As promised in the last post, here are a few things that, surprisingly enough, I don't miss here in France--well, at least not much.
1) Our mini-van! This is a complete shocker to me. Before leaving, I really worried about surviving carless for an entire year. Surprisingly, I hardly miss it at all. Because Lyon has such great mass transportation, I can get just about anywhere I need to go, often in less time than it would take to drive. I enjoy the exercise walking to and from the metro station, and find that the walk home helps me decompress a bit from work so I can better focus on my family by the time I get home. I thought that grocery shopping would be impossible without a trunk to fill, but I've learned that you can dangle an impressive number of plastic bags from a double stroller. On the few occasions that we've rented a car, I've felt liberated upon returning it--no more gas, tolls, parking meters, traffic jams, crazy roundabouts, etc. Most of all, I definitely don't miss wrestling the girls into their car seats on a regular basis.
If you'd asked me before coming if I could survive without a vehicle, I definitely would have said "no" (I'm still not sure that I could in Illinois). It's taken a change this drastic to break the addiction and open my mind a little bit more to some alternative options. Will I be happy to have our Honda Odyssey back when we return? Absolutely. However, hopefully I will be a little more willing to ride the MTD bus occasionally as well.
2) Walmart. No, this is not going to turn into a bash-the-big-box-store post. I've done far too much business with Wal-Mart to hop on that bandwagon without being a complete hypocrite. Even so, I've become partial to shopping at a small grocery store. The selection may not be quite as large, but I really enjoy getting my exercise walking to the store, not parading through it.
3) Our dryer. I thought that hanging up all of the laundry would be an impossible challenge for a family of four. Admittedly, it is sometimes a pain, but it's not nearly as inconvenient as I thought it would be. Even better, folding laundry is much easier when you can see all of the laundry hanging from a glance instead of rooting through the whole laundry basket for the other pink sock.
4) All of our kitchen gadgets. In packing up to come, I had to leave behind so many fun kitchen toys--our waffle maker, George Foreman (i.e. panini griller), cookie press, Kitchen Aid mixer, fondue pot, electric skillet, toaster, potato masher, juice press, garlic press, cake platter, mini-muffin mold, popcorn popper, etc., etc. The amazing thing to me is that not only do I rarely miss these things, I hardly even think about them! It's amazing how much you can do with a few simple pots, a skillet, a cookie sheet, a 9x13" pan, a mixing bowl, and a hand blender. (Of course, we did have to purchase a springform pan as well after arriving--there was no way I could survive an entire year without one of Jason's cheesecakes.) The one possible exception to this rule is our microwave--consuming leftovers isn't nearly as fun without it.
5) The kid's toys. As I packed up our entire Little People village, I felt certain that my daughters would be traumatized without their beloved play things. In truth, quite the opposite is true. They never seem to think about them. Even more, they don't even play much with the toys that we did bring with us. What they want is someone to play with, not something. Building a fort with a friend is ten times better than building a train track alone. I think that's why anytime you ask Brooklyn what she wants to do, she invariably says "a craft"--for a craft is much more than a creation--as a child, it's creation that happens together.
6) Our clothes. We packed away a lot of our wardrobe. I fussed and fretted over what to bring and felt certain that we wouldn't have enough to get by. In all actuality, our modest wardrobes are plenty sufficient, even when the laundry gets backed up and you have to wait a couple days for things to dry. Even more surprisingly, I've noticed that I still have some clothes that I never wear! I've realized that our wardrobes don't need much in terms of quantity--just a few "staples" that we enjoy wearing and help us feel good about ourselves.
All in all, being geographically separated from my "stuff" has definitely helped me identify where my treasure really lies--here with my family. In contemplating the unenviable task of getting the four of us back home with all of our loot, I've been tempted to leave everything and come back empty-handed with just Jason and the kids..... (plus the cameras and the laptops and the DVDs and our books and some chocolate---I guess I'm not near as anti-materialistic as I'd like to think!)
As much as I don't miss most things very much, I miss people all the time. Our kids have taught us how quickly stuff can break--I just feel grateful that given a bit of care and attention, relationships can last.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Monday, March 02, 2009
The Things I Miss
While our cute little Lyonnaise apartment is great, there are still some comforts from home that I miss. Here are a few that come to mind.
1. A dishwasher! Here in Lyon we only have a small, undivided sink with poor lighting. Since we don't have a lot of bowls, plates, utensils, etc., we have to rewash after every meal. On some days it feels like I spend half my life in that dark corner up to my elbows in soap suds!
