It's A WONDERful 2015 - Feb Cruise, May WDW grand tour, and France/DLP! NEW 10/25 Nice & End!

[Imagineer5]

Continuing my cruise TR - 2nd at sea day!! Todays plans included a Sofia meet & greet, Palo brunch, dinner at Animator's Palette and a show or two in the evening.

To start out our day, we had room service for breakfast! It was pretty much continental style with a fruit platter, a pastry platter, muffins, cereal, and coffee and juice. Such a nice way to start the day though right from the room!



I mentioned this on our 1st day of the cruise, but since we had Palo brunch reservations, we were not able to do the Disney Jr character meet and greet ticketed thing today. But I saw in the navigator the night before that Sofia was going to meet at 9AM on Deck 4 near Studio Sea! We got there at about 8:45 and there was already a small line forming.



We noticed that around the corner at Studio Sea they were doing a dance party again so Aria and I popped in there while Andrew held our place in line.





Then we came back to an embarrassed Andrew (LOL waiting in line by himself to meet Sofia?) and waited around a bit more



The beautiful centerpiece of the lobby. I'm still surprised at how small the lobby area was compared to photos I've seen of many other cruise lines, but again the size of the ship was actually really nice.







Finally it was our turn, yay! Aria was excited to get Sofia to sign her pillow and show her her dress of course!







I don't remember it being very interactive though. Doc McStuffins was meeting on the other side but we decided to skip her as the line was quite long as well. It was about 9:30 at this point and so we changed Aria into a comfy outfit and brought her to the Kid's Club!



The sign in was so quick I didn't have a chance to give her a hug or remind her where the potty was, and I was worried for a bit over it. This was the first time we dropped her off there! But she ran in like she had been there a million times and started playing right away.

From there, I think we made a quick pit stop at the room to drop off her Sofia dress and then continued up to Deck 10 where Palo is. We got there early (surprise surprise) so took some photos of outside the restaurant.



Inside the bathroom:



Andrew:



By the time they opened the doors a few other couples had arrived and were waiting as well, and soon we were seated right front and center.





Our waiter came right over, and was fantastic! He took us over to the buffet to explain the different stations (there was a whole seafood one that Andrew loved, a pastry one, savory with many cheeses, desserts, etc). Then we dug right in!

This one had cheeses, olives, dips/tapenades, etc



Different Focaccias, dipping oils, butters, etc



Desserts



My first plate, which had caprese, some antipasto and olives, melon and prosciutto, hummus in that little glass, asparagus with hollandaise, and in the other dish there was a feta with eggplant:



Andrew ordered the eggs benedict from the menu and then enjoyed a number of their seafood options including shrimp.



They also started us out with the mimosas.

Our server came over to check on us and saw me taking pictures so he took one of us!



I decided I needed some breads apparently and they all looked too good. I tried to make my plate look healthier by adding some cheeses. All were delicious, the focaccias were amazing



I also had ordered the sun dried tomato and goat cheese pizza as that sounded amazing, and it was, but oh so filling!



From the reviews I had read their chicken parm was TDF so we had to try that as well. YES this is a ridiculous amount of food!



But you know I can't skip dessert!



The lemon merengue was perfect as a treat without being too filling - the tiramisu was delicious. I didn't care for the raspberry thing. I think Andrew skipped dessert.

Being brunch we didn't drink a ton, but I did have one or two glasses of Rosa Regale after my mimosa was finished. We also had a wonderful conversation with our waiter who happened to be from France. So we got to talk about our upcoming trip (I already had all the apartments/houses/hotel rooms booked). Turns out he was from Amboise - the same town as the Da Vinci home we will be visiting, and he even recommended that and I told him it was on our itinerary!

If this had been our first at sea day, we probably would have tried to book another brunch for the 2nd one! It was SO amazing. Delicious and well paced - we were here from about 10 to 12:30.

