Our first weekend away

Our first night out in Dijon

I started to post about Istanbul, but then I remembered that BK and I had a little trip just before that one- our first weekend getaway without Baby K. I posted a few days ago about my mom coming to visit last month, and while she and TP were here, they offered to keep Baby K over one weekend so that BK and I could have a "pre-10-year-anniversary" trip. Yes, I know, it's hard to believe, but BK and I will have been married for a decade this June.

Bourgogne vineyards

Of course, we jumped on her offer and planned a trip to the Burgundy wine region in France. It's about a three-hour drive from Montreux, which is totally doable for the weekend. And just to note, the "Burgundy" region is working on going back to its French name of Bourgogne, so we'll go with that from here on out.

While in Bourgogne we stayed in Dijon and also visited Beaune (Bone) on Sunday. Dijon is the biggest city in the region with about 200,000 people living there. We decided to stay there because there were larger hotels and we figured we could get more guidance about and around the region. We stayed at the Grand Hotel La Cloche Dijon, which I would highly recommend- super attentive staff, large rooms, and great location.

Dijon center

Our first night we had one of the best meals we've ever had at Chapeau Rouge Restaurant William Frachot. The French definitely know how to do food. It was a fixed menu with a wine pairing and it was excellent. After dinner we went to a couple of bars in the center of Dijon, then didn't even have to leave early to go relieve a babysitter!!

On Saturday we discovered that it takes a couple of days to get out of your parent routine and sleep later than when your kid wakes up. We had a lazy, rainy morning wandering around the center of Dijon, then in the afternoon went on a private wine tour.

A rainy Saturday in Dijon

Our guide was an American who had lived in the area for about 20 years. Bourgogne, and Europe in general, is not like Napa Valley or other American wine regions. Typically you don't go visit specific wineries, but go to a couple of historically significant places in the area, learn about the wine making and industry in the area, then visit a tasting room where you'll taste a number of different types of wine from various producers in the region.

This pic seems to be missing a third little person...

For a newbie, the whole system in Bourgogne is a little dizzying, in that the most important thing about the wine is the specific plot of land the grapes were grown on, versus the winemaker, blend of grapes, or vintage. In Borgogne, nearly everything they grow is Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. If a rebel was to come in and grow a different type of grape, in theory they could, but then their wine would be classified as just "French wine", which is a step down from being able to state your specific plot of land, etc. Land is too expensive to mess around with something like that, so it's typically not done. I would get into the whole Grand Cru, Premier Cru, system as well, but it's just a lot to take in and write about. If you're interested, I would suggest doing a little research on it.

Old wine press

The tour was really interesting and informative. We went to Clos du Vougeot, a chateau in the area that is the home of Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, a wine society devoted to promoting Bourgogne wine and the region as well. The Chateau started as a monastery in the 12th century and has been functioning ever since. After visiting the Chateau, we drove through some of the villages and areas in the region, ending up in Fixin (Fee-sa) for our tasting. I felt this was fitting for two Texans.

Couldn't resist

To be completely honest, the wines of Bourgogne weren't really our thing. The whites were similar to Chardonnay, which I am not a fan of, and the reds were Pinot Noirs, which BK isn't really a fan of. The region and experience were really cool to learn about, but the wines are just okay. But, to each their own, so don't judge just based on our opinions.

Private tasting cellar

Wines we tasted

Sunday we slept a little later and then headed to Beaune. It is a charming city of about 25,000 people. I liked it better than Dijon, mostly based on the feel of the city versus Dijon. It has a well known hospice (hospital), L'Hotel Dieu, that has been hosting a world famous wine auction each year. L'Hotel Dieu is not a functioning hospital anymore, but the wine auction does still benefit the local hospital and other local charities. It is now a museum that has a good audio tour and beautiful grounds to see. You should go if you're in the area. In addition to this, we had some regional specialties for lunch, did a wine tasting, and bought some wine while we were there- a great end to the weekend.

L'Hotel Dieu

We had a great time on our first weekend away from Baby K, and only FaceTimed a couple of times. I did have some typical mom guilt that I was leaving Baby K on her first birthday, but we celebrated all morning until her nap time, then I'm sure my mom and TP had fun with her the rest of the weekend.

Spain and Portugal are up next for us. Hopefully I can get to our other adventures as well soon!

Party of three in Paris

Paris with an infant? Yes, it can be done! TR, Baby K and I ventured off to the city of lights last month during her visit to Basel. This was Baby K's first multi-night trip away from home and TR's first trip to Paris. Fun times!

Similar to what BK and I did last year, the three of us took the TGV (fast train) to Paris, which is about three hours from Basel. I was a little concerned about this train ride with Baby K, but only because unlike trains around Switzerland, the TGV has assigned seats, meaning that she could not ride in her bassinet on the way there. The train ride still went well though, I put her in the carrier and she did great. A nap and one meal later, made it to Paris.

