August 20, 2013

Holiday Time

Visitors and those of us that live in Paris learn very quickly that August is holiday time. People go away for weeks at a time, most go on holiday for the entire month of August. When we arrived in April we already received questions from people asking where we are going for the month and by April it was already late to book something. Fortunately I did some research and used VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) to book our holiday.

But prior to heading out on holiday for a just a measly week we had a big day to celebrate. August 5th was our little guy, Lance's birthday. I can't believe it but he is 5 already. It was a birthday weekend for Lance and we asked him what he wanted to do. Saturday, August 4th we decided to go over to Jardin des Tuileries to the summer carnival. Lance has been begging to go up in the big ferris wheel and I have to admit I have been really wanted to go myself. Beside Keith and I having a heart attack on the price of the ride it was really cool and the kids had a blast on it. I forgot just how high a ferris wheel brings you up.

We then ventured over to the Paris Plages, which is when the edge of the Seine is turned into a beach for a month. We really just wanted was some ice cream since it was such a hot day and figured that was a great place to get it. It is a great idea bringing a beach into Paris but truthfully it just made me hotter watching the people in the sun when there is no water to jump into. (they do provide water stations, but definitely not the same as an ocean or lake to jump into).

The next day we took Lance to Disney Studios for Lance's actual birthday. It was our first time with the kids and there were some rides there for the kids but we ended up going back to Disneyland since all Lance wanted to do was ride the Buzz Light Year ride. After Disney we came home to a fun filled night of pizza, cupcakes and gifts. Lance really made out this birthday. He was out of his mind with his Ben 10 watch and his Knight shirt (he would wear it everyday if he could). He thought the new bike he got was pretty cool also.

Now it was time to get ready for vacation. The following Saturday we left for a 5 hour train ride to the south of France, known to the french as the Cote D'Azur (you would know as the French Riviera). The train ride is great, you can get up and move around and the 5 hours went really fast. We arrived in Cannes, picked up our rental car and headed to the little town of Theoule Sur Mer, around 8 miles south of Cannes. It was beautiful. We rented a villa in a gated community (apparently built by Pierre Cardin) right on the Meditteranean Sea and woke up to breath taking views everyday. It was great they had two big pools, playgrounds for the kids and rock style beaches. Lance had a blast at the pool, from day one he was jumping off the diving board all by himself, which means Daddy or Mommy didn't have to tread water under the board for him. It is amazing how he has grown and matured in the water. He is swimming all over all by himself. Love it. Now we just have to work on his stroke.

Lance on the diving board....all by himself.

After two days of the sun we decided to take a road trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco, the second smallest country in the world. Do you know the smallest? So we headed out and only an hour later we were in a different amazing country. It was so pretty, so clean and just soooo rich. Where we were staying we have seen some amazing cars but in Monaco a Bentley is almost as common as a Toyota in the US. It is crazy. We walked around, and really enjoyed the marina. I think Keith and I could have stared at the yachts all day and we aren't even boat people. It was a fun day of just hanging out.

Keith's dream garage..a Masarati, a Bentley and a Mercedes.

Look at all these yachts!!  what do these people do? — Look at all these yachts!! what do these people do?

The next few days were filled with more pool time and beach time. The beaches are quite small on the Mediterranean but the water is just so blue.

We the decided to take another day trip to Saint Paul de-Vence. It is a small medieval town within the French Riviera. I fell in love with all the little shops and side streets within the town. There are no cars in the town, you just walk down the alleyways and cobblestones to get where you are going. Everything fascinated me about it. The kids got a kick out of all the different water fountains within the town. What a great place, I am so glad we decided to go.

Fountains of St Paul

Streets of St Paul.....I couldn't get enough

When we got back to Theoule Sur Mer that night we went out to dinner downtown and to our surprise look what was there in harbor..

The USS Whitney was there, for the next three days, to partake in the events honoring the liberation of Southern France by Allied Forced in World War II. It was the 69th anniversary of allied troops landing in Provence during the War. This celebration goes on every year. There were sailors walking around and it was such a nice sight. We said hi to some of the sailors and told them how glad we were to see them and they were equally as glad to talk to someone from the US.

We ate dinner at an italian place facing the harbor and there were so many US flags, you would have thought we were in The States. The night ended perfectly with some beautiful fireworks up and down the coast. It was a beautiful sight.

The rest of the vacation was full of swimming and hanging out. I was able to get some really good runs in, especially since it was all hills. I love hills!! Keith was also able to get a bunch of great open water swim workouts in the Mediterranean. He is my hero!

The week was over and it was time to go back to Paris, which is not a bad place to go back to but it was such a great week and an amazing place that it was still sad to leave.

