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Lyon: An unexpected experience

After bidding farewell to Dayton (the dog) in Rauzan, we left on our longest drive of the trip – a five hour drive to Lyon. We always planned Lyon as a stopover rather than a destination, but with the double whammy weekend of Bastille Day and the World Cup Final with France playing we knew it’ll be fun. We checked into our Airbnb and were quite disappointed since it was small, the washer didn’t work and most importantly it wasn’t safe for the kids with a spiral staircase and a loft. Since it was a holiday weekend we decided to drive around Lyon which worked out great since parking was free everywhere. That evening we walked along the Rhone river, across the walking bridge, and spent some time in the slides and water park along the river. Lyon was beautiful with two rivers, several bridges and a mix of historic and modern architecture. Also more chill than Paris with friendlier people more tolerant of children which was a great change after the Bordeaux wine region. Our favorite part of the evening was sitting on one of the boat rooftops overlooking the city while drinking some cider. One month into our trip we were craving some non-European food and we came across an amazing Sichuan restaurant called Bon Voyage, that compared well with our favorite Z&Y in SF. We slept that night with the sounds of fireworks celebrating Bastille day.

Next morning we decided to check out a day early out of our Airbnb and move into the Marriott close by. Anjali has exceptional benefits at Marriott and SPG that have significantly helped with the rates, upgrades and free breakfast! Our second day in Lyon was incredible. We started off by grabbing breakfast at a local coffee shop and their cinnamon brioche, soft boiled eggs and flat white was just what you would expect in Lyon. We then drove to the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere, a Sacre Coure like cathedral on top of the hill overlooking Lyon and it’s two rivers. We went for the view but the cathedral was a piece of art with paintings and sculptures to match the best of what we’ve seen – by far the best cathedral so far on our trip.

Next we went to the local park – Parc de la Tete d’Or to see the botanical gardens. This park was a complete surprise. In addition to the indoor and outdoor sprawling botanical gardens, it had some amazing kids activities. It was a free zoo with giraffes, zebras, bears, crocodiles, flamingos and other animals enclosed right the in the middle of the park – something I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world. In addition they had a children’s area where Ayaan enjoyed earning his first reward by “fishing” for 9 ducks. Ayaan is so caring that he gave one of his three airplanes he won to Ariana. Ayaan also enjoyed sitting on a baby “horse carriage” with me pulling the horse carriage for 10 mins through the track and tunnels (tiring!). Ariana enjoyed going to the carousel all by herself for the first time! She’s a little bold monsta (as she says).

I was particularly excited about the evening – it was the world cup soccer final and France was playing Croatia – and we were in Lyon, what luck! We drove from the Marriott and found parking very close to the main square where 20,000 fans were gathered to watch the game. It starts pouring in Lyon around 430pm everyday so by the time we walked around the square we were completely drenched. But the atmosphere was amazing. We got lucky to get into a bar with screens everywhere and French fans in full spirit. Ayaan slept through the game but Ariana was participating in the cheering and dancing as France beat Croatia 4-2 to win the World Cup. It was an incredible scene on the streets and we were so fortunate to have witnessed it! On our drive back to the hotel we accidentally joined the motorcade of cars with fans screaming, sitting on top of cars and honking loudly. Anjali of course joined the action by sitting on the window. Overall Lyon was a special experience and we are sure to be back!

Posted on by adusija

San Sebastián

After a 4 hour beautiful drive through many tunnels and hills from Madrid, we approached San Sebastián with hungry bellies. We decided to eat lunch at a nice restaurant called Portuetxe following our Airbnb hosts recommendation – and it was fantastic! Probably one of the best ribeyes I have eaten – and anyone that knows me well knows that I’ve eaten my fair share! Gaurav enjoyed a delicious fish, and the kids cooperated by being fairly well behaved. After checking in to our Airbnb and a brief rest, we headed to the old town and La Concha, the towns charming beach – and it was stunning. La Concha, meaning “the shell”, gets its name due to the shape of the beach. It was nearly 7pm but the beach was brimming with people of all ages, and in the true “laissez faire” culture of the Spanish, little kids were slashing naked in mud puddles. I was in love with this town! Next, we walked to the old town and enjoyed pinxto bar hopping – the calamari and chorizo were some of our favorites. Gandarias and La Mejillinera are a couple we recommend.

We spent the next morning at the beach, and the kids enjoyed time with the waves and their sand toys. The water was perfect! Ayaan, Ariana and Daddy Pig enjoyed jumping in muddy puddles. After washing off in the nearby showers, we enjoyed another bout of pinxto bar hopping. We then drove to a stunning viewpoint on Mount Igueldo to overlook the bay and La Concha. Gaurav took Ayaan to the carousel in the old town that he really enjoyed. After a siesta that afternoon, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Akelarre, a three-Michelin started restaurant overlooking the coast while the kids played and then slept with a babysitter.

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Luxury in Southern Spain

After breakfast, I picked up a Hertz rental car to drive to Marbella with Ayaan and Anjali’s parents’ bags, while Anjali drove the Peugeot with the rest of the gang. The 2 hour 45 mins drive from Seville to Marbella was winding and gorgeous across many mountains, lakes and changing landscapes. Both kids napped for almost the entire time and Ayaan woke up as we approached Marbella saying “Daddy this is so beautiful, it feels like Hawaii.” And it sure does with amazing weather, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and mountains.

