Paris

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce... McLouis! Named after the company that built it on its Fiat Ducato platform, he’ll be our home for the next 5 weeks or so as we drive from Amsterdam to the southern tip of Portugal. In fact, today we managed to drive through Belgium and just into France with only a short stretch going the wrong way on a one way street. While there will definitely be an adjustment period (can anyone tell me what the label on the water tank shown in the last pic means?), we’re slowly getting settled and excited to make our way to a campground in downtown Paris tomorrow! #adventuresofdaveandannandmclouis #europeanrvcamping #familytravel #travelwithkids #rvwithkids #differentdaydifferentrig

From the #notallrainbowsandunicorns file, this morning we pulled out of our campground in Dunkirk, France (we saw the movie - Google it) and noticed the distinct (distinked?) smell of black water. Closer examination revealed the liquid contents of our toilet forming small rivers flowing under the girls’ feet and towards us in the cockpit. Ugh.
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We returned to the campground to troubleshoot which meant figuring out how to dump the cassette toilets (used on 99% of RV’s in Europe instead of a black tank and “stinky slinky”) to avoid further overflow. In the end, not a bad process: open a side door, pull the +\- 5 gallon tank out, carry to a dump station which looks a big like a toilet with no seat (which in France is most toilets - really, it’s a great quad workout!), swivel a nozzle, remove a cap, push a button to vent and pour out. In the process, we discovered that another valve on the tank had been misaligned and hence was allowing tank contents to slosh out and seep onto the floor.
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With the tank reinstalled correctly (was like that when we picked up McLouis), we googled for supermarkets where we could get the thickest rubber gloves in stock and a gallon of bleach. Fun fact, it was only around 2015 that stores in France were even *allowed* to be open on Sundays, and even then, only for a few hours in the morning, a time period which we’d missed by about an hour.
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No choice other than to press on with a strict “socks must be worn inside” rule. “Driving into Paris at 6:00 pm in an RV will be fun!” said no one ever. It was heinous, but I only stalled out on a hill in bumper to bumper traffic once, so that’s good.
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Arriving at our reserved campsite along the Seine was a relief, only topped by the restaurant still being open and having an outside table next to the playground. The campground actually looks awesome and is close to attractions. But as excited as we are to explore Paris (and do some disinfecting) tomorrow, there was still time for our first ever family foosball game. The girls learned some valuable smack talk, and it turns out Mae may be a natural.
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#familytravel #travelwithkids #familyfoosball #trueliferv

1) These kids are getting heavier #wynnehangingwiththefamily 2) Playground with a view of the Eiffel Tower is okay with the #sisterhoodofthetravelingparents 3) Walking the Rue Cler for @margaretleonard 4) Mae’s got eyes for the gelato flowers. 5) An hour of playing “momma and baby tower” is well worth a few € at the souvenir stand. #childhoodunplugged #travelwithkids #familytravel

#eurocamperporn! L->R: Vintage Mercedes James Cook (mmm, funky van lust), Ford Transit pop top (full size with headroom), Mercedes Metris with pop top (compact with headroom), new Type H (http://typeh.eu, haven’t had enough data to Google it), GlobeCar GlobeScout (no idea of the interior layout but looks promising), Possl Vario 545 (layout is AMAZING, this looks to be the holy grail for a family of four, bunks in back, parents up top plus a bathroom/shower - Google it!), LMC Breezer (don’t know the layout, but looks roomy yet sleek), and... McLoius (she’s not sexy, but she’s home for a while).
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Admin day today. Laundry, a walk across the Seine with one of the North Face Basecamp duffels for groceries (nope, no weird looks from locals at all, not a one 😂), lots of campground playground, a little foosball and early dinner and bed for the kids.
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Tomorrow, we relaunch on Paris. With one day left, what shouldn’t we miss (with two kids under 6 who don’t like to walk and two parents who don’t really like to look at paintings)?!
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#adventuresofdaveandannandmclouis

The things a mom does for her kids (pics 2 and 3). #pigeonpatrol #travelwithkids #familytravel #paris #pariswithkids #notredame

Crepes and a carousel ride at the end of the Champs-Élysées, fly-by of the Louvre, browsing vintage books along the Seine, adding a padlock to the Pont Neuf, dinner in Le Marais. Big day in Paris, and Mae was the only one smart enough to catch a nap on the Pont Des Arts in the middle of it. #preschoolerlife #roadschoolnaptime #roadschool #worldschool #travelwithkids #familytravel #pariswithkids

When traveling in foreign places, it can be helpful to have kids play with regional toys to help them get a feel for the culture. #pinkeiffeltowercoveredinsnails #firstposttothathastag #childhoodunplugged #roadschool #worldschool #lookatthatescargot #pleasesenddisinfectant #notthefirstposttothathashtag