Two Worlds - beauty and tragedy

Today, on our 2nd last day of our journey, Linda took us to see the spectacular Plitvic Lakes national park! What an amazing place! It was proclaimed a National Park in 1949 and a Unesco World Heritage site in 1979. The waterfalls are absolutely outstanding and they have created kilometers and kilometers of boardwalks so you can walk around and enjoy the staggering beauty. The park represents a phenomenon of karst hydrography which forms these amazing towers and caves of travertine (I always loved that material and now I know why it is so expensive). We took a tonne of pics so I will happily share those when we get home.

The tragic part was seeing all the damaged homes on the road to the park. The different republics of the former Yugoslavia were at war with themselves in 1991 to 1995. The Serbians, Croatians and Bosnians were battling. We saw many, many homes that have not been repaired yet and you can see the machine- gun spray of bullets and also bombed homes. I remember hearing about the war, but seeing the damage now makes me so sad. We humans can be so cruel.

Now Croatia is doing well. It is an incredibly beautiful country with a stunning coastline. The undulating hillsides remind me of the drive through Salmon Arm. So green, so beautiful! The people are friendly, the cities are clean and greenspace is plentiful.

We are so fortunate in Canada. We have so much: inexpensive housing (yes even in Kelowna), space, and opportunities abound. I will appreciate it more.

This journey we have been on has changed us all. We have all grown as individuals and as a family. I have more desire for the simple pleasures: good fresh food, and good wine and time just being with Derek and the girls (and friends!) And I would like to think that I will need less of the material things.

Tomorrow is our last day... We will savour it like the 59 before... And are ready to come home.

I feel so bloody lucky! Two fabulous months to explore and learn. Thank you for reading our blog and for listening to my rambling... I encourage you all to hug those you love, to travel if you can, and to Carpe Diem!

Much love,

Tamara and the French Moran Clan

Croatia! What a Finale to this Trip!

Holy smokes this is one of the most beautiful places any of us have ever, ever been to!!! We landed in Zagreb on Wednesday and then Linda and her husband Davor and son Luka wisked us off to the island of Krk! We spend yesterday lounging on their boat (yacht!) in the Med sea frolicking, swimming, sunning and relaxing! Wow!!!  After the hustle and bustle of Paris (|and that damn rain) this is paradise!!!  Paradise!!!  My Mum laughed at me and said that I keep saying that I love each place we've been to best..... but now I mean it.  I think!!! 

We return to Canada next week and I will upload the best pics of our incredible sabbatical from life at home! We have learned so much! We have grown a lot... we have had the best best best time ever!!!

See you all soon!

Much much love!

Hvala! (thanks in Croatian)

Tamara and family

City of Lights!

The City of Lights

Paris is truly amazing! There is so much to see and do, it could almost be stressful... But we keep reminding ourselves we'll be back. We can't possibly see it all! So we aren't trying anymore. I think.

We had a fabulous 3 days with my Mum and Dad and they left this morning for a river cruise down the Rhône. How fortunate we were to spend time together here in Paris!

Today we took the Metro to the neighbourhood of Montmontre... It was busy and quite bohemian and fun! Then we metro'd again over to Marsais and caught a great fashion show! So cool! Then we walked over to the Centre Pompidou and went in for a quick look through the Musée National d'Art Moderne.  After seeing all the fabulous old works at the Louvre yesterday (yes we saw the Mona Lisa!) it was interesting to see the most famous art from the last 100 years.  We like Matisse's work, love Chagall and don't really understand Picasso.

We concluded our day with a " pot de frites" and a demi  litre of vin de pays rouge... Now are home to relax!  

One thing that I  miss about home is.... Reliable Laundry.  Our machine here won't spin,  Arles didn't work and Cannes wouldn't either. I am getting might good at washing by hand.... And it's the pits!

Tomorrow we are excited to see " la piéce de la resistance" ... The Musée d'Orsay! It is housed in the old train station and I think it may be our favourite museum yet! It's full of Impressionism works and picks up where the Louvre leaves off. Should be amazing!

Now time to relax.... Pass the vin rouge s'il vous plait!

Xo my friends!

oh My Aching Feet!!

