Our First Ski Trip in France

We went to the Pyrenees to ski this weekend. It was special for many reasons:

• This was the first trip to the snow for the kids.
• This was our first ski trip in France.
• This was the first time Mike and I have been on skis in about 8 years.
• This was Mike’s first time on skis since his knee surgery last Feb, and he can ski!!

For my family, I want you all to know that I thought of Dan all weekend. He would have loved skiing with us in France. I think that Max may follow in Dado & Dan's footsteps . . . or should I say - in their ski tracks! And - either Max or I simply must wear a beret the next time we ski, in memory of Dan. :) ICBMs for all!

We had an absolutely wonderful time – all despite the fact that I was a bit cranky our first afternoon. Sorry, my little family!

We arrived Friday afternoon, and the kids instantly headed out into the snow field next to the hotel. Our room had a terrace overlooking the snow field, so we unloaded the car and unpacked while they screamed in joy and frolicked in the snow.

Check out the sunset view from our terrace!

Look how cute they are - ready to hit the slopes the first day!! They were so excited. Although, ummm, someone should really tell Max that the boots go on your feet. :)

After a mere 4 hours of lessons, Max and Josey already ski like they’ve been doing it for years. Seriously! They were the only children signed up with the English-speaking instructor, so they got private lessons two mornings in a row.

This morning (Monday), Max looked sad. We had the following conversation (in French!):

Me: Are you okay?

Max: Not so much.

Me: Why not?

Max: It's not the best day ever today. It would be better if we were skiing again.

Here is the world’s best ski instructor – David (in French, that is pronounced Daveed).

When they were finished with David Sunday, they could ride the chair lift and ski any blue run!! For those of you who are not skiers, that means that they were on the intermediate runs. Too cool! I really wish that Alex liked skiing, too. She would have looked good on the mountain with us. (Josey is in purple, and Max is in red.)

They even tried the jump! Here are some Josey action shots.

This is how happy I looked watching my two littlest ski!

This is how tired we looked Sunday afternoon.

Now I just have to share a few other highlights of the weekends.

We headed out for dinner Friday evening, and we got really, really lucky. We picked the first restaurant that looked open – Le Schuss. The owners – husband and wife – were incredibly kind. They seated us 30 minutes before opening, and Dado struck up a French conversation right away. We found out that the man had skied Squaw Valley (Dado’s very favorite ski resort) and raced in Aspen.

Having found common interests, the conversation took off in all sorts of directions. Next thing I knew, Mike was telling him that we wanted to find a chalet to rent in the area for our next trip. The man said that his friend owned a great chalet, so he would give him a call. Thirty minutes later, the chalet owner showed up at the restaurant! When we were finished with our meal, we followed him to the chalet. This place is meant for a rock star. It was amazing! Three levels, windows everywhere, Jacuzzi tubs & sauna, fireplace, 5 minutes from the ski resort, beds for about 10-12 people, and it’s a real log cabin. Like I said – amazing! We are going to stay there for a few days to ski while Susie, Mark, and Sean are here visiting. Woohoo!

Now let me tell you about the food. Ohmigosh! Le Schuss serves specialties of the mountains, and they are fabulous. Dado tried to order red wine, and the man insisted that we try his homemade Sangria first. As most of you know, I’m not a drinker. However, this Sangria was deeeelicious. That was followed by an excellent salad, complete with geziers and foie gras. (Let it be known that this salad was similar to the salad Sandra served on Christmas Eve, but Sandra’s was infinitely yummier!). Next, Josey and I shared a tartiflette, something that I have wanted to try for months! Tartiflette is similar to scalloped potatoes, only so much better: Roblochon cheese, potatoes, onions, and ham. We even got to watch them broil it in the wood-burning oven before they served it. Scrumptious! Dado had lamb, which he said was yummy. Max had two kinds of pasta! I accidentally ordered him pasta with white sauce and ham (which Josey and I thought was delicious!!), and he really was unhappy about that. The proprietor saw that Max was unhappy, so he brought him the pasta with red sauce that I meant to order – free! It was a great evening.

