We woke up in Sarlat. Our day of driving behind us. Our 10 days here ahead of us. It was a great night. Julia slept 'till 7:30 and Sara a little after that. I got to sleep 'till 8:23! My body hardly knew what to do with all that sleep!
We enjoyed breakfast. We had the food from our last place (that is one of the benefits of traveling by car versus train is that you can just bring granola and stuff around with you!) and we ate outside. There is a great deck here - that overlooks the property (no neighbors in site!) and the pool. The deck has a roof, so the sun is enjoyable but not beating down on you. AFfter breakfast we went to the supermarket.
Even with the cute markets to buy fresh stuff, it is still useful to just load up at the supermarket. In one swoop we can get enough food for days - and things like diapers also. Today we spent 167 Euro, a wow, but a single meal out can be 40 Euro, and we do 3 meals a day "in." (We go out sometimes, but it is just easier/quicker to have food 'in.') The supermarket is fun anyway - to see how they do things. You have to weigh all your produce and get a sticker (it is not done by the cashier- and he/she will just hand it back to you if you haven't pre-weighed it). And it was funny to shop at this particular super market that had prices and origins on chalkboards. When I got apples, they said (1.53/KG, Spain) (but it wasn't spain it was whatever the French word for Spain is. So we got produce from Italy, Spain, France, and in the international food area we got peanut butter. It is so hard to find here that we got 2 jars. They just don't eat it!
After that we gave the girls lunch and tried to put Julia down for a nap. She had none of it. So after a game of ball outside we walked to Sarlat.
It is a foot path to get there. Narrow, and surrounded by greenery / over growth. But it gets us there in 10 minutes. I won't go into detail on Sarlat. We'll be here for a while so I'm sure I'll talk more about it. But it was impressive. It reminded me of Bruges, Belgium, a well preserved town -- and this town, Sarlat is also very old - yet so cute and a feast for the eyes. Everywhere you look you want to take a picture. The buildings are nice, the twisty-turny lanes are perfect, it is car-free in the center (cars couldn't fit there anyway, and everyone is so busy looking around the cars would bonk right into people, but really it is not meant for cars since this was a thriving place way, way, way before cars!)
We did the walking tour in our guide book, and it lead us into some wonderful nooks -- places that really were so neat looking you had to look twice. We toured the cathedral (Julia loved it!), we toured the side streets, and we toured a food-festival that was jam packed with locals - drinking wine - eating food - and sharing big long tables with each other. We looked at everything - walking slowly and taking a lot of samples (samples are big here - if you walk past any sort of vendor they are happy for you to stop and try their stuff). I tried a sample of walnut cake/bread (walnuts are big here). I tried a local prune (wow - the guy selling them was ancient and was very proud of his prunes - so proud that we bought an 8 euro bag - he makes them himself - and they were good). We bought a walnut thing, some prune things, and other food-gourmet-French stuff -- right from the people who make them. Each of them were specialty products that certainly wouldn't be available at home - and they are all from this region. It was very special to be able to try all that stuff - surrounded by happy locals. We also attended a sheep - sheering demonstration. Not sure how that fit in. But it was there. There was a lot of fois gras (sp?) goose liver. And also some truffels (those mushrooms).
A highlight of our time in Sarlat (this was our first time there) was behind the cathedral you can walk up these steps. We had Sara and Julia in the bob-stroller so Dan went up first to check it out. He came back down to find us munching on some biscuit cracker/cookie things we had packed. Sara then said, "can I walk up there?" and so I walked up the steps with her. She leaped up the steps and was fun to pal around with. When we came back down Julia leaned out of the stroller and looked me in the eye. I released her from the stroller and tried to give her a hug. She had none of that -- she got out of my arms and went right for the steps! That little kid proceded to walk up ALL those steps -- one at a time -- 'till she was at the top! She was determined, she was strong, and she was not aware that she is only 1.5 years old and probably shouldn't be climbing up rock steps, onto rock platforms, in the middle of France! She just wanted to do it - and it made me laugh - and once again so proud of the person she is. She is just a "baby" yet she wants to experience things, do things, and do it as much as she can by herself - with out help! She is a sweet kid - and Sara gets a kick out of it too. Sara went up those steps again too - so it was me, Sara, Julia -- climbing up steps behind the cathedral, much to the amusement of everyone around. I loved it.
To see some pictures go to google (and click on "Images" near the top so you'll just search for pictures) and put in Cathédrale St-Sacerdos
After that Julia really wanted something to drink. We were out of water. Dan said, "lets go back" and I said "I'll go see if they'll give me some water." I did get water - I took our pink water bottle to a nearby cafe and said water please in my best French. She filled our bottle with fresh cold water. Julia drank with eagerness. Then she fell asleep.
We got back here and I went swimming with Sara in our 64 degree pool. Cold! I told her she was a wimp, since she stayed on the side and didn't get wet. I got all the way in - even though it was cold it was still fun! Dan made dinner. Soon we were done swimming, Julia was done napping, and we were eating our dinner outside. It is lovely out there - a nice big table, a nice roof, a nice view -- life is good. Julia ate her food as if she hadn't seen food in a week. (Salmon, broccoli, pasta, and red pepper.) And we all enjoyed it. After that I let the girls play with clay. Then it was bath time and bedtime. ZZzzzzzzzz.
It was a successful first day. We were glad to explore our new town and also stock up on groceries. The weather is grand. Sunny, no humidity, blue sky, no bugs -- pretty great.
Quotes of the day (Sara's exact words!):
Scenario: After the grocery store Dan and Sara played ball outside.
Sara: "I just need to get my running shoes on. I wear them when ever I run a marathon or play soccer."
----
Scenario: Dan announced we were having grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and sara said,
Sara: "Dad, now you just need to make yourself a tuna sandwich."
[That was funny since Dan hates tuna, and I told Sara on Friday to tell Dan that he was going to have tuna for lunch. Sara remembered that and repeated the joke today! Good memory and good humor Sara!]
---
Scenario: Going swimming in our chilly 64 degree pool
Sara: "Mom, we just need to find a way to heat the water in the pool."
[Coming from a 4 year old that was just funny.]
---
Scenario: There are some toys here, and we did a wooden puzzle before Sara went to bed. Upon finishing it she said,
Sara: "Let's put it here so I can admire it."
End of Post
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Saturday - The gorgeous Larzarc, La Couvertoirade, and Arrival in Sarlat
(Written Sunday, but all this was on Saturday)
Today was a day of views. Today was a day of driving. Today we ate at Mc Donalds. Today we saw beauty so stunning it was hard to find time to blink.
After our two weeks in Vaison la Romaine were done, it was time to drive to our next town: Sarlat. While we've been in "Provence" all this trip, it was now time to head to the "Dordogne." A main difference between these two regions is that Dan and I visited "Provence" before (and hand picked the places we wanted to re-visit on this trip), we have never been to the "Dordogne."
The drive was going to be about 5-6 hours. Our plan was to leave the house early, like 8:00 and hit the road.
In reality, when it was 8:00 Dan was still asleep. We didn't hit the road until 10:45! So much for our "leave early" plan!
I got up with Julia at 5:56 (now that is true love) and around 7:30 Sara woke up. To keep the apartment quiet (and let Dan sleep) I put Julia's zip-up fleece on her, and Sara's toggle sweater on her, and we walked to the bakery. They lead the way, even remembering to pause before crossing the street. The girls walked right into the store, played in the kid area, and after I paid for the bread they walked right over to me. Julia grabbed the baguette from me with out pausing - and Sara grabbed the two brown bakery paper bags. Both girls then walked out of the bakery together, leaving me to follow behind them. Julia held the baguette in her left hand - and it was as tall as she is. She looked like a little Knight. Sara held the bakery bags on in each hand - and she looked like a happy little girl, skipping back "home" so she could dive into the tasty breakfast treats. I was vastly amused.
When we got back Dan was still asleep. I didn't know what time he went to bed (he telecommutes starting 2:00 PM and stops when he is done). I never bug him when he is sleeping. But the girls walked right into where he was said, "breakfast!" and thus he started his day. I found out later he worked 'till 3:00 AM, and he was woken up by the girls around 9:15. Not to worry I had coffee ready, and we had to leave the apartment by 10:00 anyway.
So by 10:45 we were in the car going down the road. We trusted the GPS to lead us to Sarlat, though we did have a conversation about our route. There were 3 main routes, and we picked the one keeping in mind what the owner of our Uzes apartment wrote to us. She recommended we try to fit in a stop in a place called "La Couvertoirade" when she wrote us the following in an email (the links are hers too):
Based off that recommendation, we programmed "La Courvertoirade" into our GPS and went down the road. It was amazing. That is really the only word to describe it. As we drove along, we zoomed on every type of road possible. And I mean that. We went on high ways. We went on cow paths. We went on super modern bridges. We went across bridges that were one lane in the middle of no where. On that 5-6 hour drive (which took us 'till 8:03 PM) Dan and I were awe-struck. I think we were mainly so pleased by the drive because we didn't know what to expect. The vistas were amazing. Just amazing! Mountains, rocks, cliffs, green oasis, farms, a few rivers, a few tiny towns -- it was all on this drive. Dan kept saying "look right!" "look left" - and I was thinking it would be fun to go back and do the whole drive again.