We had a lovely day in Paris today celebrating Derek and Morgan's birthdays. But we walked, and walked, and walked some more. Oh our feet are done!!

We have a week here but there is so much to see and do that we seem to feel a need to cram it in. Tomorrow will be more mellow I hope :)

We went to Notre Dame (stunning church but it was packed and after seeing some incredible churches in Provence where we were the only people inside, the crowds make it less nice). Then we visited the crypts of ancient Paris (that was cool!) then we took the metro to the Arc de Triumph which is so amazing it takes your breath away, and then we ascended the Eiffel Tower! Morgan and Alexa were very excited to go up there and the views of this enormous and amazing city are unbeatable.

We concluded the day with a great dinner out with Mum and Dad and checked into our funky apartment at 10 pm!

What a day!!

Sleep tight mes ami!

Cherie Paris!!!

We arrived yesterday afternoon in Paris! It is stunning!! We took a high speed train and it only took 5 hours to travel all the way from Arles to Paris. The countryside is beautiful here... Even at 300kms an hour!

My Mum and Dad have come to meet us and we are thrilled to spend some time together with them in this incredible city. Today Morgan and Derek share a birthday and we are going to see Notre Dame, then the Rodin Museum and then up the Eiffel Tower!

We have not seen much of Paris yet, but I am sure we will love it. My Mum laughed yesterday and said that I have loved every place we have been to on this trip... And it's true! They have all had different amazing features and history. I feel so grateful for this trip and all the experiences we are having.

Details to come soon!

Love
The travelling Moran Clan

No Playing on the Grass

"Pelous Interdits" - these signs are anywhere you see grass. There is little grass to be found here. None that we saw in Banyuls sur Mer, none here in Arles, none in Nice that we found. And when you do see a gorgeous stretch of lovely lush lawn... The signs all say "pelous interdits( or something like that).

Well Alexa as you well know, has lots of energy, and a wild spirit..... So she (with Derek's support) ran outside on our last night in
Cannes.... After dark... And ran and jumped and did cartwheels on the grass! And she was giggling and singing a diddy "the BEST night EVER"... It was pretty cute!

Market day in Arles

We enjoyed the biggest market I have ever been to on Saturday. The Arles market is one of the biggest in Provence and there was so much to see. You can buy 18k gold earrings beside the fish market and beside him is the live animal section! Morgan loved petting the cute bunnies and right beside the live animals they had a cooler with.... Not live animals. Uug!  But it's so different from home where I buy meat in a small plastic wrapped package. Chicken looks just like pork or any other meat. Not here! And though it takes some getting used to here... I prefer it.  

Food tastes amazing here! They have about 35 varities of olives... Hundreds of cheeses, they have over 8 varities of baugettes alone (and then the other breads some are shaped like boats, some are short puffy rolls and some are long and flat.  

Maybe the food is this good at home but we don't take the time to slow down and savour it?

Our trip is winding down now... We head to 
Paris tomorrow (that will be amazing!) and then a week with my friend Linda in Croatia! And then we head home June 30th! Time has flown by.... But we will most certainly be back. 

Xoxo

Ancient Arles

Ancient Arles

What an incredible day we have had here in Arles. With it's tremendous history of battles won and lost you can't help but be awed by it all. We explored the Eglise Saint Trophine (a church) today and tried to teach the girls what all the carvings and paintings mean. The power of religion in ancient times must have been absolutely omnipresent. Studying the bones of a man declared a saint.... Over 1800 years ago, then the ancient sarcophagus'... Then the marble carvings depicting where one went if they were good.... And where they went if not.... Wow. And trying to explain it all to the girls was a lesson in itself!

We also visited the Roman Amphitheater and there was a school group there watching a re-enactment of a battle between two gladiators. 2000 years ago the Romans held court in the amphitheater and I swear if you listen and look carefully enough, you can see and hear them still. 

Then we picked up a few groceries and headed home for lunch. I was excited to get everyone trying fois gras pâté (don't tell them what that is please!) and some crazy French cheeses (they smell so bad but taste so good!). And of course Derek and I enjoyed a bottle of wine (a Demi bottle given it was only noon).  After lunch we all had a bit of quiet time (I love that part ) and we then went walking and shopping. 

