Les vacances de la Toussaint

We just returned from 10 fun filled days of vacation. French schools take a break in October for the Toussaints (All Saints holiday). I think we were successful in our goal of trying to cover as much territory as we could without coming home exhausted. Taylor started the journey as a weary traveler. He had been teaching in Norway the week before we left. His flight arrived in Paris at 1pm and we hit the road at 6pm. Not much time to repack the suitcase. As we traveled in the dark we had the feeling that we were missing some pretty countryside. We drove five hours to Chamonix and enjoyed a peaceful nights rest in a hotel. What a glorious surprise when we opened our windows in the morning! Wow! What a view! The French Alps are rugged, relaxed and rustic (how's that for alliteration?)


Taylor started the day at the boutique de chocolat. The kids were in heaven choosing chocolates for breakfast. Then we headed up the mountain. We took the telepherique (tram) and then a 6 person ski lift to reach the top. The view of Mont Blanc was superb. It was a clear day.

Trick-or-Treat

"Trick-or-Treating" at the CAB today. There were lots of goblins and witches in Lilly's school class. The class walked over a mile stopping at several homes of children who attend the CAB. As always they traveled in groups of two holding hands with a partner. It was fun to watch the looks of surprised people passing the parade.
At each house the children said in English "Trick-or-Treat give us something good to eat!" Then they sang a song in French:
J'ai pas voulu manger,
La soupe de la sorciere,
C'etait de la soupe de crapaud, berk, berk,
Avec de la bave d'escargot, berk, berk,
Et puis des crottes de chameau, berk, berk.

Madame la sorciere, j'ai pas faim, j'ai pas faim,
Je reviendrai demain!
Lilly's teacher Elisabeth is one of the most patient and kind pre-school teachers I have ever seen. She takes her time with each child, yet maintains an incredible sense of order in her classroom. Now that the fun is over we are packing the car and heading to Northern Italy for a 10 day school holiday!

Citrouilles (pumpkins)

Citrouilles are not common in France. While at home we have the pumpkin patch and bins full of pumpkins at the grocery store here citrouilles are few and far between. Today Lilly's school had an "autumn sale". There are many British, American and German families at the CAB. We are lucky that the school incorporates so many international holidays!
Tomorrow night we leave for Italy. Clara is planning on taking her citrouille with her so that she can carve it on Halloween night!
Pumkin head?
Gathering citrouilles with our friends Alyson, Kate and Maya Thomas.

Coureur (runner)

Spencer is a real "coureur". This week all grades from the International School are running timed races. The Collège raced today. The top 20 racers will go on to compete in a regional race among other schools. Spencer placed 12th. We all think he is a winner!

Harvest

Bounty from the harvest filled the Marché today. The contrasting colors on the vendors display tables draw my interest. It's almost as if they are creating a scene for a still life painting.Foilage or food? This landscape is tasty...Can you guess what we are having for dinner?

Bâtons et de pierres (sticks and stones)

As a child I repeated the phrase, "Bâtons et de pierres can break my bones, but words may never hurt me". I'm now trying to help my own children believe this. School teachers in France can be rather impatient. A couple of weeks ago Spencer's teacher called him an idiot. Olivia's teacher has been heard to say "shut up!" Today Clara came home and said her French language teacher told the entire class, "Vous êtes stupide!" (you are stupid). While I recognize and celebrate cultural differences this is one area we are trying to understand. A thick skin and a strong sense of self worth is priceless on days like today.

Ami (Friend)

If there is one thing we have been given a surplus since moving to France it's good "amis" (friends). You can never have too many friends, there is always room for more! Friday after school Olivia and Clara were invited for a play date at the Dowels. They are also a new family. Just arrived from Australia.










Here is a mixture of American, British and Australian beauties. All of them are currently learning French and they hope to aquire that coveted "French accent" before years end.






Taylor and I were invited to join the fun. Our friends live about 20 minutes away in "Samois-Sur-Seine". It is unbelievably beautiful. We walked along the Seine and felt like we were in the movies. It seemed as if I could take a photograph every time I looked in a different direction.








We ended the evening at the local pizzeria. Because we went to dinner at 7pm (too early for French standards) we had the restaurant to ourselves. It's a good thing because this is a spunky group of girls!