But naturally we had 2 goof-balls in the back seat. They found holding hands with each other more interesting than the view. Sara asked a million questions. Julia giggled, cried, laughed, slept. They asked for food, they asked for water, they asked for time to play. We gave them food, we gave them water, and we stopped at Mc Donalds to let them play.
Going to Mc. Donalds was actually perfect. After all this French-ness, it was good to be in somewhat familiar territory. But when I asked for a "Mc. Chicken, Diet Coke, and Petit Salad" (a choice on the picture menu) I had to say it 3 times before the cashier understood me. By the way it cost 7 Euros (!) and the chicken was okay, the diet coke actually had ice (the first ice of our trip) and the petit salad was restaurant quality. We repeated the order, once that first meal was gone, and this time we got fries instead of the salad. Our fries in the US are better. The girls *loved* the play area there. They smiled, laughed, and I swear Sara's feet hardly hit the foam-padded ground as she climbed, played, slid, and had the best fun ever. Julia got right in there too. She did fine playing around 2 older rambunctious boys. She held her own - never got knocked down, and she made me very proud by how adventurous and sure of her self she is. Once we were full of Mc. Donalds food, and used their bathrooms, we got back on the road. (That pit stop was 16 Euros.)
We took the tiny lanes, so tiny that sometimes Dan said, "no, the GPS must be crazy. We took roads that were more like bike paths - and they were for 2 way traffic. And they were curvy - and beautiful. I felt like you could film the whole thing and it would be an interesting movie.
The best views were in the Larzarc - (I think) since that is were it was so beautiful you had to rub your eyes. There were these sheer rock cliff-mountains jutting up all around, in the distance and also right along side of the road. And as we zig-zagged along the landscape I thought about how amazing France is. They have the Mediterranean stuff (with cities like Nice and near Monico); they have the French Alps (where we have skiied); they have wine country; they have wet lands in the Carmargue; they have gorges, they have river valleys --- it is an amazing country. And all for 20% less space then our state of Texas. We have 6 weeks here - and I feel like we are just scratching the surface of all the neat things to see and experience here.
When we finally got near "La Couvertoirade" we were hungry. Not the girls, but Dan and I. The girls had been eating a steady stream of baguette and were happy to fling them selves out of the car. "La Courvertoirade" was neat. It was kind of like a "hill town" where everything is out of rock/stone. There were a lot of tourists there. That is a switch for us since the places we've been are more local and not really shiny-happy tourist places.
We noticed a windmill and hiked up to it. Sara lead the way. She loves scampering up rocks - and I do mean UP. The grade must have been a 30-45 degree angle - where you have to really climb to take steps. Dan carried Julia. We enjoyed seeing the windmill up close when we got to the top and we paused to take in a 360 view of amazing landscape. It was green, rocky, and blue sky as far as the eye could see. Pinch me, am I dreaming?
We took our time with the walk up to the windmill, but Dan and I kept the visit to "La Couvertoirade" a bit speedy. It was so touristy (it was a neat place so I can see why) and didn't have good options for us to eat. We wandered around it's cute stone lanes, marveled that real Knights lived there - and left. The whole thing was 3 Euro, which was the parking fee.
Finding lunch was tricky. These places don't have food all day. If it is lunch time you can have lunch. If you are late, they will send you away. We were sent a way from 2 places. I was glad. I didn't want to spend the hour (or more) to have a sit down meal anyway. We ended up at the perfect thing. A cafeteria style meal place connected to a food supermarket type place. Within minutes of entering we had a plate of warm ham, carrots, and rice (8 Euro) and another plate of chicken, ratatouille, and pasta (8 Euro), and a plate of fruit (3 euro). We found a seat and ate. No waitress no fuss, just eating - it was exactly what we needed after being on the road - and wanting to get back on the road with out fuss.
After that the girls were quiet and we savored the landscape more. Though by this point the landscape was not as magnificent - it was more like rolling hills and stuff. Still pretty, but not unbelievably pretty like it had been. We arrived in Sarlat at 8:03, and met with our owner.
All the places we've been staying are on a site "homeaway" that I've used many, many, many times. I've used it both in Europe and in the US. This one is probably the best one - it is an oasis in the hills near Sarlat. It has a pool, a view, and is a house on a lot of land - but is also a 10 minute walk to town! The owner was lovely, and showed us around the property when we arrived. It has three bedrooms (a nice change from 2 bedrooms) and it has a dryer! The other places only had a washing machine for clothes and we let them air dry. You get crispy clothes that way - and your clothes take a while to dry. With a drier it is amazing! You have clean dry clothes so quickly! Oh, and we have a dishwasher here. We didn't have one for the last 2 weeks. There is something satisfying about cleaning up the kitchen and washing all the dishes, but I can know say that I'm fully satisfied - and I'm happy to have a dishwasher again.
We went right to bed after we got the girls into their PJs. No fuss. Although we did make Mac n' Cheese (that we brought all the way from home in the US!) for dinner. They ate every last bite.
Dan and I both went to sleep around 10 and it was a packed, memorable, long, crazy, wow, sort of day all wrapped up into one 17 hour day (for me).
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Mom! Can we play there! Look at that!" (Upon seeing the Mc Donalds play area.)
End of Post
(I don't re-read these - I hope what I wrote makes sense!)
Today was a day of views. Today was a day of driving. Today we ate at Mc Donalds. Today we saw beauty so stunning it was hard to find time to blink.
After our two weeks in Vaison la Romaine were done, it was time to drive to our next town: Sarlat. While we've been in "Provence" all this trip, it was now time to head to the "Dordogne." A main difference between these two regions is that Dan and I visited "Provence" before (and hand picked the places we wanted to re-visit on this trip), we have never been to the "Dordogne."
The drive was going to be about 5-6 hours. Our plan was to leave the house early, like 8:00 and hit the road.
In reality, when it was 8:00 Dan was still asleep. We didn't hit the road until 10:45! So much for our "leave early" plan!
I got up with Julia at 5:56 (now that is true love) and around 7:30 Sara woke up. To keep the apartment quiet (and let Dan sleep) I put Julia's zip-up fleece on her, and Sara's toggle sweater on her, and we walked to the bakery. They lead the way, even remembering to pause before crossing the street. The girls walked right into the store, played in the kid area, and after I paid for the bread they walked right over to me. Julia grabbed the baguette from me with out pausing - and Sara grabbed the two brown bakery paper bags. Both girls then walked out of the bakery together, leaving me to follow behind them. Julia held the baguette in her left hand - and it was as tall as she is. She looked like a little Knight. Sara held the bakery bags on in each hand - and she looked like a happy little girl, skipping back "home" so she could dive into the tasty breakfast treats. I was vastly amused.
When we got back Dan was still asleep. I didn't know what time he went to bed (he telecommutes starting 2:00 PM and stops when he is done). I never bug him when he is sleeping. But the girls walked right into where he was said, "breakfast!" and thus he started his day. I found out later he worked 'till 3:00 AM, and he was woken up by the girls around 9:15. Not to worry I had coffee ready, and we had to leave the apartment by 10:00 anyway.
So by 10:45 we were in the car going down the road. We trusted the GPS to lead us to Sarlat, though we did have a conversation about our route. There were 3 main routes, and we picked the one keeping in mind what the owner of our Uzes apartment wrote to us. She recommended we try to fit in a stop in a place called "La Couvertoirade" when she wrote us the following in an email (the links are hers too):
La Couvertoirade (http://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/fr/decouvrir/incontournables/couvertoirade.php) right in the middle of the Causse du Larzarc. The village is beautiful, away from civilisation. It was created along the XII-XIIth centuries by the Order of the Knight Templars. The landscape on the Larzac is just gorgeous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larzac).
Based off that recommendation, we programmed "La Courvertoirade" into our GPS and went down the road. It was amazing. That is really the only word to describe it. As we drove along, we zoomed on every type of road possible. And I mean that. We went on high ways. We went on cow paths. We went on super modern bridges. We went across bridges that were one lane in the middle of no where. On that 5-6 hour drive (which took us 'till 8:03 PM) Dan and I were awe-struck. I think we were mainly so pleased by the drive because we didn't know what to expect. The vistas were amazing. Just amazing! Mountains, rocks, cliffs, green oasis, farms, a few rivers, a few tiny towns -- it was all on this drive. Dan kept saying "look right!" "look left" - and I was thinking it would be fun to go back and do the whole drive again.
But naturally we had 2 goof-balls in the back seat. They found holding hands with each other more interesting than the view. Sara asked a million questions. Julia giggled, cried, laughed, slept. They asked for food, they asked for water, they asked for time to play. We gave them food, we gave them water, and we stopped at Mc Donalds to let them play.
