The morning started off rather unnoteworthy. We got the girls up, had breakfast, and left the albergue immediately turning in the opposite direction of everyone else in our guesthouse, toward the Valcarlos route. There are two main routes to get from St. Jean Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles. There is the Napoleon route that goes up and…
Walking the Camino de Santiago: Arrival in St. Jean Pied-de-Port
You know you’re on the Camino before you even arrive in St. Jean Pied-de-Port. As the trains get closer, it shifts from one or two other packs adorned with scallop shells, to cars filled with excited pilgrims ready for the adventure they are about to embark on. We had a long travel day to get…
Disneyland Paris: Phantoms & Pirates & Peter Pan, oh my!
We only spent two days in Disneyland Paris, but we crammed so much fun into those two days that it is hard to believe it was barely 48-hours ago that we were climbing aboard Peter Pan’s Flight, the first ride of the day. I’ll be the first to admit that I was more excited for…
Paris, France: But Where’s the Lift?
Before coming on this trip, Sandra and I talked about doing an escape room in Paris. We scoped out one that is themed around the Paris metro system, using an old metro car. I thought this sounded great. After traveling on the Paris metro system, I feel like the subway is riddle enough in itself….
Amsterdam, Netherlands: What Were We Thinking?
We started our trip energized and excited, but travel to the Netherlands quickly deflated our spirits and had us wondering aloud “what were we thinking? Is walking the Camino de Santiago insane? Is this trip too big for two little kids?” It started with our train to Amsterdam. We’d had a struggle with the Eurail…
London, England: A Happy Happenstance
After months of endless talking and dreaming and planning, our big Europe trip to go walk the Camino de Santiago is finally here! First stop, London, England! Our initial plan was to fly into Paris, spend a few days recovering from the jetlag, and then begin walking the Camino from St. Jean Pied-de-Port. As the…
2021/2022 Winter Reflection
This year, our winter reflection can be broken down into two distinct phases: winter pre-Eloise, and winter with Eloise. We moved out to our acreage last year, and while I love our acreage life, I’ve found myself missing city sidewalks and streetlights during the dark and icy months. When our children are older, I imagine…
Camino de Santiago Preparation is Underway!
In April, our little family of four is set to embark on quite the adventure. We are going to walk the Camino de Santiago — an 800-kilometer pilgrimage across northern Spain. We will start in the south of France in a town called St. Jean Pied-de-Port, and we will walk west until we reach Santiago,…
Singing in the Rain at the Butchart Gardens
When we found out that it was supposed to rain for our entire trip to Victoria, we were initially quite disappointed (even though it is typical winter weather for the area). We wanted to be outdoors walking, and that didn’t sound very enjoyable to do in the rain with an infant and a toddler. Instead,…
In the Air: Visiting the Malahat Skywalk
In an attempt to escape winter, Sandra and I took the kids for a little weekend getaway to Victoria, BC, where we met up with our good friends Bryan and Drew. It has been the getaway we needed, and we are enjoying some outdoor time away from the deep freeze that’s going on in Edmonton….