france: day 9

Day 9 we woke up with our amazing friends the Kartchners. They are so good. They had already hosted Jacob and me in October and there I was with Adaline, 6 months later, in their kitchen again. They are very generous and of course made us feel right at home. I was super excited for Adaline to have a little peek into everyday life in a French village. First we went shopping at a couple of regular stores. None of them had beautiful storefront windows. In fact, they both looked like warehouses from the outside. Inside, there were cute clothes and shoes at reasonable prices. Adaline was a good entertainer for Caroline and Austin so the moms could shop.


Holly suggested we hit the McDonald's drive-thru and take lunch to a park. I looked at Adaline and burst out laughing. Adaline hates McDonald's (I know, how can she be my daughter?) We walked past the same McDonald's in Paris about 4 times a day and every time I asked her if we should stop for a cheeseburger. I said it over and over and it never got old! It was so funny, I don't know why, and here she was facing a French McDonald's reality. I recommended we stop at a grocery store and get Ada some food then proceed to the drive-thru. I wasn't going to let the chance of eating a foreign Big Mac pass me by! So there's a shot of the kids on the Batmobile in the grocery store with Ada holding her precious Orangina. And below are some pictures of our little picnic.
Quite a petite Big Mac. It didn't taste as good as it's American cousin but I'm glad I gave it a try.


We had to drive under this to get to our scenic spot. I'm not sure who they're trying to keep out. It was freakier than going into a parking garage, or through the Rathdrum Wells Fargo drive-up.
It was fun just driving around in a car in this beautiful area. If we saw something interesting, Holly would just turn and we would investigate. As much as I loved being a part of the public transportation world, there is nothing like being in car. Here are a couple of pretty things we saw.


Each village seemed to have it's own sign with different color of tulips.
Here we are, back at Holly's 300 year old house filled with art and antique furniture. It was the best! Adaline loved having Caroline and Austin to play with after spending so many days with adults. Ada is very kid oriented. She seeks out little kids wherever she goes. She did some babysitting for us so Holly could take me grocery shopping with her. What a time we had! Holly was such a good sport! We went at a snail's pace so I could see every little thing. I was in heaven. I truly cannot believe that I don't have one picture of that over 2 hour excursion. I guess that is proof that I was in a total trance. The yogurt aisle alone was a show stopper (yes, it's own aisle!) The amazing cheeses weren't as surprising but the produce was incredible. You have to weigh and price your own produce right there, not at the cash register. It was so cool. I wish I had a picture of that.
We went for dinner to the cute village restaurant. The food was great. I tried escargot. I did not plan on doing that but what the heck! It was a memorable way to end a wonderful and relaxing day. I have a very clear picture in my mind of all us sitting in the garden in the afternoon sun eating ice cream bars, but I guess I didn't grab my camera.

france: day 8

Our last day in Nice seemed to fly by. We got ready for the day and set out to enjoy our last hours in the south of France. We came across this fantastic market. They were selling food and flowers and soap and tons of other stuff. I was completely transfixed by all of the spices. I desperately wished I could bring it all home with me.


Is this not the most beautiful picture?
Mounds and mounds of olives.
One of my favorite memories: I sat and ate Roquefort and an apple on a pebbly beach and watched my growing Adaline play in the Mediterranean sea while I soaked in the sun. I was completely present in those moments, hoping if I used every sense I would be able to remember them forever.



I loved our hotel. I wish we had a picture with our wonderful young Italian front desk man. He was great, especially to Adaline. It is different there, you don't get to keep your own room key so anytime you go in or out you have to get your key from the man at the desk, hence the interaction and bonding. We also bonded with the little candies in the dish on the desk. They were yummy. Adaline shed a few tears when we left our cute hotel room in Paris, and Nice was no different. It was hard to leave such an amazing place.
Here is a chance to share a funny Jodie story. Ada and I went for our last sea visit. Jodie stayed to get ready to go and to talk to her family. When we got back she was sitting on her bed looking red-eyed and sad like she had been crying. We rushed to her to see what was wrong. I thought she might be homesick. She said she had just finished the last of her chocolates. We all laughed. I don't know if it is just us but the food experiences here were very intense. That was the best chocolate I 'd ever had. We saved the box. Maybe we can order some.
Train ride back to Paris.
Train station of a beautiful looking town with sandy beaches. Maybe next time we will check this place out.
Gare du Nord train station in Paris. I left Adaline with our luggage and helped Jodie find her shuttle to her hotel. It was time for her to go back home. It was so fun having her with us and we missed her when she was gone.
After sending Jodie off we needed to find our train to Bourron-Marlotte, a little village about 30 miles south of Paris. Just in time, we lunged into our train with all of our crap. Between our books, our flea market finds and shopping in Nice (Habitat and Monoprix) we had been hauling a major load around the country. I'm usually a very "travel light" kind of girl but I was having a hard time not buying some really great things just because I didn't want to carry them around for a week. It was painful, but now that I have it all home I'm so glad we walked around with our arms being yanked out of our sockets and our suitcases tipping over after hitting a crack in the sidewalk while hurrying from place to place. Totally worth it.

