Mais oui, Paris! 🇫🇷

We arrived in Paris on Canada Day 🇨🇦, groggy from our night flights and vulnerable to all the baked goods, and —oh mon doux!— the AirBnb wasn’t ready. 🫣 We hung around a nearby café, then eventually talked to the cleaner, who was almost done, but had to run a quick errand to buy more towels. The beds were barely made when we flopped out. The cleaner let herself back in, did the last of the cleaning, and let herself out to the sound of all four of us snoring, sain et sauf! 😴  

        When we got ourselves back on track, we made the most of our convenient location in the Latin quarter, across from a Sorbonne campus. Notre Dame was around the corner, and we used our Catholic Fast Pass to get a mass in. The priest’s homily was solid and unpretentious, with a focus on living and loving life…. same message as Bad Bunny’s music basically. Tourists walked around the cathedral with solemnity and snuck a few pics of the faithful in action. 

    Day Two took a macabre turn as we toured the famous Paris Catacombs. We descended a spiral staircase 20m to the former quarry, under the city in dimly lit tunnels. Eery music played in our headsets and we listened to stories of how the place came to be. A few twists and turns down further corridors of yore, and we got to the ossuary. Truly, wow. Bones of millions of deceased Parisians backfill the quarry and become supportive walls. The bulbous ends of femurs and tibiae are stacked in tessellating rows, bracketed by rows of skulls. The empty sockets of the eyes, noses and mouths call silently: I was someone. I was a real person. You too, eh? The halls curve on forever. On the walls, there are thoughtful quotations -- some poetry, some religious, some historical. Despite the initial creepiness, it's a wonderful place for reflection on the meaning of life... and the heavy metal aesthetic. We got about 20,000 steps in and eventually exited to a whimsical gift shop. No regrets. 

    Back on the level of the living, we spent a fun night on Champ de Mars, the big field facing the Eiffel Tower with a few thousand others. We had a drinks and snacks, took a bunch of photos, saw the tower light-show, and just enjoyed the scene.  

    Another day, we went to the Musée D'Orsay where we saw masterpieces of art. We also took a quick jaunt through the Galeries Haussmann, which is obviously a lot to take in -- the macarons, the architecture, the designer brands, the prices(!), the rooftop. At some point we got in a visit to the Paris Panthéon, and saw the graves of some legit GOATS, like Louis Braïlle, Marie & Pierre Curie, Josephine Baker, Victor Hugo, JJ Rousseau, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Voltaire, etc. Solemn and cool.

     We made the most of our stay in Paris, and it was a wonderful way to start our trip. 

Bad Bunny in Paris! (July 2026)

         The first time I heard “Titi Me Preguntó”, I was hooked on Bad Bunny. I understood enough of the lyrics and vibes to get his sense of humour, and his voice and music were exquisite. That song reminded of me being young and single back in the day, and having people asking me about my beeswax. 😆 I kept listening and learning the Puertorriqueño Spanish and it’s not unlike the Français Acadien that I know and love. 

    Bad Bunny mixes deep messages about love, culture, economic disparity, and politics, but with humour and very danceable beats. He keeps his regional accent and dialect, and he plays around with fashion and style. (Here in the Maritimes, we can catch P'tit Belliveau, from "up the bay" doing his thing his way with his Acadian French. I saw P'tit Belliveau live, and it was incredible -- so singable and danceable. He's not at Bad Bunny-level global recognition yet, but maybe un jour! Buddy puts on a good show, though.) 

August 2025 (Halifax) 

    Anyway, I really regretted not seeing Bad Bunny's 2024 tour, where he did a show in Toronto, so I vowed to get a ticket asap. The DtMF (Debí tírar Mas Fotos) album is such a cultural masterpiece that I did not hesitate to buy tickets that lined up with my vacation dates. The most appealing date and flight path led us to Paris on July 4th! It was an incredible show, with three main sets, and a great Puertorriqueño family band called Chuwi as the opening act. 