2. A bed. Upon arriving in Lyon, we purchased the cheapest mattress that we could find, put it down on the floor, and thought we'd be fine for ten months. Unfortunately, after about two months it lost all of its "squoosh," making for some rather uncomfortable nights. On the positive side, someone from church randomly gave us an old couch that folds out into a bed. Despite being right on the floor, it's actually reasonably comfortable. Even so, it's pretty small, especially when the girls climb in with us early in the morning. It's also a bit of a pain to have to collapse the bed into a couch every day and remake it every night. Once we're back in the States, I will definitely be happy to have an actual bed again!
3. Our couch. While I feel really lucky that we have a couch here (two in fact, if you count our couch "bed"), I miss our Illinois couch. Trying to keep a solid black and rust colored couch clean with little kids has been practically impossible. The couch shows every sticky little finger print, and even gets water stains to boot when you try to clean it. While our patterned couch in Illinois may not be tremendously stylish, it definitely handles dirt and stains much better!
4. Cupboards, shelves, and towel hooks that I can reach. While I am extremely grateful that our apartment here has abundant amounts of storage space, all of the storage space is really high for someone who fudges slightly to claim five feet. I am definitely tired of having to constantly move chairs and step stools to function. To hang up my towel in the morning, I literally have to jump to reach the hook! While this may be humorous for anyone observing, it's definitely embarrassing if you're me.
5. A shower. Here in Lyon, we have a very deep tub with a handheld shower head, but no actual shower. While I enjoy baths, I can't wait to actually stand up and take a long, hot shower. Letting the water run down over you is so much nicer when your arm isn't getting cramped from being the shower head.
6. Someone who bags my groceries for me. Here in France, there seems to be a general attitude that emphasizes the rights of employees over those of consumers. When you enter a shop, you are considered a guest who ought to greet the shop owner and have a general attitude of gratitude for the services they provide you by being open and generally existing. While I'm very much in favor of clerks receiving better pay and treatment, it's kind of frustrating when they sit and watch you struggle to bag your food, rather than helping out. Worse yet is when they start checking out the next person in line, so all the food starts piling up! While I'm getting much better at bagging my own food quickly, it can still be inconvenient, especially if you're shopping with kids.
7. Last but not least, I miss having a "noise-approved home." Apartment living has been really challenging, especially in an older place that isn't very soundproof. We have one grumpy neighbor who doesn't seem to understand that kids just make noise. Sometimes I feel like a broken record who does nothing but tell the girls to walk, use their inside voices, and whisper on the stairs. Yesterday I had to chuckle when I told the girls that if they wanted to jump, they needed to do it on the bed/mattress (after all, they can't make it worse) instead of the floor so that they wouldn't make so much noise. Anyway, I can't wait to be back in the States where it is okay to jump, dance, laugh, squeal, and heaven forbid, run in the hallway!
I guess the moral of the story is that no matter where you are and what you have, there will always be a few things that you wish were slightly different. I think the key is to learn to be happy in the moment and delight in the many things you have instead of the few things you don't. So thanks for reading about the things I miss, and stay tuned for the next installment of the things I don't.
1. A dishwasher! Here in Lyon we only have a small, undivided sink with poor lighting. Since we don't have a lot of bowls, plates, utensils, etc., we have to rewash after every meal. On some days it feels like I spend half my life in that dark corner up to my elbows in soap suds!
2. A bed. Upon arriving in Lyon, we purchased the cheapest mattress that we could find, put it down on the floor, and thought we'd be fine for ten months. Unfortunately, after about two months it lost all of its "squoosh," making for some rather uncomfortable nights. On the positive side, someone from church randomly gave us an old couch that folds out into a bed. Despite being right on the floor, it's actually reasonably comfortable. Even so, it's pretty small, especially when the girls climb in with us early in the morning. It's also a bit of a pain to have to collapse the bed into a couch every day and remake it every night. Once we're back in the States, I will definitely be happy to have an actual bed again!
3. Our couch. While I feel really lucky that we have a couch here (two in fact, if you count our couch "bed"), I miss our Illinois couch. Trying to keep a solid black and rust colored couch clean with little kids has been practically impossible. The couch shows every sticky little finger print, and even gets water stains to boot when you try to clean it. While our patterned couch in Illinois may not be tremendously stylish, it definitely handles dirt and stains much better!