It was an absolutely fantastic weekend. Blue skies, great weather, good snow, good moods (mostly), good food, short drive . . . we couldn't have asked for better!

Love to all!

Snow in Bouzigues!!

The locals tell us that this is really, really unusual – snow in Bouzigues! I think it’s much like snow in Santa Cruz – rare and magical.

Remember, our little apartment is a mere 30 second walk from l’etang, so we got to watch it snow while looking out at the oyster farms. Too cool!

I’m glad that the snow fell after Alex returned to the US. She flew halfway across the globe to get away from the snow, and it chased her. :)

Love to all!

Thank you!

As we near 6 months in Bouzigues, France, I would like to thank some very special people.

To our newest friends . . .

Debb & Reed, thank you for all the help you provided to get us here. Thank you for all the friendship, love & good times since we have arrived! If you ever need anything at all – you know where to find us.

Sandra & Jean-Louis, thank you for making us feel welcomed and loved in Bouzigues. Thank you for including us in so many terrific events – from our first lunch with Stephanie & Stephan to Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve! Thank you for all the kind things you have done for us, taught us, and shared with us! We cannot wait to return the favor someday in America. Thanks to Michelle, too!

Jean-Christopher & Fanney, thank you for the conversations and fabulous pictures! Thank you also for encouraging our French. We look forward to much, much more.

Sabrina & Frank, thanks for the river adventure and all the great French “education” at school! We hope for many more adventures with you.

Madame Danaes & Madame Seguy, thank you for all the great care you have taken with Max and Josey at school!

Louise, thanks for all the great knitting visits. It’s amazing to have a US knitting friend in France!

Taco & Anne-Marie, thank you for teaching us the summer sports of Bouzigues! We’re glad we ran into you after Christmas, and we can’t wait for your next visit to Bouzigues.

Jack, Jill, Nigel, Pauline, George, Maryka, and so many more, thank you for all you have taught us and the fun we have had with you.

To others . . .

Grandma Pat, thank you so much for taking on the chores of our mail and US accounting. You are awesome! Please come see us!

Grom & Dude, thanks for the visits. We can’t wait for the next one, and two, and three, and . . . Thanks for storing the truck & all our other stuff, too! Thanks for being our “mules” and bringing us all the goodies from America.

Alex, thanks for the regular phone calls. You are very, very entertaining. You were a dream during your visit. Next time, stay longer so we can shop more.

Julie, you were awesome. Come back soon! No Absinthe next time, tho.

Deanna, thank you for suggesting Debb!! We hope you make it here for a visit.

Cathie & Dan, thanks for visiting. You were our first visitors, and it was incredible! We had so much fun with you.

Sharlene, Patty, Mary, Sumi, Louie, Sue Lotz, Sue Shotland, Marianne, Moira, Marty, Cheryl, Cathie, Melissa, Denise, Linda, and all the rest – thank you a TON for all the emails. I really don’t know what I’d do without you all. I miss & love you all!

Thanks and love to all of you for helping us make this French experience so wonderful!

Day 8 - Genova, Italy

Did you know that it is against Italian law for more than 3 people to sleep in a hotel room? We didn’t! Luckily, when we checked into the Sheraton in Genova, the kind hostess – whose name was Josy! – made a special exception for us. She even gave us an extra roll-away bed for the kids.

After goofing around in the hotel room, we went downstairs for dinner. The Airport Sheraton didn’t provide gourmet meals, but it was fun. The waiter was fun, and he taught us a lot of useful Italian words (please excuse my spelling):

• Thank you = gracia
• You’re welcome = prego
• Please = per favore
• Very good = molto benne
• Good evening = buona sera
• Hello = bon journo

I also now know that my favorite flavor of gelato is stracctiacella! That loosely translates to chocolate chip – only much yummier.

These first few hours in Genova confirmed it – we really love the Italian people. We can’t wait to go back when Susie, Mark, and Sean arrive later this month.

