BC's AT the Tour de France

With much anticipation, we walked down to the Champs Elysees to watch the final laps of the Tour de France today. We made quite an effort trying to acquire the inside scoop on a good spot to stand, what time to get there etc, but came up empty. So we chose to arrive two hours early and went to the closest spot to our house (if you watched the coverage we stood right beside the awards stage).

Unfortunately two hours was not enough to secure us a spot in the front - four rows back more like it - it was packed!. The fact that we were surrounded by english speakers was probably a good indication that we had not chosen a good spot. But settled in just the same. The girls sat on ground and counted each others teeth, Rupert educated some new friends on the ins and outs of the Tour and we all waited "patiently" for the Lance and the boys to arrive.

Although the winner had already been determined yesterday, it was still very exciting when the riders arrived- the crowd cheered, cameras went up in the air and everyone struggled to catch a look. I have to admit I didn't see much, there were too many people in front of us and the riders were extremely fast, but it was great to be a part of it all!

Next year I think might choose a spot further outside the centre of town. Vive Le Tour! Rupert's Hail Mary shot of Lance and the winner Contador (yellow jersey).

Williams Sisters Watch Out

The girls spent their mornings this week at Tennis camp. Despite their teachers very serious disposition, they had a great time and picked up some Tennis skills along the way.

Mini raquets, mini balls and mini players - It doesn't get much cuter than this!

Giverny

Last weekend we took a car trip with our first house guests of the summer to Giverny - Monet's house and gardens about an hour outside of Paris. Some of Monet's most famous paintings, such as his water lily and Japanese bridge paintings, were of his garden in Giverny.

The "water lily" pond was stunning, but much smaller and more enclosed by vegetation than I imagined.

The girls sketching the water lilies

Us with Sharon, Henry and M. in Monet's Gardens

With an afternoon still left on our car rental, we consulted the "points of interest" feature of our GPS and decided to check out La Roche Guyon, a chateau not far from Giverny.

The lack of the Chateau's guidebook presence meant that we basically had the place to ourselves and we were able to enjoy the grand rooms, views from the tower, and curious contents in peace.

Our unassuming walk through this typical French chateau ended with a surprise - a military bunker. It turns out that Rommel defended Normandy against the Allies in World War II from the bunker located here- La Roche Guyon was Rommel's headquarters.

The girls in front of the Chateau

Pony Camp

This week we sent our eldest, on a 5 day school trip to a Pony Camp. We had originally met the concept of sending our six year old away for 5 days with “You’ve got to be crazy!!!”. But nine months was enough for us to warm up to the idea, and when the interest was shown by our six year old - off she went.

Thirty kids from the school ranging from ages 4-6, chaperoned by teachers, headed off on the train to Mont St Sulpice, Bourgogne (Burgandy). The French must love their Pony Camps because they seem to be everywhere and the French parents at the school didn't appear to think this preschool excursion was abnormal.

Every child on the trip was assigned their own pony and were responsible for walking the Pony on a lead, brushing it, as well as learning to ride and Pony gymnastics (?). P’s pony was named Pelouche (soft toy).

It was a lonely week for us, our permitted one phone call was expectedly unsatisfactory and D was desperate for her sister.

In the end, it was a growth experience for all of us. P came home beaming ear to ear, smelling of pony. D couldn’t keep her hands off of her sister and showered her with hugs and kisses for hours and I was finally relieved of my aching heart.

Hopefully someone involved will give us some photos – I am dying to know more!

Hockey Tournament in Dunkerque

This past weekend, while Obama was hanging out in our hood, the family headed off with the Millepattes to Dunkerque, for a Hockey tournament. French hockey tournaments don't seem to differ much from the Canadian variety; cold rinks, lots of sitting around waiting for the next game, beer, Red Bull to wake you up from the beer and crowds of very smelly men. The lack of ice cleaning in between games seemed to be the only difference to Rupert. It must have been, he told ten times.

Adoring Fans trying to keep warm

In the end the Millepattes didn’t fare too well and finished the tournament with a 1-4 win/loss rate. But what could they expect from a team with guys who fall down when they take a shot at the puck. The girls and I were proud that Rupert seemed to pull his wait, especially for an old guy .

As exhausted as we were from the weekend, we pushed ourselves to stop at the Vimy Memorial on the way home from the tournament. Like our trip to the D-day beaches, seeing the terrain and the gravesites made the loss of life so much more real than any Hollywood blockbuster could. It was so sad to see the large number of nameless graves marked “known unto God”.

Not far from the cemetery is the Vimy monument – a truly awe inspiring sculpture sitting isolated in the middle of a field, on the highest point of Vimy Ridge. The girls were asleep in the car, so Rupert and I took turns walking the grounds. Unfortunately we weren’t able to see some of tunnels and look-out points, but the site of the Memorial itself was well worth the detour – we were both happy we had stopped.

Awesome!

