Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

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May 10, 2023

6 Days in Tulum: The Perfect Family Friendly Itinerary

Last year we had travel credits to burn with Southwest that were about to expire. We spent time looking at all the places Southwest flies and when I saw that Cancun was an option I knew immediately that I wanted to take the kids there. I love the mix of tropical ecosystem, beautiful beaches, vibrant culture and rich history. We think we came up with the perfect way to spend six days in the Tulum area as a family!

DAY #1: FLY TO CANCUN + DRIVE TO AIRBNB

The flight from Denver to Cancun is short and easy, it’s also very nice that a checked bag comes free with every Southwest ticket!

It was nice to fly directly into Mexico, customs was a breeze then we were out into the muggy heat to pick up our rental car.

Public transportation is very affordable and easy in the Cancun area but we decided to rent a car this time so we could move around more easily with little kids. Renting a car was also very affordable. We drove from Cancun down to Tulum which is just about an hour and a half. We stopped at a grocery store along the way to pick up some breakfast essentials. I always love going to grocery stores in foreign contries.

We choose to rent an Airbnb instead of going with an all inclusive resort and loved having our own kitchen and private roof top pool.

We loved our rental and highly recommend it if you are in the area. The complex was quiet and felt like a tropical retreat.

We got to our rental pretty late so we settled in and enjoyed the pool before heading to bed. We really enjoyed the air conditioners that each room had!

Day #2: TULUM RUINS + GRAND CENOTE

We stated our second day out nice and early so we could get to the Tulum Ruins before the crowds and heat.

The ruins are very close to where we are staying so we felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The littles markets at the entrance are bustling with lots of things to purchase.

We did decide to hire a tour guide for our visit because we wanted to learn more about what we were seeing.

The ruins are stunning set right on the edge of the Caribbean Sea.

It’s a bit of a walk from the parking lot but the tropical atmosphere makes it nice. The tunnel entrance was a highlight.

The kids did a pretty good job listening to our guide.

But when they got bored they just ran around in the fields.

This place is just gorgeous!

When we were done at the ruins we shared some Coco Frio, the kids were so excited to try drinking from a coconut, but they didn’t like it LOL.

We drove into town and found a little taco shop, the one Cory wanted to try was closed and the one we found was okay.

After lunch we decided to visit Grand Cenote that is really close to Tulum. This place was amazing, the Cenote was partially open to the sunshine and partially a cave. There were bats flying in and out, turtles and fishing swimming with us and stalagmites reaching down from above.

I was worried that it would be too cold or maybe scary in the caves with bats flying around, but she was in awe. Her face was lit up and she loved it all so much. Cannon loved it too, swimming around exploring everything, I was never worried about him not loving it.

We brought the kids’ life jackets from home so we always knew they would be safe have a jacket that fit well. This cenote did have jackets for adults and kids available. .

[Source]

After swimming there were showers and places to change before going back to our rental.

When we got back Emmy and Cory were very worn out so they took a nap. Cannon and I decided to test out the roof top pool and hang out in the loft together.

For dinner we drove down to the beach and found the cutest little pizza place.

This had to be some of the best pizza I have ever had.

We all loved it!

We walked around a bit after dinner, said hello to the ocean, then went to bed way too late.

It was a very full, magical start to our trip!

Day #3: XEL HA

For our third day in Mexico we visited Xel Ha.

Xel Ha is a eco water park in a beautiful inlet from the Sea. We swam with sting rays, jumped off cliffs and floated on lazy rivers through a Mangrove Forest. There were sea caves and Cenotes to explore. We had the best time.

Meals were provided with entrance at the park and we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner there. We stayed way longer than I thought we would there was so much to do!

We left after dinner and the kiddos ended the day with a swim in the roof top pool.

