Here we are, strolling along the winding narrow streets of Antibes in the South of France. After a visit to the bustling outdoor market, the vibrations from cobblestones send Angelina off into a deep slumber. I revisit this scene in my mind’s eye often, and the feeling of being so fortunate to simply be present somewhere extraordinary with the people you love most at your side.
One helpful lesson we learned on this trip was that, while you can buy Pampers virtually anywhere in the world nowadays (really), you have to know WHERE to find them first. We weren’t finding Pampers in the usual grocery and sundries stores where we expected to see them–right along side the baby food and related items we did see. It became a great diaper mystery: everyone seemed to be out and our supply was running low.
I finally asked a local mom-in-the know in this small town. It seems the French, who rightly take such pride in their cooking and cuisine, take to heart the sentiment that you shouldn’t doodle–or sell doodle-related products–where you eat. So for diapers in France, as in many other European countries we learned, head to the pharmacy.
You might also like these tips for travel with a baby in France:
While it wasn’t our first trip overseas with a baby, visiting France with our first travel baby was still a fantasy come true for me (even finding diapers in France!). After traveling with Tim for years, crossing through our beloved France every chance we got with both of us assuming that it would have to end after we became parents, we were back at some of our favorite, and even most romantic haunts in Paris–with this tiny little co-traveler drawing our attention to the smallest details we might never have appreciated otherwise, and reminding us of our greatest accomplishment yet: her.
As I march through the final half of this pregnancy, I’ve set a goal for myself to revisit some of our favorite travel photos and tips we’ve learned along the way with our first two travel babies each Friday. Of course, I’ll still have other tips and photos to share along the way… and a couple of free signed books you can win for yourself or have shipped as a gift to a friend, so stay tuned.
And speaking of tuning in: If you happen to be near your TV or computer this afternoon, watch for my on ABC 7 San Francisco’s The View from the Bay!
Safe journey,