Longer Travels {Southern France -- Marseille}

After Lyon we drove down to Marseille (again with another stop -- in another post) where we had our home base for the rest of our trip.  Our original plan was to only spend a day exploring Marseille, but our toddler had other plans and we ended up spending two full days in Marseille and using our other days "day tripping" around the region.

Marseille.  I am not even sure where to begin...  It is the second largest city in France and often has a very bad reputation for being dirty, seedy and not worth your time.  And while it is very dirty and a little seedy, Marseille should not be missed -- it is a maritime and port town but also very rich in culture and history (and character).  I had always wanted to go to Marseille since The Count of Monte Cristo is my all time favorite book and the first part of the book is set in Marseille -- and Marseille as a city did not disappoint and we loved it!

We went the AirBnB route in Marseille since free parking was included and we needed a place to park our car -- so we stayed here and loved it.  The neighborhood was a little sketch so I was happy we were never out late at night, but that seemed to be most of Marseille.  The place was close to a tram line and about a 20-25 minute walk to the heart of the city -- Vieux Port.  It was downhill on the way there, and a not so fun uphill on the way back.... Marseille is HILLY so we were happy to ride the trams a few times!  But the place was perfect for our small family of three and had literally the best shower I have ever seen and Serafina agreed!

So things to do in Marseille --

MuCEM -- Musée des Civilizations de l'Europe de la Méditerranée which is more like two museums in one, one part is a very modern looking building (called the J4) that houses exhibits explaining the history of the Mediterranean and the other part is the the Fort St-Jean (an old 13th century fort over looking the old port).  The two are connected by a very cool (but quite high) foot bridge.  While the J4 building was toddler friendly, the fort was a little tricky to maneuver with the stroller, but the views were worth it!

Fort St-Jean

J4 building

[You'll also be right next to the Villa Méditerranée which is a very funky building that also houses some exhibits, but we didn't go in -- as we'd heard the outside was better!]

Cathédrale de Marseille Notre Dame de Major -- gorgeous church that can be seen from the fort, from the 19th century with a gorgeous striped facade (from local Cassis stone and Florentine green marble), the outside is for sure worth seeing, the inside was only memorable because it is so light inside (most older churches are very very dark)

Le Panier -- this is the neighborhood on the other side of the fort (go across another foot bridge), small, narrow, winding streets with an insane amount of stairs, but adorable squares and local shops -- a very fun place to wander, just not super stroller friendly.... we again got stuck carrying the sleeping Peanut in the stroller down many many stairs, you can also head to Centre de la Vieille Charité which in the heart of Le Panier and it is a gorgeous building that used to a charity structure... sadly we didn't make it here as we couldn't figure out how to get there and avoid all the stairs!

Vieux Port -- the old part of Marseille and it is quite spectacular, gorgeous yachts and small fishing boats everywhere you look, restaurants surround all three sides (as well as tourists), and has been used for more than 26 centuries!  There is a small ferry boat that will take you from one side to the other so you don't have to walk around the port (well worth it!), this is also where you can take tourist boats to Les Calanques and Château d'If.

Les Calanques -- national park between Marseille and Cassis, stretching 20km of high and rocky promontories, separated occasionally by secluded and gorgeous beaches with the amazing turquoise waters of the Mediterranean.  The only way to see the park in the summer is by a boat cruise (as the hiking trails close and only those with reservations are allowed into the inlets/calanques/beaches).  We took a boat cruise with this company and it was great -- roughly three hours and we saw gorgeous coastlines, amazing views and had a blast!  We also went past Château d'If which is in my favorite book and something I had always wanted to see.  We chose not to actually go to the prison as we had read/heard that it wasn't that great and also not super toddler friendly -- I was satisfied with seeing it from the boat.

