Mueller Euro Journey

This whole thing started because I looked up F1 races on a whim and realized the Hungarian Grand Prix lined up with dates we were flexible on. So we booked flights to Budapest. Did a bunch of research and decided grandstand seats were worth the money over general admission. Pricey for two adult tickets, but we grabbed cheaper kids tickets which made it a little more bearable. And honestly, sitting where we ended up? No regrets. We could see the start/finish line and all the pit stops. Bathrooms without line ups. Water refill stations. The seats were incredible.

We took public transit out at 9 to get there for 10:30. The race wasn't until 3, so we had hours to wander the fan zones, do some shopping, soak it all in. Picked up some buns, cold cuts, and cheese from Aldi for snacks. And of course we bought some gear like a real F1 fam.

The Race

I'm having a hard time articulating it. The fan experience, the lead up to the start, everything was so amazing. The sounds can't be explained. It's a feeling you have to feel for yourself. We each picked a driver to cheer for. Sofie picked Norris. Lukas picked Max. I was cheering for Antonelli. And Chad went with Lewis Hamilton. The finishing order? Norris won, Max came second, Antonelli third, Hamilton fourth. Top four in the exact order we picked them. Sofie was losing it. We watched the podium ceremony right from our seats.

Getting Out

Leaving the venue was chaos. Getting there had been super simple, about an hour. Subway, train, free shuttle. The way out? The line for the shuttle was insane. Imagine a ski hill lined up in a zigzag all the way to the top. We started walking and ended up beating the shuttle buses that passed us. They all sat in traffic. We walked 2km to a train station, cut up the side of a hill as a shortcut while everyone else waited in line. Waited about 10 minutes, got on the first train that pulled up. First ones off, walked to the subway and caught the one that was just leaving. At one point we asked how much for a taxi back. 150 euro. No thanks. We left the venue at 5:15 and got home at 7. Not too shabby.

I'll be honest, I'm a big sports guy but I've never really watched or kept up with F1. I think that has changed now.

Around noon we hit the road toward Budapest. About an hour into the drive we crossed the Slovakia border, and maybe half an hour after that we were into Hungary. Three countries in under two hours. Pretty simple drive, honestly. We also grabbed a few burgers from a place called Pickle before leaving Brno, which held us over nicely.

Dropped off the rental car and got to the Airbnb. Very, very Hungarian. Huge apartment decorated like your old Hungarian grandmother's place, lol. A bit out of style but super clean, which is really all we care about. Perfect location too. Groceries store right downstairs, three coffee shops close by, everything walkable. Kristin has been crushing the travel details and this one was no exception.

Langos and Late Night Walks

After chilling for a bit we went out for our first langos. Fried dough with sour cream and cheese. We got a Hungarian one with bacon bits and another with chicken paprikash. Yum. Delicious.

Later we went out for a late night chimney cake and gelato. One of the hotels nearby has an F1 racer staying there, so there were crowds gathered outside looking for autographs. Headed back to the apartment to try to catch up on the CrossFit Games. We're still two days behind.

Tomorrow is a big day. Our first ever F1 race.

Last breakfast in Dresden. A sad goodbye, as usual. This is the part where we tell ourselves we won't wait too long before we come back. Let's see what comes from it.

Prague Pit Stop

Made our way to Prague and went to U Fleku for lunch. You could never tell from the outside, but inside there's a massive beer garden and it's just a cool spot. We walked around for a couple hours after that. Busiest city we've seen on this whole trip, by far. Grabbed some smash burgers from Pickle, which were basically OG McDonald's burgers. Quick and good.

Checked out a bunch of the city on foot, snapped way too many photos, and got back on the road toward Brno. I used to come here for work and always loved it, so this one was personal. Splurged on a suite at the hotel, and sure enough, when I'm in charge of the hotel booking you end up in a suite 50m from the sweetest cocktail bar.

Finished the night at Super Panda Circus. I've been a few times and the experience is out of this world. You can't explain it. It's something you have to experience yourself.

Cold and rainy all day. Probably the first day that wasn't nice since we've been here. We had plans to go to the zoo but we chilled instead. Grabbed a local doner for lunch. Delicious. So good. Then afternoon coffee and cake, because that's what you do on a rainy day in Germany.

Took the host family out to dinner, which turned into an excellent traditional German meal. Finished up with some Jagermeister and beers. The kind of slow, easy day you don't plan but end up remembering.

