Bonnie lives really close to the Eiffel tower so after our visit we walked over there and walked around the area. Alessandro was wiped out after all of his playing, cuddling and metro riding. He slept through most of the sights. Once he woke up he was happy to run around and take in the French atmosphere!

Bonnie and Luca

When I was pregnant I became great friends with my neighbor and yoga pal Bonnie. Her son Luca was born a month and a half before Alessandro and we spent many evenings walking with our babies around JBR. Shortly after the boy's first Christmas Bonnie, her husband and Luca moved back to Paris and we were lucky enough to visit them while we were there. Alessandro and Luca seemed to pick up right where they left off and we now know that Alessandro is affectionate with others. This cuddle was a bit of a mix between a headlock and a hug. Shortly after there was a lose of balance and a few tears were shed.

First meal in Paris

This is his new camera face...

Train to Paris

These are three of his favorite things: Trains, cars and books. He doesn't get much more content than this. We had a few hiccups on our way to Paris. Ahhhhh...the French. Nothing quite like French culture to make you feel like a bumbling ugly American who just does everything wrong. After a couple of delays we got to Paris just in time for some rush hour traffic. The beauty of the city melted most of the traveling blues. We settled into our hotel room and inquired about babysitting at night. We have used hotel babysitting many times. It seems that it gets more and more expensive with each country we travel to. We always think it can't cost more than the last place. Well...it can. Paris takes the cake so far and I hope for the sake of our future we never see anything more expensive than Paris babysitters. Think of a price you think it might be, an expensive price you are still comfortable with. Now double it and then add on a really expensive taxi trip for the babysitter and you have the figure. We decided to do minimal activities without Alessandro but in Paris there are places you can't take a toddler. Living in Dubai has spoiled us rotten. There is always room for his stroller. There is always a highchair and there are always changing tables. I forgot how tiny most places are in Europe and how little patience people can have for people that take up too much room. We were very grateful that Alessandro was always an angelic patron at restaurants and he did charm everyone, even the obvious skeptics.

Ok I lied. I did learn one more thing on the boat cruise. This is a cement factory and behind it is the highest point in the country.

Boat Cruise

I made the mistake of taking a toddler on a boat cruise alone. I spent 1 hour chasing him around a boat that was filled to the max with Belgian school children on a field trip. There were two spots where he could have fallen off of the boat and several dangerous sets of stairs. Because of this I can't tell you anything about the boat cruise or the history of Maastricht. I can tell you that the information was given in four languages and that Belgian teachers don't care if their students listen to the information. I can also tell you Alessandro had a blast which is really all that matters!