My Summer Vacation - 2009

I feel like a child who has gone back to school, and my first assignment is to write five paragraphs describing my summer vacation. I can summarize it in a few sentences.

We had a great yet very busy time in Santa Cruz for 6 weeks. It was terrific to see our family and friends (those we were able to see!) and soak up some Santa Cruz sunshine (okay, and fog if I'm being completely honest).

Then, our planned 10-day vacation from Frankfurt, Germany to Bouzigues was absolute hell, thanks to a faulty pool motor in Bad Reichenhall, Germany.

For those of you only interested in the highlights. That was it. For those of you who are interested in details, read on . . .

Santa Cruz was great. We stayed with my parents for about a week in Ben Lomond. Thanks, Grom & Dude! During that week, we had a mini family July Birthday party, complete with Alex. It was great to see everyone who was there.

Here are Dianne (my aunt), Max, and Thomas (my nephew) playing in my parents' pool.


After Ben Lomond, we stayed in a rental in Santa Cruz, which was delightful. The owner, Trish, is an amazing gardener, and we felt like we were in our own personal Eden (without the serpent) for 3 weeks.

Here are some pictures of the kids picking flowers in the yard and Max climbing the rope ladder to the crow's nest . . .

And here are my friend Melissa's children, James and Catherine.


I want to send huge thanks to Melissa for all of our great runs and visits and to Sharlene for all the great knitting adventures. You two made my visit!!

Thanks to all my other friends and family for the visits, too! Danny & Kathy, Marianne, Sue, Julie, Grandma Pat, and all the rest.

Next, we were back in Ben Lomond for our final 10 days in America. It was good timing, too, due to the huge forest fire in Bonny Doon (very, very close to Santa Cruz and my parent's house). All the smoke blew into Santa Cruz, so we were glad not to be there. My parent's house was almost in the evacuation zone, but the terrific firefighters got it under control before we had to leave. Yay! Thanks to all the brave men and women who fight fires. You rock!

On August 20th, we flew from San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany. Mike found the greatest airline tickets of all time: roundtrip SF to Frankfurt for $400/each. That is an amazing price - probably an Internet error! So, we decided to make it a family adventure vacation. With the money we saved on airfare, we could rent a car and drive from Frankfurt to Bouzigues, stopping in various amazing places along the way!

The planned itinerary was:

• 1 night in Frankfurt
• 2 nights in Nurenburg
• 2 nights in Bad Reichenhall, Germany (near Salzburg, Austria)
• 2 nights in Bled, Slovenia
• 2 nights in Venice, Italy
• 1 night in Parma, Italy
• 1 night in Antibes, France
• Back to Bouzigues!

However, our second evening in Bad ReichenHELL, Josey suffered an awful accident in the hotel pool. I will put a full account of her accident at the end of this post for those of you who are curious.

As Mike pointed out afterward, we should have known better than to EVER have stayed in a place that started with "Bad"!

So, we ended up with:

• 1 night in Bad ReichenHELL (several more for Mike & Max)
• 3 nights in the Salzburg Children's hospital
• 3 more nights in Bad ReichenHELL
• Airplane back to Bouzigues

Debb and Eva were terrific and had the new house all ready for us upon our arrival - complete with food in the fridge & pantry and wine for Dado (and pina colada for me). Merci mille fois a Debb & Eva!!

We were able to see Wurzburg, Rothenburg, and a bit of Munich. Here are some good photos.

Wurzburg, Germany: The first photo is entering the village from the historical bridge. The second photo is the view from the bridge of the other side of the river.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany: This is a little cafe we visited, and the look of this cafe is a perfect example of the architecture in Rothenburg!




















Below are me and Josey outside the world-famous Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas store. It was indeed a fairytale shopping experience . . . like Disneyland for Christmas lovers. The second picture is a view of the village from the gardens.









Here are photos of the famous wooden altarpiece. In the words of Rick Steves (travel writer): "St. Jacob's church contains the one must-see art treasure in Rothenburg: a glorious 500-year-old Riemenschneider altarpiece, by the Michelangelo of German woodcarvers."




Some photos of Neuschwanstein Castle, which is the castle Walt Disney used for his inspiration.


And the Marienplatz (center) of Munich, Germany, which was very charming! I wish we had more than an hour to spend there (and a healthier Josey who could walk around and enjoy everything!). The first two pictures are of the New Town Hall, the first being a view of the Glockenspeil (gigantic cuckoo clock) that rings 3 times a day. Unfortuntately, we missed it.


Now . . . if you are interested in the details about Josey's accident, here is an email I wrote to two of my best friends after Josey and I returned from the hospital.

I just got back from spending 2.5 days in the hospital in Salzberg, Austria with Josey. She was playing at the pool here at the Bad Reichenhall, Germany Radisson hotel . . . the jet that was supposed to be the equivalent of a hot tub jet had just had the motor changed. So, the jet was the strength of a fountain - a high powered fountain. Josey sat on the jet, and she completely lacerated the inside of her vagina. :(

It was horrifying. She was almost literally gushing blood - including blood clots. Here I am, in a foreign country, emailing my aunt the doctor asking her what to do! After a few hours of Josey laying down but the bleeding not slowing, I took her to the local emergency room. They sent me to the Kinderklinik (university kid's hospital) in Salzburg where they would have "gynecological equipment for children". Those are words you never want to hear in your life.

