Au Revoir

Endless country roads flanked by Plane trees - to keep the marching soldiers cool.

On our way to Spain!

This portion of the trip comes at a very good time. The end of our travels is in sight. I know Olivia has a countdown going on facebook. I do not need to count the days..I can recognize the changes in us. Mike has started to communicate more with work. Olivia is planning her social summer time activities. I am starting to organize/toss all that we have accumulated over the past months. Max continues as is...it is getting hard to keep up with his endless enthusiam.

Barcelona will provide us with a bit of culture shock. A bit of city to liven things up a bit. We have been in the country far too long! It will give us a chance to regroup as a family after a month of visitors and lots of social time.



We will miss the crooked, colorfulness of the Provençal way of life. Scented lavender,ancient plane trees, bluebird days,the drone of bees and crickets, daily markets and lots of rosé..

Au revoir xo

Images from our final days in France..





L'isle-sur-la- Sorgue - picturesque waterwheels, antique shops,ridiculously charming...



Another visit from our good friends Kelly, Darcy, Emilia and Anderson




Les Baux de Provence and the Château Des Baux
A fortified hilltop village and the ruins of the Château.



View from Château Des Baux



Is he on the phone??






I am having RDC whip me up some of these for my backyard at home. If interested, place your order now!



Cassis and the Calanques.
Cassis - "crowned port" not the liquer,
A very pretty fishing village surrounded by Les Calanques - drop dead gorgeous tourquoise coves with dramatic rock formations all along the coastline. A haven for boaters, hikers, swimmers and cliff jumpers.
My new favorite place!



No, thats not Mike. Chicken!!
Check out the climb back up!



Entry!



Exit!



At least he wont burn his noggin'...


"Sentier du Petit Prince" ...one of the many hikes through les Calanques



I like trees....

P.S.
Mike won the race!
Not one car passed us the entire trip to Barcelona...not even the little, yellow Ferrari...although he did play with us for a while.

Come along for the ride..

BMW Welt in Munich

Have I mentioned that I love our new car?
I havent.
I am feeling a bit guilty that I have not given it the attention that it deserves.

We were in need of a car..and in need of a car here for our travels. Mike thought it would be a fun adventure to get European delivery of our car to use now and have shipped back to home in Whistler after our travels.

I cant sing the praises of BMW Euro delivery enough! Feeling very lucky indeed..



We picked up this little beauty in Munich at the BMW Welt.Yes.. that is it above in all its glory..shiny and new. I know..the presentation is a bit over the top, but very entertaining. I was a wee bit uncomfortable about the whole thing until I reminded myself that we were only picking up a station wagon!! There were some very nice wheels driving out of there...
They totally play up the whole personal delivery process. We enjoyed every moment of our day at the BMW Welt. A spa for car lovers.. The lounge, the tour,the museum, the presentation, the driving simulation course.. was all over and above what we were expecting. My pictures will do it much more justice than my words....(see flickr badge to right there..click..pics in BMW Welt album)


..if only I didnt have a wife and kids....


..my fav..


Olivia's fav...


Max's fav..


It has proven to be a fantastic opportunity. We have already racked up 7000km to date. We have had the opportunity to explore every little nook and cranny of this country.



Unfortunately it has also allowed us to shop....I dont think this baby can hold much more! I have been relegated to the backseat (to avoid conflict) for 6000 of those km. Keep in mind that the Cervelo takes up the other back seat. I can only shake my head....

Unfortunately I have also not mentioned the time we spent in Munich and surrounding area.We only had a couple of days to spend in Munich. I would love to return again in the summer and spend a bit more time exploring. Max would like to go to the beer hall again..




Look how clean cut they are!!

Ahhh, it has been a while since I blogged. I think I may be coming down with a little something..... dare I say.. writers block. Or is it just that reality is lurking in the shadows and I am not quite sure if I am ready for it.. We are only 4 weeks away from home. I am having very mixed feelings about the final weeks of this trip..

I have come to enjoy my lack of communication with the world.For months I complained about my lack of internet access. Now I have access and I complain again.(The otherside always seems so much better.. ) Lack of it has offered a certain freedom that one doesn't normally have in the "real" world.. There is no responsibility to anyone , but those you are with. Some may say it is selfish. Others may say its avoidance. I say ignorance is bliss!!

All I really know right now is that we are very excited to return home BUT there is no doubt in my mind that there is going to be some sort of letdown a few weeks after our return. I give it two weeks...
We will definitely be in need of some friend therapy..



Aix en Provence



All has been good here with the family.We have all travelled together before so I don't expect any problems. It took a few days for Mike and I to get use to having others around.Lots of talking!! We enjoy it, but after months of just us, it takes a little getting use to again. The kids are in heaven. They love having their grandparents around. They are all sitting around a small coffee table puzzling/bantering right now. I don't think it gets better than that for family time. But trust me it has not been all fun and games..



