We crossed two borders this week, but the real journey involved playgrounds, water features, one very determined friendship with a German-speaking neighbor, and the B2 trail through the caves of Luxembourg. Lightning McQueen handled the countries; we mostly handled snacks.

One More Day at the Lake

We started the week with a lazy day at the lake, which felt very necessary after all of our moving around. We had fresh bread for breakfast, headed down to the water for a little swimming, and played with the dinosaurs. Eventually we wandered over to the lakeside bar for lunch, where Happy Meals also entered the equation. It was not exactly a refined European dining experience, but everyone ate, which is generally our minimum requirement these days.

Back at camp, Coons set up the hammock and Nolan began a much more important project: convincing Clara, the little girl next door, to come play. Clara only spoke German and Nolan only spoke English, but apparently funny faces and general five-year-old antics are universal. He spent a solid hour making her laugh before she finally came over to Lightning McQueen. Soon she, Nolan, and Nina were playing with all of the toys in the van like they had known each other forever. And if you’re wondering, yes we got permission to take this photo.

Watching the kids work around the language barrier was Dad’s favorite part of the day, and meeting Clara was Nolan’s. Nina voted for the playground, naturally. She was also feeling a little under the weather, so she spent much of the day taking it easy and snuggling with Mommy—which, not coincidentally, was Mommy’s favorite part. We made dinner at camp and crossed our fingers that a quiet day would have Nins feeling better in the morning.

Metz

Everyone woke up feeling pretty good, and Nolan and Nina immediately got in a little more playtime with Clara while Mom and Dad packed Lightning McQueen. When it was finally time to leave, the kids waved goodbye to their new friend. It was one of those very sweet campsite moments that almost makes you forget how much work it takes to pack an entire family back into a camper van. Almost.

Before heading to our Airbnb outside Metz, we stopped at a very cool indoor play place named Palomano. Nolan dressed up in firefighter gear, Nina flew an airplane, and both kids tried crêpes for the first time.

Unsurprisingly, they loved them. France has been doing a very effective job of expanding their diets, provided the new food involves bread, chocolate, sugar, or some combination of the three.

Once we reached the Airbnb, Dad settled in for work while the kids enjoyed a little television delighted to find there was one in the living room. Kourtney ordered an embarrassing amount of food from Uber Eats by accident which ended up hitting the spot for everyone for dinner and breakfast the next morning. The other major event of the evening was Nolan and Nina taking a shower by themselves for the first time. Mommy assisted and may have gotten a little wet in the process, but all were laughing and both children emerged clean, so we are counting it as a major parenting victory.

Nolan’s favorite part of the day was being a fireman, while Nina found the entire indoor playground to her liking. Mommy could not decide between the play place and the independent shower milestone. Dad chose the kids’ morning with Clara and their sweet goodbye, which officially made one little campsite friendship the highlight of two days in a row.

Luxembourg City

The next morning we packed up the Airbnb, filled Lightning McQueen with gas, which has been a feat all on its own, went grocery shopping, and picked up more propane. These are the glamorous behind-the-scenes details of crossing Europe in a camper van with two small children. Then we drove into Luxembourg, adding another new country to the family list.

Just over the border we stopped at Parc Merveilleux, which was part zoo, part playground, and part water attraction. In other words, it was designed specifically for Nolan and Nina. They fed goats and llamas, explored the playgrounds, and climbed some surprisingly daring bridges, ladders, towers, and other high features.

Dad’s favorite part was watching them try all of it, while both kids gave their standard and very dependable answer: playground. The playground even won over the adorable goats that they got to feed and pet.

We continued to Camping Bon Accueil just outside Luxembourg City, where the campground had—good news—another really nice playground. Nolan and Nina played while we made dinner, Dad took a few calls, everyone showered, and then the kids went back out to play some more. Mommy’s favorite part was joining them in a game of kitchen at the sandy campground park. At this point the children had explored Luxembourg almost exclusively through climbing structures, but they seemed very pleased with the country.

The following morning was another slow one. We stayed around the campground through lunch, then called an Uber and headed into the city to Parc de Merl. The park was huge and filled with all sorts of structures and water features. Nolan and Nina spent a long time watching the giant fish, turtles, and ducks in the pond before moving on to the playground.

