A sunny day in Lyon

Lyon is the 3rd largest city in France, known for its medieval & Renaissance architecture in Vieux Lyon & having developed a reputation as a major center of French cuisine.  Since it is less than two hours from Geneva and the forecast called for sunshine this past Saturday we decided it was the perfect destination for a day trip.

We started the day in Parc de la Tete d'Or.  I cannot say enough fabulous things about this park.  It has an impressive free zoo, a small carnival area with a 120 year old carousel & the cutest bicycle powered race horses, a beautiful botanical garden and lake.  Since we were only in Lyon for the day, we only spent the morning in the park, but you could definitely make an entire day of it.

Lakeside Snack:  Would you like a waffle with that whipped cream?

After our morning at the park, we were ready to experience the gastronomical side of Lyon.  Thanks to a recommendation from a friend in Geneva, we had made a reservation at Le Canut et Les Gones for a fabulous gourmet French lunch.  I was so proud of our two little foodies who tried and loved everything, even the lapin (rabbit) terrine and octopus.

After a great meal & some fine wine, we made our way to Vieux Lyon (the old town).  We had planned to park at the bottom and to take the funicular up to Place de Fourviere, but the first parking spot that we found was almost up at the top so we did things a bit backwards. We visited the Basilique Notre Dame and then took the funicular back down to the heart of old town.  

We meandered through the streets of Old Town and enjoyed some of our favorite gelato...

And enjoyed the sights of this very French city...

Then it was time to walk the 400+ steps back up Place Fourviere.  We definitely did it backwards, because we saw many people walking down the steps, but not a single one heading up.  At least we didn't have to wait in line at the funicular (and we felt better about eating that gelato).  

We were rewarded with a beautiful view from the top & one or more of us may have taken a little nap in the sun on the steps of the basilica.

A beautiful Saturday spent in Lyon.

Spring Break back in the USA!

We had a wonderful Spring Break visiting family & friends back in the US!  We packed a lot of fun into the two weeks & left with our hearts (bellies & suitcases) full.  We visited Cincinnati, Chicago & New Orleans and had 10 different flight segments to our trip, and the girls were travel troopers.

We started our adventure with two fun filled days in Cincinnati.  We connected with some of our best friends, the girls got to have a sleepover with Sara, & we happened to be in town for the DeLacy's annual St. Patrick's Day party ... perfect timing!

Our next stop was Chicago (sadly Randall had to go to Boston for work), to visit the Schlegels!  We had such a great time in the Windy City, and the girls loved every minute they got to spend with Maddie & Moose!

It was wonderful to spend time with great friends, to get to stay in their beautiful new home & explore their great neighborhood right on Lake Michigan.  As we were driving to the airport, Maddie got tears in her eyes and said, "this is the worst part."  I agree.  Saying goodbye is never fun, but I love friendships like this where we can just pick up where we left off, no matter how much time has passed.  And the fact that our daughters have this same relationship is pretty darn special.

Then we were off to New Orleans, to visit GiGi and PopPop!  We were welcomed with delicious "New Orleans Beans" (red beans & rice) made with love by PopPop & got right into the New Orleans spirit!

Randall flew into New Orleans the next morning & the girls were so excited to get to work with PopPop in his wood shed.  They remembered a story that Randall told them about how PopPop built him a pair of stilts when he was a little boy, and it didn't take much convincing to get PopPop to built a pair for each of them.  Such fun!

That evening Omi K joined us in New Orleans!  Before we went to pick her up at the airport, Kenzie insisted on changing her outfit.  She put on a scarf because "Omi will probably be wearing a scarf."  Sure enough, she was, and I could not get enough of these 3 scarf wearing beauties!

We spent the next day down in the French Quarter.  Enjoying great food, beautiful weather, amazing people watching and best of all each others' company.

It was so good to spend quality time with Gail.  We are so proud of how well she is doing following her stroke in February & I'm pretty sure that time with her grandkids is the best medicine she can get.

That evening we went back to the airport to welcome Inken, Andrew, Grady & Emmeline to New Orleans!  My heart was so full - having so many of my very favorite people in the same place at one time - it felt like it might burst.

We spent another fun day down in the French Quarter.

The kids were very excited to go on a horse & carriage ride.  While our tour guide left something to be desired (he basically recited the name of every bar & restaurant we passed), at least I captured this adorable photo of these cute cousins :)

That evening the 3 grandparents volunteered to watch the 4 cousins, so that the 4 parents could enjoy a double date.  A fun night on the town ... a delicious meal & The Rebirth Brass Band ... out past midnight ;)

The kids woke up excited on Easter morning, claiming they had heard the Easter Bunny tap dancing in the kitchen.  After a whirlwind easter egg hunt we got ready for brunch ... you know, cause we hadn't eaten enough on this trip.

And then after brunch (and a nap) we were lucky enough to be invited to a Crawfish boil ... because a trip to New Orleans is not really complete without a crawfish boil & you know we hadn't eaten in a couple of hours.  Thanks David & Erin for including us in the amazing feast & party!

The next morning brought another time to have to say goodbye.  But before we did that we took a trip to City Park so the cousins could climb the Live Oak trees and we could all enjoy some beignets (another must for any trip to New Orleans).

Such a memorable visit to New Orleans.  So thankful to Gail & Gene for inviting my family to join the weekend of fun & to my mom, sister & family for making the trip from California to meet us there.  Love our family!

Then we were back to Cincinnati for the last leg of our trip.  We enjoyed time in some of our favorite parks (the trees were in full bloom & gorgeous), and with some of our favorite people!

And while our flight back to Geneva was a "disaster" (to quote Kenzie.  Flight cancelled for mechanical problems after spending 2 hours on the plane & another 6 hours in the airport.  Then delayed an additional 6 hours the next morning, resulting in a 37 hour journey vs. the expected 13) the trip as a whole was more than worthwhile.  It was good for our souls to reconnect with family & friends.  Only wish there had been more time so that we could have had the chance to see everyone.

While we had a wonderful trip, it also felt good to return home to Geneva.  I think we have finally all recovered from the jet lag & are looking forward to enjoying Spring in Geneva!