15 October Greece

We ventured to Greece for a week. Tickets were cheap. Beaches were empty. It was the off season because school was in session for the majority of families. We left Cody at home with friends who came to house sit with him! Win for all of us.

Things we learned today:

• 6 AM flight…why…very little sleep the night before, tired children and parents in a foreign country
• Transavia airlines is GREEN

• Athens has marble curbs and marble sidewalks
• Marble sidewalks can be slick when it rains

• Our kids have not been educated enough about Greek civilization nor mythology to understand the importance of Athens …thus expressions of disappointment and tired sour attitudes
• The Acropolis Museum was creatively built over active archeological sites 

• Marble statues, marble pictures, and clay pottery pieces told of Ancient Greek stories, while Lego bricks opened the curiosity of young minds to actively search for hidden figures within and connect ancient times to present reality.

And now a small commercial break for Airbnb’s……

• A nice Airbnb can be a very relaxing place to recharge life and phones 
• Thank you Vasilis 26, Athina 118 51, Grèce

14 October

Things are starting to slow down as far as new experiences. This week Z went with a friend to get a French haircut. He misses his Mrs. Susan, from back home, who cuts hair in her basement. I had Z take his phone with a picture of the haircut he would like that Mrs. Susan had given him before leaving the USA. He said this French “hairdresser” took his job seriously and had a spinning chair.

M accompanied Z and R to ultimate practice, 8:30-10pm! I had the night to myself. I chatted with a friend, watched a show, and went to bed before they came home.  M and Z both had a great time. M scored a lot. She wants to return! 

Also this week M moved to a higher level in horse riding groups. She was hesitant but was glad to have moved up. Some of the riders even speak a little English which was nice for M. They played games and ran races! Next time she will be bareback, so I am told.

Cody went to the vet this week to have his back paws looked at. He had some cuts and needed a little extra treatment.

9 October

Saturday the kids went ice skating with the youth group. I cannot believe this was their first time ice skating. One was excited to go and one did not want to go at all. There are two other families near our village so we typically carpool with them. Because we do not have younger children we are usually the “bring home” transportation. 

The skating rink is beside the aquarium at the end of the mall. I went a little early to go to the sports store for an upcoming trip. WOW! It looked as if over 75 people were waiting just in line to check out. Luckily, I did not find what I was looking for and left as soon as I could. Both kids had a good time and only fell a couple of times each. It was nice to see both kids engaged in conversations and goofing off when I arrived. 

Sunday after church we were invited to the pastor’s house for lunch with another family. The pastor’s daughter is M’s friend here in France. She speaks both French and English. They teach each other words, like chaussure and poop. To give them credit they were watching a horse behind the yard (jardin). 

We ate outside on this beautiful day. The meal was lovely and lasted until after 4pm. First was water and soft drinks with chips. Second, we moved to the tables and had lasagna, salad, bread and wine. Followed by a cheese plate for the third portion. Fourth and lastly, cheesecake and coffee. I think coffee is usually served separately after dessert, but they asked if we would like it with the cheesecake and we said yes please.  Everyone spoke French but me, and everyone spoke English except the pastor’s wife, who happens to be from Brazil. The adults and the 2 high schoolers had good conversations while the 8 kids laughed and played together, 4 middle schoolers (Z is considered this age in France), and 4 elementary kids. It was a blessing to be invited and to share a meal with people from church.

7 October

The aquarium here was a nice surprise and totally different from the ones we have visited in VA, MD, NC, MA and Canada. Each biome was decorated individually and realistically. Penguins, M’s favorite animal as a younger child, greeted us first, followed by deep sea animals.

One section felt as if you were in a submarine with a periscope.

Another area had a 3D film and ride on a boat in a storm and the boat was actually moving us. 

Other sections included the Amazon rainforest and outer space. 

The touch tanks were closed for humans, however the animals were still there in the water. Each time I passed by the stingray tank the creature would come to the ledge where it previously could be touched. It would flap its tail in the water, like a happy dog. It would surface for a rubbing. I actually felt sorry for it and wanted to break the rules and touch it, but I restrained myself 3 times and only talked to it.

5 October

Today M is a teenager!

She went into the day with little to no expectations, so she said the night before. Why? She is in a different country from her friends, friends she has spent her birthdays with for the past 7 years. Birthdays spent riding bikes, hunting for penguin eggs (Easter eggs), exploring creeks, excavating dinosaur bones, making mud pies, playing Wii, visiting a farm, oh the list goes on for the creative things she enjoys doing. How could today be special?

She was anxious to open anything, so I had her open the gift that would be the worst first, clothes. Yep, not happy. The rest of the day brightened up with a horse lesson, letters, scavenger hunts inside the house and throughout the village side, presents here and there, and phone calls from her friends.

After school was finished for the day we headed to the aquarium followed by a walk along the Mediterranean Sea and ending with a Swiss meal of Fondue and Raclette, not too bad for an American girl turning 13.

Overall she let us know it had been a good birthday. A new friend gave her a fun gift today, Sunday, after church. (Thank you to all who sent texts, cards, and gifts.) 

[Side note not related to M nor her grandparents but related to mail in general, if anyone sends us a package, the delivery organization will ask how much the contents are worth…you should say $0. If you give a $ amount we will have to pay France that same $ amount in Euros to claim the package.]

2 October

This is what happens when the kids come with me to run errands, we find new stores and purchase items I typically would not buy back home. We have the time so let’s make this fun. The kids laughed all day watching tutorials on balloon animals and making balloon creations. It was fun to hear true laughter and see siblings enjoying each other. Z even made a balloon horse for M’s upcoming birthday.

Sometimes walking Cody feels like an errand. When we pass this one house on the corner the dogs bark fiercely and try to bite their way out of their fencing. However when all the dogs are on a walk this is what happens.

