This week we enjoyed the glamorous Airbnb life of laundry, bookstores, indoor play villages, and mostly improved bedtimes before packing Lightning McQueen for Stonehenge and Lyme Regis. Then Yaya and Maddi arrived just in time for fossils, ocean swimming, and a full-scale seagull defense operation.
Our first full week in England brought rainy campground days, repeated s’mores, one very bumpy bike path, and a proper moated castle. We finished it with fish and chips, a 50 km/h hill, and late-night ice cream in Windsor.
We wrapped up our time in Switzerland with mountain trains, suspension bridges, fondue, an Alpine nanny, and one very memorable hot dog masquerading as chicken sausage. Then Lightning McQueen carried us into France, where the kids surprised everyone by crushing a Lebanese feast.
Switzerland gave us cable cars, blue lakes, waterfalls, mountain playgrounds, turtle-shaped bread, and an impressive streak of narrowly missed transportation. Fortunately, there was usually chocolate nearby.
We biked through medieval towns and the Black Forest, chased down help for Coons’ ear, crossed into Switzerland, and learned that even a giant waterfall is no match for two tired kids. There was also gelato. There is always gelato.
We biked through Roman history and Moselle wine country, launched Teacher Mommy’s classroom, and held a child’s bike seat together with bungee cords. The kids added gladiator gear, brave seafood tasting, new friends, and plenty of playgrounds.