A Bit of Color

   The kids are frequently jumping in the pool, flowers are blooming profusely and spring is here. We have had friends visiting, seeing some new sights of Provence and generally enjoying our joie de vivre.
   As we are off to Antibes this morning, I offer you a quick post of the colors of Provence from the past week. A friend commented how all the flowers are purple, a color so often associated with Provence- lilacs, iris, wisteria and others I don't know the names of. She is right, though we passed an amazing field of brilliant red poppies today...

Crabapple tree behind my house.

My living staircase coming to life.

Le chat being intoxicated by the aroma of the wisteria, or maybe she is just after a bee.

Quince tree in full bloom, I am sorry I won't be able to enjoy the fruit.

The top of the highest point around us- a glorious view all around.

And here are the poppies.

Cheers to Limoncello

   I started a batch of Limoncello. If you have never tasted this liquor, it is a delicious after dinner drink with a sweet, lemony flavor. It is to be kept in the freezer and poured icy cold. Made with 45% alcohol, it is dangerously strong and sipping a single shot is enough Limoncello for one night. I will be lucky to have a taste of it before I leave France as it takes about 2 months to finish, but plan on starting a batch as soon as we return to USA so I can be reminded of these fun times while gazing at the magnificent view from my back deck. While I am sad to leave Europe, I am looking forward to all the wonderful things about our hometown, too.
   Here is the first day of the steep.

A Few of our Favorite Places

   After a wonderful visit from good friends from back home, I have been out of the loop, trying to reorganize our daily routine to accommodate having all three kids homeschooling. Yup, they called it quits on the French school. I can't blame them, obviously, as I allowed them to stop. Their language skills have not evolved enough to communicate with others effectively, nor were they learning a thing scholastically as they couldn't understand the teacher. Too bad, but they certainly have stories to tell and will never forget their experience a l'ecole en France. I am so proud of them for their efforts.
   We are really hitting the books so upon re-entry to US schools, they are not too far behind. We also feel free to pick up and take a quick trip as desired. More friends come to visit next week, too. Some of my oldest, best-est friends- look out Provence. Just kidding, we will behave as adults should.
   Time changed here last weekend and even though I find it hard to pull myself out of bed before 8:00, I love the late evenings outside, listening to birds sing, frogs croaking and the aroma of the blooming flowers filling me with contentment. This is what I came to learn.

The wonderful teacher who orchestrated 2 English speakers, 1 Spanish speaker and 26 other children in 2 grades. Bravo!

Cassis seaside with American Friends

Beautiful Moustiers Ste. Marie

Thoronet Abbey

My favorite place...in front of my house.

 
 


 
 
 

Another Birthday in the House

   I don't remember what I did for my 13th birthday. It was probably a big deal to me, becoming a teenager, a turning point in adolescence. For my eldest child, this happened yesterday. We spent part of the day in Toulon, a city I have talked about with admiration. Even though the winds were blowing like mad, the sky couldn't have been bluer. Our birthday shopping trip was unsuccessful but we had a little sushi, took a stroll through the old town to the port then headed home to finish a birthday cake to share with our neighbors, our ritual birthday celebration during our year in France.
   Most new teens would probably choose to spend the day with fellow adolescents at the mall, movie theater or a sleepover with loud music and no sleep. Oldest Child did not have a choice and pulled it off with grace.
  Our year abroad has been socially painful for this girl though I hope she will look back on our time here and have positive memories. She is counting down the days until our departure. I know she will miss the wonderful friends we have made of our neighbors and it will sadden her to bid farewell when the day comes. It brings tears to my eyes having to think of this day, which is creeping up on us too quickly.
   But wait, here is what we did to celebrate my first child's entry into teen-hood.

lunch at a favorite restaurant for moules and pizza...

And du glace, of course. 

Oldest Child on her 13th birthday. Bon Anniversaire, Ma Fille!

A Rainy Saturday

We had a rainy Saturday last weekend. I think you know how I feel about that. Especially after a couple of weeks of extraordinary weather, being cooped up and cold really cramps my style. Here is what my household did ALL DAY LONG! My children think this makes for a wonderful day while I, on the other hand, go stir crazy. Thankfully, the following day was full of sunshine....and the dreaded Mistral! This s a gale force wind that in unrelenting for a couple of days. It blows all night long, rattling windows and nerves alike. The upside is it blows away all haze producing a brilliant blue sky.