4. Cupboards, shelves, and towel hooks that I can reach. While I am extremely grateful that our apartment here has abundant amounts of storage space, all of the storage space is really high for someone who fudges slightly to claim five feet. I am definitely tired of having to constantly move chairs and step stools to function. To hang up my towel in the morning, I literally have to jump to reach the hook! While this may be humorous for anyone observing, it's definitely embarrassing if you're me.
5. A shower. Here in Lyon, we have a very deep tub with a handheld shower head, but no actual shower. While I enjoy baths, I can't wait to actually stand up and take a long, hot shower. Letting the water run down over you is so much nicer when your arm isn't getting cramped from being the shower head.
6. Someone who bags my groceries for me. Here in France, there seems to be a general attitude that emphasizes the rights of employees over those of consumers. When you enter a shop, you are considered a guest who ought to greet the shop owner and have a general attitude of gratitude for the services they provide you by being open and generally existing. While I'm very much in favor of clerks receiving better pay and treatment, it's kind of frustrating when they sit and watch you struggle to bag your food, rather than helping out. Worse yet is when they start checking out the next person in line, so all the food starts piling up! While I'm getting much better at bagging my own food quickly, it can still be inconvenient, especially if you're shopping with kids.
7. Last but not least, I miss having a "noise-approved home." Apartment living has been really challenging, especially in an older place that isn't very soundproof. We have one grumpy neighbor who doesn't seem to understand that kids just make noise. Sometimes I feel like a broken record who does nothing but tell the girls to walk, use their inside voices, and whisper on the stairs. Yesterday I had to chuckle when I told the girls that if they wanted to jump, they needed to do it on the bed/mattress (after all, they can't make it worse) instead of the floor so that they wouldn't make so much noise. Anyway, I can't wait to be back in the States where it is okay to jump, dance, laugh, squeal, and heaven forbid, run in the hallway!
I guess the moral of the story is that no matter where you are and what you have, there will always be a few things that you wish were slightly different. I think the key is to learn to be happy in the moment and delight in the many things you have instead of the few things you don't. So thanks for reading about the things I miss, and stay tuned for the next installment of the things I don't.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Happy Mardi Gras!
After a very long two weeks of vacation, Brooklyn was delighted to finally go back to school this Monday and see all of her friends. (In fact, she now likes school so much that she's begging the parental jury to go in the afternoons too. The jury's still out in deliberation--while Jason and I are thrilled that she loves school so much, it's a long time for a four year-old to be gone every day.)
Brooklyn's excitement about going back to school was doubled when she learned that they were having a Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday. What kid wouldn't love getting to dress up, march around, and have their picture taken? Personally, I thought the festivities were great--all the perks of Halloween without the sugar overdose.
Brooklyn decided to dress as a fairy princess (as did about half of the other four year-old girls.) Here she is with her friend, Diane.
No excitement on these faces! (Excepting Zoro, who is too distinguished for such antics.)
Brooklyn's maitresse (teacher), Christine:
Posing a hundred little kiddos for a school photo. As the only blond, it's fairly easy to spot Brooklyn.
In honor of Mardi Gras, Talia decided to disguise herself as an abuse victim.
Poor kid! This is actually an older wound that has basically disappeared by now. She took a pretty terrible tumble while we were in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, a friend of ours (who happens to be a nurse) took great care of her for us.
Hope everyone enjoyed Fat Tuesday!
Brooklyn's excitement about going back to school was doubled when she learned that they were having a Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday. What kid wouldn't love getting to dress up, march around, and have their picture taken? Personally, I thought the festivities were great--all the perks of Halloween without the sugar overdose.
Brooklyn decided to dress as a fairy princess (as did about half of the other four year-old girls.) Here she is with her friend, Diane.
No excitement on these faces! (Excepting Zoro, who is too distinguished for such antics.)
Brooklyn's maitresse (teacher), Christine:
Posing a hundred little kiddos for a school photo. As the only blond, it's fairly easy to spot Brooklyn.
In honor of Mardi Gras, Talia decided to disguise herself as an abuse victim.
Poor kid! This is actually an older wound that has basically disappeared by now. She took a pretty terrible tumble while we were in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, a friend of ours (who happens to be a nurse) took great care of her for us.
Hope everyone enjoyed Fat Tuesday!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Far from Home
This evening Brooklyn and I had the following conversation:
Me: Would you girls like pizza for dinner?
Brooklyn: No, I want leftover ratatouille.
While for the most part, life here in France has become very routine and normal, every once in a while these "huh?" moments catch me off guard and remind me how very far from home we are!