On our way to Paris!

For this trip, I used www.airbnb.com for the first time and rented an apartment for the three of us in the Montemarte neighborhood of Paris. TR and I researched how to get there from the train station using the metro. This would have been a good plan had we not had the stroller and rolling duffel bag. As a warning, the Paris metro is NOT stroller friendly at all. Very few stations have elevators and you have to wander way out of the way to get to them, if they are available. We ended up carrying the stroller up and down many sets of stairs like the ones below. Baby K and I worked TR pretty hard that first day, so after all that she was up for anything.

A small set of stairs in the Metro

I really liked having an apartment for the three of us, and would go that route again. The only downside is that you don't have anyone to help you get around or answer random questions you might have about how to do things around the city. I liked the apartment because it had a separate bedroom that I could put Baby K down in, and when she got up earlier in the morning than TR would have wanted to, she and I could get up and start our day in the living room and kitchen, doing what we needed to do before we went out for the day.

Abbesses- our Metro station

The Montemarte neighborhood is where Sacre Coeur is located and is a favorite for many people. Often Baby K and I would get out and take a walk in the mornings, picking up croissants and fruit for breakfast, and the neighborhood makes you really feel like you're in Paris. It's what you imagine- small cafes, shops and markets line the cobblestone streets, not too much traffic, and lots of locals going about their daily lives in the morning. I like this area, but it's a little removed from the center of Paris where everything is located.

Sacre Coeur

The first night there, TR picked Cafe des Deux Moulins for dinner. Yes, it is the one from the Amelie movie (neither of us have seen), but was also not far from our apartment. It's good, typical French fare; something easy before getting out for the night. I did the usual bath and bed time routine with Baby K and put her down for the night at the apartment. Pretty much as soon as she's asleep, you can take her out for the night, simply putting the bassinet on the stroller and making sure she's covered up. She typically sleeps through anything. It's pretty awesome.

Snoozing through dinner

After dinner we made a brief stop in front of Moulin Rouge. TR was surprised that it was not a freestanding building on it's own. It's not- it's in a row of buildings in our neighborhood, just like most of the other businesses and shops. We didn't go to a show, but I would still highly recommend it if you're in Paris; it was one of BK and my favorite things that we did there.

Moulin Rouge

After many more steps up and down in the metro, TR and I managed to get down to the Eiffel Tower. It is magnificent at night. Last time we visited Paris, BK and I went to the top of Arc D'Triomphe at night and saw the Eiffel Tower from afar, but seeing it all lit up right there is different. I actually think it's much prettier at night than during the day, but on the other hand, you also don't have the views you have during the day.

Eiffel Tower at night

We wrapped up our evening after this stop, tying unsuccessfully to get home via bus, and eventually carrying the stroller up and down more steps to the metro. We arrived back at the apartment around 1am and fell into bed.

The next couple of days held new adventures for the three of us, but this post is getting long and Baby K is about ready to get up from her morning nap, so those will have to come later. I'll be back soon with more!

Christmas markets in Colmar

Yesterday BK and I went with some friends to Colmar, France to visit the Christmas markets. It's still kind of weird to me that we can just hop on a train and be in another country in less than an hour. The weather in Basel and the surrounding areas has actually been pretty good- highs around 45 or so, but sunny!

Colmar train station

It's a nice walk from the train station to the middle of the city and you pass some interesting buildings on the way.

Former palace, now government building

Water tower

Colmar is an Alsatian town, is very charming and is known for its "petit Venice", with canals going through the middle of town. Our first stop was a late lunch at a restaurant that served regional specialties that was very near one of the canals. If you venture to Colmar make sure to make reservations at a restaurant, as they are nearly impossible to get into without one!

Colmar canal

The whole city is decorated for Christmas, which makes it seems like there is a fair going on all month long, with rides, craft stalls, food stalls, mulled wine, and lots of lights everywhere. Colmar has many little shops that offer handmade, local goods ranging from food to textiles to clothing. Most of the streets in this area are off limits for cars, making it easy to get around.

I thought I would post the picture below…every time I try to get BK to pose for a picture with me right now, the first thing he does is stick his "belly" out toward mine for the photo. We missed the one where he was doing his pose, but you get the idea.

Colmar street

The city looks completely different at night with everything lit up. After our lunch we just explored the town, stopping in random stores and stall along the way, with AH, CH and BK enjoying some mulled wine and me enjoying some hot chocolate. Here are a few pics of the rest of our time there.

We caught the train back to Basel around 7 and headed home. Unfortunately, that also meant that we were then getting BK ready to head to the US for ten days before I get there. 

So, it's just me and the boys this week…we'll keep ourselves busy walking, finishing Christmas shopping, wrapping up things for the year here, various appointments for Baby K and spending time with friends here before heading to the US for Christmas.