On Monday, we did a quick trip downtown to the Grand Place and Mannequin Pis and for some chocolate dipped Belgian waffles and pomme frites! Then I was off to drive Debbie’s car to the Abby at Ruldoc in the Netherlands to drop Aili off. We almost made it all the way there without a hitch until just 1 km away, the GPS told me to go on a bike path. I know there are little roads in Europe, but I’m pretty sure this was just for bikes! Anyway, Aili’s...

Sunday - family BBQ day! Diane, Bart, Rowan and Brent came over as well as Vanessa and Alain. We kicked the ball around the park for a while - Aidan loved the park with two little mini goals so we could play "full field soccer" with us each having our own goal! Alain and Grandma joined us as well – with Grandma firmly planted in goal! The BBQ was terrific and the weather perfect – will Deb pulling out her new sun umbrella to cover the table because it...

After our buffet breakfast, we Metro'd it to the Louvre, strolling a bit through the gardens first and then into the palatial museum. We hit the ancient foundation display, first, then toured through the sarcophagi and hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptian wing. Then we ticked off the obligatory Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo before bailing for lunch. Next, a quick jaunt down to Notre Dame, then past the Hotel de Ville and a Metro back to the hotel. That evening, Ai...

Off to Paris! We impressed ourselves by hitting the road by 9:00am. We're still waking up early due to jet lag so that definitely helped. To break up the trip we decided on a slight detour to a tiny French town about an hour North of Paris with a medieval castle – Chateaux Pierrefonds. We picnicked in the town square, then headed up the hill to the fortress. It was an amazingly restored castle above an unbelievably little picturesque town with a self-guided...