To be continued...

Well I am not sure exactly when I am going to continue, but at least thinking hard about it...

I have started a new photoblog though...

Check out - www.mylilola.blogspot.com

Ciao for now
xo

The vacation never ends...

We are home!

Very bittersweet indeed! Excited to be back , but so sad to be leaving the life that we have created for ourselves over the past 4 months. I am already missing the spontaneity and adventure of it. A bit worried about the next couple of weeks..Mike and I do not fare well with wanderlust and usually tend to make life altering decisions when affected. We will try to keep our feet on the ground!

Our last week in Geneva was the perfect wind down. The days were long and glorious, the lake refreshing. I was happy to be able to finally experience Geneva in the summer when it is at its finest. It is a great city and reminiscent of life here in Vancouver.Thanks once again to Darcy and Kelly for making our transition to and from Europe so easy.

Vancouver for the next couple of days and then up the sea to sky to Whistler.

The vacation never ends.......

Au revoir .. CIAO ciao... Auf Wiedersehen... ADIOS

xo

Banned from Europe!!

For those considering an extended trip to Europe it may be beneficial for you to know that you are only allowed to stay for a 90 day period within 6 months. Any time after that requires a visa according to the Schengan agreement.

116 days was just a little over the limit....

This little known fact was brought to our attention half way through the trip. As there wasn't much we could do about it at the time we decided to go the "ignorance is bliss" route. It caused me a few sleepless nights and severe anxiety any time we crossed a border. I am not a lawbreaker - I have never even had a parking ticket!!

In my imagination I had blog pictures of us getting arrested and escorted to the plane. Unfortunately (fortunately...) it wasn't quite as severe as my imagination had mapped it out.. The guard in Frankfurt stared us up and down, stared some more at our passports, made a number of comments about visas blah blah, stared at us again and then shooed us off. I sometimes think it is a blessing to have children with you on your travels...

Regardless of the niceties in the Frankfurt airport -we are banned for the next 6 months. So please...no mention of possible weekend getaways to paris, shopping sprees in london or sailing trips through the med.

Tour de France

What an all out fantastic day we just had with the Peiffers!

After numerous cross continent emails -our two worlds actually collided! We met up for Stage 8 of The Tour de France Morzine -Avoriaz. I am not sure what I enjoyed more - the adventure of getting to the actual race, or the race in itself. Regardless, the adventure of it all will be a highlight of our trip.



We met up with them at Les Croset in Switzerland. A beautiful little area nestled far up in the Alps.Tony and Andrea met and lived there.Lucky! Its postcard perfect.

Mike and I both agreed that it was great to get back up into the mountains again...so looking forward to home...



We hopped on the telefurnique and three chairs later we had crossed from Switzerland into France. We stopped for a coffee at a little hut in the middle of nowhere just to soak it all in. Both Maxs were in heaven...surrounded by what they could only imagine to be great skiing.. I have to admit that even I spent some time imaging myself living there for a winter. Mike is already on it...



Our third and final chair brought us up to Avoriaz, the finish of stage 8 of the Tour de France.

What a gong show! I have watched countless hours of the tour on TV, but to experience it firsthand was quite something. I am tempted to join the Caravan riftraft and follow the tour one summer. Any takers??



The fans..endless fanfare..the enthusiasm and energy for this all day event is catching!









Its all about the SWAG!! We all became children, frantic to be the one to catch the free stuff. I swear Andrea still shoved me to get the Panach umbrella hat! I came away with a few bruises..





The Parade...keeping the masses entertained while they wait.







The wait..

It was a long day waiting for the boys to arrive...







Here they come...







Ryder Rocks!!



..so does Lance...with a little road rash.





The trip home...









A perfect day!!

On our way...

We are on our way back to Geneva...

I believe we are done..

Mike just suggested we stop and visit the Pont du Gard - a piece of brilliant engineering and one of France's top visitor destinations - I told him to keep driving. We can google earth it later.



Fields of sunflowers



The kids and I are now sitting in a lovely air conditioned pension lobby here in Orange, France. Outside our door we have a spectacular Roman theatre and lots of ancient ruins. The market is on. Chȃteauneuf-du-Pape is just up the street..

What are we doing?

I am blogging, Liv is on facebook and Max is reading Garfield. It is 3pm and we are not planning to leave our spots until dinner is served. I am hoping they will serve me a glass of rosé.....

It is 37C...



I got my rose...in a real size glass.



Still love french cafes..



Look what we found! A Sunn bike...alive and well in France. A glimpse into our former life...brought back alot of memories.



The world comes alive at night...family entertainment in Orange.



The Roman Theatre...at 30C..

Its better in barcelona..

Park Guell and Gaudi...lots and lots of Gaudi



Sagrada Familia in the distance


I know I am not suppose to choose favorites, but I can't help myself on this one.
I am in awe of all this city has to offer. Every corner offers some sort of eye candy. The contrast of old and new - the mixture of the young and the old - the energy here is vibrant and never sleeps.I feel like I have been welcomed by the city with open arms. The Spaniards are friendly, social people.. And their soccer team ain't' bad (looking!) to boot...



One of the many beach side gyms



Beach side gym with spectator seats. (We snuck back at night and worked on our pull ups)



We are staying in the Villa Olimpica area of Barcelona for our fifth and final home exchange. We are just up from the beach and the never ending boardwalk that connects all of Barcelona's waterfront. They have done a magnificent job here developing the waterfront, all thanks to the '92 Olympics. Lots of parkland,dedicated cycling/rollerbalde lanes, outdoor gyms, children's playgrounds,beach side bars and cafes... We were not expecting this to be a beach trip, but it is hard not to spend at least a couple of hours a day swimming and suntanning.Cruising the boardwalk is pure entertainment in itself. Five euro massages are also a very good thing..

I think we are most impressed with just how big this city is and the ease at which one can travel through it. 147 Km of biking trails throughout the city! Super wide,tree-lined pedestrian walkways course up the center of most streets and are full of people walking and riding. Every few feet there is some sort of bench or chair - 34,446 of them to be exact. All just waiting for someone to stroll by to stop and chat with a neighbor or watch the world go by.



Shopped out..

We are putting in 8-10 hour days wandering. I figure its good ironman training for Mike. If he can survive a day sightseeing, shopping and suntanning in 30 degree heat ..with kids in tow..-he can do anything. I am amazed that my children can go without food, water and bathroom breaks for hours at a time while shopping.Their shopping stamina is awe inspiring.. A "promised' trip to H& M or Zara gets unbelievable mileage out of them. A "promised"Gelato only gets me about 45min...it use to get me about 1:30hr . They are catching on..as the trip progresses the stakes get higher.Today I traded a new pair of skate shoes for a trip to the amusement park. I just couldn't deal with the crowds, the heat and cotton candy...


The kids trying to convince Mike to buy them a hamster on Las Ramblas



The beach culture is alive and naked here. Oh, to be in your twenties traveling....

Unfortunately we have also had our first encounter with crowds. We have heard just how crazy Europe becomes in the summer. It is not a lie.It is busy and it is hot! I consider us very lucky to have haphazardly chosen the spring for our travels. We were often by our lonesome in many touristy spots...made for perfect photo ops, but poor people watching.



Museu d'Art de Catalunya




The Majic Fountain by Buigas



We have had a blast here watching world cup soccer on the beach.Max is probably their most avid fan fully decked out in soccer attire most days (another bribe...). It will be interesting to see where our loyalties lie on Saturday...




Loving Barcelona!

Flickr

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