 

[Imagineer5]

When we were finished up, we headed straight down to get Aria. When we told them her name they were able to tell me where she was in the kid's club and I found her after a minute. She said she had a lot of fun and played with a little boy on the slide, so I am glad she wasn't playing alone the whole time - I forgot to mention in this update but it seemed like most kids even entering the kid's club had friends/siblings/cousins or whatever along and again I felt bad that Aria was by herself. She is pretty shy (although plays with mostly boys at daycare so I am not surprised she made a boy friend). But she was also ready to leave. I think we just missed the cut off for lunch in the kid's club so we decided to go to the pool area for a bit and grab some lunch then ice cream



We braved the super packed pool for a bit



Then we spent some time at the splash area





We also went to the Mickey pool although I think the slide line was ridiculously long so we just hung out instead.



Not as packed though!



And then our short time with Aria ended as it was definitely nap time at this point. We put her down in the stroller and decided to hang out by the adult pool during her nap time - we stayed up on Deck 10 since I didn't think she should be in the adult pool area even while asleep, and we took turns going to the pool. Our view of the adult pool area - SO much nicer than that main pool.



That purple container was filled with wine



I didn't take any random selfies in the pool but it was nice to just swim by myself and then hop in the hot tub. Next cruise I'd like to put Aria in the kids club (she prob wont need a nap by then), baby in the nursery, and we can enjoy the adult area together instead of taking turns!

After a while we headed back to the room with Aria still sleeping and took showers and got ready for the evening - tonight was the optional dress up evening and we planned to dress up a bit. Soon Aria was up (or I might have woken her up!) and she got a quick bath and outfit change!



I had somewhere I really wanted to be - the promenade lounge. We had walked through here a million times but never stopped to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. There was a singer there when we arrived.





At this lounge they have some salsa/chips and such out for you to take and serve yourself, so we did that and ordered some fun drinks.



We encouraged Aria to get up and dance when there was another little girl up there dancing by herself. Then that girl plopped on the floor and Aria was not quite sure what to make of her.



So she came back and we played around a bit.







We still had a little time before dinner so we headed outside.



Next post will be dinner and beyond!

 

[Imagineer5]

Then it was dinner time! Tonight's dinner was at Animator's Palette, which is the restaurant that starts out black and white and throughout the meal color comes to everything. It also had the menu that most appealed to me, so needless to say, I was most excited about the meal tonight!

Pretty menu


you can see we were first at our table again LOL



Colors coming in



I asked our drink waiter to surprise me with a drink, and this was a delicious berry one



And then...quite possibly the most delicious thing either of us had on the cruise - the black truffle pasta pursettes! "Pasta purses filled with a truffle scented cheese and topped with a champagne sauce"



These were SO good. We both ordered them and devoured them. Tonight only the grandparents decided to come to dinner and we attempted to get them to order these, they were SO delicious, but they declined. Crazy!!

Also on the appetizer menu was a tomato tarte with goat cheese, and I tried that too. Aria had pasta & meatballs which is one of her favorite meals so we were happy all around!





Aria enjoyed the colors coming around the room



Since we were still talking about those amazing pursettes, Andrew and I ordered one more plate to share.

Then our mains came - I ordered the lemon thyme chicken breast which came with root vegetables (not my favorite) and sour cream mashed potatoes (love)



For dessert we both ordered the trio of sweet temptations, which had a cheesecake, marble cake, and a strawberry one as well. I don't think either of us ate more than 3 bites of this but we had royally stuffed ourselves during dinner.







At the end of the meal there was a cute Mickey parade that came through the restaurant that Aria loved. We were sort of in the center of the room so had a pretty good view but weren't close enough to participate.

After dinner, we asked a passing CM to take a family pic before heading to our next destination



Then we continued down to Deck 2 I believe, where there was going to be a family magic/juggling show!



This guy was HILARIOUS! You could tell that he probably does more adult shows than family ones, so he brought in a lot of humor that went right over the kid's heads and amused all the parents in the room, but at the same time the kids absolutely loved him as well.