We ended up at a pizza party with some Germans, and it turned into a proper hang. Aperol Spritz and Jagermeister flowing freely. That's a combination that says "we're on vacation and nobody's driving anywhere."

Lukas made a new friend, which is always the best part of these random social days. Kids don't need a shared language or a plan. They just find each other and figure it out.

After breakfast we hit the Titanic exhibit with the kids and Nancy. Cool to see, though a bit disappointing that the written sections weren't in English. Luckily they had a QR code that pulled up an English audio guide, so we made it work.

Late afternoon we walked over to the Altstadt to show the kids around. The Frauenkirche, the old streets, all of it. Of course we stopped for ice cream. German ice cream is the creamiest around and the cheapest. That's just a fact at this point.

Dinner with the Family

We met up with Kristin's family for dinner. Two aunts and two cousins. The food was delicious and it was great to catch up. And then the big moment: Sofie ordered her first alcoholic beverage. In Germany you can drink under your parents' supervision, and Kristin and Sofie have been talking about this happening the entire trip. So that happened.

Woke up and hit the grocery store first thing. The weather has been cold here all week, apparently a drastic change from the usual. Radeberger beer was on sale though. 9.99 euro for a case? Done.

Chad stayed back to work, so I loaded up the kids with Sigrid (my mom's best friend who's always been like an aunt to me) and her granddaughter and we drove out to the shopping centre. I showed the kids where I lived growing up. The building with the section that extends out and the brown brick on the right is the one my parents owned. The ice cafe was down below. Then we all went and got ice cream sundaes, because of course we did.

We did some shopping and another grocery run to stock up on all the treats we can't get back home, or that cost a fortune when we can find them. The good stuff.

Then we stopped by my friend's bridal shop. I stood up in her wedding back in 2018 and we used to chat about this dream of hers. A year later she went and made it happen. Pulling up to her store, seeing all the details she put together herself, learning she's grown it to two locations now. I wouldn't have expected anything less from her, but still. So proud of what she's built.

We came back and Lukas got down to work learning German. All afternoon. The kid is committed.

Ps. I love being here with my fam.

One thing I will not miss about Greece: disposing of the toilet paper in the bins instead of the toilet. Surprisingly tough habit to break, but we got used to it. The piping is too old and toilet paper would clog. We didn't want to put it to the test so we obliged.

Last night we sat on our balcony after finishing the bottle of wine the hotel gave us for free, just reflecting on our time in Greece. Hard to believe we were there for two whole weeks. That time flew by. Maybe because we visited three different places? My honest review: I'd 100% come back. I thought it was beautiful. I still rank our time in Makarska, Croatia in 2018 as my number one. It was less touristy, we had more of a local feel. The only thing there is you need water shoes because the water is rocky and they have sea urchins. For that reason alone, I loved the beaches in Greece a lot more. Athens was great, probably because of the neighborhood we stayed in. Naxos was beautiful and chill. Loved the laid back beach town feel. It's definitely going to be overrun with tourists as the years pass and they build more. Would go back in a heartbeat.

And then Santorini. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I think Santorini was overrated. The white houses built on the cliff with blue dome tops are only a few of them. It's not all over the island and it's not something that immediately stands out. Tourists lining up to get the perfect Instagram shot when in reality they waited in line and had a 30 second timer ticking before the next person steps in. Just feels so fake. The location of our hotel was less than ideal, the food was not the best we had in Greece but was the most expensive. If you're reading this and planning on visiting, Santorini is still worth seeing, but a few small tweaks to how we did it and I think you'd enjoy it more. It's one of those places you feel like you need to see. Just lower your expectations.

We arrived in Berlin and picked up our VW. Hit 176 km/h on the Autobahn and were still getting passed. We stopped by my aunt's grave in Berlin. Going to Germany this time around feels a bit different. She was always the one to send a birthday video (even to Chad, who doesn't speak German), came to our wedding, and would never miss the kids' birthdays. Fun fact: we share our wedding anniversary with her birthday.

Even flying within Europe, you can still rack up a 12 hour travel day. We finally got to my family's place in Dresden at 6:30pm. In typical fashion, they invited their friends and had a big dinner prepped for us. It feels like home when we're here. Everyone is so welcoming. The drive from Berlin to Dresden was great, too. Would have been perfect if Germany had made it to the World Cup finals. Watching Germany play the final while actually in Germany would have been an experience. Instead, we had to settle for Spain vs Argentina.

Early start today. Driver picking us up at 7am meant we were awake before the sun was fully up. Chad and I actually caught the sunrise, which was worth dragging ourselves out of bed for.

