Visiting the Motherland

Ever since we moved to Europe in 2011, Slovenia has always been on my list of countries to visit. In case you’re not aware, I’m half Slovenian….thus the extreme interest in visiting Slovenia. So after almost 4 years, we finally made it there over Easter weekend. And even better, my sister and her family and my cousin Catherine and Aunt Cynthia were all there too!

The apartments where we stayed

In France we get Easter Monday off so we took Friday and Tuesday as vacation days and made a long weekend of it. My sister Julie and her family, coming from Saudi Arabia, got in a few hours before us and after a quick greeting at the airport, they headed to the apartments we had rented. We then waited for Catherine and Aunt Cynthia to arrive 30 minutes after us and we were off to the apartments as well. We decided to stay in Ukanc which is near the western side of Lake Bohinj. We wanted to be somewhere a little more remote and had found these apartments that looked just perfect. And they were! The place we stayed was so picturesque. We were right by the mountains and Triglav National Park and there was a little river running by with green everywhere you looked. It was so peaceful and felt like we were camping.

On a bridge in Ljubljana

Our family and Julie’s family shared an apartment and Catherine and Aunt Cynthia were in an apartment just next door. We settled in that first day, making a trip to the grocery store to get stocked up, checking out the nearest playground with the kids and just relaxing.

Saturday we took the hour drive and headed into Ljubljana for the day. Unfortunately it was raining pretty much the entire day but that of course didn’t stop us. We checked out Preseren Square and the Triple Bridge which are right next to each other and then found a Bosnian place for lunch. It was perfect! Yummy sausages, mustards, meats and breads. We then wandered around Ljubljana, checking out the marketplace with all its fruits, other food, flowers and handmade goods. Ljubljana isn’t huge and I can imagine that it would be wonderful in the summer time to sit along the river enjoying a glass of beer.

The next day was Easter and the Easter bunny found the girls and filled their baskets, even hiding a few eggs for them to find. After the morning activities we headed to mass at St Martin’s church in Srednja vas, about 3 towns from Ukanc. It was a tiny church on top of a little hill with a parking lot for maybe 6 cars. We noticed that most people were walking up the hill, no doubt just walking to church from their homes. It was a gorgeous view from the church and the church itself is exactly what you would expect from a small village church. When we got inside it definitely felt like we were visitors as we got the feeling that everyone knew everyone else and we were the outsiders. But we still enjoyed a Slovenian mass in this quaint little church.

Happy Easter!

After an Easter brunch at home, we went over to Lake Bohinj to check it out up close, including the church of St. John the Baptist that sits right next to it. The picture I have below is the same scene that my Grandparents took a picture of a long time ago when they visited what was Yugoslavia at the time. They had asked my Dad to paint it and I remember clearly that painting hanging in my Grandparent’s kitchen for many years. So it was even more special for me to go see this same exact scene for myself.

Monday was our last full day in Slovenia and we headed to Bled, just about a 30 minute drive from where we were staying. The first thing we did was get on a boat and take the short ride out to Bled Island which sits in the middle of Lake Bled. We checked out the church that sits on this island along with a great view of Bled. In the church there is a bell and if you ring it three times you get to make a wish.

We headed back to Bled and found a spot for lunch. And just in time I might add. The entire day so far had been sun and blue skies and shortly after we sat down for lunch with a view onto the lake, the weather took a 180 and became a snowy blizzard. It was whiteout conditions. That lasted through lunch and then miraculously as we were finishing up, the weather turned back to blue skies and sun. Perfect for wandering around and exploring Bled. Catherine, Aunt Cynthia and Cecilia headed up to check out the castle. The rest of us took a walk along the lake and then found a cafe off the beaten path recommended by Rick Steves where we could find a Bled traditional cake, kremna rezina. It was delicious and worth the search.

The guys and sleeping babies in front of Lake Bled

The kiddos on Bled Island

That about wrapped up our day in Bled, we headed back to the apartments to pack up and get ready to leave the next day. We so thoroughly enjoyed Slovenia. It is one of the prettier countries I’ve been to for sure and would go back in a heartbeat. Perhaps this time in spring or summer when the weather is a bit warmer.

Lake Bohinj

Lake Bled

Grüß Gott!

Ready to vacation!

