I am thankful for my amazing daughter who fills every day with joy and wonder and proves that there are some things for which there are truly no words.  I am thankful for the friends and family who supported me through my recovery from Lilah's birth.  I am thankful for my husband and the father he is to Lilah.  I am thankful for the comfortable home that I moved into this summer in which I will have the privileged to raise my children in.  I am thankful for the new friends I made this year and their beautiful children that Lilah will grow up with.  I am thankful for the voters who agreed that fathers deserve time off to bond with a new baby and the following legislation that allows us to take this trip.  I am thankful for Rene Bret, the french man whose house we now consider a second home and also without whom we could not make this trip.  I am thankful for everyone who helped with Prego yesterday and who made decisions using the Golden Rule rather than doing what was easiest for them.  I am thankful to my Mom and Hal who will be taking Prego in during his first and most difficult month of recovery so we dont have to cut our trip short.  I am thankful for the fact that this museum has free wireless in the cafeteria and that I am sitting here blogging with LL while Chris gets to see the DDay museum which he has wanted to see as long as I have known him.  Finally, I am thankful that I have made wise enough financial decisions through my life that last night, I only had to decide between my dog and some physical objects I might one day purchase and not between his life and the well being of another human being.  And, I am thankful that I lost the bet as to when Lilah would walk because it means she gets to be my baby one more day.

Blessings to you on this Thanksgiving Day, with Love from all the Fords, especially the furry one.

Santa Clause is Coming to Town

On our second morning in Strasbourg we awoke to find the area around the Cathedral completely transformed.  Workmen assembling hundreds of identical small shacks overtook the previously open space.  Jackhammers rattled, men climbed on ladders.  There were lights and decorations strewn everywhere.   A quick Google search turned up the fact that these were preparations for the famous Marche de Noel in Strasbourg, the oldest and perhaps largest in all of Europe.  At first we mourned the fact that we would be missing this cherished event by less than a week however the next few days revealed, if nothing else, that Marche de Noel, all with identical booths, decorations, etc seem to occur in ALL cathedral courtyards in Europe during the period of Advent so we wont be missing out after all.

They really do it up nice, with decorated booths hawking snacks and trinkets, Ferris wheels, kiddie rides, visits from Per Noel, etc.  They even staple white poufy fabric on the roofs of the shacks so that it looks like it is snowing (which it might actually do if it stays this cold.  I will take some pics once we start seeing them in full glory.  For now, all three of looked like eerily similar construction zones with even the booths indistinguishable from country to country. 

Outside of tracking Marche de Noel Preparations throughout Western Europe, its just been whirlwind couple days with stops in Strasbourg, Luxemburg, Brussels, and now Caen to see the WWII stuff.  After this, we have one more stop on this road trip, Bordeaux, before heading back to home base.   I am feeling more than a little wiped and all of the cities are starting to feel a little the same to me, so I am considering shortening our next road trip and spending the rest of our time here romping in nature as there is a lot of it near Renes house.   If the snow comes on time, maybe we can take Lilah sledding, and to the Marche de Noel in Lyon and to Paris on the bullet train.  We can save the rest of the road tripping for next time…

On the Road Again

We pulled out of Geneva around 10AM and hit the road.  The drive to Strasbourg was quite lovely though we needed to make a number of stops along the way.

First stop, feeding Lilah lunch in a bank parking lot in some random Swiss town cause she couldnt wait another minute.  Happily there happened to be a picnic table to strap her high chair onto though it was freezing cold out!

After lunch, we headed to Basel so that Mommy and Daddy could eat too.  We got off the highway having no idea where to go and decided to follow the signs toward the Zoo until we got lost and found a little dinette called Restaurant Bijou.   None of the waiters or patrons spoke a word of French or English (German only) but we managed our way through ordering spaghetti and meatsauce for Chris and Schnitzel with Pomme Frites for me (all delicious).  And, some authentic Black Forest cake for dessert, along with the best hot chocolate (Choki) I have had in a long time.