Eventually we changed them into bathing suits and let them loose in the water features, where they happily stayed for ages.

Mom left a little early for a nail appointment—her very clear favorite part of the day—while Coons finished up at the park with the kids. The remaining three celebrated a successful outing with ice cream and then called an Uber back to the campsite. Dad cooked dinner, took a few more calls, and the kids closed out the evening at the campground playground. Nolan and Nina once again both chose the new playground as the best part of their day. The playgrounds really did keep getting better and more daring. Luxembourg had now been thoroughly tested and approved.

Echternach & Berdorf

We left Luxembourg City and pointed Lightning McQueen toward Berdorf, stopping along the way at the lake just outside Echternach.

There was a playground, obviously, and then we had a really good lunch at Pier 75. Afterward we continued to Camping Belle-Vue 2000 and checked in for the night.

The kids spent a ton of time at the campground playground, where Nina went on a zip line for the first time. She has spent this trip watching her big brother climb increasingly ambitious playground features, and she was clearly ready to add a little more danger to her own résumé. Pray for us.

Nolan, meanwhile, made another friend in another language. This time it was Numi, a very kind 13-year-old who spoke French. Nolan’s favorite part of the day was meeting his new friend and giving him a freeze pop. Between Clara and Numi, he was building a very international social circle using facial expressions, toys, and frozen sugar.

Mommy loved watching the kids conquer yet another huge tower, slide, and drawbridge. Dad’s favorite moments were Nolan making a friend and Nina trying the zip line. We cooked dinner, Coons handled some work calls, and we managed a slightly earlier bedtime because the next morning we planned to hike the B2 trail. For once, our primary activity would not involve a playground—although naturally there was one waiting at the end.

The B2 Trail

Dad had to wake all of the sleepyheads early the next morning. We collected our morning bread and drove to the trailhead for the B2 circuit out of Berdorf. It was cooler in the woods, and we were all together and away from everything else for a few hours, which made the hike Dad’s favorite part of the day.

Nolan led the way and turned the hike into an elaborate Journey-book-style quest. We had entered the journey and needed to find all of the crayons (sticks) to complete the puzzle. Nolan’s incredible imagination made the 3k trek a breeze and he walked the entire route himself.

Nina rode shotgun in the backpack on Coons like a true passenger princess. We took a few side adventures up the rocks and through caves. One passage became a little tight with Nina in the backpack, but the duo completed it. Somehow squeezing Coons and a small passenger through a Luxembourg cave was all part of the family bonding experience.

Mommy’s favorite part was the hike and watching Nolan create his game all the way through it. Afterward, the kids played at the playground while she made lunch. Nolan ultimately selected swinging side by side with Nina as his favorite part of the day, which was a very sweet choice after his heroic crayon quest.

Then it was time to leave Luxembourg. We drove about two hours into Belgium, stopping for gas –ugh– and groceries along the way, arriving at Camping Club Benelux in La Roche-en-Ardenne just in time to squeeze a pool sesh in before dinner. We were staying for three nights, so Lightning McQueen could finally remain parked for a little while. Nina promptly named swimming as the best part of her day despite lots of tears from both parties. Mom and Dad are thinking spending the winter in the heated pool at Sunday River and the beginning of summer in the Leblanc’s heated pool have made them a little bougie.  The playground was still waiting for us later that evening, because apparently a full hike and a swim did not use up all of their energy.

La Roche-en-Ardenne

On Saturday we walked from the campground into the beautiful town of La Roche-en-Ardenne. We explored the castle above town, climbing up with the kids before stopping for a nice lunch and making the walk back to camp.

Dad and Mom both chose the walk into town and the castle as highlights of the day, although Dad added the pool to his list as well. Nina agreed strongly with the pool portion. Nolan –after a day of archery, 13th century castle viewing, a shared pizza and pasta lunch– selected buying candies as the best part of his day. Honestly, we respect the clarity.

We finished the day back at the campground, with two more nights still ahead of us in Belgium. After a week of packing, borders, errands, work calls, campsites, and countless playground stops, it feels good to stay put for a moment. Lightning McQueen probably agrees.

