Beautifully Ancient Colmar - European Grand Tour

Okay, our second stop on our Grand European Tour landed me and my family in the Alsace region of France in the beautifully preserved, medieval city of Colmar. This little town has bounced back and forth between France and Germany a number of times, and if rumors are correct, was preserved from the bombs of WWII because Germany didn't have the heart to bomb it and lose the history and charm preserved there. Whether or not that is true, I am glad it was left untouched because my first view of this adorable city took my breath away and got my photographer trigger-finger going.

Colmar reminded me of Beauty and the Beast (Yes, I'm aware that I use a lot of Disney references!) meets Robin Hood. The beams, the stucco, the flowering windowsills, the tall, pitched roofs ... it was such a pleasure to explore. I think I drove my family crazy taking photos, but I just couldn't put my camera down.  Our Airbnb was located directly downtown next to an ancient yellow-bricked church (one of many in the city) and a little town square filled with restaurants, cafes and boulangeries. We only stayed a night, but it was perfect. The apartment we stayed in was at least eight hundred years old and the floors were very crooked. I wish I'd had a marble just to watch the path it would have taken when set on the floor. 

I really can't rave about this city enough and highly recommend it to anyone passing by! As usual, I'll let my photos to the rest of the talking. See you soon, Switzerland is coming up next!

Luxembourg and a French Vineyard - European Grand Tour

Over the past two weeks, my family and I drove all over western/southern Europe and made many stops along the way. We began in Brussels, and so our first stop was a quaint little country I have been wanting to see since we moved here two years ago, Luxembourg. 

Now, I have to say right off the bat, that my opinions of Luxembourg are based off of a two hour jaunt around the city during which time my family ate at Subway and bought ice cream at McDonald's so we could use their restrooms. That being said, I would hardly call myself an expert on the city. I CAN give my initial opinion and that would be summed up in one word ... pleasant. Luxembourg was a quaint, pleasant little place with lots of cobblestone streets, clean courtyards, the appropriate amount of fountains, steeples and statues, all mixed together to create the kind of city Disney would deem the perfect spot in which to place their unsuspecting common girl to unknowingly meet her handsome prince, bringing a bit of her U.S. vulgarity and charm to spice of the town. But then, I digress.

I will say that I was sad to leave Luxembourg without exploring more, and I look forward to returning soon to spend at least a full day there.

After Luxembourg, we headed towards the medieval French city of Colmar (post coming next) but became sidetracked along the way by an adorable vineyard with a view so picturesque, we had to pull over and give Hallmark a call. They are planning to shoot their next film on location, from what I've been told.

Adorable Colmar photos will be coming soon ... until then, I hope you enjoy these!

Luxembourg:

French Vineyard:

Travel Tuesday - Paris, France - February 2020

With the turn our life has taken over the last three months (thanks to CODVID-19) I have found myself juggling work, school for the kids, house chores and everything else that comes with raising a happy, healthy family of six and have not had as much time to edit photos from my different travels! The plus side (although I'm not convinced it is really a plus) is that because we haven't been able to travel for a while, I have less new images to go through so I can focus on posting images from past trips.
Today, I'll show you a few from a trip Dan and I took to Paris in February.
It was magical (and kid-less) and filled with walking all over the city and taking as many pictures as my little heart desired. You won't find an Eiffel Tower in these shots because I was trying to focus on the other beauties Paris has to offer this time around, but we'll be sure to showcase her next time!
Au Revoir!