5. Duckhaven aka spoiled heaven….

Well, we spent Tuesday through Thursday back in Duckhaven. We had a great time with Grammie and Grandpa. Grandpa spent lots of time reading to the kids – they are starting to get old enough for some of the amazing books he has on mythological creatures (maybe seeing so many sculptures of them all over Europe helped pique their curiosity). Here he is snuggling Callie – so great! We spent lots of time looking at Hearnes Pond out the window and loved seeing so many birds! The kids and I went swimming at the club while Grandpa chatted with friends. Callie and Zander can swim all the way across the pool on their backs. Poor Grandpa, his poison ivy is still really bad…so he couldn’t swim. Grammie, Callie and I took this shot of our invincible bracelets – still together after 9 months apart. Since Callie has grown so much, her bracelet is getting too tight and may need to be removed soon, so we decided to make a second, insurance bracelet of the same color beads, just a bit larger. We’ll see how long they last! One morning I went to the Walmart (aka the evil empire but the options are limited in lower slower DE) to get some supplies to bring back to France. Top needed items included chocolate chips, popcorn and baking powder. Griffin had his turn to sleep out in the playhouse with Grammie – shots below of this….

Of course, there was much, much more. We appreciated Magnolia blossoms, did lots of crafts, watched some TV and snuggled, of course. Culinary highlight was definitely the “Grandpa meat” from the barbeque – amazing! We also had a great time on Linda’s pontoon boat one evening. She is a neighbor of Grammie and Grandpa and really enjoyed taking the kids out for a ride. Here are lots of other shots – too good not to post.

Last but not least, I include this video of Callie and her Grammie. It makes me cry to see it – there is so much love there! I wish I had gotten one for each of them…. enjoy!

2. Callie-nastics and our last week in Besançon

OK – this is out of order – I decided to number this little segment when I am in the US since I seem to be having a challenging time getting them in order! I had a hell of a time getting these videos to upload for some reason plus I just pushed the wrong button one time too... So this should be a flashback – to before we left for the States….

Well, Callie has been working quite hard on her circus skills with me lately. I really do need to see if I can get her into gymnastics. Griffin likes to experiment too; here are a couple of videos so you can see what they are up to… She is much more coordinated than these show – it’s just that she’s nervous under the camera!

Also, she has truly become fluent in French now. We are now at a point where, if I or even André are stuck for a word or phrase, we ask Callie. More often than not - she can help out. It’s great – and her accent is perfect. Check out this video- this poesie (poetry) was part of my Mother’s Day gift.

If you are curious about what the heck she is saying, skim this blog post over at: http://blunderingbesancon.blogspot.com/2009/06/friends.html It explains the French way of plucking petals off of daisies (not the same as our boring way!). Callie’s teacher is greatly pleased with her, tells me she is one of the best students in the class. She got a great progress report – the only non green (which is the best you can get) out of about 80 categories was the line for having your home phone memorized – well, I don’t have it memorized either so, who can blame the kid!

Zander and Callie had a birthday party our last week home for Arnaud and Claire – Olivier’s children. They had great fun. It seems to be pretty common to have joint birthday parties in France – this was the 3rd they’ve been too. I think Americans are much more selfish – I’ve only heard of such a thing with twins in our country. Our kids want their own party with their own friends – NO sharing with siblings. (I can’t even imagine what Z and C would say if I suggested such heresy to them). I wanted to put in this shot of the kids together and also of Nadine’s cool birthday cakes. I’m not the only one who does this stuff!

In other news Griffin also did incredibly well on all his tests – his teachers were gushing over how he knows all his shapes, colors, letters--in French, of course! When he had an accident in school the other week, they didn’t even get angry. Guess now that they know he is smart, they are treating him like a human instead of a stinky pain in the rear. I’m glad he is testing well, of course, but the thing that amazes me most about Griffin is how coordinated he is. He can cut things out with scissors in a straight line and, the other day, he made this plastic peg picture (left) all on his own. I was so impressed! Zander also did amazing in school – right you can see a part of his report card – all A’s and B’s! Pretty good for a transplant, right? I am happy they are all doing so very well with their studies, and are finally at a point where they actually like school. Since Zander’s birthday is in July, I made his birthday cake to share with his class during the last week he had class. It was a pirate ship and island (thanks to Grammie for several crucial ingredients flown in from the USA) and the kids LOVED it. In fact, they absolutely refused to eat it at first, because it was too beautiful. Maitresse (wise teacher that she is) allowed them to draw it for an hour and THEN eat it! I was pretty proud of how it came out, and it was super easy. Zander helped too – see it below….

