gabriella & jd (and alex! and vincent!)

"don't touch the cheese" Last weekend we had more back-to-school meetings at Alex's school which was nice. We learned about what he will do in his class, etc. Then we stopped for lunch at a very good Lebanese restaurant in our town. The weather has been very nice this September in Paris so we've enjoyed the playground after school. Our town was also setting up for a weekend Antiques/Food/Garden party. Then it was Yom Kippur, time for some more fish, and the weekend. pictures.

white wine braised leeks and sweet and sour fish Last week was a normal week, school, playing, etc. It was also Rosh Hashanah, and JD made a yummy meal with white wine braised leeks and Pesce al ‘Ebraica (Italian Sweet and Sour Fish) . Alex helped. Alex is doing great in his new school and making friends and enjoying the gourmet lunches and using some French words. We are enjoying the 15 minute walk to his school as opposed to the 30 minute bus ride. pictures

a light snack in the Latin Quarter This past weekend we explored the 5th arrondissement and Latin Quarter some more - near the Pantheon, and the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. The we went to the Jardin des Plantes and the zoo to see if we could see the snow leopard cubs but unfortunately they were not out. We enjoyed many other animals and reptiles in the menagerie. Of course there was some eating and walking around too. pictures

September 2nd was Alex's first day back to school - at his new French school in our town. He was a bit sad but held it together as we met his new teacher, Nathalie, and looked around the classroom. When I picked him up afterschool he was sad, but then started telling me about his day and what he ate for lunch - stick bones (drumsticks), lemon water (orange juice), smiley faces (apple slices in the shape of smiles), and tomatoes. For snack, he had chocolate milk (he didn't want it so he left it) and bread and jam. Then he said he played with some of the boys, and counted in French, the teacher read them stories, and they played outside on a "turtle". It's a really nice school and the teacher seems very nice, so we have no doubt Alex will adjust after a few days. There are 29 children in his class, 15 boys and 14 girls, one teacher and one assistant. And on the first day of school they had a nice woman there hugging and sitting with all the sad children. back ...

funny water fountain at Fontainbleau Last week we met up with one of Alex's friends from school last year, Lucas, and enjoyed a long day in the park. On Saturday we took the train to Fontainbleau , where we had a great lunch and then toured the chateau and gardens. pictures

Last week Alex got a haircut, we played in the parks and enjoyed the nice weather, and last Saturday took a nice long walk in the 17th. It was hot, 88°F, so we spent the afternoon at a cafe. Then we bought cheese, bread, wine and a roti chicken for dinner from our market. It was a good weekend! pictures

On Friday the weather was still cloudy so we drove down the mountain on the proper road (a bit wider but not by much) and drove around Interlaken and the valleys. We found a great playground in Interlaken, and then a Hooters for lunch. The wings were just okay. We relaxed at the hotel and had an excellent meal at the restaurant. On Saturday it was on to our last stop, Zurich. We didn't know that Saturday August 14th was the Zurich Street Parade , the largest technoparade in Europe. We enjoyed the people watching for sure. Then it was back to Paris on Sunday. Interlaken Zurich

The Sound of Music Tour has entered Switzerland. We left Innsbruck and spent about 48 hours in Lucerne, or Luzern if you are more of the deutsch persuasion. While Switzerland has its own beautiful elements, the prices are not one of them. The country is, to put it bluntly, stupid expensive. Nevertheless we continue to have good meals (of course), including one of the better Greek meals I've ever eaten. We're presently in Beatenberg (bee- AT -en-berg), which is just west of Interlaken (literally between the lakes ). Following a Google Maps failure (i.e., wrong location of the hotel and consequently the wrong directions), we followed a VERY rural road to finally get to our hotel. In places there was less than one full lane's width. These places were typically found next to precipitous and likely fatal hundred-foot drops off a cliff. They were also usually on the right side of the car, which resulted in some questioning of my driving tactics from the passenger seat. NEVERTHE...

The adventure continues as Sunday we made our way from Bad Gastein to Innsbruck via... Italy. No, this was not a map failure. We decided to take a drive through the Alps and we had two choices: either through the Großglockner road or down across the north of Italy. If you take a look at the map you'll see how out of the way this was, but we're on vacation. Efficiency wasn't part of the equation. So we took an auto-train and had a delicious lunch in Brunico, then made it to Innsbruck just in time to watch United make Chelsea look positively ordinary as Scholesy cut them to ribbons and the Little Pea scored off his nose. (Note to United fans: googling "Irish Bar " is usually a good start to finding pubs off the beaten path in Europe.) Innsbruck is a great little town, if a bit crowded with tourists and hikers of all ages and nationalities. Today, Monday, we've spent up in the mountains having taken the hairiest funicular/cable car ride I'll probably ever ta...

the family spa bathrobe picture What's the difference between a, say, California spa and an Austrian spa? In Austrian spas they allow kids and dogs and dinner entails big hunks of meat and dumplings and giant mugs of beer. Alles gut here in at the Hoteldorf Gruner Baum in Bad Gastein as The Sound of Music Tour continues. We're really enjoying relaxing our way through the Alps. Today we wandered around town, took naps and I had a massage from Birgitte. Tonight's dinner is a Farmer's Buffet. Stay tuned for the meat sweat-inducing pictures! Click here for day one of Bad Gastein .

