Off to Italy...

We are off to Italy!

Once again we will have no internet so I am not making any promises as to when I will be blogging again.

I should write a blog about not having internet as it has been a big eye opener for Mike and myself.

We need internet. We use it for everything...Olivias schooling, trip research, maps, world news( in english), inspiration, work and everyday communication. What we have discovered is that it is possible to live without it...you just have to be extremely organized and focused.

Internet time is "GO" time here. There is no cruising around reading peoples blogs or checking out the weather. We go to a cafe with free wifi, order an espresso (that is another blog in itself...) or a glass of wine and get the list out.It is all about focus...which, trust me, is hard here. There is a lot going on..Cannes is people watching at its best!

Too funny...I just looked over to have a glance and see what Mike was up to on the computer....he is checking out how much altitude he gained on his ride today. Ok, it is now obvious who is actually running the trip here.

Anyway, it is has been a very liberating experience living without immediate internet access. No distraction! It is all part of my "living in the moment" theme....

xox

smelling like roses..

Olivia and I now have our own personal scent. We dont really wear perfume, but
when in Grasse..

Most of Grasse's parfumeries are unknown and understated. They sell their essences to couture houses for perfume and aromas out for foodstuff and toiletries. There are a few large, well known parfumeries such as Fragamond and Galimard (where we had our workshop) that have a big presence in the town, but most are tucked out of the way. Grasse is still considered the world capital of fragrance.

The town itself is perched high up on a hill with lots of steep,curving, one way streets. It is not an easy place to navigate. I was expecting lots of endless fields of jasmine,orange blossom and violet, but instead was greeted with a very densely populated,sprawling town. Charming, but not at all what I was expecting....that seems to be the theme of the trip.



We had a very fun, informative morning at Galimard Parfumerie. We learned about the "fond" note, the "heart" note and the "peak" note and how they are combined together to make a scent. I cant tell you how many essences we had to smell. When all was said and done my perfume had a combination of 15 different essences. After a time, I admit it all started to smell the same, but that is where your instinct comes in...and an fully trained perfumer to help lead you in the right direction.
Olivia and I had a similiar 'nose' but I ended up with a modern fruity smell while hers was more floral. We have to leave them to rest for 2 weeks before we use them. (I have to admit I have already had a little sneak peek and smell of mine... how could you not?!)

Max sat beside us and listened to his ipod for most of the seminar.

Mike went on a great ride through Tourrettes sur Loue. I believe there was a random laying down of cash - during his ride - for a bigger cassette(bigger, better gears to get up the hills!) He has been great at getting out by himself and exploring on his bike. I know he would love to share his rides with someone though.

The rest of the day was a bit of a comedy of errors which has to be expected when you are in a foreign country that has very similar words for absolutely everything.

The kids and I took a number of different buses here, there and everywhere to complete a 30 minute journey in just under 2 hours. The last leg of which was a 2 km walk uphill.

You can only imagine the whining about being hot and hungry..no, starving...

Once again we survived and I believe the kids are slowly starting to appreciate the adventure in everything.They now just shrug and laugh about being 'lost' ..once again. Mike still likes to pretend that he knows where he is going. I usually throw my arms up in the air and confess.



We met Mike in the little town of Mougins, at the pre-determined meeting time ,and had a tasty lunch and tour of the village. It is a picture perfect spot, just outside of Cannes, with lots of restaurants and art galleries. I found it to have the most interesting/ varied display of art to date. Picasso lived here with a lover..or two. He has lived and worked in most of the small towns here on the coast..

In Cannes for another couple of days. We have really been enjoying the beach scene here. There are still many places we have yet to explore along the coast, but it is hard to hop in the car when the weather is so beautiful. The kids are a bit done with medieval villages...no matter how high they are perched in the sky.

All pics of Cannes are in Flickr account now.....click on "flickr" to right of blog.

Just the four of us....

I could spend hours taking pictures of these....