Here are some other daily glimpses from our life here in Lyon: This morning Talia was driving us all crazy in true two year-old fashion by running around the kitchen yelling the same word over and over and over at the top of her lungs. I looked over and noticed she was wearing both of the oven mitts and saying "Chaud! Chaud! Chaud!" (Hot, in French.) I had to stop and smile as I realized that if I could have glimpsed that scene a year ago, I would have found it completely adorable (not to mention motivating it terms of tackling the innumerable hurdles that stood in the way of getting here.)
I also admit that I enjoyed being bossed around by my four year-old yesterday at the park. Definitely the oldest sibling, Brooklyn was micro-managing our game of "cache-cache" (hide-and-go seek) by telling me exactly when and where to hide, count, etc. The difference, however, was that she was actually doing it in French. While she still lacks a lot of vocabulary and some grammatical structures, over the past month she's really taken off with the language. Her teachers are so pleased that she's making such significant efforts to communicate in French now, and as parents we're trying to jump on board and follow her good example. Last weekend we went to the Swiss temple in Bern with our congregation. I chuckled as we pulled up and Jason said, "Look at all of the snow!" only to have Brooklyn translate, "Regarde! Beaucoup de neige!"
Even I am making some linguistic progress. In general, it happens so slowly that you don't feel like you're progressing at all, but positive changes still happen if you are patient. Yesterday I had to take resolve an issue at the social security office. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that four months ago I never would have had the linguistic competence to successfully accomplish that task. While I'm sure that my grammar and pronunciation were not flawless, I was able to get the job fairly well done without any major communication breakdowns, and I didn't even sweat bullets in the process. That's progress!
Things are going really well for Jason too. This architectural internship is turning out to be great--he has lots of autonomy and responsibility with his design project, which is turning out so well that they are already taking significant steps to move forward with it. I think it's a big confidence booster to have his many years of education and training actually be valuable and useful, even on the other side of the big puddle.
And yet, despite all of the wonderful things that are happening, we're starting to feel those gentle tuggings towards home. We were extended the opportunity to stay for another year, but decided we'd rather be closer to family. (Not to mention the fact that Jason still needs to graduate.) :)
So instead of converting more dollars to euros, we decided instead to purchase our plane tickets home. We're coming back on July 2nd--just in time to celebrate Independence Day with some good old-fashioned fireworks. (Sadly, we barely miss the beginning of the Tour de France, but you can't have everything...)
With plane tickets in hand, I'm full of the awareness that we haven't really got all that much time left. I hope that instead of counting down the days until our flight, we will do our best to take advantage of and seize every moment that we have here. After all, this is an opportunity that we will probably never have again.
Me: Would you girls like pizza for dinner?
Brooklyn: No, I want leftover ratatouille.
While for the most part, life here in France has become very routine and normal, every once in a while these "huh?" moments catch me off guard and remind me how very far from home we are!
Here are some other daily glimpses from our life here in Lyon: This morning Talia was driving us all crazy in true two year-old fashion by running around the kitchen yelling the same word over and over and over at the top of her lungs. I looked over and noticed she was wearing both of the oven mitts and saying "Chaud! Chaud! Chaud!" (Hot, in French.) I had to stop and smile as I realized that if I could have glimpsed that scene a year ago, I would have found it completely adorable (not to mention motivating it terms of tackling the innumerable hurdles that stood in the way of getting here.)
I also admit that I enjoyed being bossed around by my four year-old yesterday at the park. Definitely the oldest sibling, Brooklyn was micro-managing our game of "cache-cache" (hide-and-go seek) by telling me exactly when and where to hide, count, etc. The difference, however, was that she was actually doing it in French. While she still lacks a lot of vocabulary and some grammatical structures, over the past month she's really taken off with the language. Her teachers are so pleased that she's making such significant efforts to communicate in French now, and as parents we're trying to jump on board and follow her good example. Last weekend we went to the Swiss temple in Bern with our congregation. I chuckled as we pulled up and Jason said, "Look at all of the snow!" only to have Brooklyn translate, "Regarde! Beaucoup de neige!"
Even I am making some linguistic progress. In general, it happens so slowly that you don't feel like you're progressing at all, but positive changes still happen if you are patient. Yesterday I had to take resolve an issue at the social security office. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that four months ago I never would have had the linguistic competence to successfully accomplish that task. While I'm sure that my grammar and pronunciation were not flawless, I was able to get the job fairly well done without any major communication breakdowns, and I didn't even sweat bullets in the process. That's progress!