Mimi & Paddy Visit

Wow what a week! Mimi and Paddy (my parents) were here for seven days and boy, do they really know how to pack it in. Morning to night were filled with bus tours, church visits, museums, flea markets, walking tours, shopping and best of all D’s birthday party. These seniors who appeared unaffected by jet lag or the miles and miles of walking, really brought it.

Their flight home was not so fun filled. Their cabin filled with smoke 40min outside of Paris prompted an emergency landing in London and then followed by a 4+ hour containment in the airport. Crazy!!!! We are happy, they are safe and sound at home now.

Thanks for the visit, it was great to have you!!!

Our Little Parisian Turns Six

Yesterday we hosted our first birthday party in Paris. We had a standard Canadian party with games, cake, ice cream, and party goods from the Dollorama (imported from Canada). Despite my fears, our apartment handled the fourteen kids fairly well and there were no major incidents to report.

French birthday parties are similar to ours, but there are a few differences to note:

The Cake - P’s Barbie cake (an Anglo girl favorite) was quite a departure from what kids generally have at parties here. The French don’t DO themed birthday cakes. From what we have experienced, a typical French birthday cake is very grown up, rich, chocolate and multi-layered (one of the layers is usually gooey). My tutor was disgusted when I described the Barbie concept to her, and said “why don’t you just get one from the patisserie”. I can’t wait to show her the photos of our “tasteful” pink princess.

Candy – French parties usually come with lots and lots of candy and the loot bag is usually a big bag of JUST candy.

Champagne - Parents usually are invited in for a glass of champagne when they pick up their kids. P ordered pink champagne, of course. We like this custom :).

All in all, the party was a big success. P was very happy today, and reflected on her milestone “I know I am six, but I still feel five.”

Generations of Abba lovers thanks to Mama Mia

Versaille

An early morning start, prepurchased tickets and a midweek date, was not enough to beat the crowds in Versaille yesterday. As we arrived, so did the buses!!!! Accompanied by another mom and her children, we pushed our way through the many grand rooms of the Chateau. Unfortunately, the children’s only interest (besides food) in our tour was getting to The Hall Mirrors. When we finally arrived at the Hall of Mirrors, it did not disappoint. The girls forgot their stomachs for a few moments and made space, by twirling and dancing amongst the 357 mirrors and 20 glass chandeliers in the spectacular room.

After a short visit to the Chateau, we headed out to the beautiful Versaille gardens and spent the rest of the day, admiring the fountains, picnicing by the canal, feeding the ducks and hours of walking around the canal. It was great to breathe the fresh air and give the kids an opportunity to run. A return to this unbelievable estate in the very low season, is probably in order for the future.

twirling in the Hall of Mirrors

fun in the jardin

The "ça va" moment

Each day after school, the girls and I go to the tiny park across the street from the school, on the Seine. There are four park benches on either side of the park and in general the French parents/caregivers sit on one side and the English on the other.

Yesterday, we were the second family to arrive. A French Mother with whom I exchange smiles and occasional Bonjours, was already there. I decided, enough with the French/English division and sat down right next to her. I opened the conversation in French and she immediately switched to English (which was much better than my French) and we chatted sporadically for the next hour.

Today as all the Parents and caregivers waited at pick up, I said to The French Mom “bonjour” and she responded with “bonjour, ça va?”. “Oui” I responded in surprise “ça va”.

Early on, Rupert’s French Tutor explained to him some basic survival tips for daily greetings. The golden rule is, greet EVERYBODY individually with at least a Bonjour. There is subtle nuance when you want to acknowledge someone as more than just “anyone”. These people you acknowledge with “ça va?”. Rupert says “The minute somebody throws YOU a ça va in group setting, magic energy passes between the two you and you are acknowledged”.

I don’t know about magic, but this was my first ça va outside of my tutor and I was pretty happy to receive it.

A courageous moment, a small cultural gap closed and a personal barrier broken:).

Enchanted Meetings

At least two or three times a week at school pick up, we stop and admire an elaborately dressed princess and her handsome prince, being picked up in a chauffeured driven Mercedes. The girls never bore of delighting in the spectacle, which is, one of the 200 Japanese couples that get married every year, in the church where P& D go to school.

After watching these weddings for a couple of months, I did a little research and found that this is all part of relatively lucrative business. “Our” church is apparently picked from a catalogue of fantasy weddings for the Japanese.

These couples apparently are heading to Paris (and elsewhere) for a wedding, because back at home, they are required to ask their friends and relatives to come to the ceremonies. A party with the family costs on average about $30,000, while they can pay about $10,000 for an entire overseas wedding, complete with rented wedding dress, photographer and travel.

My kind hearted friend who feels so sorry for these weddings without family and friends, always showers the newlyweds with “you look beautiful… congratulations…best wishes” as she walks by on her way to pick up her kids. Despite her pity, the couples are always glowing.

A number of times, while a couple were having their photos taken on the church steps, hords of kids after a day at school, streamed out around them. I am always so curious how these newly weds feel about this addition to their fantasy wedding.