We made it home! Didn't post this yesterday because...jetlag. Our last night in Paris was spent toasting and reminiscing over all the favorite things-- from lunches (Avignon) to trains (German) to museums (lots of debate, no clear winner, there were too many good ones!). But especially all the people--we got to see how and where our friends live and spend some memorable time together; that was incredible.Really really proud of these kids. They were adaptable, kind, and adventurous. Got lots of comments about their backpacks and how they were the same size as each kiddo--and they were so great about it! We all came back a little stronger (we averaged walking 6.5 miles a day!) and our bond was a family is stronger as well. We (mostly) remembered to speak up and stay kind and be full of grace when things got tough. On the flight home we started listing other places we'd like to visit, so our curiosity is still going strong. Had a good first day back. So great to see Mara again that we didn't mind at all when she hogged the bed. Couldn't find the strength to make dinner last night so we got Hawaiian BBQ and talked about the things we loved seeing and that we had missed. Claire mentioned that it was nice being able to read all the signs again, but that she still thought about things like, "it's full of locals, it must be a good place!" before she remembered that we are, once again, locals.

Paris. A delightful (and delicious) morning spent at the open air market down the street. Vendors yelling, fresh fish smelling, clothes & jewelry from around the world to tempt us--what a beautiful way to start the day. Had a wonderful lunch and then headed to our family's favorite museum: the Musée D'Orsay. Enjoyed ice cream, crepes, and waffles at the summer carnival in the Jardin de Tuileries before a bittersweet goodbye to our friends. What a gorgeous end to this trip of our dreams.

Paris. We called this our "posh" day where we dressed up a little extra special and did all kinds of things we had never done before! We saw as much as we could of L'Opera without a ticket, then had some incredible samples and watched chocolate being made at the Lindt store. We rode to the top of Galeries Lafayette for an amazing view and photo op. A little ladybug visited during lunch. We marveled at the glowing glass in Sainte Chappelle (and found the hidden bathrooms in the nearby courthouse!). Dinner was a feast for all the senses and then we enjoyed some silliness on the metro that was uncharacteristically empty on the way home! Paris, you really know how to enjoy life.

Polidor. Since 1845. Family atmosphere, incredible homemade style food, loud and tons of fun.

Video here!

A sneak peek into how people move into and out of these tall, historical buildings in France!

Video here!

Paris. Were wowed by the Eiffel Tower (it gets me every time). Had a glorious picnic in the Jardin de Luxembourg, and were unexpectedly witnesses to a fashion photo shoot of a very poufy orange dress! Spent a slow afternoon watching the people and the little sailboats and then walked through the Marais district. Ended up at our air bnb playing cards and catching up on life. So grateful for this time!

Paris. We ate and laughed and walked our way through the city today. Never had the luxury of time like this before! So many hidden gems (like the wooden turtle sculpture along the Seine) to be discovered. Everyone except Kirk had escargot. No pictures here because the phone died, but the faces were priceless... overall consensus was "not too bad" and we all loved the garlic butter they came in. Crepes, street artists, watching the progress on the rebuilding of Notre Dame, misty fountains to cool us down, we saw it all at the pace of strolling with an ice cream cone.

Huttenbouw Day 2: Another great day in Roelofsarendsveen. Less frenzied gathering and building, more finishing touches and painting. We got our flag up (we think it was in the top three for height), made a couch, attached a fence to the porch, and made decorations. The theme this year was board games, so the kids named our hut "Kaart Huis," meaning House of Cards.We had such a fun time getting a taste of this great community event, and we are so honored to have been included. We are already thinking about how to bring this to our community!

Roelofarensveen. Terrific day kicking off summer and the end of school in our friends' village. An incredible tradition--Huttenbouw (hut building) where an entire parking lot was filled with wood and pallets, you bring your own hand tools and the main rules are: no power tools and nothing over 3 stories. We had 3 families (6 adults and 7 kids) working together in Dutch and English and having so much fun! There was also a tent where you could make things with clay, get your face painted, make a flag for your hut, and lots more. We're proud of our first day accomplishments and are looking forward to morning when we can paint before heading off on a train.Today was also quite hot, so it was a perfect treat to jump in a canal and do some swimming and lake boarding right next to a windmill, and we rode bikes to get there, of course!

