The next day we headed out to the perfect spot Randy scouted out for us to watch Stage 5 of the Paris-Nice Bike Tour. This particular bike tour is a week long, compared to the Tour de France which is 3 weeks. Our spot was on a bend, on the Route d’Aleyrac/ Route de la Bégude de Mazenne, on the last climb of the day. Cody came with us and enjoyed the entertainment.

We chalked the road,

prepped our viewing spot, (Our home in Saint Drézéry was equipped with an American flag curtain, which was perfect for decorating our viewing spot. )

watched travelers ascend and descend (before the road was closed),

talked with fellow spectators,

and ate baguettes. Now the road was closed for the peloton to arrive in about 30 minutes.

Randy did an amazing job planning out his birthday adventure for the family. He found an amazing airbnb located at 2 Margerie, 26230 Colonzelle. It was perfect for us. This house included studying places for the kids. This was our first adventure in the middle of the week where we had the kids complete school on the road.

Entering Provence I really wanted to see lavender in bloom, but we were too early in the season. I snapped a picture of the fields in winter. Then I saturated the picture with color trying to pretend it was summer. On one walk I found broken pottery in the fields and crossed a small bridge with 1937 etched in the concrete wall.

While school was in session Randy and I headed out to a wine tasting at Domaine de Montine.

We drove to the next village to find dinner both nights. Upon our return from dinner the first night we were met with a fire by the parking lot. Several neighbors were working together to keep the fire at bay until “les pompiers” arrived. To me the word for firefighters sounded like “pumpies,” making complete sense in my brain because they pump water.  Our family recalled all the crazy experiences we witnessed while traveling in Europe. Reminders of a base jumper in Switzerland, a stowaway passenger in Greece, a pickpocket in Italy were on the list.

On March 4th Randy turned 50. So what does 50 really look like? Well for Randy it includes things he enjoys riding bikes, spending family time, working crosswords, drinking coffee, and reading the Bible.

Our village friends invited us over for an Apéro. “Short for apéritif, this is sacred in France: an hour or so before dinner where you can unwind over a cocktail (or two) and a few snacks. It’s about spending time together and preparing your palate for the meal to follow.” 

For Randy’s birthday we are heading NE for a few days.

Zach is 15. Hard to imagine this 6.2 lbs baby, born 5.5 weeks early, is now taller than me.

For his Birthday we were going to give him tickets to go see PSG (Paris soccer team with Messi and Mbappé) play Marseille, a city 90 minutes away. Unfortunately getting tickets to this game was like getting tickets to the Super Bowl. We had no idea.  We opted for buying the live game and watching it at home. We are super glad we did because it sleeted during most of the game. Our little friend Margaret roller skated into her 6th birthday. Our Friend Alli recently had her film camera developed and sent me a digital image of her hard copy picture on her 25th Birthday.

We woke up the next morning to about 1-2 inches of SNOW! Jill had mentioned that it snows every 5 years where we live in France. This is year 5 and we enjoyed it until it was gone at 11am. It is crazy to think we have had more snow here than friends back home. In case anyone is wondering, yes Mazie still took a bike ride with her buddy Cody.

On a side note the supermarket is having a special on Italian cheese.

Day 7

This blogging site is acting up so I am having to cut this day into 2 separate posts. Correction, I had to upgrade my storage before adding more photos.

We ended the morning with a picnic lunch. This can sound and look romantic and yet be just a means to refuel the body with curb appeal.

It was a nice day for a walk in the park. We were surprised to find Sequoia trees. The lake was amazingly peaceful.

We finished the afternoon with a 1 hour boat ride across Lac d’Annecy.

Day 7

Good Morning Annecy. This Alpine town, with an old town heart lined with cobblestones comes to life on Friday mornings with a market. The pedestrian streets buzz with excitement as the market vendors eagerly await to sell their goods. Meat, veggies, fruit, cheese, nougat, clothing and more can be found for all. The crowds engulfed the street by 10 am.

We strolled the streets and found fun stores and galleries with the artist working inside. One artist let us take pictures of his artwork. I really liked his palette with crevices of paint.

Day 6

This day should be great for resting my ankle! Train rides out of Italy, over the alps in Switzerland, and down to the French town of Annecy. Upon reviewing pictures and circumstances on this day we realized it was full of tribulations. 

When traveling with the kids on long car rides we would play a game where someone started a sentence. The following person would begin the next line with “unfortunately.” The next person would begin their sentence with “fortunately.” The story continues alternating unfortunately and fortunately. This day reminded me of our car stories. 

The first train was late out of Florence to Milan causing a domino effect. Unfortunately, in Milan we missed our train to Geneva by 20 minutes.

Fortunately, we had 2+ hours to grab lunch outside in the sun. Unfortunately, a guy attempted to steal my backpack. Fortunately, Randy saw it happening out of his peripheral vision, ran after him, slammed him against a partition and recovered my backpack. Unfortunately for the robber, he did not complete his mission which caused his partner in crime to come slap him in the face in order to escape. Fortunately, a Milan resident witnessed the event, spoke English, and assisted us with proper Italian protocol. Unfortunately for the situation, we had to catch a train and did not see the conclusion. Fortunately, we were on our way. Unfortunately, we transversed the Alps at dusk and did not get to see the majestic Alps as planned.

Fortunately, we arrived in Annecy for the next two nights. Unfortunately, it was 11pm and we had not had dinner. Fortunately, an Irish pub nearby was still serving food. Unfortunately upon our return to the hotel, I realized I left my pajamas in Florence. Fortunately, we slept well.

Unfortunately in the morning, Randy realized he left his other pair of shoes, Hokas, on the train in Geneva. Fortunately, he had other shoes and sunny Annecy beckoned us to explore.

Kids finished up their last days on the slopes. Later they told us they saw Mont Blanc everyday!

The agony of the ankle led to another rest for me while Randy scouted out eating establishments with good food, service, and curb appeal. We had lunch in the Piazza del Duomo square. Restaurant Il Bottegone was perfectly situated for people watching, enjoying the sun, and relaxing. The owner/server was incredible. We returned for breakfast the next morning.

After our European lunch we walked the square admiring architecture and artists.

Next, we took a quick tour of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral.

We finished the afternoon sampling the chocolate artisan store across from our place. Nino & Friends should be on someone’s “best kept secrets to do in Florence.” The staff were polite, welcoming and knowledgeable. The samples of food, not just chocolate, took us through an Italian regional food experience. We started with a variety of chocolates, followed by olive oil samples with mushrooms, pesto, cheese and more. Our food experience ended with sips of flavored drinks such as limoncello.

After yet another ankle rest we concluded our time in Florence with a real Italian dining experience. The outdoor seating atmosphere led to conversations with other dining guests. Italian music played in the background. Dinner and coffee were excellent.

If there is a next time in Florence we will venture injury free to Ponte Vecchio and other well known sightseeing places.