After lunch, we drove to Colmar, as recommended by John H.  The old town area looks like a real city made of gingerbread houses.  The Christmas decorations were already up and it looked like Hansel and Gretel might cruise on over any minute.  Unfortunately, none of our pictures came out so I am including one I downloaded so you can get a feel for it. 

We arrived in Strasbourg around 5:30 and met our hostess at the apartment.  I am completely enamoured with Air B&B, BTW.  Again we find ourselves in a gorgeous apartment, blocks from the main attraction (the cathedral) for a price well under market value.  Here is a link to where we are staying and its even nicer in person:

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/236026

Also, the wife of the couple is an artist.  I love with one of the paintings that is hanging and it is perfect for our living room.  Of course, it is the one that is not listed as for sale however, I might research the cost of shipping it to the US and if its not too crazy, ask her if she will sell it to me.

For dinner tonight, we headed to the area around the Cathedral for some regional cuisine.  We ordered this flat bread with cheese, onions and ham to start and I got a beef and potatoes with rich brown sauce, perfect for cold weather.  Then we bundled Lilah up for the stroll home.

And now, what you have all been waiting for.  The bad song of the day.  Im not sure which is worse.  You decide!

I Love Lady Gaga

The Greatest Lover (watch at least til the beat picks up)

PS:  Another taste of home.  Free futon on the side of the road!!!

The Big Bang Theory

The highlight of today was CERN.  Although we were not able to coordinate timing with my dad's friend, we were able to get on the official tour and it was very interesting.  I was surprised to learn that the majority of data crunching, due to the need for grid computing, actually happens away from the CERN campus (presumably so that scientists can still be involved with out moving and to keep the data centers evenly distributed globally).  If I understand correctly, all the affliated scientists are expected to spend 2 weeks a year onsite, doing shift work monitoring the equipment, but the rest happens all over the place.    Oh, I was also surprised to learn that the telltale dome does not actually include any science, but rather is a cool planetarium type exhibit for guests. 

After CERN, the rest of the day was a whole lot of getting hopelessly lost in a city full of one way streets, different levels, bridges, etc.  On the way home from dinner in Old Town, I heard on the radio what might actually be the worst song ever produced.  Here is a link if you want to take a listen.  It is NOT "radio clean" by US standards.

What the F*@K

Other than this, most of the music here is either way over played American stuff or pretty good French stuff.  Like in the US, they pretty much play the same 10 songs or so over and over and over again.  Here are our two new favorites.

Prince Charmant (the part they play on the radio starts at 1:25)

Elle Me Dit

Tomorrow to Deustchland!

Mirror in the Bathroom

During dinner today at what I honestly think might be the most popular restaurant in all of Geneva, I ran to the ladies and was astonished to come upon the most technologically advanced toilet seat I have ever seen.  Taking inspiration from the toilets at O'Hare with the magic plastic wrap that spins over the seat to keep it fresh, upon flushing, the ENTIRE seat rotated about itself, going into this compartment in the back which I assume cleaned the seat.

In addition to space age toilets, Geneva is generally more modern than any of the cities we have visited so far in France.  This shows up in the architecture, the width of the streets, the plethora of luxury cars and the insane prices on even the most basic food items ($10 for a cheese Sandwich).  Given all of this, I am feeling pretty happy with Air B&B for hooking us up with our own apt, 3 blocks from the lake for ~$100 a night.  

Our host is very kind.  After coming to find us when we got lost (no wireless) and taking us back to his place to put ou stuff down, he went to the market and bought us a nice spread for breakfast, gave us some recommendations for restaurants for dinner and made plans to take us sightseeing tomorrow.

We didn't get to go to CERN today because, being the ignorant Americans that we are, we assumed that we could just show up and get a tour.  Luckily, we called, only to be informed that there was no way to go today, and the only chance to go tomorrow was to call at 8:31AM and hope to get one of the same day slots.  We are also working on a back channel way via a colleague of my father's. 

After a picnic lunch by the lake, we headed back to the car to "feed the meter", in quotes because about 50% of the public parking here does not actually have a meter.  Instead, locals have these little paper dials that rest in the window sill.  You simply set the dial to the time it is when you leave the car, and it tells you when you need to come back.  If the parking police come and the dial is set in the future, you get a ticket so you cant cheat it by more than a few minutes.  So, since we could not fit the SUV in the tiny parking garage for the place we are staying, we had to go and "feed our meter" (ie flip the dial) a few times throughout the afternoon.