Oia at Dawn

Our driver dropped us in Oia at 7:15 so we could walk around and grab some photos before starting the hike. The streets were still quiet, that brief window before the cruise ship tourists flood in. We went looking for the famous blue domes postcard shot that everyone comes to Santorini for. During peak season it's apparently a 500m+ line and you get 30 seconds to take your picture. We found the line, took one look at it, and refused. Just wandered instead. We still had beautiful views.

We stopped at a bakery to grab breaky for the walk and off we went. The Oia to Fira hike was 10km and took us about 2:30 to 2:45 hours. Glad we did it. Beautiful views. Hot at times. Very windy in certain spots. Steep inclines, slopes, stairs, a little bit of everything. About halfway through we stopped for a coffee, gelato, and to replenish our water, which was very needed.

Sofie of course found a Sephora. Some things transcend geography. We grabbed lunch before our driver picked us back up and headed to the hotel around noon. The rest of the day was ours to recover.

Back on a boat for Chad. I booked the speed jet so it was only an hour instead of two, which was a mercy. We pulled into the port and the hotel had told me to look for a driver holding a sign with our name. Every single person standing there was holding a sign with names on them. Wall to wall signs. Eventually we found him.

Settling into the Amber Light Villas for three nights. The place is beautiful and secluded, and our hotel room isn't even really a room. It's more like a little private villa situation. Here's the honest review though: internet is mostly nonexistent (wifi and eSIM reception both terrible), it's remote enough that taxis are hard to come by and a 15-minute drive runs 25-30 euro, there's nothing within walking distance (no bakery, no coffee shop, no grocery store), and unlike everywhere else in Greece they charge for bottled water. The restaurant food is fine but not something we want three times a day for three days. So we bit the bullet and got a private driver who now has our schedule and will take us where we need to go. We thought about renting a car but the logistics were tough.

I woke up just in time to catch the sunrise from our balcony. Beautiful. We headed down to breakfast around 9 and then lounged by the pool. Sofie is now on the last Twilight Saga book. I was sitting on the balcony doing some work and got a notification that my card was charged from Kobo. Good to know my card is linked for her reading pleasures.

Fira

This afternoon we headed into Fira so Chad could do some work somewhere with actual internet. We wandered around for a while and went to dinner at a place our driver recommended. It was a bit off the beaten path and not touristy. Food was very good. After dinner the driver dropped us at the supermarket and picked us up from there. We grabbed a case of water and some snacks for our hike tomorrow.

Woke up feeling so sad to be leaving Naxos. We went down to the beach one more time just to sit and chat. No agenda, no plan, just soaking it in. Gonna miss those donuts. Daily carb fuel for real. We'd gotten into a routine here and it was hard to let go of it.

Got a later checkout (12:15 instead of 11, small win) and dragged our luggage about 120 meters to the bus stop. The bus rolled right up. Perfect timing yet again. Made our way to the port in Naxos town and sat at a brunch place while we waited for the ferry.

The port was organized chaos. Up to three ferries docking at once, people and cars pouring off while other cars and people tried to get on. They're never on time so it was hard to figure out where ours would even dock. The whole boarding process only takes about ten minutes so I was worried we'd miss it. But somehow we made sense of the chaos and got on.

Only complaint right now is that the wifi and reception is absolutely terrible. Not sure how we're going to get work done at night.

Not much to report on today, which is kind of the point. Our last full day on this island and we spent it exactly where we should have: at the beach. I'm actually sad we're leaving. It feels like we're packing to go home even though we still have so much trip left. I'd come back here for a month, easy. Just maybe not July or August when everyone else has the same idea.

Lukas was basically in the water all day. Sofie is almost done with the third book of the Twilight saga, which she started yesterday. The girl's got a problem but I guess it could be worse.

We got in around 6, showered up, and went out for dinner one more time. Had to break out the new fits we picked up yesterday. My shoes were an Athens find. Real leather, 15 euro.

I woke up before everyone and slipped out to the beach. The rest of the crew was still asleep and it was perfectly calm. Good weather, quiet water. Exactly what I needed.

Around lunch we walked over to the car rental shop and picked up a little Suzuki Jeep. Manual transmission, squeaky, no power steering. The first few turns were rough but Chad got the hang of it. The plan for the day: three little villages, wander, get lost, grab a coffee or gelato somewhere.