Winter break in Europe time has arrived!  This means for many a week in the Alps to enjoy the snow and spend some time on the slopes.  We of course missed out on this little holiday last year as we made the trek to CA with a baby in tow instead, so this year we were not to be denied.  Even with the many numerous options in France, we along with our friends who live in Zurich, Amy and Nik and their lovely little girl Isabelle who is all of 10 days younger than Joséphine, decided that Austria would be the place to go.  Part of that decision included their knowledge of a hotel in the village of Serfaus, Austria that caters to families and those with little ones. This seemed like just the right type of set up for us.

Team work back up the hill

So with only 1 week of vacation, (remember, in Europe, that's nothing!) we wasted no time and checked out of work a bit early starting on Friday afternoon. We took a flight to Zurich where we planned to spend the night with Amy and Nik before renting a big van and driving the 3+ hours from Zurich to Serfaus on Saturday morning.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

After an easy 1 hour flight and an uneventful Friday evening we loaded up our 9 passenger van Saturday morning and hit the road.  It really is a pretty easy drive. The only real delay was a stop at a mall in Austria for some lunch, time to let the kids run around a bit, and to load up some supplies at the "much cheaper than in Switzerland" grocery store.  Joséphine and Isabelle did pretty well in the car and only at the very very end when the road got windy getting up the last hill to the actual village did we have a touch of car sickness.  With a successful road trip behind us, we arrived in Serfaus at the Bar Hotel.

Taking a break from shredding

Josephine and Isabelle in their robes

A bit more about the hotel.  They probably have similar hotels in the US (and not just at Disneyland) but like many things that were right in front of me the whole time that I never noticed before having a child, this was a pretty new concept to me.  It is an all inclusive hotel and to stay at the hotel you have to have a kid with you.  The all inclusive means your meals are included, they have day care included, a swimming pool, games, the dining area has high chairs, bibs, baby food, and all the things you would need with a child.  The rooms themselves also all have a separate room with a door for the kids and they will set up a crib for you as well if needed. This is great as it allows the parents to put the kids down, close the door and still be able to watch TV.  When your child goes to bed at 7:30 pm, this is extra helpful.  We also had a baby monitor set up which was great as we could put Joséphine to bed and once asleep, head down to dinner to enjoy our meal in the company of adults while baby sleeps soundly.  It was a really great set up, exactly what we needed.  And they had these little kid size bath robes too which were awesome.

I mentioned we were with our friends Amy, Nik and their daughter Isabelle, but also along for the week were some additional Googlers from Zurich who also had kids bringing the total in the group to 8 adults and 6 kids.  Again being at the hotel meant everyone would just come and go to meals as they pleased, and we didn't have the challenge each night of trying to figure out where to go to eat.  Combined with the schedule flexibility you need with 6 kids, again, a perfect set up.

Nik, KeeKim, and Nate getting ready

The week in Serfaus was really pretty light on specific plans by design.  We wanted to go skiing of course, take Joséphine sledding, play in the snow a bit, go swimming in the indoor pool and try to find a few moments to just relax.  With the daycare option available this meant we could both go skiing together and leave Joséphine on her own to make some new friends.  This didn't exactly go as planned however.  The day care place and staff were great, they had all kinds of toys, would feed and give the kids a nap and we certainly felt comfortable leaving her there no problem. The issue was Joséphine didn't seem to be a big fan of the place.  After the first day, when we would take her down, almost upon entry she would start to cry.  Made it a bit difficult to leave her while she screams her head off and has those crocodile tears running down her face, but after dropping her off we would go change into our ski clothes and poke our head back in 10 minutes later to find that she had calmed down and was doing just fine. 

Built for Winter.

We ended up leaving her for only a few hours at a time which was still great as we got some time away on the mountain.  I even got some extra time to go skiing a few days when Cleaver would go pick up the Bean while I continued to ski.  I returned the favor one day when spa treatments were on the agenda for the ladies, more than a fair trade.

Pool time!

The sledding was a much bigger hit.  There was a big area in front of the hotel and you could rent a sled for the day at a cost of 5 EUR, so we were able to saddle up and take the Bean on on a few runs down the hill.  The reaction was a mix of interest, confusion, and definitely no objections to more trips.  The pool experience was similar and was good to get her in the water.  Haven't done that much yet.