We took a short siesta and then headed out into the freezing night for some shopping (H&M carries Versache here WTF??) and then to the dinner place Asif had reccomended which brings me back to the fancy toilet.

Lilah flirted with every one in the restaurant so we made some new friends.  Oh, another thing different about here is that it is crawling with Americans.  We saw a lot of Americans tonight, but had seen none in the previous week, even at the touristy sights.  Oh, and, apparently, in Geneva, you can bring your dogs with you to dinner.  While we were eating a couple came into the restaurant with two Spaniels.  We took a picture with them however it didn't come out :-(

Walking in Hogsmeade

I fear that I may have accidentally given the impression that the differences between life here and life in the US are inconsequential and that is far from the truth.  First, to expound more on how people spend their money,  a "nice" home here does not necessarily have all the sections of it in tip-top shape.  Most of the places around here, including ours, are just plain huge however, the majority of the inside is not modernized or (in some cases) weather sealed.  So, you come up on a place that looks from far like one of the places in a fancy development back home and on closer look you see that only a few of the window sills have actual glass windows in them.  Most of the homes also have a huge area in the back that is integrated into the architecture of the house that is like a giant carport/storage area.  My understanding is that many of these places have been in families for many generations and when the people who remain living in them get whittled down, it does not nessicarily make sense to modernize the entire place.  And the furniture here is more like the stuff my grandma used to have.  But it feels clear to me that the way it is styled is more a reflection of a culture that is less consumerist than of the economic well being of the owner.

On that note, in general I feel like people here take themselves a lot less seriously which is I think the corollary to the fact that society here is less about the individual.  Not to say that it feels like the borg here, but people generally are more laid back and accommodating.  For example on the narrow streets, everyone is happy to be the one to pull over so the other can pass.  (Ironically, they are also happy to speed to a million miles an hour in order to pass on a one lane roadway). 

Passing aside, people move at a slower pace (even in Paris, I recall).  Out here, most shopkeepers even take a siesta without any regard for the fact that they could probably make more money if they stayed open.  Another thing I love here is that the old architecture and winding streets give even city centers a magical feel.  Esspecially in the winter months, walking down a European street in the afternoon sun makes me feel a little like I am in Hogsmeade rather than a major metropolitan center.  Speaking of winding streets, except on the tollway, you never go to fast here cause there is a turnabout every few miles and the roadways are not littered with billboards.  The occiasional billboard we have seen is small, with just the facts listed. 

What I meant by my comment yesterday is that in the context of the ways things are different, things are surprisingly the same.  If I think about the things I would be doing at home, they are all available to me here.   There is Mommy and Me swimming, Yoga and library time.  There are huge stores where I can do my shopping,  etc.  I was hoping to do some of these things here, but just like it took me a few months to get into the right ones in the US, it would take equal time here.  I know I could just drop in and check them out, but it is a long drive and I feel like an idiot with such poor language skills.  My comprehension is improving daily, but my speech is impaired as I know a number of words, but nothing about grammar.  I end up feeling like a gringo when some one tries to talk to me and I can only respond with one word answers or "Parle Vous Anglais?"  I wish I had more time to work on my Rosetta Stone.  Perhaps I will work on it in the car tomorrow if the roads are not too windy.

Next stop, Geneva!!

PS:  Lilah had a nuclear meltdown today, requiring a 1.5 hour drive in the car.  We decided to drive the one direction we had not yet gone.  We were winding through green farmland when suddently the view opens up and below us is a deep valley and you can see what feels like the entire Alps mountain range towering above, including some rock formations that certainly give Yosemite a run for its money.  Spectacular.  Camera was, of course, left home due to our quick egress.

Bad Day

Today we start with the end.