First stop was Chalkio, about 30 minutes from the Airbnb. We had gelato and coffee. We later realized we were never charged for the gelato. Whoops. Strike one.

Five minutes down the road was Filoti. Beautiful little alleys you can genuinely get lost in. We stopped for a Margarita Pizza and a side of fried potatoes. Sounds American but it's actually a pretty standard side here, especially since the potatoes come directly from Naxos. When we finished, Chad and the kids used the bathroom and I went to wait outside so they could clear the table. They caught up with me, we piled back into the Jeep, and about 15 minutes into the drive to Apeiranthos I asked Chad if he had paid the bill. He looked at me. I looked at him. We dined and dashed. The kids were convinced we were all getting arrested.

Apeiranthos topped the other two, and that's saying a lot. The mountain views were incredible. The pictures honestly don't do any of it justice. Sofie and Lukas insisted on taking a photo together, which they called their possible last picture before getting split up by Greek authorities.

Someone we had met at the beach earlier had told us about a restaurant up in the mountains with spectacular sunset views and incredible food. We made reservations for 6:30. Lamb shank, braised pork loin, and gnocchi. The kids demolished their meat dishes and we split what was left. They're living their best life and they don't even know it. Chad also managed to squeeze in a couple hours of work meetings somewhere in the middle of all this. Part of the trade-off 😉

The sunset from up there was something else. Our beach straight ahead, Old Naxos Town just to the right, Paros across the water, and Mykonos off to the side. We sat and watched it go down.

On the drive back the GPS routed us back through Filoti. We stopped and paid the bill. They were super appreciative that we came back. The kids finally exhaled.

Kristin was out the door early for a 5k while everyone else was still asleep. By the time she got back, we were into our usual bakery and coffee run, tried a new coffee shop, grabbed some groceries, and that was basically the plan for the morning: nothing. Three full days in the sun will do that to you. We built this in on purpose. Chad and I worked, Sofie had her face in her Kobo (she's going to finish the second Twilight book in under three days, which is honestly impressive), and Lukas was deep in video games. No agenda, no bus, no sunscreen. Just the Airbnb and the AC.

We left at 5 to catch the bus into Naxos Town. First stop was the Portara, the old Apollo Temple sitting up on its little peninsula. Middle of July and when we got there around 5:30 it was practically empty. Wild. We had it almost to ourselves. By 8pm it was absolutely packed, but by then we were long gone.

From there we wandered into the Old Market. The alleys up there are genuinely maze-like, little boutique shops tucked around every corner. We did some shopping and picked up some Greek clothes, which felt like the right call.

The sunset views from up there were just too gorgeous. Impossible to capture the real thing in a photo but we tried anyway.

Then dinner near the port watching the sun go down. We were joined by some friends, specifically every cat in Naxos, who decided Sofie was the most interesting person there. Sofie does not like cats. This goes back to a babysitting job a couple years ago where apparently the family cat "bullied her." The cats of Naxos do not know or care about this history. There's a video. It's good.

At 9 we walked to the bus station and one pulled up immediately. Fifteen minutes later we were back, and yes, we finished the day with a crepe and gelato. At this point it's just tradition.

We bused into Old Town this morning for a full-day catamaran cruise around the Cyclades. Twenty people on board, two crew members who did everything including cooking lunch. We were out from 10 to 4:30.

Everyone had a different experience, and we asked each person for their review. Lukas: "It was so awesome and the best part were the waves on the way back and getting my sister soaked. It was so fun and I met so many nice people." Chad: "My body was in stress all day. Physically and mentally. I had to swim with Lukas. I was stressed because I didn't want to get sick. And I was uncomfortable because of my burn. However, experiences like this are always made by the people you spend it with and we were lucky to have great people that we had great conversations with." Sofie: "It was okay. I felt nauseous at times. The water was awesome. The way back was a bit scary with all the waves. The food was okay, the fruit was delicious. I couldn't wait to get back and read my Kobo." And me: I found it very relaxing and beautiful but spent half the day worried about Sofie and Chad not feeling well. At 11:30 I remember thinking how long they have left to go. At one point I dozed off. The ride back was a thrilling crash through waves and we got absolutely soaked.

Lunch on board was rice and mussels in tomato sauce, cooked by the crew right there on deck. The people were great. Folks from Australia, Boston, LA, Manchester, Paraguay, Brazil. We got talking to a young couple from Orange County. She works in the film industry as an editor. Her latest project is a movie called Animals, directed by Ben Affleck, coming out later this year. That was a fun conversation.