Chateau D'If

[So we did all of the above in one day -- while slightly on the ambitious side with a toddler, we had originally thought this was our only day in Marseille and we wanted to make the most of it]

Musée du Santon -- we tried our freaking hardest to get to this museum and both times it was closed, which was rather annoying given that it was a steep walk up a hill.... so if you're in the area and its open, then go -- it looked cool, focusing on the small kiln-fired nativity figurines (called santons) that originated in Marseille

Le Petit Train -- we did this super touristy train on our second day in Marseille (after the toddler had had enough traveling and just needed a break) and it was awesome, completely recommend even if you don't have kids!  It was a great way to see the city without hiking up all the hills -- we wound our away around the Vieux Port, drove along the Promenade de la Corniche du President JF Kennedy, saw the Catalans beach and finally made our way up the hill to the Basilique de Notre Dame de Garde which sits on the highest point in Marseille and offers a 360 degree view of the city.... so while the train had places to put our stroller, you do have to take a mandatory stop at the basilica and well, it has A LOT of steps, A LOT.  We did discover an elevator on the way down but it did not cut out all the steps.... but the climb up is worth it to see the views of the city

{sadly the Tour de France was in Marseille the day after we left}

Parc Longchamp -- the palais houses the art and natural history museums (which we didn't go to), but the park is huge and worth some time to wander, especially if you have younger kids -- great playgrounds and a Funny Zoo -- in place of where the actual zoo used to be, there are life size fiberglass sculptures of different animals

Eating in Marseille -- we didn't do much eating out in Marseille as we mostly made dinners back at our apartment, but we did have some amazing ice cream at Vanille Noire, including their famous black vanilla ice cream.  And we had a super good and filling lunch at Chez Fanny -- highly recommend both of these places!

We loved Marseille and were very happy to spend a second day in the city -- if you get the chance, check out this underrated city!  And don't forget to buy soap while here, the city of Marseille is famous for their natural soap and we sure stocked up (we preferred this small shop over the larger ones)!

Longer Travels {Southern France -- Lyon}

We took an amazing trip to France in July -- and I am finally, slowly starting to blog about it.... We stayed mostly in the Provence region but also trekked up to Lyon for a few days.  So I think the best way to do this so it doesn't get insanely long is to break it down into a few posts!  So first up -- Lyon!

Now, I know Lyon isn't technically southern France, but since our trip mostly focused in the south -- I'm keeping the title.

So -- we flew from Sevilla to Marseille and rented a car (not sure we could've done this trip without a car).  We priced out the cost of trains versus renting a car and it was pretty much the same, so we went with the car as it gave us a little more freedom and the ability to get to smaller towns easier.  We also brought our own car seat (using this car seat and bag -- and again, we didn't have to pay for the bag and it was LOADED with so much stuff)!

We went straight to Lyon with a stop along the way (more in another post).  We spent three nights but two full days in the city and this was the perfect amount of time.  We stayed here -- a hotel/apartment place and it was wonderful.  Outside of the main city area so quiet but still about a 20-25 minute walk into the main center and close to transportation (both trams and metros).  It was the best stocked hotel/apartment kitchen I had ever seen which came in handy for making our picky eater dinner each night!  And it was about a block away from literally the best playground we had ever seen -- Parc Blandan.  It had an amazing playground but also tons of space for kids to run around, adults to play various lawn games and of course a carousel.*

those tubes are slides big enough for adults to fit in

sliding down the wooden slates (it was made to do this)

We also got the Lyon City Card (available for one, two or three days) which allows you free use of public transportation (just remember to swipe your card each time) and also gets you into many museums for free or at a discounted price, and finally includes a free boat ride up the Rhône River.  Because we happened to be in Lyon for Bastille Day and many museums were closed, we didn't get the best value for our card, but I'd still recommend getting one!

Lyon is a wonderful city and we loved it!  Lyon sits between the Rhône and Saône rivers and while more of a business city, it still has a lot of offer for tourists.  While it doesn't have big name museums or tourist sights, Lyon is a city to just explore and experience, especially the food!  Lyon is known for its amazing food and restaurant scene.  Overall, Lyon was fairly toddler friendly -- good public transportation (trams were easier than the metro because we could just walk right on with the stroller and not have to worry about stairs), places for the toddler to run and everyone was extremely nice!  The areas near (and below) the basilica (including Vieux-Lyon and the Presqu' île) are hilly and full of cobble stoned streets -- so make sure you have a sturdy stroller.