How did we end up having a sit down dinner at the Golden Arches in the middle of the French countryside?  I will regale you...The day started out nicely enough.  All three of us slept well, albeit in separate beds due to each of our unique preferences in bed softness and differing needs for protective siding.  We left the house at a reasonable hour and headed back to Grenoble to check out the boulles (cable car bubbles) and Bastille.

Not taken by us\//\

We had a nice time taking in the sites and exploring the caves and then easily found a reasonably priced restaurant that was so full (of locals) we had to wait for a table.  Yum!!  But, this is where the day started to unravel.  They didn't have any high chairs and by the end of the meal, it was clear that we somehow had to procure one of those high chairs that clips to the table in the next 24 hours (that's when we leave for our first road trip).  We go into town and begin a wild goose chase, first looking for parking without a time limit where we can fit our SUV and then looking for a store that carries one.  A few of the boutique shops mentioned a mega store on the outskirts of town and we decide to go there.  However, we had no internet access to look it up because, despite Grenoble touting its free city wide wireless, it doesn't actually work and the "Internet Cafe" seems to be a thing of the pre smart phone past.  Back at the car (30+ min walk), we discover Lilah has produced a Giant Blowout which thankfully didn't make it to her outer layer which she really needed because sometime between Saturday morning and today it became winter and it is freezing out here. Still no wireless.

We decide to point the car west (home) and hope for the best.  Soon later, we see a GIANT Carrefour and pull off.  They have every baby product known to man, except a clip on high chair.  They also had these little guns that you clip to your cart (like you use for a registry) so that you can essentially pay as you go.  But, they only take Carrefour card and MasterCard, neither of which we have.  So, we have to wait in line with the other "loosers".  Ordinarily, I would have said Fuck It, but Sleep Sack with Pooh Bear and and Owl in Girl Colors!!!!

So, cute sleep sack, check!!  High Chair???  Lilah is on the verge of a very major melt down and we are close to calling it when Chris realizes that there was an Orange store in the mall with the Carrefour and that he can use their wireless to look up the location of the baby store, which as it turns out is 2 minutes away and reminds me a lot of Tot Tank in Alameda.  We arrive 15 minutes before closing time and lo and behold they have 4 different models of clip on high chair to choose from.  We select the mid-priced model which is still quite expensive, even with a good exchange rate and, after letting Lilah play for a little in the reading area, go back to the car, while chased by the sales lady who informed us that Chris had left his sunglasses at the counter.  

About 5 minutes later, Lilah let go of the major meltdown that she had been holding in. There was no safe place to pull over so I crawled in the back seat, dove into the trunk to find the parts to make her a bottle, delt with the hysterics that came from my insistence on taking off her brand new white sweater before having the bottle and handed it over.  She sucked it down in a hot minute and then had the nerve to smile at me with her very best "I AM CUTE" smile.

And, that is why, when Chris asked if we could have dinner at McDonalds, I had no reservations about saying Yes.  Of course we waited 20 minutes for our order before going up to check, were told it was on its way, waited 10 more minutes, went back up, finally got the only person in the joint who spoke English well enough to say that our credit card was rejected (this has been happening off and on) and had to repost the order.  Oh, and while we were eating a "waiter" tripped, spilling a coke cup onto my chair which thankfully pooled before it actually got to my butt.  I was so tired that though I noticed the trip, I didn't realize my chair was compromised until the "busgirl" came to clean it up.  Yes, McDonald's in nowhere France have "waiters" and "busgirls".  The world is so flat it is inverted.

So, as I mentioned above, Friday morning we leave for our first major jaunt.  Through Switzerland, a little Germany, and all the way around France.  Originally, we were going to spend a couple weeks here "Doing as the Romans Do" however this place we are staying, although gorgeous, is really remote.  As in 10 minute drive to get to the 1 horse town that actually has a little bakery, etc in it.  And the language barrier is much more difficult to overcome than I anticipated.  And, I really need to be around people.  In fact, at home I have a rule that I must have a minimum of one "extra-familial" interaction per day.  We keep going on these really long car trips and end up doing touristy stuff anyway.  So, we are going to embrace our touristy side and spend a couple weeks seeing a whole bunch of stuff.  If it ends up feeling too rushed, we can slow it down.  But if it goes as planned, Lilah should have a few more stamps in her passport by Thanksgiving. 

