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Mrs. Midcoast

Mom Blogger - Musings from the Heart of America

Adventures Uncategorized

Europe Trip Stop 12: Chateau de Versailles – Versailles, France

May 12, 2018

May 9, 2018

The Palace of Versailles was the place I was most looking forward to visiting before the trip. I guess if you can be a fan of a dead royal person, I am one. The story of Marie Antoinette just fascinates me and I have always wanted to visit her palace. 

We left Breda, Netherlands in the morning and set out for about a 4.5 hour drive to Versailles.  We drove through Paris. I showed Eloise the Eiffel Tower from the window of the car. We didn’t stop though. Lindsay and I lived in Paris for a few weeks one summer with a host family, and it is a neat place, but it’s not somewhere that I would set out to visit multiple times since we were there for so long. Plus, I usually prefer exploring outside the big cities. 

Versailles is one of the most visited destinations on the planet so I knew it would be crowded. I did some research on how to visit the palace where it is less crowded. I came up with the plan to visit Versailles in REVERSE!!!

This was the best way to see it!  When we first got to the palace we drove past the main entrance to the Palace and went in the side entrance which most people probably don’t even know exists. No line! walked right into the gate near the Estate of Trianon. We got a macaroon then spent a few hours visiting the Hamlet and Petit Trianon which is the little Village that Marie Antoinette had built with little houses, gardens, animals, a real working little country village of her own.

Next up we walked to the Petit Trianon. Which was a gift to Marie Antoinette from Louis XVI in 1774 so she could escape court life. 

After that we got back in the car and drove 10 minutes to the main gate and parked in the 3rd row. The last admission to the palace is at 5:00pm. Our plan was to get there around 4:30 and that was about what happened.

During the day the lines are hours long stretching out the main gate. We walked right up and into the palace. We walked easily through every room, most of which were empty of tourists. It was seriously the coolest thing!  Standing in the giant hallway of Versailles with NOBODY else in it was breathtaking. 

If we would have gone to the main palace first we would have been crushed in a mob of people and it would have taken hours to walk through the whole place. We walked through the whole palace in about 45 minutes. Then went out to the gardens and Grand Canal to watch the sun start to set. 

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles is probably the most famous. It has giant mirrors that reflect the Grand Canal out the windows. It was so pretty. 

versailles hall of mirrors empty

The Palace of Versailles was a huge success! We didn’t see everything, but I don’t think it’s possible in one day with 4 year old kids. It is a lot of walking so comfortable shoes are a must. 

After visiting the Palace of Versailles that afternoon we went to our hotel. We wanted to stay in a real castle and we actually found one that was surrounded by a moat. It was pretty fantastic!  

The hotel is about 40 minutes west of Paris and about 30 minutes from Versailles, so it was a great location to stay if you don’t want to stay in Paris. 

Chateau de Villiers le Mahieu  

The Château de Villiers-le-Mahieu 4*, was built in the 13th Century and was originally a fortress. But over the centuries and under different owners, its function changed somewhat. The Marquis of Attily rebuilt it in 1642, and under his stewardship it gained the status of a château. After him, a number of owners oversaw the château, up to the Count Charles de Rohan Chabot, who restored it, giving it its present appearance. Its charm was what attracted the painter Bernard Buffet, who lived in the château until 1979.

In 1981, Jean-Luc Chaufour has been using his passion for old buildings and for history to help restore and adapt this magisterial site, so that guests feel right at home in this superb four-star Château-Hotel and its breathtaking, otherworldly setting.

Our room was in the tower! I tried to get some pictures of us in the windows, but it was kinda hard without having my professional camera with me. Hey, iPhone cameras have come a long way though and when traveling through Europe with a 4 year old, I’m already carrying enough stuff. So it is what it is. 

 
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Adventures Uncategorized

Europe Trip Stop 11: Amsterdam, Netherlands

May 11, 2018

May 8, 2018

After the morning at Zaans Schans we spent the afternoon exploring Amsterdam which is about 30 minutes south and on our way back to Breda.

The street entertainers are a favorite of the girls as well as chasing pigeons around town squares.

We ate lunch, went shopping explored the canals.

 
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Adventures Uncategorized

Europe Trip Stop 9: Luxembourg

May 9, 2018

We stopped in Luxembourg for the afternoon on our way home. Shortest post ever, because the only pictures I took were of my beer at lunch. and Ivan took a picture of us at the restaurant.

Battin is the beer I tried from Luxembourg
 
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Uncategorized

Garage Locker Cubbies for Kids DIY Ikea Billy Bookcase

October 25, 2017

We love our garage locker cubbies for the kids. We did have 3 of them and just recently added the 4th one for baby Liam.

The cubbies are so easy to build….it took me all of an hour to put the first 3 together.  You just build the Ikea Billy Bookcases as the instructions say and when you are done you just screw them into each other and then into the wall behind them.

 

Supplies

  • Ikea Billy Bookcase
  • Bins or storage cubes (these ones are from Target)
  • Hooks (I used both metal permanent ones and command hooks to hang backpacks and coats inside the cubbies)
  • Bin labels (I got mine in the paper section at Hobby Lobby. They are mini chalkboards tags)

 

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photography Uncategorized

Family Photography – What to Wear Fall & Winter 2017 Family Photos

October 20, 2017

I love planing for family photos. Sometimes it’s hard to choose what to wear for your family photos especially if you have a larger family because there is more to have to coordinate. My three rules of thumb for family photography:

  1. Choose all neutral colors and ONE pop color
    • Neutral Colors: Black, white, tan, Ivory, gray, navy, khaki, denim
    • Pop Colors: Pink, Green, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Red, Teal,  basically any color that is not a neutral
  2. Choose Classic clothing, you don’t want to look back on your photos wearing something too trendy because you will for sure say “What was I thinking???”
  3. Start with YOUR outfit. YOU are the hardest person to dress (everyone else will just wear what you tell them to). So Pick your outfit and whatever that color/pattern happens to be…..plan everyone else’s outfit around that. If you start with the kids then you will have to find something for you to match them which could leave you on the hunt for weeks attempting to find something that you think looks good on you AND matches the kids. Trust me, pick your outfit first!

Stay tuned as I will update each season change with a new What to Wear for Family Portraits post!

All of these outfits are available from either Gap, Old Navy, Target or Nordstrom (women).

**Fall trend VELVET*** I love the velvet trend this season so I snuck in some velvet dresses. I think as long as you keep the velvet a neutral or subtle color and don’t pair it with any other trends then you should be good for not being “too trendy”.

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Hi! I'm Sarah, mom of four, living the dream in the MidCoast. This is my journey of moming, crafting, traveling, shoping, saving, living, loving, learning, etc. I'm really good at run-on sentences. I don't have time to proofread and I assume if you are here you are a busy mom as well, so you don't care. Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo,
Mrs. Midcoast

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