So things to do in Lyon -- (or at least the things we did!)

Basilique de Notre Dame de Fourvière -- gorgeous 19th century basilica sitting above the city of Lyon, the terrace has amazing views of the whole city and the actual church is not too bad itself (really intricate mosaics and gorgeous stained glass).  The best way to get up the hill is to take the funicular (to the Fourvière stop) -- just use the elevator if you have a stroller.  The actual terrace and church were pretty toddler friendly (stairs leading up to the church but easy to carry the stroller) -- just a challenge to keep a toddler quiet in a church.  Lucky for us she likes churches and immediately says "oh wow, so beautiful" when she walks into any church.

showing us all the pretty things

Roman Theaters -- (there is also a museum but we didn't do it) also up on the hill, just down the road from the basilica, Roman theaters built in 15 BC (made bigger in 120 AD) and actually fairly still intact.  They do a summer concert series every Friday so it was pretty cool watching them set up for modern day concerts in ancient ruins.  This was the only place in Lyon that was truly not stroller friendly -- so many stairs and large cobble stones and uneven ground.... and of course our toddler fell asleep in the stroller, so Trevor and I had to navigate ancient and steep steps with the stroller -- I am sure we looked pretty crazy!

{the stairs we went down were much steeper}

Vieux-Lyon -- old Lyon neighborhood (and at the bottom of the hill where the basilica is), old cobble stone streets (a little rough with a stroller but manageable), adorable local shops and great food, especially good ice cream (we went to Glacier Terre Adelice and it was amazing -- so many unique flavors to choose from), this is a fun area to just wander around and grab a bite to eat.  This area also has many of Lyon's secret passageways which we saw but didn't venture into because of the stroller (we had read many could have stairs).... and we had a tired, cranky toddler who refused to eat the afternoon we were here, so we made the tough choice to go back to the hotel and nap which made everyone happier.

secret passageways

Presqu' île and Croix-Rousse -- neighborhoods that I am lumping together because I couldn't really tell where one ended and one started.  Presqu' île area definitely had more higher end, chain stores whereas Croix-Rousse was more local (and much more hilly if I am remembering correctly), but again just fun places to wander.  We also ate in this area(ish) for lunch one day at an amazing restaurant that was oh so good (and so sweet to our toddler) -- we ate here and seriously, we cannot recommend this place enough.  Little English was spoken and definitely no English menu so it made for some fun ordering (and a little scary for me, given my food allergies -- another post for another day).**  Trevor had amazing near raw duck breast and I had to most amazing fresh goat cheese salad and the best pain perdu I've ever had.

Musée de Confluences -- this museum is in the area know as Confluence (where the two rivers meet), it used to be an industrial wasteland but thanks to a multi-million euro urban renewal project, this is a new up and coming neighborhood (with some seriously insane architectural structures that are also environmentally friendly), the museum's building is an architectural feat made of steel and glass.  The actual museum is actually pretty cool -- focusing on mainly science and humanities.  There was a very cool permanent exhibit about the origins of the world -- the Peanut loved it!

Gadagne Museums -- two museums (one focusing on Lyon's history and the other on marionettes), we went to the museum that focused on marionettes since Lyon is famous for the puppet Guignol.  It was a little creepy but free with the Lyon City Card so it wasn't a bad break from the heat outside.

Parc de Tête d'Or -- a huge park in the northern part of the city (it is the largest urban park in France), we figured that Parc Blandan was smaller and super cool so why not go to a bigger park... Well, sadly we were a little disappointed but most likely because we got there after everything closed.  Inside the park there is a zoo, a train, a lake with boating available and more.  We had wrongly assumed there would be cool playground, but we couldn't find one.... Our sweet sassy girl was also OVER the day at this point, so we didn't stay long.  From what we saw, this park would be better for slightly older kiddos.

There seemed to be plenty of other things to actually do in Lyon, but mostly it a city best to just explore and wander (and eat).  We were bummed that the huge fountain -- the Place de Terreaux -- was under construction.  Place Bellecour was a great square for Serafina to just run around (one of the largest in Europe) and she was obsessed with the huge horse statue in the middle.