Mike and I have been talking a lot.

In fact, I haven't really spoken to anyone else since Darcy and Kelly left for Morocco. That was 20 days ago..

( I actually had to find a calendar, figure out the day and month and put the pieces of the puzzle together for that one...)

When I was awake at night worrying about all the possible things that we would encounter in Europe, my alone time with Mike and the kids definitely creeped in a number of times. We spend so much time at home socializing with different people. We also both have lots of alone time, together as a couple and by ourselves. Here it is just the 4 of us. Its kind of cool...and pretty rare. There have been no outside influences acting upon us.

Oddly, our lack of social time with others has not been an issue. I was expecting to be the crazy one again chatting to strangers on the street..I have tried, but no one really knows what language I am speaking. (Olivia gets mistaken for French, Max for American, but myself...they just kind of look at me oddly. I have been told outright once "you are definitely not Italian"....it saved me from a 50 Euro fine.) Here it is Friday night and we have had a fairly quiet, but very pleasant evening. The kids have been outside playing, we have all had dinner together, completed/argued over a bit of school work and now we are all reading. I don't think it gets much better than this. Mike and I are both feeling very content.

I am finding it very easy to live in the moment here. We have no set plan. All we know today is that we will be in the Liguria Riviera next Thursday, but from now until then...anything could happen. The picture is so big that one cannot even speculate. I am so far removed from the past and have no clue about the future....I am finding it very easy to be appreciative of the here and now. I have even begun to enjoy cooking again.

To see all pics of venice go here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilola/sets/72157623812246167/

I promise to edit/name/give descriptions when I find some spare time...and internet!!
I am not losing my mind with all those "wall" pictures...I am making Max a "book of walls" for him to graffiti on...

Big, Beautiful Boats...oh, and a nice castle too.

serious boat envy in this town...Antibes.


Life is good in Cannes.

We were not quite sure when we first arrived. It was early evening and the end of a very busy weekend. We were hungry and we had no idea where we were or where to go.It was Sunday...oh, right, everything is closed. I will never get used to that. After a few days here though we have slowly adapted to the rhythm. We know where to buy groceries, where to get free wifi (no internet!) where to run and where to park to go to the market.... thats in priority. We have been careful during this trip not to judge anything until we have given it its due time. It always takes a day or two to get your bearing and find the things you like to do.

Our first home exchange is an apt. located up in the hills of La Croix des Gardes. It is located in a gated community backing onto the parkland. There are tons of running/hiking trail out our back door with panoramic views of the city of Cannes and its bay. We went on a family run yesterday which was a hoot. Mike and I have been able to get out for trail runs most days.( Mom...I lock the kids in their bedroom...they are safe.) The town is down the hill...there are many different routes to travel there..main road, hiking trails, country roads..it has been fun to explore. The only conclusion is the return home is tough. There is no way to avoid walking uphill...its steep.

The kids have befriended the neighborhood kids after a few days of searching them out. Olivia is fantastic at making friends. She has no problem introducing herself and asking to play. Her french has definitely helped, but kids are kids..I have watched them act out what they are trying to say to each other! Max doesn't understand a word of what they are saying, but I can still hear him screaming away in English and them screaming "en française" right back at him. It makes a world of difference for them having other children to play with. It also gives us a bit of a break.I began this trip expecting them to be missing their friends and the freedom they have in Whistler. I have been pleasantly surprised by how excited they are to do things with just us..I will savour this moment as I know it is coming to an end. A 14 yr old french boy from down the street has already come a-knocking...

The city of Cannes is situated around a beautiful bay and promenade. The famous Boulevard de la Croisette is the main avenue running through the center of it all. The Palais des Festivals ( Cannes Film Festival and other world renowned events), the Suquet and old harbour, the Forville Provencal Market, all mixed with lots of prestigious shops and luxury hotels are all located on one side...the beach on the other. The rest of town is a logistic nightmare with one way streets, dead ends and an unbelievable amount of traffic. A ton of fun to wander around though.The streets are packed. The side walk cafes jammed...I can only imagine what it would be like in the summer.The energy is good here!