Going to Mc. Donalds was actually perfect. After all this French-ness, it was good to be in somewhat familiar territory. But when I asked for a "Mc. Chicken, Diet Coke, and Petit Salad" (a choice on the picture menu) I had to say it 3 times before the cashier understood me. By the way it cost 7 Euros (!) and the chicken was okay, the diet coke actually had ice (the first ice of our trip) and the petit salad was restaurant quality. We repeated the order, once that first meal was gone, and this time we got fries instead of the salad. Our fries in the US are better. The girls *loved* the play area there. They smiled, laughed, and I swear Sara's feet hardly hit the foam-padded ground as she climbed, played, slid, and had the best fun ever. Julia got right in there too. She did fine playing around 2 older rambunctious boys. She held her own - never got knocked down, and she made me very proud by how adventurous and sure of her self she is. Once we were full of Mc. Donalds food, and used their bathrooms, we got back on the road. (That pit stop was 16 Euros.)
We took the tiny lanes, so tiny that sometimes Dan said, "no, the GPS must be crazy. We took roads that were more like bike paths - and they were for 2 way traffic. And they were curvy - and beautiful. I felt like you could film the whole thing and it would be an interesting movie.
The best views were in the Larzarc - (I think) since that is were it was so beautiful you had to rub your eyes. There were these sheer rock cliff-mountains jutting up all around, in the distance and also right along side of the road. And as we zig-zagged along the landscape I thought about how amazing France is. They have the Mediterranean stuff (with cities like Nice and near Monico); they have the French Alps (where we have skiied); they have wine country; they have wet lands in the Carmargue; they have gorges, they have river valleys --- it is an amazing country. And all for 20% less space then our state of Texas. We have 6 weeks here - and I feel like we are just scratching the surface of all the neat things to see and experience here.
When we finally got near "La Couvertoirade" we were hungry. Not the girls, but Dan and I. The girls had been eating a steady stream of baguette and were happy to fling them selves out of the car. "La Courvertoirade" was neat. It was kind of like a "hill town" where everything is out of rock/stone. There were a lot of tourists there. That is a switch for us since the places we've been are more local and not really shiny-happy tourist places.
We noticed a windmill and hiked up to it. Sara lead the way. She loves scampering up rocks - and I do mean UP. The grade must have been a 30-45 degree angle - where you have to really climb to take steps. Dan carried Julia. We enjoyed seeing the windmill up close when we got to the top and we paused to take in a 360 view of amazing landscape. It was green, rocky, and blue sky as far as the eye could see. Pinch me, am I dreaming?
We took our time with the walk up to the windmill, but Dan and I kept the visit to "La Couvertoirade" a bit speedy. It was so touristy (it was a neat place so I can see why) and didn't have good options for us to eat. We wandered around it's cute stone lanes, marveled that real Knights lived there - and left. The whole thing was 3 Euro, which was the parking fee.
Finding lunch was tricky. These places don't have food all day. If it is lunch time you can have lunch. If you are late, they will send you away. We were sent a way from 2 places. I was glad. I didn't want to spend the hour (or more) to have a sit down meal anyway. We ended up at the perfect thing. A cafeteria style meal place connected to a food supermarket type place. Within minutes of entering we had a plate of warm ham, carrots, and rice (8 Euro) and another plate of chicken, ratatouille, and pasta (8 Euro), and a plate of fruit (3 euro). We found a seat and ate. No waitress no fuss, just eating - it was exactly what we needed after being on the road - and wanting to get back on the road with out fuss.
After that the girls were quiet and we savored the landscape more. Though by this point the landscape was not as magnificent - it was more like rolling hills and stuff. Still pretty, but not unbelievably pretty like it had been. We arrived in Sarlat at 8:03, and met with our owner.
All the places we've been staying are on a site "homeaway" that I've used many, many, many times. I've used it both in Europe and in the US. This one is probably the best one - it is an oasis in the hills near Sarlat. It has a pool, a view, and is a house on a lot of land - but is also a 10 minute walk to town! The owner was lovely, and showed us around the property when we arrived. It has three bedrooms (a nice change from 2 bedrooms) and it has a dryer! The other places only had a washing machine for clothes and we let them air dry. You get crispy clothes that way - and your clothes take a while to dry. With a drier it is amazing! You have clean dry clothes so quickly! Oh, and we have a dishwasher here. We didn't have one for the last 2 weeks. There is something satisfying about cleaning up the kitchen and washing all the dishes, but I can know say that I'm fully satisfied - and I'm happy to have a dishwasher again.
We went right to bed after we got the girls into their PJs. No fuss. Although we did make Mac n' Cheese (that we brought all the way from home in the US!) for dinner. They ate every last bite.
Dan and I both went to sleep around 10 and it was a packed, memorable, long, crazy, wow, sort of day all wrapped up into one 17 hour day (for me).
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Mom! Can we play there! Look at that!" (Upon seeing the Mc Donalds play area.)
End of Post
(I don't re-read these - I hope what I wrote makes sense!)
Friday, September 20, 2013
Friday - Last full day here in Vaison la Romaine
Our two weeks here flew by. We're all packed up. Our luggage that has been sitting empty is now stuffed with all our stuff. We have the rental car again. Dan had dropped it off in Orange on Monday, and we picked up the very same car today in Orange. We've already loaded the car seats and Dan plans to load all our luggage in tonight so all we have to do in the morning is eat breakfast and go. Our drive tomorrow is 5-6 hours (with out stops) so that is why we want the early start.
Our last day here was sunny and beautiful like normal. It is tough to know if we got lucky with the weather or if it is just always like this? If so, no wonder why the "South of France" has such a ring to it!
We noticed 3 walking paths on the map from the Tourist Information center. I did one the other day with Sara and Julia while Dan telecommuted. We decided one was skippable. And we did the 3rd today. We set out with Julia up in the Kelty and Sara on her own two feet.
As usual, about 10 minutes into the walk Sara asked me to carry her. I always do. But about 2 minutes later she said, "okay Mom, I'm done" and she walked the rest of the way herself. (3.5 miles). The only other time she got a lift was up on Dan's shoulders for a few minutes later on. That *always* gets a lot of smiles from other people -- since seeing Dan with Julia on his back and Sara on his shoulders -- is quite a site! All told Sara walked 3 miles I'd say (according to my pedometer).
The walk we took was up, up, up -- in a different direction than we've walked thus far. So, it was a good way to end our time here. We wound our way out of the village and up a few streets, where the streets became so narrow it turned into a path. Then we had to guess where to walk. There was no signage. We decided that the rocky hill, with some foot paths was the right direction so we headed up -- no really knowing where we were going --or if we were going the right way. (That is to say, we loved it and were all having fun with the adventure of it all.)
We couldn't see the top of the hill. We just trusted that there would be a top - and that there would be something cool to see up there. And there was. When we crested the hill it was another "wow" moment. From where we stood, all alone, just the 4 of us, we could see the whole village to our right - the whole medieval town perched on the sheer rock cliff to our left -- and the shining river far down below. Also, as if that weren't enough, far in the distance we were ringed by mountains - including Mt. Ventaux. There we were, Dan, I, Sara, and Julia standing on the breezy top of a mountain - taking in all there was to see -- savoring how cool it was that we did it.
With out a moment to waste Sara said, "Let's have a picnic." She found a picnic spot, pulled out the two jugs of water that *she* carried in *her* back pack - and she started to drink. I pulled out the food I had in my back pack (I've learned to go everywhere with food!) - which was a chocolate bread thing, and almost a full baguette. Before we left the mountain top all that was gone. We took a few pictures. We walked around. We didn't rush, or think about time, or think about the next thing we were going to do -- we just enjoyed being way up there. Up with the soaring birds. Up where the sun is just a bit hotter. Up where you can taste the wind.
Then we went back down. It didn't take long, since we knew where we were going. Sara did good on the sheer rock. It was all rock, with little loose rocks -- so even Dan and I had to watch our footing. She did great and never once said she was tired. She seems to get that all out of her system early on walks, and then she starts having so much fun she forgets -- and just runs and sprints as she walks/hikes. Today she carried her "Peep" cuddle toy the whole way!
Back down we decided on pizza for lunch. The pizza man recognized us, and talked to us in French. I did a lot of smiling - but didn't have a clue what he said. We brought the pizza (7.80 Euro) back here and devoured it. Then Julia napped, Dan went to get the rental car in Orange, and Sara and I played.
Around 4:00 I went for a walk with Sara and Julia. Sara wanted some yarn so we bought some (red and pink). Back here I made a simple dinner, did bath time, and put the sleepy ones to bed. Sara once again wanted "Sara stories" so I'm glad I wrote all those. She is interested in when she was 2.5 years. It is surreal to read them with her -- and read about her younger self -- which seems like forever ago and also seems like yesterday.
