Where is the world are the Todas?

So... it has been a few weeks since our last post and we have been getting some hints that we need to provide more updates :).

Valarie has been traveling for work. After Paris, she headed to Berlin for a few days. The family missed her, so that weekend we decided to go to the zoo!! The Artis Royal Zoo (at the airport it says it's the "Second Most Popular Attraction in Amsterdam", not sure what the first is)?

Marion had a blast at the zoo. She loved the camels, the giraffes and the lions the most.

Only a moat between the animals and us... the lack of safety features made dad very nervous.

 Mom- look at the lion!!

They also serve wine at the Zoo... huge success!

The giraffes came very close to say hello.

 

The day after the zoo Mom headed to Japan for work and Auntie Kali came to visit!! Devon, Kali, and Marion had a great few days in Amsterdam. They visited the Van Gogh Museum, walked the canals and tried the local favorites.

 Kali was brave and tried jenever, the Dutch predecessor of gin. 

 Marion was very excited that Auntie had a great reading voice. They read lots of books together, and Auntie was very patient when Marion wanted to read the same books over and over.

 At the Albert Cuyp market, the Todas got stuck in a rainstorm.

 The tram was nice and dry.

A great visit!!

Val was sad she missed Kali, but did enjoy the Japanese cuisine. This particular meal included 10 different local items deep fried on a stick. It was like Iron Chef: battle deep fryer :-) So good.

Bonjour from Paris, France!

This weekend we took a lovely trip to Paris, France. Val took the train from London to Paris on Thursday, and Devon and Marion took the train from Amsterdam to join her on Friday. We stayed on the outskirts of the touristy area (15th district) and got to see a little bit of the local side of town. We ate at some local restaurants and visited some parks off the beaten path. 

Having said all that, enjoy some photos of us as tourists in Paris. :-)

At the train station in Amsterdam, Marion contemplated the size of the universe while waiting for our train to pull in.

On the train Marion enjoyed telling some interesting stories with her felt board and watching the adventures of Mickey Mouse on the iPad. Both activities lasted about 7 minutes and then she was ready to move on. 14 minutes down, 191 to go...

Our first stop once we arrived was of course, the Eiffel Tower! Marion enjoyed riding on our shoulders and picking up rocks off the ground. But mostly the rocks.

After we saw the tower we found the nearby carousel and Marion went for her first carousel ride. She tried the more traditional horse at first, but quickly found a much cooler airplane. Lots of smiles as we went around and around. Interesting side note: the ticket taker for the ride tried to shake Devon down for some extra euros, and Devon would have none of it.

After visiting the tower, we were ready to take a walk down memory lane and visit Rue Cler, the street were Devon popped the question. We found the very spot where we got engaged and of course, took a selfie.

A few doors down we found a great cafe for an early dinner. Marion enjoyed the bread and caught up on emails.

On Saturday, we walked the Champs-Elysee, from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe. We stopped in the Jardin de Tuileries to enjoy the beautiful scenery and a glorious glass of champagne. Devon mistakenly ordered a fruit beer, not pictured.

  

After the whole family had a well deserved nap, we headed to Musee Rodin to see The Thinker. We got there about an hour before closing and it only cost 2 euro to tour the garden.  

We only got to see a few statues, Marion started playing with the rocks and we decided to enjoy a few minutes of solitude while she had independent play time. 

The next day it was time to return home. Marion woke up with lots of energy so we found a neighborhood park for her to play before the 4 hour train ride back to Amsterdam.