Boat envy has become our thing. We have yet to be invited onto any of the super yachts we have been admiring, but there is still time. I have been relaying stories of my childhood summers spent sailing. They were impressed that I got to live on a sailboat for the summers and super excited to try it out themselves..until I pointed out the type of boat we had...it looked like a dinghy in comparison to the rest..they are no longer impressed, but now think my family were nuts to live in such close quarters. Its hard to compete with a 100 ft yacht complete with helicopter and sea-doos.

Max is buying us all a yacht when he is famous. He threatens Olivia with this purchase whenever she is teasing him. I dont know if I can wait that long, my imagination has got the better of me...I figure my second husband is around here somewhere.

Cannes, France

In Cannes, France.

A beautiful, bluebird day. The kids are swimming in the ocean and I am sitting on the rocks having a cappuccino. An hour ago we were all screaming at each other!!? The kids wanted to play at the beach, I wanted to wander about and Mike wanted coffee.I did not win ...this one.

I am constantly reminding myself that whatever conflict we are having with each other will pass. There are 4 of us all wanting to go in different directions. Unfortunately, one of us in the family has a problem comprimising..



The ocean is cold, but the water is clear. Those who are not out in their yachts, are working on them.There are actually quite a few people swimming. Lots of people suntanning.....topless. Max is in awe. Lets hope this stage passes quicky. (sorry, no pictures..)

Venice, Italy

Venice is a claustophobics nightmare. Magical labyrinth?! I nearly lost my mind.



This is not acceptable.



Nor is this.




No Comment...wind your way through a bunch of these with no concept of where you are going..

Despite my obvious setback, I loved it. It is a photographers dream. Distressed doorways, crumbling walls, peeling paint...so much texture...so many angles.

I took 227 pictures.



Venice surprised us. It is large,much larger than we anticipated. Winding corridors opening up onto spacious piazza add to the overall sense of distance covered, but within that space there is a myriad of eating, shopping and wandering to be done.
We were surprised by the number of quality shops. We were expecting it to be very touristy, but in fact there seemed to be few tee shirt/knick knack stores.We were surprised at the quantity of small neighborhood restaurants and cafes...little wine bars tucked into nooks around every corner, all with their own character and flavor. Our biggest surprise though was the lack of tourists. We had read many story and tale about the craziness of the crowds.Yet,today we found ourselves often strolling down a laneway with no one in sight. I am sure that changes in the warm spring and summer months.

I believe Venice would be beautiful any time of the year. It is polluted and it does have a bit of a distinct "seaside" smell in some areas. Its surroundings, large industrial plants on the mainland, port and train station as you enter, are not so pretty. But once you are tucked away into its crooked, uneven streets, surrounded by waterways afloat with gondola and drenched in all things old, it is very easy to lose yourself over to its charm.



My advice to anyone entering Venice for the first time is to hop aboard the vaporetti, or water buses. They wind through the Canale Grande and give you an unforgettable first glimpse into the daily life of what it would be like to be a Venetian. We chose to be dropped off at the last stop, Saint Marks and then gradually wind our way back by foot to the train station. Hours later we discovered we had only covered a quarter of the island! For those who love to lose themselves in the midst of it all..this is the place for you. For those like myself....you can always hop in a gondola.



I have to confess to another problem I have encountered during my stay here.I am sure there must be a name for it in the medical dictionary.I am calling it lang-lexia. We have been through 4 countries in 5 days, all with their own language.
I am confused!! I have started conversing in a combination of all of them. I thanked a young girl in Germany in Spanish, said good morning in french and good bye in italian. Oddly too, my mind has adopted french as its first language.. well its more franglaise than french.??

Luxury accommodation to Munich

Wednesday April 15th,2010

I love surprises!

