An Art Lesson

   My friends Marleen and Marc, Belgians, invited my kids over for an art class as they are both very talented artists themselves. She, a painter, he, a sculptor, they have some of their works displayed at their home which is so charming and peaceful. They have created an oasis of tranquility in the hills above this tiny Provencal town.
   On another note, roses clearly love this climate as they are blooming everywhere. At the end of grape rows in vineyards and climbing up trellises at people's small village homes. Even though many apartments in the villages have no yards, they seem to take great pride in producing lush greenery in pots or a tiny circle of dirt at their front doors.
 

Normandy - It Is More than just Cheese

   I still haven't finished telling you about our trip to the northern part of France. It did not stop with Paris. We reluctantly got ourselves to the rental car agency and headed out of the city which was a hair raising experience in itself as the GPS gave very short notice to upcoming directions. Trying to cross multi-lane, French highways in an obvious rental car is tough. As long as I played the nice tourist though, it all went well- smile, wave at those who yield briefly, appreciate the time others have taken out of their flurry to escape the city, to let your car in front of theirs. Getting to the country is a competitive experience up there. Luckily, I rented a small, speedy thing, opposite of the monster I drive in Provence.
   The road opened up to continue to Giverny, the home and gardens of Claude Monet. The Town of Vernon is tiny, charming and cheery. The sun was actually shining which made everything all the more brilliant. Once inside the gardens, colors flourished. Rows and beds were bursting with blossoms of every conceivable shade of the color wheel. Monet's large, bright house stood at the top of the hill, behind the gardens. A path leads one deeper into the gardens and winds around a large pond with the wisteria covered Japanese bridge represented in many of Monet's paintings. The pond has lily pads waiting to bloom and be painted.
   We wandered through the house where wonderful portraits and copies of Monet's most famous work hung. Each room was brilliantly painted and had large windows that opened above the gardens for a spectacular view of the colors below.  The shockingly yellow dining room was fun, then we passed through the blue kitchen with walls lined with perfectly polished copper pots. Even though I adored Paris, it was good to be in the country with a feel like this.
   Onward to Bayeux, another hour east and close to the Normandy coast. This was a great town. Our hotel was a pleasant change with modern amenities. There was even a TV that none of us cared whether we were zoning out to French speaking shows or English. We had a delicious meal where we enjoyed seafood as you could smell the salt in the air from the sea. Youngest Child, of course, had escargot- he will miss those chewy little critters upon our return to USA.
   Bayeux has an amazing cathedral which was untouched by WWII. Unlike many other towns in the area, Bayeux survived the war with no physical damage. The Bayeux tapestry is a 70 meter long cloth that wraps around a large, dark room enclosed in a glass case. Audio guides tell you the story that is represented on the tapestry, the Battle of Hastings led by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. The kids' audio guide must have been really fun because my children said it was their favorite thing they saw during the whole northern trip.
   Next stop was Omaha Beach, the US landing beach of the Normandy invasion. Though we read many excerpts and talked at length about this beautiful place, the magnitude of loss was not understood though a short video at the museum did put a lump in everyone's throat. The cemetery is perfectly manicured, overlooking the cliffs and the English Channel. The perfectly symmetrical rows of over 9,000 graves are a spectacular sight, obviously evoking tears to anyone comprehending the fear and loss during those days of the war. The sky opened up long enough for the younger two to have a swim, so into the frigid water of the English Channel they went.
   We had alot to pack into our three days up there, so our agenda made us continue south into Brittany so we could see Mont St. Michel. The weather turned wet and grey again, making it perfectly clear why the rolling, Normandy countryside is so brilliantly lush and green. Beautiful Normande cows dotted the fields. Apple trees abound. That part of France is famous for cider, calvados and camembert cheese, which of course I purchased while in Bayeux and it was heavily perfuming the car with the cheese stink.
   Mt. St. Michel was a bit of a let down as the gobs of tourists have the Mount jam-packed with trinket shops and terrible food stalls, masses of people slowly walking through as if on a conveyor belt. We had to get out of there. It was spectacular from a distance, we all agreed. Further along the road we found several seaside towns, lovely places to enjoy the fruits de mer(seafood ). We stopped in Cancale to indulge in a fabulous lunch and wander around this seaside village. I want to go back in the summer and stay...for a while. Rather than a traditional farmer's market, stalls selling oysters were set up above the beach. You could get a takeaway platter of freshly shucked oysters with a lemon wedge, to slurp down while watching the tide change. I wanted to stay.
   We covered alot of ground in those three days. Train tickets forced us back to our home away from home, though we were tired. About 30 minutes from our station in Aix en Provence, the skies cleared which I was incredibly grateful for. I am not much for rain and as I have said, it rains alot up there in the north of France.

