We've made it to Paris!

So, our travels have begun as a family for the first time!  The plane ride was a breeze for Opal Moon and decent for us...although a lay flat bed was looking more and more appealing as the 10.5 hour flight was going by! Opal wanted to only sleep on us even though she had a pretty nice bassinet! But she thought hanging out in it was fun.

When we arrived, no car seat, we thought the subway would be a breeze!! Well, that is a funny one! Apparently, Parisians don't go on the subway from the airport with lots of bags and a stroller and a baby?! Or maybe they do and because they are way cooler than we are, it just looks a lot smoother. This was definitely an adventure! Just making it to our Airbnb took about 4 hours from getting off our plane. I guess we shouldn't have felt so cocky getting our bags so soon off the flight...we had no idea what was to come. But, thankfully Opal loves a subway like her momma so at least she was happy--most of the time! Also, our train was broken and would stop and wait about 20 minutes before the next stop so that was fun.

Naturally, our first night in Paris we ate Thai!

Our first night was a little bit rough. Opal was ready to roll at 3am and we were certainly not. But our little night owl finally went back out and we all slept in until about 1pm! And then we hit the streets of Paris! First stop, of course was to get our croissant and introduce Miss Opal Moon to her very first French pastry. Ummm, she loved it!

After the croissant, it was time to see the sights! So off we went on our little adventure. Thank you Sophie & Neil for the amazing stroller! It has made navigating the streets of Paris absolutely lovely and Opal loves sightseeing in it as well as taking her naps!

First up...The Opera House! 

And then we found the Eiffel Tower!!!

And then we found a nice Bulgarian to give us a tour on his bike! Opal thought she was in a parade and waved to everyone. 

Opal nurses around the globe...

We then found a Ferris wheel and decided that even though Sara hates them, we probably should ride it!

All ended well and we made it on to the next thing...a stroll through Paris to a cafe for wine, cheese, & bread of course! Opal had her first baguette..appropriate in Paris! She loves it, just like her dad.  And of course, we made best friends with our waiter, Kevin!

After our refreshing wine, cheese, & bread...a little more strolling and then an amazing Parisian sunset. All in all a beautiful first day in Paris!

A beautiful day to relax in Paris.

Paris Day 2! 

It was raining and Peter though he bought the biggest umbrella of all time from Macy's, but he was dooped, because it was very small, so the hunt for something to cover Opal with began. We went into about 4 stores all called Tati until we finally found a stroller cover. Before that, we used a poncho over her, and as you can see, Peter took over wearing the poncho! But it didn't slow us down! We still got to see Notre Dam and eat some more croissants and drink more wine!

Notre Dam--Opal was clearly impressed.

Opal Moon tried her first crepe just outside the Notre Dam!

  

 Peter found his way into a cheese store.

No one gets a croissant to themselves!

Mommy's happy, Opal is happy, Daddy is happy! 

This family LOVES a subway

Dinner. Sara had literally the best French fries of her life. Opal tried Peter's duck confit and loved it. And then she passed out with bread in hand. 

Well, we figured it out...do not go on the Parisian subway with all of your bags and a stroller! Instead, get a really nice van with a carseat! We traveled in style to the airport while Opal Moon ate quiche and croissant!

After a very civilized trip to the airport, it was off to Venice!

We loved our Airbnb! So sweet and right on one of the canals. The silence in Venice is truly incredible. No cars, just some boats every now and then and the sound of birds from time to time. Magical isn't even a big enough description of this place!

The boat form the airport was painfully slow, but it gave Opal a chance to recharge and nap. 

Walking to our Airbnb was pretty awesome. We now have carried Opal in a stroller (thanks Sophie & Neil) over about 100 or so bridges! We've got it down!

Somehow, we managed to find a wine bar!

And Opal managed to find herself nursing!

Our gondola ride with Fabio was incredible. Opal was quite taken with the golden lions on the side of the boat. She also rearranged some of the cushions to her liking, but thankfully none of the decor or us ended up in the water!

Opal was quite taken with Fabio.  But also the gold ornaments.

Strolling the streets of Venice.

 Our little world traveler has been so great!

Our first try at a gondola, we went to go get drinks to take with us and when we came out, our gondolier was leaving with other people! So we walked the streets with our drinks until we found Fabio!

 Aging gracefully in Venice.

Mid day snack on the canals.

  The Rialto Bridge.

We kept seeing these "red" drinks, so Peter dived in. Mia, this ones for you! Compari baby!

Night in Venice.

We rarely see a wine restaurant we don't stop at!

ummmmm.....gross.

Holy moly, this church in San Marco square is old and gorgeous! (Gena, so much of this has brought back such great memories!!! xo)

Our last meal in Venice in a wonderful square with the sun shining!

We are getting really good at this travel thing!