I'm sitting now in the front room with Dan. I'm about to finish up and he'll be up for a while telecommuting.
Quote of the Day:
Sara: "Dad! We lost our soccer ball. Julia and I were out playing, when suddenly, it disappeared. Can you help us find it?" [The way she said that was so funny, with such drama! And those are her exact words. They did go out to find it, and it was up in a tree, exactly where Sara must have put it. As for calling Dan "Dad" sometimes he is Papa and sometimes Dad. Just like I'm more often 'Mom' than 'Mama' but sometimes "MumMum" which is my favorite.]
End of Post (off to Sarlat tomorrow)
Our last day here was sunny and beautiful like normal. It is tough to know if we got lucky with the weather or if it is just always like this? If so, no wonder why the "South of France" has such a ring to it!
We noticed 3 walking paths on the map from the Tourist Information center. I did one the other day with Sara and Julia while Dan telecommuted. We decided one was skippable. And we did the 3rd today. We set out with Julia up in the Kelty and Sara on her own two feet.
As usual, about 10 minutes into the walk Sara asked me to carry her. I always do. But about 2 minutes later she said, "okay Mom, I'm done" and she walked the rest of the way herself. (3.5 miles). The only other time she got a lift was up on Dan's shoulders for a few minutes later on. That *always* gets a lot of smiles from other people -- since seeing Dan with Julia on his back and Sara on his shoulders -- is quite a site! All told Sara walked 3 miles I'd say (according to my pedometer).
The walk we took was up, up, up -- in a different direction than we've walked thus far. So, it was a good way to end our time here. We wound our way out of the village and up a few streets, where the streets became so narrow it turned into a path. Then we had to guess where to walk. There was no signage. We decided that the rocky hill, with some foot paths was the right direction so we headed up -- no really knowing where we were going --or if we were going the right way. (That is to say, we loved it and were all having fun with the adventure of it all.)
We couldn't see the top of the hill. We just trusted that there would be a top - and that there would be something cool to see up there. And there was. When we crested the hill it was another "wow" moment. From where we stood, all alone, just the 4 of us, we could see the whole village to our right - the whole medieval town perched on the sheer rock cliff to our left -- and the shining river far down below. Also, as if that weren't enough, far in the distance we were ringed by mountains - including Mt. Ventaux. There we were, Dan, I, Sara, and Julia standing on the breezy top of a mountain - taking in all there was to see -- savoring how cool it was that we did it.
With out a moment to waste Sara said, "Let's have a picnic." She found a picnic spot, pulled out the two jugs of water that *she* carried in *her* back pack - and she started to drink. I pulled out the food I had in my back pack (I've learned to go everywhere with food!) - which was a chocolate bread thing, and almost a full baguette. Before we left the mountain top all that was gone. We took a few pictures. We walked around. We didn't rush, or think about time, or think about the next thing we were going to do -- we just enjoyed being way up there. Up with the soaring birds. Up where the sun is just a bit hotter. Up where you can taste the wind.
Then we went back down. It didn't take long, since we knew where we were going. Sara did good on the sheer rock. It was all rock, with little loose rocks -- so even Dan and I had to watch our footing. She did great and never once said she was tired. She seems to get that all out of her system early on walks, and then she starts having so much fun she forgets -- and just runs and sprints as she walks/hikes. Today she carried her "Peep" cuddle toy the whole way!
Back down we decided on pizza for lunch. The pizza man recognized us, and talked to us in French. I did a lot of smiling - but didn't have a clue what he said. We brought the pizza (7.80 Euro) back here and devoured it. Then Julia napped, Dan went to get the rental car in Orange, and Sara and I played.
Around 4:00 I went for a walk with Sara and Julia. Sara wanted some yarn so we bought some (red and pink). Back here I made a simple dinner, did bath time, and put the sleepy ones to bed. Sara once again wanted "Sara stories" so I'm glad I wrote all those. She is interested in when she was 2.5 years. It is surreal to read them with her -- and read about her younger self -- which seems like forever ago and also seems like yesterday.
I'm sitting now in the front room with Dan. I'm about to finish up and he'll be up for a while telecommuting.
Quote of the Day:
Sara: "Dad! We lost our soccer ball. Julia and I were out playing, when suddenly, it disappeared. Can you help us find it?" [The way she said that was so funny, with such drama! And those are her exact words. They did go out to find it, and it was up in a tree, exactly where Sara must have put it. As for calling Dan "Dad" sometimes he is Papa and sometimes Dad. Just like I'm more often 'Mom' than 'Mama' but sometimes "MumMum" which is my favorite.]
End of Post (off to Sarlat tomorrow)
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thursday - Roman sites (with picture/video)
Every day when we walk from our apartment to town we pass Vaison la Romaine's roman ruins. They call the whole town an "open air museum" since there is a lot of history here.
The ruins aren't behind a big fence. They are out for everyone to see. If you want to walk around inside the ruins themselves, you have to pay 8 Euro and that comes with an audio guide so you can learn all the details you want.
Finally today, after walking past the roman site 3 times (or more) a day for almost 2 weeks, we toured them. [We could see them, just never walk in them.]
It was an early start. Dan got up with Julia around 7:11, and I got up at 8:00. (Oh glory be! I got to sleep in!) Dan made cantaloupe and scrambled egg plates for everyone, then we set out.
One thing about having kids (and being up early) is that we get to things when they open. The Roman sites started at 9:30 and we were there at 9:38, and that is after we went to a bakery! We forked over 16 Euro (the kids were free, which is so nice) and were the first inside. There is something special about having roman ruins all to your self. You can really ponder them - really enjoy them - and really step into the past.
We didn't bother with the audio guide, mainly because we'd been to this same site the last time we were here 5 years ago, and because with kids it is nearly impossible to listen to something other than them.
Just walking around was fun. We explored the 2,000 year old kitchen, shops, saw statues, frescos, mosaics, and just had fun. You could take the site very seriously, but we mainly toured it as if it were a park. Even Sara said, "is this a play ground?" when she saw it.
A true highlight was going to the old amphitheater. The Romans had cut a tunnel into rock to provide a whammy of an entrance. Sara had no fear. She walked right into the tunnel and danced to the other side. You could see the light at the end of the tunnel the whole time, but it was awe inspiring to think of all those people all those years ago, taking the same steps we were taking.
Once through the tunnel we saw the amphitheater. It is a semi-circle with 6,000 seats. The view is of the valley and mountains -- and the stage. Sara and Julia sat together on the rock seats and look right at home on the ancient seats. The wind was blowing their hair around - swirling it everywhere - and the whole thing was like something out of a movie. So much fun.
After that we found a whole other walk way that was almost as cool as the tunnel. It was an interior walkway that had entrances into the amphitheater -- but this walkway was super tall. Just like the tunnel, I was speechless -- except to say "this is so cool" as Sara dashed around inside - treating it as just another thing to explore. "Mom this is old!" she said, knowing that all the things she was looking at were made a long time ago.
We went to the museum, which is very well done. They have statues, a good movie to show what the roman city once looked like, and tools they used. Fascinating.
All this was before 11:30. We left to go find lunch. The ticket was good for 24 hours so there was no need to stay. We ended up going to the main square (Monfort) to get pizza take out. We ordered entirely in French, and he held up 10 fingers to tell us how long to wait. The pizza chef had to make our pizza fresh. It was easy to wait 10 minutes. We just went to the bakery! It was the bakery that I like, on the corner, with the sweet lady. She is so sweet, I think she knows us know. She gave Sara and Julia free bread, and we also got two french baguettes. She ends every interaction with a smile - and it is such fun to pop into her bakery.
We got our pizza and ate it here on the outside table. It was windy. The minstrel wind has really picked up. After enjoying every bite of that fresh hot pizza Julia took a 3 hour nap. (!) I took an hour nap while Dan/Sara played. Then I played with Sara until Julia woke up. We even did a video Skype with Grandpa! She was most eager to show him her new ring. It is her current prized possession - with tiny red sparkly stones around a tiny white stone. It was 2 euro at a market - and she just loves it. "I will wear it every day forever" she says.
When Julia woke up Sara/Julia/I left to go to the other roman site. (There are 2 main sites.) Dan telecommuted. I didn't bring the Kelty carrier or the stroller. I just through caution to the wind and let them both walk. Julia is 1.5 years and I swear she can probably walk a mile - and she is getting very good at steps! (More on that later.)
It was a sunny afternoon. Breezy. All I had were the girls, a bottle of water, and a baguette. I kept it simple.
[Pictures= walking to the roman site on a path we've used every day.]
The roman site was all ours (it was the different one - not the one we had seen in the morning with Dan). There are no employees there. It is totally self guided. I let the girls wander around how they wanted - a treat for them (to be free!) and a treat for me (to watch them explore!) -- and it all totaled to be super fun.
