paris in the spring | travel scrapbook

Audrey Hepburn said it best, "Paris is always a great idea" and I couldn't agree with her more.   We went to London, Paris and then back to London this Spring Break.  As always it was an amazing trip and I didn't want to board that "United" plane home ;-)  

One of our highlights while in Paris was surprising the kids with a personalized sidecar tour by Retro Tours.  If you ever find yourselves in Paris I HIGHLY recommend them.  It is one of the most unique experiences you can have there.  These guys are real Parisians and know their city.  They want to show you lesser well-known areas of Paris, rarely seen by visitors.  The secret Paris they like to say.  We told them the general district of where we wanted to go (Montmartre and the SacrΓ©-Couer) and they truly showed us streets and areas that we would never have found ourselves or read about it guide books.  They are so knowledgeable and constantly telling you little factoids about the areas that your are driving through.  We planned it so at the end of our time together they dropped us off at the Eiffel Tour where we were having dinner that night.  Such a fun and cool experience that I know the kids will never forget!  

The Eiffel Tower is truly such a masterpiece and an engineering wonder.  You can't help but gaze up at all that metal and wonder how it all fits together.   After dinner we stayed around to watch the sunset, which of course was stunning.  

Visiting museums is a must when in Paris.  We bought the Museum Paris Pass which was a huge time-saver because it allowed us to bypass the crowds, line-ups and head straight to the Fast Pass lane.  A win for us!

I loved capturing the kid's first glance of the Mona Lisa.  I told them they might be surprised at her size ... and I definitely was right.

The Rodin Museum did not disappoint.

Parisian scenes ... 

Au revoir Paris ... until next time!

enroute to Victoria | travel scrapbook

A holiday would not be complete without a few (ahem-ahem, a few hundred I mean) images to document our time away.  With a little bit of time off of school last week the kids and I decided, very last minute, to fly to beautiful British Columbia to visit my family.  It has been awhile since I've been back home during a November and I forgot how soggy it can be.  I guess that is why everything is so lush and green in the Pacific Northwest.  

We did an overnight in Victoria by taking the ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay which is one of the most beautiful 1.5 hour ferry rides you could take.  One of my favorite parts of the journey is sailing through Active Pass which is a narrow passage-way separating Canada's Southern Gulf Islands.   I haven't sailed that passage in many years but, man oh man, is it ever gorgeous.   Orca whales are often spotted through the icy cold waters but the closest we got to any sea creatures were a few seal heads bobbing up and down.  My son and a couple of yappy seagulls were the only ones brave enough to come up to the top deck with me while I happily shot away.  Enjoy the view.

ireland | personal

We started our summer holidays off in Ireland for a vacation with extended family members.  We organized a driver through Butlers to take us around the country for a week and then after, the four of us rented a car and made our way to Dublin for the remainder of our holiday.  As soon as we got off the red-eye in Shannon our driver Mike met us and took us right away to the Blarney Stone.  We could have all done with a bit of shut eye and a shower but when in Ireland you must kiss the Blarney Stone and that is just what we did!

Our itinerary was packed full of stops each day but luckily we had the luxury of taking our time in each area if we wanted it.   That was something we all really appreciated.  The cities we ended up spending time in were:  Cork, Kenmare, Killarney, Dingle, Co Clare, Galway, Connemara, Bunratty, Athlone,  and Dublin

We did not stay overnight in Kinsale but we stopped and explored for a couple of hours.  It is a lovely historic port and fishing town full of color and charm.

The surrounding areas around Dingle were full of majestic views.

Stunning scenery and beaches at Inch Beach County Kerry.

The Cliffs of Moher are one of those sites that leaves you in awe.  Molly was excited when she realized that a scene from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was filmed here.  Plan to spend a couple of hours walking around and don't forget to pick up a 99 ice cream when you are done.

And of course I tried to make friends with a few 'Cliffs of Moher' cows.  This one gave me "the stink eye" and didn't really appreciate me shooting him.

We made our way to the gorgeous Kylemore Abbey.  The story of how this castle and abbey came about was pretty incredible.  A London doctor by the name of Mitchell Henry bought the land for his new bride Margaret Vaughan after visiting it on their honeymoon and falling in love with it.  Margaret was so charmed by Connemara that Mitchell returned and purchased the 15,000 acre estate as a romantic gift for her.  The Henrys went onto having nine children and enjoyed a happy and carefree life at Kylemore, but tragically Margaret only enjoyed it for a short time.  In 1874, as the family was holidaying in Egypt, she fell ill with dysentery and died at the age of 45 .  Mitchell Henry had her body brought to Kylemore and laid to rest in the mausoleum on the grounds.  He then built the Neo-Gothic Church to the east of the castle as a memorial chapel to to his wife.  The church was built as a "cathedral in miniature" and is pretty spectacular.    

In 1920 a community of nuns of the Benedictine Order settled in Kylemore and started a renowned boarding school for girls until they closed it in 2010.  Visitors now can enjoy the grounds and learn all about the history of the Abbey. 

We came across a long lost relative in Clifden who is the owner of Lavelle Art Gallery.  Great meeting you Gavin!

Two nights were spent in Galway which was a lovely city to explore.

We spent a night in Bunratty and took part in the Bunratty Medieval Castle Banquet.   Luckily it wasn't exactly like Medieval Times -- a little more authentic ;-)

Eventually we made our way to Dublin for the remainder of our trip. 

Lake Louise, Alberta | Personal

If you ever get the chance to make your way to Lake Louise in Alberta I HIGHLY recommend it.  The view and scenery is out of this world!  Each turn you make is more scenic then the next.  My only wish was that we could jump in the lake and swim but unfortunately there are strict rules and no swimming is allowed.  You could however rent a canoe and go for a paddle around the majestic lake to take in the view.