Europe Tour May 2006

J + G – we’re back from our fabulous holiday Europe. Luke loved every minute (except the plane trips) especially meeting all his family and our friends. Here’s a quick rundown:

Flight – Melb to London
Always daunting taking a baby on the plane. Luke was really well behaved and actually got compliments once each stage was over. To be honest on the second leg ( Hong Kong to London), he was getting tired and cranky as he found it hard to sleep for more than 40 mins at a time. That meant abandoning the bassinet and rocking him to sleep in my arms, so I wasn’t getting any sleep or rest at that stage. G and I were pretty happy when we finally landed (and really exhausted as well).

London is not one of my favourite cities in the world but we always have such a fantastic time with Leeza and Simon – they are truly fabulous hosts. Congratulations on the babies (twins due in November 2006).

London was very much about R&R. Walks in the parks and yummy food for us. I managed an hour of shopping (all for Luke) and G spent a wonderful morning in the spa and sauna at Simon’s gym. Here is a photo of us in Hyde Park.

Paris – Sunday to Wednesday

Flying out of London to Paris was not Luke’s best travel moment! He screamed the plane down before takeoff and then eventually fell asleep for most of the flight which meant by the time we landed he was back in his usual sunny mood.

We stayed with Oncle Nick in Montmartre which is a beautiful part of Paris. Paris is always special – the vibe on the streets, the food (especially the cheese) and atmosphere. Morag took a few days off from pursuing work on luxury yachts to meet Luke and share our Paris experience. Oncle Nick did his share of babysitting whilst we caught up with our friends Olivier and Laurence who announced they are getting married in September! Here are photos of Oncle Nick with Luke and me au Cafe de la Paix, Olivier and Laurence and Morgy meeting Luke.

Chambery – Wednesday to Monday

After nearly three years we were finally back in Chambery – not as newly weds this time but as new parents! Grand-pere Gilou was there to greet us. It was great to see the family and to spend time around Chambery. It was a big occasion for Luke as he got to meet not only his Grandfather but his Great Grandmother and Grandfather. What a lucky boy to have such a big family. G’s Aunt Colette and Uncle Jean travelled from Valence for a big family lunch.

Our time in France was characterised by consuming as much fromage and saucisson as was decently possible. G and Gilbert spent a couple of lunchtimes (whilst Luke slept and I watched him) sampling the regional specialities.

We spent these few days catching up on sleep and relaxing. A special thanks to Carolyn and Chris for coming from London to spend the weekend with us. At dinner that night the non Frenchies sampled their first frogs’ legs.

Les Abrets – Monday to Wednesday

From Chambery we packed up the car to spend a few days with Francois, Diane, Antoine, Lucie and Mathieu in Les Abrets. FiFi is G’s oldest friend and it was great for us to catch up this time with our families. We still have a way to catch up with them! We ate exceptionally well and enjoyed the conversations. FiFi has the dream of living in Australia one day and we of course hope that happens.

Lago Maggiore, Italy – Thursday to Monday

Our three and a half hour drive to Lago Maggiore was stretched out by Luke who required breaks for feeding and changing. Car travel has proved to be more challenging than either the plane or the train. Once we arrived we forgot the Italian roadworks and took in the gorgeous view of the lake.

G and I chose our hotel well… we were able to put Luke to bed and then go down to the restaurant with the baby monitor! Googie, Schorschi, Niklas, Jessica and Amy turned up from Austria the next day. We spent the next two days eating loads of pizza and pasta and taking in the sites. G and the kids enjoyed a swim in the lake.

Chambery – Monday to Thursday

Once we got back to Chambery the reality hit that our holiday was coming to an end. Some last minute shopping (Petit Bateau for Luke) and gorging on French food (Mamoune cooked an amazing lunch) and the last round of photos and it was time to go. I know that G always feels sad – it must be hard to always be torn between two homes.

Return flight

We started out from Chambery at 2pm on Thursday, 25 May and some 30 + hours straggled into our front door. Luke handled the flying well and even slept quite a bit between London and Singapore. We knew what to expect this time so that made things a little easier for us.

Home sweet home

Nice to be home but as the three of us struggle to get over our colds we wish we were somewhere else…