The skiing was good too, mostly because last time I went to Austria it took all of about 3 hours into our 1 week trip before incurring a major injury requiring an orthopedic surgeon. This time we enjoyed 5 days of skiing in mostly sunny, early spring conditions and all body parts in tact at the end.  A much better outcome.

As always, the week went by much too quickly and it was time to pack up and head home.  Leaving on Saturday morning we decided best for us to make the whole trip back to Paris in one day and give ourselves a full day on Sunday at home before heading back to work.  Made for a long day and Joséphine didn't take a single nap the whole trip, not even in the car, but we made it home and enjoyed our last day of vacation before Monday morning arrived.

Home for the Holidays

Once again time is flying by and for the last two months I’ve been intending to write this post and am only now getting around to it. We were back in the US for Christmas and New Year’s with our typical whirlwind of a trip visiting family and friends. And I swore when planning this trip that I would try to keep it more open and less busy but somehow we ended up a with a packed schedule and hardly any downtime. But it was all worth it.

The new factor in our planning is that our nanny is also entitled to vacation and chose to go home to the Philippines for Christmas. This meant that we had to work around her schedule which resulted in Josephine and I taking off for the US December 14. That’s right, it was just me, a 1 year old and a 12 hour flight. Nate would work for one more week and then meet up with us on our way to Medford. That way he could save some of that vacation and use it on the flip side after we got back to Paris to help deal with the jet lag with Josephine that we knew would be challenging.

In any case, I prepped thoroughly and planned for this flight that I was a bit nervous for (ok, a lot nervous for). We were up early in the morning for a 9am flight. I will spare you all the details but the long of the short of it was that I couldn’t have asked for Josephine to do any better than she did. She took an hour and a half nap shortly after take off, was not too restless on the plane and easily entertained, took another 45 minute afternoon nap and became friends with the two ladies sitting behind us. She did really well although I was so happy and relieved to land at SFO and see my parents greeting us both at the airport.

We headed to my parent’s house in San Miguel for the week. After a few days, we were both over jet lag and enjoying some Christmas tree decorating and cookie making. We made our obligatory trip into SLO to have lunch at Firestone and even made a visit to see Santa Claus at the Mission (Josephine is not a fan). Before we knew it though, the week was over and it was time to head out and pick up Nate from SFO and head up to Medford.

We packed up way too much stuff and Josephine and I said goodbye to my parents and headed up to San Francisco where Nate’s plane landed around noon. Our plan was to head just to Redding since it was already going to be a long day. And I’m so glad we did that as it was indeed a long day. With all of the driving, we learned that our little city girl may have a touch of carsickness. She lost her lunch twice during our road trip which of course just made the day even longer. But we made it to Redding, got a good night’s sleep and were to Medford by lunch the next day. Our second stop on our US holiday adventure!

Medford was great. We rented a house on Airbnb and once we got settled we promptly purchased and decorated a Christmas tree. It was starting to feel more and more like Christmas. We had a wonderful time visiting with Nate’s parents and the Bartley’s and Tycer’s who were also home for the holidays (with an obligatory visit to the Trophy Club, but of course). And Josephine had her second official Christmas although was much more aware and active this year. She picked up quickly on the whole fun of opening presents. It was of course cute to watch. We really enjoyed our time there and Josephine had great fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa Ross.

Trophy Club

Merry Christmas!

Lizzie and Josephine

That week went by super fast and it was time for us to head to our third and final stop on our US holiday adventure. We were off to the Bay Area. We spent the first two nights in San Francisco with our friends Stacey and Alex and Lizzie. You may remember them as our Basel traveling friends. They have now moved back and are in SF. Here we had a great opportunity to catch up with our friends, let Josephine and her friend Lizzie play together and be back in a city we love so much. While there we also got together for lunch with a group of our city friends that hadn’t left town for the holidays. It was a good trip catching up with lots of people we hadn’t seen for a while. Oh, and we squeezed in a trip to Papalote for a yummy burrito and some of their specialty salsa. My mouth is watering even as I type this.

An adult night out

After a quick two nights in SF, we headed to the Lamson’s in Alamo. Again, more time with friends and Josephine got to know Ethan and Trevor better (and play with all their fun toys). We celebrated New Year’s Eve in Alamo and while we were all in bed by 1am, we had a great time. We wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else bringing in the new year with close friends.