We may head to Avignon demain, or possibly stay here and explore more. There's a massive market here on Saturday mornings and it supposed to be one of the best in Provence. I can't wait! The table cloths are gorgeous and I am going to get something to help me remember this amazing town. 

Paradise Found in. Provence!

Paradise Found in Provence

Okay I am in love! We arrived yesterday here in Arles which is in the heart of Provence. This stunning city is over 2,000 years old. Back in 500 bc it had a population of 100,000 (today 50,000) and there is history and a story everywhere you look. I cannot wait to explore it!!!

We ar staying in the ancient part of the city within the walls. Our home here is huge (by French standards) and has 4 levels including a roof top deck that I am sitting on as I type).  We look out over hundreds of red coloured clay rooftops.... Looks the same today as it must have hundreds (thousands?) of years ago (now though almost every home has a radio antenna).  

This feels like home to me... I can't explain it but I feel like I have been here before. It is awe inspiring and magical here. 

Like in Banyuls sur Mer, there is a boulangerie down the street so Derek and Morgan have gone to pick up still warm croissants and pain de chocolate. Yum yum!

We will go explore this town today making sure to see the Vincent van Gogh museum (he lived here for a year and painted over 200 pieces while here), the Roman amphithéâtre where gladiators fought wild animals 2,000 years ago, and perhaps a picnic along the Rhone river (which I can see at the end of our street.

I have loved all the places we have been to on this amazing journey.... But I think this is my favourite. 

(and property is much more affordable here than in Cannes or Momaco! Hee hee)

Bonne journée mes ami!

Marvelous Monaco!!!

Monte Carlo Here We Come!

We are taking the 8:28 train this morning to Monte Carlo /Monaco! So excited!  It is it's own country surrounded by France on both sides. Way back in  1297 a fellow named François Grimaldi captured Monaco and created his own country. It's known for it's Grand Prix car racing, the huge casinos and Prince Albert (Prince Rainer's and Princess Grace's son). 

We plan on seeing the royal palace (changing of the guards happens at lunch time), the Napolean collection (he occupied Monaco after the French Revolution) the casino and the best crème glacee we can find!

Yesterday it poured rain here in Cannes. And I mean poured!! The lightening and thunder went on for hours and all the buildings were shaking. We were sitting in a great bistro for lunch when there was a massive bolt of lightening followed immediately by a boom of thunder. The lights all went out and we saw smoke drift by! Maybe one of the fancy yachts got hit?? We didn't ever find out.  The. A few hours later, the sky cleared, it got hot again, and we came back to our flat to swim in the pool. The women go topless everywhere here, even at the pool, but we are all used to it now. Well maybe except for Derek :) 

Enjoy your day!

On avez arriver en Cannes!

We have arrived in Cannes! Wow it's so different from Banyuls sur Mer. This is where the world's biggest film festival is held every  year (we missed it by about 2 weeks). It's glitzy and shiny. Our apartment is small but ideal for us with a miniscule kitchen, a bathroom (tub no shower) and bunk beds for the girls near the front door. We have a gorgeous view of the Med sea and there's a train station literally 2 seconds away (yep we can hear and see the trains coming and going).  

Yesterday we walked around the town and admired the fancy hotels and cars.  We saw a photo shoot taking place in front of the Ritz Carleton hotel which was kind of cool. The majority of the beaches are private here in Cannes so you must rent a chair. The weather is not great so we didn't beach it yesterday or today. But we will one day we hope as it's gorgeous!

We don't have wifi here in our room so I won't be able to email/ blog as often. Maybe that's a good thing?

Today we are going to catch the train into Nice and we'll explore the museums and galleries there. We want to go see Saint Paul de Vence and Vence (two hillside ancient towns about 2 hrs from here) this week as well as Monaco / Monte Carlo.  Lots to see and do and explore!

Carpe diem my friends!

Xoxo






Sent from my iPad

Je parle une peu de francias

Well I did it!!! I was forced to speak some French tonight. All on my own :)

We have met a lovely woman here, Elizabethi, and her two children. She is an American who has been living here in France for the last 10 years. Derek took our girls home to tuck them into bed, Elizabeth was doing the same with her kids, and I stayed and parle en Francaia avec ses Amis. They speak little to no English, my French is about the same, but it worked!