Our final week in Paris involved an impressive amount of water: canals, ponds, pools, a lake, splash pads, rainstorms, and probably a few bath-time negotiations. It also involved several boats, many playgrounds, and one unexpected Parisian engagement.

Stalingrad and the Canal

We started Sunday at our Airbnb in Pantin and took the train to Stalingrad, where we found a new bakery. We loaded up on donuts, sandwiches, a salad for Mommy, and bread. Always bread. If there is one thing our family has mastered in Paris, it is making sure we are never more than a few feet from a baguette.

From there we rented a boat for two hours and drove it up and down the canal. The little electric motor did not have a lot of power and the boat was surprisingly tricky to steer, which made Coons feel slightly less like an experienced captain and slightly more like a dad trying not to hit the side of a canal. It was fun seeing parts of Paris we had already explored from a completely different angle.

On the way back, it started raining and we had to put up the boat’s cover. Nolan bravely stayed up front to hold down the awning even while he was getting wet. We passed the time using all of our finest sailing vocabulary, including “swab the poop deck.” Nolan later clarified that sailing was his favorite part of the day, “but when it was not raining. That was crazy.” Fair assessment, Bubby.

After docking, we played some checkers in the park and Mommy and Daddy bought cards for each other. Then we took the train back to a playground Nolan and Nina had previously visited with Miss Presh. They played for a long time and made some new friends before we returned home for dinner and a call with Yaya, whom we were all missing.

Nina’s favorite part of the day was eating dinner, proving once again that we could probably save a lot of money on activities and simply continue feeding her. She has quickly abandoned most of her American diet for a Parisian diet which consists mostly of pain du chocolat.

Luxembourg Gardens

On Monday morning we grabbed breakfast on the go from our favorite supermarket and took the train to Luxembourg Gardens. The park was beautiful, with flowers, statues, a very impressive building, and a large pond where we could rent little sailboats.

Nolan and Nina each got their own boat and a stick to push it into the water. The basic routine was to launch the boat, watch it sail across the pond, sprint to the other side, and push it back again. Dad helped manage the fleet while Mom enjoyed the flowers, statues, and Luxembourg castle. It was one of those rare children’s activities that was both very simple and genuinely lovely for everyone involved.

After sailing, we headed to a playground where Nolan and Nina played independently in the sandbox. Nina climbed a pretty tough ladder and slid down the slide, looking very proud of herself. Then they used their own money for rides on the merry-go-round. Nolan had a little jousting pole and did a great job catching the metal keys as he went around, while Nina was mostly thrilled to sit with a friend in a carriage, clapping along to a tune with her.

.

We eventually returned to the apartment because Monday meant a big workday for Dad. The kids did a good job playing independently while Mommy cooked dinner, and later we ordered Vietnamese street food for the adults through Uber Eats. Nothing says glamorous Paris evening quite like working from an Airbnb while your children play nearby and someone delivers your dinner.

La Plage and Les Grandes Lacres

Tuesday was hot, so we got a late start and headed for La Plage, one of the beaches and pools Paris sets up every summer. We took the train, changed into our swimsuits, and spent the next two or three hours in the water.

Nolan and Nina made friends from Vancouver and Paris and played together for a long time, somehow navigating both English and French more naturally than most adults would.

Coons became Daddy Sea Monster and tried to stop the kids from getting past him in the pool. Nolan’s favorite part of the day was making friends and attempting to defeat the sea monster, while Nina reported that hers was “going in the wall, the pool.” We are not completely sure what that means, but she was happy about it.

After swimming, we visited a small playground where Nolan and Nina played with the attendants, then we got some delicious gelato.

From there we split up: Kourtney and Nolan went on a shopping adventure while Coons and Nina returned to the apartment, visited another small playground, and shopped for supplies for the next day’s lake outing. Kourtney especially enjoyed her one-on-one time with Nolan and watching him learn the value of saving his own money. We reunited for a salmon dinner at the apartment, bath time, and .FaceTime with Pa, Auntie Kristian, and  baby Arthur.

Wednesday was the hottest day we had experienced in Paris. Lightning McQueen’s thermometer claimed it reached 107 degrees at one point, so we escaped the city and took our first little day trip to Les Grandes Lacres. The huge complex had two sandy beaches, a splash pad, restaurants, and a volleyball court, but we spent most of our time swimming and playing in the sand.