Tonight we are taking the "nightline" train from Paris to Munich, Germany.Originally I had booked the nightline as I thought it would be fun for the kids..a new experience. It really is all about the kids. It wasnt a trip I was particularily looking forward to. All I could imagine was a stuffed little cabin and falling out of bed as we rounded corners.

What a surprise.. Its great. We have our own, reasonably sized, room with seats that make into bunks.We have computer connection. It is clean and comfortable. We have food and wine. Its a little bit like camping.



Not planning to get much sleep..

On expectations.....I have been trying to keep our "expectation" level at the simmering point. Too much and there is the opportunity for some disappointment...too little and there is not enough excitement or enthusiam. We are experiencing so many things for the first time and not necessarily giving them the time that they deserve. I dont want to walk away feeling disappointed or dissatisfied, thinking" hmm..that was it..?" when I know that some things need time, patience and a little effort to really appreciate. This I am trying to teach the kids.

C'est la vie..

This is what Max and I have been doing for the past day or two...

We were the unlucky ones(so far) to come down with the stomach flu. Nothing like hanging out in bed on a beautiful, sunny, warm day in Paris. To add insult to injury, our washing machine broke down. I only thought to myself once, ok maybe twice...how many days do we have left??

I did manage to finally finish the book I am reading though. A great book (trilogy..hardcover, that I sacrificed a pair of boots for in the luggage) all about Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte. There is nothing better than a good historical fiction that takes place in the city you are visiting.I am revisiting all of their old haunts.





Despite the setback, we have had a beautiful week here in Paris. At first, I thought that maybe we should stay on for a longer period of time, but I think a week is perfect. We have been relatively relaxed about getting out the door in the morning and I still feel like we have seen everything we came to see.

I have come to the conclusion though that Paris is for adults. There is plenty for kids to do, but there is, oh ,so much more out there to see and explore without them and it takes stamina...especially if you want to experience all it has to offer. I want to go to bookstores, galleries and cafes, sit and people watch and maybe even drink wine in the afternoon. I want to go out late at night and wander. I want to walk in high heels on the cobblestones and visit a jazz bar..or two. I want a minute alone with my husband!

I dont want to listen to kids who want to go shopping at "H&M"...

I am thrilled that my children have had this opportunity. They have risen to the occasion and walked many miles to visit many museums and churches in many different neighborhoods.They still ask to go into churches! They have sat through a number of meals (we only choose cafes with wifi).They have even spent considerable time in french bookstores without too much complaining. They have been great... but they are children. They are good for one event a day....and shopping.

It has been a blast watching Olivia transform her look over the past couple of weeks. I have watched her observing. Sweatpants are gone...skinnies and high boots are in. She has even asked for a purse! Unfortunately, most of her transformation has come out of my suitcase. I am thankful they still think H&M is hip! You should see the new red sunnies Max is sporting! Mike tried to grow a beard for the week, but Liv and I shut him down pretty quickly. He was looky a bit dirty and french though.



Paris...where to begin?

It has been warm and sunny, perfect for wandering. We have been to all the typical tourist spots. We have covered most of the neighborhoods. I am always apprehensive about doing it all because we need a reason to come again! I think my favorite part of the week so far was our visit to Montmartre. Last time Mike and I were here, we chose to stay close to the city center and missed out on Montmartre so it was a perfect day of exploring for all of us. We had lunch on the lawn in front of Sacre Coeur,spent hours and most of our budget on the buskers and then spent the afternoon wandering around the Place du Terre.

The kids had their portraits drawn. It was very serious business. Olivias looks very similiar to Jennifer Aniston.(?)





We glimpsed at the Moulin Rouge, which my daughter seemed to know lots about, and then proceeded to get very lost as we made our way home.We tried to walk.... but have learned quickly to just stick to the Metropolitan. It is just too easy. We ended up on one of the many bridges waving at all the tourists on the boats. Max felt like a movie star.



