Lasting impressions of our Family OE

KATIE

You realise what lucky people we are to live in New Zealand and have a good home, have land and have not had war because we are in an isolated island away from everything.
My favourite times were staying out late and exploring cities and places.

CONNOR

It was exciting going to new places that we've never experienced before, there was really good food.
My favourite places were Slovenia, Lake Balaton (in Hungary) and Paris where we did some really fun stuff.
It is cool to be back in New Zealand so we can see our friends and return to our own home where we have space to run around.

MARVIN

It was really exciting because of the new cultures we hadn't seen before and having so much family time, I was particularly nervous about Asia (as a family with kids), but it was fun, vibrant, high energy and easy to get around.  In Europe it was great to discover new places like Budapest that seemed very livable.  Food & drink throughout Europe was excellent.  Apologies to all the people we inadvertently cut off while driving and our near misses!  We found Air BNB & Booking.com to supply us with good accommodation.  Air conditioning was well appreciated in the mid 30+ temperatures we were in!  Watch out for the next trip!

ANNE

Family time was number one, and all coping with being within 2-3metres of each other for 98 days!  We had great conversations over dinner and late into the evenings.  Experiencing the different cultures and countries together as a family so that we can now share the great memories for many years into the future.

The more impoverished countries struck a cord with me the most, seeing the courage, patriotism and hard work of people throughout the world to make a living and provide shelter for their families and to defend their countries when necessary.  Despite poverty, harsh living conditions and little access to resources these people open their hearts and have a genuine smile. 

Experiencing history through architecture was another highlight for me.  Viewing architecture going back 2,000 years in the Roman Empire (Herculaneum, Pompeii, Pont Du Gard), then 1,000 years to the Khmer architecture (Angkor Wat), then the medieval architecture (many castles and defense forts), Renaissance architecture (in Paris, Budapest, Munich, Florence).  Walking 800 metres down the main Sarajevo centre you experience difference architecture styles from the medieval period, Ottoman period, Austro-Hungarian period and Communist period finished up with post-war luxury shopping complexes. 

The big cities of Budapest & Paris are breath-taking with their buildings and famous structures.  Asia was vibrant and full of life, very affordable with great food.  The Mediterranean foods of cold meats, cheeses and breads bought in delicatessens, charcuteries, fromageries, patisseries, boulangeries and local markets, washed down with red wines and lemoncillo are all highlights that enhanced our long evening gatherings as a family.  We plan to keep an international cooking regime on our menu in New Zealand.   The Alps in Austria and Switzerland were spectacular and catching up with friends in Germany were all highlights of our trip.

Interesting statistics from our trip - written by Marvin

Number of countries visited = 14

Distance driven in lease car (in our trusty Peugeot 308SW 1.6L 6 speed manual.) = 9,428km.

Diesel used 463 litres  (cost 623 euro), making an average mileage of 20.4km/L,

Most kilometres driven in a day = 705km from Pont du Gard to Epernay.  (for those that know New Zealand, Auckland to Wellington is 648km)

Yes, GPS is a must.

Highest point driven, Grimsell Pass Switzerland at 2,165m.

Longest tunnel driven through: 6.7km in Austria, driving from Germany to Switzerland

Highest point reached = 2,500m, in Austria (by cable car and foot, mostly cable car). 

Different modes of transport included; car, motorcycle, push bike, golf cart (operating as taxi service), funicular, cable car, bus, tram, trolley bus, tuk-tuk, songthaew (converted ute), ferry, train, underground subway (Metro), elephant, and airplane.

Costs:
Average cost per day was cheapest ( not surprisingly) in Asia.  Close second was Bosnia.  We spent NZ$588 per day in Paris being the most expensive....well worth it! The old adage of the further you head west in Europe the dearer it gets, still holds.  Switzerland is a world unto itself, generally 10-20% more than surrounding countries.
Overall under budget by $3k.  (including flights, accommodation etc)

Bottles of red wine consumed:  Not sure.....but well worth it.

Favourite activities:
A day with the elephants in Chang Mai, swimming in Kuang Si Falls near Luang Prabang, chilling out at Lake Balaton for 3 days in Hungary.  Luging in Lake Bled in Slovenia & adrenaline adventure tree park. Soaking up Paris as a city, having accommodation within walking distance of the Seine.

Gold Stars:  Connor and Katie for putting up with Mum and Dad.