Amsterdam. A gorgeous day in this city of flowers and tall skinny houses and incredible museums. We started off somber in the Anne Frank House--such a tender and impactful retelling of her life and it's resonating influence. We walked and talked with Suzan & Maarten (who has been Claire's friend since kindergarten in Kenya) along canals bursting with houseboats and colorful shutters.In the afternoon at the Rijksmuseum, we donned lab coats and examined 6 works of art in detail to determine if they were "masterpieces" or not. Mission Masterpiece is a unique chance to act as a museum curator and use science & technology to analyze dates & artists of a piece. Seeing the perfection of Dutch artwork up close is what makes this museum so incredible, but this experience went beyond expectations. Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" is also being monitored for vibrations from the air and all the visitors so they could figure a safer way to hang it to better preserve the canvas. We learned so much and found the marriage of art and science in this place to be amazing.

Berlin. Reservations at the dome of the Bundestag-- great aerial views of the city plus comprehensive history of Germany's political eras. Walking tour of the Berlin Wall memorials--the exhibits are so well done, they really put a personal side to it and make you feel like you're right there. Heroic stories of families and strangers helping one another across the divide. Surreal even so many years later.

Please excuse our terrible German pronunciations. Apparently fake commercials are our new thing!

Video here!

Berlin. Early morning start after a rather rough night train ride (last one, though!). We didn't fully know what to expect, so we spent the first day full of curiosity and exploring. This is a city of opposites and history and contradiction and hope. From top left: the historic Brandenburg gate, the Rosenstrasse women's memorial, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Memorial to the July 10, 1933 Nazi book burning, the reverent silence around Neue Wache with the statue of a woman and her dead son commemorating the victims of war and tyranny, a giant waffle treat in Alexanderplaz, the world clock that the kids read about in the City Spies book series, the juxtaposition of a church that MLK Jr preached at next to the TV tower as a symbol of Soviet power, and a tasty 4 course dinner together as we reminisced about our day.

No humans were harmed in the making of this video (but we did get some strange looks).

Video here!

Tour of the night train between Basel and Berlin.

Video #1 here!

Video #2 here!

Kandern. Had a really fun visit with the Dows today. Got to tour Black Forest Academy, hiked up to a view of their adorable town. Enjoyed home cooked food, laughed a lot, and almost fell off a mountain! So good to see old friends and spend time in their world.

So far, Swiss trains are our favorite. Very clean, seats recline comfortably, food is reasonably priced, and they have toilet paper (something we've learned not to take for granted). And, as expected, they run like clockwork on their timetables so you better believe that with only a 6 minute layover in Zurich, we RAN to catch our connecting train!

Munich. Early morning breakfast on the train, then a very wet morning walking the quiet Sunday streets. Saw the maypole (and went back for dinner at the beirgarten under the chestnut trees). Ducked into the Residenz Palace to dry off and learn about Bavarian royal history and marvel at their crown jewels. The day turned out beautiful, so we fueled up with pretzels and walked some more. Cheered on some brave people who surf the river in the park, heard a piano concert, and watched the famous glockenspiel clock in the New Town hall.

Tour of night train #2. How does OBB (Austrian rail) compare to SNCF (French rail)?

Part one here!

Part two here!

Venice. Spent the day getting intentionally lost (it's an island, so you can't get too lost!). Had cicchetti for lunch (tasty hot and cold appetizer style dishes) and saw gorgeous glass everywhere. Marveled as the tide rose and fell in this sinking city. Got invited to play in a pickup game of football (soccer) on the square we had stopped at in the afternoon--the little kids were an even match, but the group of guys on their bachelor's weekend were super good. Waiting now for a night train to Munich. Ciao, Italy!