Adventures on Acacia: Bonjour!

As promised, here is the long awaited post about our trip to Europe. Some of you know the details, but if I ever make this blog into a memory book, I'd like to recount as many details as I can...

Matt and I love to travel together, but that's not the primary reason that we go to Europe. We have traveled over the holidays for the last two years to visit Matt's brother, Randy, and his family (Jessica, Jackson and Lula). This year, we were lucky enough for Bev (Matt's mom) and Sandy (a close family friend) to meet us across the pond. We started the journey on New Year's Eve--the first time we've ever traveled on the actual holiday--and Will did great on the plane. Unfortunately he didn't want to sleep, but he was happy for almost the entire 9 hour flight. This year we flew directly into Frankfurt, Germany and spent the night at Randy's house. It was really neat to see their house and get a glimpse of daily life. We celebrated the new year by playing with cousins, and eating traditional German sausages with great wine.

Will loved playing with Jackson and Lula

The next day, we jumped in the car and drove through Switzerland to our final destination in Chatel, France. We rented a fabulous chalet and were pleasantly surprised by how much room we had and how nice it was. It was three stories--the bottom floor had a kitchen/movie room/kids room/adult room; perfect for Randy's family--the second floor was the main living area--the third floor had 3 more bedrooms/3 bathrooms. Will was set up in a pack-and-play in the upstairs bathroom, which was perfect because it was dark and insulated. :)

Will was once again, a great traveler! He especially loved his pink car seat--thanks for sharing, Lula! :)

Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of the chalet, but here we are lounging by the fire.

And here we are, playing in the snow outside the chalet! :)

The city of Chatel was absolutely beautiful--just as I remembered it. Narrow and winding roads, small boutiques, quaint restaurants, and a gorgeous view of the mountains. We had a wonderful day in the city shopping, eating delicious crepes, and walking around the town.

Notice the mountains behind us? Beautiful!

The Creperie

Like Father, Like Son

Will seemed to like the French food--especially the baguettes, croissants and cheese

The streets of Chatel

Don't mind Will's face--he's happy, I promise :)

We love the Tankersleys!!

When we weren't in the chalet or exploring the town, we spent several days skiing. Now, Matt and I are far from professional skiers, but we do enjoy the scenery and the sport. There is one skiing story that I'll never forget that involved night skiing by myself, in the rain, down a red slope (the equivalent of an American black). I don't think I need to blog about it to remember the experience--it's etched in my mind forever; no pictures needed. If I ever share a cup of coffee with you someday, remind me and I'll relive the experience first hand. Otherwise, here are some pictures from the wonderful experiences we had skiing during the day... :)

View from the ski lift

It was like a postcard!

Getting ready to conquer the mountains

View from the top

Self Portrait :)

On our second day of skiing, Bev brought Will to us at the slopes and we were able to all have lunch together and experience one of our anticipated traditions--Raclette. Last year, our friend Simon introduced us to Raclette and we've been looking forward to it ever since we started planning the trip! Basically, think of a wheel of yummy cheese that is cut in half. Then, you put the cheese on this crazy contraption that melts the top layer. You scrape of the melted cheese (think Fondue) and eat it with all sorts of breads/meats/potatoes. It was just as I remembered--absolutely delicious!! Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

Family picture at the top of the ski lift

Brothers

Raclette.

Is.

Amazing.

Hanging out with Mimi at the ski lodge

Even though we had a fantastic time, we were ready to get home. Will didn't sleep through the night for the entire trip--I blame the time change--so to say the least, we were ready to get back to his daily routine and get some much needed sleep. Even though it was different than last year, it was honestly one of the most fun vacations I've ever had. Having Will there made it so much more fun. Thank you for hosting, Tankersleys! We can't wait to see you again soon!!