Day #4 – CHICHÉN ITZÁ, VALLADOLID + CHOO HA CENOTE

Our fourth day in Mexico we visited Chichén Itzá. It’s about a two hour drive to the Mayan ruins from Tulum. It was really interesting to drive through the Yucatan peninsula and see all the little towns. Seeing the ruins was amazing, and very interesting to imagine how life must have been in the past. We opted for an audio tour this day so we could move more at the kids’ pace.

It was very hot so far off the coast but we loved learning about the history of the area.

It’s always a good idea to arrive as early as possible to beat the giant tour busses. We had lunch in the little Colonial town of Valladolid on the way home.

The tacos were good!

Then stopped at Cenote Choo Ha to cool off. The water was cool and clear with lots of fish. We really have loved having a rental car on this trip so we can move at our own pace!

It was very cool climbing down into the cave!

By the time we got back to our rental we were ready to take one last dip in the pool then go to bed!

Day #5: AKUMAL BAY, SWIMMING WITH SEA TURTLES

For our fifth day in Mexico we visited Akumal Bay.

Famous for their abundance of sea turtles and magical little reef. We hired a guide to take us out to swim with sea turtles, rays and lots of amazing fish. We saw baby turtles and swam about a mile and a half in the bay, it was amazing! Our guide even towed Emmy and Cannon along in a buoy when they got tired.

I highly recommend hiring a guide from Akumal Dive Shop, we got to see lots of wildlife and it was done in a way that protects the reef and turtles.

After out guided tour we walked down to a little beach club for some amazing sea food for lunch. The kids enjoyed the pool at the club and got to explore some tide pools.

We really wanted to hit one more cenote but had to hurry back to our rental for the Covid tests needed for our travel home. We had one more swim in our rooftop pool, then had to pack our bags. Sad to leave out sweet little jungle house as the kids called it.

Day #6: TRAVEL HOME

Our travel day home turned out to be around 14 hours when all was said and done, it all adds up given that the flight is only about four hours! We had to get up around 5 am to get packed out of our rental and return the rental car.

Driving north to Cancun to the airport was a little sad we wished for a couple more days, but life and responsibilities call!

The Cancun airport is small and easy to navigate, we were all sleepy from our very early wake time and late nights.

These two kids have become such good little travelers, we really are lucky!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Mexico, Travel

November 30, 2022

Georgetown Christmas Train – 2022

We were so excited to get to do the Santa Train in Georgetown again this year. We have done this ride in 2018, 2019 and 2021 but always during the day. Now that the kids are a little older we decided they could stay up a little later and take the night train that features the beautiful Christmas lights.

It snowed all night and most of the day so we were treated to a fresh layer of snow. We also had temperatures in the low teens we are not that cold hardy yet!

I love Georgetown at this time of year, they have the cutest Christmas Market the first couple of weekends in December that we will try to get back to.

The train used to run up here from Denver for the mining of Gold and Silver. Now it’s just here in Georgetown and is a fun thing to do almost any time of year.

Masks are not required this year, we are just wearing ours since we were so recently sick.

As it was we almost had the entire car to ourselves anyway. I think the recent snow kept a lot of people away since the train was sold out.

It was worth the snowy drive for the beautiful view.

The lights were so pretty and we were so glad we did the night train this year.

Santa was on the train to greet all the kids and give us candy canes and bells.

This is such a fun tradition, and Cannon said it was the best day/night ever.

Past years’ trips:

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Colorado, Colorado Travel, Travel

September 6, 2022

Visiting Zermatt + The Matterhorn

After enjoying Chamonix for a few days we stocked up on groceries and drove on to Switzerland. We found a campsite in Täsch (in the dark) within walking distance of the train station. You can’t drive into Zermatt, it is a car free town so you take the train into town.

It’s a pretty short ride before you reach Zermatt.

Emmy was very excited to get a pretzel at the train station. It was very good!

We checked in at the welcome center talked about the best hikes and got a map of the mountains. Zermatt is very walkable and I wished we had way more time in town! We thought we wanted to do the 5 lakes hike from our research and it was confirmed that it was a good hike for the kids.