He started throwing marshmallows out to the kids LOL you can see Aria right up in front trying to get one



Then he had kids throwing them at him while he was on the unicycle



The show was hilarious and a highlight - I wish we had been to more of these shows during the cruise! Afterwards we headed back to the room and saw a cute giraffe towel animal. I was excited to peruse the next day's navigator which had become my nightly routine.



We actually did not go to bed yet though, and instead decided to head to the evening's show which was the Golden Mickey's! I didn't bring my camera as photos aren't allowed during the show. It was a cute "award style" show which a fun preshow of a CM interviewing people as they enter.

THEN it was finally bedtime up next, Castaway Key day!

 

[JulieODC]

Palo Brunch looks delish!! We booked our cruise a little late, and no reservations were left for the brunch -- but it looks like something we would have enjoyed!

So glad Aria enjoyed the kids club! Ellie was too young and went to the nursery and really didn't like it - which was a bummer! I think she was older than the rest of the kids, and was bored and felt like she was missing out with us. I bet she will love the kids club though, if/when we do another cruise!

We loved those pursettes too - YUM!

We did drop Ellie off at the nursery once for a nap, and spent the afternoon in the adults only area....very nice.

How did your 3-hr test go?!?

 

[Imagineer5]

I was just coming back to post my results - I PASSED THE 3-HR GLUCOSE TEST!!!!!!!!!! I was too impatient to wait for the call so I bugged my doctor's office instead.

Palo Brunch looks delish!! We booked our cruise a little late, and no reservations were left for the brunch -- but it looks like something we would have enjoyed!

So glad Aria enjoyed the kids club! Ellie was too young and went to the nursery and really didn't like it - which was a bummer! I think she was older than the rest of the kids, and was bored and felt like she was missing out with us. I bet she will love the kids club though, if/when we do another cruise!

We loved those pursettes too - YUM!

We did drop Ellie off at the nursery once for a nap, and spent the afternoon in the adults only area....very nice.

How did your 3-hr test go?!?

Did you try for a ressie on board? I read that they seem to offer them if you try on Day 1. That is too bad about Ellie not enjoying the nursery, though I can understand as she did seem a bit old even on the cruise from your TR for it - would rather be with the big kids! Aria would be the same way (although nap time is nice that they offer it there).

You were asking while I was calling my doc's office lol! I passed!

thank goodness because from my TR's I can see how horribly I eat while on vacation, I'll try to be good while in France but still can have the macarons and gelato and all the other fun stuff! Woohoo.

 

[JulieODC]

YAY!!!! That's great news...I was very concerned about your ability to eat delicious baguettes and croissants in France!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I am not entirely sure I would deem Aria's picture "local art" as it is an airbrushed Disney cruise ship with characters. Not exactly Cozumel or Mexico related at all but it works for a 3 year old's room. I do love getting art on trips though, we got a few pieces on our big Italy trip a few years ago and our bedroom has them all displayed.

ah ok, wasn't sure if the picture was done by a local artist though or more mass produced

******************

Lyon and Avignon both look very nice and can be fairly relaxed. I would love to see the Palace where the Pope was ... that was a very interesting time in history

Glad to hear the restaurants seem a bit more kid friendly - even if they open late. I know some of my European colleagues are always surprised how early my kids eat on a normal day

Best of luck on the results of the glucose test!!!!

EDIT - never mind, you posed the positive results while I was composing my update. that is great news!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I've heard nothing but good things about the Palo brunch - glad it didn't disappoint! Didn't realize how much you can order there, thought it was almost all buffet style

That pool does get crowded, my goodness!

Dinner sounds great too! And glad you enjoyed the evening entertainment ... it seems like a cruise (especially a Disney one) it is hard to do everything you want but also rest/relax some

 

[cindianne320]

So happy for you!!! :hula:

Your meals look amazing!We are really hoping for a Palo brunch and/or dinner next summer on the Wonder!
DH and I were able to enjoy the adults only pool on the Dream, and loved it! It was just nice to get away for a bit!

