St Raphael

Another two hours drive to reach our last destination in France before flying to Morocco: St Raphael.
Mathieu's parents (a friend from Sydney) welcome us in their beautiful villa near the sea and at the footstep of the Esterel National Park (very famous for mountain biking): sounds very good!

Christian and Francoise were so lovely. Thank you very much for hosting us and show us the nice walk around. And what a yummy food. We loved St Raphael before the tourist season! And we reached 25 degrees. Summer is coming!

Before reaching St Raphael we stopped at the St Topez village and took a cafe alonge at the famous Senequier bar and enjoy a good aioli nearby.

What a stunning walk we did. A bit like Little Beach with the smell of the pine trees.

Do you recognise this famous Tintin album cover? First one got a surprise!

The best strawberry ever! Seriously I almost forgot how gorgeous a nice tasty, juicy strawberry can be.

Thanks Amaury (Matt's brother) for showing me the tracks around. However we had 4 punctures that day. Yes we were pissed off!

The next day I climbed the Mt Vinaigre with the bike. (70mn from the bottom - at sea level)

Chloe had a ball at the villa playing with Zoe's toys.

Tournez Manege! Next adventure: Morroco!

Marseille

Next stop and not too far away was the southern Port city of Marseille....one of Frances largest city lying on the Meditterean. We arrived at Isa and Manu's very cool house in a great location near the sea. Seeing the sun was shining, we took a short trip to the pebbly beach & although a bit cold to swim, was very nice to be near the beach again after 7 weeks away from our beloved Maroubra Beach. Second day was spent in Marseille visiting the old port recently transformed and very impressive. The museum was great & cathedral was also nearby overlooking the meditteran sea. Another lovely evening eating local fish & wine with Isa & Manu topped off a short but sweet stay in Marseille. Thanks guys you rock!

Ludo went for a smooth sailing session in Carry-Rouet while the girls enjoyed the beach

Provence

Provence

Time to head back to France and further south in search for some sun and more relaxation ( for Hayley and the girls anyway ) and to speak French again. Whilst the drive from Como to Lurs ( little village near Forcalqiuer ) in Provence took most of the day, it was a beautiful drive past the snow capped mountains arriving into the springtime colours of provence. Next stop was Ludo's aunt and uncle Mimi and Denis whom lived on a gorgeous property with a stunning outlook. A nice & big home cooked meal was awaiting for us on our arrival and it definitely not disappoint....thanks Mimi Chloe was in heaven as she had access to her cousins princess dress, dolls & toys.....we didn't hear from her the very first day. And thanks for playing with her with the old school games like Puissance 4 and le jeu des equilibristes.

On sunday morning we joined the locals for a fundraising walk from the village through the fields viewing the land art on route. 

My uncle knows every single walk in the area. No wonder as he was a bush ranger in the past.

Land art

The afternoon was spent hanging out on the property whilst Ludo tackled one of the many mouton bike trails with his cousins. It took a little bit more than expected with a 800+m elevation and two punctures (thanks Vince) but good effort with the kiddie bike you had.

Monday was market day in Forcalquier and it wow it was pretty evident summer ( = tourists ) was coming by the size of the market & crowd. A picnic lunch followed with some of the yummy products in particular the chèvre ( goats cheese ) with fig....Hayley was in heaven. 

Last day in Provence was another bike ride for Ludo (this time he got totally lost) while the girls spent made the most of the lovely property and soaking up the sun. Another big dinner awaited us at Anne and Bruno. Lot's of laughs. Love love loving the food although not sure 4 courses every night is a good idea!! Thanks guys. See ya in Sydney?

The famous Diabolo Grenadine and Diabolo Menthe (aka Cordial). 

I love this region. I am thinking of retiring here (well half time with Sydney).

And the parents?

I won't say that the holidays are relaxing with two kids but I like to be busy anyway. We always try to have some quite time during the day usually after lunch where a power nap get me ready for the next part of the day. And Hayley get some relaxing time when I am off for mountain biking or any other sport I can practise around (usually kids are off for a nap too). She thinks I can't stay still (which is true).
So far it's a good mix of travelling, sport activities, quality time with the kids  and most important meeting relatives and friends which are so welcoming. So I am OK for that for the next 6 months.