And just a note: one of our two full days in Lyon was Bastille Day (France's national holiday -- and typically the French simply call it "The 14th of July" or le quatorze juillet) so we were a little limited in what we could do that day but the celebrations at night were worth it!  It was a huge street party with so many people and while many thought we were a little crazy to take our toddler to such a large public event (especially after the terrible attack in Nice last year), we felt very safe -- there was a large police/military presence (even in riot gear) and also large trucks blocking any road entrances to where the party area was.  But again, the fireworks over a gorgeous basilica and your toddler just in awe of the fireworks, wanting more and more -- makes it all worth it!  Plus this was a dream come true for me -- I had been in Paris for Bastille Day in 2000 and have always wanted to go back!

*So literally EVERY SINGLE town (didn't matter how small or big) had at least one carousel and most often near the tourism office.  It made for some really amazing tantrums when we either had to get off the carousel or didn't go on in the first place since the Peanut loves carousels!  But, I always recommend going to the tourism office for a map and you always usually end of learning of something fun and different that is happening in the town that day too!

**We encountered many people who did not speak English on this trip -- both in small towns and in the larger cities.  I speak enough French to get by so that was very helpful and in many incidents people just spoke French to me.  We used Google Translate as needed, especially for menus since the app has a great camera function.  And just like any other European country, always remember to say hello and goodbye whenever you enter or leave a store, museum, etc.  It goes a long way!

Life Lately Round 8

It's been awhile since I posted.... life happens, right?  I did post about our daily schedule here when I linked up with my friend Kerry, but I haven't really posted since we went to the Canary Islands back at the end of May!

So time for a real update! We were pretty low key for awhile when we returned from the Canary Islands -- because we started potty training.  And well, it was much easier than I thought and I completely absolutely believe it is because the Peanut's school is doing 95% of the work.  Yes, you read that right.  Many preschools here work on potty training around this age (actually Serafina is on the older side of potty training in Spain).  No pictures because there was (and still is) lots and lots of naked time!  Overall, it is going well but the real test will be our upcoming trip to France.... how do parents travel with newly potty trained kiddos?  All advice and tips are welcome!

We had family pictures taken by my friend Erin and we could not be happier with how they turned out!  Our area is known for its sunflower fields this time year, so many of the local (American) photographers offer mini sessions for pictures.  It was the perfect amount of time for our active toddler (who had way too much fun just looking at the flowers and finding bees).  I am so thankful we have these unique family pictures to document our time in southern Spain.... now to figure out which prints to actually order!

We also had a wonderful Father's Day (I should say American Father's Day since Spain celebrates theirs in February).  We went to our local goat farm with some friends -- we had a tour, ate a lot of yummy cheese and meats, got to play with the baby goats and even make our own fresh cheese!  It was so much fun and all the toddlers had a blast running around with the baby goats.  We even saw a baby just after it was born, witnessing its first steps and first time nursing from mama!

our outfits for the cheese factory

The Peanut had her "fin de curso" -- end of year celebration (she is still going to school throughout the summer, but their year really goes September to June).  And it was just about the cutest thing I have ever witnessed.  Each class did a dance complete with costumes and choreographed moves!  Our sweet gal just stood on stage for her whole 2 minute performance but later danced her little heart out doing all the moves when her song came on between acts!  And in true amazing Spanish fashion, drinks (alcohol) and food was served -- sure makes school functions so much better!

her class

And then our June was coming to an end which meant saying goodbye to our closest family friends here.  We met this family last year shortly after we arrived but with each of our travels, we really have only been able to hang out consistently the past six months.  And oh will we miss this family -- they have three wonderful boys (all older than our Peanut) who just adore our sweet girl.  And the feeling is mutual for our Peanut.  We went to the Canaries with them and ever since, Serafina asks every single day if we are going to see the boys -- it is the cutest thing!  We were lucky enough to basically spend every waking minute with them their last week here, including going to the base's celebration for 4th of July (Independence Fest).  But it was so very hard to say goodbye just a few short days ago.... our sweet girl still wakes up from nap and asks to go see her boys.  And of course we were all having way too much fun to actually get many pictures....