The ride back through the waves was wild. Lukas was living for it. Sofie and Chad, less so. We took the bus back to our place, showered, crashed, and ordered takeout. Nobody had the energy for anything else.

We headed back to our bargain sun loungers and asked for the same deal as yesterday. After a call to the boss, the guy gave us the thumbs up. We all got a bit burned yesterday. It's only 28 or 30 degrees but the sun here is strong, and the breeze tricks you into thinking you're fine. This morning we vowed to actually look after each other. I am seriously the worst at taking care of ginger bodies. Poor Sofie and poor Chad. We lathered up before heading out and kept reapplying at the beach. Lukas was in the water all day long, only coming ashore for sunscreen or to buy donuts from the donut dealer walking up and down the beach. Sofie read her Kobo under the umbrella.

We headed back to our place around 2:30 for lunch. Pasta and greek salad, so good. The original plan was to head into the Old Town to see the Apollo Temple at sunset, but we were all pooped. With a day out on the water tomorrow, we decided to lay low and let everyone do their thing. Sofie stayed hooked on her Kobo, Lukas played video games with his buddies from back home, I squeezed in a nap, and Chad got some work done.

After the beach we saw the damage. Chad's feet and legs were super burned. Lukas' back was burned. While Chad got ready for dinner, I ran to the pharmacy. With how much sunscreen we'd been applying, we realized the Aegean sun was just too much for our Attitude Sunscreen. I found a local brand that locals swear by. It wasn't cheap. After sun lotion, sunscreen for the catamaran tomorrow, and a tanning oil with SPF 50 for me. 70 euros later but hey, anything for my gingers.

Chad and I grabbed dinner at a Mediterranean place by another beach while the kids chilled back at the apartment. Food was great, views were great. A proper date night.

Right before bed I started organizing our stuff for tomorrow and read the labels on the Attitude sunscreen, trying to figure out how we'd all gotten so fried despite constant application. That's when I realized Chad had been using the wrong bottle on his feet all day. That explains a lot.

The beach day was finally here. The kids had been patiently waiting for this one. We walked along the pebbled beach looking for a spot to camp out. The area closest to us required you to order food and drinks from the restaurants to use the loungers, so we kept going. Found a more private section further down where you just pay for the loungers and bring your own stuff. The guy wanted 30 euro for one set in the front row but we talked him down to two sets for 40 euro. Glad we had the shade because we still walked away with some sunburned spots. On the walk down, Lukas noticed a couple of topless women tanning. He said he was terrified to see naked men. I said, "aren't you terrified to see naked women?!" He said "NO!!!" We were told it gets really busy after July 15th, so maybe we unknowingly timed it well. It didn't seem too crowded at all.

While we were set up, we noticed an English-speaking family nearby. Usually they have a British accent, but Sofie said they were too nice to be American. Turns out they were from Ottawa. Chatted it up with the mom, who had some great recommendations for our time in Naxos. We headed back to the Airbnb around 4 but grabbed lunch on the way. We had dinner plans for 6:30, which is early, but Chad had a work meeting at 8pm so we had to be back by then. This place is always lined up apparently. We nailed the timing with the early reservation. No wait, walked right in, got one of the last tables in a packed house.

Dinner was absolutely incredible. A family-run tavern with massive portions. We paid 63 euro for a traditional Greek salad, zucchini balls, lamb chops (five of them) with fried potatoes, pork souvlaki with more fried potatoes and tzatziki. They also gave us a loaf of bread, shots of moonshine at the end of the meal, and dessert. It was a lot of food. I could have done without the moonshine. The kids had a nibble of it and played it off real cool.

And yes, we topped the night off with gelato.

Started the morning the way we've been starting every morning in Athens. Coffee and baked goods at our neighbourhood spot around the corner. Met a solo traveller from New York and chatted up our favourite barista one last time. We're going to miss that place.

Back at the hotel by 9 because the kids had actually asked to do a workout. They were dressed and waiting for us when we got back. Did a whole session together, then headed right back to the cafe for a Freddo and a mango smoothie with Lukas. Two trips to the same cafe before noon. That's how you know it's good.

At noon we checked out and made our way to get Lukas his beloved lamb skewers. We waited while he enjoyed them and then hit our favourite gyro place. After lunch we went, you guessed it, to our favourite gelato place. Reminds me of the gelato my family used to make when I was growing up.

For the first time on our trip, we got some sprinkles. It was fine. We were headed to the airport anyway to catch our flight to Naxos. The locals in Athens all seem to rave about Naxos so we were ready to find out for ourselves.