3. Lyon and International Travel

Well, we made it here to Delaware, basically unscathed. The only large snag was leaving our beloved sony cybershot on the plane – so no pictures of Lyon – except for a few that Andre’ took with his phone. We flew British Air from Lyon on a short flight and then had the treat of going through Heathrow for a 4 hour layover. But, as soon as my ears heard the captain announcing our arrival in his crisp British tones, the strangeness started. I’ve been away 9 months, not 9 years but all I can feel is utterly out of place and disoriented. I am lost and confused. I don’t belong here, do I? In this world, people around me speak English, the signs are in English and when you are waiting on a terrible line, it is not unheard of to strike up a chat with the bored person stuck next to you. My brain can’t wrap itself around this strange new world… it’s not like it is any different than I remembered. I know this is the same world I have been so looking forward to. There are strip malls here, and fast food, and chains and Wal-Marts – scattered across every road, lining every highway. There are lots and lots of fat people and people walking around in grungy clothing. There are Oreos, and Thomas’s English muffins… This is the US, this is my world. It hasn’t changed, but I think I have. I just don’t know how, or what that means.

We left on our journey Saturday morning very early. I worked hard all week to be all packed by Friday night, before the kids went to bed. This gave us the opportunity to finally watch the final episode of Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Poor Buffy…. having to kill the vampire she loves.

Lyon is a very large city, second only to Paris (in France, anyway), and we were going to have only 1 day to see it. Actually, we wanted to be done by 3pm since we had reservations in an actual hotel for once! And, it was not just any hotel, but the Hotel Lyon Metropole, a spa hotel. That means there are pools, hot tubs and a really nice room (at least we think). The kids are so excited for this, they don’t even want to go see Lyon at all… “Can’t we just go to the hotel?”  I think their favorite thing all day was the rest stop – French have some great rest stops – amazing playground – reminded me of the TeleTubbies or something.

We headed off for Lyon at around 5:30 in the morning and made it to Fourviere Hill by about 8 am. We saw the oldest Roman amphitheatre in France--it was begun in 15 BC. The area, named Lugdunum, also had a 2nd-century odium (a small, roofed theater) and the remains of a craft district. It was fun to walk around in such a place, imagining what life must have been like so long ago. I especially liked imagining the theatre, covered by a giant canvas roof, filled with people. It’s funny how things like having a roof surprise me. I know, the Romans had chariots, and aqueducts etc…. but also they could sew together a roof the size of a football field out of scraps of cloth. Was it from wool – woven, made on looms? Did they have needles? Made out of bones or what? Was it waterproof? Hmmm…. Lugdunum rises above the Saône river and very close by was the amazing Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière. This cathedral is very different in that it was built only in the late 1800’s. I didn’t know they built these mammoth things in the past 200 years! Apparently, there was a terrible plague sweeping Europe and the people of the town promised to build a special cathedral to honor Mary if the city was spared. They got spared, they built a giant cathedral. I know this is a common practice, but, there were already quite a few large cathedrals in Lyon. Wouldn’t it be nice for people to like, feed the hungry and clothe the naked to honor Mary instead? I mean, that’s what I’d prefer if I was Mary. But, that being said, I was happy to be able to visit--I especially enjoyed the floors which were covered with beautiful mosaics. Nearby, there was also what seemed to be a mini-wanna-be Eiffel Tower - actually the Tour Metallique (Metal Tower). It was built in 1894 and now is used as a radio and television transmitter.

We spent a few more minutes enjoying the view and then headed down the hill to the oldest part of the city- known as Vieux Lyon (original, right?). The buildings are mostly from the Rennaissance period. We played  around in a park, wandered along the banks of the Saone and then Cathedral St. Jean the Baptiste (photo below). Then it was time for lunch. Lyon is known for its cuisine and we’d made reservations for lunch at a local boucheron – but it turned out they wouldn’t accept André’s meal tickets (urgh!) so we ended up at a Hippo which was quite good also…. but I was bummed not to experience the ‘real’ cuisine of this neighborhood. The kids were exhausted (even though it  was only 2pm) so we just made a final stop at another Roman ruin. Lyon is full of them!