Triple Gold Star: to Anne for being chief planner and having endless enthusiasm.  Without you the trip wouldn't have happened.

Favourite Selfies & Family Photos

The kids loved taking 'Selfies'.  Here are some of their favourites:

 

 

Here's some favourite family photo's (& also the front & back cover photos of this book)

 

 

 

 

Paris Disney! written by Katie.

Today we are off to Paris Disney and the Walt Disney studios. It has been one of the most exciting activity I've been waiting for and today we are going there.

 

We got off the Metro and raced  off to Walt Disney Studios! There were 3 storey studios next to each other together as you walked through. Our first activity was the Aerosmith Rollercoaster, I was looking forward to this one! The cart that we sat in had about 15 people in it. On the side of your head rest there are speakers playing very loud while you zoomed down and up steep hills and lots of Loop de Loops! You would flash by, since you go 100kph in under 3 seconds. On the whole time I was holding tight (VERY) and keeping  my eyes shut but sometimes opened them. Once we got off I was amazed that I had survived. It was lots of fun!

                                  

 

                                    

 

                                                                    

After the rollercoaster we went to a car stunt show, there was even Lightning McQueen. At first a motorbike came out and did lots of wheelies then they bought out a group of cars and they did a little part of a movie car chase. When it was over we went and got lunch then went on a tour.

Not just any tour it was a Hollywood film tour showing set up props and structure. We drove through parts of the movie, Armergeddon and Jurassic Park. We stopped in front of what looked like a construction site, then all of a sudden our tram started shaking and so did the construction site, then fire bursts out of it and all of a sudden 20 tonnes of water came flowing down it, the water dribbled like rain on the side walls. Once we had finished the tour it was time to head home.

                                              

I had lots of fun at Walt Disney Studio, I definitely want to come back!

Paris Science Museum written by Connor

Science Museum in Paris

First we went into these light optical illusions and vision test things and then we went to the Imax 180 cinema.   A huge three storey curved screen that wrapped around you.

Then we went to a risk exhibition of risk and chance and we got to wear glasses to simulate how you would see if you were drunk

 

Then we went to the energy section where you could make tornados and generate your own power by turning a handle.  Next we went to the maths area where we learned about predictions and cool games and also a spinning room that you went in and you had to try and throw balls at a target, although we had to allow for the centrifugal force.

We learned a little bit about genetics and humans. And I saw science mice. And there was a solar powered plane that flew across America, it was called "Solar Impulse One".

My funniest thing that I did was probably the risk taking and making my own tornado.

The risk thing was cool because you could do risks and answer questions and game of chance.

Soaking up Paris - written by Anne

Oh la la - c'est la vie!  What a place, I fall in love again every time I visit Paris, this is my 3rd visit to the city of romance.

We decided to base ourselves in the Latin Quarter so we'd be central to everything and right in the buzzing heart of Paris.  To become a real Parisienne family we rented a 2 bedroom apartment on Air BnB (in Rue de Cardinal Lemoine) hence a French family moved out of their premises for the week we were there.  We had access to many of their personal items - illy coffee machine, hundreds of DVD's, their book collection, kids toys, and a beautiful bottle of vin de rouge, this really added to the authenticity and we were surrounded by local French people!  We shared an off street courtyard with the other apartments in the complex, we were on the top floor at level 3.

 

Strolling the tree-lined avenues, stopping off for café-au-lait whilst people watching and tasting the tempting foods in the boulangeries and patisseries, picking up a picnic dinner to enjoy in the Luxembourg Gardens were some of my favourite things.  Also looking up and seeing these amazing monuments (Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and many more), walking alongside the River Seine and looking at all the offerings of the market sellers with their green box-like stalls.

 

 

The adventurous amongst us ate snails and frogs legs.  We found a favourite French restaurant (that we visited twice) on Rue Mouffetard, of course you don't go out for dinner before 9pm if you are truly Parisienne where we enjoyed confit au canard (duck confit), beef bourguignon, escalope de poulet et Normandy sauce, classic provencal lamb stew, fromages, foie gras and washed down with plenty of vin de rouge.

To signify our successful Jandal Crew family OE and our family love, we bought a padlock and wrote on it with "Love from the Jandal Crew", then we padlocked it to the Pont Des Arts (bridge) and together we threw the keys into the River Seine.  The padlock and throwing away of the key is meant to symbolise everlasting love.

Farewell Paris, until we meet again...