2019 was great! Looking forward to 2020 travels

Travel in 2019 was amazing! We spent March cruising the Caribbean with lots of family on Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas. It was our second time on the ship sailing out of Galveston and we loved it. Austin really likes that it has an ice rink and climbing wall. We swam with stingrays in Grand Cayman and chilled on the beach at Nachi Cocom in Cozumel.

In July, we had our incredible trip to northern Europe. It was truly 3 1/2 weeks of perfection. We used Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas to sail the Baltic out of Amsterdam for 12 nights visiting Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden. Then we wrapped up with visits to London and Paris. It has been fun reflecting on the time we had and all that we saw.

So for Christmas this year, we are focusing on giving experiences rather than gifts. First up is we are going to the Winter Classic hockey game to see our Dallas Stars play the Nashville Predators. We are a hockey family and even though the game isn't far from home, it will certainly be a memorable experience. We are hoping for clear Texas weather for the game and a Stars win!

Then in February, we are traveling to Ottawa for the Winterlude festival and the Stars vs. Ottawa game. It has been a bucket list item for me to skate the frozen canals of Ottawa in the winter. We know it will be cold, but also a great time full of memories. I'm not sure how us Texans will take to so much snow and ice. March will bring a trip for me without Austin which will be very strange. I'm heading out on Liberty of the Seas again with my parents and aunts. Apparently hugging sloths and zip lining are going to be involved. I promise lots of photos. Finally, we have booked another big European adventure for July. This time we are doing a land trip all over Italy. We will start in Rome and finish in Milan with lots of pizza, pasta, wine, and history in between. It will be legendary. Can't wait to see what 2020 brings. Merry Christmas!

Oh what a trip it has been.

Day 24 - I guess that's a wrap! We got up this morning to start making our way home. We had a Welcome Pickup waiting for us at 7:45 and he got us to the airport in no time. I did a little splurge and we are booked Business Class/First Class for our flights home. That made check in a breeze and we had access to the American lounge while we waited. Breakfast in the lounge was delicious! Before we knew it, it was time to board. Business class on the 777 is unbelievable. There was so much space, comfortable seats, and top notch service. I was actually wishing our time to New York was longer than 7 hours. I decided to not sleep so I could enjoy it all, which was a huge mistake (more on that later). Once at JFK, we were off the plane quickly and through customs in no time. We had to claim our bags and then find a way to get to LaGuardia. This proved easy as there was a lady standing at the door yelling "Laguardia". For only $17 each, we were on our way. It was about an hour due to crazy traffic and I'm pretty sure we did not see the best parts of New York. Still, we got there, got our bags checked, and were sitting in the Admiral's Club with about 5 hours to kill to our flight. Or so we thought. We were supposed to start boarding at 7:15pm. We were getting delayed over and over. It turns out there is a maximum temperature the plane can be inside to let passengers board. They could not get the temp down. By 9:30, they delayed our flight until the next morning because the flight crew was over on time. This started the line for accommodations. We stood in line for 2.5 hours to find out they were sending us to a hotel at JFK. So down to a shuttle to head back to JFK. Fortunately less traffic at this hour. We got to the hotel at 1:15am and I was ready for some sleep. The alarm went off at 5am for us to head back to LaGuardia. Fortunately no delays this morning. We boarded at 8:10am and Austin was the first person on the plane. We had first class on the way home and it was amazing. Once in Dallas, we were off the plane and had our luggage quickly. It was wonderful to be home! Truly a trip we will never forget.

I guess Paris wants me to feel like I'm home

Day 23 - Today, Paris was hotter than Texas. Way hotter. It ended up being 108.6, the hottest temperature ever recorded in France. It would have been easy to just stay in today, but we got up early to spend our last day to the fullest. We started with breakfast at a Rue Cler cafe, of course. Then we caught an Uber out to Versailles (on the Paris Museum Pass). Originally, we were going to take the train, which is much cheaper. However with time and staying cool being important today, we opted for the easier path. We arrived shortly after it opened and the lines were already long. Also, they had hoses out as sprinklers to help people cool down. After about 15 minutes, we were in. Versailles is the grandest of all palaces and many of the ones we had viewed on this trip were based off Versailles. However, it was incredibly hot and we found ourselves moving quickly through stuffy rooms to find an open window and a breeze. Even the beautiful gardens were pretty much abandoned by everyone because of the heat. Still, it was great to hear my kid drawing comparisons between what he was seeing at Versailles and what he saw at Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg. We then took an Uber back into Paris and to the Louvre to try and get in. Fortunately we were waived right on in (Museum Pass). Once in, it is a little confusing where to go. Look for the sign that says Mona Lisa and start there because that line gets crazy long. The Louvre is huge, beautiful, and hot in some areas. When you find air conditioning, enjoy it. We were able to see incredible works of art like Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo, and Winged Victory. We walked and climbed all over the Louvre and saw so much. It is truly overwhelming just how much there is to see there. We left the Louvre and walked through the Tuileries to an outdoor cafe for lunch. Though the temperature was 108, we found some trees and a breeze which made it feel okay outside. After a delicious crepe, we walked to the l'Orangerie (Museum Pass), a beautiful museum which houses Monet's Water Lillies. It was a lovely small museum with few visitors. I'm very glad we made time to visit. Though we were totally exhausted, we walked to the Orsay Museum (Museum Pass), which had been rated the best museum in Europe. The building is a beautiful old train station. It housed even more amazing art from Rodin, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet. I wish we had not been so tired so we could have enjoyed it more. It is crazy how much the heat can take out of you. We then went back for a little rest at the hotel. We fortunately booked Eiffel Tower summit tickets for 9pm. We started our walk over at 8:30 and noticed storm clouds starting to gather. Once at the tower, light rain started and some lightning. I was worried they would close the tower, but because we had tickets, they let us go up. It was beautiful to watch the storms build in the distance and the sun setting. We descended just before 10pm so we could watch the light show on the tower. It was a beautiful way to end our day and trip.