Can't believe how close your France trip is!! And now you can really enjoy all the delicious food!

 

[schmass]

Yay for passing the 3-hour glucose test! That would have been rough in France if you had to be staying away from the delicious French pastries/desserts.

I love your last cruise updates. What a great food day - Palo brunch and then the truffle pursettes at dinner! Yum!

The truffle class in France sounds amazing - what a great experience. I can't wait to read all about it!

 

[Imagineer5]

YAY!!!! That's great news...I was very concerned about your ability to eat delicious baguettes and croissants in France!

Thank you, I really was concerned too!

ah ok, wasn't sure if the picture was done by a local artist though or more mass produced

******************

Lyon and Avignon both look very nice and can be fairly relaxed. I would love to see the Palace where the Pope was ... that was a very interesting time in history

Glad to hear the restaurants seem a bit more kid friendly - even if they open late. I know some of my European colleagues are always surprised how early my kids eat on a normal day

Best of luck on the results of the glucose test!!!!

EDIT - never mind, you posed the positive results while I was composing my update. that is great news!

Well the picture was airbrushed on right there, I watched them work. So local art? I guess so...

I'm sure your European colleagues are not used to getting up at 5AM though for work...and driving an hour each way! At least that's my daily commute. It stinks, but with it comes early bedtimes and thus early dinners! When I lived with a family in Spain they had dinner at like 10:30PM it was crazy! Even at 18 I used to eat an earlier dinner by myself and go to bed sometimes lol.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Palo brunch - glad it didn't disappoint! Didn't realize how much you can order there, thought it was almost all buffet style

That pool does get crowded, my goodness!

Dinner sounds great too! And glad you enjoyed the evening entertainment ... it seems like a cruise (especially a Disney one) it is hard to do everything you want but also rest/relax some

It was amazing! There were a number of items you can order from a menu in addition to the buffet. I liked the combination of that since I am not really a huge buffet fan (except now I'm liking them more since they are so easy with our differing tastes).

That's partly why I wouldn't want to do a shorter cruise, there just wasn't time for everything even though I know on longer cruises that'd be the same story. But I could seriously just spend a week aboard the ship and have fun!

So happy for you!!! :hula:

Your meals look amazing!We are really hoping for a Palo brunch and/or dinner next summer on the Wonder!
DH and I were able to enjoy the adults only pool on the Dream, and loved it! It was just nice to get away for a bit!

Can't believe how close your France trip is!! And now you can really enjoy all the delicious food!

Oh how nice I'm sure you'll be able to get into Palo, I booked my brunch as soon as my window opened up and got it for the time we wanted without issue.

Yay for passing the 3-hour glucose test! That would have been rough in France if you had to be staying away from the delicious French pastries/desserts.

I love your last cruise updates. What a great food day - Palo brunch and then the truffle pursettes at dinner! Yum!

The truffle class in France sounds amazing - what a great experience. I can't wait to read all about it!

Food this day seriously was amazing!!

I'm excited for the truffle class, too! It is something totally different from the other things we are doing in France, so it is nice it'll be set apart a bit!

 

[Imagineer5]

Well since we leave in just THREE DAYS I better finish up my mini pre TR for the France trip!!

Our final stop is Nice, where we will spend 3 nights. On our drive there we have a couple stops of course!!

First up is Les Baux de Provence which is a quant hilltop town. It's only about 40 minutes from our hotel so that will make for a leisurely morning before heading out. (leisurely as in a 8AM departure lol).

After checking out the town, we are headed to Carrieres de Lumieres, which is something I can't quite grasp or explain. It takes you on an audio-visual journey through art, with the walls, ceiling and floor totally immersed in the exhibits. The current exhibit includes da vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael as the giants of the renaissance

So art from a different perspective. Everything I've heard/read about this is that it is a MUST NOT MISS so we are not missing it!

