I survived the grocery store and had many other adventures

Mike and I at Chamonix, a beautiful town at the base of Mont Blanc,

Our whirlwind adventure is beginning to resemble something that will soon look like everyday life. We arrived in Geneva 2 days ago after quite an exciting drive from Paris. We miraculously packed

I think we even had another suitcase
around the corner

4 full size suitcases 

3 small suitcases

2 duffle bags

1 car seat

1 stroller 

1 pack and play crib

5 laptop bags

2 purses 

5 people  

1 baby 

The master hands at work packing our
chocolate box

into a minivan with 5 working seats. If you do the math correctly on that, you will notice we are one seat short... Mike and I ended up sharing the front seat. It was quite an exciting 5 hour drive. (Dad, I did wear my seat belt the whole time though, I promise we were as safe as possible). But oh was it beautiful! Seeing the hustle and bustle of the city of lights melt away into the French country side then the slight hint of the Alps were magnificent. I have always loved going for road trips and seeing the countryside. I feel like you can really see the peacefulness of the world from the road, when cities are left behind. There is magic in the simplicity of the space between cities.

Yesterday, after some fun sight seeing and several incredible meals... and chocolate, we went to the local Walmart-ish place to get a stocked up. It was the craziest experience. Imagine this scene, a huge mall with a moving sidewalks/escalator combination, then navigating a grocery cart (that you have to unlock by making a deposit) up that strange escalator/moving sidewalk combination to the 3rd floor of the mall (but labeled as the 2nd floor). Then upon finding the grocery store you look in and realize everything you normally buy, every brand, every product is different. Just getting eggs, milk and bread from the small Supermarche in Paris took 45 minutes... how in the world would I navigate this huge store with a full page list of everyday ingredients that may not even be available here. It was crazy! I was so relieved to have my Mother and Father-in-Law with me. My sweet mother-in-law patted my arm and told me it would all be fine. Once we made it out of the isles and isles of meat and cheese I believed her. Amazingly enough, it only took an hour and a half to buy just about everything on the list. With only a few hiccups we were able to leave the store with our bags in tow. The only surprise we found was the peanut butter we bought was in fact some sort of graham cracker spread. Whether we use that spread or Nutella, Luke will love his new PB&J sandwiches. 

Under this church was 2 thousand years worth of history

It all worked out wonderfully and I now feel at home in this sweet flat. I will post pictures soon. But the  adventure at the grocery store was just a piece of our wonderful day. We explored an archeological dig site that dates back to 35 bc, we walked the beautiful streets of old Geneva, we went to the most beautiful artisan chocolate factory where the shopkeeper carefully prepared some of the most incredible truffles I've ever eaten. We ate lunch at this beautiful restaurant that served me duck with fig and gingerbread... quite the interesting combination... after the fondue. WOW! 

The best part of the whole day was driving to the beautiful city Chamonix at the base of Mont Blanc. We explored the quaint mountain town and ate at the most delicious restaurant. I had a perfectly marinated goat cheese salad with bruschetta and prosciutto, followed by a perfectly cooked chicken with a polenta and cheese and ratatouille, finishing with some Panna cotta with passionfruit. I know that probably doesn't translate well via blog, but trust me, it has been my favorite meal since being in France! I mean can you get any better than French cuisine at the foot of the tallest mountain in western Europe? 

Despite the challenges, I am feeling much more set up and ready for this adventure!