Julia was very independent. The first walk way into the site was a lot of steps. She just made her own way down. Sometimes she sat down and did the step on her butt. Sometimes she used a pillar to hold on to. But she never faltered, never complained, she just kept on trucking down those steps. I was so proud and pleased. Sara flew down the steps. She loved exploring. How could she not? It was neat.
We stayed there for probably 2 hours. I didn't watch the time. It was special for us - a whole lot of time just to enjoy a special unique bit of history -- all while enjoying fresh air, warm sun, and windy breezes.
I think we left there around 5:30, which is normally time to think about putting Julia to bed (at 6:00) but her long nap let us stay out extra long.
After our great time at the ruins, I decided we may as well tour the cathedral. Just like the ruins, we walk past it every day. Right passed it - not near it - right passed it. So it was neat to finally walk in. The huge wooden doors were shut. I thought it might be closed. But I wasn't shy about walking up and opening the doors. I'm glad I did. The church was empty, open, and quiet - and all ours to explore and enjoy.
It is in all the guide books - the cathedral is an example of Provencal Romanesque, with an awesome cloister. I agree. From the moment we stepped in I said "whao" and I've been in a lot of European churches -- (which after a while, even grand churches start to blend in since there are so many grand churches in Europe) this church was a "whao." I wouldn't say it was pretty - but the interior had such an awesome shape - those Romans sure knew how to design things. The girls were drawn right to the cloister. I followed. Sara and Julia did laps around it - and they wandered in the garden. They were free spirits - just having fun - and spending time in the cathedral and the cloister only served to add to our already wonderful afternoon.
(Picture= Sara in the cloister. The part where she is sitting has no roof. The part with all the columns is an interior walkway that is square - so Julia and Sara both did laps around it. The greenery you can see was part of a maze like garden.)
Before we left the cathedral Sara and Julia went right up to the altar. Other tourists were there too. It was up 5 steps. Julia has always been good about going up steps -and today she went down those 5 steps like a pro! (Not on her butt and not holding onto anything!) The first time she did it she clapped for herself and looked me in the eye to say "did you see that?" Then, she went to the top and bottom of those steps no less then 15 more times! I think she enjoyed the practice and the accomplishment! I just let her do it - that is a major plus about not being in a hurry - I can indulge Sara and/or Julia when they want to do something - no need to hurry them onto the "next thing" I can just let them enjoy the moment.
Finally, after all that fun we went back to the apartment. (Well we did a quick stop at the store to buy some pork - which was great since they have a little kid-play area at the store so they got to play a bit - using chalk on a chalkboard etc.) I made dinner (green peppers, red peppers, onion, garlic stir fry; pork with herbs; and pasta) and the girls cleaned their plates! All that fun made them hungry.
Julia went right to bed and Sara composed a few fairy-tales on the iPad before she went to bed too. (Sara is quite a story teller, she makes up full stories all day long - both real and fictional.)
It was a full day. My pedometer says 29 flights of stairs, all the up and down walking around here adds up! And 13,149 steps (5.74 miles). Sara must have walked all that also - so good for her!
Quotes of the day:
Sara: "Mom, wouldn't it be funny if you were a crayon?"
---
Sara: "Mom, over here! I'm going to show you something you've never seen before! It is going to be amazing!" (at the roman ruins)
End of Post
The ruins aren't behind a big fence. They are out for everyone to see. If you want to walk around inside the ruins themselves, you have to pay 8 Euro and that comes with an audio guide so you can learn all the details you want.
Finally today, after walking past the roman site 3 times (or more) a day for almost 2 weeks, we toured them. [We could see them, just never walk in them.]
It was an early start. Dan got up with Julia around 7:11, and I got up at 8:00. (Oh glory be! I got to sleep in!) Dan made cantaloupe and scrambled egg plates for everyone, then we set out.
One thing about having kids (and being up early) is that we get to things when they open. The Roman sites started at 9:30 and we were there at 9:38, and that is after we went to a bakery! We forked over 16 Euro (the kids were free, which is so nice) and were the first inside. There is something special about having roman ruins all to your self. You can really ponder them - really enjoy them - and really step into the past.
We didn't bother with the audio guide, mainly because we'd been to this same site the last time we were here 5 years ago, and because with kids it is nearly impossible to listen to something other than them.
Just walking around was fun. We explored the 2,000 year old kitchen, shops, saw statues, frescos, mosaics, and just had fun. You could take the site very seriously, but we mainly toured it as if it were a park. Even Sara said, "is this a play ground?" when she saw it.
A true highlight was going to the old amphitheater. The Romans had cut a tunnel into rock to provide a whammy of an entrance. Sara had no fear. She walked right into the tunnel and danced to the other side. You could see the light at the end of the tunnel the whole time, but it was awe inspiring to think of all those people all those years ago, taking the same steps we were taking.
Once through the tunnel we saw the amphitheater. It is a semi-circle with 6,000 seats. The view is of the valley and mountains -- and the stage. Sara and Julia sat together on the rock seats and look right at home on the ancient seats. The wind was blowing their hair around - swirling it everywhere - and the whole thing was like something out of a movie. So much fun.
After that we found a whole other walk way that was almost as cool as the tunnel. It was an interior walkway that had entrances into the amphitheater -- but this walkway was super tall. Just like the tunnel, I was speechless -- except to say "this is so cool" as Sara dashed around inside - treating it as just another thing to explore. "Mom this is old!" she said, knowing that all the things she was looking at were made a long time ago.
We went to the museum, which is very well done. They have statues, a good movie to show what the roman city once looked like, and tools they used. Fascinating.
All this was before 11:30. We left to go find lunch. The ticket was good for 24 hours so there was no need to stay. We ended up going to the main square (Monfort) to get pizza take out. We ordered entirely in French, and he held up 10 fingers to tell us how long to wait. The pizza chef had to make our pizza fresh. It was easy to wait 10 minutes. We just went to the bakery! It was the bakery that I like, on the corner, with the sweet lady. She is so sweet, I think she knows us know. She gave Sara and Julia free bread, and we also got two french baguettes. She ends every interaction with a smile - and it is such fun to pop into her bakery.
We got our pizza and ate it here on the outside table. It was windy. The minstrel wind has really picked up. After enjoying every bite of that fresh hot pizza Julia took a 3 hour nap. (!) I took an hour nap while Dan/Sara played. Then I played with Sara until Julia woke up. We even did a video Skype with Grandpa! She was most eager to show him her new ring. It is her current prized possession - with tiny red sparkly stones around a tiny white stone. It was 2 euro at a market - and she just loves it. "I will wear it every day forever" she says.
When Julia woke up Sara/Julia/I left to go to the other roman site. (There are 2 main sites.) Dan telecommuted. I didn't bring the Kelty carrier or the stroller. I just through caution to the wind and let them both walk. Julia is 1.5 years and I swear she can probably walk a mile - and she is getting very good at steps! (More on that later.)
It was a sunny afternoon. Breezy. All I had were the girls, a bottle of water, and a baguette. I kept it simple.
The roman site was all ours (it was the different one - not the one we had seen in the morning with Dan). There are no employees there. It is totally self guided. I let the girls wander around how they wanted - a treat for them (to be free!) and a treat for me (to watch them explore!) -- and it all totaled to be super fun.
Julia was very independent. The first walk way into the site was a lot of steps. She just made her own way down. Sometimes she sat down and did the step on her butt. Sometimes she used a pillar to hold on to. But she never faltered, never complained, she just kept on trucking down those steps. I was so proud and pleased. Sara flew down the steps. She loved exploring. How could she not? It was neat.
I think we left there around 5:30, which is normally time to think about putting Julia to bed (at 6:00) but her long nap let us stay out extra long.
After our great time at the ruins, I decided we may as well tour the cathedral. Just like the ruins, we walk past it every day. Right passed it - not near it - right passed it. So it was neat to finally walk in. The huge wooden doors were shut. I thought it might be closed. But I wasn't shy about walking up and opening the doors. I'm glad I did. The church was empty, open, and quiet - and all ours to explore and enjoy.
It is in all the guide books - the cathedral is an example of Provencal Romanesque, with an awesome cloister. I agree. From the moment we stepped in I said "whao" and I've been in a lot of European churches -- (which after a while, even grand churches start to blend in since there are so many grand churches in Europe) this church was a "whao." I wouldn't say it was pretty - but the interior had such an awesome shape - those Romans sure knew how to design things. The girls were drawn right to the cloister. I followed. Sara and Julia did laps around it - and they wandered in the garden. They were free spirits - just having fun - and spending time in the cathedral and the cloister only served to add to our already wonderful afternoon.
Before we left the cathedral Sara and Julia went right up to the altar. Other tourists were there too. It was up 5 steps. Julia has always been good about going up steps -and today she went down those 5 steps like a pro! (Not on her butt and not holding onto anything!) The first time she did it she clapped for herself and looked me in the eye to say "did you see that?" Then, she went to the top and bottom of those steps no less then 15 more times! I think she enjoyed the practice and the accomplishment! I just let her do it - that is a major plus about not being in a hurry - I can indulge Sara and/or Julia when they want to do something - no need to hurry them onto the "next thing" I can just let them enjoy the moment.
