My Francophile Year

Monday, March 17, 2014

To the Bathroom We Must Go

Another thoroughly entertaining aspect of traveling is finding restrooms. Okay, with three children, it is not always entertaining, it can be downright irritating, especially when it happens every hour or so. But as a necessary life function and no option to ignore it, we need to know where to find the VC everywhere we go. Yes, in France it is a VC, not WC- I don't know why.
Public toilets have run the gamut of cleanliness. We have been in some portapotties that are automatically disinfected after each use by some robot that is activated after you exit. Some bathrooms have attendants collecting upwards of 1E for each pee- and some of these have been without paper, seats or any sense of cleanliness whatsoever. e considered our Euro a donation to the attendant to buy a good lunch. More often than not, public restrooms are okay.
For me, the signage is amusing and often, creative. Here are a few of our favorites.

serious fine for not cleaning up after your pooch

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Le Printemps

I love being able to say this....We are off for another quick trip to Italy! We will be stopping for the night along the Italian Riviera, in a small town called Rapallo. It is very close to Portofino and the Cinque Terre. The next day we will rendez-vous with my brother and his family for some Tuscan touring. The weather report is good, we even through bathingsuits into the car-just in case someone is brave enough to dunk in the sea.
We will be leaving equally beautiful weather in the south of France, where all kinds of spring are popping up. A bientot!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Cousin Time

The fabulous weather continues. We have been lucky to have family visiting for their spring break which coincided with the end of my kids' winter break. French village school takes another 2 weeks off for Easter. Together, we did some local touring to some of our favorite places and were invited to a Sunday luncheon which was great fun. The sun shone bright, the table was set under a grape arbor(no, it has not come out of dormancy yet) and around it sat an assortment of entertaining people sharing delicious food at this remote farmhouse surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and peace. It was one of those long, lazy Sunday afternoons that I have allowed myself to savor.
Tomorrow, we will head south again to meet up with my brother for a spontaneous visit to the Tuscan region of Italy. I am looking forward to eating alot. Oldest Child just started a section of her home-school history of the Italy Renaissance so she can give us a brief lesson on our daily explorations. I detested history at her age. Her experience right now is similar, but as I read her textbook I find it fascinating, especially since we are living in the midst of much of it here in France.
As we continue the beginning stages of our return to the USA, I have mixed feelings- some of sadness for leaving new friends, much for the end of the sense of freedom to explore, to pick up and go to Italy or Spain, but also relief to know there is support and friendship to return to. We all miss our family and friends whom we trust, love and lean on during difficult times, and also share laughter, smiles and contentment with on a daily basis. Our year abroad has required us to depend on one another which ultimately has brought us closer as not everyday is easy yet we require some sort of attention to help one another through feelings of isolation. We are all better for it. We have all grown stronger, grown together and all benefited from our grand adventure.

In Moustiers St. Marie

After walking up to the chapel on the hill next to the sign(can you see it?) everyone wanted a treat, but stores are still closed up in many small towns around here.

Wandering the streets of Moustiers, popular for its handmade Faience ceramics

Popular item at many markets in southern France

Yummm...

Our festive Sunday lunch

Cousin time

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Springtime Anyone?

The weather is glorious, stupendous, exhilierating! I was down to a t-shirt while the bulk of the kids jumped in the pool yesterday. Not just once, but repeatedly, so it must not have been numbing cold.
I have to admit, I suffered from some winter blues this year. It was never very cold here, just grey with alot of rain. Occupying myself during these dreary days was difficult. Wood was so wet that burning fires was a serious chore, taking far more time and frustration than I was wanting to expend. I could not go very far, as I still had to take kids to school, assist with Oldest Child's homeschooling, and pick kids up at hte end of the day. The past few days have put all that lousy winter weather behind me and I am elated.
The kids have a few more days off of school. Remember, they have 2 weeks off every 6 weeks. That is how we take so many voyages- we take extra, too, since they are not learning anything at school anyway. In case you are wondering, yes, we do English work at home so they are not too far behind upon our return to the States. Of course, the knowledge from our adventure is invaluable, too.
We were in town earlier today and Oldest Child and I both commented simaltaniously how different town looked with the sun shining. (it can be a bit gloomy in the winter) We went by our favorite patisserie for some treats- one of which are giant meringues- a treat my kids adore. It doesn't take much to make a nice lunch al fresco on days like this.
My gang is also very excited to have my brother and his family arriving for a few days. Some good cousin time is long overdue and they are coming for this phenominal weather. Lucky them!