Now I believe we had a good conversation about the weather here in Banyuls and how pirates have been here for centuries. The men I spoke with may think we talked about why horse meat is very good to eat in charcuterie and why pickles are best at room temperature. Either way! I spoke! I am pumped!!!

Took some amazing photos of Banyuls sur Mer this am..... I cannot email them as they are on the camera until we return... But I believe I was able to capture some of this town's beauty and serenity.

This was our last market day here (Sunday's and Weds in Banyuls) and we bought the usual assortment of fresh tomatoes, olives, fresh chevré, raspberries and a still warm baguette. Absolute decadence! We watched the locals dance the traditional Sardane dance at the town plaza while we enjoyed our ice cream's... Then went home and played cards (rummy!) with the kids before dinner.

bliss! Utter utter bliss!

J'adore la France!

Cant add photos

Hi again! I am sorrybwe dont have pictures on here. The ipad won't allow me to add them (must need flash?)

Email me if you want to see some and i havent sent them.

Xoxo

PS!

Happy birthday Mum! Cant wait to see you and Dad in Paris :)

Divine days!

Well we are almost halfway through our adventure -which is crazy! It has been absolutely blissful staying here in Banyuls sur Mer. We have become well aquainted with the many many flights of stairs. We have located our favourite boulangerie and the best tomato producer at the market. We have explored all the nearby towns and we have dipped our toes in the fabulous Med sea.

We are ready to move on now. Weds we head to Cannes for a glitz filled week! Then exploring the fascinating history of ancient Arles, then Paris and then Croatia! Wow!

Our daughters continously amaze us. They are so independent and work well as a team. Of course they have had some disagreements but not many at all. I love hearing them whisper in the dark about their favourite parts of each day (today they went horse back riding which was on Alexa's wish list)and giggling over the adventures.

We will be back here one day.... I hope in the not too distant future. And next time we're bringing our road bikes!

Xoxo

The French language test

Okay so we have a week left here in Banyuls. The French children do not have school on Wednesdays and the girls have made a friend they wish to play with. So we are going to lay low and relax in town aujourdhui.

I have decided that a spa would be great today! But I am a little nervous.....

There is a phenomenal looking treatment centre here called the Thalacap.. They have a hotel and spa with jetted tubs, a gym, pools etc. I am going to book a half day (the price is reasonable!). But what I am nervous about is what exactly I will be getting done. My French is getting better but I hope that "modelages sous douche à affusion, is pleasant! It's not a.... Could it be...

Will keep you posted!!

:)
bonne journée

Living like the French

We are loving it here in France and cannot believe how quickly time is going. I wouldn't think it would be possible to fill our days with so little -but we are and we are all loving it!

I woke up last night and went and stood on our balcony around 2am. There was honestly not a sound to be heard. Nothing! Banyuls sur mer is a hilly town and we are living in the old section. There are a few cars that somehow manage to park near us but with the super narrow roads and the stairs everywhere not many. We are several blocks the main road and several blocks from the train station so we hear no noise. But it was pretty cool to stand surrounded by houses that are hundreds of years old, looking at a church that is from 1280 a.d. in the moonlight and not hearing a peep.

Derek and the girls are all sketching and painting quite a bit. And even I am trying!

Today we are going to catch the bus for 1 euro and go to Argeles sur Mer. It's a little town about 20 mins from here. I am sure it's absolutely chaos in the summer. There is a huge long beach, an amusement park, bric a brac stores everywhere and an ice cream (creme glacee) shop every 150 meters. We almost stayed there before I found this place in Banyuls. I am so glad we didn't as it is a fun place to visit but too touristy for us. It will be a good day!

Savouring it all!

Much love

Us

Part deux!