Middle Child made Rainbow Loom animals 

Youngest Child watched movies with Tuc crackers(a French favorite) and all his inanimate friends

And Oldest Child stayed in bed until mid-day.

A Pretty Spring Walk

   There is a lovely valley close to Salernes with a pretty walk along a creek into a shady canyon with caves to explore, ending at a tiny waterfall. Of course, there is a chapel perched atop a hill above the valley.  I can only imagine pilgrimages from town up to this pretty spot built in the 1500's.
   We have been here several times and there are usually other families picnic-ing, walking and playing soccer in the open field at the entrance to the canyon. Youngest Child was intent on catching one of the many rather large bullfrogs swimming in the shallow pond. This is one of the peaceful places I will miss.

Quick Trip Across the Border, Again!

   We took a quick trip to Italy last weekend. I love that I can say that! My brother left here to tour around of Tuscany so we decided to meet him in a beautiful city called Lucca for more cousin time and group adventuring.
   We landed in Rapallo, a seaside town south of Genoa our first night. It was dark upon arrival so we found a good meal and a wander followed by bed, but woke to a stunning view of the harbor and sea. It was a Thursday and an enormous market was taking place with thousands of booths, unfortunately only selling clothes. We wandered the docks and enjoyed the sea air as we always do.
   Onward to Pisa- yup, the leaning tower. It was among the most unattractive cities we have been to, but we got the obligatory photos and promptly got out of there. Lucca was a short drive and the opposite of Pisa. An ancient walled in city, Lucca is full of history and charm. We met my brother at our rented apartment and settled in for a few days. I arranged a private tour in Florence the next day so an early morning train ride into the city was easy and our wonderful guide met us, whisking us off to the main sites of Florence with an abundance of well articulated information. She engaged the kids too, and with a guide, there is no getting lost. It was money well spent. Oldest Child has been studying the Renaissance so it was perfect timing for her to relate her lessons with Florence.
   As usual, I had to find the best food possible, so we were sent to a small gelateria where they make small batches of delicious gelato each morning, using the best ingredients. It was a treat and a big difference from the hundreds of other stalls selling mountains of gelato made with artificial ingredients.
   We rented bikes one day and rode around the top of the city walls where there is a wide path for walking, biking, dogs, kids and all things outdoors. It was a good reprieve for the kids from touring. Perpetually in search of good food, I searched for a store to buy fresh pasta for dinner. It was not easy-clearly everyone has a pasta machine and makes there own. But, I found a place and it was wonderful. The woman has a few different kinds of ravioli and tortellini and a variety of other shapes along with gnocchi. I chose my shape and she went behind a curtain and cut the pasta to order with a giant machine, much like the home versions but electric and large.
   We left lovely Lucca and headed to Vernazza, one of the Cinque Terre towns. These villages hang on the coast, are tiny and hard to get to by car. We took a train in and enjoyed the spectacular views and yes, more sea air. I was determined to have a delicious seafood lunch, but was talked out of it for various reasons. The town is tiny, but I glanced at a take-out menu posted on a wall, and ordered a papercone filled with fritto misto- a mix of delicately fried shrimp, calimari, anchovies and cod. It was delicious and just as satisfying as a fine dining experience would have been. Once again, I found "THE" gelato place in town and I think it was even better than the Florence place. The gelato chef made flavors like Sri Lankan cinnamon, Mandarine orange, and the most wonderful crema. It was the perfect ending to our last Italian visit(probably). We bid farewell to family who were fortunate to have a couple more days in the Cinque Terre, hopped on our train and drove back to sunny France where the weather is perfect, luckily, because leaving family is always tough. Arrivaderci!

View from our hotel in Rapallo 

Obligatory photo

Florence gelato

Tough choice

Picking pasta is just as hard for me as picking gelato. 

Wishing I could have gotten some of everything. 

Delicious filled pastas

Top of old tower in Vernazza, Cinque Terre.

once again, tough choice

Perfect sight before leaving this wonderful country- we like Italy.