From there we are totally changing our focus. Our next stop is Arles which is just another 30 minutes away. Arles is home to many Roman ruins, including the amphitheater which was built in 90AD (10 years after the Colosseum of Rome).

SO we'll visit that and walk around town finding something for lunch. By 1:30 we will be on the road heading straight for Nice. There is a nice highway taking us there, but the very scenic route would take approximately 4 hours longer so we are sticking to the highway this time as it will be a 3 hour drive. As we get off the highway we'll look for a grocery store as we plan to eat in tonight. Then we'll head to our villa!

This is the place Andrew is most excited about - I am too, of course! This place is ridiculous. I wanted a villa with a pool and a view over Nice, and found this place which is ridiculous in size (6 bedrooms) but still fit the budget (although it has since more than doubled in nightly rates!).















There is also a washer/dryer so we will probably throw in a load of laundry tonight lol!

Day 17

Ever since Samantha Brown hosted a show in the Cote d'Azur and visited the small medieval village of Eze, I've wanted to go. So that was a must visit spot for us! This morning we are heading out in the morning to Eze which is only about 15 minutes away, and I bet the views getting there will be gorgeous!

Our first stop will be the Jardin Exotique which is at the top of the town and filled with cacti and other plants

Then we'll head into town. There is the Fragonard perfume factory here if we feel like visiting, otherwise we'll just shop and enjoy ourselves until lunch. Lunch is at a stupidly expensive place, you're paying for the view, but I wanted to eat in town with the view so there it is. We had to put down a CC deposit so this is one we won't be skipping!

Les Ramparts was noted in the Michelin guide as one of the top 10 terraces in the world.

After lunch we are going on a drive for Aria's nap. Possibly heading into Monaco just to drive around, then checking out a secluded beach area, and ended up at St. Jean Cap Ferrat where there are multi million dollar homes and beautiful yachts to gawk at, so I'm sure Andrew might get out and walk around while I wait for Aria to wake up. Once she is up, we will head to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild which is at Cap Ferrat where we have been gawking

The visit here will be pretty lighthearted - there are 9 different gardens surrounding the villa so I'm sure we'll just walk around and take in the scenery. Afterwards it'll be dinner and a swim in our villa!

Day 18

Today we are heading into Nice! At 9AM we have a Cyclopolitain tour of Nice, which is this thing

And we'll ride around for an hour seeing the sights letting our guide do all the work!

Afterwards we'll wander the old town and maybe check out the beach before lunch somewhere (every place I picked out is closed on Mondays so I just gave up and am going to play that by ear!). Then afternoon back at the villa. Tonight we have no plans (again every restaurant I fell in love with was closed Mondays so we will probably just eat in again tonight, or else go exploring for some place open lol).

Day 19

This morning we have to pack up and leave for the airport boo. Long travel day ahead as we get into Boston at 8:30PM (which will feel like 2:30AM France time), but I have lots of toys, ipads, etc so I'm sure we will stay busy on the flights (We fly Nice - JFK, then on to Boston).

Thank you for reading all about our adventures in France, and can't believe they are about to come to reality in just a few days!! Can you believe THIS FRIDAY we'll be walking around Paris? Eek!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

your plans for the end of your trip sound neat - quite a variety of activities.

The Carrieres de Lumieres really cool. I love art like that which uses a variety of media and really immerses you like that

Yeah, I guess that villa has an ok view ... and bonus for locking it in before the rates doubled!

Really hope everything goes smoothly the rest of the week and you can leave as (relatively) stress free as possible and just enjoy the trip! One of your last as a family of 3

 

[jeni16]

So glad you passes your test! Darn Wendy's for probably causing the problems with the one hour test.

 

[Stasieki]

Your trip is getting so close!!!! It sounds amazing. We leave for Disney on Friday . Hope you have a great time and hope you do a TR of your adventures.

 

[Dugette]

Quite the backpack for a little princess!

Then we came back to an embarrassed Andrew (LOL waiting in line by himself to meet Sofia?)

