Getting to the Ship

After a bit of touring and a good night's rest, we headed out to Valparaiso, Chile to catch our ship. We hired a minivan to take us for the two-hour trip. We were so lucky to have our friends Heather, and her son Ryan join us for this vacation! Ryan sat in the front, next to the driver, and would relay everything the driver was saying. Between all of us, we sort of pieced together a conversation in Spanish.



We dropped our luggage off at the port...



And then went out to explore Valparaiso for a little while.



Peter's bag didn't make it to Santiago with us. They told us that the plane had been too full, and assured us that it would arrive on a partner airline the following day - the day the cruise was scheduled to leave. They promised to deliver it to our ship for us. They also said that Peter could spend $50 on clothes that he might need for his 24 hours without his bag. Classic Peter response, he headed right out to find some new Levi's!



And then it came time to board our enormous ship with the other 2600 passengers.



While we booked the absolutely cheapest room on the ship (that would be the "broom closet class") we were miraculously upgraded to a room with *gasp* a window!



(This was particularly useful for any naked sightseeing we might want to do.)



Isn't is clever how they arrange the beds for the 3rd/4th person? This shows Soren as he debated which of the two bunks he wanted.



This bunkbed situation was probably a highlight for Soren. Whenever we were in the cabin he spent most of his time leaping from the bunk down to the bed below.

Before we left, we'd gone to the Dollar Store and Soren chose all the Christmas decorations he wanted so that we could decorate our cabin for the two weeks we'd be aboard the ship.



And then it was off to the "mustard station" (another one of those childhood mispronounciations that this mother found too charming to correct.) Soren was VERY attentive. The word "emergency" always gets his attention. He's usually the only person on our flights paying attention to every word the flight attendant says. He paid close attention here too.

Back In Town!

We're back! A bit jet-lagged and tired, but we're home. You didn't think we just went on a blog hiatus without actually going somewhere did you?

We were in South America for almost three weeks. And if we weren't the types who try to experience "trip of a lifetime" type vacations as much as possible, I might just describe this as a trip of a lifetime. So instead, I'll just say it was really awesome.

We got back last night, on Christmas. Santa came early to our house and so the stockings were filled for when we got home. But it didn't even matter - we all just pretty much fell into bed when we got back. And then we tackled the stockings this morning. And I didn't capture one single image of that. I did however get more than 1,300 shots of this vacation...so I can at least say that I have documented what Soren was doing near Christmas, if not on the actual day or not doing the actual Christmas-y things.

I've gone through many of my photos so far, but not yet all of them. So I'll tell you about the trip in a few installments.

First, it was a cruise. Yeah, we have succumbed to cruising. We did still take our sweet MountainSmith backpacks (as well as many other bags!) so we haven't totally fallen into the Louis Vuitton matched luggage crowd yet. But, we are now cruisers. We had more than one person on the cruise point out that we weren't exactly the demographic for this type of cruise. Too young, and with a small child. But Soren reaped the rewards of having a ship filled with grandparents - pretty much every time he turned around someone was handing him candy. Many people on the cruise told us that this particular itinerary, around Cape Horn, was on their bucket list. And since many of the passengers were older than 70...well, I guess they really needed to start working in earnest on that list!

We flew into Santiago, Chile. This year I managed to squeak in just enough miles on United to gain access to the Red Carpet Room lounges when I travel internationally. Um, can I just say, wow. We had a long layover in Toronto (almost 7 hours) on the way down and so hanging out - eating, drinking, getting online and even showering really helped break up the long journey.

You'll see that Soren settled in quite comfortably:





But then again, he settles in quite comfortably in most places.



Have toys, will travel.



We only had one day in Santiago before needing to catch our ship. But we did manage to see the sights by taking a double-decker bus tour. I laughed so hard when we boarded and Soren practically ran up the stairs to grab the front seat. He didn't care that there was only one front seat left, and that Peter and I needed to ride 3 rows behind him. He knows which seat he prefers!



...but he did eventually move back by us when it got too sunny in the front.



As with most cities around Latin America, there is a main square with a statue of a guy on a horse that you should take a picture of.



And some big ornate churches that you should investigate.



Peter and I have been to South America a few times and still laugh at the frequency of eating meals accompanied by french fries. Always undercooked and soggy french fries. I have to admit that we kind of sought them out for our first meal there this time. We weren't disappointed. They were exactly as we remembered.



Oh, and flying to summer has the advantage of getting back to ice cream season!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Brief Hiatus

We interupt this regularly scheduled blog to bring you...well, nothing.

We're taking a brief blogging break. Not to fear, we'll be back. With more stories and pictures than ever, I'm sure.

But for the next few weeks, we're taking a break. Look for our blogging return shortly after Christmas. We hope you have a fabulous holiday! I'm sure that we will!

He Knows How to Travel

On the return trip from Michigan we had a really early flight. I only wish that Peter and I could travel as comfortably as one small boy that I know.

The 2009 Gingerbread House

We've had so much fun decorating our gingerbread houses in the past that we thought it would be even more fun to do it with cousins.

You know, most gingerbread houses use fairly predictable candies for decorating. We think it is far more exciting to let the boys choose their favorite candies to put on the house. So, it starts with a trip to the candy store...



Though I must say having your favorite candy close at hand might mean that slightly less of it actually makes it to the gingerbread house...



Who can resist a gummy worm, right?



Once the sugar highs were firmly enroute, the real decorating began...



Everyone concentrated very hard.



So that this year's house would be the most beautiful ever:



I think they succeeded, don't you?

The Christmas Train

While we were in Michigan, Grandma found a great train ride that she knew that we'd all love.

So, everyone got their tickets from Grandpa...



Before boarding Soren and Luke wanted to check out the caboose.



And then it was time to meet a real live conductor!



Soren was ready to go 30 minutes before the train was scheduled to leave the station.





Grandpa, Grandma and Riley were pretty excited too.



The train was all decorated for Christmas.



A princess even joined us to read the kids The Polar Express!



There was one passenger that we were really looking forward to...



Hurrah for Santa Claus!



"Little boy, have you been good this year?"



Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but I think it might be time to check exactly what those elves are drinking while they are building all the toys. Check out this penguin that Soren got from Santa:



What a great way to start the Christmas season!