Thursday, March 31, 2016

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!














Wednesday, March 30, 2016

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!

































Wednesday, March 23, 2016

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.