Also, thus far, it seems that, with the exception of their love of pastries (which I totally understand), the "Romans" (read French) do things pretty much the same as we do in the US.  The biggest differences that I have noticed are 1) Lots of AEDs in public spaces sponsored by the government (for example, there was one at that Castle the other day). I wouldnt have noticed these if I hadnt taken CPR with AED right before we left.  I have never seen one on a street corner in the US.  2) Less Money spent on making ones home look pretty or on cars, more money spent on clothes, shoes etc.  The stuff here is really nice, but Id say its more $$ than comparable stuff at home and I can also guess it is because the market will bear it.  For example, the clothes at Carrefour (like Target) are around the same price as things are at Gymboree when they are not on sale. 

Tomorrow, we pack, clean and go back to Cote for the outdoor market.  And give Lilah some time to play in her French style playpen.

Back Up!

Despite going halfway around the globe, there are some things you just cant get away from.  Apparently, one of those things is nosy strangers telling you how to parent your child.  Chris and I were checking out at Carrefour today and a woman in her mid fifties who is in line behind us starts berating me because Lilah isn't wearing a jacket.  I give her a look of disbelief.  She thinks that the problem is that I dont understand, so she starts pulling on my jacket and Lilahs shirtsleeves to make her point.  For the record, I understood perfectly the first time (much to my surprise), I was just rendered speechless because I thought that kind of thing only happened in Berkeley.  I tried to explain to her that I had taken Lilahs jacket off just a few minutes prior and left it in the car because Lilah had been screaming on account of being too hot.  Unfortunately, the word for "Car" was the only one in all of that which I could remember so I think Chris ended up getting between her and the baby so that we could make our exit. 

Not much else to report today.  We visited this very strange building created by, as far as I can tell, the very first postman to go "Postal" or something like that.  My own pics dont really do it justice so here is a link to the official site.

We also went to that swimming pool which was exactly like an American swimming pool except the water was deeper and there were these cool hair dryers which unfortunately I dont have a pic of because, for obvious reasons, they dont allow cameras in the dressing room.  Oh, the other strange thing was that the dressing room was co~ed.  There were private stalls for changing and potty, however the common space with the lockers were mixed gender.  I almost wandered into the Mens WC area by mistake, but remembered what Hommes meant at the last minute.

I think we are all getting a little sick and tired of sitting in the car, Lilah esspecially so we are planning to take it easy tomorrow. 

The Wanderer(s)

Upon waking this morning with no plans in particular, we found a map of the region and pointed the GPS at the closest town with a population breaking triple digits.  Turned out to be the charming La Cote Saint Andre.  Unfortunately, almost everything on Main St. was closed so we will need to return because the place has a Chocolate Museum with tours led by chocolatiers that include tastings! We already hit the chocolate shop attached to the museum which thankfully was not closed:-)  The town also had baby stores with some of the CUTEST clothes I have every seen (pricey though).  And there was the size XXL sleep sack, aged 18m-3 years!!!  It is almost as big as I am. Want it!!

I'll be loungin' on the couch, chilling out in my Snuggie

After stopping by the pool to find out the hours of the nearby pool/gym (they have a water gym inside for babies), we headed to a regional park that we'd passed on the way out of town.  It is most comparable to Tilden Park, but it was prettier.  It is going to be spectacular when it snows.  We did not explore it in full as it was getting dark, but after a late picnic lunch, we did break out Lilah's chariot for a walk around the lake.  While we were walking, we ran into a French couple with a little boy about Lilah's age, also in a frame carrier and breathed a sigh of relief because we had been concerned that the carrier would mark us as crazy Americans...Then again, maybe that's not so far off...

  Lets Go Crazy!!!

As the sun was setting and we were driving towards home, we saw a large church spire and a castle on a hill in the distance so off we went!  Turned out to be castle ruins from the 13th century... 