Finally, after all that fun we went back to the apartment. (Well we did a quick stop at the store to buy some pork - which was great since they have a little kid-play area at the store so they got to play a bit - using chalk on a chalkboard etc.) I made dinner (green peppers, red peppers, onion, garlic stir fry; pork with herbs; and pasta) and the girls cleaned their plates! All that fun made them hungry.
Julia went right to bed and Sara composed a few fairy-tales on the iPad before she went to bed too. (Sara is quite a story teller, she makes up full stories all day long - both real and fictional.)
It was a full day. My pedometer says 29 flights of stairs, all the up and down walking around here adds up! And 13,149 steps (5.74 miles). Sara must have walked all that also - so good for her!
Quotes of the day:
Sara: "Mom, wouldn't it be funny if you were a crayon?"
---
Sara: "Mom, over here! I'm going to show you something you've never seen before! It is going to be amazing!" (at the roman ruins)
End of Post
Video by River
This is from a few days ago when we went down to the river to play.
Note: I'm not sure how good/bad this video will look. This is a test.
Note: I'm not sure how good/bad this video will look. This is a test.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Wednesday - Climb every mountain...to a castle with a helicopter
Today I got up at 7:14 when Julia's voice dragged me out of sleep. I got to Julia's room, opened the door, then Sara flew into the room and leapt on the bed. Sara likes starting the day with us -- she can hear Julia is up and she wants to be up too! So as soon as Julia was dressed, those two wandered down the hall, with Sara saying, "we're going to start breakfast now Mom."
We had eggs. We had cereal. And bananas. Just like normal.
Dan got up a while later. Soon we were out the door. Sara was on her own two feet; Julia was in the Kelty.
Our goal? Climb to the castle. No problem right? It was early, we were energized by breakfast. We were all happy. About 10 minutes into our adventure Sara said, "I can't walk any more, can you carry me?" I did. I carried our big girl for a while. Soon I said, "I have to put you down soon." She agreed. After that, she walked on her own the whole way to the castle - even running at times! I guess she just needed that little boost in the beginning. I'm her Mom. That's what Moms do - we give boosts.
The walk to the castle took us to the end of town, across into the "old town" and up, up, up, around, up, up, around, up. It was pretty. All stones. Views for miles. With just a simple sweep of our eyes we could see town, the river, vineyards, cypress trees, and mountains in the distance. Sara scampered up the stones with grace. We are all getting pretty good at walking on cobblestones. We've walked on un-even ground for weeks now. Plodding up stone walkways has become normal. The castle is called "chateau" so we just walked 'till we saw it.
When we were almost there Sara said, "I can walk for 2 miles. This is 2 miles. I'm going to sit and rest at the top." The way she said it was funny. We all know that 4 year olds do not sit and rest. They run around and dance.
We got to the top. I was with Sara leading Dan and Julia. Sara was out in front. She was walking with a good stride when someone said, "watch her, there is a cliff there." So from then on I held on to Sara. There was a cliff. It was a long drop down.
Several moments later a helicopter appeared. It was loud. It made forceful wind. The helicopter was delivering loads of rocks to the castle, which was funny, since the castle is so old that they had to get the rocks up there somehow - and now we use helicopters. We watched it for a while. It was a bit surreal. Being on the top of a mountain - at a castle - with a helicopter over head. Very close! If it crashed or dropped its load we would have been severely hurt. When we went to go Dan started to fall and held on to me - at the time he had Julia on his back in the Kelty and Sara in his arms. I suppose that meant I kept all three of them from falling. Glad to do my part for safety!
Sara lead the way back down from the castle. She skipped the whole way. She had orange tights, a white print corduroy skirt, and a teal blue shirt on that said, "bonjour." It may not sound coordinated, but it was - she was a happy sweet kid all day.
We came back to the apartment for lunch (grilled cheese sandwiches) and I got to take an hour nap. It helps take the edge off those early mornings and gives Dan time to play with Sara (Julia sleeps too). After that we went to lunch. Decided to go to "Quick Burger" in the main square (Monfort). I expected it to be like a fast food place, but it had a menu, and table service. They were very humored by us. We ate outside on the square at a cafe table - I guess the French idea of "Quick Burger" is a cafe that happens to have burgers. It was a nice taste of home. And, we were all happy -- it was probably our most jovial meal yet. They gave Sara something to color and crayons! And Julia enjoyed playing with a table stand nearby - or sitting in her booster seat that they provided. It was marvelous really.
After that we walked back here. Dan telecommuted and I took the girls for a cool walk. It was in the total opposite direction of the castle. Up the other side of the valley. It was a pedestrian route suggested by the tourist information map. It was cool! Within a few minutes I could see the whole town below us, and up to the castle on the other side! I loved the different prospective! The walk lead to "Chapelle St. Quenin" - and just like the walk to the castle, it was up, up, up, since it was on the other side of the valley. I asked Sara to get out of the Bob-stroller to walk so I could more easily shove the stroller up those rock stairs. Talk about a work out. It was great. My pedometers says I went up 22 flights of stairs today. All that up hill was either climbing up to the castle or climbing up tot he Chapelle St. Quenin.
From there we went to the Cave La Romaine, to check it out and buy some wine. The local winerys all have their wine at these cooperatives, so you can taste wine from many winerys in one stop. I didn't taste any, but bought a rose from this area that Dan and I could have with dinner. We kept walking after that. Got some icecream. Getting ice cream is easy since Sara just says, "Mom, there! Icecream!" I got Julia a 'baby' cone and Sara her usual. There was also and "american" cone that was 8 Euro. That must have been huge!
They ate their icecream while I walked back here. I wanted Dan to get a little ice cream so the only way to accomplish that was walk right back - or it would be gone! When we got here both girls got out of the stroller, walked over to him, and extended their cones to him so he could try some. It was a sweet moment and made Dan smile. Both girls retained hold of their cones, but they did share!
We had lasagne for dinner. Then I put Julia to bed. Sara and I played in the back yard (digging with stones) and then we put our swim suits on to play in the pool. It was a chilly 65 degrees!
Sara wanted to hear Sara Stories again so I opened a file from right after she turned 2. She gets a kick out of hearing them! When I say "awwwww" she says, "read Mom read!" --- I don't get any time to react to seeing her in those old pictures! She just wants me to read with out mushy Mom reactions! And if I don't read fast enough, she just starts reading. She knows a lot of words.
It was a good day. Over 17,000 steps on my pedometer. Many laughs with Dan and happy kids. I can't ask for more.
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Can I have yogurt?"
Me: "Sure. Here."
Sara: "What is this?"
Me: "Ooops. This is fromage blanc. That means 'white cheese.'"
Sara: "Let's go tell Dad!"
Sara: "Look Dad, we got white cheese, not yogurt."
Dan: "That's funny."
Sara: "We should have bought yogurt."
Dan: "You put that in the shopping cart sweetie."
Sara: "I do not want to eat it. Let's give it to Julia!"
End of Post
We had eggs. We had cereal. And bananas. Just like normal.
Dan got up a while later. Soon we were out the door. Sara was on her own two feet; Julia was in the Kelty.
Our goal? Climb to the castle. No problem right? It was early, we were energized by breakfast. We were all happy. About 10 minutes into our adventure Sara said, "I can't walk any more, can you carry me?" I did. I carried our big girl for a while. Soon I said, "I have to put you down soon." She agreed. After that, she walked on her own the whole way to the castle - even running at times! I guess she just needed that little boost in the beginning. I'm her Mom. That's what Moms do - we give boosts.
The walk to the castle took us to the end of town, across into the "old town" and up, up, up, around, up, up, around, up. It was pretty. All stones. Views for miles. With just a simple sweep of our eyes we could see town, the river, vineyards, cypress trees, and mountains in the distance. Sara scampered up the stones with grace. We are all getting pretty good at walking on cobblestones. We've walked on un-even ground for weeks now. Plodding up stone walkways has become normal. The castle is called "chateau" so we just walked 'till we saw it.
When we were almost there Sara said, "I can walk for 2 miles. This is 2 miles. I'm going to sit and rest at the top." The way she said it was funny. We all know that 4 year olds do not sit and rest. They run around and dance.
We got to the top. I was with Sara leading Dan and Julia. Sara was out in front. She was walking with a good stride when someone said, "watch her, there is a cliff there." So from then on I held on to Sara. There was a cliff. It was a long drop down.
Several moments later a helicopter appeared. It was loud. It made forceful wind. The helicopter was delivering loads of rocks to the castle, which was funny, since the castle is so old that they had to get the rocks up there somehow - and now we use helicopters. We watched it for a while. It was a bit surreal. Being on the top of a mountain - at a castle - with a helicopter over head. Very close! If it crashed or dropped its load we would have been severely hurt. When we went to go Dan started to fall and held on to me - at the time he had Julia on his back in the Kelty and Sara in his arms. I suppose that meant I kept all three of them from falling. Glad to do my part for safety!
