Dagbók Hrefnu og Finns

Italy Day 2: Walking Around Rocca D’Arazzo

2014-08-03Uncategorized Standard

[This HAPPENED on 03 August 2014, but was written 24 SEPTEMBER 2014. Take everything with a grain of salt!]

This semi-clouded Sunday, Holla and I ventured out with the kids to visit a near-by water-slide park, which turned out to be CLOSED!! No, there was no notice on their Facebook page, or on their website. All I could find was that they ‘reserved the right to close if the weather wasn’t good enough’. We were so shocked we didn’t even take a photo of the closed-waterpark-at-a-distance-across-an-access-bridge-that-was-closed… but Google Street View did: (49 images total)

This is as close as we got to the Asti-Lido waterpark. Oh, and there were NO SIGNS directing us how to get there. Maybe that was the hint that it was closed?

Italy Day 1: Chillin’ in the Heat

2014-08-02Uncategorized Standard

[This HAPPENED on 02 August 2014, but was written 10 SEPTEMBER 2014. Take everything with a grain of salt!]

After all the driving we did to get to Italy from France the day before, the first full day in Italy was designated quiet! So we just hung out in and by the mini-mansion. It was neither terribly hot nor humid, just somewhat. It was nice! (27 images total)

Ah, wildlife!

France Day 9: To Italy!

2014-08-01Uncategorized Standard

[Written 26 August 2014. Yay, same month!]

On this lovely Friday we packed up all our stuff and Finnur took the kids on a RPG-related shopping excursion while I cleaned the house. Cleaning when it’s warm is no fun. Ugh. Really no fun. It did get done though.

We were finally all set to go at 12:30, and drove an hour south-east to Chambery, where we ate a late lunch. We got back on the road without looking into any of the shops I wanted to visit, and continued driving south-east-ish towards Asti in Italy.

Of course, this first Friday in August is a popular travel day, so we had to wait in traffic for almost an hour before we got to enter the tunnel that goes between France and Italy, but aside from that, the drive went relatively smoothly. (I think that was the only traffic jam?)

We met up with our friends, Holla and Óli, at a supermarket in Asti to buy groceries. They’d left their house in Chambery about the time we departed Lyon, so they arrived at the house we’d rented ahead of us, which was great because we were running quite a bit behind schedule, and the lady with the keys had dinner plans.

Anyway, onto pictures! (32 imagest total)

Finnur: “A small shop in Lyon, France, displaying piles and piles of… well, stuff really. Note the chair in the photo. It is probably the only thing not for sale – it’s where the salesperson sits. “

France Day 8: Tree Climbing vs. Playgrounds

2014-07-31Uncategorized Standard

[Written 25 AUGUST 2014. I hope.]

While visiting a website for Things to do with kids in Lyon, I saw that there was an ‘adventure garden‘ right by the church on the hill, where people can climb in trees, over rope bridges, etc.

Sadly, my right heel was still busted, so I figured I had no business climbing in trees. Instead, Finnur and I split the kids between us for the afternoon. He took the big kids to the adventure garden around lunchtime, while I had Emma and we visited a couple of playgrounds post-nap.

The big kids LOVED the adventure garden so much that they claimed it was the best thing they did on the entire trip!

Once the tired climbers returned around dinner-time, I attempted to go shopping, but finding a place to eat dinner, and then eating it took up so much time that there was no shopping. Boohoo. (Previously I’d squeaked out 45 minutes at one of the H&M stores, while Finnur shopped for groceries, and that was it for clothes shopping until the day we flew back to Iceland!) (21 images total and 1 video)

Short clips from the adventure garden.

France Day 7: Cinema and Miniature Museum and Dinner in Old Lyon

2014-07-30Uncategorized Standard

[Written 25 AUGUST 2014. In the daytime!]

