We flew back from Costa Rica for one last weekend in New York. It was an overnight flight so we started the day with a GINORMOUS diner breakfast in Midtown Manhattan and took in the last sights we wanted to see in that area. We bussed back to the Gargiulo’s for a feast of “Joey’s Meatballs” and our final goodbyes – see you again soon, sweet friends!
And just like that, the North America part of our adventure was over!
We had another overnight flight, this time heading for Paris, but despite having 8 seats between the 4 of us, no one had many zzz and we were all feeling very tired when we arrived early in the morning. We couldn’t check into our accommodation until 3pm so we stored our luggage and headed for the Eiffel Tower. We’d sussed the subway in New York, so sussing the metro in Paris was an easy-peasy next step. The Eiffel Tower was 1 of Zara’s non-negotiables, but it wasn’t until that moment she realised we’d booked tickets weeks ago to go right up to the top – she was SO excited! She had to wait a few more days as the tower was on its last days of maintenance before the 2024 Paris Olympics, one of many ways we saw the city readying itself for the Olympics in the middle of the year. We had the first of MANY European pastries and an early night because the next 3 days were going to be HUGE!
DISNEYLAND! We bought our Disneyland package in July – it was a small fortune but gave us 3-day passes to both Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios, accommodation and breakfast within the Disney complex, transferring our luggage from the train station to the hotel and back again so we could hit Disneyland as soon as we arrived, early passes for one morning, and Premier Access passes (basically one chance to skip the queue on every ride). We had the most magical time at Disneyland! We became pros at using the Disney app to check wait times to get the very most of our time there, and did our favourite rides over and over and over again! Lucas and Zara have reviewed each of the rides we did (thanks Leo Minogue for the idea) – coming in a blog post soon…
We had 3 more days in Paris and took a cruisy approach to seeing the sights and things we wanted to see.
Highlights:
Eating snails (Lucas) and profiteroles (for Keryn’s Dad – he was a big fan of them!) in a popular cheap and cheerful Parisian restaurant in Montmartre.
Zara learning to can-can in front of the Moulin Rouge.
Visiting the Sacré-Couer on a cold, clear Paris evening.
Taking a boat trip along the Seine River to see all the beautiful buildings on the river’s edge. We were tired and it was raining, so this kind of sight-seeing for a few hours suited us perfectly.
Catching the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Walking the length of the Champs-Élysées in both directions.
Seeing Mona Lisa at the Louvre – the line to see her is a bit crazy but she’s an icon!
And of course, crêpes, pastries, nutella…for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
From Paris we took the train to Frankfurt, Germany as this was where we were to pick up our campervan for the next section of our adventure. Our accommodation was close to the train station, cheap, and came with a lovely selection for breakfast…which also landed us in a bit of a dodgy area! After wandering through the Moulin Rouge area a few nights before, Zara was becoming pretty familiar with the flashing lights of a red light district! Thankfully we found an absolutely delicious Thai restaurant just around the corner who welcomed us with open arms 2 nights in a row!
The boys had a 1-day excursion to Stuttgart so the next bit is written by Logan:
For our world trip, we each got to choose a few “non-negotiable” items – mine was a tour through the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, Germany. And what a day it was! We got off to a rough start with Germany’s legendary efficiency letting us down with a train cancellation from Frankfurt to Stuttgart, so by the time we arrived we had missed our allotted time slot. But much to our relief, Porsche stepped up and arranged a private tour with an English speaking guide. The tour is normally 90 minutes but somehow Lucas and I spent over two hours enjoying a tour of 911 and Taycan assembly, followed by a run around the museum. It was strictly no photos or video inside the factory so just amazing memories. Our guide asked if we preferred 911 or Taycan and tailored the tour to suit our petrol driven passion – we spent most of our time with the 911s and only half an hour at the end in the Taycan factory directly across the road from the 911 assembly. There is currently talk of the Reutter building (the second oldest building) in the middle of the complex being demolished to make way for a new multi-storey plant. Having been on the site since 1938, they are torn between saving the history of the site and making it usable for their current needs.
I was surprised to see the production line putting through Targas alongside every model of 911 as well as GT3s, RS’s and even the GT3 Cup cars coming through the same line after a stint in the special performance area (roll cages and fire extinguishers are fitted before it goes back into the production line for all of the other customer selected accessories).
It was a great day and we really appreciated the staff making some special allowances for us! This was a real highlight for us both. I’ve loved these cars for 40 years and it seems that the passion runs in the family. #911 #Taycan #porschestuttgart #porschemuseum
Once the boys were back, it was time to pick up our campervan – our 8 metre long, 3 metre high mobile home for the next few weeks in Scandinavia. Frankfurt was unfortunately the furthest north we could pick up a campervan, which resulted in a big drive to actually get to Denmark. The joy of this though was that it gave us an opportunity to stop over in Osterbruch in northern Germany to visit our friends Ilka and Andrew (and their 3 wonderful daughters), who we know from our Dunedin days. It had been over 18 years since we had seen each other – isn’t it just amazing how so many years can go by and yet it feels so very easy to meet up again! Ilka, Andrew, Eilah, Skye, Freya, Hinrich and doggo Rodney, thank you for your kindness, walks down memory lane, history of Osterbruch, yummy dinner and delicious breakfast!
From Osterbruch, we crossed over the Elbe River via car ferry and headed for Denmark. We are in the campervan for 6 weeks of Scandinavian wonderfulness and are so excited about what is in store for us!
What did the snails taste like?
Paris looks amazing!!!!!
A garlicky bogey!! (Apparently he’s quite the food connoisseur!!) Logan had some as well – they are cooked in butter and garlic and don’t really need much chewing – so mostly taste like the flavouring.
Nice cars Lucas!
Interesting food choice Lucas.
Eiffel Tower!!! AMAZING!!!!!!!