Below are just a few random pictures from our trip.

Thanks for Reading!!

Life is Good...in Cote D'Azur

July 30, 2013

Hot, Hot, Hot

by Alicia Demmerle

When we looked for an apartment back in April, there was a question of why no one has an air conditioner???? Do we need one??? We were told absolutely not, not needed and no one in Paris has one, or I should say very few people have one. Well it is July and all those people were wrong, it is hot in Paris….and humid...and you do need one. This past week has been brutal (95 degrees). We've been walking around with no energy because it are so hot. Getting no sleep because both you and your children are just sweating, even with fans blowing on them. Keith and I remember back when we were younger when neither of us had air conditioning. Not in our houses or cars. I specifically remember being at my grandmother Beers' and sitting under the big tree in her yard for shade. We have become spoiled and I miss being spoiled. After a week we received a break today with the heat but it is due to return in the next day, hotter than it was last week.....great!

Nate was here visiting and thanks to his love for James Bond, he directed us to really cool places. One which included Chateau Chantilly. It was beautiful. Beautiful grounds and beautiful gardens and I loved the Chateau. However, the main attraction was the live horse museum. The kids loved seeing the horses and we got there just in time to see a live show. We were so excited we caught the show until the show continued on and on. After 90 minutes and an angry french woman sitting in front of us we were ready to go. We figured no one knew us so we just snuck out the side. Just think of it as a really bad circus show, that wouldn't stop. That side show didn't kill our spirits, we ended up getting some ice cream with Chantilly cream and sat on the gardens of the Chateau to enjoy.

That Sunday was La Fête Nationale, also known to Americans as Bastille Day. We decided to see what the Parade was like and found that we don't ever have to go to it again. It was just a bunch of military walking down the Champs-elysees. We checked the box. The coolest thing was the fly over of pretty much all of their airforce. But then came the night when the best thing occurred, the once a year fireworks at the Trocadera, which is the park across the river from the Eiffel tower. That did not disappoint, we went down to the Seine, blocks away so we didn't have to deal with the crowd. It was great!!! My poor Lance fell asleep before they started. They didn't start until 11pm, as that is when darkness falls around here in the summer. He will have to wait til next time.

Then it was my birthday...woohoo!!! I love my birthday and I have to say my husband always makes it extra special...he's the best. First he bought me tickets to Moulin Rouge for dinner and a show. Unfortunately he had to stay home with the kidlets. Thanks to Nate for being my date that night, we had a great time. The dinner was great, with a bunch of funny lounge singers belting out some old 80's music and the show was soo good. I have never experienced a real Vegas showgirl performance and this was what I would picture that to be…only better. My favorite part was the CAN CAN....just loved it. It was also interesting that not all the girls were topless, it was kind of spiratic, kind of curious how that works.

Along with the show tickets Keith and the kids got me some beautiful cupcakes, flowers and an electric grill (just like a George Foreman). Plus my hubby took the day off and he, Nate and I went to the top of the Eiffel tower. We decided to walk the stairs since the elevator ride was so crowded. It wasn't bad at all taking the stairs. Unfortunately we didn't get all the way to the top, only to the second level. They closed the top section due to congestion. We will just have to go back.

What made it an even better day was hearing from all my best friends and family.

I do admit one of my favorite gifts was from my mother-in-law. It is something I can get in France but only in small quantities at a very steep price.....Skippy peanut butter. She mailed two jars of it to me...YEAHH!!!!

Then came the day we had to say goodbye to Nate, the kids, Keith and I had such a blast with him. I have to admit it also made us feel a little bit more like we were home. Thanks Nate, we can't wait til you come back.

Then came the event my husband has been waiting for...The Tour de France. The last day is always in Paris, taking laps around the Champs-elysees and this year was a night finish. We found a great spot, only a few people in front of us, and we loved it. It was amazing just how fast these guys go, on cobblestone. The crowds in Paris were crazy for it, people hanging from trees, and partying on rooftops. The British were out of their mind excited since the winner was from the UK. Such an experience, we already can't wait for next year!!

Aside from all that excitement we have been enjoying everything else about summer. We found a great pool for the kids. The French are great swimmers (remember the olympics) so there are pools in every arrondissment in Paris. They are open to everyone for just a few euros. We have also discovered why european men always wear speedos or spandex swimsuits in the US. They are not allowed to wear anything else when swimming in France. When you go to a Parisian pool the boys can not wear baggy swim suits. The good thing is we already knew about this so we went out and bought lance little tri shorts just like daddy's. I still have to find out the reasoning for this rule, not sure I ever will.

