Another travel day. This time we have decided to take a detour to La Rochelle on our way down to Bordeax. It’s an hour or so out of the way, but there’s an aquarium there that looks great. We want to try to do something special for the kids and make the day fun. In order to make this happen, though, we must leave by 10am, the earliest yet.

So I’m proud to say, even with Stefan running a few miles to start the day, we are all packed and leaving the house at 10:15am. This is on-time in Palsson time. It’s a long drive, but it’s made more enjoyable by my podcasts (slowly converting Stefan).

We drive directly to the Aquarium, where we have a snack/lunch and proceed to spend the next 2+ hours looking at fish. I love aquariums, so this is fun for me. The kids are going nuts. There’s tank after tank of fish. I particularly like the entrance. They admit people in groups into a room with screens showing a water level. We are in a submarine! The door closes and the floor moves enough to match the screen change; we are going deep underwater. When the door opens, we walk through a tunnel of fish! It’s enchanting.

At one point the kids get to go in a tunnel underneath a tank. They feel super cool because grownups are not allowed. There’s also an impressive shark tank. Oly has no intention of going near the tank. Toward the end of our time there (and we are there awhile), he creeps closer but only clutching my hand. I love how cautious he is.

There is another section for fish that are closer to the surface, and then we enter the rainforest area. It’s not very large, but it has a large tank of piranhas with a bridge over it! Of course you have to cross it to see the rest of the rainforest section. Lillian loves it. There are also a lot of turtles, which the kids love. As we leave, Oly waves goodbye to the turtles.

Back in the car, we evaluate our driving options. One route is slightly longer, but we go along the coast and take a ferry at one point! Lillian and Stefan have a sweet spot for ferry boats, so off we go. We arrive in time to walk near the harbor for 30 minutes or so. It’s cute, and there’s something about kitschy shops that makes you feel like you’re really on vacation.

The ferry is small, and the ride is only 20 minutes. We make the most of it! We dash upstairs, purchase a sandwich, croissants and two beers. We sit out on the deck with all the other passengers. The weather is divine today. And the smell of the sea is refreshing.

Beginning to drive again, we follow our GPS (and two other cars) down a road that turns out to drive nowhere but through the forest. The GPS keeps wanting us to drive down a set of train tracks! It was very funny and obviously the other two cars were receiving the same poor information as well. We find our way. No camping in the woods tonight. The last 30 minutes of the car ride are difficult. Everyone is cranky.

As we near our Airbnb, we worry we may be out in the middle of nowhere again. This time we turn onto a dirt road (no joke) and drive by new houses being built. It’s pretty weird. The next section of houses is set off on its own at the end of the road. The dirt road. Stefan is laughing at me again. We go inside and the place is very cute. The backyard has beautiful patio furniture. It’s obviously new construction, which makes it the opposite of our last place. We aren’t sure where we are in relation to civilization yet, but we can figure that out tomorrow.

I’ll admit my favorite part of this new place is the washer/dryer machine! Woohoo! The one at the last place wasn’t so great, and it was too damp in the house for the clothes to dry fully on the rack. Yuck. So we have a ton of laundry to do.

I make a simple pasta using our leftover Camembert and ham. We eat on the patio; it’s beautiful. I’m happy to be here. The kids play their new favorite game, mommy and baby. i think you can tell who is who. Then bath time in the awesome bath tub! Perfection.