Here is the room we stayed in while in Bourron-Marlotte. We were there visit our friends the Kartchners and to have a little taste of French country living. Whew! What a day!

I'm sad I don't have photo of us waiting at the Bourron-Marlotte station for Holly to pick us up. It was a memorable experience. I had not been able to reach her except for email to let her know that we had made the train we had planned so she would be able to pick us up at the scheduled time. Ada and I were sitting on our luggage in the fading sunlight, our backs against the warm wooden building listening to the trees rustle in the breeze. It was very quiet and peaceful. I was in a foreign country with my daughter, the beauty of it all felt foreign and exciting too as we were embarking on the last leg of our adventure. We were completely alone, we could have been the last people on earth, that's how alone I felt. I was content. We sat like that, as dusk came upon us, and unwound from a turbulent day until we were picked up. It is funny the little things that have such an impact. That half hour is one of the most memorable from our whole trip. As I am reflecting, it seems the quiet moments filled with French sunshine and Adaline are the most dear to me.

france: day 7

Lucky number 7. We decided to take a little trip to Saint-Paul de Vence, an amazing medieval village in the hills near Nice. We took the bus there, wandered around for most of the day then hopped a bus back. Here we are eating and waiting for our ride. It was pretty crowded by the time we got on, standing room only. We did find a little rest on a bar that was connected to the seats, not very comfortable. We distracted ourselves by playing hangman- only French words or things to do with France allowed. The bus ride was about an hour long.



Once we exited the bus we all had the pleasure of using the coldest draftiest toilet in the country.
From the bus stop we walked down to the entrance of Saint-Paul de Vence. There is a huge wall all around the village. Outside the wall, a pretty market was set up tempting me with sausages and cheese. I love sausages and cheese!
Ada going through the passage. It felt as if we were going back in time, except for the modern art above.

All of the streets were tight and twisty like this. Some even more narrow. There were beautiful shops and restaurants and galleries hidden everywhere.

These men were moving a sculpture to a new location, not an easy job. The hill doesn't look very steep but it is. When they completed their task, a handful of us started clapping and cheering. The men loved it! There is such a positive and happy atmosphere in this ancient place. It was contagious. It was so easy to celebrate such a simple thing, a job well done, with perfect strangers. I truly loved it here.
Another part of the beauty of this place is found in the details. The stones set in the ground, a pretty lantern, a cool piece of iron, a perfectly placed flower pot, all come together in a way that is really inspiring.
One of the most intriguing things about Saint-Paul de Vence is that people actually live here. It is subtle but signs of everyday life are there, like seeing laundry hanging or a cat sunning itself on a stoop or carefully tended flowers.


A view from the street.

It felt very enclosed all around and then suddenly it would open up to a courtyard like this. Most had some type of fountain set in the middle. Me, Adaline and Junior.
I didn't find out I was having a boy until after I returned from France. I almost bought a pair of earrings for the little girl I was sure was in my tummy. Good thing I just took a picture instead.
Adaline wanted to come home and make an owl like this.
The super sweet man who sold me my handmade flower papers. I was in there quite awhile trying to choose the perfect ones.
Taking a small rest.
The cemetery was so cool. Since the village is built on a hill, the cemetery is laid out in three tiers. It was very well tended. Most graves had flowers or pictures or some memorabilia.


This is an especially creepy one. If you look closely you can see the headless statues on the dirt.

More lovely laundry.




We had an amazing lunch on the terrace overlooking the countryside.

Ada making a wish at another fountain. Notice the splash from her coin. I'm pretty sure she wished we could come back again.
Love the pots on the ledge.
Pretty blue flowers. They look kind of like lupine. Would love to find out what they are.

When we arrived back in Nice we decided walk around the point and explore a little bit. We found a harbor with some pretty amazing ships then walked into Old Town where there were tons of narrow streets and people crowded in going about their daily life. We found butchers and grocers and flower shops and normal clothing stores. I wish I had taken more pictures of that kind of stuff. We also came across some pretty cool old churches.




Best fruit snack ever!!!
More playing in the sea.
Ada was talking to me and all the sudden her eyes bugged out of her head and she turned away. I asked her what was wrong, what did she see? She replied in a whisper, "That lady is getting undressed on the beach!" Her face was priceless. In North Idaho we suffer in cold sandy suits. Not in Nice.

This car did a 30 point turnabout trying to get out. We couldn't get around so we just had to watch and wait.
Another church. It was quite dark in there maybe because it was set in the midst of all the tall buildings and didn't get much sun. Didn't get many good shots but it was so beautiful.
We were tired after our long day so I went to get some take out. We kept passing a Chinese? place on the main street so I decided to give it a try. It was like a buffet. I couldn't read any of the descriptions so I was a little nervous. I made some good choices though and eating in our room was fun.

Ada's glass.
So we played some cards. It was hilarious. We started with some Slap Jack then we taught Ada how to play Black Jack. Jodie entertained us with her life stories. Good stories good times!

Adaline's piano teacher was having a contest to see who could practice the most. There was a cash prize involved. She practiced every day for 5 months, even in France. She was very determined and she and Alice ended up tying for first place!