A rather odd character choice for a guy by himself.

Hey, are those the earrings you mentioned in another update?

Aria was excited to get Sofia to sign her pillow and show her her dress of course!

I love her little Sofia dress! And your dress is great too!

My first plate, which had caprese, some antipasto and olives, melon and prosciutto, hummus in that little glass, asparagus with hollandaise, and in the other dish there was a feta with eggplant:

Mmmm, that all sounds really good right now.

I decided I needed some breads apparently and they all looked too good. I tried to make my plate look healthier by adding some cheeses. All were delicious, the focaccias were amazing

Weren't those cheeses interesting? I think the purple was like a port wine cheese or something?

From the reviews I had read their chicken parm was TDF so we had to try that as well. YES this is a ridiculous amount of food!

I ordered that per reviews too and it WAS amazing. And I don't usually go crazy for chicken parm - but they baked pixie dust into it, apparently.

I forgot to mention in this update but it seemed like most kids even entering the kid's club had friends/siblings/cousins or whatever along and again I felt bad that Aria was by herself.

I guess I hadn't even thought about that because the nursery has a lot more adult interaction - it felt like dropping Izzy off at the backup daycare we've used. But you're right - there is much more free play in the kids club - more reason to hope for the girls to cruise together!

That purple container was filled with wine

I like the way you roll.

Wow, what a little princess.

And then...quite possibly the most delicious thing either of us had on the cruise - the black truffle pasta pursettes! "Pasta purses filled with a truffle scented cheese and topped with a champagne sauce"

Mmmm, those are so good. I would like some right now, please.

Great family picture!

The show was hilarious and a highlight - I wish we had been to more of these shows during the cruise!

Sounds fun! We had a comedian onboard, I think, but never did get to that show. Just the main stage shows.

I was just coming back to post my results - I PASSED THE 3-HR GLUCOSE TEST!!!!!!!!!! I was too impatient to wait for the call so I bugged my doctor's office instead.

I know I messaged you already, but congratulations again! So happy and relieved for you!

This is the place Andrew is most excited about - I am too, of course! This place is ridiculous. I wanted a villa with a pool and a view over Nice, and found this place which is ridiculous in size (6 bedrooms) but still fit the budget (although it has since more than doubled in nightly rates!).

This makes me wish I could book a spontaneous trip to France just to make sure one of those extra bedrooms doesn't sit empty.

Is this all a private terrace just for your villa?

Ever since Samantha Brown hosted a show in the Cote d'Azur and visited the small medieval village of Eze, I've wanted to go.

I think we watched that one too!

Les Ramparts was noted in the Michelin guide as one of the top 10 terraces in the world.

Looks gorgeous!

Thank you for reading all about our adventures in France, and can't believe they are about to come to reality in just a few days!! Can you believe THIS FRIDAY we'll be walking around Paris? Eek!

I cannot believe how soon you go! I am excited to live vicariously through you (and Izzy through Aria - she was playing with her little Eiffel Tower tonight (gift from Nana and Papa) and I told her Aria was going to see it in a few days and she was like, "But what about me? I want to go there too!" Someday, kid, someday. )

 

[chookie94]

your france trip sounds amazing. my jaw has dropped looking at some of the images, and I'm sure they are even more beautiful in person!

 

[Imagineer5]

your plans for the end of your trip sound neat - quite a variety of activities.

The Carrieres de Lumieres really cool. I love art like that which uses a variety of media and really immerses you like that

Yeah, I guess that villa has an ok view ... and bonus for locking it in before the rates doubled!

Really hope everything goes smoothly the rest of the week and you can leave as (relatively) stress free as possible and just enjoy the trip! One of your last as a family of 3

I haven't really experienced anything like the Carrieres de lumieres so I am really excited to check it out. I hope everything goes smoothly too! My car started making a clunking noise on Sunday of course, and a quote of $700 later it should be done today, so I've been driving our family car (Expedition EL, not the best for those long commutes lol!) and Andrew has been picked up by coworkers thank goodness. And I have a cold, was up last night coughing. Ha! We shall see what else this week throws at us

So glad you passes your test! Darn Wendy's for probably causing the problems with the one hour test.

