The first weekend in March, we packed up and hit the road with the necessities - each other, tablets for the kiddos and Starbucks for us!
We headed about three hours south of Chengdu to ride one of the last (only?) steam trains left in China.
We went at peak time - grapeseed flower festival was going on and it was quite crowded!
We were happy that our train was half an hour late because we had arrived just in time so this gave the kids a little bit of a break to stretch their legs! And get their sillies out!!
Boarded the train! We were ready for an adventure!
The view as we pulled away.
Waving bye to our driver!
These flowers are some of my favorite - they appear in Chengdu for 2 - 3 weeks away (these flowers make canola oil).
Those blue skies didn't hurt my mood either...
The funniest thing happens - the train lets you out and gives you time to get to a viewing platform, then the train backs up and comes towards you so you can get a good picture. It made my photography loving heart super happy!
The sweetest kiddos!
And the best daddy!
And the chaos, because travelling with 8 kiddos will always be crazy.
Love this picture of me and Wes!
The kids started screaming when we were heading through tunnels much to the other passengers delight (or annoyance? I will let you be the judge). I got out my camera and got a few funny snaps!
A yummy dinner that our drivers had helped us to order once we arrived in the town where we were staying for the night. That night the kiddos played and the adults chatted before heading to bed.
The next morning, we were up bright and early - after breakfast, the kiddos were putting on some kind of performance/play.
And then we headed out on a guided walk and had the best time exploring this ancient town (truly an ancient town, not commercialized (yet!)).
Loved this swing!!
And this door - the colors!
We stumbled into the most amazing coffee shop!
And, then, wound our way through town to the museum.
At last, it was time to head back to the train to ride it back to the town where our drivers were waiting for us. It was a short, but fun! weekend adventure!
Wes got this picture and it is my most favorite picture from the whole weekend!
Such a fun weekend!!