The kids have also been enjoying their Holiday Language Camp, where they learn french in the morning and do fun activities in the afternoon. The camp is at the international school they will be attending in the fall and they have really enjoyed it. It also reassured me that we made the right choice with this school. It is wonderful and the kids have already met some of the kids they will be in school with next year, along with learning the ins and out of their school. During the camp they go on at least one class trip a week and I have had the opportunity to chaperone some of their trips. The first one included an exhibit at the Royal Palais, called Dynamo. Reading the name you would think it would have to do with Dinosaurs. I as well as many of the parents thought that. Nope, it was an exhibit on illuminations, which was awesome. The kids really enjoyed it and so did I. The next trip was to the Monet museum, which again, I loved. The negative was that it was on one of the hottest days so far and with no air conditioning the kids were losing interest fast. I just hope Lance and Peyton absorbed just a little bit of culture there, which I think they did. Lance kept whispering to me how bored he was. Next week they are taking a trip to the chocolate museum, you can bet that I am making sure I am a chaperone for that one. I will keep you posted.

It has been a busy few weeks and we are looking forward to August.

Thanks for Reading! (lots of pictures to follow)

Life is good in Paris!!! :-)

Max trying to get the only breeze in the house....poor hound!

Daddy taking a break (from the heat or the kids...not sure)

cupcakes for my birthday.. my hubby is the best.

Enjoying the top of the Eiffel tower on my b'day.

Lance and his camp class enjoying some art.

Kids learning about Monet at the Monet museum.

Daddy and his girl on a beautiful night.

Beach volleyball in Paris?  Can't beat that backdrop! — Beach volleyball in Paris? Can't beat that backdrop!

July 12, 2013

Summer is here

by Alicia Demmerle

July is here and the weather is absolutely beautiful in Paris. July also means it is 4th of July at home and I admit we missed our annual party which we held every year. The good thing is that we kept busy and spent the night with fellow American friends which made it a nice night. What also made it a nice night was just how pretty the eiffel tower looked that night. I will never get tired of this.

We went on to have a great weekend. It was full of wonderful weather and great outings. It included a climb up the stairs of the Arc de Triumph. My little Lancey was so great, he walked the 284 stairs up and down with no problem and was so proud of himself. There was such a wonderful view from the top!

The Arc de Triumph.  Lance was ready to climb some stairs! — The Arc de Triumph. Lance was ready to climb some stairs!

Sunday we explored Ile St Louis, which also has the famous ice cream shop Berthillon. Of course we picked the hottest day of the year to get ice cream and the line was crazy. I got in line while Keith walked and explored with the kids. The woman in front of me assured me the line moves fast and it was worth it. After being in line 20 minutes I wanted to bale but felt I invested too much time already. At this point Lance was waiting with me and he was excited for his chocolate ice cream. After 50 minutes we finally made it to the front and although I absolutely loved my Carmel nougat, Keith and I both agreed it wasn't worth the 50 minutes we waited. I will have to go back when it isn't as busy and try again.

Everyone was happy when they finally got their ice cream, of course we didn't pick the best place to sit.

The rest of the day was full of exploring the little shops and finding little interesting things in Paris, such as the cool water fountains just scattered around the city. There was a really cool one outside the Shakespeare bookstore. Lance loved it. Very convenient when it is really hot out.

Really cool water fountain...see the guy in the background filling up.

I found my new favorite car, although I loved my Jeep Wrangler, I have always loved small cars and the Mini Cooper is just so darn cute. I especially love this striped one...I think I may need to get myself one of these when I get home.

Oh yeah, look who came to Paris. Keith and I are so excited Nate arrived and just the fews days he has been here so far has been a blast. We are looking forward to all the great things we have planned for the next week!!

I also said goodbye to another friend this week. My friend Stacy is headed back to the states and the good thing is that we had a great girl's night out to say goodbye. I am going to miss her.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I was approached by the Romanians with the gold ring trick. This is a trick to pretty much swindle money out of you. The funny thing is that everyone that comes or lives in the city is told about this scam. I was just hysterical when the woman approached me and so excited that I have finally experienced it. Nate and Keith were hysterical that I was just laughing in the woman's face.

Then Friday came.... while I was getting my hair done the kids camp called and said Peyton fell in the playground. They said it might not be necessary to come get her, just wanted to let us know what happened. We then received another phone call a few minutes later. We were then told we better come get her she needs a doctor, or forget that they are calling an ambulance. We went to the Hospital Necker, which is the children's hospital in Paris. The staff was wonderful and I was grateful that a few of them spoke a bit of English. So four hours and four stitches later we left the hospital and Peyton is in great spirits. She is a trooper!!! (You don't want to know where she got her stitches.)

Besides that little hickup....

Life is good in Paris!

Giving my sweetie pie kisses in the hospital.