We stayed in a lovely Airbnb in a complex near Puerto Banus with a resort style pool, a great restaurant and hookah! The guests were very nice and it was probably one of my best Airbnb experiences too date (I still prefer the comforts of a hotel to be honest). We spent the first evening dipping in the warm pool, eating some Lobster paella and watching the thrilling games between Argentina-France and Portugal-Uruguay. At night, I put the kids to bed while Anjali took her parents to a nice Indian meal. And for the second time on the trip, we headed out after dinner while MIL watched the kids. We walked down the buzzing Puerto Banus – a harbor with high-end yachts, open bars with people overflowing to the streets, house music and Ferraris everywhere. It was a fun night out after a while for just the two of us after the hectic month of June.

On our second day, we hit the pool again on another beautiful day after which we strolled Puerto Banus in the day and ate at the locally recommended Picasso pizzeria overlooking the sea and the yachts. The children and us were super excited to get some Chicken Tikka pizza!

After lunch I got to watch Spain lose among the locals which was quite an experience. Kids woke up late from their nap so we headed to the old town in Marbella for a stroll and dinner in the square. The old town reminded us of a Greek town, specifically Mykonos, with its tiled cobbled streets, roses everywhere and cathedrals. I ended the night smoking some double apple hookah and watching Croatia beat Denmark in penalties!

Our last day as a family in Marbella got to a relaxing start at the beach. The kids are finally at the age where they love the beach and can independently play with each other and their sand toys. One of my favorite parts about this journey is taking the time to observe Ayaan and Ariana interact without having to rush. Ayaan has become a real big brother fetching water for Ariana from the sea!

We ate lunch at our Airbnb and after putting the kids to sleep MIL took care of the kids while Anjali and I headed out to Nikki beach for some chill music and rose at the pool and beach. We ate dinner as a family at Tuk Tuk, an Asian fusion restaurant that was great.

Marbella and Puerto Banus have definitely been the highlight of the journey so far!

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Lisboa

We spent our first morning in Lisbon riding tram 28 across town – we were lucky to get there early enough to snag window seats lining one entire side of the tram, allowing the entire family to be up close with some of Lisbon’s popular tourist attractions. Ayaan particularly enjoyed riding the tram with mommy. Once we were off, Ayaan Ariana and Shloka enjoyed running through the water fountains in the square. We then proceeded to get lunch and two pitchers of sangria while watching the World Cup. Uber worked incredibly well in Lisbon!

Our next stop was across town to Belem where we strolled along the board walk near the Belem Tower. We then proceeded to the Jeronimos monastery which boasted a beautiful church and an even more stunning courtyard surrounded by ornate carvings. Ariana enjoyed petting the horse outside. We strolled to a nearby cafe with live music to enjoy a bottle of rose and dinner for the kids. Gaurav bought some delicious egg tarts and malasadas for the family from Pasties de Belem – Ayaan couldn’t have been happier with that end to his day!

After putting the kids to bed in their grandparents care, Dhara Kunal Gaurav and I headed to Bairo Alto, the reportedly swanky neighborhood with bustling nightlife and some of the city’s best restaurants. Luckily for us, there was a street festival where we started the night with mojitas and sangrias enjoying a live band. We then proceeded to dine at a cevicheria with pisco sours.

We got a late start the next morning and decided to wander the neighborhoods of Lisbon. We started with Alfamha whose narrow quaint streets beckoned us to wander aimlessly to enjoy its true beauty. We then headed to the Mercado de Ribiera and took in the stalls lined fresh produce and meats. We then found ourselves in a huge hall lined with multiple restaurants and bars where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of roast pork and scallops. While we wanted to explore Chiado next, we forgot to bring Ariana’s pacifier which led to a huge toddler meltdown, forcing us to take the first cab back to our Airbnb. Lisbon’s vibe reminded us of San Francisco and Rio and the red “Golden Gate” like bridge and the Christ replica explained why.

That evening, we celebrated my dads 67th birthday (a few weeks early while the whole family was together) at a beautiful tapas restaurant in the Chiado neighborhood. Obrigado Lisboa!

 

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Made it to Lisbon!

On the 20th of June, we made our way to Lisbon by car. It was a seamless 2 hour 45 mins drive to the city center. Both Ayaan and Ariana nap like little babies in the car ride which drove our decision to drive around rather than take the train. Also much easier with the luggage since we can leave stuff in the car.

We arrived in Lisbon to find the streets completely empty! One of the best parts of the trip so far is being in Europe during the World Cup – it is truly special and I feel so lucky to experience all of the cup in the best football countries – Portugal, Spain and France. Portugal was playing Morocco and the entire town had gathered in the square to cheer Christiano Ronaldo and their Home team – we were headed to the square too to watch the tail end of the game and reunite with Anjali’s family. We underestimated how chaotic driving would be with the cops shutting down the streets around the square. We were lucky enough to find street parking close by! The atmosphere at the square was fantastic with thousands of fans with their flags screaming. We met Anjali’s family at a cafe at the square and the kids were incredibly excited to meet Dhara masi, Kunal uncle, their cousin Shloka and most of all their Nana and Nani!

We checked into our Airbnb apartment on Avenue de Republica. It was a historic 5 bedroom 3 bath with original wooden floors and most importantly a washer and dishwasher. I made a quick run to the grocery store, Anjali picked up some food later and we spend the night drinking Portuguese wine and catching up in the apartment. Lisbon and Portugal remind a lot of Brazil. Day trip to Sintra up next.