Nolan  loved swimming and going underwater to dive for buried treasure. Nina also confirmed that we had gone to the beach, although dinner once again earned the official title of her favorite part of the day (this also may have something to do with the fact that we go through this exercise of discussing our favorite part of the day around the dinner table).

We moved over to the splash pad to rinse off the sand, where the kids loved watching others standing under the dumping bucket. Everyone was brave enough to try most of the water features, which was a great way to survive a day when even Lightning McQueen thought the temperature was getting a little ridiculous (113 inside Lightning McQueen).

On the way home we stopped at a camping accessory store and bought a new stove and gas bottle in preparation for our first weekend in the van. We returned to the apartment, ordered Uber Eats, and Coons worked through the evening while we started looking ahead to our final couple of days in Paris.

Rain, the Louvre, and a Paris Engagement

Thursday began early after a rough night of sleep for Mommy and the kids. Coons took Nolan and Nina on a morning errand adventure to buy diapers and treats. We tried some new donuts that nobody liked, then went to a hardware store for cooking gas and bought the wrong cylinder. Since the morning was going so well, we returned to our normal grocery store for the good donuts and good croissants, including a croissant for Mommy.

The rain changed our outdoor plans, so we spent three hours at an indoor play place. Nolan and Nina climbed through some very large structures, flew down the slides, and won candy and stuffies from arcade games.

Coons slipped across the street to the mall and found what we hoped was finally the correct gas canister. Preparing to cook in a camper van had somehow become a multi-day scavenger hunt.

Dad’s actual favorite part of the day was sorting out some confusion with our Airbnb booking and confirming that we could stay the extra night we needed. This was less exciting than candy and giant slides, but significantly more exciting than discovering your family of four has nowhere to sleep.

Back at the apartment, Nolan and Nina FaceTimed with Yaya. She read them a book, and then each of them read a book back to her. We made dinner and spent the rest of the evening doing laundry, cooking, shopping, and slowly getting everything ready for our Saturday departure.

On Friday we grabbed breakfast at the supermarket and took the train to the Louvre. Kourtney split off for some sightseeing while Coons brought the kids to the playground in the park.

Nolan quickly made a very good friend and informed us that he loved her and was going to marry her. We had only planned to visit a playground, but apparently Nolan had larger goals for his final day in Paris.

When Kourtney returned, we played a little longer and took some carousel rides. The kids also played an awful carnival game, but hopefully they learned something from the experience. Possibly that not every game positioned near a famous museum is a good financial decision.

That evening Miss Presh came over so Mom and Dad could have another date night. We went to a wine bar and then had a fantastic anniversary dinner at Les Ombres with a glass roof overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

It was a pretty wonderful way to end our time in Paris before returning to the apartment to finish packing for the next phase of the trip.

Lac de Medin

Saturday morning we packed up the apartment in Pantin and officially said goodbye to Paris. Around 10:00 we loaded everyone into Lightning McQueen and headed east toward Lac de Medin. The drive took a little over three hours with a few pit stops and some surprisingly nice rest stops along the way.

When we arrived, we set up camp for our first night in Lightning McQueen in Europe.

Kourtney had packed toys in the van for Nolan and Nina, and watching them discover everything for the first time was her favorite part of the day. All that planning and packing paid off in the form of two very excited little kids.

Once camp was ready, we walked down to the lake and swam for a while. Nolan declared the lake his favorite part of the day, and Nina said hers was controlling the dino toy that mom had packed. Then we returned to the campsite and cooked our first dinner outside in Europe.

After weeks of planning—and several days spent locating the correct gas canister—we were finally camping. Lightning McQueen was officially home, dinner was cooked outside, and our European van adventure had begun!

The flight to Paris was smooth even with an hour stay on the runway thanks to the array of kids movies. The children finally started dozing around 10:30pm which provides some foreshadowing for the rest of this story. We arrived in Paris on Friday morning — our bodies thinking it’s 2am — and looked on as the whole of the airport seemed to approach the customs line. We waited in line for over two hours with hungry, tired children which has to be it’s own special kind of torture. Our driver stuck it out and brought us to our Paris apartment in the suburbs of Pantin.

