Churches and Beer

How about our guest blogger @bigjoe52? As Pop said, his inaugural post was a “bulletpoint beauty,” and I think he liked writing it so much that he’ll be chiming in here and there for the foreseeable future. Hooray for all of us! I love the seasoning that his perspective lends to our journey! We made it safely to Munich after riding the speed train from Paris. It was nice to have some down time, get some iPad / Kindle watching in, nap and honestly just sit in one place for 6+ hours and watch the beautiful world passing by. Munich … Continue reading Churches and Beer

Ramblings

Hi everyone, this is Joe and lucky me (or maybe you) I’ve been invited to do a guest post on this here blog. Yippee! As you all know, I’m not the talker in the family. Similarly, I’m not one for flowery diction or poetic prose. So what you’re going to get from my blog posting is just a bunch of random thoughts and observations from this trip presented in my style, one who works in finance/accounting, and that is bullet points! The Europeans really utilize the roundabout. I’m not sure how I feel about them, I would probably describe them … Continue reading Ramblings

Flour Power, Tree Hugging & How the West Was Won

Our final day in France was of course jam-packed with experiences, because heaven forbid, we miss out on anything! Ha, I guess they call that FOMO. Anyhoo, I can’t say enough about Villages Nature and the fact that it is a truly amazing little natural enclave catered toward kids and family. They not only have numerous restaurants, shops, an escape room, bowling alley, Patisserie, grocery store and rock climbing area, they also have their very own farm, activity center and outdoor adventure forest area. I can proudly say, we explored and engaged in them all! AM We started our day … Continue reading Flour Power, Tree Hugging & How the West Was Won

Living that Disney Life – Day 1

These are a few things The Traveling Anderzoo know to be true: Disneyland, be it in Los Angeles or Paris, really is the Happiest Place on Earth The Magic Hour is truly ✨ Sleeping Beauty’s Castle takes your breath away as you stroll down Main Street Buzz Lightyear Blasters is the best ride and just happens to always be the first ride we hit regardless of geo Peter Pan always has the longest wait but is SO worth it It’s a Small World is beyond beautiful, is much more inclusive of all cultures and as Tessa says, “we love it … Continue reading Living that Disney Life – Day 1

Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot & Supermarket Dash

108 degree heat is no joke. And when I mean no joke, I really mean it. We departed the beautiful city of Paris, an urban metropolis, yesterday mid-day to venture to the Parisian countryside, just 45 minutes outside the city for a new experience . . . An eco lodge, the Villages Nature and Disneyland Paris. Little did I know back in January that we would be traveling to said eco lodge on the hottest day of France’s recent history, i.e. the past 70 years. An eco lodge believes in green and ecologically friendly operating practices, which for our writing … Continue reading Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot & Supermarket Dash

Art, friends & A/C

After our brunch @ Marcel, we strolled the Montmartre neighborhood, which is beyond charming (See pics of the boulangerie, fromage shop and fruit stand below – check out the muscat grapes Nonna ;)) and then jumped on the Metro bound for the Musee D’Orsay and to believe it or not, meet up with our friends, the Mooney’s! The Mooney’s have been in France for the past 3 weeks as Sabine’s family leave near Versailles. Her kids were in need of some kid time and ours of course were thrilled to spend time with friends from home in another country. Crazy … Continue reading Art, friends & A/C

Marcel

A few months ago, our very dear friend, Marcel traveled to Paris from Minnesota for work and started what would become the greatest treasure hunt of our kids’ young lives! Back in May, he hid euros (enough for a few scoops of ice cream) in the restroom of his namesake restaurant (seen below) and sent us a video to begin the hunt. This morning we ventured there with excitement and anticipation. . . He placed the euros in a basket in the restroom so we quickly ordered our delicious brunch and could hardly wait to use the toilet. Unfortunately we … Continue reading Marcel

Houston . . . We have a problem

The best croissants in the Latin Quarter and a trip to the Luxembourg Gardens were on the agenda yesterday morning but we hit a bit of a hiccup right from the start. . . Our hotel is an 18th century building that has been converted into 14 beautifully appointed fully equipped studios and apartments. We have a two-bedroom and are on the top floor of the building. Fortunately, for our backs, there is a very small elevator that transported our luggage. Unfortunately, for our hearts and nerves, it didn’t safely transport our kiddos yesterday morning. . . While headed down … Continue reading Houston . . . We have a problem