France Trip day 2

So I finally had a fresh croissant and now I know what everyone was talking about. The french really know their pastries and it was so good that I didn't care that it had a million calories in it. After breakfast Claude (the owner of the B&B) serenaded us on the guitar and sang "Hotel California". It was a perfect start to the day.

On the way to Monaco we stopped off at a hill top town called Eze. The town was actually built into the side of a mountain so the views were amazing. We ate crepes in a cave that was converted into a restaurant. We then toured a French perfume factory and learned how it is made. And of course, I shopped :)

That afternoon we headed over to Monaco. We started by heading over to an aquarium. As we crossed a bridge leading to the aquarium we noticed that the waves were so big that they actually crashed up and over the bridge. It was pretty amazing but we did not stick around to long. The aquarium was located in the basement of a huge palace and was built by Prince Albert of Monaco.

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring around the city, playing at parks, and of course we checked out the infamous Monte Carlo. We ended up eating at a restaurant called "Stars and Bars" which is an American chain. The restaurant is like a "Hard Rock Cafe" except dealing with sports AND this restaurant had a kids room. The adults sit in a special section and the kids can run back and forth from a supervised kids room. It was like being on a date. This is one concept I hope the States picks up on really soon.

Trip France Day 1

Excited and ready to go we arrived at Nice airport relatively painlessly (much to our surprise). Once there we waited along with 100 other people to get our rental car. I am not sure why but our car rental agency was the only one with a line. They did upgrade our car which was great and off we went! The B & B we stayed at was so charming. Decorated in a shabby French country decor that seemed effortless. We stayed in the house with another Aussie couple who were very friendly and had lots of helpful hints on where to go. I don't think I have ever met an unfriendly Aussie.

That night we decided to explore the hilltop town of Vence. Like most towns I have seen it has a wall that surrounds the historic section, small narrow streets and charming little shops. But this town, unlike the others, was so clean!!

We had dinner at a restaurant called Lavender and I ate chateaubriand for the first time. Yes, it was amazing. We finished off the meal with a (very strong) Irish Coffee and violet ice cream. It is incredible how you can taste an aroma. I am not really sure how to explain it other than "delicious". And of course Reid was an angel during dinner.

After putting Reid to bed Andy and I gazed at the stairs while laying out on lounge chairs, finished a bottle of wine and discussed "young" vs "old" earth theories. All in all a great first day.

Civita di Bagnoregio

So today Blake, Reid and I ventured to a small town called Civita di Bagnoregio or better known as the "dying city". The city is 4,000 years old!! A few hundred years ago everyone abandoned ship after an earth quake struck and ever since the town has been slowly eroding . The population right now is on the rise at a whopping 30 people.It is completely different fromRome and I am absolutely in love. In order to enter the town you must walk 1 kilometer across a very narrow bridge. Inside there is one trattoria (restaurant) one bar (coffee/snack shop) and 1 shop (for tourists). It is so quiet and there are no cars (or people) you can just wander up down the narrow streets and imagine what life would be like here.The 30 people that do live here take great pride in their town. It is very clean with

flowers every where. It even appears that they hang curtains in the abandoned apartments. There is a strong sense of serenity and maybe sadness as you look around at all the buildings with chains and locks on their doors. I guess all good things must come to end but this place is hanging on with all its might.

My Karate Kid

Reid just had his first Karate class and loved it! He is the youngest one in there and does not have a clue what he is doing but had a big smile on his face the whole class. He says that he is like Skipper from the TV show Penguins of Madagascar. If you have not seen the show it is pretty cute. And yes I was THAT MOM waving at myson through the doorway and taking tons of pictures. Well, that is after I learned how to put the kimono on properly. (I am in VERY new territory here) I pray my little girl wants to be a ballerina.

Mother's day

A quick addendum to the Greece post. One morning we celebrated mother's day in Greece. It was probably one of the most memorable to date. Here we are sitting at a cafe with the bluest waters possible enjoying a frappe. It is here Andy presents me with my mother's day gift. A beautiful necklace and a dress for our future baby girl! Guess where we are planning on adopting from? . . . .

It's all Greek to me

We packed up the family and took a quick 4 day trip to Athens, Greece in order to take full advantage of a business trip. We arrived Saturday morning and decided to rent a car and get out of the city and avoid the riots, tear gas, and all-around mayhem of the city. We borrowed Bill and Karen's GPS. They previously lived in Athens and recommended a beach near Sourin on the southern-most tip of the Athens peninsula. The beach was even saved in their GPS' favorites. So, we fired up the GPS and started following directions. Unfortunately when we heard the phrase "you have reached your destination" we were in the middle of a land-locked parking lot looking at a tire store. We pulled out the map and realized we went 30km in the wrong direction. So we drove back towards the airport. Interspersed in the greek-worded signs we found our way and eventually got to the beach. Well, not 'the beach', but a beach. We ate at a local fish house on the beach. Kate and I opened the screen door and Reid jumped down to play in the sand. He would jump up, have a few bites of lunch, and then jump back down and play more in the Adriatic.

The next day we woke up early and took the metro to the port to find a ferry and visit the greek island of Spestes. We arrived at the ticket booth and the woman said "you're in luck, there's a ferry. Do you see the ferry in the far distance, your ferry is a small one behind that. Here are your tickets. The only problem is that it leaves in four minutes. Good luck!" And off we dashed to the ferry. Nothing in Greece is on time - except the ferries. Running we waived our arms in the air. The ferry delayed enough for us to jump on board, and then off we went.

The day in Spetses was our favorite in Greece. We ate breakfast in a small restaurant on the water. Reid played in the sand and Kate and I drank cappuccinos. He hadn't planned well, so kate and I bought bathing suits and sandals in a local shop. We rented bikes and rode until we found a deserted beach. Well, almost deserted - there was a small tiki hut with a bartender. Reid loved throwing rocks in the Adriatic with his parents snoozing in the background.

On Monday unfortunately I had to go to work. Kate and Reid explored the Plaka and National Gardens. After work we met and toured the Akropolis. Glad we did it, but don't feel the need to go ever go back.

Looking back on the trip, even while living in Italy, Greece is worth visiting. The islands are Greece's saving grace - and Kate and I plan to go back. It's hard to compare the colorful cliff towns of Cinque Terre to the white-washed, blue-top towns of the Greek Islands. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Or - like comparing green olives to black olives.

Heaven through the eyes of a child

So Reid has been talking a lot about heaven a lot. . . . where is it, when will he go, is Mimi there? I have been pretty good about answering most questions until he really stumped me the other day. We were walking home from school and he looked up in the sky and asked "Mommy which cloud is the heaven cloud?" I looked up and really didn't know what to say. How do you explain heaven to a four year-old? Finally I answered "It will be the most beautiful cloud you will ever see. If I ever see it I will show it to you." He seemed pretty satisfied with that answer. . . for now.