Yep if anyone asks me what NOT to do, I will definitely say that Wendy's was a very bad idea!

Your trip is getting so close!!!! It sounds amazing. We leave for Disney on Friday . Hope you have a great time and hope you do a TR of your adventures.

EEK hope your trip is very magical!! I bet it will be! I do plan to do a TR for our trip here, after I finish the cruise one and our May Disney trip of course!! LOL

Quite the backpack for a little princess!


A rather odd character choice for a guy by himself.


Hey, are those the earrings you mentioned in another update?


I love her little Sofia dress! And your dress is great too!


Mmmm, that all sounds really good right now.


Weren't those cheeses interesting? I think the purple was like a port wine cheese or something?


I ordered that per reviews too and it WAS amazing. And I don't usually go crazy for chicken parm - but they baked pixie dust into it, apparently.


I guess I hadn't even thought about that because the nursery has a lot more adult interaction - it felt like dropping Izzy off at the backup daycare we've used. But you're right - there is much more free play in the kids club - more reason to hope for the girls to cruise together!


I like the way you roll.


Wow, what a little princess.


Mmmm, those are so good. I would like some right now, please.


Great family picture!


Sounds fun! We had a comedian onboard, I think, but never did get to that show. Just the main stage shows.


I know I messaged you already, but congratulations again! So happy and relieved for you!


This makes me wish I could book a spontaneous trip to France just to make sure one of those extra bedrooms doesn't sit empty.


Is this all a private terrace just for your villa?


I think we watched that one too!


Looks gorgeous!


I cannot believe how soon you go! I am excited to live vicariously through you (and Izzy through Aria - she was playing with her little Eiffel Tower tonight (gift from Nana and Papa) and I told her Aria was going to see it in a few days and she was like, "But what about me? I want to go there too!" Someday, kid, someday. )

YES! Those were the earrings, good eye! We missed out on a comedian too, but next trip I'd like to see more of those smaller shows. This one was great since the kids AND we had fun, so it was a win win.

We are going to have fun that first night figuring out where to sleep out of all the bedrooms! Waking up with a view and a comfy bed are the priorities. That is so sweet about Izzy wanting to go! YES that is our terrace and pool! Well, ours for 3 days! this is why we keep spending the afternoons at the villa lol! I did find a number of smaller places (fine size for 3 people of course) but with a shared pool, but no view, or a great view, no pool...then found a few others and the people never got back to me. Seriously this was just ridiculously out there in terms of size and everything but it fit what I was looking for and of course Andrew agreed to it!

your france trip sounds amazing. my jaw has dropped looking at some of the images, and I'm sure they are even more beautiful in person!

Thank you!! I KNOW I can't wait to see these places in person. Believe me, I have been drooling over the images since I started booking places last October!

 

[MrsJamesPSullivan]

I got behind in my reading. Your excursion in Mexico looked really fun but I probably would have enjoyed the fruit and cheese on the balcony more. That looks so relaxing!
Lyra is Lyra Belaqua from the His Dark Materials series. The author is escaping me at the moment.
Glad you passed your glucose test and have a great time in France!

 

[Imagineer5]

I got behind in my reading. Your excursion in Mexico looked really fun but I probably would have enjoyed the fruit and cheese on the balcony more. That looks so relaxing!
Lyra is Lyra Belaqua from the His Dark Materials series. The author is escaping me at the moment.
Glad you passed your glucose test and have a great time in France!

Hahaha that was very nice, especially while Aria napped and Andrew shopped, it was nice to just enjoy the scenery out there. I wish we had done that every day!

I did look up Lyra, thank you! I enjoyed that series. I told DH about the name and he immediately thought of the old currency, Lira, and said no way.

Thank you so much!! We leave TOMORROW!!