This actually required 2 taxi rides - one to the local hospital around 11pm and another to Salzburg around 11:30pm - all in the pouring rain with thunder & lightning & taxi drivers who couldn't speak any English! Here I am, trying to keep acting like I'm not worried, while the second taxi driver is practically skidding around corners! He redeemed himself when he waited for 10 minutes with us in the abandoned emergency room until an English speaking nurse arrived to admit Josey. At the time, I wished I could speak better German to thank both taxi driver for their kindness as Josey is bleeding all over their seats.

In Salzburg, they had to sedate her for surgery and pack her full of 3 meters of material to compress the walls of her vagina. They had to catheterize her, too, because the compression pinched her urethra closed. The doc was very kind and spoke excellent English (thank goodness). The doc said that the lacerations were all shallow (not deep into the tissue and not deep into her vagina), but there were a lot of them. Stitches wouldn't work, so compression was the only option. Josey had to stay for over 48 hours before they sedated her again for another surgery to remove the material. She had the material and catheter removed this morning.

Besides contracting an infection for which she received IV antibiotics, she didn't have any complications.

I stayed with her the entire time. They provided me with a fold out bed to sleep in next to her (public room with 2 other patients). The nurses were all incredibly nice, and most spoke at least some English. The nurse in training, Stephanie, spoke excellent English - she was a godsend!

I've been in a state of near tears since we left the hospital today. I was super mommy while we were there . . . never panicked or freaked or anything. Now I'm having a hard time keeping it together.

Mike has had several discussions with the hotel director, and they've signed docs from our European lawyer (thank goodness for our friend Taco from Bouzigues!!) taking full responsibility for the accident. They will pay for everything plus some.

We are now stuck here in the evil hotel for 2-3 more days. The doc wants us close in case the bleeding should start again. So far, Josey had the operation to remove the material at 10ish this morning and it's 4:30pm here now, she hasn't had ANY bleeding. YAY! However, we have to stay just in case. I have to say - I HATE this place now.

Some vacation. No Italy. . . No Slovenia . . . Radisson will be paying for us to fly to Montpellier from either Salzberg or Munich ASAP. I'm not going to make Josey suffer in a car for 12ish hours. NO WAY. That poor little thing has been through enough.

She was so brave. I'm so proud of her! Of all the things she was afraid of? Taking the pain pills.:) She said she gagged when she took the first half, so each other time was an ordeal. Surgery? No problem! Swallow a pill? End of the world.

Okay . . . I just had to decompress to my two favorite people. :)

BTW - Got a lot of knitting done in the hospital (Sabine 2 is finished but for finishing work and beaded bind off), but I desperately need exercise. My body feels soft, mooshy, and bloated (Josey said my feet looked like sausages!). Maybe I'll run tomorrow. :)

Thanks for reading my rant! Love,
Gayle

9 Rue Jeanne d'Arc - Our New Home

We are happily back in Bouzigues! We arrived Monday, September 1, and oh my goodness are we glad to be home!!

We have been looking forward to moving into our new house, which is in the absolute center of Bouzigues. It is very old, uniquely French, and absolutely amazing.

Here is a photo tour of 9 Rue Jeanne d'Arc . . .

You know when you have a key that looks this cool, your house is going to rock!

Check out the front door, door knob, and the knocker.

And when you walk in the front door – just get a load of that staircase. Oh baby! And to the right of the staircase is the first floor - the kitchen, living room, and dining area - all teak and original stone from the 1800s. Is that cool, or what?

Here is the second floor, home of Max and Josey. I took the first two pictures standing in the doorway between the kids' room and the petite salon (little living room) on the second floor: the first picture is their room, and the second picture is the petite salon in front of their room. Yes, as you can see, we are back to our cluttery selves.

This is the view from the tiny balcony on the second floor. We have an identical balcony on our floor, too.

Here is the third floor, pant pant pant, where Mike and I sleep (still panting from climbing the stairs). That is an O'Neill's sweatshirt, by the way.

Here is the fourth floor, le piece de resistance!

The summer kitchen (more teak and stone) . . .

The terrace (for those of you who haven't been here yet, those strange and perfect lines in the water are the oyster farms) . . .

And the view (panning from left to right - that is Sete in the distance) . . .

Here's a view of the super narrow street outside our front door, and a view of the front of the house. Gotta love the clothes lines (if you can see them). Can you imagine me hanging the laundry? Or Mike? We do it everyday!

Max and Josey can sleep in the sunroom, which means that we can make the second floor available for guests! We also have two bathrooms with showers. Woohoo!! So, if you want to come and see us, we can put you up.

Love to all!

Bragging Rights

Hello Everyone!