Ghost Town

We had to hike a little to get there but the view was amazing from the hilltop.  There were stairs leading all the way up to the top of one of the castle sections, but I was too afraid to go more than one flight (the largest window) as it was very high and getting dark quickly.  We will return in the next couple days to try again and get some more pictures. (We forgot the camera today so we only have iPhone snaps).  

After all the excitement, Lilah needed a nap and Chris was interested in checking out French McDonald's.  There was a woman standing outside taking our orders on a little machine and wanting to be original, we ordered a fried goat cheese wrap since you cant get that in the States.  Unfortunately, it had Mayo (ick) but otherwise it actually would have been quite tasty.  They even offer their sammies on whole wheat here and the fries were less salty but still pretty good for fast food.  Then it was back home, getting lost in a whole new way as the GPS took us in a 10km loop after it crashed unexpectedly while it we were going around one of those damn traffic circles.

Karma Chameleon

I am happy to report that all of the trouble we had getting around in Chicago and leading up to the flight was banking good Karma for the long haul to France.  We did have some difficulties confirming our seats and checking our baggage as well as getting through security, which took well over an hour due to the longest line I have EVER seen at O Hare, and made all the more painful by our discovery that there was, in fact, a disabled and family area which the agent we had spoken too declined to tell us about when we asked him poin blank if there was one.  Mercifully, Lilah slept through all of this, perched in her car seat which was strapped to a Smart Cart that I found on the side of the road in the drop off area.  She slept from the moment we got in the car in Lincoln Park until the moment we got to the front of the line at which point she woke up on her own which she needed to do since she could not stay in the seat to go through security.   Once on the plane though, we were seated in the bulk head row as requested.  Then, the flight attendant moved the man sitting in the row with us so we had the entire row to ourselves.  As soon as we hit cruising altitude, Lilah was rubbing her eyes again and they brought out the bassinet.  She went right down for the duration of the flight.

Rock-a-bye Lilah, on the plane wall

We didn't get much sleep, but this had more to do with general insomnia as I was even able to stretch out on the floor.  The flight to Lyon from FRA was practically empty and we were able to retrieve her car seat from the gate so she went right back to sleep after sucking down a quick bottle.  

Our swap partner's next door neighbors met us at the airport as planned and this is where the real adventure began.  You will recall how much luggage we had (see below if you need a reminder).  Both the husband and wife from next door came on the ride.  Their car was about the size of a civic hatchback.  We weren't going to compromise Lilah's safety so her car seat took half the back seat.  I rode the whole hour perched on Chris' lap, curled in a little ball.  We had luggage under us and on top of us.  It is a miracle of physics that we made it home alive and without puking on the 10 miles or so of vicious curves.  The neighbors were very nice and gave us a tour of the property however they didn't speak a word of English so communication was a challenge. Luckily, Chris knows some French and I have about a 50 word (55 if you count what I learned today) word vocabulary which got me surprisingly far. 

The house itself is huge but the part that we are actually staying in is average sized as the rest of the place is not heated.  You enter into a large eat in kitchen.  On your left is the living room which in turn leads to the unheated section of the house.  From the kitchen there is a nice wooden stair case that leads to two bedrooms and the office.  The bathroom and pantry are also downstairs.  If you want pics of all the rooms, leave a comment and I will load them in a later post.  

Rene left the kitchen nicely stocked and I have been embracing the French spirit of cooking.  For dinner last night I made stir fried shrimp with Parma ham, pasta and some stinky cheese.  For breakfast, I fried the rest of the ham with egg coated bread to make a savory French toast.  We had an amazing pizza for lunch (not homemade) piled high with greens, parmasean cheese and more parma ham.  I think we might just have green beans for dinner...

Today, we drove over to Grenoble, the closest major city.  We didn't have much time to really look around but it is stunning with the alps towering above.  I dont have any good pics yet cause they are all from a moving car, but I will take some next time we are there which will certainly be in the next couple days. The place has a really nice vibe and is teaming with families with young kids.  On first look, it seems like parents do things pretty much the same as they do at home, except they are much more lax here regarding taking the Binky away.  I think I saw a 5 year old sucking on one and a number of 3+.