Monet's Garden

From Monet's bedroom window

Delicious crab!!!

Bayeux Cathedral


American Cemetery


Over 9,000 graves of AMerican soldiers, mostly killed during the D-DAy invasion.



Omaha Beach and the English Channel along this coastline are fabulous.

Normandy cows for ooey gooey camembert- yum again.

Fruits de Mer platter

Oyster stands in Cancale

Mt. St. Michel-much better from a distance!

How the Days Slip By

   Yesterday was V-Day in France, the day WWII ended. My Belgian friends made a plan with us for the day, so we gladly followed and ended up at the most wonderful beach on the Cote d'Azur. As you know all too well, we love any beach, but this one was the best so far.
   The kids were in the water by 10:00 A.M. It took me a bit longer to warm up to the still frigid sea temperatures, but I did as did the rest of the crew. Fabulous picnics, great company and a full day of sand and sea were had at this place.
   Oh, and did I tell you about the Bouillabaisse that my neighbors made last weekend? They are both wonderful cooks and made a traditional fish stew complete with rouille(a spicy mayo-like condiment), a variety of fish and shellfish, potatoes and richly flavored saffron broth. Sunday lunches are leisurely and even though the sky was somewhat threatening at times, hours slipped by enjoying food and good company.

Don't worry, it is a clear, deep landing. 

Fabulous vista from atop the hill.

Beach babies, all the way.

Then, the fish is removed, cleaned of the bones, skin and undesirables and served added back to the broth.

Awaiting the feast.

The assorted fish

It doesn't end with the Bouillabaisse.

But, Trevor's nap does mark the end of the soiree.

Funny Signs

More signs I have found amusing as of late:

Don't drive off of the dock

Don't walk off the end of dock

Don't climb onto wall and fall off

Fries and a view???? 

 