At over 6 miles it was a bit of a stretch for Emmy who is only four but the trail is mostly down hill, we were stocked with snacks and planned to stop for lunch along the trail. The trail starts at Blauherd. To get here, take the funicular to Sunnegga and the gondola to Blauherd.

In the town of Zermatt, the Sunnegga funicular station is located next to the Vispa River. On Google Maps, it is called Sunnegga Blauherd Rothorn Funicular. Ride the funicular to the Sunnegga station.

The Funicular is really fun to ride and inside a tunnel blasted out of the mountain.

When we got to the top we got the iconic view of the Matterhorn.

We were hoping we would get a glimpse of the peak without clouds but we never did, still stunning.

Then we took and the gondola to Blauherd.

We decided to do the 5 Lakes Hike, following the 5 – Seenweg signs.

There are many hikes here and we wished we could do them all!

It really was a dream come true to get to visit this area.

The trail was single track but nice and easy.

The kids were having a great time being out running through the mountains.

The alpine lakes are gorgeous. We went a little off our plan to eat lunch on the side of the mountain. We really need these mountainside restaurants here in Colorado.

Lunch with a view!

After lunch it was time to hike back down to Sunnegga.

The 5 lakes hike was very beautiful and we enjoyed it so much.

When we got back down to Sunnegga there is the best playground for the kids to play. There was a raft they could take across the lake, a water feature to play in and a traditional playground. We spent some time here playing before taking the funicular back down to Zermatt.

In town we grabbed dinner and (of corse) stopped at another playground. I love the playgrounds in Europe!

This one had world class views and mini trampolines! These play breaks are critical for the kids. They get plenty of exercise hiking and walking to see sights but they also need unstructured time to play and move their bodies in the way they want. Making time to play keeps us happy.

Then we took the train back to our campsite ready for some rest then head on to our next stop.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Europe, France + Switzerland Travel Log, Travel

September 5, 2022

Visiting Chamonix + Le Brévent

Chamonix is what all my Alpine French/Swiss dreams are made of, its’s so dreamy!

We had a few meals in town and enjoyed them all, lots of al fresco opportunities!

The town is very outdoorsy with lots of hikers, mountain bikers and trail runners around. It was so tempting to buy all the pretty outdoor gear they are selling.

We took this little tour train around town when it was raining to see more sights.

Usually we love these little town tours but other than keeping us out of rain I don’t think it was worth it. You can walk Chamonix easily on your own.

We found a little playground.

Then made our way over to Le Brévent.

Brevent and its great panoramic view of the Chamonix Valley including a stunning view of Mont Blanc. From Chamonix, you can take the gondola/telecabine lift to Plan Praz (1,999m), then the cable car to Le Brévent (2,525m).

We had already eaten lunch in town but I wish we had waited and eaten here, the views are stunning!

We explored around the top and read up on the history of mountaineering in the area.

We did a little hiking as well before heading down and back across town to our RV.

We loved Chamonix SO SO much but it was time to move on to Switzerland next!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Europe, France + Switzerland Travel Log, Travel

September 4, 2022

Mer de Glace – Chamonix France

On our second morning in Chamonix we decided to ride the cog train up Montenvers to the Mer de Glace glacier.

We had a gorgeous walk to the train station in the morning. We found Chamonix very easy to get around by walking we didn’t move the RV once while there.

It rained overnight but we had a nice day for visiting the glacier.

You take the cutest little cog train up the valley to the Mer de Glace refuge. There is a store, restrooms and restaurant at the station there. Again you can hike up if you have the time and don’t want to pay for the train.

The Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is the largest glacier in France, 7km long and 200m deep and is one of the biggest attractions in the Chamonix Valley.

The Montenvers Railway was the first custom built tourist attraction in the valley. It started operating in 1908. The funicular railway departs from Chamonix and makes its way up the sides of the Aiguilles de Chamonix to an altitude of 1,913m.