This Wednesday began relatively quietly, but after Emma’s nap we piled everybody into the car and drove to the old part of Lyon to visit the Cinema and Miniature Museum, which was highly ranked on TripAdvisor. After our visit, we walked around a tiny bit while I consulted the TripAdvisor app on my phone for where to eat because there was a ton of restaurants, and hard to tell which had good food vs. being tourist traps. (65 images total!)

Emma playing!

France Day 6: Finnur’s 40th Birthday!

2014-07-29Uncategorized Standard

[Written 24 AUGUST 2014. School starts tomorrow!]

Finnur turned 40 years old and our collective gift to him was not going anywhere for a whole day, except I took the kids on a playground/bakery/grocery store walk before lunch. (15 images total)

Finnur the birthday boy with his mini-cake from the awesome local bakery.

France Day 5: Old Brasserie and the Lyon Aquarium

2014-07-28Uncategorized Standard

[Written 24 AUGUST 2014. It’s a good memory exercise!]

Although the day before was ‘active’, this Monday was also an ‘active’ day (two ‘active’ days in a row are generally a no-no).

I can only blame myself because I’d told Anna we’d visit the Lyon aquarium on some previous day, and then backtracking when the timing didn’t work out, promising we’d do it, say, on Monday.

First though we had to get lunch, and (the royal) we decided to try the famous Brasserie Georges, which is the oldest brasserie in the city, and one of the largest in Europe (according to wikipedia). (23 images total)

But first, the biggest news of the day, which was Bjarki losing his first upper front tooth (both the lowers ones are gone)!

Can’t forget the biggest news of the day, which was Bjarki losing his first upper front tooth (both the lower ones are gone)!

France Day 4: Lyon Zoo and a Hilltop Church with Friends

2014-07-27Uncategorized Standard

[Written 23 AUGUST 2014. It’s quiet here.]

Our friends, Holla and Óli, were in the area with their kids and Óli’s mom at the same time we were. (By ‘the area’ I mean they were a one hour drive away from us, in Chambéry.) They wanted to check out Lyon though, so we planned to go visit the Lyon zoo, and then maybe the hilltop church.

It was a super-sunny day, and pretty warm too, so we weren’t the most energetic people ever, but the day mostly went fine. (31 images total)

Three kids and a piano. So quiet!

France Day 3: Thunderstorm

2014-07-26Uncategorized Standard

[Written 21 AUGUST 2014. In ten minutes (3 pm) I need to go pick Emma up from daycare, where she’s been solo since 10 am. My baaaaaaaaby!!!!]

The mobile internet thing kept not working, so we decided to try the cell phone store One. More. Time. Failing that, there was another cell phone store nearby that was our backup. (19 images total)

We ventured out before lunch, to the same shopping street as before, and ate lunch at yet another restaurant. Yes, I admit it, eating out is one of my favorite things to do when abroad, especially when in countries with good food! Yes, eating out was a wee bit stressful with Emma needing constant care and attention, but still… new food!!

Emma getting a piece of steak from her dad.

France Day 2: Homebound Splashing and a Fancy Restaurant

2014-07-25Uncategorized Standard

[Written 18 AUGUST 2014. No Bárðarbunga eruption yet.]

Since our first full day in France wasn’t quite as relaxing we needed it to be, our second day was as relaxing as we could make it.

We basically stayed at home for most of this lovely Friday, filling up the splashing pool in the garden for some water-play, and napping while Emma napped and the big kids computerized themselves.

Around 6 pm we decided we really needed to do something about our non-functioning mobile internet, so we went back to street with the cell phone store. As luck would have it, the store was very close to a restaurant our house-owners had recommended in the guide they left us, so that was our designated dinner-place.

It was only when we arrived at the restaurant in question that it dawned on us that it was a faaaancy restaurant! So, just to be sure, I was sent inside to ask if we could a) bring kids, and b) be casually dressed, and if so, then c) could we eat there, please? The receptionist was quite positive, so we booked a table for 7 pm, and spent the time until then at the cell phone store (still no luck getting the MiFi to work). (23 images total)

Emma has the rather disturbing habit of drinking any and all water she comes into contact with, no matter the source or location.