In order to ease the cultural transition, we spent the day shopping.  Well that and there were some things we really needed.  We also did some window shopping and almost had to go in and purchase this Raccoon Pelt jacket!

In the afternoon, we went to Ikea to get pillows and a shower curtain and Ikea here makes Ikea in the US look small.  They have every item they have in the US and a lot more.  The more includes the kids dept.  I had to resist going totally nuts however I could not walk away from these adorable, multi layered sleep sacks.  I wanted to get all three in the big kid size and the three little kid ones for #2, but I figured if this is what Ikea has, imagine what the other stores have, and was able to walk away.

On the way home, we stopped at a big box store that was a competitor of (or locally branded) Wal Mart.  They seemed to sell everything except healthcare related stuff (advil, etc).  This was disappointing as I need a heating pad since my US one doesnt work, even with a power adapter.  

After about an hour in "Wal Mart" we headed home and followed a little too closely what the GPS said and almost ended up on someones private property.  However, when we agreed that it didnt look familiar, we trusted our instinct and the GPS eventually figured things out. 

It is pitch dark now as we are in the middle of no where and I'm very tired.  I wonder if we will start sleeping and rising with the sun.  At least for the next couple weeks until the nights start at 4pm...

(Back on My) Stomping Ground

I never cease to be amazed by the tackiness of the installation art in Chicago.  Every time I come, I think the city has outdone itself only to have the last piece I can bring to mind, be foiled by the one that comes next. 

Hello, Norma Jean

The theme of the last two days really has been enjoying and appreciating Chicago in spite of itself.  We continue to have incident after incident of difficulty traveling with Lilah on public transport.  Today's adventures included finding ourselves with no way of getting out of the El station at Adams/Wabash not only because there were no elevators (of course), but also because all the exits involved turnstiles and we had the large stroller.  Luckily we were able to find a maintenance worker to let us out of a side gate but we still had to haul the stroller down two flights of stairs.  This is why we will purchase the rain cover for our frame carrier in the morning. 

We took Lilah to Gleacher today to get her a Chicago Booth (nee GSB) onesie.  Tomorrow we are going to go to the Hyde Park campus to see where Mama used to hang out and maybe get Lilah started on her economics education.  We tried to go to the Art Institute but they no longer seem to have Free Admission Tuesdays so I will have to wait til next time to visit my favorite place here.  After giving up on the museum (no time to wait in line) we hoofed it all the way to Union Station, carried the stroller down two flights of stairs and grabbed lunch before getting more grief from the ticket taker lady on the Metra who was not pleased with our stroller on her car of the train.  Oh, all and of this today was done in the pouring rain.  

Thankfully, our good friends and fellow GSBers in Downers Grove were kind enough to prepare us a home cooked meal and drive us back to the city afterwards.  Our kids had a great time together and I fear Chris and Cheryl might be getting some special requests regarding a younger sibling...

 Splish, Splash!

Three's A Company

As for her and the boy, it was love at first sight so we are currently negotiating on if the wedding will occur in CA or here in Chicago and at what age we can start hounding them for grandchildren.

Oh My My My

Old McDonald Had a Farm

One of our goals for our Grand Adventure was to do a cultural immersion in a place that was different than the Bay Area, so the French countryside was an obvious combination of developed enough for me to feel comfortable going with my baby and different enough that I wouldnt feel like I was living my usual life in a different place.  I, however, was not expecting to feel culure shock coming to Chicago, a city I spent two years of my adult life living in.  I guess I have changed a lot in the past few years.

First, the food.  The cuisine here was always humorous to me, but I now find my stomach turning at the mere thought of a Chicago style hot dog, and other meals based on meat.   I think I'm gonna stick with Lilahs yogurt and oatmeal for the next few days. 

Then there is the wind.  Whoever says that Chicago is called The Windy City because of the politicians has never actually been in Chicago during the winter months.   It could literally knock you on your ass.  Kate was kind enough to drive us to the restaurant where we were meeting our other friends for lunch and the wind was insane as we pushed out of the car.  As we got out, we realized that Lilah's stroller had not been reassembled correctly after the plane ride so we are trying to put it together in the middle of the street in the middle of this wind storm.  Somehow in the middle of it all, Lilah falls dead asleep.  We do a happy dance cause, hey, sleeping baby during lunch.  Score!!!