I think my kids favorite day was their visit to, and up, the Eiffel tower. I would know nothing about it...I was at home in bed.

Click on "flickr" on right to see photos (mylilola photostream)

Paris, France

What a big, old, beautiful city.
It is so cliché, but it is romantic..it is festive..it is fashionable..it is inspiring in so many ways.
Everyone loves to visit..everyone dreams of living.

We have arrived! I have chosen one of the most animated streets to live on for the week. It is in the 5th, smack dab between the Latin Quarter and St. Germain de Prés. My kids are not sure what to think.I have taken them out of their comfort zone. Our apartment is an old speak-easy. It is small and crooked, but has a certain charm (which it could probably only get away with here...).I feel a tad better knowing that we are surrounded by places of worship. The Notre Dame is less than a minute from our front door.



We arrrived early yesterday afternoon after an uneventful train ride from Geneva to here. A number of trains had been cancelled earlier so our train was packed. There were people sitting anywhere and everywhere. There were even people sitting on the toilet!



I wish I had a photo of Mike as he tried to get his bike on board. He was in everyones way trying to explain, in haphazard french what he was doing. Finally, he figured it was just easier to smile. It worked. I thought he was going to have to stand with it the entire three hours, but somehow, with the help of a German fellow, they manage to contrive some contraption so that it remained locked down. Not much else to do...The bike is still with us. The bike bag is fantastic for storing dirty laundry. (ok, not fair..it has been used a number of times)

After a quick dinner we started walking. I love Paris by night. All the buildings and monuments are lite up, the river is alive with revellers and there are crowds of people just wandering about. We ended up at the Louvre and walked through the Tuileries gardens. Max was thrilled to finally see the Eiffel tower in all its glory. He is dying to buy his own miniature tower. I would like the snowglobe version.

I dont even know where to begin tomorrow..

I need a vacation from this holiday...

We have had a great couple of days in Geneva. The weather has been sunny and warm. We have spent the mornings working on various projects, schooling included. Mike has been able to get out for some great country rides on his bike. He will be damned if he proves me right and does not use the bike that we have carted half way around the world. (ok...does that make sense?) We have spent the afternoons wondering the waterfront on foot or bike.The promenade has been packed with people.

People watching is fantastic here! I wish I had the nerve to snap more shots of some of the great getups I have witnessed. Once again, I have been the only one sporting athletic wear?! Even those rollerblading and biking have had on some great jeans and always a scarf.

It all sounds great doesn't it?

It is!

BUT, it is so busy..

I kid you not when I say I need a vacation. Between homeschooling, organizing daily life, researching the trip, keeping in touch..it is full on, all the time.I have barely read. My french lessons are non existent. I have not picked up a paintbrush or even a colored pen. Well, thats a bit of a lie...I have splattered some glue in Maxs journal. I glued the map of Europe upside down....he noticed because "the boot' was upside down. It's no wonder he doesn't know where we are.



Tomorrow is go time. We are heading to Paris for the next leg of our journey. I finalized our accommodation an hour ago! I cant say any more about that because it has to do with my commitment/indecision issues and it will only start a fight. (there were just so many great places and neighborhoods and it was so much fun looking at all the apts ,where they were located and how they were decorated...my imagination got the better of me)

I plan on spending my 3 hours on the train relaxing.

Then let it all begin again.....

The autoroute round-a-bout is your friend..

Today started out a wee bit sketchy. We had decided it was time to hit the road and visit La Gruyère,home of Gruyère cheese and Caillet chocolate. We had a car...and GPS..how difficult could it be?

We forgot our passports. We forgot Euros. We were very thankful that we didn't end up in La Gruyere, France, where we had set our GPS coordinates to. Just a little typing mishap..oops, wrong country...We saved ourselves just as we were crossing the border into France. Mike informed me.. after... that his spider senses had started to tingle.