We moved on to Salzburg yesterday, home of everyone's favorite musical. In a word, it was madness. Tourists EVERYWHERE with more people than I've seen even under the Eiffel Tower. But of course we had some good food. Onward to Bad Gastein today. Click here for the yum.

Day one of the Sound of Music Tour... Vienna is a beautiful city with stunning architecture, charming neighborhoods and great food and drink. After a brief wander around last night, today we visited the Schönbrunn and the zoo. Lunch was a massive affair with boiled beef and veg for me and a spaetzle and cheese heart attack on a plate for Gab. Click here for day one pictures .

Barb, Bob and Bert were in Paris on vacation for the week, so we met up with them at their hotel in the 6th, which had a cool rooftop deck where we enjoyed lunch one day before they went to Strasbourg. Alex and I also went to check out the new playground in the Tuileries which is great. On Saturday JD's cousin David was passing through Paris after his trip to Aix-en-Provence, so we met up with him and walked around and had a great Mexican meal at a restaurant we found in the 16th. pictures more pictures a few more movies: scooter at La Defense more scooter playground with Bert scooter Champs Elysees more scooter Champs Elysees

Alex and I flew back a week ago and have been enjoying being back in Paris - especially the lovely summer weather with low humidity. Our first task was to bake a cake for JD's birthday on July 19th. Lincoln likes his new bed and sleeping spot in the closet. Alex was glad to get back to his scooter, the park, and watching the trash trucks. We've also purchased a new espresso machine. pictures. more pictures.

pictures Andrea's pictures We spent the last few days in the US visiting and eating some goodies we can't get in France: wings and crab dip! We spent all day Friday at Mace and Suzanne's, visiting with Eddy and Angie and Aunt Beaty. You can't tell from the pictures it was 90 degrees and humid. Good thing their neighboor Jimmy let us use his pool. Oh, and that 3.6 earthquake ? It awoke us out of bed at 5:05 a.m......it's certainly been an exciting visit this time. On Saturday I packed and we headed to Carrie's for a quick visit before the plane left at 10 p.m. for Paris. movies: pool more pool bicycle and dogs more bicycle playing the keyboard sprinkler

Alex and his cousin Eddy pictures. Our trip to the US is almost up. Alex likes to jump on the futon, talk to his Dad in Paris on Skype, and help Grannie. On Friday we met Aunt Andrea for lunch in Glover Park and had shrimp tacos and a quesadilla at Surfside. On Saturday we dragged Alex to IKEA where he enjoyed trying out the furniture and the lingonberry soda. On Monday we met Aunt Shana in DC for dinner at a Greek place in Dupont Circle called Mourayo. We took the Metro and there was a fire and the escalators and elevators were out at Dupont Circle so there was a little excitement with firefighters and local news crews. Then yesterday we went out to Edgewater to visit Suzanne and Eddy since Aunt Beaty was in town from Charlotte. We are going back on Friday for a longer visit. movies sprinkler fun more sprinkler fun Alex and Eddy running Alex and Eddy jumping

pictures. So, it's been over 100°F now for several days in the DC area so that leaves little to do but play in the kiddie pool or stay inside in the air conditioning. Alex wasn't even interested in his soccer class it was so hot. Today we took a quick field trip to the National Capital Trolley Museum for a ride and tour. Alex loved it. Then there was more sprinkler and naps and fruit snacks.

Nathan & Alex More pictures from the beach.

Alex and I have been hanging out in Kensington with Grannie and Papa, taking naps, eating out, going to the mall. We've just returned from a 4 day trip to Wilmington to see Toots & Poppie. We were lucky enough to get to go to the beach for 2 days to visit Diane and Murray and their children and grandchildren. Alex had a great time playing in the sand and ocean with Nathan. pictures.

Alex and I are in the US for a quick summer visit. Alex is enjoying his usual routine at Grannie's - playing in the kiddie pool, eating popsicles and waffles, getting a haircut, and basically ruling the house. I had a quick jaunt to Boston with the Kurtz women (Margaret, Rose, Barb and Carrie) to visit Kathleen, and let's just say we had a great time and ate our way around Boston. Fun fun fun. And of course we did a Duck Tour! Paris to Kensington. Grannie and Aunt Andrea babysitting. Boston.