From the train stop you take a gondola part way down the valley to see the glacier.

The hike down is long, with many steps so leave the stroller behind and bring a carrier if you have a little one who can’t do lots of stairs. Emmy and Cannon did fine going up and back at four and six. There is so many steps because when the gondola was built the glacier was near the end, now it has receded so far they add to the steps each year. They are building a new gondola to make the glacier more accessible to more people.

When you get to the glacier, you can explore the ice caves (no additional ticket needed).

You can enter a man made ice grotto that is cut into the living glacier. The grotto has to be dug out every summer since the glacier moves about 70m every year.

Inside there is information about the ice, glacier and ice sculptures.

It is the most amazing blue color I have ever seen.

Once you are done in the ice grotto you get to climb the 400 something steps back up to the train station.

The hike down and back was nice with all the views but a little sad seeing all the markers for past years where the glacier used to be. I am glad we got to see it before its gone.

The ride back on the train is also very scenic.

We all enjoyed this visit so much!

Cory and the kids pretended to sleep on the way back.

We got the kids their puffer jackets right before leaving for our trip and I am so glad we did! They pack down small, are light to wear and are very warm. They work great for travel and life in Colorado!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Europe, France + Switzerland Travel Log, Travel

September 3, 2022

 Aiguille du Midi – Chamonix, France

If I had to choose one place that I loved visiting the most from our trip it would be Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, France. The views here were unreal. The pictures look like paintings and it was even more stunning in person!

We started our day at 5am in Annecy and drove a little over an hour to get to Chamonix. We parked at the base of the Aiguille du Midi cable car, where you can also stay the night.

These are the faces of kids who are pretty tired and aren’t sure about their parents anymore.

We wanted to get up the mountain early before it became super crowded and we did catch the first cable car up the mountain.

Aiguille du Midi is the highest mountain peak served by an aerial lift system. The name translates literally to “Needle of the Mid-day”.

We stopped at Plan de l’Aiguille, the mid point, to got out to look around a bit. Also young children (and anyone really) can get sick when ascending so quickly up the mountain, so we thought a tiny break might be a good idea.

The morning sun on the mountains was stunning!

We walked around a bit then got on another cable car to ride to the top.

You can see in the photo above to pointy peak, that is where you ride to.

{Source}

It is a two-stage journey. The first leg brings visitors to the Plan de l’Aiguille (2,317m). The second stage, without any support pillar, traverses Les Pelerins glacier before rising up the North Face of the Aiguille du Midi at the top station (3778m). A footbridge connects the cable car top station with the Central Piton terrace. An elevator inside the rock rises the visitor the final 42m to the top terrace at an altitude of 3,842m.

We thought about taking the Panoramic Mont Blanc cable car, that spins 360 degrees while taking you to Italy. We decided not to because the day was cloudy so we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the views, but I am dying to go back and experience that.

We did the “Step into the Void” which is a glass room with a glass floor, situated off the uppermost terrace of the Aiguille du Midi at an altitude of 3842 meters.

It was very cold at the top but the views made it worth it.

I think Cannon would have liked a nap.

I love our Colorado Rockies, but the Alps forever have my heart.

{Source}

We took our time exploring the complex at the top, which is very impressive! Then rode back down to the mid-point.

We went for a little hike from Plan de l’Aiguille

It is so stunning here!

We hiked down to the cutest mountain side restaurant.

Can we PLEASE get some of these in Colorado?!?

We stopped and for our lunch and enjoyed some regional specialties.

Many hikers were actually stopping here after hiking up from Chamonix.

That hike is beyond our current ability with a 4 and 6 year old but it’s goals for the future.

I think this was one of my favorite meals ever.

We then hiked back up to Plan de l’Aiguille to catch the cable car back to Chamonix.

You can also hike from this area to Mer de Glace and take the cog train back down. That hike is also on the bucket list for when we can hike further.

