A Dip

On a warm afternoon there’s nothing like a dip in the pool and a drink.

At The Farm

This afternoon we went to a farm near Sylvie’s house where we got to see sone calves and cows. Oliver loved it (almost ad much as Daddy did)!

But things sure have changed since I was a kid! Instead of the cows walking into their stansions (sp?) in the barn, these cows walked onto a merry-go-round type thing where they milked (at the rate of 135 cows per hour!). Impressive!

Last Day of Fun In The Sun

(Tomorrow I’ll have Internet access and will be able to update and explain all the photos!)

Sun and Fun in The South Of France

(Dear WordPress: I hate your iPhone App that’s eaten this post THREE times! If I knew how to insert the icon for the naughty finger gesture, I would! And no, I’m not afraid I’ve just jinxed myself because in fact I’ve learned (after THREE ATTEMPTS!) to copy and paste into Notepad! So take that! P )

We’re having a wondeful time at Evelyne’s in Tourrettes Sur Loup and in fact we haven’t done much. Friday we accompanied her while she did her shopping for a dinner she had last night to celebrate her birthday. It wasn’t anything like the shopping in the US or at least not like anyplace I’ve shopped before. We went to an adorable village called Vilbonne, which is apparently FILLED with tourists this time of year!, and Evelyne did her shopping at all these little shops: the cheese from the fromager, fish from the poissonnier, bread from the boulangerie, meat from the boucherie, and lots of prepared dishes from the traiteur. It was really interesting to see all the specialized shops (most of which I’ve seen before but never all together).

Friday afternoon we took a dip with Oliver in Evelyne’s pool, which he loved except for the chilly water.

Saturday Hubby and I spent helping yo clean the interior and exterior of the house while Evelyne worked her culinary magic. After everything was spic & span (and while Oliver napped!) we lounged by the pool, Hubby reading his favorite: Asterix comics, and me working my way through Le Code de DaVinci (in French nonetheless!). It was heavenly.

After our little one woke from his nap, the three of us left Evelyne to do her final preparations (we offered to help but she insisted the she had someone coming to help her who was familiar with everything) and set off to explore the medieval village of Tourrettes Sur Loup.

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OH! MY! GOODNESS! was it cool. I think it’s because I’m an American, but when I think of an old city, I think of one a hundred years old or some such. So to see buildings that were initially constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries, it just blows mind! Walking through the narrow, curving streets, I could totally imagine all the centuries of feet that had walked in the cobblestones before me and all the centuries of laundry that were hung out to dry just outside the windows of the upper levels. Very impressive and humbling, to say the least!

After a couple of hours of exploring the village and it’s shops (mostly pottery but also a few bijouteries (jewelers), carved olive wood shops, and other touristy shops) we went back to prepare ourselves for the festivities.

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos from the evening on my phone, but I did get a shot of the three of us with the birthday woman with my camera that I’ll post when we return to Paris.

Unfortunately (as you’ve read!) WordPress isn’t playing well today (I’ve since realized it’s because I’m out of photo storage space on WP and I’m not about to buy more!) so I can’t link to mor insert photos. But you can see them all by clicking on the Flickr link to the right and I’ll fix it when I get back to Paris. Sorry!)

À bientôt!

Nice is Nice

Yesterday we flew from Paris to Nice. Thankfully it was a short flight as Oliver hadn’t slept well the night prior due to the heat, so it was still a long hour and a half flight.

But now we’re in paradise and our travel woes are long forgotten. We’re staying with our dear friend Evelyne in a village outise of Nice. She has an AMAZING house that I haven’t gotten around to snapping photos of yet, but trust me, it’s GORGEOUS!

I did take a couple of photos of the sunset amd the village of Tourrettes Sur Loup last night when I walked Wolfy (her dog). Beautiful!

Back From The Country

As I mentioned in my previous post (if you can call a sentence a post!), we ended up not having cell coverage while in the country.  So let me recount what we’ve been up to since my last post, which seems to have been a week ago!  (Jeez, you’d think I was on vacation or something!)