Our planned destination for our full day in Genova was two-fold: Porto Antico (the old port) and Piazza Ferrari, which is where Christopher Columbus’ house is! Naturally, we had a few issues with the GPS, so we didn’t exactly drive right there. However, we did get there.

As we were driving in, we could see an amazing, authentic pirate ship in the Porto Antico. Wow!! For those of you who don’t know, Max and Josey adore playing Pirates of the Carribean online. Max even has a small pirate flag tied to his backpack. So, sighting the pirate ship created great excitement!

Once we found it, we were thrilled! We explored the ship from top to bottom, stem to stern, and it was great. This was Max’s favorite part of Genova!

Next, we braved the streets between the Porto Antico and Piazza Ferrari. Again – wow! Everything was so incredible! The churches (there were several), the buildings, the interesting stores (from desserts to pasta!), the people . . . I was enthralled!

Here is an idea of what we saw.

Here is the Piazza Ferrari!

Here is Christopher Columbus’ house. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside.

Here is the view of Genova from atop the tower & fortified wall still standing.

We ended our day in the Porto Antico with a very Dado-like adventure. There was a gigantic cruise ship in the port, and Dado decided that we were going to try and board it! After about 30 minutes of walking around to find the boarding point, we actually succeeded in making it past the first guards. This was the check-in point, similar to a boarding gate in an airport. We were stopped by the security guard, and Dado said, “We just want to look around a bit, if that’s okay.” She said, “Sure.” and waved us past the security point!

Now we were walking along the actual ramp to the cruise ship! We actually made it onto the ship, we were literally standing on the ship, when the second security guard stopped us. He was a bit more serious, and he wouldn’t let us wander around the ship. Bummer! It was fun, though. Max wasn’t having quite so much fun because he was worried that the ship might leave while we were on it.

Here is a view of the cruise ship and the maritime building & fountain.

We had dinner in a very crowded shopping district, which was thrill-packed! The street was literally thronged with shoppers until the stores closed at 7pm. Then . . . poof! Everyone vanished.

Genova was great fun, and we look forward to more time in Italy!

Love to all!

Day 7 - Monte Carlo

Wow, wow, wow! Monte Carlo, Monaco is easily the most wealthy place I have ever seen.

You enter Monte Carlo by one steep road that leads down from the autoroute. As you follow the steep road down, you pass gorgeous old buildings and narrow streets intermixed with newer construction. Beneath you lies the Mediterranean and the gem of Monte Carlo – high rise hotels mixed with the amazing casino, the ancient Paris hotel, luxury boutiques, and the port filled with unbelievable yachts.

Luckily, Alex grabbed the camera and took some photos of our drive into Monte Carlo.

We stayed at Le Meridien, which is a Sheraton hotel. We have a vacation secret – Sheraton Club Points. They enabled us to stay at Le Meridien – free! Thank you, Sheraton Club! The pool was easily the kids’ favorite part of Monaco.

Here are some pictures Alex took of the hotel.

And here are some pictures of the view from the terrace!

Besides the photos of the hotel and the view from our terrace, here’s an idea of the level of service you can expect in Monaco. When we arrived, I was still driving Julie’s rental car. The plan was to return the car to the “nearby” car rental office. Ha! The drive into the hotel was so fraught with traffic and bad directions from the GPS that Mike was dreading returning the car. As we were discussing how long it would take (potentially hours!), the concierge overheard us and said, “Oh, we can return your car for you. The rental agency is quite far away, and we can call them and take care of that for you.” Voila! He called them, and that was it! No more rental car. Sweet!

We had our last meal with Grom, Julie, and Alex in Monte Carlo. It was bittersweet because everyone was trying hard not to be sad.