Ethan, Trevor and Josephine

New Year’s day we saw Grandma and Grandpa Ross for brunch (as they were kind enough to drive up to pick up the 4Runner we were using for the trip) and then headed to Louis and Keelin’s to of course watch the Ducks play in the Rose Bowl game. Josephine was proudly representing and cheering along.

On the 2nd we packed up after 3 weeks of being away and boarded our flight back to Paris. This time Josephine wasn’t quite as easy but thankfully Nate and I were in it together. I guess after 3 weeks of traveling to multiple places, her sleep being screwed up and not following a strict schedule, I can’t be too surprised that Josephine was a bit more fussy. But we made it home and were all very happy to get settled back in again. We wouldn’t be truly settled though for a full week as that’s how long it took for Josephine to get over her jet lag. And we all know that if the baby isn’t sleeping, you’re not sleeping.

It was, as they always are, a whirlwind trip but we loved every second of it. It’s always so fun seeing family, friends and the cities we love.

Bourgogne Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday!

What did you do for your 1st birthday?  Do you know?  I don't.  Perhaps I rolled down to the heart of Visalia, CA to hit up the Thrifty drug for an ice cream cone.  Probably tried to go to Farrell's first for a sundae but the line was too long.  I have no idea.  What I do know is that I did not visit one of the finest wine regions in the world, particularly one in France.  But I know someone who did…

That's right!  After a fun filled, full of firsts, new adventures (sometimes frustrating!) and all around amazing 12 months, petite Joséphine has turned 1 whole year old.  So what better reason to celebrate, pack up the car and head out on a 3 hour road trip to the town of Beaune France in the heart of Bourgogne which you more likely know as "Burgundy."  And if we're being honest, while calling it a trip to celebrate her first birthday in reality we felt a huge sense of accomplishment ourselves having survived this first year.  So an all around great reason to get out of the city.  

Beaune is actually a place we have been to before very shortly after moving to Paris.  We spent an afternoon there in September of 2011 riding bikes around the vineyards with our friend Louis.  Having only made a day trip out of it and not really seeing much of the village itself, this was the perfect spot to revisit and see it full stock.

Just crawling around the wine shop

Joining us for this weekend in Beaune would be one of Cleaver's co-workers and friend Cynthia and her husband KeeKim (also a Googler) and their 14 month old son Caden.  The perfect couple to travel with as we both understand each other's schedule and inability to go out at night.  Both being tied to this schedule, we once again rented an apartment for all of us to stay in which turned out to be great accommodation for all.

Playing with my friend Caden

Arriving in Beaune at about 4:00 on Friday meant we would really only have one full day.  Upon arrival on Friday knowing we would spend that evening at the apartment (you know, cause 1 year olds go to bed at 7) meant the first order of business was find the wine shop and fromagerie.  Fortunately this never takes long in France.  With the needed provisions in tow, we enjoyed the evening in with good company and a nice glass of wine.

Of course before putting Joséphine to bed we properly celebrated her birthday by singing "Happy Birthday" and lighting a candle.  She was not impressed and surprisingly didn't care much for the frosting, but none the less a special memory digitally saved for eternity.  (and likely a calendar at some point in the future)

Saturday was the big day for outings.  Given our interest in wine we headed out to the heart of the wine country while Cynthia and KeeKim walked around the town.  In one of the main villages of Nuit-Saint-George I had found a wine shop that also did tastings from the various areas of Bourgogne.  We got to the shop around 11 am which was perfect as we were the only ones there and got personal attention from the very nice woman working there.  This also allowed Joséphine to crawl around the whole place without bother to anyone else.  Turned out to be a great stop as we learned all the specifics of Bourgogne and the local classification system, wine nerd stuff I know but we enjoyed it.

At the Marché aux Vins

After making our way back slowly to Beaune where we ate at a wonderful traditional bistro lunch right next to our apartment, we then tried to catch a quick nap before visiting the Marché aux Vins which is one of the attractions within the town.  This wine market and tasting experience is in an old 15th century church with an old cellar you walk through trying different wines.  Turned out to be a fun old building and again good way to learn more about the area.  

