TOURIST TUESDAY: ST KILDA BEACH

In all of the times I have visited Melbourne I have never once gone to St Kilda beach. But after our visit, I am a little in love with it. She is little of a vintage Dame. Her features are a little old and rough around the edges, oh but she has style.

As with every where else in Melbourne I carried Jarvis in the sling and we walked and tramed to our destination. Only when Jarvis saw the beach, would he finally get down and explore. Oh, and explore he did. He ran, climbed, played and went crazy for almost three hours, before asking to be put back in the sling where he promptly fell asleep.

This is an image heavy post, but I couldn't help myself. The light in Melbourne is so soft and silky compared to Queensland. The exposure is off in a few of my images, but I took it as a learning excursion. The two images of Jarvis and I are by Justin. I love the first one of Jarvis and I. Justin certainly got his exposure correct. The last image of Jarvis and I shows just how tired and sick we both were.

 Yes, we both take ALOT of photos of Jarvis.

 Besides fishermen, we also saw penguins and water rats.

DES VACANCES EN FRANCE: PARTIE SIX

DES VACANCES EN FRANCE: PARTIE SIX / HOLIDAYS IN FRANCE: PART SIX

One Hotel Room at a Time

Finding our way to Lyon is easy with Justin’s new best lady friend, the sat navigator. However, what it doesn't count on, nor let us know is our hotel is in the middle of the city; no, not just in the middle of the city, in the middle of the city mall. After circling the block over and over we decide our best course of action is for Justin to jump out with the luggage and go check in, while I continue to circle the city. I circle and circle the block; the locals must pick the crazy tourist, until Justin comes back to the car.

Finally after picking up Justin and lining up for a car park for almost an hour, we walk back to the hotel. Justin and I are starving so the plan was to drop off the rest of our stuff and go in search of food. But once inside our hotel room Jarvis changes the plans. Our little man takes his first steps, without holding onto anything. So we just sit and watch Jarvis walk. I feel so sad and so proud.

Once in the mall we opt for snacks now and an early dinner later. I am becoming addicted to crepes and hot chocolates. We also do our first shopping, a new pair of boots for Jarvis. In the week since we have left Brisbane his old boots have gotten too small and we figure to celebrate him walking Jarvis needs a stylish pair of French boots.

Lyon is shaped by its two rivers, the Rhône, to the East, and the Saône, to the West, which both run North-South. Our destination after leaving the mall is Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon) the Renaissance area, which is along the right bank of the Saône. On the way we pass another great French children’s park. Laughter and chatter permeates the air as these parks are filled with children and their parents, Jarvis loves them, he spends as much time socialising as he does playing.

Wandering through Viex Lyon is hard with the stroller; it is packed full of people, and cobblestones makes the stroller virtually impossible to push. Out comes the baby sling. Not only am I lugging a heavy child, Jarvis is now swinging and kicking his new boots into my thighs as I walk. Why did we buy him such chunky boots?

After wandering for a bit and stopping to take photos, (a giant Lion in Lyon) we find a great place for dinner; child friendly and the waiter chats away to us in English and is super friendly, even posing for photos with Jarvis. Added bonus is the meal is delicious.

Stuffed and feeling content we slowly walk back to the hotel only to end up smack bang in the middle of Lyon’s 2012 Zombie walk. Taking photos, with a baby in a sling, in the middle of over 1000 marching zombies is crazy, but we make it back to our hotel with only a small smattering of fake blood.

In bed that night both Justin and I remark on the same thing, since being in France we have felt no one has questioned our relationship. No one has given us the weird looks and the second glances that are all so familiar where ever we go in Australia. Even more so in Lyon, no one cares we are a mixed race couple, no one cares that in our relationship there is a significant age difference, and no one cares that it is me, the female that is older. Thank you France for not questioning our relationship.

DES VACANCES EN FRANCE: TROISIÈME PARTIE

DES VACANCES EN FRANCE: TROISIÈME PARTIE / HOLIDAYS IN FRANCE: PART THREE
One Hotel Room at a Time

It was time to check out, and move on from Paris. We get up early, and head off to the train station; with a pit stop on the way for breakfast of crepes and hot chocolates. Also a stop off at a vintage jeweler to buy something for someone I love who was still in Brisbane, but never far from my mind. I found this amazing turquoise ring for Tamika, I know it will be (and was) too big for her fingers but I just love it and know that she will.

Trains, trains, oh how to describe how epic it is catching trains in Paris? How to describe what it is like catching a train in Paris with a 12kg 10 month old baby strapped to you in a baby sling?

We finally arrive at the car hire place, and they try to up-sell us to a BMW, umm no thanks even though she tries to tell us it will only be an extra 70 euro a day. I love how she used the term only. In the car Justin seems to struggle a bit, so before we even leave the car park I take over the driving. I am not great, OK so there was that very illegal u-turn, but without reading French or knowing the roads I managing to follow signs and guess our way back to the hotel. We are almost there and Justin finally sorts out the GPS.

I park willy nilly on the side of the road while Justin runs up and gets the luggage. Getting out of Paris is even crazier than our trip to the hotel, and add a screaming baby, you have our journey out of Paris. Once on the motorway it all seems easier, well easier once I pulled over in the emergency lane and feed Jarvis. Nothing like breast feeding a baby while cars zoom past doing 150klm per hour. Jarvis finally falls asleep, so it is back on the road and on our way to Nancy.

After three hours of driving I pull over into a service station, and we find ourselves in one of the weirdest servos. The attendant reminded me of Norman Bates, not a good thing in the middle of no where. We were stared at the entire time it took to eat a weird tasting baguette and drink our drinks.

