Avoriaz and The French Alps

Over February break

we took our annual 

trip to the French Alps.

We've gone to Avoriaz

three years in a row now..

and each year I've thought..

should we try somewhere new?

And then when we arrive..

I'm happy we've come back.

After skiing here for three years..

we know the trails

and the accommodations

and our favorite places for 

fondue.

And hot chocolate.

The Yeti is our hangout..

We all meet up here

for apres ski!

We have the most amazing views

from our balcony.

And we play hours of Monopoly..

One of the things I love the 

most about Avoriaz is the

ski in/out..

we park our car and don't see it

for a week.

And hearing the horse drawn

carriages shuttling skiers throughout

the village is just so charming.

We'll miss you

Avoriaz!

Thanks for three

great years!

Easter Weekend Away

We drove out to the coast to 

Normandy this past weekend.

With only a few months left

here 

I'm feeling the pressure to see everything!

In our four years of living in

France..

we haven't seen enough of it!

We've traveled quite a bit

throughout Europe, Africa

and even the Middle East..

So..

we took advantage of the three

day weekend and drove out 

first to Etretat. 

Etretat is best known for it's 

cliffs..

(one looks like an elephant dipping 

it's trunk in the ocean for a drink! :)

...and for attracting artists such as 

Claude Monet to come paint.

The little town is quaint

with half timbered houses..

typical of this region.

We stopped for lunch and 

filled up on 

Moules frites

(mussels with french fries)

I fell in love with the architecture..

and appreciate that even the more modern

buildings stayed true to it's character. 

Less than an hours drive south..

the charming harbor town of 

Honfleur..

our stop for the night.

Slate-covered townhouses and plenty

of cafes line this picturesque port

that artists also came to paint.

We arrived at night

in the pouring rain

and sat outside for dinner

under a protective tarp.

(more Moules frites!)

We woke Easter Sunday

to bright sunshine..

(and surprisingly the Easter bunny

found us way out here!)

We had petit dejeuner 

outside and strolled around the 

harbor.

We loved Honfleur!

Next we stopped by 

the lovely seaside town of Deauville.

Yes..those are people swimming!

It was about 45 degrees with the windchill!

But, the sun was shining!

The boardwalk and 

bath houses...

It was a windy day!

So glad we stopped for 

a walk on the beach here...

Two hours later 

we arrived here...

Mont St Michele!

A UNESCO

World Heritage Site..

it is one of the most visited 

places in France.

We stayed on the island..

and what a windy, rainy night 

it was!

We had fun walking all around 

and up and down and 

watching the tides 

come in and out.

We had a wonderful weekend

in France!

Happy Easter!

We're Moving Again!!

(iphone pics of Griff

running around the Tuileries..

our playground!)

So much to catch up on...

and blogging is just so time consuming!

I want to keep it up and continue

to print out each year of my blog

as books..

but right now I'm enjoying

every last minute of this city 

that we've been blessed to call home

for four years.

(iphone pic taken from the 

top of the ferris wheel)

And those minutes are ticking!

We found out a little while ago

that Steve was asked to take 

a position in Orange County,

California!

This is a wonderful opportunity

for him

and for our family.

So..

this summer we will

head west!

And between now and then

we have so much happening!

Eiffel Tower lit up

in black, yellow and red.

Colors of the Belgian flag.