Au revoir France!  Today we spent our last day in Paris.  We did the typical tourist things! We are headed back to Chicago tomorrow.  This is my last post!- 50 total- a lot more than I had expected.  I have enjoyed sharing our stories and photos of this past year. I can not believe how quickly this has all happened.  We have seen so much and experienced even more. Chris and I have always believed that life is about having new experiences and we would not have changed a thing!  The travel bug has bit us (not that it hadn't already)!  We plan on having many experiences abroad as well as within the US.  There is still a lot for us to see in USA- we now are realizing what a large country we live in and we need to take advantage of it all while we can! In my first month of postings- I wrote of all the things I missed in the US... and now I will conclude with all the things I will miss from France....and my list is 3 times longer!!

1.  A good cup of coffee.  Sitting at a cafe and really enjoying it.  No to- go cups!
2.  The pastries and bread.  There are boulangeries and patisseries on nearly every street.  You can always find a good baguette, croissant, pain au chocolat, eclair, macaron, or chausse aux pommes.
3.  The restaurants and fine dining.  I know we have some great restaurants in Chicago so I plan on making reservations when we return.
4.  Chocolate.  Everyone just accepts it for the greatness that it is here. Whether it's a small chocolate with your coffee or a big piece nestled in a fresh baguette.
5.  Wine.  Drinking wine at lunch and dinner.  Getting a  good bottle for less than 15 euros.
6.  Double cheek peck kiss.  I love greeting friends with the double kiss.
7.  Kids speaking french. I am so happy we decided to put the littles in a french school.  They have not only learned a new language but learned about how to manage difficult situations with laughter and joy.
8.  French idea of a work-life balance.  When we first moved here we were appalled that the french took off the month of July or August for vacation.  Doesn't anybody understand the value of work??? Well- maybe they have something.  The time we have taken in the south of France has been so relaxing and brought the family together.  There are no "stay-cations" here- life is not about staying in your home...its about seeing what else is out there!
9.  Driving.  Not all of it.  I hate the motorcycles and mopeds! I do like the roundabouts...why do we have 4 way stop signs in the US??  I like that we can park on either side of the road in either direction.  I especially like that I can temporarily park on the sidewalk when I can't find a spot and will only be a few minutes.
10.  Walking.  I love that you can walk anywhere and it keeps you in shape. We drive way too much in the states.
11.  Friends I have made here.  It so easy to strike up a conversation and laugh at our ordeals and vent the same frustrations
12.  Travel. Ability to get a TGV ticket and travel on last minute notice to somewhere fantastic for less than 100 euros.  Or get on a flight and in less than 2 hours be anywhere in Europe.
14.  Strikes and Protests.  OK- may seem strange.  The french strike for everything all the time.  Yes- it can be inconvenient but I love the fact that they are vocal with their concerns.  They have strong beliefs and do not sit back, do nothing and complain about being victims.  They make themselves heard!
15. International school/friendships. Kids have unknowingly shattered stereotypes and embraced all cultures.
16.  Style.  People in France, especially Paris always look neat and tidy.  What I like is that most take pride in their appearance. It doesn't need to be chic and fashionable- just simple and ironed! People here do not where gym shoes and t- shirts with advertisements.  I have never seen a french person at the grocery store in their work out clothes!
17. The outdoor food marches.  To be able to get fresh food everyday at a good price- priceless!
18. Feeling uncomfortable!   Not speaking french very well always kept me a little off balance.  At first, I was fearful but now it is a good reason to keep me on my toes!   My only regret is not learning more french....but we will be back!

Travel as much as you can, as far as you can and as long as you can.  Life is not meant to be lived in one place!

A very packed last 2.5 weeks in Cannes!! Sorry- a long blog! My parents, Luciana and I headed to Antibes and the Cap d'Antibes.  It is a beach town which houses multimillion dollar homes. We took the Petite Train to get a tour of the area.  We will be back in this town with the other kids as their are many children friendly activities there.

I love that you can find a carousel in any town and always puts a smile on her face

Antibe

I dropped off parents at a hotel in Nice because their flight was departing very early.  We had lunch and fell upon a water park.   It was a large platform- about 50 ft with sprinklers that would randomly shoot up. Luciana was hesitant as she was afraid of the water and she did not have her swim suit.  Finally, she saw two french girls with nothing but their undies on. She looked at me with a huge grin as she went down to her skivvies.  The three girls held hands and had a wonderful time jumping in and around the water.  We said goodbye to my parents- but it is a short one as we will be home in less than 3 weeks.