Last week Thursday we rented a car and left that afternoon for the center of France (Prissac to be exact) where many of Hubby’s family lives (including his parents).

Upon arriving after the 3 hour or so drive, imagine the luck for Oliver to have found a tractor at Mami’s & Papi’s neighbor’s house!

This is where we stayed the week we were there.  This is one end of Hubby’s Aunt’s & Uncle’s country house.

And this is the other end.  As with most old (we’re talking a couple of centuries old!) the house would have been attached to the barn.  So on the left end of the house is where the cattle would have been kept.

The living quarters would then have been on the opposite end (and much smaller as they have expanded from what it was.

The reason for this type of construction was to conserve heat (the walls are about 3 feet thick!) so the animals helped to heat the house and the hay in the eves helped to insulate the house as well.  It was a simple space but incredibly friendly and hospitable.  We were alone there from Thursday through Monday, so we got to spend some quiet time together.

Just down the road is where Hubby’s parent’s live, in the house his father built!  The building in the front is a garage that I believe existed when they bought the property.  That is where they stayed when they vacationed when he was a child and while they were building the house above (there is a different road to get to the house at the top, so no need to traverse the steep, winding road!).

During the few quiet days we had together, we didn’t do much, which was great.  There was a park with a pond across the road from us, so we went over there to check things out on Friday.  Unfortunately (or fortunately if you ask Oliver!) there were intermittent showers all day on Friday so we got caught in the rain a couple of times, which ended up with Papa finding shelter with Oliver on the Jungle Gym (can you see the raindrops falling?).

The Aunt’s and Uncle’s country home is also just next to the home where Hubby’s Mami & Papi (Gramma & Grampa) lived when he was a child, which was named Fontmorand after the community fount that was located on the premises used to do laundry and also for the castle that was apparently once located just in front of the house.  The property has been fortunate enough to have had a buyer from England (apparently lots of British buy land in France) who has done incredible research on the home and who are doing some incredible renovations to the property.

This is the remainder of the moat that would have surrounded the castle in the center.

Needless to say, it was a very emotional visit for Hubby who hasn’t seen the house or grounds since his granparents passed away and it was purchased by someone who wasn’t nearly as kind and gentle as the current owners and who allowed us to look around the house and grounds.  It was really special to hear Hubby’s memories about the house and grounds.

Somewhere along the line we made time for (MANY) excursions on foot to check out the village and surrounding area, sometimes while hanging upside down from Papa’s shoulders!

On one of our free days, we made the very short drive over to St. Benoit Du Sault, the heart of which was built in medieval times (starting around the 13th century!).

“Le Portail” (above and below) would have been the gate to the city during medieval times and lead to the church whose construction began in the 15th century!

Can’t you just imagine a gate right there with guards posted to make sure you stop at the flower shop on the right before entering the city?!

A photo op with Daddy in front of the church (that you can’t see because it’s to your right).

And guess what I found while walking the streets of this ancient medieval city?!  A CRAFT STORE!  Well, they sold some other stuff but it was mostly items to do with sewing and yarn arts.  Unfortunately, 1) I didn’t have a lot of time because both of my guys were waiting outside for me, and 2) I really have NO NEED of any more yarn!  (But I still had a gander!)

Then on Saturday we drove a bit further to Limoges, the porcelain capital of the world.  En route we passed this AMAZING house that is actually an ancient grange (house/barn) that’s being coverted/constructed into a new house.  TO.DIE.FOR!

To become better acquainted with Limoges, we paid 5€ (5 Euros) to hop the little train that took us on a tour through the center village (despite the demands at the time of our son, who ended up enjoying the ride!).

Despite needed a little bit of rest time near the end!

The city was so beautiful, with incredible architecture, open spaces, lots of greenery, interesting shops and stores.

And an amazing mix of old (see the ancient church in the background?) and new (as evidenced by the new school on the left)!