Blog tues may 17th

We took the car back today to Perpignan. We had planned to spend the day investigating the area but it was so hot and the girls got bored. So we caught the bus back home to Banyuls. We enjoyed a light late lunch at one of the many restaurants overlooking the bay and Derek and I ordered the tapas platter to share. It came beautifully presented on a plate with chilled shrimp, salami (charcuterie is available everywhere) some potato things and a bowl of fish. The heads were removed but it was a shiny plate of what we think was sardines. Derek and the kids wouldn't touch them but I did. They were pretty good! Just now Derek and I left the girls at our house while we walked the 2 small blocks to the corner store. We bought a litre of milk (not chilled comes in a container like apple juice), a litre of juice, a bottle of champagne, a bottle of our favorite local red wine and a bottle of Banyuls sweet wine. Total bill: 12 euros! Can you believe it?!? No wonder we are going through so much of the wine - you can't afford not to!

The weather is really good right now. Plus 28! So we will lounge here in Banyuls for a few days before we plan our next adventure. 

I have washed a load of clothes and hung them out to dry (no one uses dryers here). The cats that prowl the streets are howling and we watch them sitting on the rooftops at night! I hope they don't try to steal our clothes as they flap in the wind like a kitty toy :)

It's amazing how utterly relaxing this life can be. We wake up about 7 am or so. Then I usually go for a run (but not too far or fast - no one seems to run here but I have that triathlon  when I  get home and I would love to complete it (though I am realistic that I will not be breaking any records). We eat a simple breakfast of coffee and croissants (they are still hot from the bakery run the girls do each am) and then we walk around to explore. 

I love it here!!!

We just found out that my Mum and Dad are going to meet us in Paris - so excited! A favourite client of mine just passed away recently (I'll miss you Margot) and it is a reminder to "carpe diem". So I am grateful for this time as a family to remember what is important in life. I realize what amazing daughters we have. They are fun and silly and crafty and clever. It drives me a little crazy sometimes and yet I admire them so much.  Derek too! Time flies and I think at home I get so busy just being busy that I forget to stop and look and marvel at the wonders around me. 

Have a great day my friends!

Xo

T

My Girona!

Blog re girona

My Girona!

We had another great adventure - while we have our rented car, we drove down to Girona in Spain. Derek has been wanting to see this town as it's a big cycling town. I was eager to see it as it was apparently modeled after Venice in Italy.

It is beautiful and big. We took the tourist train at the kids request Around the city then we walked along the old castle walls. We stopped and sampled the Spanish gelato (all of us decided we prefer the French creme glacee).  On our drive home which took about 2 hours we stopped in two shopping towns. La Jonquera on the Spanish side and le Perthus on the French side.  We bought good charcuterie for a few euros and great gin for 5 euros. 

Back home tonight in Banyuls and I don't think we'll leave France for a bit again (though crossing the border was a cinch - don't even stop your car). We are really feeling at home here in France and want to stay. Spain is beautiful but felt a little less polished and when you add a new language (mostly Catalan spoken in Girona which is a combination of French and Spanish) it makes things a little trickier. Something we noticed in Spain and not here in France is the prostitutes. Beautiful young women would be standing on the side of the highway in Spain (we saw probably 20 in all) dressed in next to nothing.  So sad to see. The laws must be different between the two countries for prostitution as we haven't seen that in France at all. 

The weather has been amazing! It was 25 degrees today and is supposed to get warmer next week! Loving this :)

Tomorrow we are thinking we may head towards Coullioure again (love that town!) and go explore the ancient ruins of Peyrepertuse and Quillan.  Or we may stay here in Banyuls and head to one of the 9"caves,in town. I thought caves were caves. But that's what they call their wine cellars. I really want to practice my French so I am going to ask " est ce que tu veux essayer du vin". Wish me luck!!

Medieval Village of Carcassone!

Wow!!! How do we describe the amazing sights we have just seen today? We rented a car in Perpignan for a week and drove a few hours through Narbonne and to Carcassone. This medieval castle and town has been around since the Romans. Robin Hood with Kevin Costner was filmed here and we'll rent that when we get home to see a version of life then.

It is absolutely staggering in it's beauty! We walked along the ramparts and peered over the walls to the 3 inner walls and the 52 towers. crazy! Eerie and beautiful! We then checked into a fancy hotel (avec a heated piscine!) and after a swim went back into the ancient village after most of the other tourists have left. We were the only people inside a 2000 year old church at dusk. Surrounded by stained glass and the organ and the alter.... We were all moved.

