The Eiffel Tower

Today was our first full day in Paris!  We took the opportunity to visit the Eiffel Tower and walk through the city.  We had our ups and downs, but overall it was a great day.  Most importantly, we have come up with a baby-friendly vacation schedule that will ensure fun is had by all 3 vacation participants.  Very important!!

Cafe Au Lait et Crepes??  Oui!

Here I am doing some statue miming of a statue of America's very first diplomat, Thomas Jefferson!

Fancy bridge over the River Seine.

There it is...

I think this might be the most cliche picture I have ever posed for.  Here I am with the Tower and a baguette.  That baguette was amazingly good, by the way.

Eric and Kylie take their turn with the baguette and the tower.

Babes and the tower.  She looks so excited to be here! That won't last long...

 Family photo!  Two happies and a crab, kind of symbolic of the rest of our day.

Even the babe got to enjoy some baguette!

Delicious, giant macarons.

Kylie and her dad enjoying their afternoon together.

The Eiffel Tower in all its glory.

Say fromage!

Later that evening we enjoyed some amazingly good wine...

...and an equally good cheese plate at a local cafe.  Tres bien!

Shalom Israel, Bonjour Paris!

This morning we said good bye to Israel and jetted off to Paris for a vacation on our way back to Brazil!  We finally got the sordid affair-of-the-plane-seat sorted out, and we ended up in business class, all 3 of us, all the way back to Brazil.  It is a long story, and one where I say, "Well, I'd rather live my life than sit on a pile of money" a few times, but it is sorted out, and we are all set for our vacation and trip home!

Inspector Baby overseeing final departure preparations.

We've made it to France!

Bonjour Paris!  We are so excited to get to know you!!

Tel Aviv Roundup - Week 4 - Pt. 2

We're down to our final days in Israel, and we've been squeezing in every last bit of felafel, pool time and fun as we can manage!

 Peek-a-boo!

My favorite foods in Israel?
Bread, pickles, olives, cheese, chocolate and hummus!

Things that are just ok in my opinion?
Ice cream, frosting and sweets.

Things I hate?
Curry!

 Mmmmm....more hummus and felafels!

 Heart!

 Oh yeah baby! Ice cream sandwich with chocolate chip banana cookies!

 Chocolate-Strawberry Cupcake

 Red Velvet Cupcakes & More, we will miss you!

 Look at all that loot!

I'm RRRRRRready for France!

Tel Aviv Roundup - Week 4

During this last week of our time in Tel Aviv, we have been revisiting favorite restaurants and preparing for our upcoming real vacation!! It has been delicious!

 Still not sure if this restaurant is called Stefan Braun or Radio Rosco...

We do know for sure that it is in an alley and is 100% non-kosher deliciousness!

#weatethepizzabeforewecouldtakeapicture;(

 Schnitzel in pita!

 Miss K doing pull ups!

 Felafel balls!

 I'll take one!

 Kylie's first restaurant meal in her new hand-crank mini-chopper!

Munching on breadcrumbs and perfecting her table manners!

Had to throw this one in for it's amazing 1980's 8-bit USA graphics!

Shopping Extravaganza

After our visit to Apollonia this morning, we took advantage of the having the car to visit the various shopportunities that were just beyond walking distance. We even went back to Jaffa, even though we swore never to return there (for the third time) a few days earlier! We filled our trunk with souvenirs and miscellaneous loot before grabbing some felafel for lunch and heading back to the hotel.

 Ha Tachana - The Station!

 It was an old railroad station turned into a mall!

Que cute!

 Bouganvilla in the courtyard

 Autumn found a cactus almost immediately

E &K posing in the rose garden

Apollonia

This morning, we got up bright and early to drive up to Apollonia! It's the ruins of a Crusader castle set on a cliff above the Mediterranean Sea in an area that's been inhabited for about 2,500 years! Que fancy! Plus, it's only about 15 minutes from Tel Aviv!!

 It was really packed...good thing we got there early!

 Welcome to the park! 

Sign, moat, ruins & a path!

 Which road to take?

The Sea Path!

 Ooh!

 Ahh!

Is that a castle and a shrubbery?

 

 Lots of wildflowers in bloom.

 An artist's depiction of the castle in it's heyday, 800 years ago!

 Cheese!

(we were trying to make the baby take a nap in the backpack, thus, she is not pictured)

 

 E and a local guard!

 A chatting up some villagers!

 Ruiny!

 A toppled Corinthian column

 Views up the coast

 Autumn said that if she lived here, this would be her room, and that she wouldn't mind if they had to come in and shoot cannons from her window to fend off invading infidels periodically.

 Our guess was ancient cannonballs!

 It's only a model.

 

 Looks beautiful, but the sun was actually roasting us alive, even at 8:00am!

Turt!