Things are going really well for Jason too. This architectural internship is turning out to be great--he has lots of autonomy and responsibility with his design project, which is turning out so well that they are already taking significant steps to move forward with it. I think it's a big confidence booster to have his many years of education and training actually be valuable and useful, even on the other side of the big puddle.
And yet, despite all of the wonderful things that are happening, we're starting to feel those gentle tuggings towards home. We were extended the opportunity to stay for another year, but decided we'd rather be closer to family. (Not to mention the fact that Jason still needs to graduate.) :)
So instead of converting more dollars to euros, we decided instead to purchase our plane tickets home. We're coming back on July 2nd--just in time to celebrate Independence Day with some good old-fashioned fireworks. (Sadly, we barely miss the beginning of the Tour de France, but you can't have everything...)
With plane tickets in hand, I'm full of the awareness that we haven't really got all that much time left. I hope that instead of counting down the days until our flight, we will do our best to take advantage of and seize every moment that we have here. After all, this is an opportunity that we will probably never have again.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Special Delivery!
So for the past few days we've been missing our mail key. The inconvenience was bearable until yesterday when we noticed a narrow package peeking through the wide slot at the top. (There's about a 1/2 inch gap so the mailman can slide in letters without actually opening up the box.) After searching the house futilely for the keys, Jason finally decided to take matters into his own hands. He got out the kitchen tongs in an effort to fish out the package. Unfortunately, in the end he ended up losing the tongs down the slot too!
I can only imagine what the postman thinks about this odd American family who doesn't empty their mailbox, but deposits kitchen utensils instead...
(Addendum: We finally found the keys, hidden away in the couch. Thanks so much to wonderful grandmas and grandpas for the fabulous Valentine surprises!)
I can only imagine what the postman thinks about this odd American family who doesn't empty their mailbox, but deposits kitchen utensils instead...
(Addendum: We finally found the keys, hidden away in the couch. Thanks so much to wonderful grandmas and grandpas for the fabulous Valentine surprises!)
Thursday, February 05, 2009
A Christmas to Remember
After a long and wonderful break, I finally returned to teaching full time this week. (Granted, I haven't had a lot of students since many are still striking, but I'm not going to go off on that tirade again.) While I enjoy my work, I confess that spending more time in the office has caused me to reminisce longingly about our fabulous Christmas this year. My parents flew out, and we had an amazing time exploring some of the surrounding areas. So at long last, here is our photo travelogue:
Shortly after my parents arrived, we took off to spend a couple of days in Switzerland. On the way, we stopped at the stunning village of Annecy. You can see why it's called the "Venice of France."
We continued on to Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the alps. While the 45 minute open-air gondola ride to the top wasn't an option with little ones, we did take a train part of the way up and had a fabulous time playing in the snow.
Of course, Papa Kay was delighted to find a Diet Coke.
We continued on our trek to Bern, Switzerland where we stayed at the LDS temple hostel.
More than six years ago, Jason kissed me for the first time in front of the Provo Temple (cheesy, I know.) Well, he seized the chance to repeat the smooch...
The Berner Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) was also fun. I'd never had a fried waffle before, and I probably shouldn't ever again. Still, it was a great, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Back in our Lyonnaise apartment, we celebrated a traditional Christmas with family, food, and of course, plenty of presents.
Our good friend Annie shared Christmas dinner with us--as did her fabulous sheepdog!
Of course, no Christmas would be complete without the Nativity story.
We took some great day trips to some of the surrounding areas, such as to the amazing caves at les Grottes de la Balme.
As fascinating as the caves were (and they really were incredible), I think the local horse was probably just as memorable...
We also enjoyed taking a trip to a ski resort south of Grenoble, l'Alpe d'Huez. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in time for skiing. We did however, get to go sledding.
We also took a short lift up to a chateau where we relaxed a bit and enjoyed the view. There's nothing like sunbathing in winter!
Unfortunately, our lift tickets were only one-way, so we had to walk down. Brooklyn got a bit tired...
Back in Lyon, we showed Grandma and Grandpa the giant ferris wheel in the Place Bellecour that our family dared during the Festival of Lights.
We also had fun exploring Lyon's famous traboules, the ancient passageways once used by silk traders to quickly traverse parallel streets with no perpendicular connections.
We visited the elephants at the Parc Tete d'Or...
...and paid our respects to the rabbits and turkeys at the market.
A little creativity can turn an unimaginative building facade into an amazing canvas. (Nearly everything you see is a painting.)