The funny twist to their departure was Joe. Let me explain. When we arrived at the hotel, there was a Rolls Royce parked in the driveway with the vanity plate “Joes”. We laughed and said, “I wonder who Joe is!” Well – we met him! When we were all standing outside the hotel, kissing and hugging goodbye (and leaking tears!), a swarthy gentleman came through the doors. He was speaking English, so he noticed us right away. He asked where we were from, and when we said, “California.”, he said, “We were just singing Hotel California!” We all started singing together as Grom, Alex, and Julie climbed into their taxi. Next thing we knew, the man climbed into the back of the Rolls while his driver climbed into the front. Mike quickly knocked on the window of the taxi and said, “Hey! That was Joe! Look!” and he pointed at the Rolls.

That night and the next day we spent distracting the kids from being sad that Grom, Alex, and Julie were gone. Luckily, the weather in Monte Carlo was phenomenal! It was almost 80 degrees while we sat eating in a swank café on the promenade. Oh la la! So, we wandered around the town and the beach – and had a few more swims in the pool!

It was a great visit with everyone, but far, far too short! Alex, you were absolutely wonderful. Julie, you were very entertaining. Grom, the kids are still talking about all the great stories you told them in the car. It was such a delight to see you all and watch you discover France. Come back very, very soon!

Next stop – Genoa, Italy!

Love to all!!

Day 6 - Nice and San Remo, Italy

Nice was really a blur. We arrived after several hours in the car from Avignon, and it was nearly dark. All we could really see was a mountain filled with hotels and buildings on one side and a huge promenade, a pebbly beach, and the Med on the other side. Since I was driving, I couldn’t gape with wonder at our surroundings. I had to keep up with Mike on the crowded city streets of Nice, which demanded all of my concentration!

After checking into the hotel, we wandered to the promenade for dinner. We picked La Sirena (the mermaid), and we’re glad we did. Dinner was yummy, and the waiter was terrific! Dado was wearing his Obama t-shirt, and the waiter offered him a free dinner right away. I must add that their chocolate mousse was out of this world!

The next morning, we only had time for a 5-minute walk on the beach before we headed to San Remo, Italy. Our grand plan was to visit the Saturday market in San Remo.

Here are Dado, Josey, and Max on the beach in Nice!

The drive from Nice to San Remo was spectacular! Unfortunately, there was nowhere to stop to take pictures, so let me try to described it . . . .

We could see the snow-covered Alps on one side and villages nestled beside the Med on the other side. Wow, wow, wow!! Besides a tiny little sign announcing that we had entered Italy, it was also obvious based on the difference in the architecture and the terraced hillsides.

There were dozens of tunnels and bridges cutting through the hills and valleys of the countryside from the Cote d’Azure through the Italian coastline. Each valley was filled with homes and buildings, and the buildings climbed the sides of the mountains in perfect terraces. Along the terraces were also long, narrow greenhouses. It is incredible to see how the Italians adapted to growing produce and flowers to fit the landscape.

As we drove, we could see little villages strung together through the hills, each marked by a church in the center. It would be heavenly to have several days to just wander around the small villages.

We arrived in San Remo a little later than we hoped, and we arrived with a lot of other people. There was only one road connecting the autoroute to San Remo, so we were stuck in traffic. Dado made a command decision to park us on a side road, and we hoofed it into town.

When we finally got into town, the adults needed caffeine! Our first Italian coffee and cafe!

We missed the market, but we found a great restaurant and some deeelicious, genuine gelato!

After our few hours in San Remo, we decided that we love the Italian people, too! They were great at the café – teaching us to count in Italian while ordering coffee croissants. They were great at the restaurant – working with us to order the most authentic Italian food of the region. They were great at the gelateria – giving us huge scoops of gelato!

The Italians we encountered were open, friendly, helpful, and boisterous! We look forward to spending more time in Italy.

And San Remo is beautiful!

Julie also bought herself an authentic Italian bag. Check out the transaction. It was very funny because we were taking pictures with San Remo in the background when the man approached us. Julie couldn’t resist shopping! This is a “genuine leather Prada bag!” Julie wanted a new carry-on for the airplane, and now she has one.

Love to all!