We got on this tiny 18-row plane. The flight was a quick little hop, maybe 30 minutes. Super tiny airport here in Naxos. Our driver picked us up and drove us 10 minutes to the Airbnb.

The listing did not do this place justice. Absolutely beautiful, 100m walk to the beach. We grabbed groceries and a gyro, then just hung out at the Airbnb since we got in late and we both had work meetings. Also found a delicious gyro pita place right nearby where you can grab a pita for 4.50 euro. We're here until the 16th. The plan is mornings at the bakery for fresh bread before breakfast. Sounds pretty good to us.

It wasn't until 11:30am that we headed out for breakfast. The portions were massive. We could have shared two amongst the four of us. After that we hit the shops. Sofie had a few things she was hoping to buy.

Around 2 we headed back for some work meetings, then around 6 we went back out to grab lunch/dinner. Picked up some roadside sesame rings along the way. This is what our days in Athens have been like. No regrets, just going with the flow.

We also hit our favourite gelato place again. They just opened a couple of weeks ago and we've been every day. Today we each doubled up on our scoops.

We slept in this morning. No alarms, no plans until we felt like it. Eventually we headed down to the hotel gym and shortly after, the kids came and joined us. Tiny gym but better than nothing.

After that we went on the hunt for breakfast. Stopped at a bakery on the way and walked out with a ton of stuff for about 7 euro. Brunch, gelato, a Freddo cappuccino at a cafe where we just sat and chatted up the locals. Athens has been an amazing surprise. Maybe it's our neighbourhood but the cafe, food, and bar scene is so good. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. It's a completely different pace here.

After the bakery run and brunch we headed back to the hotel, got some work done, then went back out for lunch. Lunch here is between 2-5pm, which took some adjusting. Another souvlaki at our fav spot. Tried the Mythos beer. Canada does it better for sure.

The Acropolis

We went to the Acropolis after lunch and got there just after 5pm. We'd hoped for a morning entry time but everything was booked, so we opted for the 5-6pm slot. Still hot but shady in spots. The marble everywhere is insane. Over 2,400 years old and you can just walk pretty much anywhere. Took a ton of photos. The walk down was beautiful.

Headed back to the hotel for an 8pm meeting. At 9:30 we decided to grab dinner while the kids chilled in the room. Late night date night for drinks and more food that we really didn't need, but when in Greece you know. We've been liking the change of pace in Athens.

Started the morning at the airport sending Mom back home. Her first trip outside of North America and she crushed it. Bag drop, check-in, security, all by herself, made it to her gate in no time. A few sad tears saying goodbye, not gonna lie. But I get the sense this is the start of something new for her. She's heading back in first class care of Franko, so she'll be just fine.

The kids both said they wished Grandma could come with us, which got me a little. But we wiped our eyes and pointed ourselves toward Athens. Second leg of the tour. Let's go.

Up at 6:30, out the door by 7:45. We took the metro out to Disneyland to be at the gates for the 9am opening. The train station was a two minute walk from the main entrance, which made the whole thing painless. They do it right here. All the details are spot on. We hacked the lines all day by going through the single rider lanes. Saved ourselves 120 euros per person on the skip-the-line passes, and a 75-minute wait turned into 15 minutes as a single rider. Half the time we ended up on the ride together anyway. The boys' favorite was Crush's Coaster.

We packed bread, cheese, cold cuts, and cucumbers from the apartment and had a standing picnic for lunch. Water stations everywhere made it easy to keep the bottles full. Another great hack. 18,000 steps by the end of it.

Mom has always wanted to go to Disney, and at 65 she finally knocked it off the bucket list. This was Cheryl's last day with us. Can't believe 10 days are already gone. Tomorrow we drop her off at the airport.

The kids stopped at the shop and treated themselves with the euro money they got from family. A bunch of shopping happened.

Back at the Airbnb to scrounge up dinner and pack. Grabbed one more crepe from our neighbourhood creperie before calling it a night.

Took the metro to Sacre-Coeur for the first time and it was an adventure in itself. Cheryl's Canadian kindness kicked in at the platform and she let someone go ahead of her, which meant she and Chad didn't make it onto the same train as the rest of us. The kids were worried. We waited at our stop and they pulled up less than five minutes later. All good. Welcome to the Paris metro. Montmartre was a slow walk around the basilica and the square, really nice photos. Grabbed crepes for lunch. We thought it was going to be an easy day but still hit 17k steps. The hack to keeping the kids happy on this trip is a non-stop flow of croissants, macaroons, gelato, or crepes. Whatever works.

