We returned from a fantastic trip to London, Loire Valley, Paris, and Reykjavik.
I wrote about most of the London trip in Matteo’s letter and should write a bit in your letter about the rest of it.
We were supposed to leave London by train, taking the “Chunnel” under the English Channel into Paris, and then take a train from there to meet Uncle Sergio and Riley in Loire Valley for a few days. Upon deeper inspection I realized that would take too much time and money, so I booked a last minute flight for us to fly into Paris Orly and from there we rented a car to drive the rest of the way. We stopped at a McDonald’s close to our destination, so all was right.
Now, this Loire Valley stretch was unlike I imagined. I knew we’d see French castles and stay in rooms carved into caves. I just didn’t know how majestic the castles would be and how deep those caves were. In addition to the exotic scenery, it was just fun exploring them with Sergio. I hope that you and Matteo travel together as adults, too. Sergio and I made a trip to New Zealand more than a decade ago, and it’s easily a lifetime highlight in large part because we did it together.
We eventually parted ways, Sergio and Riley south toward Marseille, and we back north to Paris. We found ourselves in a recently renovated apartment in the 11th arrondisement (neighborhood) that had so much to do aside from the main attractions. Paris felt like a much larger city that London and I’m glad we spent more time to take it all in. Before we got started with proper city exploring, we surprised you with a trip to Disneyland Paris. We’ve never gone to a theme park or Disney park for that matter, so I figured why not start with one out of the country and where Buzz Lightyear speaks French? That’s my kind of sense of humor. I ponied up for a fast pass so we got to skip lines for all the major attractions. We made a nearly catastrophic mistake going on Hyperspace Mountain early in the day and may have caused some minor trauma, but aside from that we experienced all of the Disney magic. Pirates of the Carribean was your favorite ride, and you rode it twice.
Back to our regular French programming: We went to see the Eiffel Tower a couple of times, ate well at several restaurants and just walked the streets. We pushed ourselvles a little too hard going to the Louvre, but you got to see Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. Not bad.
We ended our trip in Iceland, which is just so different and exotic that we had to return after your Mom and I visited there 8 years ago. We went from the plane to the Blue Lagoon, which you and Matteo naturally loved because it’s a naturally gigantic hot tub. After that soak, we went to our retro-chic apartment in Reykjavik and prepared for a long day traveling the sights of the Golden Circle. We were pretty much on the lookout for Icelandic horses and stopped at an idyllic hotel, Héraðsskólinn Historic Guesthouse, and then spent a couple of hours at Laugarvatn Fontana for more geothermal hot tubbing. We ended our trip walking the streets of Reykjavik and eating local fare.
None of the above is really as interesting to me as your chronicle of it. We asked you to journal the trip for school, and I’ll provide that verbatim. Paragraph breaks indicate a new page, and I kept your spelling:
I went on my trip.
I got ice cream that looked like a rose.
The next day we went to a mewseam. Thar we also saw a trisarotops.
After that , we went to a stor. We bot a London hat, it is read.
Then we went to a park. Thar is alot of hiden plasos. The disine is pirot ship.
Next it started to rein. we went back to my hotel. we slept good.
We went on a train to a pales. We wocht the changing of the Gards.
We had to walk alot. After that we went on a river croos. We got off. We walked to a pond we saw baby ducs
and we saw swons. I saw a man peting a swon. it was like a zoo!!!
We went to the piret ship park agen. a helacopter laned. it was the King Chales helacoptor!
We went to whold foods. We got stuk in a rain storm.
after the rain storm we went back to are hotell. we went to slep.
In the midel of the nigh Matteo had a bad dream. he wock up cring and conit find his eye mass and
toy hors. In the moning Matteo felt like he was gouing to throw up. He sed it over and over agen.
finaly, in the moning, we went on a train to the areport. we went to a tiny shop. we bot a stuffy. It as a yooHoo Bush baby. I named mine
Diana red Matteo named his jim, jong, jude. mine has a little scirt and a little hat.
Matteo’s has a blew shirt and blew pants. It also has a little top hat!
after that, we slept for a while befor we got on the arplane. After the nap we got on the arplan.
We were on the arplan for about 3 howrs. wen we got off we went on a train.
We got off of the train. We got a rentl car. We drov to a cave. We went inside. We slept thar. We stad for 2 nights.
The next day, we went to a swiming inside the cave! my dad wasint siport to get his har wet, but I got his har socing wet!
The next day, we went to paris. We un pact. In the moning we went to the mewsom It was a motern art mewsam.
at lunch, we got hart shap pizza. It had peso and mosrrela.
the next moning my parons spiusd me weth going to Disnyland paros. My Dad cept the Tices for 2 monts!
we went on star wors, busliter, pirots of the carabean. I sow capten jack sparo hideing in a barl.
on the last day we sew the mona lisa at the Louvre. after that we went to the park and sow the Ifle towr and threw
paper arplans. after that thar was a light show, the Ifle towr lit up!
the next day we went en 2 arplans on the same day!
we lened in Icaland. We went to are apartment. The next day we went to a gisr. It expoled 2 times in a roow!
Wen we wort back to owr rentl car it was frising cold. wen we drov back we sow Icelandic horses.
we went to the Blue Lagoon it was achly blue! the Blue Lagood was bigr than 2 artendals!
the next day we went to foatana Hot springs. it was like a hot tubs! the next day we left and aet
clam chowder we went to slep the next moning I had choclit it was a fun trip!
That account, my dear, is worth it all.
Love, Dad