July 2026, (Paris, La Défense Arena)

        I screamed, I laughed, I cried, I danced my 🍑 off, and so did Mike, Chloe and Sylvie — great sports! Plus, we all got lanyards with "cameras" attached, which contained LED lights that flashed in different colours all around the arena, to the beat of the music, making everyone part of the light-show and party atmosphere. At the end of the concert, people sang his songs together on the way out. 💖

          

Canadian Cities: Québec, Montréal, Toronto, Windsor & Niagara Falls! (July 2025)

    The catalyst for this epic road trip was Chloe's request to see Tyler, The Creator in concert in Montreal. We decided to take the opportunity to see great friends and family along the way. We spent the first night in beautiful Quebec City, walked around Vieux Quebec and Chateau Frontenac. The next day, we stopped in Trois-Rivières to meet up with friends on our way to Montreal. 

    In Montreal, we hiked up trails in the Parc du Mont-Royal, did a little shopping, walked on the waterfront, and the fam got pumped for the Tyler show! Mike & the gals, plus our friend and his daughters went to the concert together. The kids were awestruck and the dads were great sports. The ladies went to Basilique Notre-Dame for a light & music show called "Aura" - émouvant! 

We got to see more friends in Ontario: Jay, Justin, Peter, Warren, Christian & family. We took the kids to Canada'a Wonderland and they had a blast riding the rollercoasters. It was very sunny and hot, so we ended the day in the waterpark there. It was a bustling spot to say the least. Luckily we were staying with Justin & Peter and their beautiful home was the perfect place to relax. 

We kept going west to Windsor to see family, and had a great time touring the southernmost part of Canada, learning its history, swimming in Steph's pool, and enjoying the company at every stop. We saw fireflies, and played pool, and had a wonderful relaxing stay. 

    Heading back east, we spent a day and night at Niagara Falls -- the natural wonders juxtaposed with the fun-house-carnival downtown is a pleasant mix of beauty, schtick, nostalgia, good moods. Definitely a fun spot. 

To round off our appreciation of our own country, we ducked off the 401 into Kingston, where we had lunch at the Queens University pub, and peaked into the windows of the closed high school where the Tragically Hip met. ("The walls are lined all yellow-grey and sinister, hung with pictures of our parents' prime ministers..."). 

All in all, vive le Canada Est.   🍁

Iceland 🇮🇸

For the finale of our trip, we took advantage of the Icelandair stopover to re-visit Reykjavik.✈️ We stayed in the same AirBnB as we did in 2019. The host, Siggi, is a retired mechanic and offers a car with the apartment, and pick-up at the airport for a fee (about a 45 min drive). 🚗 

Having started this trip in sizzling Greece, 🏝️and moving through toasty European cities, Reykjavik felt like Nova Scotia in Autumn. The extra clothing that had patiently waited in our suitcases finally saw the light of day (about 18hrs of it in early August). 👖😎

I hear that in the city, maybe in all of Iceland, each neighbourhood has their own, elaborate and affordable swimming & spa complex. 🧖🏼 It's important that all Icelanders learn to swim.🏊The facility in the neighbourhood of Seltjarnarnes is open-air, and has a huge lap pool, a shallow pool, a kiddie pool, four hot tubs of different heats, two cold-plunge tubs, a steam sauna, and heated water slide. We went there three times in three days. 

We drove to see the geyser, and stood around the water with hundreds of others waiting for the burst. It was comical and crowded, and a man standing behind me was so bold as to rest his wrist on top of my head while he took a video.🙄 It is pretty exciting when the water shoots 100 feet in the air and sprays a warm eggy mist -- not to be missed. ☔️

We spent a day at the beautiful Secret Lagoon, a natural hot spring pool which is considered the oldest in Iceland. The views are lovely, with surrounding hills and forest. A little boardwalk circles the pool. 🗻The change rooms are no place to be shy, and the signs posted everywhere insist that you shower in the buff -- in the big common shower room -- and clean those key bits with soap because they don't want you bringing in any products into the water. It's a culture shock for sure, and even at the pool complex, the people seem to take their sweet time to air dry before they get dressed. When in Rome, I guess... 🍑

We walked around downtown Reykjavik, and hiked along the coast, where the kids played on the giant cubic sculptures (allowed). We tried Fly-Over-Iceland and highly recommend it. It's a simulated flight ride that makes feel like you're paragliding over the whole country. It’s incredible.🦅

I can't forget the most decadent treat, "Caramel Sin" 😈-- artisanal donuts topped with ice cream at a shop called Loo.koo.mas. Rich. 🍨

(August 2019 : https://luckhoundstravelwithkids.blogspot.com/2019/08/norway-iceland.html)

Prague 🇨🇿

Understatement: Prague is a beautiful city. It’s really too much to take in. Having been spared destruction in WWII, the architecture tells about a thousand years of history. Medieval, Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, Contemporary, et cetera. It’s all there, still standing, together as a visual feast. Everywhere you look, there is something intentional and interesting. 

