Adventures

Eze 8km hike plus lunch

Top of Mount Bastide Eze is a beautiful medieval village in the Côte d’Azur.  We hiked there from the train station – passing through Mount  Bastide – 8km loop with 750 metres of vertical. Click here to see my trail:  Eze 1/2 day hike with lunch. Mmmm. http://www.wikiloc.com It was a bit of a tough hike…

Berlin, Germany

Every now and again it’s fun to take a trip sans kids – offering parents some much needed time to do whatever they want without complaints and comprises haunting each experience. Berlin was such a trip! Growing up, Berlin was that odd city that was cut into two parts by an expansive wall. The stories…

Cervinia

Cervinia is heaven on earth but you ski instead of float! I absolutely loved Cervinia! Its biggest advantage is that it connects with Zermatt for endless skiing possibilities. Cervinia is a 5 hour drive from our place in France, and Zermat is a 7+ hour drive plus train ride, so, staying in Cervinia to skip…

Disney Paris Restaurants

Anyone who has been to Disney knows not to expect gastronomic delights from their restaurants but I had high hopes because if anyone could shake up Disney’s commitment to supersized bland food, it would be le French! But alas… The Steakhouse Located in Downtown Disney, The Steakhouse has a Chicago mob feel with exposed brick…

Disneyland Paris

I love Disneyland! I’m not the get-dressed-in-your-favourite princess costume and sing show-tunes type of Disney fan, rather, I’m much more excited by entering a different land where different rules apply – an alternate reality. In this land, wait staff, cashiers, ticket booth operators are cast members, cartoon characters party all day long, buildings and streets…

Auron

Auron is a beautiful ski resort that offers tons of terrain for all levels of skiing. It is relatively close to Nice and beside Isola 2000. Whereas Isola was built in the 70’s, Auron has a much older and quaint vibe. The town circles around a skating rink and is filled with cozy restaurants and…

JUMP XL

Jump XL is not your average jump park. Unlike Skyzone that just offers trampolines, Jump XL includes loads of activities and games to test your endurance. It’s more like your own personal WIPEOUT course. So much fun – although, I may not have taken advantage of all the features of the venue.

Limone Piemonte

I loved Limone! (Limonee) It has a cobblestoned town with quaint restaurants and coffee shops, tons of terrain, and fast uncrowded lifts. The only negative would be that the town felt a bit deserted. Many shutters on the hotels and apartments were closed and there was a mild feeling of neglect. It could have been…

Chamonix Tunnel

I had no idea what tunnel traffic was (or could be) until we hit the Mount Blanc Tunnel. It was the first Saturday after Christmas and it seemed everyone wanted to go to Chamonix! ATMB.com is a pretty handy site, but they don’t seem to actually predict when there is bad traffic, only report it…

Isola 2000

I was a bit apprehensive about skiing the hills closer to our France home.  Nothing could compare to the paramountcy of Chamonix .  I was pleasantly surprised by Isola 2000.  (I should note that I wasn’t expecting much.)  Isola was built as a mountain town, with restaurants and hotels lining the mountain – you would…

Chamonix

So – why move to France – for the skiing of course! We were lucky enough to have family friends visit for a week-long ski vacation after Christmas. We rented a chalet via VRBO, it checked all the boxes, hot tub, loads of rooms and bathrooms, big chill out area and walk to a lift.…

Michelangelo’s David

The most memorable thing I did when I went back-packing through Europe when I was in my 20’s was seeing David.  We didn’t have a lot of money and buying tickets to see him was the cost of a good meal, so I was apprehensive.  This is why, right before we left to Europe, my…

Le Bois des Lutins

This place is FUN!  This immersive playground is filled with creative and fun adventures that require people to engage with the park, be part it’s magic instead of being carted around to view animatronics having fun.  I wish I could have taken all my kids there between the ages of  3-9 years old!  As it…

Oceanographic Museum in Monaco

Driving there?  Scroll down Living in the Côte d’Azur, a trip to the Oceanographic Museum is a given.  I struggle to write this because I wasn’t really looking forward to the trip.  As much as it pains me to see whales, seals and dolphins in captivity, I also love seeing whales, seals and dolphins.  So,…