Pockets of spring color

Wild Fennel coming back- can you see it? The frilly greens hiding in the center.

Our French Mascots- the winter weathered them some slightly, but they were put out to pasture this sunny day.

Enough to make us happy today.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

The Carnevale Costumes

Okay, I promise I will stop with the Venice thing, but the Carnevale costumes were extraordinary. Originally, costumes and especially masks were worn to celebrate the time before Lent- a last hurray before the dreaded fast. Everyone wanted to party, the elite mingled with the peasants and masks were a way to keep everyone on an equal playing field at the same parties.
People come from far and wide to dress-up for Carnevale, spending months and many dollars on their creations. Some people hand out business cards so they can be credited by the professional photographers, which there are many. Some fabulously clad revelers even get paid to greet others at parties, events or just be photographed for calendars.
I was nervous about going to Venice during this busy time but I am so glad we did. It was unforgettable.

She was my favorite-though you can not see it, she had red eyes behind the mask.

We stumbled upon a photo shoot at the Rialto Bridge.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Venezia

Our trip to Venice was so fabulous. It was such a thrill to be in this ancient city with my kids who seem to be getting the concept of how old some of these places are. The rich history is perfectly evident in the architecture, art and culture.
We stayed on the island of Lido which is across the lagoon from Venice proper. Even though the ferries to and fro Venice are terribly expensive, it was a really nice reprieve to be on this quiet island with small town feel and plenty of green space. Plus, this is where my friends live and own a fun restaurant/bar. The island is about 20 miles long but only 1/2 mile wide, so our first stop, was of course, the beach. With plenty of sand and lots of shells, we spent time along the Adriatic Sea for relaxation and picnics within walking distance of our apartment.
Carnevale was in full swing. As we went into Venice earlier in the days, the crowds were manageable and we did not run into any unpleasant riffraff. The costumes were incredible. I am told people work on them all year and many of those dressed up come from elsewhere, many from France. As they do not speak once dressed up, it is hard to know much of anything about who was under the costumes.
As we have found all over Europe during our travels, eating out is tough. There are so many bad restaurants and they are terribly expensive. For the most part, we had sandwiches from bars, a popular Italian lunch. My friends took me to an amazing restaurant called Al Covo on their day off while their daughter babysat my kids and it was the best meal I have had during our European vacation. A tiny restaurant, it serves seafood and traditional dishes made with locally produced food. The meal started with Prosecco followed by numerous small courses like a raw seafood plate, a cooked seafood plate, a pasta with spiny crab, baccala which is a salt cod dish, followed by desserts, coffee and a plate of the traditional Carnevale treats, Chiacchiere- a thin, crispy pastry with powdered sugar, and Sfingi- small fried dough similar to a beignet. My kids were very happy to have someone else in charge for a few hours and as it was one of my only kid free times in the past 7 months, it was a delight to spend that time with good friends and wonderful food.
Another fun place we found to eat was a pasta to-go joint called Alfredo's. It was tiny, serving homemade pasta in varying shapes with a choice of about 8 sauces and you mix and match to your liking. It was served in paper, Chinese boxes with a plastic fork. There was a small counter for a few people to eat at, otherwise you sit on a bridge and eat your pasta!
We spent a couple of evenings at my friends' restaurant, Giardinetto Grill, right across from the ferry stop on Lido, where they serve very tasty meat dishes as well as great pizza. It is a charming, neighborhood-y kind of place with a nice bar and people mingling from morning to night. My kids are in love with their hot chocolate which is as thick and rich as pudding.
I am trying to figure out how to return to Italy before June 1st. Maybe Florence is calling us. But I also want to go back to Spain. Oldest Child wants to go back to London. We will not fit it all in.