We have finally arrived in our final destination on the other side of the world. We arrived in Monterrey, Mexico about ten days ago and have been busy buying Mexican supplies to take back to Indonesia, eating tacos almost every day and most importantly enjoying spending quality time with our family and friends.

Our little European escapade with the kids in tow was everything it promised to be: a comedy of errors.  From diaper blowouts, to a fugitive toddler and a little bit of sunburn, the vacation was what we expected in terms of family travel. What we did not expect was to see both of the boys enjoy the trip as much as they did in their own way.

I’m still on blog-leave as I really want to enjoy every second I spend here with the boys and my family;  I promise to come back full-blast in Mid-September as we return to Jakarta and our routine and jet-lagged bodies allow it. In the mean time here’s the second part of our vacation by the numbers and a few pics of our adventures. More details and lots of tips on traveling Europe by train with two little ones coming very soon!

Europe

–Hundreds of pictures captured (not an easy feat as I had a baby strapped to my chest who thought the camera lens consisted of the perfect teether)

–Fifteen hours total traveling by train

–Five cities perused thru the eyes of a toddler and an infant (Frankfurt, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo)

–Four double-decker tour buses ridden

–Three countries smelled, tasted and explored

–Three minutes that seemed like three hours when the toddler ran away as I was putting the baby on the carrier while we visited a playground

–Two kid-friendly museums visited in Paris

-One infant willing to try everything offered to him to taste

–One toddler not willing to try anything but bread and rice

–One visit to Disneyland in Paris

–One extremely excited toddler who couldn’t believe he had just met Mickey Mouse

–One duffel bag purchased to be able to fit everything that didn’t fit the suitcases anymore

-No more cherries consumed (they were only cheap in Germany!)

Transition Time

–One 10-hour flight delayed by two hours

–One surprisingly well-behaved toddler

–One happy but teething baby

–One mom travelling by herself willing to take all the help offered

–One cancelled flight

–One flight leaving with a three-hour delay

–Two sleeping boys on a two-hour flight

–Three missing suitcases as we arrived in Mexico

–Four AM: Time we arrived home after filing a report, buying some take-away tacos and waking up a sleeping sister

Mexico (thus far)

–Many friends caught up with

–Countless hours spent skyping with daddy

–Way too many Mexican products (spices, vanilla, honey, tequila, etc) purchased to be used in Indonesia

-One Mexican wine tasting attended with one of my best friends ever

–One playground visited

–One fugitive toddler trying to escape to visit our neighbor’s house and play with their dog

–One very spoiled infant that loves being held and smiles at everyone hoping to get some arms that will be willing to hold all 10 kilos of him

–One toddler locking himself in the upstairs living area

–Zero pictures taken, but hundrends of treasured memories made on a daily basis

Hasta Pronto!