We walked across the Charles Bridge to tour the Royal Castle complex 🏰🏰🏰. We roamed through giant halls and royal chambers, seeing artifacts from emperors and religious leaders through time.⛪️👑 It was key to set out early so that it wasn't too crowded. Prague is a tourist hub for good reason. As the day grew hotter, we took refuge in an air conditioned mall and the gals got manicures. 💅 

We got same-day tickets to see a symphony in the Art Nouveau Smetana Hall, from a balcony seat! It was an impulse-buy that turned out to be a blast for the whole family. We watched and listened while a robust string section played classics. 🎻🎶I appreciated the paintings and architecture, and couldn't help but think about action scenes from Looney Tunes. It's easy to get swept up in the music hearing Für Elise, Symphony No. 5, The Four Seasons, Hungarian Dance, and more, played live by pros, in an ornate hall. 🤩 It was surreal. 

  

We wandered the Old Town square in the evenings and the girls had chimney cakes. 🥮 I loved looking at the intricate puppets and toys in the shops. 🪁🪀🚂🧸 In case you're thinking there was a bit too much "pomp & circumstance", our AirBnB apartment, which was spacious and sleek, was above a Harley Davidson shop 🏍️, and next to a Hooters🦉. Prague offers juxtaposition at every turn. 

 

 

Munich 🇩🇪

It made me smile that our hotel in Munich shared a name with my dear late grand-père, Augustin. I can't imagine his reaction at such a modern, vibrant, bustling place. We thought the surf-themed lobby was random. 🌊🏄‍♀️🚙

At breakfast, we were surrounded by Swifties, there to see a concert that weekend. We would hear a North American accent, and a sparkly cowboy boot or an arm full of bracelets would surely follow. Eras t-shirst were ubiquitous. The breakfast itself was worth writing home about:🥚🌭 there were Le Creusets full of eggs, and frightening white sausages. There were yogurts, cheeses, dried fruits, nuts, and muesli as far as the eye could see, and the German bread and jam game is next level. 🥖🥨🥐🫐🍒🍓We fueled up and made the most of our three days. 

We visited Dachau, the first WWII concentration camp. With our kids, ages 12 and 14, we walked around the enormous memorial site, heavy with emotion for the people who suffered and died there. There was a lot to read, see, and think about as we made our way through different buildings. Photos, videos, and artifacts told the stories of horrifying cruelty. Although there were hundreds of other travellers from all over the world there, it was quiet and sombre, and there was a sense of shared grief, and humanity. We will continue to reflect on it. 

The modern art museum in Munich was a mental palate cleanser. We saw Picassos, Dalis, and a dizzying range of expression. 🖼️  We shook our heads at the cool, comical, and challenging exhibits. Ask me about the walk video someday. 🤣

We traveled around the city by subway 🚊 and clued in that paying for fares is totally optional. The toll gates are open, which is great. We rode e-bikes around Englischer Garten, stopping to watch the surfers 🏄🏄‍♀️ that line up to ride the consistent wave at the Eisbach River. So cool. 

  

We tried a different beer garden every day, where there was always a jolly crowd and plenty of great snacks— baked pretzels 🥨, fresh corn 🌽, bbq 🍗, salads 🥗, and sausages 🌭. We did a hurried walk through the oldest beer hall, Hofbräuhaus, just in time to listen to the rocking band. It was too packed to stay for long, but I’d love to return in the off-season someday. 🍻 I’d also like to time it right to get in on the monthly rollerblade event. The city blocks certain main streets and thousands of people skate around together. What a vibe. 🛼