Most of the hiking signs in France are labeled in time instead of distance which I dislike because everyone hikes at different speeds. If you tell me how far it is I can figure out how long it will take us. You can see on the sign that Mer de Glace is 2 hours and 40 minutes away, I think it would take us much longer.

We loved this visit, and we think it is a must see when visiting France! Please go and then tell me how much you love it.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Europe, France + Switzerland Travel Log, Travel

September 2, 2022

Annecy – France

We woke up in the morning in Annecy France, right at the base of the French Alps.

This place is seriously stunning, with lots to explore.

The town sits right on the banks of lake Annecy and features lots of canals.

We walked down to the historic part of town and took some time to say hello to friendly French cats.

Emmy especially loves cats.

The color of the water here is unbelievable.

We walked along the canal into old town until we found a little cafe to stop at.

This was definitely what I dreamed of doing when planning our trip to France. We tried the Tartiflette, made with local Reblochon cheese, potatoes, lardons, and onions. It is one of the dishes famous to Annecy that has a lot of Swiss influence.

After eating we continued to walk around old town.

We walked up and explored the famous Annecy Castle then back down to play at a playground in the shadow of medieval churches.

It was a fairly warm day so we needed to stop for ice cream after playing.

Then we made our way back down to the lake where we found a historic carousel.

And then more time at playgrounds, because we are asking a lot of patience and good behavior while we travel and the kids deserve time to play.

French playgrounds are pretty great.

Can’t beat the views either!

We spent the rest of the evening at our campground because we had some chores to do.

The kids played on the playground and a few rounds of put-put golf while we cleaned the RV and did a few loads of laundry. Often while traveling in the USA or Europe we will just “wild camp” where it’s allowed but since this was near mid trip we needed some services to refill water, dump tanks and do laundry. This little campground in Annecy was so fun and a perfect place to refresh.

We had pizza from a little food truck and tried to get to sleep early because we were getting up before the sun to drive to Chamonix in the morning.

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September 1, 2022

Gouffre de Padirac – France Travel Log

I was so excited to drive a little south so we could explore the Gouffre de Padirac. The Gouffre de Padirac is one of the largest cave systems in France, I saw a travel channel on YouTube visit and I knew I waned to add it to our list. It almost got cut but I am so glad it didn’t we loved touring the caves.

The opening is a giant circular sink hole where you climb down many flights of stairs.

We had purchased tickets online before arriving and there was a small line when we arrived. It was easy to park and navigate our way in. There was also an audio guide you can take with you and listen to as you go down into the cave.

Everything was so beautiful.

Walking down into the caves was really fun and we all loved it.

I didn’t take the time or have the equipment to take good pictures in the dark caves.

There are beautiful pools and cave structures to explore.

One of our favorite parts was that there is a river through the caves that you take a boat through. You have a guide on the boat that will tell you all about the caves and answer any questions.

You’re not allowed to take pictures while on the boats so here are some from the website

Source

Riding a boat on an underground river was an amazing experience. We all loved this visit so much!

Our tickets to the caves were first thing in the morning so when we were done we had time to drive all the way to the French Alps to kick off the mountain section of our trip.

5.5 hours is a long(ish) drive but the views were amazing and we stopped in a lovely little French town for lunch at a park where we stretched our legs.

We arrived in Annecy after dark where all we had to do was park, and move the sleeping kids from their car seats to the beds. Traveling by RV is really my favorite.

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August 31, 2022

Château de Chenonceau

After leaving Mont Saint-Michel, we drove east towards the very heart of France. The Loire Valley is know as the Château region of France where thousands of Châteaus can be found. It was hard to choose which one to visit! We finally settled on Château de Chenonceau because we liked how it was built over a river.

I mean….look at it?!?