On the way back we split up. The girls went near the house to shop for beauty products and groceries. Lukas and I hit up a couple of Pokemon stores. Found a really cool spot at Fuji stores, two shops right beside each other with awesome singles in French and Japanese. Lukas bought a few packs because he wants to grab one in each language we travel to as a keepsake. Then we picked up some baguettes and headed home to have pasta for lunch.

Afternoon iced coffee and people watching. Just the two of us getting some adult time while Cheryl hung with the kids. These are the last couple of days with Chad's mom on the trip so we're soaking it in.

Chad found a great place for our first real dinner in Paris. Red wine, duck, creme brulee. The whole deal. Nice way to close out the night.

Started with coffee and people watching on the morning walk. Noticed the park where they filmed Emily in Paris, which was fun. Hit up Notre Dame early, then jumped on the hop on hop off bus to get around the city.

Hopped off at the Eiffel Tower, grabbed baguettes, croissants, and macarons from a bakery and had a little picnic. Very French of us. Back on the bus for more touring after that, but eventually the day caught up with us and we grabbed an Uber back to decompress for a few hours.

## Arc de Triomphe at Sunset Headed back out for dinner at a local spot. Ordered a few things to share and a few things came out that we didn't order lol. But it was all very very good. Then up the Arc de Triomphe as the sun was setting. Incredible views of the city.

Walked down the Champs-Élysées to close out the night. Sofie dragged us into the biggest Sephora I've ever seen, and she was in heaven. Finished with late night crepes that were sooo good. Busy day but we ticked off all the boxes. 🥐

Travel day. Made our way to Paddington, caught the Tube to King's Cross, then walked over to St Pancras International. On the way out of the Tube, Cheryl overheard a man clock Chad and say, in the most British accent, "I wouldn't mind getting a piece of him myself either." We were dying. Not the first time he's drawn that kind of attention. 🤣 Took the Eurostar to Paris. Super convenient, super fast, absolutely terrible wifi. Had grand plans to hammer through some work on the two-hour ride but settled for a nap instead. 🫠

Walked out of Gare du Nord and grabbed a taxi van immediately. Thought our timing was still impeccable. It was not. The taxi dropped us off in the 15th arrondissement instead of the 11th. Just as the driver finished unloading all our bags, we loaded right back up. Twenty more minutes in the cab. We finally arrived at a newer building in a neighborhood off the beaten path. Got into our little apartment, I dove into the work I couldn't do on the train, and then we headed out for a quick bite and groceries. Paris, day one. Low key.

Paddington Station to Victoria Station, then a ten-minute walk to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards. Nailed the timing, it was starting right as we arrived. We'd wanted to book one of those Airbnb experiences with a local who knows the best viewing spot and can actually explain what's happening, but our dates weren't available. So we just watched. And honestly, we still don't understand why all the marching back and forth is necessary. Just seems like overkill 😅.

Westminster & Big Ben

Westminster Abbey was next, and Sofie had SO many questions. The Royal Family, Princess Diana, all of it. Her interest in history is really starting to show, and it made me realize I need to read more about it. (If anyone has great book recs, send them over.) Then we walked to Big Ben, where I almost got hit by a turning vehicle while taking a photo of Cheryl and the kids. Ok that sounds dramatic, but Cheryl was concerned. Lukas, meanwhile, brings allll the vibes.

Jumped back on the Circle line and made our way to London Bridge, then walked over to Tower Bridge. It looked far but it was actually a nice little stroll along the Thames. The Tube was packed today but the whole crew conquered it like pros.

Finished off our last day in London at a pub. Traditional pub food, a Guinness, a few more pints, the England vs. Congo match on the screens with a bunch of locals. And the kids? They were absolutely thrilled to be drinking Fanta out of a glass. Priorities.

After breakfast we headed to Camden Market. Cool to see but wouldn't have been upset if we'd skipped it. The area felt a lot different than the other parts of London we've been to. Immediately a "carry your purse on the front" kind of situation. We walked around for a couple hours, had gelato, grabbed a German donair (yum), and went searching for Pokémon packs.

Back to the Airbnb to chill, then out again because the only camera lens smashed on day two 😩 so we had to grab a replacement. Ended up wandering through Soho and near Piccadilly Circus. We've fully mastered the Tube at this point. Changing lines, reading the map, all of it just clicks now.