Coons went food shopping and the kids explored the toys at the AirBnB while mom took a snooze. After our first home- cooked dinner in Paris, the kids promptly fell asleep. Mom and Dad enjoyed a delicious bottle of rouge (at the perfect temperature) on the balcony and cheersed because we had done it! We had been dreaming of this trip since 2018 and now it is officially reality!

On Saturday, we had to rally because our friends, the Christo Family, were spending their last day in Paris. We stopped at a local Patisserie shop and jumped on the Metro. Once we met up with our friends, including their family Eva, John, Copper and Cece, we walked to Champ de Mars with our first view of the Eiffel Tower and an excellent park for the kiddos. We enjoyed a delicious lunch outside at Cafe Gustave — perfect for people watching while Nina took a snooze on mom. Once we said our goodbyes, we headed home for our first never-ending bedtime.

La Villette

Everyone slept so late on Sunday morning that we finally had to wake them up at 10 a.m. Apparently Paris is exhausting when you are three and five (also when you are their parents). We made breakfast at the apartment and eventually took the Metro three stops down to La Villette, a park along the river near the Museum of Science.

We spent most of the day at the Park of the Wind and Dunes, where the kids made some new friends, jumped on trampolines, flew down slides, rode a few merry-go-round rides, and chased pigeons. Nolan’s favorite ride was the pirate ship flag, while Nina was very excited about seeing both the park and the farm animals. We also got churros and ice cream because nothing helps a confused sleep schedule quite like sugar in the afternoon!

From there we split up. Kourtney and Nolan went grocery shopping while Coons and Nina visited the farm animals, including a donkey, goats, and bunnies. We eventually reunited at the grocery store, where Nolan decided he wanted shrimp with the heads still on. Naturally. Coons cooked the shrimp for our curious kid with corn on the cob and made curry for the adults. Once we all sat down to dinner together we discussed the best parts of our day; Kourtney declared that family conversations were her favorite thing, which was very sweet considering bedtime was still nowhere in sight.

The Seine

The next morning we had to wake our sleepy kids again because Dad had a workday and we needed to get moving. We made breakfast, stopped at the bakery, and took the train downtown, getting off right by the Eiffel Tower. We weren’t climbing it yet, but we boarded a giant boat for an hour-long cruise on the Seine.

The boat carried us past the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and a collection of very cool bridges. Some had silly or mad faces, and one had an N on it, which the kids naturally claimed for Nolan and Nina. Traveling with children really adds depth to the historical record.

After the cruise we took the train back toward our apartment. Coons returned home to work for the rest of the day while Kourtney took Nolan and Nina to the park. They jumped independently on the trampoline and both conquered their fear of the rope bridge and the biggest slide. Nina even used her French, calling “attendez” when she wanted the other kids to please wait. It may not have been flawless French, but it got the job done!

The Eiffel Tower

On Tuesday we finally managed an early start. Tickets to the Eiffel Tower were sold out online, but we were told we could arrive around 10 a.m. and buy them there. We grabbed breakfast at the grocery store, hopped on the Metro, and arrived right around 10. Miraculously, the plan worked.

We took an elevator to the second floor, waited in another line, and then continued all the way to the top. The views were incredible, and both kids were thrilled that we had actually climbed the Eiffel Tower instead of merely looking at it from a boat. We stopped for ice cream on the first level on the way down, and Nolan decided he wanted to take the stairs the rest of the way. We had waited in enough lines for one week.

Nolan also had €10 to spend on souvenirs and watching him manage his budget became one of Coons’ favorite parts of the day. He walked past a few things he had previously wanted so he could visit multiple stores, consider all his options, and carefully put together a combination that stayed under €10. He was extremely proud, and so were we. We returned to Pantin, bought groceries, made dinner, and arranged babysitting for a few days and nights in Paris. Big things were happening!

Antwerp to Pantin

Coons was up at 5:30 the next morning to take the Metro to Gare du Nord and catch a train to Antwerp. From there, he took a taxi to the customs station, where the agent from a company named On Time Logistics arrived 45 minutes late. You really cannot write that kind of material.

After customs, more paperwork, a drive to the port, and then still more paperwork, Coons finally saw Lightning McQueen. He inspected the van, made sure everything was okay, and drove it out of the port. Lightning McQueen rides again!