Our 4th of July was low key given that it isn't a holiday in Spain -- we sent the Peanut to school in the morning!  We had the celebration on base the weekend before the 4th, but just like last year we didn't stay too long -- hot and not a whole lot for the little girl to do!  Other than Trevor having the day off, it felt just like a normal Tuesday!

We've been hanging with friends, going to the beach, staying out way past our bedtimes, eating a lot of ice cream -- normal summertime adventures!  Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer!

Life Lately {The Daily Dime}

Today I am linking up with my good friend Kerry from XO Kerry (and a few other bloggers) to show you what a typical day looks like for us here in Spain!  So without further ado, our Daily Dime -- 10 pictures to show our day!

8:00am -- our day starts with our lovely house cleaners coming -- and Serafina loves (LOVES) helping!  I basically run around getting us ready for the day while she and the ladies clean upstairs (with lots and lots of laughter occurring).
And this morning Trevor slept through his alarm so I took him to work while the Peanut stayed home with the ladies!

9:00(ish) -- I drop the Peanut off at school -- they play outside for the first part until all the students arrive, so this is her classroom before it gets crazy with kids!
This morning I also had a conversation with another mom -- all in Spanish!

11:00 -- I treat myself to a faux Starbucks (it really is awful actually) after an insanely hard workout at the gym and a little Gossip Girl (how did I not watch this show sooner?) before picking up the Peanut!
I also ran errands before my little break on the couch -- and I also went to the grocery store to pick up salad fixings for dinner tonight before picking up the Peanut.

12:30 -- big girl starting our walk home from school -- she insisted she wear her backpack!

She finally decided she wanted to ride in the stroller.  I love our walks home -- we chat about her morning, say hi to all the birds and dogs we see along the way and then usually play out on our patio before heading inside for lunch....

1:00 - 2:15(ish) -- So.... no pictures from lunch/playtime before nap because we had a massive poop explosion (it was bad) -- so a late nap happened and instead of doing any sort of chores during nap, I quickly caught up on email then watched some more Gossip Girl!
We started potty training recently (only because the school helps and it was Serafina's turn so....) and overall, it has been going well -- but she hadn't pooped in a few days, so finally the extra fruit and water caught up with her and it wasn't pretty.

4:00 -- per the usual, the Peanut woke up super angry so we cuddled on the couch (read some books, watched a TV show) while she slowly became her more usual cheerful self

4:45 -- we made cookie dough -- eggless snickerdoodles because I have a ton of Moroccan cinnamon and also because we both love (LOVE) to eat cookie dough!  Plus Serafina absolutely loves to bake (she calls it "mix" and does a really good job helping!)
So we only brought my hand-held mixer and it requires a transformer -- so she also calls the transformer box "mix!"  Girlfriend is going to be so confused when we return to the states and we don't have to use a transformer when we bake!

she likes to pile up the pillows so she can see out the window better

 5:20(ish) -- now the wait for daddy to arrive home.... sometimes it can be quite painful!  Today, not so bad.  We colored and played... she actually went downstairs to our basement/playroom to play by herself for a full 5 minutes -- it was glorious!

6:00 -- finally daddy is home and thanks to the afternoon's poop explosion, I gave up on our original dinner plans and ordered pizza -- at least we had salad too!

dance party/jumping on the bed with dad

7:00 -- we have eaten dinner and Trevor and Serafina are playing while I run around doing so many chores: laundry, dinner clean up, putting clothes away, making snack for school tomorrow, downstairs clean up, etc..... and then wind down before bed (cuddles, snack, milk, and a TV show).

9:00(ish) -- and finally bed time... yes, she goes to bed late, but well, we have adjusted a little to the Spanish life style and since the sun doesn't set until after 10pm in the summer.... while there are many days I sure wish she would go to sleep earlier, it works for our lives here

And now I am about to hit publish, watch some Gossip Girl and go to bed... it was a long day!