Sara lead the way back down from the castle. She skipped the whole way. She had orange tights, a white print corduroy skirt, and a teal blue shirt on that said, "bonjour." It may not sound coordinated, but it was - she was a happy sweet kid all day.
We came back to the apartment for lunch (grilled cheese sandwiches) and I got to take an hour nap. It helps take the edge off those early mornings and gives Dan time to play with Sara (Julia sleeps too). After that we went to lunch. Decided to go to "Quick Burger" in the main square (Monfort). I expected it to be like a fast food place, but it had a menu, and table service. They were very humored by us. We ate outside on the square at a cafe table - I guess the French idea of "Quick Burger" is a cafe that happens to have burgers. It was a nice taste of home. And, we were all happy -- it was probably our most jovial meal yet. They gave Sara something to color and crayons! And Julia enjoyed playing with a table stand nearby - or sitting in her booster seat that they provided. It was marvelous really.
After that we walked back here. Dan telecommuted and I took the girls for a cool walk. It was in the total opposite direction of the castle. Up the other side of the valley. It was a pedestrian route suggested by the tourist information map. It was cool! Within a few minutes I could see the whole town below us, and up to the castle on the other side! I loved the different prospective! The walk lead to "Chapelle St. Quenin" - and just like the walk to the castle, it was up, up, up, since it was on the other side of the valley. I asked Sara to get out of the Bob-stroller to walk so I could more easily shove the stroller up those rock stairs. Talk about a work out. It was great. My pedometers says I went up 22 flights of stairs today. All that up hill was either climbing up to the castle or climbing up tot he Chapelle St. Quenin.
From there we went to the Cave La Romaine, to check it out and buy some wine. The local winerys all have their wine at these cooperatives, so you can taste wine from many winerys in one stop. I didn't taste any, but bought a rose from this area that Dan and I could have with dinner. We kept walking after that. Got some icecream. Getting ice cream is easy since Sara just says, "Mom, there! Icecream!" I got Julia a 'baby' cone and Sara her usual. There was also and "american" cone that was 8 Euro. That must have been huge!
They ate their icecream while I walked back here. I wanted Dan to get a little ice cream so the only way to accomplish that was walk right back - or it would be gone! When we got here both girls got out of the stroller, walked over to him, and extended their cones to him so he could try some. It was a sweet moment and made Dan smile. Both girls retained hold of their cones, but they did share!
We had lasagne for dinner. Then I put Julia to bed. Sara and I played in the back yard (digging with stones) and then we put our swim suits on to play in the pool. It was a chilly 65 degrees!
Sara wanted to hear Sara Stories again so I opened a file from right after she turned 2. She gets a kick out of hearing them! When I say "awwwww" she says, "read Mom read!" --- I don't get any time to react to seeing her in those old pictures! She just wants me to read with out mushy Mom reactions! And if I don't read fast enough, she just starts reading. She knows a lot of words.
It was a good day. Over 17,000 steps on my pedometer. Many laughs with Dan and happy kids. I can't ask for more.
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Can I have yogurt?"
Me: "Sure. Here."
Sara: "What is this?"
Me: "Ooops. This is fromage blanc. That means 'white cheese.'"
Sara: "Let's go tell Dad!"
Sara: "Look Dad, we got white cheese, not yogurt."
Dan: "That's funny."
Sara: "We should have bought yogurt."
Dan: "You put that in the shopping cart sweetie."
Sara: "I do not want to eat it. Let's give it to Julia!"
End of Post
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Tuesday - Market and River
Today I was up at 6:20 with Julia. Sara zipped into Julia's room soon after and did a superman style leap onto the spare bed in her room. She asked "did you ever go to sleep Mom?" since to her, I was awake at night, and awake in the morning -- so maybe I never slept? I told her I did sleep. I think she believed me.
I got the kids fed, dressed, and ready to go for a walk. Sara said, "I want something with peanut butter on it for breakfast." I said we didn't have any bread. She suggested apples with peanut butter. When I said we didn't have any apples, she said she'd eat just peanut butter. I put some on her plate. She shared some with Julia. Julia liked it so much, that Sara decided to give her the whole peanut butter jar and the kid-knife we brought from home. Julia spent the next 10 minutes diving into that peanut butter jar to secure herself some morsels of peanut butter. The jar was almost empty so it was a good way to finish it up! Julia ate some of it plain, and also tried to put some on her breakfast banana. That yielded a dissected banana smeared with a coating of peanut butter. When I later went to put her sun screen on her face, I first had to wipe off a rather cement-like coating of peanut butter. She didn't seem to mind. She is a jolly little kid!
I was going to head out before Dan got up, but he must have heard me say we were going to go out -- so he said, "I'll join you guys" and he got up. His nights are late due to telecommuting, he does a good job making do with the bit of sleep he gets.
We headed out. To head out, we first leave our "flat" via the back door, then we crunch our way out of this property on the stone path. It is made of tiny stones, which Sara once asked "why are these stones so sharp?" when she tried walking on them in bare feet. Pavement would be totally out of place here, so the "driveway" is just the tiny stones. The tiny stones have a ceiling - sort of. There is a trellis above with a vine growing on it. There is also a dining table, just in case you want to eat outside with a view of the garden. Finally, you go through a huge, heavy, metal door. Then you are out on a street in the village of Vaison la Romaine.
Today was market day. I wrote about it last Tuesday, so I'll not repeat my thoughts. It is known as one of the best in France - so it is pretty great! We bought some non-edible things today. 3 bowls made nearby, and also some Provencal linens that we plan to use in our kitchen. Both things are practical and will be fun memories of our trip.
We also got some local grapes (muscat), tomatoes, onions, bread (like 3 loaves), apples (we ate them, so we went back for more), and a chicken from the same chicken guy as before. He has such a personality. Today Sara got money from Dan (something he is getting used to) and she waited in line. She ordered in French. "One chicken please" (though she used the French words that I know - but don't know how to spell) -- he man thought she was so cute he actually gave Sara one little chicken for free! He looked at me and said, "that is for her" (in French/English mix) and Sara then said, "I will give it to my sister Julia." So I thought that was so nice of Sara. She always thinks of Julia.
We came back here for something to eat around 11AM. I decided to lay down, and slept for an hour. Wow! I felt great after that nap. Dan was feeding the kids while I slept. I guess it was a good trade off for me handling mornings!
We went back out. With the girls fed, they were quiet. Dan and I chatted as we pushed them in the Bob-stroller. We ended up going almost all the way up to the Castle on the medieval site of this town. That side reminds us of a "hill town" since it is on a hill, is made of stone (what else?), and has a great view. It was a fun family walk.
From way up there we could see the stream/river that flows under the Roman bridge that is here in town. (This particular bridge just has one arch, though it is still in use with cars and people -- all day long even though it is 2,000 years old - now that is good engineering!) There were people enjoying the stoney river banks and I decided to go there later with Sara and Julia while Dan was telecommuting.
Sure enough in the afternoon, Dan got himself set up in front of his computer and we headed out into the world. I had an extra change of clothes for Sara and Julia, a towel, some water, and 10 Euro. Those are good provisions for just about anything.
It was easy to get near the river, but took some effort to get down to it. There was a path, but it was steep! And I was alone with two kids, I had to navigate down there and keep them safe. I asked Sara to get out and walk to make the Bob-stroller easier for me to handle. She got down the steep rocky path fine. And with out her weight, I did okay too. When we got down, Julia clamored to be let out - so she could walk with Sara! I let her out. The two of them walked along the riverbank as happy as could be. My heart was so happy seeing them ramble along side by side - lifting their little legs over tree roots, stepping carefully over rocks, and heading straight down the hiking/walking path with a noticeable spring in their steps.
I had wondered if they would play with the rocks (the river bed was 100% covered by small rocks) or if they would want to go in the water. They chose: water. Julia walked straight into the river with out a moment's pause. Getting her shoes wet. Then she fell, plop and her butt was wet. She got up. Then she fell forward. She was now drenched. It was about 1 minute since we got there. She didn't mind at all. She walked all over that stream -- picking up rocks and throwing them "agh!" she'd say - each time she heaved a rock. I thought back to when we tried to get Sara to throw a rock into Loon Lake when she was Julia's age - she wanted to hold the rocks and not toss them. Not Julia! She did it all on her own. She went right to work doing it - tossing stones and watching them splash down into the sparkly water.
Sara was nearby, though she preferred playing with sticks. She walked on the stones - but didn't throw any. There were times Julia went were the water was a bit deep, and Sara was the first to day "I'll go get her Mom!" -- to keep her little sister safe.
