Summer Vacation { Part I }

I'm so glad that we decided, really on a whim, to take the late summer vacation to Saratoga Springs... All my nanny kids were getting ready to leave the nest... well this is the last year they are all going to be there so we decided it was now or never.  I used to nanny for them family in Fort Wayne, then Zionsville and they ended up moving to Saratoga Springs after I graduated from College.  They are such an amazingly cool family and I was super lucky to meet them and tag along with them on so many different trips and such.

So... onward with the 14 hour drive we went...

On our way there, it wasn't so bad...
We drove through Canada...

They did not have one billboard on their highway! 

It was amazing... super calm drive actually and so nice! 

We decided to go that way since we were going to hop off to see the Canadian side of Niagara falls... and on the way we passed a sign for Wayne Gretzsky Parkway (which was a highlight for my husband).

The falls were absolutely amazing.  I've been to the US side, but the Canada side is just utterly unbelievable.  It really is a sight to see from the other side!  Plus, it's like a complete tourist attraction... there are wax museums, Ferris wheels, and you'll hear every different language imaginable while there!  And we decided to take Ells on the Voyage of the Mist boat ride to really get the most out of it... which was just crazy.

After our 2 hour break, we finally made it to Saratoga around 10:30pm... after starting the trip at 7:00am... from Fort Wayne.  That was a long day.


Day 2 : Saratoga...

We all woke up a little late...
Afterall we didn't go to bed until about 1230.  Ella was wound up like no other...

We enjoyed our coffee on the gorgeously huge front porch and then headed off to a late breakfast at Sweet Mimi's where I had these Roman Eggs which were absolutely delicious.  If you go to Saratoga, you must try Sweet Mimi's! 

After that we enjoyed a short walk through downtown and checked out a couple of stores...

As well as the natural springs...Something Saratoga is known for and one of the reasons that in the old days people would come from NYC to Saratoga Springs to drink the natural healing waters...

They were gross and tasted like well water.  Enough said.  But we did as the visitors do and tried it...

Then the girls watched Ella for a bit to let us walk around the city by ourselves....
I snapped a few pictures of some favorite homes, doors, architecture...

We got lost... and ended up walking about 4 miles to try to find the Saratoga Race Track that is literally 3 blocks from the house we were staying at.  I let my husband take the lead and he has no sense of direction. 

I've been traveling a bit these last couple of weeks so sorry but I'll be sharing my trips!
I'll wrap up Saratoga tomorrow :)

Then there's wedding fun and Denver trips!