We will head back to Banyuls tomorrow and will stop at a couple more ancient ruins on our way.

C'est magnifique! This is an amazing country.... Not expensive like we'd thought, clean, good fresh food. And so much history!

Now if I can just improve my French....

Sorry no pics yet..... One of the iPads takes pics but we've been using the camera mostly. Will take pics and upload soon!

Love to you all!

Another fantastique day

It keeps getting better! We discovered a market here in Banyuls today. It,s held every Thursday and Sunday. Loads of fresh fromage and olives and veggies! I bought some fromage de Chevre and she asked me "quel age?" it's available at either "deux mois ou sept mois". The older it is the more expensive it is. I bought half a kilo of 2month old goat cheese to go with our vin that is 2euros a bottle. The cHeese was expensive at 11 euros but sooooooo sooooooo good!

If I don't have Derek or the girls avec moi then I am forced to parle en Francais and while my French isn't good I can be understood. But the girls and D are so fluent that I tend to let them speak for me.

Yesterday after we returned from our journey to Perpignan and Argeles sur Mer we sat at the town square here in Banyuls and listened to a band and watched all the people dancing their traditional Catalan dance. Wow! All ages joined and did this very complicated footwork dance. So cool!

This morning there was a parade - we don't know why but it was neat to watch.

We are now going to splash in the Med sea!

Au devoir mes ami!!,

Alexa says!

We saw trees that look like giant pineapples and it is fun here! Had yummy ice cream too. Mine was menthe et chocolate and Morgan had fraise.
Bye!

Bienvenu au Banyuls sur Mer!!,

We are here we are here!! And we absolutely love it! The town is larger than we expected and less expensive! The temp is 26 degrees today and people (not us yet) are swimming! It took forever to get here (felt that way) but sooooo worth it!
Bought a great bottle of vin last night for 2 euros. Our villa is big and extremely quiet! We have 2 decks and enjoyed an al fresco lunch today of wine, baguette (baked this am) cheese, salamoi and fresh tomatoes. It's splendid!! I could honestly live here!
We don't have Internet working in our room but it's free wifi at the office de tourisme. Derek has the girls riding the carasoul while inemail and catch up.

BLISS, bliss! Bliss!

We will be back here for sure.... Who wants to come?? I'll take a couple pics now (thx cool new iPad) and tempt you all.

LOVE TO ALL!!

the French Morans (all except me are speaking tones of French! Morgan with great confidence this am ordered us 2 croissants and a fresh baguette and "use pain de chocolate" with great skill. I hope to work on my French soon. Xoxo

Toronto!

We arrived in Toronto late Saturday night and are having fun with Philip and Leslie! They took us to the ROM museum yesterday and today we are going to Niagra Falls! The girls are excited to see that and so are D and I!
We fly out Weds at 5 and arrive in Barcelona Thursday morning! Soooooooo excited!

Our last night here!!!

Okay we just got home from a great dinner at Shannon and Brett's. So fun! It's late... Almost 11 pm and D hasn't started packing yet!! What is up with that?!?! I have been packed for 2 weeks! Omg we leave in 16 hrs... What could I have forgotten?
We are ready! We are all so excited! This trip has been planned for months, years, and now it's here.

The time will fly we know, but our goal is to cherish it all. To savor the experience (and frustrations) that we will encounter.

My favorite saying has always been carpe diem!

So here we go!!!

Love to you all the FRENCH Moran Clan
Xoxoxoxo

Now only 3 sleeps!!!

Okay so now it's time to start getting crazy excited! Have we forgotten to think of something critical? Packed good sturdy shoes, scarves, little bit of clothing but not much as we carry everything. Ok check. Gifts for the teachers of the girls... Not yet. Am I thinking of everything? Probably not. Does it matter? Probably not!

I cannot wait yet I know this time will fly by so I am trying to savor it too! Eeeekkkk!

Only 5 more sleeps!!!

We are so excited for our adventure to begin! We have dreamed and planned about this for so long and now it's almost here. We realize how fortunate we are and are truly grateful that this trip can happen.
Stay tuned for posts from all of us and photos too along the way!
Bon Voyage mes ami!