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.

Sailing St.Tropez Bay

   I am feeling very fortunate this week. Don't get me wrong, I know how fortunate I am every day, so far, but this week I went sailing in St. Tropez Bay. A Colorado girl can't say that very often.
   It was the first time my kids have ever been in a sail boat, except oldest who did go out with friends in Navajo Lake years ago. For me, it has been many years since I have been out. Growing up in Maryland, one would think I spent hundreds of hours on the water and while I did, it was not on sailing boats like many of my peers. I was a horse girl, a land lover. Boats made me nervous. That is over now.
   I was told Easter weekend started the crowds in Provence and it is true. Overnight, all of the towns are twice as populated. Unfortunately, St. Tropez feels this increase with terrible traffic. Luckily, Trevor can navigate me through roundabout ways of getting from point A to point B, as he lived there for many years.
   We began the visit at Yves' house. Maybe you remember one of my early posts about this humorous and kind man, an old friend of mes voisins. You can find it here. He is a wonderful, funny French man. He has had a couple of American girlfriends, wives or whatever they were so his English is pretty good. He spoiled my children with Coca-Cola, Orangina and a welcoming yard to play in. He had a huge spread for lunch with a salad of tomatoes and artichokes, roasted chickens, potatoes, rose, and Zetta brought a Baba au Rhum, then we were off to the sea where some of us lounged on the beach, some swam(the water is cold still...), and some of us "crewed" on the Green Banana!
   I felt so free and at ease floating atop the gentle waves with few other vessels around us. The bay is surrounded by tall hills that rise up dramatically, some topped with ancient forts, others forested and plenty with mansions, as well. My companions chatting away in French, I felt perfectly comfortable turning my head away from them and thinking of my fortuitousness, enjoying the thin layer of salt forming on my face, the occasional splash letting me secretly taste the Mediterranean- I will miss the Mediterranean.
   I AM going to St. Tropez one last time in our final French weeks. I will take a picnic and invite Yves to dine with us on the beach and hope for another ride in the boat. Though just his company would be more than satisfying to me.

For those want a "floater" of rum on their Baba 

Yves fabulous home with 50 year old ivy creeping away.

The Green Banana and crew

Water babies awaiting their vessel.

Here's to new friends.

Take Me to the....(think Talking Heads here...) Snow

   A couple of weeks ago, I took mon voisin (my neighbor) to the snow. This was his request, as it had been years since he had been in the white stuff. It was the first week of April and after a beautiful drive through new territory for me, we arrived at a ski area called Greolieres. It is the closest ski station to Nice, about an hour or so north, so it gets a fair amount of skiers on any weekend. We went on the Monday after closing day so things were dead quiet, rental shops packing things away until next season. My kids were thrilled to see snow and I had a strong feeling of regret for not taking us on a ski weekend while in Europe. Oh well, too late now.
   Having not considered being able to sled before leaving the house, we were unprepared but found a few plastic bags under the car seats which the children held under their butts to slide down the slopes. It offered a brief bit of relief to our year sans neige (without snow).
   After getting sufficiently wet and winded from climbing up the hill a dozen or so times, we found a bar open, and had an icy cold beer in the blazing spring sun before heading back down the mountain.
   Our route home took us along the rim of the Gorge du Verdon, the French Grand Canyon. It is stunning and the road is a white-knuckler, as you can imagine. I insisted on stopping every couple of hundred yards to take pictures which probably got old for my passengers but I kept proclaiming, there was a good chance I would not see it again, so I had to marvel at every possible pull-out.
    Driving the Million Dollar Highway between Durango and Ouray can be hair raising, and this drive was equally exciting. Two cars can pass slowly and carefully, but I would certainly pull over if there were a truck coming my way. There are a couple of tunnels along the route which are dark as night, unlit and barely wide enough for 1 car to pass through. The railing along the edge of the 2,000 foot drop is a very pretty wooden, single rail and to the French highway department's credit, is reinforced with steel (on the inside of the railing as to not take away from the visual integrity). We saw rock climbers scaling the walls and I remembered a couple of friends from home telling me they had been there to enjoy the world class limestone walls. A couple of para gliders leapt off a highpoint and sailed peacefully down towards the Lac de St. Croix, the reservoir at the end of the canyon.
   The day was visually spectacular and while I never really like being in the car other than to get from point A to Point B, it was a memorable driving experience of hunting for some snow.

Closest ski area to Nice, and my house 

Glissading on grocery bags

Mon voisin et bon ami

Menu at the Ski area bar- sounds pretty good.

The Verdon

Spectacular drop into the Gorge 

No room for a mistake in there.

The guard rail built for more than just aesthetics.

 

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.