The first challenge was finding gas. Belgium’s automated gas stations required PINs for credit cards, which our American cards do not have, so they simply didn’t work. Coons eventually found gas and drove about four hours back to Pantin, where he somehow found a parking spot and reunited the family with our beloved van.

Nolan was so happy that he kissed Lightning McQueen the first time he saw him. Nolan said they had been waiting through Daddy’s “long, long, long trip,” and both kids immediately climbed inside to play. The van has officially crossed from transportation into family member.

Meanwhile, Kourtney and the kids had spent the day with their new babysitter, Miss Precious — or Presh. After waffles and strawberries, they packed a lunch and found Park Stalingrad, where they played for three hours, chased pigeons, ran through the mist, and explored four different playgrounds. Nolan and Nina worked together to conquer a scary rope course leading to a giant dark-purple slide. By the last playground, they were climbing to a third-floor tower and going down the slide independently, sometimes sending their bags down first. They celebrated with a small bakery treat before returning home to wait for Lightning McQueen.

The Zoo

We got up somewhat early on Thursday, picked up breakfast at the grocery store, and took an Uber to the zoo. The kids saw wolves, manatees, seals, penguins, rhinos, wolverines, and zebras. The seals, penguins, and manatees were a huge hit, while Kourtney particularly enjoyed the silly rhinos and the cute, playful manatees.

The gift shop was equally important. Nolan and Nina each used their own money to buy a stuffy, and both took the decision very seriously. Nina had already announced the day before that she planned to buy a unicorn, so she opted for a unicorn with a carrier and medical kit. Nolan chose a cousin for Wolfy who has yet to be named.

We took an Uber home for some quiet independent play which the kids have been crushing after adventure time and then visited another playground near the apartment before dinner, baths, and bed. It was a refreshingly straightforward day and the bedtime routine was departing absurd and approaching “summer vacation.”

Paris from the Top Deck

On Friday we grabbed breakfast on the go at Aldi (are you sensing a theme here), took the Metro to the Opera, and boarded a double-decker sightseeing bus. We sat at the very front of the top deck, where we could see everything as the bus carried us past the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Arc, and finally the Eiffel Tower at Champ de Mars.

The kids were great on the bus and listened to their Yoto players while Paris rolled past. Nolan had predicted we would see the Eiffel Tower because “it’s so tall,” and he was correct. He had also predicted lots of pretty things because “around here there are pretty things,” which may be the most efficient summary of Paris ever written.

At Champ de Mars we spent a couple of hours at the playground and, of course, found another trampoline. Then we exchanged some of the kids’ U.S. dollars for euros so they could continue their very important souvenir shopping. We returned to the apartment, where Coons worked while the kids played and got ready for dinner.

That evening Presh arrived for our babysitting night, and Kourtney and Coons went out alone! Our first-choice wine bar was closed for one of Paris’s unexpected summer-long breaks, but Ô Chateau was fantastic. Mom and Dad tried a few whites and reds along with a small charcuterie of meats and cheeses before moving on to the rooftop deck at Aqua Kyoto. There we enjoyed sushi, tempura, sake, wine, and tiramisu while watching the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle. Meanwhile, Presh had both kids in bed by 8:30. We are considering having her follow us around Europe.

The Children’s Museum

After our late night, the kids woke up ready to adventure as a family on Saturday morning. We booked a time slot at the Children’s Museum, where Nolan tackled the water adventure and construction center while Nina built robots and played with the different wooden structures. They both loved the forest section at the end with a visual theater of the changing seasons and all the animals one might see.

Afterward we went to the dragon park, grabbed lunch, and returned to one of our established Paris favorites, the Park of the Wind and Dunes. Despite a week that included the Eiffel Tower, a Seine cruise, a zoo, Lightning McQueen’s grand return, and an entire museum designed for children, both Nolan and Nina chose going to the park as the best part of their day. We are learning not to overthink the itinerary.

We returned to Pantin, where the kids played independently, Coons went grocery shopping, and we made dinner. In the first week the kids have conquered every giant rope-course and slide Paris could throw at them, and we still had another week in Pantin ahead of us. Not a bad week at all!