From Rick Steves:

“Château de Chenonceau is a 16th-century Renaissance palace arching elegantly over the Cher River. Nicknamed the “château of the ladies,” it was the home — and work — of many famous women over the centuries. Most of the design decisions for the main building were made by the wife of the original owner, as he was so often away on the king’s business. A later resident, King Henry II’s mistress Diane de Poitiers, added a bridge across the river to access the hunting grounds. Diane enjoyed her lovely retreat until Henry was killed (pierced in a jousting tournament) and his vengeful wife, Catherine de Médici, unceremoniously kicked Diane out into the nearby château of Chaumont. Catherine added new gardens and rooms to the palace, including the three-story structure atop Diane’s bridge that has ever since given Chenonceau its unique river-spanning charm. Catherine died before completing her full vision, but not before turning her château into the local aristocracy’s the place to see and be seen.”

The grounds are so grand and the history is so rich.

The kids loved the hedge maze, and all the gardens.

We enjoyed lunch beside the moat and had really good weather. My only complaint is that the coffees are tiny.

Diane de Poitiers garden was so beautiful and a great place for the kids to spin and play before going inside the Château.

You can also rent boats to take on the river during the summer months!

We had tickets to tour the inside of the Château after lunch.

The interior was so interesting and beautiful. We all liked the servant areas best, especially the kitchen where they would unload food shipments directly from boats on the river.

After the tour we enjoyed the rest of the gardens.

They were all so beautiful and different from each other.

We really loved the flower and vegetable gardens.

But we particularly loved the Donkey Park as we were leaving for the day.

After exploring most of the day we were very happy to get back to the RV, relax and drive to our next destination, the Gouffre de Padirac.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Europe, France + Switzerland Travel Log, Travel

August 29, 2022

Visiting the Eiffel Tower With Kids

We only had about half a day in Paris before picking up our RV and heading out on our road trip. We decided the best thing to do with our time was to return to the Eiffel tower and try to get all the way to the top.

Emmy was very excited to start our day at a little cafe big fans of Pain au chocolat. Our hotel was near the Eiffel Tower so we got there nice and early.

We had planned on taking the stairs to the second platform, then taking the elevator to the summit. We didn’t know that two legs of the tower offer access to the stairs and two have access to the elevator all the way. When we got to the front of the line they told us we had to go get into another line to climb but could get tickets in the elevators all the way to the top. We didn’t want to wait in another line and possibly miss getting tickets to the summit so we happily took the elevator.

The views are just incredible from every level.

Waiting in line to get to the summit isn’t bad when we had these views.

The summit was incredible, they sell champagne and macarons so it’s fun to see people celebrating all different occasions.

After our time at the top we took the elevator back down to the first platform where we had lunch.

When we were done we walked around the Champ de Mars and found a cute little Carousel of the Eiffel Tower.

Too soon we had to gather our luggage from the hotel and catch an Uber to pick up our RV. We were able to adjust pretty well to the time change by staying up late on our first night in France.

We got our RV and on the road in the afternoon, it was fun to be in the same model as the one we rented in Germany in 2019.

Look at these 2019 babies!

We recommend Indie Campers if you need a rental abroad or in the US. We are already thinking about renting a van for a UK trip soon!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Europe, France + Switzerland Travel Log, Travel

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We are having so much fun learning to ski as a fam We are having so much fun learning to ski as a family! Ski traffic I could do without 🫠
✨2022✨ I can honestly say this was the best ✨2022✨ 

I can honestly say this was the best year of my life. So many adventures. I am loving the ages of these kiddos and cherish our time together. 

Very unsure if we can top this in 2023 but we are sure going to try!
We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄 We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄
Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not h Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not hating winter this year! ❄️
We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the N We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the North Pole and seeing Santa! 

The kids had so much fun and it was way cuter than I was expecting. They said it was better than Disneyland 😂 @northpolecolorado
Happy Halloween!!! Cannon really wanted to be To Happy Halloween!!! 

Cannon really wanted to be Toad from Super Mario this year so we tagged along. 