The owner is a seemingly sweet French lady, I cannot communicate with her but Randy can. The dogs play together. And then everyday we walk past the house it is Groundhog Day again, barking and gnashing of teeth.

27-29 September

A couple of days before friends came an airplane ran off the runway, nose diving slightly into the water. The report stated it could take 2 months to reopen the airport. 2 MONTHS!?!? Well, it took 2 days. We are a great place to recover from jet lag. We have activities, food and a warm bed. What a wonderful time with Anne and Kristi. After getting them from the late morning train, we headed for a bakery. Much to my lack of where I was in France, I took them to a convenience store for their first taste of French pastries…thanks Google!#@! 

Walking the Mediterranean Sea looking for shells was the right medicine for weary travelers. It just happened that all three of us woke up in different places on Earth and picked the same shirt color.

Next day adventures lead to exploring a morning walk to the bakery and parking by a Roman aquaduct while visiting Montpellier City central. We shopped, ate, and even bumped into a new friend from church. We were able to visit her apartment in the heart of the city. All of their visitors get a polaroid taken and they decorate one of their walls with them. We made the wall!

Later we hike to a ruined castle located on a VERY steep hill. We enjoyed a French picnic inside the castle. This time we made it back to the car before dark.

Oh we even saw a dragon at the castle! A snapdragon is still a dragon to us.

The kids commented, “It is nice to hear so much English!” It was nice to have friends experience our life here for a few days as well.

21 Sept

Much like the USA, the season of fall is here. A new school year begins. Daylight grows shorter. Temperatures are cooler. Also like in Virginia, there are days of heat, trees of green, and birds of song, thus still hanging on to summer. We are told, here in France, the leaves will change colors and drop, the rains will soon begin, and it will get cooler. We are nestled in a rocky dry landscape mixed with conifers and deciduous trees. So we will just wait and see. The pool is still open and Randy enjoys the healing effect of cold water.

Meanwhile, home activities still greet us daily. Either I have become lazy in getting the laundry outside or the sun shines a little differently now than in August. I have discovered another location for late afternoon drying.  

One night we had chicken donuts and fries with Chick-fil-A sauce from home. Hey a girl’s gotta try.

We received a care package from Grandma and Grandpa. M was delighted!! (A few days later I found a place to get Kraft Mac and Cheese here, just under $4/box, finally) M enjoys making her own food and this will soothe the heart on so many levels.

Life as we know it continues to move on even though we cannot experience all the happenings back home. A babies are born, a friend’s 20 year old son passes away from cancer, an acquaintance is hit on her road bike by a drunk driver and dies, Queen Elizabeth passes away, bible studies begin, teen mommas send their babies off to school, friends have birthdays, the list goes on and we have to figure out how to embrace the life and friends we left back home.  

The kids have been attending youth group activities here through our church. It has been a blessing to see them become excited about going to church and being with new friends. The French students want to practice their English, which helps M and Z communicate, however, it does not help them learn a ton of French. We are looking into French lessons. We do not want to waste this incredible opportunity of real French immersion.

Online schooling resumes, we tried schooling in Switzerland, that is all I can say, we tried! Below is a picture of the “school bus” for our French middle school for our friends. Middle school here is 6-9th grade and is known as the college level.

Warning…NEVER miss a French train or get off at the wrong stop. 

We said goodbye to the Swiss mountains and had a long journey home. Cody and all the elements we took had to return home with us, remember the kennel on wheels from 10 days ago? Oh I dreaded the trip home!

M’s last activity was watching a local herdsman lead his cows to the valley. Perfectly rowed vineyards at the foot of mountains reminded us we were nearly home.

We were almost at our last train, when we got off 1 train station too early….YIKES.

Thankfully, it was a small station so we just waited for 30 minutes, saw an unexpected huge shoe statue, and caught the next train to the bigger station.

Unfortunately, we missed our last train home.

Thankfully, there was another (& last train for the night) leaving in 90 minutes.

Unfortunately, we had to purchase 4 ALL NEW train tickets to get home. It cost extra $ to even get a refund. Randy played the piano right before we boarded.

Thankfully, we were on our way. Thankfully, a friend picked us up and drove us home very late at night. Finally, at home M received a letter from a sweet friend. What a way to end the day!

Our last day and we actually left the area for a different side of the mountain. Pushups on the train track, why not? Views from out and inside the train ride around Lake Brienz. This Sunday train was relatively empty so we each took our own row.

The 2+ hour train/bus excursions found us over at Naturresort Handeck in Grimsel Valley for a couple of rounds of disc golf for the guys.

The course was embedded into a thick fern and moss forest with tall trees and massive boulders.

A couple of holes sliced through an open meadow allowing for incredible Swiss mountain views.

The girls ventured off exploring the woods and enjoying the toasty sun in the meadow. Toward the end we were captivated by the speed of the sun going down behind a tall mountain. This enabled us to take a time lapse video tracking the shadow movement onto where we were resting.

After Disc golf we headed across Handeggfallbrücke bridge. This suspended bridge was free, fun, and high.

It connected the Naturresort to The Gelmerbahn Funicular, considered one of the steepest in Europe (109 degree vertical climb at some point), with breathtaking views of the valley and the summit. We rode on this backward up to the top of the mountain.

After walking down a path we were greeted with this amazing view of Gelmersee Lake.

Yes an alpine lake, although dammed up to protect the valley below. It was beautiful.

After hiking around for a few hours we descended on the funicular forward facing down the mountainside to catch our bus, then trains to get home for Cody. The train home was packed. We finally found a place for us to sit near each other in the cafe car. It was nice to experience different landscapes, feel incredibly small in a forest, skip rocks, throw snow in September, and see colorful sunsets in different natural spaces.