I like the reflection in the water

Luciana in the middle

Luciana and I spent a few days on our own.  It was nice.  We would drop off the kids at camp, work out, take a swim in the pool, lunch, go to the marche to get fresh food for dinner, pick up the kids, eat dinner,  jump back in the pool and end our day playing cards.  It was nice to have 3 days of no running around and just enjoying each others company.  Although she has started to have this alter- ego.  Her nickname is Goopy.  Well now, she only refers to herself as Luciana- that is until she does something naughty.  She then blames it on Goopy.  "I did not hit Emilia, Goopy did it"  "She is really mean mom"  I have been playing along with this game but I think it may backfire on me!

My play date with Luciana

Dinner and they are getting along!

A parade in the middle of the food marche

The 3 older kids continued their final week of Action Camp.  They had some great performances.  I especially enjoyed Olivia's modern version of Cinderella where Olivia had the part of Prince Charming.  She actually met a prince charming of her own.  Her first crush... a 12 year old Italian boy who asked her for her phone number.  It was very cute. Chris and Olivia's friend Tori arrived on Saturday.  We are happy that Tori could join us for our last two weeks.  We kept it low key for a couple days as to let her adjust to timezone.

Alex- the pirate

Friends!

Shelling Shrimp

The kids( minus Luciana) are all enrolled in water actvities for a week from 9:30-12:30.  Olivia and Tori are learning to sail a catamaran, windsurf and other sailing activites while Alex and Emilia are getting intro lessons on watersports.  They have sailed a dingy boat,wind surfed, paddle boarded and sailed the sea. Chris and I took the advantage of the mornings.  We took long walks, went wind surfing, ran on the beach and even got haircuts.  Kids had a great week and learned a lot about the water.  I am especially proud of Alex- who had a lot of fear about water and was hesitant to go in the sea.  By the end of the week, he was out there rowing through the waves with a smile.

Cannes from the top of the hill

Olivia and Tori at Catamaran lesson

Alex in the dingy

Emilia in her dingy

After a run on the beach

Olivia and Tori paddle boarding

After lessons were over, our afternoons were filled with the beach, shopping and the pool.  We spent one afternoon in Nice where they played in the fountains and went to a very cool playground with oversized wooden sea animals to climb.  The kids also met up with some french girls who were practicing gymnastics in the fields.  They performed their tricks for over an hour with lots of spectators in awe of the young girls.  We also went shopping and keep encouraging the kids to eat new foods.  The other day they all had mussels just so they could get an extra scoop of ice cream.

waiting for the fountains

Her old gymnastics buddy

Fearless Emilia

Whale - part of playground

macarons!

On the red carpet.

Olivia ordered mussels and fries

Emilia trying a mussel and proving she swallowed it

Alex's turn

We spent one afternoon in Saint Nezaire and Grasses.  In Saint Nezaire their is a grotto and caves.  We went 40meters down and explored the caves.  We then headed to Grasses which is the perfume capital of the world.  A "nose" is a perfume expert-someone who can decipher 200 different essential oils and create new scents. There are only 200 "noses" in the world, 50 of them live in France and 49 of them live in Grasses- hence the term "perfume capital of the world". We went to the Perfumerie Galimard.  We learned how perfume and soaps are made.  We also were privy to the new fashion scents for next year.  Apparently next summers trend for women will be a mixture of blackberry, cherry, mango and passion fruit. For men- it is mint, coconut and sandalwood.  We shall see if we are ahead of the times!  Chris and I had our final french date night.  We went to La Palme d'Or.  It is a 2 star Michelin restaurant located in the Hotel Martinez.   The menu was quite amusing- it took a paragraph to describe one dish.  The food may have been the best meal I have ever had however it came with a price- holy moly! The most money we have ever spent on a meal!

The grotto

The room where the "nose" works

Girls trying escargot

Giant Selfie in Cannes

Alex and a friend 

Olivia, Emilia and Tori on the boat

Chris windsurfing

My dessert at La Palme D'Or

Last date night in France- perfect dinner!

We also went to Aquasplash.  It is a water slide park in Antibes. Lots of activities for the different ages so everyone had fun.  We went back to the island of St. Marguerite.  This time prepared with fishing nets and water shoes.  Kids enjoyed looking for fish and crabs.  We took a 1hr boat ride to Saint Tropez.  I have often read about this city so was looking forward to seeing the beaches. It is indeed beautiful.  Very quiet beaches with lots of sand.  There are many different beaches along the shore so we took a walk to see everything. It is then that we all got to experience our first nude beach.  It was just nestled in between 2 public beaches- no privacy or warning!  Olivia walked away saying she was traumatized and that life will never be the same.  Quite frankly- I don't get it either!
We explored the ritzy shops and headed back for our last couple nights in Cannes.  Every Tuesday there are fireworks so we finished our adventure here with fireworks on the beach!  Off to Paris tomorrow!

Alex heading down

Emilia

On the boat to Saint Tropez

St. Tropez

Girls admiring the celebrities

Always posing Emilia

Cannes Fireworks