Then on Sunday we went back to Limoges to visit the Aunt and Uncle of Hubby, who are just back from a trip to Corsica and who are much MUCH friendly than they look in the quick snapshot!  We had a wonderful lunch with them and then did a tour of the city with with on foot (unfortunately everything is closed on Sundays!  But have no fear, I went back on Monday and participated in the national sales that are going on!)

Monday and Tuesday were low-key, spent mostly visiting with Hubby’s Aunt and Uncle and a couple of excursions to the park, and a few visits to see Hubby’s parents.

Very relaxing and enjoying and honestly, wonderful to spend time with such incredibly kind and generous people.  They opened their arms, their hearts, and their lives to Oliver and I without any hesitation.  It was truly a wonderful visit.

So much so that we hated to leave today (Wednesday), but now we’re back in Paris, at Sylvie’s house where we arrived in the late afternoon.  We prepared our bags, had an incredible dinner, and are on our way to the South of France (Tourrettes Sur Loup to be exact) tomorrow morning for a week to visit our dear friend Evelyne (whom you’ve seen in photos but whom I’ve not really blogged about).

As you know, cell coverage seems to be hit or miss, so we’ll play it by ear, but hopefully I’ll be able to post along the way.

A bientôt! See you soon!

We’re Not In Kansas

But I haven’t had such awful cell coverage since I last was!

We get back to civilization tomorrow!

Bon 14 Juillet!

Yesterday was the 14th of July (14 Juillet) in France which is very similar to the 4th of July in the U.S. commemorating their “independence” and the storming of the Bastille (a prison which housed political prisoners).  It’s a huge event in France and is celebrated by most villages having some sort of a fireman’s ball with music and fireworks.

We chose pack a picnic of sandwiches (no wine, can you believe it!?) and to drive into Paris and join the million or so people who would be celebrating by listening to the music of Johnny Hallyday, who is apparently HUGE here but from what I could tell, he seems to mostly do covers of American songs in French.  Not the highlight of the evening for me, but it made the waiting for the fireworks bearable.

Some amazingly beautiful architecture we saw on the way to the Eiffel Tower.  I mean, really, really beautiful.  What does one have to do to live in one of those apartments?!  Other than be someone else’s servant?!

This building was like a stone’s throw away from where we were sitting.  Absolutely spectacular!

House boats on the Seine (a dream of Hubby’s and the only way he claims I’ll ever be able to get him to move back to Paris!).

Our spot in front of the Eiffel Tower, where we waited for a good 4 or 5 hours.

Us, waiting the 4 or 5 hours for the fireworks to begin, probably listening to music from Johnny Hallyday who we couldn’t see on the big screen because of people walking in front of (and sometimes ON TOP OF) us!  There were a few aggressive acts, perhaps one or two on behalf o members of our party, but it was REALLY annoying having people stepping on your fingers and toes after a while.

Oliver reflecting on why he’s up so late past his bed time…  (Notice the pink spots on his upper lip; the result of a nose dive into the gravel he took on one of our first visits to a park!  It matches the scabs on his knees and legs.  All souvenirs from our summer in France I guess!)

Oliver giving Daddy a calin (caress).

Eiffel Tower lit and ready for fireworks!

The beginning of the fireworks.

Can you say absolutely ENTHRALLED?!  He wasn’t afraid or anything, just intrigued by the fireworks and show.

And a couple of videos for your viewing pleasure.

(In this second video, the lights make it look like the tower is dancing!  It was more impressive in real life!)\

It was such a great evening, despite the hassle of having to deal with over a million people in such a small space.  In the end I think we were all content to have passed the evening celebrating le 14 Juillet with friends in front of the Eiffel Tour.

On The Train

Yesterday (Sunday) we got to experience a French party.  Wow!  Do these French people know how to entertain!  (And I’m not sure WHO said French people don’t eat because all we’ve done since we got here is EAT!)

I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but the last few days have been spent preparing for this party.  From putting up tents (the weather in Paris (well, a suburb of Paris) reminds me of the weather in Wisconsin: if you don’t like it, wait a minute, it’ll change!) in case of rain (which there was!) or sun (which there was!), or setting up tables and chairs and buffets and bars and omygosh.