And the kids?

They are all right. Chloe enjoys spending time with parents. She's asking thousands questions a day (that's probably her age). She's asking sometimes things about home (like the dolls or little details about her room) but she doesn't seem missing it too much. She misses her friends (like us).

She plays with kids she found at the play ground. I found her not shy at all.

Elodie? Well. I am not sure she understand the big picture.... But she smiles when Chloe is around. Just a little thing: she's teething (elle fait ses dents). Nutella keeps her smiling!

ps: the blog seems popular with 250+ views in a couple of days. Should I keep going?

Lago Como

As part of the European adventure was to travel 'outside' of France ( more of Hayley's wish as apparently France has everything) next stop would be Lago du Como or Lake Como as we know it. It was a long drive from La Clusaz for Ludo with an overnight stopover outside Milan before arriving in a little non touristy village called Brienno half way up the lake on the eastern side. Our apartment was perfect for what we wanted - quiet, cozy with great views on the lake.
Lago du Como is one of the largest lakes in Europe with many Italian villages dotted around the lake, some traditional & some more touristy.
First day was a must do boat trip over to one of the tourist villages called bellagio which didn't disappoint. A picturesque village with cobblestone paths, traditional pizzerias & gelato bars & a lovely park overlooking the lake. First gelato didn't dissapoint...so good & 3 euro for 3 scoops...

Day 2 was a grand car trip inland to see some of the local villages & take advantage some if the amazing views it offered. After a very windy drive & sometimes super scary road we finally made it to the 'balcony of Italy' a superb spot in the Italian/Swiss border overlooking both lake Como and Lake Lugano with the Swiss Alps in the background - simply stunning & perfect for a picnic lunch.

Forza Italia (enfin a la coupe du monde on va leur régler leur compte quand meme)

Day 3 was a little more relaxed & low key as Ludo and Chloe decided to venture out in the canoe that belonged to the guy who rented us the apartment. The plan was to meet ( Ludo & Chloe canoe & Hayley & Elodie drive ) in the next village Lagilo which is famous for the village where George Clooney has a holiday villa. Couldn't see much when driving past the mansion but Ludo managed to get better view on the canoe & apparently George was around. A nice coffee at George's local, drive to nearby villages & a traditonal pizza at the local topped off a great day..

Nice selfie, is it?

Our neighbour a couple of paddle away from ours. Thanks George for the apero!

Our flat

It's Wednesday in March at Lake Como. No one's there. Love the touristy place without the tourists (btw don't attempt to come here in peak season - driving and parking would be your worst nightmare)

Last addition. We've visited a beautiful villa along the Greenway (a path walk around the lake) which was stunning! The Greenway is the way to visit the lake through the little streets and hamlets above the lake. A must to do. Bye bye Lake Como. 

Snow (again)

Monday 24th March: France Meteo forecast on TV: 30cm of fresh snow just fell down on almost every ski areas. It took less than a minute to decide our next destination: snow again!

This time we tooke advice from our local friends and we head to La Clusaz. What a change. If you compare Alpe D'Huez to Gold Cost then La Clusaz is Byron Bay. Does it make sense to anyone? probably not. In few words La Clusaz is a cute, small, authentic ski area far from the high rises of Alpe d'Huez.

We loved it at first sight. Hayley an expert in booking.com or trip advisor found a nice chalet with a great view and down the slope! If you go to La Clusaz you must check out this hotel: the most friendliest host ever. http://www.hotel-borderan.com/

The plan of the day is now a routine: I take the first round with 2hrs of ski solo. Then Hayley take it over while I am throwing snow balls to Chloe. In the afternoon we ski with Chloe alternatively. And it paid off. After 3 sessions of hard work Chloe is now skiing alone! Alleluia! She is actually super confident and ski alone the entire slop and stop right at the ski lift. Now I got the joy of skiing with my daughter. I understand what you meant Francois!

Hakim joined us for the day. Great to ski with you Hakim. I loved it. We'll do it again (hopefully).

View of Chamonix and Mt Blanc from the top of ski lift

I loved our ski experience. The best conditions ever. Good snow, blue sky and warm. That the ski de printemps as its best.

Time to leave the snow fields and we are set for a 6hrs night drive to ... Italy!