Thursday (updated)
Busy day today. Dan got up with Sara and Julia - did their breakfast. When I got up it took me just a few minutes to get ready for the day, then we headed out.
For the first time all trip we went out for breakfast. There is a bakery/tea room next door that we go to everyday for bread/treats, but they also serve breakfast. I got there first with Sara and Julia (Dan was back at the apartment) so I got our table and ordered.
They had meals all pieced together, so I picked the 8 Euro combination of eggs, bacon, OJ, coffee with milk, and grain bread. It was enough for all of us to share (though I did get an extra coffee for Dan at 1.25 Euro). What a treat to relax and have breakfast together like that! We liked the grain bread so much that we bought a whole loaf (at Sara's request) before we left. The lady showed Sara how the loaf cutter worked. Pretty neat.
Dan and Sara went out the back of the bakery and Julia and I went out the front (since the stroller only fits out the back). Julia held my hand and we walked through the bakery - she sure moves those legs fast to keep up - and does a great job. I can't help but smile when we walk together. Before we left the bakery, Julia pulled me over to the cutting machine. She pointed to the bread in the display, then she pointed to the cutting machine. She remembered! Way to go Julia. She communicates a lot like that.
We wanted to go back to Pont du Gard (the 2000 year old Roman aquaduct/bridge) so today was the day. It is a short drive away (about half hour) and when we got there I tried our stick shift car in the parking lot. I did okay. Though I'm happy to leave the driving to Dan!
This time we did the kid's museum at the Pont du Gard, and also the adult museum and the movie. Julia slept through the movie, and Sara LOVED the kid museum. She could have stayed there for hours - and we were the only ones in there. Not another person in sight! It was an active museum, where kids could channel running water in different directions by moving water blocks etc. The adult part of the museum was facinating about how they got those big ton blocks to build it (google "Pont du Gard" to see it) and details about how it has gone through all these years.
Then we got outside and swam. The river flows under it, so we had our bathing suits and swam in the chilly water. The water was clear and you could see many fish around. It was not a sandy bottom, there were large rounded stones - it was hard for Sara to walk so I let her travel into the water on my back. Julia played near the water's edge with Dan. Many other people were swimming, and many other people were going by on Kayaks. It is an active place.
Dan had to get to work around 2:00 so we headed back to the apartment.
I decided to take the girls to the Medieval Garden here in Uzes. I didn't know what to expect, but didn't want to take the Bob-stroller (which is a double stroller) there, so I tried on the Kelty back carrier with Julia in it. It was heavy! But worked okay, and Sara and I were nimble with Julia up there and no stroller to bog us down. The medieval garden is well named. Back in medial times, they used the area with in castle walls to build gardens. Herbs, medicinal things, and a few things of beauty were common. This garden was wonderful - a true pleasure to walk through. They had a grape trellis - with green grapes hanging down. They had more herbs than I can name. And there was one tree that Sara noticed had a green fruit on it - and when I looked at the tiny sign at the base of the tree - then I translated it in the hand-out - it was a pomegranate tree! We often buy pomegranates at home for the seeds so it was neat to see a tree!
Another fun part about the medieval garden was simply being next to the castle - tower of Uzes. A real castle - that just ooozes atmosphere. The walls were so thick - and there was ancient writing on the walls. Mystical really. The garden had manicured bushes in a labyrinth dotted with olive trees. Tiny stones made the pathways. Our feet crunched as we walked. It was a fairly small place, and not many other people were there. It was great to share it with Sara and Julia - just a peaceful stroll to explore a garden in the shadow of castle walls. Great.
After that we walked back here - stopping for ice cream. It was so good. It was "artesian" icecream - and Sara nearly cried when he put the chocolate on the top instead of the bottom of the strawberry scoop. She is particular about her ice cream! We sat on a white wooden bench and ate - Julia even got a few tastes!
Back here I filled the pool I got at the market with all the Legos we had. The girls sat in the dry pool in the dining room and played quietly while I made dinner. (Around 5:30 ish.) It was heavenly. So nice to be able to make dinner and not rush it - and also not have to interrupt making it a million times to do something for Sara or Julia. They just played so nicely together while I cooked! Timing is everything - we had just come back from the garden, and they weren't starving, so I guess the conditions were perfect for them to mellow out and play. I made fish for them, and ham for Dan and I, with greens, potatoes, cheese, and french bread. Ready in about 20 minutes.
After dinner I gave Julia a bath and put her to bed around 6:30. Dan went out with Sara for a quick Father/Daughter soccer game and to move the car. Then Sara got a bath - and got ready for sleep.
It was a full day. A really good one. We are getting into the swing of things schedule-wise - what works and what doesn't. One thing we always underestimate is how much water to bring. We easily go through the two water bottles we typically carry. So we need to bring more. They drink tap water (and so do we) but there are not drinking fountains around to fill up our bottles. I end up asking at various places and they are happy to fill it up - but it would be easier to do it ourselves. We just refill our water bottles with tap water here - and use them again. We've also learned to feed the girls before we go anywhere, so food isn't the first thing they ask for once we get somewhere!
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Mom, are you going to move? Those are the bubbles I wanted to use." -- while Sara was in her bath, she was really interested in a particular group of bubbles!
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