We have had a busy couple of weeks touring.It has been very satisfying sharing our experiences with the others. We have revisited a number of the small towns we grew to love in the Luberon area - Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Aix. We have also discovered more beautiful places in the Bouches-du-Rhone area - Avignon, St Remy de Provence, L'isle-sur-la-Sorgue. The south of France is a little sliver of heaven with something to satisfy every whim.



I have to mention the "bluebird" days that seem quite typical here in the South. I know artists have been speaking of the crisp and clean light here for years. I understand now..I feel like I have hit the enhance key on my photo editing editing program.



The compound..enough room for everyone!



papa pontificating



The daily "chore" of picking cherries


Found in my mothers suitcase (which was found and returned from the airport absolutely tattered and beyond repair...)
A big bottle of gin,homemade irish soda bread and banana bread, a kg jar of peanut butter, archie digest comics...Bless her!



Buying different types of "bird whistles" from the Bird man at the Lourmarin market.





Nimes at night.
We had a fantastic evening out with our "home exchange" friends in Nimes. In fine french form...we sat down to dinner at 10pm. We found ourselves still wandering around town at 2am. The kids were thrilled to be out so late, my dad not so thrilled...



June 21st is the Fête de la Musique throughout all France. A night not to be missed. Artists of all ability and style scattered throughout the town.All streets are closed and there is a show of some sort around every corner.



The last sit down conversation I had with Mike was something about moving to Pemberton meadows and living in an airstream, grid-free.I am looking forward to re-connecting with him at the end of the month when it is just the four of us again...

And so it begins....

The grandparents are here. They have brought drama and bad weather with them!

Fantastic!

Their plane was late due to a mechanical failure, an onboard medical emergency and lost luggage. That would be my mom's luggage.....

They have jet lag and very swollen ankles.

We love that they are here despite all of the above. xo

And then there were seven...

Ok, it has been a couple of days and I am feeling a tad guilty for posting a picture of my darling she-devil...

I now have my rose colored glasses on and I am seeing her in a much better light.



That child can be good as gold for hours on end.Then, out of the blue, she is replaced by the she devil ..a whirlwind of snarkiness and moodiness prevails. The next minute all is fine and she acts like nothing has happened...leaving destruction in her pathway and the rest of us in a bad mood. Mike and I fare well, but poor Max. He just doesn't have the experience yet to be able to ignore.

I do not deal well with inconsistency.



Ok, this child also drives me crazy. Fortunately , it is nothing that a good pair of earplugs cant solve. He has Beiber fever. He wanders around all day singing songs about love lost and breaking hearts. I swear he will live with us for the rest of his life.



Ice cream from L'art de glacier. Endless flavors of homemade ice cream and sorbet served over meringue with fresh fruit and chocolate sauce.




We ate the whole thing....for dinner.

We are still in Provence , but only about 10km as the crow flies from our last abode. It is amazing just how different it is. We are out of the vineyards and orchards and into the hills. A rocky landscape bursting out of the greenery. .Still expansive cornflower blue sky, but the never- ending wheat fields are gone. I miss them, but I am also liking it here. Very fickle!



This home exchange will be a test as we are actually going to be in one place for a whole month.(will post pics later...the accommodation,excuse me, the compound, is hardly a test !!) To add to the challenge we also have visitors for most of the month. The grandparents arrive tomorrow for two weeks and then we have Kelly and Darcy at the end of the month. Our lives have become quite routine despite all the movement so it is always interesting to see what outsiders add to the mix. Will keep you posted! All those out there requesting more drama may finally get their fill. You have practically "willed" it!

Our social life has been rocking these days! Last week we had the opportunity to visit old (university) friends in St Cezaire sur Siagne . They were down visiting for the week from London and invited us for a visit.Quite daring considering we now have kids and it has been 10 years since we last saw them. It could have been a disastrous 24 hours with no escape from us. It wasn't!



We had a great time! It was a mini vacation.We lounged by the pool,reminisced about the past, talked about the future and generally got caught up. Kathy and I stayed up until all hours drinking rose and solving our children's problems. Our own problems are same-old and boring....



There is something quite special about university friends. I find it very easy to pick up where I left off with these friends regardless of the years that have passed. It is right down to the nitty gritty with these peeps. I am hoping to see this crew more often. Hopefully in London! (sorry deeds...girls trip to nyc soon!)

Let the drama begin..

She is driving me crazy!!!

The grandparents arrive in 12 hours....for two weeks.

Let the drama begin!!

Otherwise having a lovely time here in Provence.

Wish you were here.

xoxo