We had a small picnic of a raspberry tart and nut cake thing. The girls ate them -- or shall I say -- the girls gobbled them up quickly. Then they went right back into that stream. Sara said, "this is so much fun" and I knew both of them were happy to have such an unstructured kid-friendly activity to enjoy. I let them do their own thing. But I did point out a tiny green frog that I saw - and both of them thought it was neat. The frog took one look at them and hopped away! (Smart!)
After that I changed Julia (she was covered in dirt) and said to Sara "Thanks for being such a good girl honey." She said, "merci Mom." --- If I don't remember to say "thankyou" in French which is "merci" she actually reminds me to say it the French way!
We walked straight back here. It was around 5PM. I fed Julia, let her run around for a while (she was a BALL of energy, non-stop walking around and wanting to play outside). When I brought her into her room I put her in her PJs. Then I realized they were Sara's PJs. Oooops. I got Julia into her own PJs, and put her in her crib. It is just wonderful how easy it is to put her to bed.
I played a little with Sara after that. We had cantaloupe and she wanted to plant some seeds so the house's owners could have some to eat. We dug tiny holes, put seeds in, and watered them. I bet the owners will be thrilled with the hundreds of cantaloupes that will surely arise from our efforts.
Sara insists on "Sara stories" at night. So I got out my computer and read her some stories from when she was 2. Tonight we read about when she picked out her jewelry box. Normally when I read to her she asks questions. When I read these stories she is totally quiet. Then later I'll hear her tell Dan, "when I was 2 I picked out my jewelry box" so she is really listening! There have been times I get choked up reading the stories. They bring back so many memories!
The kitchen is clean, the laundry is running, the kids are in bed, and I'm ready to head there too. It was a full day. I took over 20,000 steps according to my pedometer. Except for the sanity-saving nap I got, we've been on the go all day. Exploring high up to the castle; exploring down low in the river valley. Spending time together surrounded by French people, French history, and French bakeries. ;)
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Mom. Do not step here. I just planted a cantaloupe seed, right there, under these two rocks. I want it to grow so the people who live her can have some cantaloupes to eat."
End of Post.
I got the kids fed, dressed, and ready to go for a walk. Sara said, "I want something with peanut butter on it for breakfast." I said we didn't have any bread. She suggested apples with peanut butter. When I said we didn't have any apples, she said she'd eat just peanut butter. I put some on her plate. She shared some with Julia. Julia liked it so much, that Sara decided to give her the whole peanut butter jar and the kid-knife we brought from home. Julia spent the next 10 minutes diving into that peanut butter jar to secure herself some morsels of peanut butter. The jar was almost empty so it was a good way to finish it up! Julia ate some of it plain, and also tried to put some on her breakfast banana. That yielded a dissected banana smeared with a coating of peanut butter. When I later went to put her sun screen on her face, I first had to wipe off a rather cement-like coating of peanut butter. She didn't seem to mind. She is a jolly little kid!
I was going to head out before Dan got up, but he must have heard me say we were going to go out -- so he said, "I'll join you guys" and he got up. His nights are late due to telecommuting, he does a good job making do with the bit of sleep he gets.
We headed out. To head out, we first leave our "flat" via the back door, then we crunch our way out of this property on the stone path. It is made of tiny stones, which Sara once asked "why are these stones so sharp?" when she tried walking on them in bare feet. Pavement would be totally out of place here, so the "driveway" is just the tiny stones. The tiny stones have a ceiling - sort of. There is a trellis above with a vine growing on it. There is also a dining table, just in case you want to eat outside with a view of the garden. Finally, you go through a huge, heavy, metal door. Then you are out on a street in the village of Vaison la Romaine.
Today was market day. I wrote about it last Tuesday, so I'll not repeat my thoughts. It is known as one of the best in France - so it is pretty great! We bought some non-edible things today. 3 bowls made nearby, and also some Provencal linens that we plan to use in our kitchen. Both things are practical and will be fun memories of our trip.
We also got some local grapes (muscat), tomatoes, onions, bread (like 3 loaves), apples (we ate them, so we went back for more), and a chicken from the same chicken guy as before. He has such a personality. Today Sara got money from Dan (something he is getting used to) and she waited in line. She ordered in French. "One chicken please" (though she used the French words that I know - but don't know how to spell) -- he man thought she was so cute he actually gave Sara one little chicken for free! He looked at me and said, "that is for her" (in French/English mix) and Sara then said, "I will give it to my sister Julia." So I thought that was so nice of Sara. She always thinks of Julia.
We came back here for something to eat around 11AM. I decided to lay down, and slept for an hour. Wow! I felt great after that nap. Dan was feeding the kids while I slept. I guess it was a good trade off for me handling mornings!
We went back out. With the girls fed, they were quiet. Dan and I chatted as we pushed them in the Bob-stroller. We ended up going almost all the way up to the Castle on the medieval site of this town. That side reminds us of a "hill town" since it is on a hill, is made of stone (what else?), and has a great view. It was a fun family walk.
From way up there we could see the stream/river that flows under the Roman bridge that is here in town. (This particular bridge just has one arch, though it is still in use with cars and people -- all day long even though it is 2,000 years old - now that is good engineering!) There were people enjoying the stoney river banks and I decided to go there later with Sara and Julia while Dan was telecommuting.
Sure enough in the afternoon, Dan got himself set up in front of his computer and we headed out into the world. I had an extra change of clothes for Sara and Julia, a towel, some water, and 10 Euro. Those are good provisions for just about anything.
It was easy to get near the river, but took some effort to get down to it. There was a path, but it was steep! And I was alone with two kids, I had to navigate down there and keep them safe. I asked Sara to get out and walk to make the Bob-stroller easier for me to handle. She got down the steep rocky path fine. And with out her weight, I did okay too. When we got down, Julia clamored to be let out - so she could walk with Sara! I let her out. The two of them walked along the riverbank as happy as could be. My heart was so happy seeing them ramble along side by side - lifting their little legs over tree roots, stepping carefully over rocks, and heading straight down the hiking/walking path with a noticeable spring in their steps.
I had wondered if they would play with the rocks (the river bed was 100% covered by small rocks) or if they would want to go in the water. They chose: water. Julia walked straight into the river with out a moment's pause. Getting her shoes wet. Then she fell, plop and her butt was wet. She got up. Then she fell forward. She was now drenched. It was about 1 minute since we got there. She didn't mind at all. She walked all over that stream -- picking up rocks and throwing them "agh!" she'd say - each time she heaved a rock. I thought back to when we tried to get Sara to throw a rock into Loon Lake when she was Julia's age - she wanted to hold the rocks and not toss them. Not Julia! She did it all on her own. She went right to work doing it - tossing stones and watching them splash down into the sparkly water.
Sara was nearby, though she preferred playing with sticks. She walked on the stones - but didn't throw any. There were times Julia went were the water was a bit deep, and Sara was the first to day "I'll go get her Mom!" -- to keep her little sister safe.
We had a small picnic of a raspberry tart and nut cake thing. The girls ate them -- or shall I say -- the girls gobbled them up quickly. Then they went right back into that stream. Sara said, "this is so much fun" and I knew both of them were happy to have such an unstructured kid-friendly activity to enjoy. I let them do their own thing. But I did point out a tiny green frog that I saw - and both of them thought it was neat. The frog took one look at them and hopped away! (Smart!)
After that I changed Julia (she was covered in dirt) and said to Sara "Thanks for being such a good girl honey." She said, "merci Mom." --- If I don't remember to say "thankyou" in French which is "merci" she actually reminds me to say it the French way!
We walked straight back here. It was around 5PM. I fed Julia, let her run around for a while (she was a BALL of energy, non-stop walking around and wanting to play outside). When I brought her into her room I put her in her PJs. Then I realized they were Sara's PJs. Oooops. I got Julia into her own PJs, and put her in her crib. It is just wonderful how easy it is to put her to bed.
I played a little with Sara after that. We had cantaloupe and she wanted to plant some seeds so the house's owners could have some to eat. We dug tiny holes, put seeds in, and watered them. I bet the owners will be thrilled with the hundreds of cantaloupes that will surely arise from our efforts.
Sara insists on "Sara stories" at night. So I got out my computer and read her some stories from when she was 2. Tonight we read about when she picked out her jewelry box. Normally when I read to her she asks questions. When I read these stories she is totally quiet. Then later I'll hear her tell Dan, "when I was 2 I picked out my jewelry box" so she is really listening! There have been times I get choked up reading the stories. They bring back so many memories!
The kitchen is clean, the laundry is running, the kids are in bed, and I'm ready to head there too. It was a full day. I took over 20,000 steps according to my pedometer. Except for the sanity-saving nap I got, we've been on the go all day. Exploring high up to the castle; exploring down low in the river valley. Spending time together surrounded by French people, French history, and French bakeries. ;)
Quote of the day:
Sara: "Mom. Do not step here. I just planted a cantaloupe seed, right there, under these two rocks. I want it to grow so the people who live her can have some cantaloupes to eat."
End of Post.
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