So, we walk across the street to the restaurant and learn that they have been taking lessons from our friends at United Airlines because they have a No Strollers Inside policy.  They want me to wake her up, valet my stroller with the man standing outside, and come in to eat...Yeah, Right.  We huddled in the Starbucks foyer until our friends showed up then walked a couple blocks to this hole in the wall Indian restaurant that was entirely populated by families with small children (other stroller rejects?). They had nice waitstaff and GREAT naan.  Score Again!!

The other cultural thing that stood out today occured during our visit to the little farm at the Lincoln Park Zoo. 

 White Chocolate Space Egg

Most of it was similar to our little farm back home however inside their barnyard, rather than animals is the largest piece of propaganda I have ever seen, sponsored by the Soybean Growers of Illinois.  I know that coming from CA, I might have an especially negative view of the role of soy in the US food supply, but this was over the top.  I am trying to imagine what would happen back home if an agribusiness company ever dared sponsor an exhibit at the Little Farm, let alone one with obvious political bias.  Occupy the Little Farm!!

Ode to Soy

Breakin' All the Rules

We arrived safely and in one piece in Chicago but I am about ready to cancel my United credit card.  I have always hated United but they know how to pull you in and with their mileage tricks and make it impossible to get away.  I must stay strong though cause I am really pissed off now.  

So, what went wrong?  Every employee we encountered was a total rules dick.  When you are traveling with a 10 month old, that makes life very difficult.  First, the check in stand.  One of our bags was a few pounds over weight.  The guy said we had to make it lighter or pay $100.  So, we had to put a bunch of shit in one of those clear plastic bags and check that.  Then, the security line.  We went to the family check in and were ready to cruise on through when the machine broke so we had to integrate our line with the main line.  Then, the man doing the screening took his job way too seriously and was looking at every individual item with a level of scrutiny usually reserved for a Berkeley mom choosing a brand of baby food.  Then our bags come up for security and they unpack half of them, swabbing every jar of baby food.   

Then, we get on the plane.  Its quite full and Lilah is furious because she is tired and she does not know how to fall asleep while being held.  This is truly a blessing and a curse and today it was a curse.  We finally realize that she needs to lie down in my seat so I get up and ask the flight attendends if I can hang in the galley for a little so she can sleep.  They say no, so I go sit in the lavatory with my kindle since no one needs to use the toilet.  After a short while, they knock on the door and kick me out so I go to walk the aisles.  I discover that there is one empty seat on the plane.  I tell the other two people in the aisle of my predicament and they say I am welcome to sit in their row for a few minutes.  Less than 10 minutes later, the flight attendant is back.  He tells me that because its an economy plus seat, I need to leave and return to my seat.  I explain, once again, that my daughter is sleeping and that the other two men in the row had no issue and that they are the only ones who could potentially take offense.  He starts mouthing off at me, and I return the lip but do go back to my seat.  Lilah is still sleeping so I spend the next spell standing up, facing backwards, bracing myself over the seat so I could "be in my seat" and not wake her up.  I realize that in all of these cases, I was technically in the wrong, however it kills me that none of these people could have a heart.  Especially in the case of the empty seat.

None the less, here we are. We are staying at "Chateau Wade" with our good friends Kate and Kyle and their 6 month son Owen.  He is only 6 months old, but he is bigger than Lilah in all dimensions so its a little weird.  He has almost all the same toys as Lilah so she feels right at home. 

The Final Countdown

In less than 24 hours, the fam and our 8 pieces of luggage will be on the plane to Chicago.  Today is dedicated to the million last minute things that we need to get done prior to our departure.  Chris is having an explosion at work and on top of everything else, we have to go see our lawyer today regarding the old house.  Everything hurts from the gym yesterday and I am exhausted from Lilah's decision to wake up 30 minutes earlier than the day prior every day this week in preparation for daylight savings.  And she has a terrible cold.  Let the fun begin...

Queen LL with her scepter and luggage (car seat not pictured!)