Found a pub that was highly recommended for having the best Guinness in London. They didn't lie. It was great. The whole place was packed at 5:30 with people in suits and work clothes grabbing pints with their colleagues before heading home. Seems like a pretty simple life. But I keep coming back to how anyone affords $15 Guinness on a regular basis. That's wild.

Snuck out mid-morning for a coffee date with my mom while the crew chilled at the crib.

Then the big one. Harry Potter at Warner Bros. Studios. It was an amazing experience. For any movie lover it's worth the trip. The sets, the props, the poster designs. We went through the whole thing and took approximately one million photos.

Back at the Airbnb we ordered pizzas for everyone, then headed out to a nearby pub to catch the Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup match. Found a table beside a group of German fans, grabbed a couple of Guinnesses, and settled in. It didn't take long before the occasional "Scheiße!" started erupting from the next table every time Germany missed a chance. At 11:00 p.m. the bartender called last orders, so I wisely picked up a couple more Guinnesses to get us through the rest of the match. Or so we thought. At 11:30, right as the game was heading into stoppage time with the score tied, the bartender flipped on the lights and shut off every TV in the pub. Game over for the customers. We hustled back to the Airbnb, calling Eddie on the walk so he could keep us updated. Made it back just in time to watch the rest of stoppage time, only to see what looked like Germany's winning goal called back. It went to penalties and Germany came up short. Won't be watching the final surrounded by German fans when we get there on the 19th. 😞

Got up early and picked up the rental car. First stop: Windsor Castle. We explored the grounds, wandered through the staterooms, and saw Queen Mary's Dollhouse. No photos allowed inside but we snuck a few 🤫 The dollhouse has running water and electricity, everything built to 1/12th scale. The books in the library actually have real passages written in them. The Long Walk leading up to the castle is about 4km and looked like it goes on forever.

Then came the polo situation. The grounds we'd originally picked had hosted their match the day before. We pulled into the parking lot, immediately questioned why there were barely any cars, but someone swore they could hear people, so we carried on. Out came the sunscreen, around the corner we went... and found a children's birthday party with a giant bouncy castle. Without saying much, we all quietly turned around, marched back to the car, and pretended we had never been there. Found another polo club a short drive away. £30 per car to enter. We wandered through the pro shop, found a little coffee cart and ice cream stand, and claimed a table out on the lawn. The schedule said 2:30 but the match didn't start until 3:30. In the meantime we tried to find a washroom in the clubhouse and got asked for our wristbands. Wristbands? That's when it clicked. The seating chart. The curious looks. The guests in fascinators dressed to the nines. We hadn't wandered into a polo match. We'd wandered into a private event. Sofie had actually suspected this the moment we walked in, but naturally we didn't listen. So we made our graceful exit with our oversized Yeti water bottles in hand, looking every bit like we'd packed for a public park. The opposite side of the field had a spot where you could just pull up your car and watch. Ended up being perfect. Locals had the whole thing dialed: tablecloths, proper silverware, wine glasses, enough food to rival a dinner party. Just before the match started, the announcer gave a special welcome to the former President of Laos and all his guests. We slowly looked at each other. Pretty sure we had just crashed the former President of Laos' polo party. 😬 We fixed divots at halftime and the finish was intense. A crackin' good time.

On the way back we stopped in Richmond. Beautiful little place. If you've watched Ted Lasso, you'd recognize a few of the spots. Mental note for next time: skip the private event, bring a picnic, and maybe double-check whether we're actually invited.

Landed around lunch, made our way through Paddington Station, and hauled everything up to the Airbnb on the 7th floor. In Europe that means a LOT of stairs. No AC either, and it's hot. Then we just went for it. Walked to Notting Hill, hit Portobello Road Market. Great spot for antiques and vintage stuff. Got Grandma to the Notting Hill bookstore. Had coffee and gelato to warm up at some point. Grabbed groceries, fresh bread, and produce on the way back.

All day we kept seeing people in cowboy hats and cowboy boots everywhere. We wanted to ask but were worried we'd offend someone's everyday style. Eventually we caved and asked. Garth Brooks is playing at Hyde Park. We definitely debated trying to get tickets but opted for an early bedtime instead. Dropped the kids off at the flat and split a Guinness to kick off the big vacay. Exhausting day from the red eye but we got after it.

The boys are out on the balcony doing some drawing. I never thought this trip would actually happen. Chad's mom making her way across the big pond to see what Europe has to offer.