Paris, part 2

   Even though our first night in Paris had been a late one,  I insisted on an early start the next day to beat the crowds. My children have become very patient art museum visitors. They like some of the art, especially modern stuff, but they get bored after 30 minutes or so and start pestering one another, following me so close I can feel their breath on the back of my neck, but I rarely hear "how much longer". Well, Youngest Child asks this, mostly just for something to talk about, I think. So, we hit the Orsay Museum which has an amazing collection of Impressionist paintings. The museum is in an old train station- it is extensive and an interesting building to wander through, even without the artwork. Rain was a bit of a nuisance, yes, it rains in April in Paris, but we persevered through the day and spent the evening at the Louvre for a treasure hunt that I had arranged through a fabulous American woman living in Paris. Her company is called THATLou and she sets you up with images of artwork, a map of the museum, instructions and sends you on your way to figure out a few riddles and generally guide you through some of the museum without getting too lost. This place is immense and would take days to see every room. It was the former palace of the French royalty and is over 650,000 square feet. The most famous pieces in the collection are Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa, but I particularly liked the massive paintings by French and Italian artists through the 18th and 19th century. The thing I constantly remind my kids in any museum is, you don't have to like it, just look at it- for instance, at the Louvre, I couldn't get over how immense some of these paintings were. Rather than critiquing brush strokes, we contemplated what size ladder would be necessary to reach all of the corners of the canvases.
   I let the kids sleep in a bit the next day, but before too many daylight hours past, we headed towards Notre Dame Cathedral. Once again, it was raining, but we found a flower and bird market  I had read about and it was really something. You could hear the chirping as you climb out of the metro station. Bunnies and a few rodents were for sale, too. Notre Dame is magnificent but the line to enter was way out of our league so we continued on my plan to find the best ice cream in Paris- Berthillon. Youngest Child had the most flavorful fraise ice cream I have ever tasted while Middle Child had citron vert, Oldest Child had noisette and I indulged in Earl Grey. We wandered miles that day, as the sun came out and with ice cream in hand, it was easy to let time slip away.
  We had been so busy with other activities, we had not even seen our neighborhood. Our apartment was close to the Marais, a hip area with cool shops and restaurants. That evening, we set off in search of a falafel joint I had read about. I know, falafels in Paris. Well, it's true that Paris is very expensive and when feeding four of us, bistro fare is not always possible. C'est la vie. We wandered through charming neighborhoods with parks and cafes and restaurants, cool shops and pretty buildings. Brick lined streets took us to the Jewish district which was full of life and activity on a Sunday evening. And there was our falafel place. A line of about 50 people were waiting to place their order and take it from the emporter window. Yes, they were absolutely delicious with their crispy chick pea fritters, shredded cabbage, hummus, cucumbers and eggplant stuffed into a pita.
   The next day we got an early start for Versailles, but not early enough. By 9:30, there were thousands of people in line, colorful umbrellas forming a ribbon to the entrance. Yes, it was raining again. No matter, time went quickly as we were surrounded by English speakers and we were starved for conversation. Once inside though, we found the crowds close to unbearable, so rushed through the first half dozen rooms, just to get away from the pushing and elbowing. Finally able to relax, we marveled at the opulence of the French monarchy in the time of Louis XIV for a century or so. After hearing plenty of stories about Marie Antoinette and King Louis, the kids were happy to see the crazy lifestyle of these famous people of history. The rains made our venture through the gardens fast but once again, the grand scale of Versailles is perfectly evident.
   We made it to the top of the Arc de Triumphe, walked along the Champs d'Elysees, through the Tuileries gardens then over to the Pompidou Center which is the modern art museum of Paris. For a splurge, I took the kids to a brasserie for a fine dining experience French style. We had a wonderful meal with impeccable service, exactly what I was hoping to show the kids. Yes, it was a very busy 5 days, we covered alot of ground and we adore Paris.
   Part 3 will cover our Normandy excursion. Stay tuned.

Orsay museum 

Galerie Lafayette

Louvre

Hall of Mirrors, Versailles

Versailles

Arc de Triumphe 

Shopping on the Champs d'Elysees-yes, it is real.

Tuilerie Gardens

Locks of love.

We know how to use the metro!

Symphony for metro commuters. 

Sunday bird market

A whole street of birds

One of the oldest Paris metro signs

This is the falafel place.

 

Paris, Part 1

   I have so much to tell you about our most recent adventure, our last hurray, our week in Paris! I think I have a new favorite city, despite the less than ideal weather. We saw every sight on our list and then some. We had a great apartment to retreat to for R and R before returning to the streets for more French culture.
   The TGV train whizzed us from Aix to Paris, covering almost 500 miles in 3 hours. It was such a pleasant change for me to go from the constant driver with my eyes stuck to the road to passenger, staring out the window as the landscape changed from rocky, vine covered Provence, to green pastures, apple trees and rolling hills of the north.
   After meeting our hostess on our first evening, the kids and I agreed to venture right out and find the Tour Eiffel. Thanks to modern technology and IPhones, our Paris metro app got us quickly to our area where we rounded a corner and found a breathtaking view of the tower. I felt so rewarded by seeing the excitement on all of my kids faces by actually getting to this point- the world's most famous monument in front of us.
   A late night ensued as we decided to do a cruise of the Seine which allows you to see the gorgeous buildings, bridges and monuments lit up in the evening sky. This was a superb beginning to our grand finale.

Settling in for the ride.

Fields an fields of canola flower.

Quality time together

Jumping for joy- we have done alot of this in the past 10 months.

Pont Neuf

All lit up- what a sight for this country girl.