Scroll to see 2021-> 2020 -> 2019 -> 2018 -> 2017 -> 2016 🎃
We finished up our tour of France with a couple da We finished up our tour of France with a couple days in Disneyland Paris. I love Disney Parks and visiting Disneyland Paris was a dream come true. We had such an amazing time on our entire trip. 

We are trying to plan our next trip. Where is the best place you have ever been? Do you have a favorite trip? I would love to hear about it. My parents say that Ireland was their favorite so UK tops the list currently but Italy or Costa Rica are on the list too.
In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus tour to see the major sights. Our favorites included walking the entire Champs-Élysées and climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We missed out on seeing the Catacombs because we didn’t get tickets early enough. c’est la vie, I guess we will have to go back 😉
A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing our trip to France 🫠 better late than never! 

We spent our first day back in Paris with a trip to Versailles. We loved the gardens so much and particularly enjoyed Marie Antoinette’s little farm. The history here is incredible and the opulence overwhelming. We walked over 10 miles on our visit!
Before our long drive back to Paris we did the thr Before our long drive back to Paris we did the three castle hike in Ribeauvillé, France. We climbed up the side of a hill to three castle ruins from the 14th century. It was really fun to explore and a great way to burn some energy before a long drive.
While we were in the Alsace region of France we vi While we were in the Alsace region of France we visited the sweet little village of Riquewihr. Rumor says this was the inspiration for Belle’s village in Disney’s Beaty and the Beast. Can you see it? We could and kept singing Bonjour while walking through town.
After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colma After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colmar. This sweet little town in the Alsace region of France near the German border. We loved all the half timber buildings and winding streets. We had some great local food and wine. Colmar was a lovely place to get lost for an afternoon.
It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person. The peak was never fully clear of clouds while we were there which was a little disappointing but it was still majestic . We took a cog train and gondola up then hiked about five miles down on the five lakes trail. It was a beautiful day and we got to enjoy lunch mid hike. We loved the little (car free) town of Zermatt. We enjoyed some fun Swiss playgrounds in town before dinner. I love Switzerland and it’s mountains!
With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a go With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a gondola and cable car up Le Brévent. We enjoyed hot chocolates and crepes at the top with views of Mont Blanc. 

Next it was time to drive on to Switzerland 🇨🇭
We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Cha We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Chamonix to Montenvers to visit the Mer de Glace  glacier. At the top you can take a gondola a little way down then MANY stairs to the glacier. It was sad to see the markers of where the glacier was in years past and how much it has shrunk. We did love exploring an ice cave that they dig out each year. We had to try twice to get into the ice caves as the first time it closed right as we arrived due to a storm. It was worth taking the train twice.
After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we sto After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we stopped half way down for a couple mile hike and a stop at a mountain hut for lunch. This might have been my favorite lunch ever. The views were amazing and the weather was nice. The mountains here are STUNNING!!! #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explo We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explore the French Alps. The experience we were most excited about was taking the gondola up the 
Aiguille du Midi (highest cable car in France). You switch cable cars half way up so you can enjoy the views. The top outpost is incredible perching on top of the mountain. I’ve never seen anything like it! 

The day wasn’t completely clear but the views were still incredible. #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
After a long drive across the French countryside w After a long drive across the French countryside we landed in Annecy at the foot of the Alps. 

Annecy was such a pretty little town on the bank of a gorgeous turquoise lake.  We got to enjoy lunch at a canal side cafe, wander the streets, enjoy ice cream and playground hop our way through town. 

Very excited about our next few days in mountains of France + Switzerland.
We drove into the heart of France to visit the Go We drove into the heart of France to visit the  Gouffre de Padirac. A large cave system including an underground river. I don’t have many good pictures given the lighting and lack of patience. We loved climbing down into the cave and riding a boat along the river. Probably my favorite cave that I have visited. Kids loved all of it too and are so good about us dragging them along with us across France.
After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire to visit Château de Chenonceau. It was stunning and the gardens were fun to explore. The history here is so rich!
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