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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!

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Bordeaux

We spent our first day in France, our 3rd country of the trip and new to both kids, in the city of Bordeaux, kicking it off with Croque Monsieurs and a local red blend at a cafe. Next the kids enjoyed sitting on the carousel. We walked to the main square where the kids had a blast splashing in the water at the city’s ‘mirror wall’. It was adorable watching the kids run around in their underwear and diaper in the water in front of the river and Bordeaux architecture.

We then checked in to Domaine de Mercade, a chateau converted into a BnB, and enjoyed some time playing in their large yard with their lovely dog, Dayton. We went to a nearby pizzeria for dinner and retreated for the night while Gaurav watched Croatia beat England in he semi finals. The next morning, we went to the Saint Emilion region, and started off with a tour and tasting at La Gaffelierre, a premier grand cru chateau dating back to the 11th century. We enjoyed Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends while kids munched on the breadsticks. We enjoyed steak tartare, poached eggs with foie gras and sea bream with chorizo at a restaurant called Lord et Bouchon. The town of Saint Emilion is charming and very quaint with lots of wine stores and restaurants. Our next appointment was in Chateau Tournfeuille in Pomerol. Pomerol and Saint Emilion are known for their Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends. We had dinner at a small creperie in a nearby village before retreating back to our chateau.

We drove to the Medoc region (“the middle land”) on our last day that is well known for its Cabernet Souvignon blends. We started in the beautiful property of Chateau Dauzak in the town of Margaux. The kids enjoyed the sprawling gardens, fountains, sheep and automatic lawn mowers. After our wine tasting (with a self guided walk) we stopped at the La Garre Gourmand (or the gourmet station) for lunch. It was a cute little outdoor restaurant right next to the train tracks and with two 5 month old bunnies. We had our final tasting at Chateau Ferreire before hearing back to our chateau where we sat in the garden, played with Dayton, drank a bottle of wine while the kids played on the trampoline. We didn’t have a great dinner experience since the host was being too snooty with the kids. Overall we loved our experience at the chateau, but from a wine perspective realized we are too spoilt by the amazing Napa and Sonoma wines and the relaxing tasting experiences there. Onto Lyon, our second and last stop in France.

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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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Madrid

On our first evening in Madrid, we checked into the Westin Palace and strolled through the neighborhood, enjoying a nice dinner and a puppet show through one of the balconies.

The next morning, we got off to an early start and strolled through the Retiro Park, pond, kids park and Crystal Palace. Our next stop was the Prado. We particularly enjoyed the works of El Greco, who seemed to use the brilliance of colors to electrify his portraits and depictions. Then, the kids napped while we enjoyed a Thai lunch and then we walked to Plaza Mayor. We then enjoyed the bustling Mercado de San Miguel which boasted fresh seafood and cava delights.

After a long siesta back at the hotel room, the kids devoured Ayaan’s favorite corn soup and sweet and sour pork at a Chinese restaurant. We then enjoyed the pre-festivities for the pride parade, walked along Gran Via and then enjoyed a few glasses of rioja with some Gambas at a nice restaurant. One of the things in general that’s not great about Spain with our kids is that everything starts very late and most restaurants only open after 830pm which is their bedtime. We retreated back to the hotel in time for Ayaan to watch an encore of the puppet show at the balcony across the street.

On our last day in Madrid we decided to take the kids to Faunia, a Wild animal park 10 miles from our hotel in Madrid. We reached just before it opened at 1030am and spent half the day there. Ayaan and Ariana absolutely loved it! It was a really unique experience as they’ve done a fantastic job of imitating the natural habitats of the animals and birds including a rainforest, underground caves, jungles and cooler climates. Their favorites were the seal and sea lion show (very Sea world like), the penguins swimming, dinosaurs, and the little monkeys in the rainforest. It was a hot tiring day but the kids topped it off with an ice cream. After a siesta, we strolled to the Mercado San Anton in the cool Chueca neighborhood where we capped the night off with some Cava and tapas and another showing of the puppet show. Onto our last destination in Spain tomorrow – San Sebastián.

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A tale of two old cities: Alhambra and Toledo

On our second morning in Granada, we woke up early to join our tour of the Alhambra, a UNESCO heritage sight. It was a 3 hour tour and we were hopeful that the kids would cooperate. We had to check in the double stroller right in the beginning, so we knew a nap was not an option for them (also it was too early). We started in the Palacios Nazaríes which is the grand palace of the Alhambra or the “red one” with the famous Palace of the Lions. Alhambra was originally constructed with Islamic architecture in the 14th century and later modified and added to with the Renaissance architecture. It was unique in that it was a city and was finally conceded rather than won over to preserve the fine palace and fortress. The kids did pretty well and walked a lot of the tour, although we did have to carry them often and use our phones to the rescue (Peppa pig and steam train). Our last part of the tour took us through the Generalife or the summer gardens that were beautiful with fountains, flowers and stunning views of the Palace and the valley.

The next day we departed Granada after our breakfast, and drove 3.5 hours to the historic town of Toledo while the kids napped in the car. Toledo, that is 45 mins outside Madrid, is the original capital of Spain. It’s a small hilltop town that is famous for its Catholic, Jewish and Islamic architecture right next to each other. We had some paella for lunch and then visited the Monastery and the beautiful synagogue. We enjoyed Toledo as a stopover to Madrid since it was not very crowded, we found some great street parking and it was pretty relaxing. It was interesting seeing two of Spain’s most historical towns back to back with deep cultures and history.

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Granada: Love at first sight

After a relaxing few days in Marbella, we picked up Anjali from the airport and drove to Granada. Granada is special and you can tell as you drive in and see the town surrounded by the grand Sierra Nevada with snow top peaks. It reminded us of some of the incredible Arabic towns we’ve been to such as Zanzibar. We checked into Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula, Autograph Collection which was ideally located and smelt wonderful. With a large courtyard, it is a 14th century palace that takes you right back in history.

We were starving so we strolled into one of the neighborhood tapas bars that is a speciality here, and to further satiate our appetite ate some chicken shawarma that melted in our mouths. I absolutely love Islamic towns and this quickly became one of my favorites I’ve been too. Since we were tired we decided to just walk into the Cathedral next door. It was a stunning piece of architecture with tombs of the monarch from the time the Catholics won over Granada and Spain from the Moorish. We then strolled through the Alcaiceria or local historical market to another tapas bar. Ariana skipped her nap today so we decided to head back to our room where the kids did “horse-yyy” on daddy’s back before nighttime. Today Anjali put the kids to sleep, while I had the chance to grab some hookah and tea in the Islamic area at a square with a local musician. I was so fascinated that I decided to start strolling around and climbing my way up the cobblestone steps through local Islamic stores, tapas bars and hookah bars. Before I knew it I was atop the hill at Mirador de San Nicolas overlooking the grand Alhambra at sunset. There were musicians at every corner of my climb and of course at the square with the view. I decided to have a glass of vino tinto overlooking the Alhambra digesting it’s beauty against the snow mountains and the town. I was completely charmed already, only to return to the hotel to find live music in the courtyard that required me to get some dessert and a night cap. I am in love with this town and it was truly unexpected!