Before Paris was the capital of France, Lyon was capital of the 3 Gauls (aka France) and once a year all the tribe leaders and towns would get together to hash out problems and disputes before they became full force internal strife/war... This was all before the Romans came in to take over Lyon. The Amphitheater of the Three Gauls was rumored to be initially built with room for 20,000 people at one time, which would have made it climb most of the side of the hill. It is strange to see this small an d crumbling ruin, surrounded by a fence with looming apartment buildings and roads lapping at it edges, and think of how it used to be covered in tiers of stone seats, full of arguing politicians.

Later in its history – once the Romans took over, this was also the site of the torture of the first Christian martyrs. The most famous of these was Blandine (now Saint Blandine). She was placed in this amphitheatre with a bunch of lions who refused to eat her. The Romans then placed a bull in the amphitheatre wich also would not kill her. Finally they sent in men who killed her with their swords. I told the kids this story and they were a bit mystified - I mean, if lions and bulls couldn’t kill her, how come people could? I think they are used to the stories where the ‘good’ guys get away… I guess if God had protected her any more, she wouldn’t have made martyr, right?

Finally, we headed over to the hotel. It was really a very nice place, and fun to be spoiled for once. The kids got surprise eggs, there were little slippers and towels for everyone. They had a large indoor pool, an Olympic size outdoor pool and a giant outdoor collection of interconnected hot tubs. They also had an absolutely amazing free breakfast – salmon, yogurt, cereal, fruit, croissants, eggs, sausage, ham, applesauce etc… etc…. I stole a miniature jar of honey to take home on the plane. I guess this is what you get when you pay actual money to stay in a hotel (180€, thanks Grandma Peterson for bankrolling our stay). Rich people get all the perks. Despite the luxury of the hotel, I’d have to say that I was not particularly impressed with Lyon. The place seemed run down, and the monuments were not set off or well maintained. There was no sense of ‘this is important’ and things just didn’t seem very well planned. Even the main town square was quite bleak, with gravel ground and no impressive buildings. Not a place I would recommend visiting…

Sunday morning, after our fabulous breakfast, we headed for the airport. It is about 40 minutes away from town. André came into the airport with us and helped us check in and get rid of our 6 giant bags. Then, we had to leave him behind. What? Leave Daddie? Of course, we were all crying. I have never been separated from my husband for 3 weeks before! Why am I doing that? I must be absolutely INSANE to attempt this trip alone with 3 kids……

The kids were really good though -– and, pleasant surprise, it turned out that André’s company got us seats in Business Class for the plane from London to home. I have never flown Business before and I would say that there was definitely more cushioning (like 1 inch instead of 1/2 inch) and more leg room (like 18 inches instead of 12 inches) to be uncomfortable in. I actually didn’t realize this at first—got on the plane without looking at the seat numbers until I was in the coach section—then had to fight the tide to get back up to the middle of the plane. I was a bit surprised the meal was the same, no free drinks or anything, and the staff wasn’t any nicer to me than usual, no offers of help for the kids or anything of that nature. Hey, I’m rich – aren’t you supposed to like, spoil me or something? (They did at the spa hotel!)

When we got to Philadelphia, about 40 minutes early, we were all delighted to find out that the entire luggage system at Terminal 5 (Heathrow--my least favorite airport--not that I have a most favorite) had somehow broken. This, in short, meant that almost none of our luggage had made it onto the flight – perhaps this lightness led to our early arrival? So, here I was, 1 am French time, alone with 3 ridiculously tired kids, carrying 5 carry-ons, filling out customs forms and then lost luggage forms and then waiting on the end of an hour long line to give them my form so they could give me a receipt – kill me now, please…. Of course, here is where it sucks to be a parent. Looking around, you can see that every person without kids, looks pissed and exhausted, slumping wearily over their suitcase. But not the parents, oh no! They have to keep it pulled together, encourage the kids, pull out a snack or a drink, figure out a fun game of I spy because, heaven forbid they start to cry or act out or something. Dirty looks will abound – why can’t that awful parent control her children? Drop dead is what I say to you, loser.