Justin take over the wheel, this time he does better, but it is pretty easy to drive on the motorway which helps build up his confidence in driving in a foreign country on a different side of the road. Boredom as a passenger sets in, and I am soon taking random photos out the car window.  Finding our way into Nancy is easy with the GPS. We are staying in the best area! It is the old historic part of Nancy, simply called The Old City. Our hotel is amazing. But we dump our stuff, and quickly head out to explore before it gets too dark.

The town is gorgeous; Justin and I have fallen in love with Nancy in one afternoon’s walk. Over the last 15 years – after much restoration –, the old town of Nancy has revealed itself to be a significant asset. Justin described Paris as slightly faded and tacky, like a girl trying too hard. But Nancy as a beautiful classic woman that never goes out of style.

After wandering around, exploring and taking photos we stop for dinner, a goat's cheese fondue, very yummy. On the way back to the hotel we stop off at a patisserie, and get deserts, me a chocolate thingy. No idea as I can't read French, but so rich, but delicious. Justin had a chocolate éclair; I think the best either of us has ever tasted.

 Nancy you are a beautiful town.

Random things on the side of the road.

Thankful for a sleeping baby in long road trips.

 Gorgeous Hotel.

 With Amazing service.

 Must recommend the Goat's cheese fondue.

Could have sampled everything in this patisserie.

VACANCES EN FRANCE: DEUXIÈME PARTIE

DES VACANCES EN FRANCE: / HOLIDAYS IN FRANCE: PART TWO
One Hotel Room at a Time

It is hard to think this time last month we had already left Paris; time has gone by so quickly.

The flight to Paris from Korea was not as comfortable as the flight from Brisbane to Korea. We were seated in the middle of a four row seat; and the lady on my side was an armrest hog, who kept glaring at me every time Jarvis moved or made a sound. Very hard to feed and hold a baby for eleven and a half hours in such a limited space. We flew Air France for this part of the journey, and even Justin remarked on how good looking the attendants were, the men included. 

Before we landed, Justin was saying he wanted to catch the train to our hotel room, the journey would have included two trains, then a ten minute walk with a baby, two suitcases and three carry on bags. Plus, he was talking about how he wanted to do stuff when we got into Paris. Getting through customs took forever, so by the time we did that, and got our bags almost two hours had passed since landing. So as soon as we got our bags, Justin changed his mind and wanted to get a taxi. I was so exhausted after the flight and customs I was more than happy to get a taxi, in fact I feel asleep the moment we got in.

In the end the taxi only cost just over 50 euro, so it was definitely worth it. We checked in to our room, and basically went out straight away for a walk. We wandered for about half an hour taking a few photos. However, Justin was talking about dinner and his hungry belly the whole time; even though it was only 6pm, and I explained that in France most people eat later. Justin’s belly won out and we found a cafe near us that started severing dinner at 6:30pm. We had the most delicious meal. But, as soon as we sat down it was like a switch flicked off in Justin, he could barely speak he was so tired. 

We came back to the room and had quick showers and were tucked up in bed by 8:30 Paris time. But with the time difference it was actually 4:30 in the morning Brisbane time. We were soooo tired. But none of us slept well. Over tired? Jet lag? Excitement of being in Paris?

Day one in Paris Tuesday: We left our room about 9am and did not return until 8pm. We walked so much, I cannot even begin to describe how very tired my feet and legs were. Plus carrying Jarvis around Paris in a sling is no joy to the neck. I felt every 12kgs of him.

After breakfast, in the Latin Quarter, we walked across the bridge to the Cathedrale Notre Dame. As crowded as it was, it is still such a beautiful place to walk around. The history permeats the air, tradition has it that Notre-Dame’s first stone was laid in 1163 in the presence of Pope Alexander III.

From the Notre Dame we walked to the Musee de Louve, but it is closed Tuesdays so we kept walking. We then walked through the Jardin des Tuileries; such beautiful gardens, once famous for Men of the time walking around in their finery, basically showing off. Now it is filled with tourist and joggers. In the gardens there was an old fashion carousal, so Justin and Jarvis had a ride. 

After the gardens we kept walking, up Av des Champs-Elsesees, our final goal was Arc de Triomphe. On our way we had crepes in paper and a half hour wait in Maccas to use the toilet. 

By the time we made it to the Arc it was already after 3pm, but with legs aching and feet hurting we made it to the top. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. But without even knowing the history of the Arc, it is an impressive landmark in Paris.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel, half way back we stopped at a cafe for a very late lunch/early dinner. Back at the room just after 8pm, we collapsed. So very tired, it was quick showers and then in bed with in half and hour.

Day Two Wednesday: Justin woke super early; don't think he could get his body clock right. We got up dressed and I gave him his 30^th birthday present. After so much walking the day before Justin thought we would tackle the trains, very confusing and lots of effort to get connecting trains, left me wondering if it would have just been easier to walk. But once we got to The Musée du Louvre the art historian in me was super excited. Massive line up, close to two hundred people, but then Jarvis’s cute face got us through the line up, and to the front.

The Louvre is one of the world's largest museums, and a historic monument. It is a central landmark of Paris, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). We spent several hours wandering around looking at art, but only covered about a quarter, of the gallery if that.

Trains back to the hotel, by the time we got there Jarvis felt like he was 100 times heavier than when we started. Justin lay down for "just a minute". Four and half hours later! I tried to wake him so many times, but couldn't. I think him getting up early each morning and jet lag slammed him. It was 9:30. After we woke, we just walked down from the hotel, and had a quick dinner. A lap around the block after dinner, but bed was calling us, so it was a short walk.