They too must be recovering from jet lag.

I refrained from saying anything as he had already informed me that I was only to speak if he was going to go through a red light or hit a cyclist.

The GPS guy ended up being a wifesaver..I mean, lifesaver. Between the language/ sign differences,nameless streets and crazy drivers, a GPS system is indispensible. I cannot say enough good things about our GPS guy. He doesnt even yell at us when we ignore him or go the wrong way. At one point, I could only laugh as I looked at the GPS monitor and we weren't even on a road. I was wondering why he kept repeating himself..



La Gruyère is a beautiful farmland region located between the shores of Lake Geneva and the Alps.The hills are alive...dotted here and there with town after town, each with its own raison d'etre. It is very green and very pristine. The farmhouses are immaculate.There are no broken down tractors or beat up jalopies in their front yards.

I like these people.

We spent the afternoon wandering the Château de Gruyères and its medieval town. A bit touristy, but beautiful especially combined with the surroundings.. I will only say this once, even though I think it often...I can't wait to see these places when the trees are full, the flowers a bloom and the weather warm.




We spent the majority of the day either eating, or walking to eat somewhere. We had a fantastic fondue lunch in town.We finished it off with a dessert of fresh raspberries, served with double cream.We may have had some wine with that too. Olivia tried fondue...and liked it! It was a proud moment for us.


After lunch we figured we might as well continue to satisfy our every whim. We continued up the road to Broc to visit La Maison de Caillet (Nestle) for a tour of the factory and some chocolate. It has just been renovated and reopened on the 2nd. The actual factory has been there since the 1750's and was the first in Switzerland to make milk chocolate. I believe we spent a couple of hours there. The tour ended with a room full of "testers"...100 different types of chocolate. You can only imagine...

It continues...



We continued on to Chateau de Chillon which is located on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. Unfortunately, it was closed. My kids are loving churches and castles. it is not necessarily the history they are after, but the novelty of climbing all the old crooked stairs and the discovery of all the nook and crannies.
The sun was just setting and there was a slight mist settling as we were there. Olivia and I took a ton of photos, a few of which I have posted on my flickr account (on the right hand side).


I am hesitant to say how our evening ended, but it really just sums up family travel.....

Macdonalds for chicken mcnuggets!

The line up was out the door, the drive through even further. It must be the free Wi-fi?!

Annecy, France

Today has been nice and slow. Darcy, Kelly and the kids have left for Morocco. We have just been sitting back and absorbing the last week.It feels like we have been here much longer than a week. Both kids are curled up doing their thing, Mike has gone to a cafe and I am researching where to go and what to do next. It feels nice to just sit back and relax. Its easy to do. Geneva likes to close down for holidays and Sundays too. Earlier, I was the frantic one at the grocery store making sure that we were stocked up until Tuesday. God forbid we go hungry...or run out of wine. I have had a hard time getting my head around the fact that I CANNOT SHOP! I cannot pop into the store for any last minute ingredients. To add to this...nothing comes in a large quantity. The largest containor of milk I can buy is 1 L.The largest yogurt is 500g. Cereal 350g...Max can finish that off in a day with a litre of milk. I am not use to shopping this way. I was definitely out of place with my buggy full of food..oh, and to top it off dressed head to toe in "workout wear"

Yesterday we spent the day in Annecy, France. It is a great little town, on Lac Annecy, situated about 45min. from Geneva. Mike and I visited there last time we were here and wanted the kids to see it. It is very lively.The boardwalk was packed and the cafes full. It is great place to wander about and people watch. Both times I have seen it in the spring. I am looking forward to visiting this summer and going for a swim in the lake.There are a number of pictures on my flickr account..link is on my blog. Excuse all the photos of windows and doors...it is just another phase I am going through.

Everyone is very concerned that the easter bunny will not be able to find us tomorrow...at what age does this end??

oh no...

Oh no...my kids have discovered there is a Disneyland in Paris....