Reims and USA vs. Spain

Yesterday, Stephanie and I took a one-day trip to Reims. For those of you like me who perhaps do not know the proper French pronunciation of Reims, start with the word France, then drop the F at the beginning, then make the n a hybrid of an n and an m, so something like rams or rance. Reims is the unofficial capital of the Champagne region of France, so we were sure to pay proper homage at a cafe on the place de la crypt (or something very like that).

Soon enough, though, it was time to prepare for the main event, the reason were in Reims in the first place - it was time to prepare for the United States Women's National Team to take on Spain in the round of 16 of the world cup.

Quick aside - a good chunk of the inspiration for this entire trip was a trip Stephanie and I took 4 years ago to Vancouver during the last women's world cup. We so enjoyed it that Stephanie decided we were definitely coming to France this time. So here we are.

Back to Reims. It was clear even in Paris that American soccer fans were flooding in for the tournament, and to support our team. That become comically obvious on the train from Paris to Reims, and we met up with the supporter group watch party ahead of the game. The whole group marched through downtown Reims over to the stadium.

The game was at 6:00 local time, and it was freaking hot. Like, I assume the players didn't have 3 glasses of champagne before the game, but it was a physical challenge to sit in the sun that long. The stakes were serious now, with the winner moving on and the loser being knocked out of the  tournament. Spain came in as something of an unknown. They have improved a lot in the last few years, and that showed up on Monday. They were tactically and technically very strong, able to deftly control the ball and keep possession far more than most U.S. opponents. The game was tight, with both teams scoring in the first 15 minutes, then nothing for the next hour of play. Between the heat, the pressure, and the strong opponent, things got tense. And then American Hero Megan Rapinoe ensured the U.S. would play another day by finishing off her second penalty kick of the game, and we celebrated a hard-fought victory.

And that means we get to see one more game, this one back in Paris, agains France (the home team for those of you not keeping up). Rapinoe is hoping for, and I think she will get, a shitshow circus around the match on Friday, and all four of us will be there for it. Stephanie barely survived the first game (see her below on the train back to Paris this morning), who knows if any of us, or the USWNT will survive the next.




USA!

More Paris

We are absolutely beating ourselves into the rues and boulevards of Paris. I can't seem to figure out how to take it easy for more than an hour at a time, and I feel overly compelled to see all the sight while we're here. I'm also trying to find the balance of showing Mom and Dad everything we love against not killing everyone or making us so sore that we can't even see.

More pictures

Louise and Isaac

Something new about us this trip is that we've left our darling children behind at home. Louise is 3 and Isaac is 10 months.

Hi Louise

Hi Isaac

We miss them dearly, and are sending them pictures and videos every day. This is longest we've been away from them, especially since Isaac has been around. Even so, it's a great opportunity to get away, and we are enjoying some time off from the responsibilities of parenting.

Louise and Isaac, we love you very much. Have fun with your grandparents, aunts, and uncles (thanks guys!), and we'll see you soon and have loads of stories to share. We want to hear your stories too.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Back in France!

Bonsoir de Paris! Greetings from Paris. Stephanie and I are back in France for the women's world cup and some tourist fun. We brought my parents, Richard and Jennifer with us. We're now nearly 3 days in to our stay, so let's get you all caught up.

We arrived on Thursday, and after a long flight and a long cab ride from Charles De Gaule airport, we arrived at our hotel. We're staying at a nice hotel near the Luxembourg Gardens and Boulevard St. Germain. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, it was time to fight off jet lag, stay awake, and get acclimated. We set off for lunch, which we found at a restaurant at the Marche St. Germaine. After that, we took a nice leisurely stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens. After indulging in the briefest of naps, it was time for a quick dinner, then back to the hotel to watch the final match of the group stage for U.S., which would also tell us a good deal about where we would spend the rest of our time. They won, and so we'll be off to Reims in a couple days.

Stephanie and Jennifer at dinner. It was tres floral.
Also, Mom's not mad,
us Earlys just make faces sometimes.

Friday

Friday morning, we set out for a bike tour in Versailles. We have never been to Versailles, and we were very much looking forward to seeing it. In the end, it didn't disappoint, although there were certainly some bumps in the road. My dad, who is a pretty avid cyclist, took a couple falls and just couldn't get the hang of the easy-ride bikes, so the tour ended up being on foot for our group, which was just fine. We explored the market and equipped ourselves for a nice picnic on the grounds. I even got to work on my practical French language skills by stopping in a grocery store and asking for "quelque chose pour ouvrir une boutielle" which very successfully earned me a corkscrew. As mentioned, the grounds did not disappoint. Those Bourbons really went big. The weather was picture perfect, and after the early stumbles, we had a wonderful day in a truly spectacular setting. Stephanie found us a good restaurant where I got to struggle successfully once more with the language and eventually get us all deliciously fed.

Stephanie in her natural environment (train)

Dad with a strong accidental photo bomb in the hall of mirrors

Versailles is a good palace (seen her up the hill in the back)

Saturday

We're just getting in from our first full day in Paris proper, and our feet are good and hurting for it. We've established that Stephanie and I don't really know to travel in big cities without near-obscene levels of walking. But Mom and Dad are keeping up, and we're taking plenty of breaks to enjoy cafes and everything they have to offer in the way of drinks and food. In between today's cafe stops, we saw the following:

• St. Germain Des Pres - A very historic church in our neighborhood
• St. Chapelle - Best stained glass maybe anywhere - it's really amazing
• The shell of Notre Dame - Can't get very close or anywhere near inside, due to recent fire
• A nice stroll through the Les Halles district and a bit of the Marais
• The Centre Pompidou museum featuring modern and contemporary art, a completely avant-garde architectural style, and hard-to-beat views
• A trip  to Champ de Mars and a viewing of the 10:00 Eiffel Tower twinkling with thousands of follow visitors and Parisiens

Bonne Nuit et a bientot. Good night and see you soon.