However, we may have had the most fun discovering why Lyon is often considered the gastronomic capitol of Europe. We enjoyed some incredible meals (even if some of the cuts of meat were rather unfamiliar.) You should have seen the waitress using hand signals to explain to my parents that the dish included "museau" (the cow's nose) and trotters--the feet. My Dad still brags about having eaten what he calls the "unholy trinity" of foie gras (duck liver paté), tripe sausages, and frog legs. I prefer to dream about my pastry-encrusted goat cheese served warm over a bed of greens and gratin dauphinois (thinly sliced potatoes that are layered and baked with milk, eggs, garlic, and lots of good cheese).
And, of course, let's not forget the crowing glory--the ice-cream filled profiteroles for dessert.
I think I'm going to pull out this picture the next time one of my French students gives me a hard time about American serving sizes being too large... While my three course meal may have left me stuffed to the gills, fifteen euros has never been better spent...
All in all, it really was a Christmas to remember.
Shortly after my parents arrived, we took off to spend a couple of days in Switzerland. On the way, we stopped at the stunning village of Annecy. You can see why it's called the "Venice of France."
We continued on to Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the alps. While the 45 minute open-air gondola ride to the top wasn't an option with little ones, we did take a train part of the way up and had a fabulous time playing in the snow.
Of course, Papa Kay was delighted to find a Diet Coke.
We continued on our trek to Bern, Switzerland where we stayed at the LDS temple hostel.
More than six years ago, Jason kissed me for the first time in front of the Provo Temple (cheesy, I know.) Well, he seized the chance to repeat the smooch...
The Berner Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) was also fun. I'd never had a fried waffle before, and I probably shouldn't ever again. Still, it was a great, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Back in our Lyonnaise apartment, we celebrated a traditional Christmas with family, food, and of course, plenty of presents.
Our good friend Annie shared Christmas dinner with us--as did her fabulous sheepdog!
Of course, no Christmas would be complete without the Nativity story.
We took some great day trips to some of the surrounding areas, such as to the amazing caves at les Grottes de la Balme.
As fascinating as the caves were (and they really were incredible), I think the local horse was probably just as memorable...
We also enjoyed taking a trip to a ski resort south of Grenoble, l'Alpe d'Huez. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in time for skiing. We did however, get to go sledding.
We also took a short lift up to a chateau where we relaxed a bit and enjoyed the view. There's nothing like sunbathing in winter!
Unfortunately, our lift tickets were only one-way, so we had to walk down. Brooklyn got a bit tired...
Back in Lyon, we showed Grandma and Grandpa the giant ferris wheel in the Place Bellecour that our family dared during the Festival of Lights.
We also had fun exploring Lyon's famous traboules, the ancient passageways once used by silk traders to quickly traverse parallel streets with no perpendicular connections.
We visited the elephants at the Parc Tete d'Or...
...and paid our respects to the rabbits and turkeys at the market.
A little creativity can turn an unimaginative building facade into an amazing canvas. (Nearly everything you see is a painting.)
However, we may have had the most fun discovering why Lyon is often considered the gastronomic capitol of Europe. We enjoyed some incredible meals (even if some of the cuts of meat were rather unfamiliar.) You should have seen the waitress using hand signals to explain to my parents that the dish included "museau" (the cow's nose) and trotters--the feet. My Dad still brags about having eaten what he calls the "unholy trinity" of foie gras (duck liver paté), tripe sausages, and frog legs. I prefer to dream about my pastry-encrusted goat cheese served warm over a bed of greens and gratin dauphinois (thinly sliced potatoes that are layered and baked with milk, eggs, garlic, and lots of good cheese).
And, of course, let's not forget the crowing glory--the ice-cream filled profiteroles for dessert.
I think I'm going to pull out this picture the next time one of my French students gives me a hard time about American serving sizes being too large... While my three course meal may have left me stuffed to the gills, fifteen euros has never been better spent...
All in all, it really was a Christmas to remember.
Des Bêtises--Up to Mischief!
I recently ran across this photos in our mound of digital pics. Brooklyn looks so grown up, yet quite mischievous! Lately our girls have been up to all sorts of "bêtises."
Hmmmm, I wonder who scribbled on our wall. Now that she can write her name, Brooklyn's not very anonymous! She wrote her John Hancock three different times, all in different colored crayons. Thankfully, Grandma Susie sent washable ones.
When Brooklyn's not decorating the wall, she likes to use her artistic talent to decorate her sister...
Of course, Talia's not completely innocent either. The two are partners in crime. Recently I walked into the kitchen and found them both devouring our baguette--each attacking an end. You know, we've been working on "sharing," but this isn't exactly what I had in mind!
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