I am very proud to report that Max and Josey both graduated to the next class here in Bouzigues! Remember, they spoke almost no French a mere 9 months ago. Therefore, it was not a "given" that they would pass their grades this year. Now, they are advancing to the next grade with their friends. With very high praise from their teachers, too. Yay!!

I will tell you more about their school year soon.

Alex . . . well, she is currently "infuriated" with me. Therefore, I dare not volunteer any information on her grades.

We will be in California in less than 2 weeks. Wow!

Love to all!

Dado's Back & London with the Family

Dado’s flight to the US in May was a 24-hour, 3-plane nightmare. In the hopes of making his return flight to Europe less onerous, he took a direct 13-hour flight to London. We were there, at the Sheraton Heathrow, waiting impatiently for him to arrive. Much to our delight, he showed up at our hotel room at least an hour sooner than we expected. Yeah!!

It was so cool. After we all had our kisses & hugs (Almost more, since when he opened the door, I was only half-dressed! Like I said, he was an hour earlier than we expected. He he he.), Dado whipped open suitcases and started tossing presents around. The kids were practically falling over themselves and Dado, showing him new birthday gifts, the newly removed molar, etc., while he was showing us his goodies. It was the chaos that my family thrives on, and it was a joy to see.

We stayed at the Sheraton Heathrow long enough for Dado to shower and shave, then we were off to the Marriott Marble Arch in Londontown. We stayed there 3 nights, and it was a great hotel. We had a large room with a sofa bed for the kids, and there was a pool where the kids had a great time swimming.

While in London, we shopped, did a double-decker bus tour, took a short cruise on the Thames, toured the Tower of London, walked on the Tower Bridge, and we visited the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.

Max was enthralled by Big Ben. Did you know that Big Ben is actually the name of the huge bell inside the clock tower? The tower has its own name, which I can’t remember right now.

Most of us decided that the Tower of London was our highlight of London. It was very sad, though. I actually sat on a bench, and we had a moment of family discussion and silence related to the people who lost their lives there.

Right now, there is an exhibition of King Henry XIII’s armor and weapons at the Tower. It was quite a cool exhibition!

The kids took more pictures than I did this time, so I will have to upload some from their cameras later.

Now we are home in Bouzigues, adjusting to “normal” life with Dado back at home. Yeah!

Love to all!!

Merci Mille Fois a Sandra, Michelle, et Jean-Louis

I am very grateful to have wonderful friends – family now!! -- in France. While Dado was in the US, Sandra, Jean-Louis, and Michelle all looked after me and the kids.

• We were invited for dinners, parties, and swimming.
• They were there every time I needed special help living in France (for example, writing a letter to the bank to cancel an automatic withdraw).
• They provided emotional support!!

Merci mille fois Sandra, Michelle, and Jean-Louis!! We appreciate everything you do for us, and we are very grateful to have you in our lives.

Here are some photo highlights . . .

Max swinging in the garden

Josey and Victoria playing in the pool

Stephanie sipping margaritas, complete with salt provided by my Aunt Julie

All the kids frolicking in the pool - 9 kids and not a single fight the entire day!

Mmmmm - fresh paella, homemade by Sandra & Jean-Louis. Deeeelicious!

Love to all!!

Josey Loses a Molar!

Check it out – Josey has a new hole in her mouth.

She is a clever girl. She has received money from the Tooth Fairy in the US and in France, and she now understands the difference in currency values. Thus, she knows that $5 for a tooth is not the equivalent of 5 euros for a tooth.

Well, clever little Josey had a plan! She actually hid her tooth from the Tooth Fairy. She had two reasons. First, she wanted to show her tooth to Dado before the Tooth Fairy took it away. She is so sweet! Second, she wanted 5 pounds for that molar. We were to depart for London to meet up with Dado a mere 3 days after she pulled her tooth out, so she hid it until we arrived in London.

The Tooth Fairy still remembered Josey’s tooth – even 4 days after it parted from Josey’s gums, and Josey did in fact receive 5 pounds. Dado did get a chance to see the tooth, too.

Love to all!

Josey's French Birthday

Josey and I both had the pleasure of celebrating a decade birthday in France. She turned 10 on May 31, and she celebrated several times.

She had a birthday party at home with friends. It was a beautiful afternoon, so everyone played outside.

We had crafts . . . I must admit that I bought the craft kits in the US in April (good ol’ Oriental Trading Company!).

We had cake . . . fondant chocolate and vanilla.

We had presents!!

And, I have to say that I’m proud of myself. Since Mike was still in the US, I hosted the party tout seul – all alone! I managed with 8 French children. Yeah for me!

Josey actually had three separate birthday celebrations this year. In addition to her birthday party, we celebrated with a cake, improvised candles (matches and tea lights), and family gifts before Mike left for the US.

And, Max, Josey, and I had a special day on her actual birthday. We bought special goodies at the Meze boulangerie that sells great little cakes, I saved some special gifts for her, and she got to plan our day. We had dinner for breakfast, relaxed, goofed off, and watched movies throughout the day, and had breakfast for dinner.

Happy Birthday, Josey!!

Love to all!!