After a busy day and not enough naps, Joséphine had a rough night of sleep which wasn't ideal but well worth it since it was our only full day and we certainly made the most of it.

Sunday was an uneventful drive back to Paris and the end of a long but successful birthday celebration.  

Bonne Anniversaire Joséphine!!!

Josephine’s First Halloween

When I had thought about the upcoming Halloween holiday I was initially thinking that we just wouldn’t celebrate it and Josephine wouldn’t have her first Halloween. In Paris it’s not really celebrated so there aren’t a ton of activities to take Josephine to, let alone trick or treating (eventhough at almost 1 year old she wouldn’t really get much out of that anyways). In any case, I was thinking that we would have to just skip Halloween this year.

Then it so happened that we had scheduled to host a play date with two of our friends on November 1. And Nate kept asking about if we should get Josephine a Halloween costume. So I had the idea of making the play date a Halloween play date. The other couples were on board and so with a search through amazon.co.uk we found a little ladybug costume for Josephine.

It actually turned out to be a great way to celebrate Halloween. The other couples are American (or mostly with one of the girls being from the UK) and so they of course appreciated the holiday like us. Anyways, it was a good time and I’m so glad we didn’t skip it. It was fun dressing Josephine up and she was actually quite cooperative with her costume. She didn’t even protest when we put the little hat part of her costume on her.  I think she was just trying to figure out what was going on. It’s hard to say for sure but I think she had a good time as well. A ladybug, a dragon and a Miami dolphin.  What a cute bunch!

The Tannaci’s in Paris, Take 2

My sister and her family moved to Saudi Arabia (yes, you read that correctly) in the beginning of September which makes them just a 6 hour flight from us with a 2 hour time difference. Much closer than when they were in California! The quick summary of their situation and the reason they are in Saudi Arabia is that John, my sister’s husband, got a great job opportunity with KAUST, the science and technology university there. They live within what’s essentially a compound right there at the university. Inside the compound, for lack of a better word, is a school, hospital, grocery store, restaurants, etc. To me it sounds like a small city of its own. From what they have told me, their plan is to be there anywhere from 1-4 years. And yes, it’s very different there!

Now that they are closer to us, it’s not as big of a deal for them to just hop on over to Paris to visit us. In early October, shortly after they arrived in Saudi Arabia, they had a week holiday and so decided to come to Paris for a visit. And at the same time John's grandma and brother came out from California to meet up with them as well. If you recall, they had already visited us a year and a half earlier and so now it was their second time here.


Since both our families have grown by one since their last visit, they rented an apartment just a 5 minute walk from ours, which ended up working out perfectly. They arrived late on the Saturday night so Sunday they were ready to start the day. We started with mass at Notre Dame and then headed to the Tuileries Gardens where the girls enjoyed the playground, carousel and even trampoline there. I must say, after living here for almost 2 and a half years and being in those gardens numerous times, I never knew any of that existed. It’s heaven for little kids and I can’t wait to take Josephine there when she’s just a little bit older.

The next day we were off to the Jardin d’Acclimatation, a favorite from the last time they visited. I took the day off so that Josephine and I could join them. Once again, there were hardly any people there although this time it was at least 15 degrees warmer. The girls had a great time riding the rides and playing on the playground. And with an obligatory stop at the Angelina’s cafe for some hot chocolate, we capped off a great day.

They were on their own for their last day in Paris and we met up with them after work for what else, but wine, cheese, baguette and then some dinner.

We had a wonderful visit. I finally got to meet Isabella (who is just 5 months younger than Josephine) and loved that Josephine could hang out with some of her cousins. We can’t wait for them to come back….especially now that they are so close!!

A Visit from Christian and Julie

It's been a while since we've had visitors, especially after having such a steady stream of them. And then Christian and Julie reached out saying that they were planning a vacation and Paris was a stop on their itinerary. We were of course excited to have them here!

They arrived on a Saturday at the end of September and since both of them had already been to Paris, we stayed close to home exploring within our neighborhood. We got a babysitter that night and actually had an adult night out with dinner and drinks. Sunday brought amazing weather so what better way to enjoy it but head to Jardin de Tuileries to picnic with wine, baguette and cheese. 

And before we knew it, they were off and heading toward the South of France to continue with their vacation. We had a great time hanging out. I've said it before but it's always nice to see people from home.