Luckily, Grandpa showed up about 1/2 an hour into the luggage line and the kids were thrilled to be with him. We got to Duckhaven before midnight (6 am in France) and have spent the last 4 days here. I have to say one of the best moments of my life was just running in the house to hug my mom. I was crying and crying. I literally tackled her! (I’m pretty sure she liked it…) It took 3 days for our luggage to arrive but it didn’t really matter too much – we have had an amazing time. Grandpa worked up a great little playhouse for the kids. Zander and he worked well together to finish it and they even spray painted it! (Grandpa made name stencils) Zander and Callie have both had special nights to sleep out there with Grammie. She claims she even slept. Man, I know I love my parents, and I’m obviously prejudiced in their favors, but come on people. Did your Grandpa ever build you your own playhouse? Did your Grammie offer to sleep out there with you? These guys rock! There have been a few challenges, besides the luggage. My camera is missing, I think I left it on the plane. Writing this, and looking over the quality of photos I have taken on my phone – I will say – I HATE not having a decent camera! There is a pathetic lack of photos, and I’ve missed all the important stuff (like the house and my mom and dad with the kids – sorry!) I shall strive to do better! Poor Mom and Dad had overflowing septic tank and Dad had contracted a terrible case of poison ivy, which is now infected. Zander has it a bit as well but is being amazingly good about not scratching. But, life goes on! We made a French dinner for Grammie and Grandpa and also have been indulging in American food, riding on the sea bike, playing at the Jay’s Nest, visiting the library, going for walks, doing crafts (especially our ‘float’ for the Watertower parade) and just enjoying snuggling our family. I am slowly readjusting to life in the USA. Tomorrow we head for Philadelphia… and friends…..

1. Father’s Day Goose Chase

Hooray for André (picture credits: Zander). Well, for the past 4 years, our tradition on Father’s Day has been to go and pick strawberries and then make homemade jam. This was the weekend to go for it and our plan was to head out Saturday afternoon. In the morning we had a Kermasse (kind of like a funfest) at Callie and Griffin’s school to raise some money. It was fun. André helped out by running the wheelbarrow race. I made some winter fun cookies. They had lots of prizes for the kids and it was great to see all the parents and children of the school community.

Then we were off to find French fraises (strawberries). We were having a very hard time finding a place to pick but found 2 places online rumored to have picking. We ended up spending about 3 hours in the car figuring out that the first place hadn’t done picking for over 6 years (whoops!) and the second place didn’t seem to exist at all. What a bummer! Lesson from this – if you can’t get through on the phone, or confirm with a website, don’t try to go there. We comforted ourselves by visiting a nearby town called Belfort. It has another citadelle. Unfortunately it was raining, and we had no jackets and we got there close to closing but we never let little snags like that stop us, right? We were able to wander around for a bit and see the famous lion of Belfort. l enjoyed looking at the stone they used to build their fort – it looked like some kind of beautiful red sandstone.

Belfort is an interesting city in France. It has been part of Germany and a part of France at different points in history. The French that people speak in this region has a very different accent than how people sound in Besançon (of course, I couldn’t hear the difference, it’s all French to me, but André and Callie could). This fort was also designed by Vauban and the ramparts were flat on top, much like the Besançon Citadelle. The difference was that, in several strategic locations, there were these round towers plopped right in the middle of the rampart. They are called Demoiselles (Dames) and were built to discourage any invaders who happened to be lucky enough to scale the walls from freely running across the top of the wall. Just when they thought the going was good, they would run smack into a giant round tower in their path. Guess this showed them… ha, ha, my fort is impenetrable! (at least until bomb-laden planes came along…)

We stopped for some incredibly bad Mexican food (note to all travelers, do not, I repeat, do NOT, attempt Mexican cuisine if vacationing in France). On the way home, I got this sunset shot out of the window of the car – go me!

The next morning was Father’s Day. André went out for a very long run and came home to a special meal with us, plus presents! He showed us his run route. He often gets lost in the Grand Forêt and this day was no exception. Zander helped me make breakfast and mopped the floors as a gift to Daddy while Callie and Griffin made him lovely gifts from school, shown below). I made him winter fun cookies, and got him a book about all the coolest places on the planet (because, of course, we want to travel to all of them). We spent the rest of the day hanging out and starting to pack for America.

A quick note here about presents made in school. First off,they don’t seem to exist past pre-school age. Zander did not bring anything home for either André or I for Father’s or Mother’s Day. In the école maternelle, however, creative gifts are all the rage. Of course, as you can see, these gifts are not actually possibly created by the children. They do small parts (like painting it) and the adults do the rest. The results are quite nice, but I prefer the lopsided and imperfect art I used to receive from the BBY. Also, the BBY stuff was smaller in size (I love their art – but does it have to take up a poster board?). Plus, for some reason the French art always features my child’s head (for some reason an essential part of art here, especially in Griffin’s age group). You can see what I mean, below. The first shot is a close up of Griffin’s ‘circus’ gift to Daddie – it had 4 panels, each featuring a cut-out of his skull on a circus performer. The second is Callie’s picture for Daddie and the last two shots are my Mother’s Day gifts.