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos on my phone and the photos on my camera require the cord that is in the room where Oliver is sleeping and there isn’t yarnballs chance at Stitch & Bitch that I’m going in there to get it!

Actually, I just found a cute (to me) video of Oliver helping carry the chairs to the back yard.  (I’m loving the video on my iPhone 3 G S!)

And another of me with our friend Marie (who we saw about a month ago at our house, so you might recognize her!).  (Actually you might recognize her were it not for the e l o n g a t e d freaking photo!  Not sure what’s going on with my beloved iPhone 3 G S because the photos SUCK!  Could you get on that right away Apple?)

And finally a (bad, see aforementioned) photo of the recipient, Silvie of (insert royal music here) Cleo the Clapotis!  All finished (two years after she was started!)!  As in done!

Unfortunately Sylvie reads (I use the term loosely as she doesn’t speak very much English) my blog frequently and she saw the photos in my Flickr.  I’m not sure that she knew it was for her, but she had seen it done nonetheless.

Regardless, the perfect gift for wonderful, caring, kind, generous friend who is really more like family.

So, to continue, the party was fun and it was a hit.  Guests arrived around noon (believe it or not, EVERYONE who said they were attending actually attended!  Unheard of in Los Angeles!) and the last guests left around 11PM!  There was much fun had by everyone in attendance, including Oliver who was having a great time with his new French friends, all of whom adored him.

Then today we took the train to a suburb even further south to visit Hubby’s brother and sister-in-law who live in an adorable house whose photo is on my camera (again, see aforementioned missing cord).

So to distract you from that, I’ll instead show you a video of Oliver when we first boarded the train.

And finally another when we were lucky enough to happen upon some ducks.  I’m not sure if I’ve talked about it, but the kid LOVES ducks!  Or at least photos and stuffed animal ducks.

Turns out it’s the same for the real, live ducks, as you can see from the video!

Things are going great; having a great time with our hosts.  All of us are sleeping better and getting acclimated to France (although Oliver is NOT a fan of French milk and has therefore 1) been introduced to hot chocolate milk (a staple of French kids for generations) and 2) been pretty much taken off the bottle (my thanks to whomever invented that sippy cup that has the built in straw!).

Tomorrow we’re going to venture into Paris at some point (with millions of other people!) to watch the fireworks at la Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) to celebrate July 14th, the equivalent of the US’s July 4th.

Getting Acclimated

Golly it’s been a rough couple of days! I don’t remember the jet lag being this bad the last time we came. But then again, I didn’t have a child who was waking up at 1 am and tossing and turning and digging his (SHARP!) little toe nails into my back until 5 am! So as rough as I’m having it, I feel worse for Oliver who hasn’t a clue why he feels so strange. Nor who all these new people are who are speaking a different language (he normally only hears it from Papa and occasionally a friend a two, but not from EVERYONE!)!  Another small problem is the daylight; it get light out WAY early (like around 5am and we’re used to 7ish) and stays light until WAY late (like 10 and we’re used to 9ish) so that’s messing with our systems as well.  I just got back from a walk (it’s 10ish) and until a bit ago it was perfectly light outside!

We’re trying to get him back onto a schedule to help him acclimate to the change. But it’s probably rough because there are times when I’m sure his body is telling him he’s supposed to be asleep and he’s awake (I know my body is screaming at me, so I’m sure his is as well).

Despite the difficulty, we’re having a great time. We’re not doing much, mostly preparations for a birthday celebration our friends/hosts are having on Sunday.

We have been trying to get out and get to the local parks for Oliver’s sake. As you can see, he’s usually raring to go!

After a few errands this afternoon (IKEA is almost exactly the same in France as in the US, except maybe a teensy bit smaller!), we went to a pizzeria where the kids’ pizza came in the shape of a heart!

Unfortunately I didn’t pack nearly enough warm clothing for the very cool temperatures (they were having a heat wave when we left!).  But we’ll adjust (and wash frequently or take advantage of the sales everyone seems to be having due to the “global depression”)!