In October of 2019, we took our first international vacation together, to a few countries in Europe. This was Moustafa's first ever trip to the continent, and his first opportunity to visit his sister Dina and her family in France.
Moustafa began his trip by flying into Amsterdam for a night to visit with a friend and see the city. He took a train into Paris, where he met Lindsay at the Gare du Nord. With french cheeses and breads in hand, Lindsay met Moustafa at the train. We then walked with our luggage to a neighbourhood café while waiting to check-in to our Airbnb.
We rented an apartment in Montmartre, near the base of Sacré-Coeur, in the 18th arrondissement, so that we were close to many of the sights we wished to visit.
We spent a few days touring around Paris, visiting the Eifel Tower, the Louvre, L'Arc-de-Triomphe, and strolling along the Champs-Élysée and through the Jardins des Tuilleries. We also took a romantic evening boat tour down the river Seine.
While in the city, we drank cappuccinos, ate pastries, and tried out the electric scooters on the city boulevards and street. It was an exciting and novel way to see the centre of Paris, and later inspired Moustafa to buy his own scooter in Dubai.
After a few evenings in Paris, we took a short flight to Barcelona. We both fell in love with this Spanish city.
It was a tumultuous time in Barcelona, with protests and riots for the Catalonian independence movement, but the energy and charm of this fantastic place was electric.
We strolled through the city streets, including the Gothic Quarter and the Sagrada Familia neighbourhood. We ate at two fantastic restaurants, Ziryab and Raó, in the evenings, while visiting Camp Nou and Sagrada Familia during the day. Both were equally impressive in their own rights.
Our time in the city was not complete until Moustafa found a t-shirt for his favourite Spanish show, La Casa de Papel (Money Heist).
Following our stay in Barcelona, we flew to Lyons, France, where we met with his sister and stayed with her family in Villefranche-Sur-Saoune. We delighted in spending time with his nieces and nephew, his sister and her husband, speaking three different languages with each other (Moustafa-Dina in Arabic, Moustafa-Lindsay in English, and Lindsay-Dina and family in French).
They took us to Léon de Bruxelles restaurant where we enjoyed mussels and escargot dinners, and also cooked us delicious home-cooked meals with family.
We took a day trip with Dina to Lyons, to wander the city, ascending up the Funicular, exploring the ancient Roman ruins, and the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
On the weekend, the entire family piled into the car to tour around Lyons together. Moustafa, Lindsay and Dina brought the girls to the Lyons' Fine Art Museum, while Moustafa's nephew and brother-in-law spent the afternoon in the park. We met up with them later to enjoy a little picnic in the evening, and explore all the features of this urban oasis.
We made many great memories with each other, and with family, on this holiday. Lindsay was given the title Ta-Ta-Lindsay by the kids, and Moustafa was known Ton-Ton Moustafa. This made us both feel so special and loved.
A tearful goodbye at the train station in Lyons was the last time we saw each other for over two years, until we reunited in Dubai, now engaged to be married, and finally able to meet Lindsay's parents for the first time.