Well, it has been awhile since my last post because apparently people in this town don't do anything on Sundays, including checking their email! We thought our apartment had Wi-Fi but it doesn't... luckily we have found a great restaurant right on the beach that has free internet! Of course we are eating an expensive lunch to have this ability but for now it is worth it. Maybe tomorrow we'll hover under an awning and steal it instead!
So, while I didn't have the ability to post I still blogged into a word document - thank you 'cut and paste'! Find a comfy spot, get a drink, go to the bathroom because you are about to read a long, long post! I will sit back, look at the water, sip my glass of wine and relax while you do all the work....
Saturday, July 25th, 2009
Wow, not having Wi-Fi sucks! I am forced to sit here typing into a blank word document with the hopes that sometime I can cut and paste it into my blog. If I don’t write tonight I’ll forget about today! Well, not forget entirely but it’s the little things that make the difference and make the experience what it is, isn’t it?
We woke up early this morning to check out of our Paris apartment. Usually 9:30 doesn’t seem so early except for the fact that the people above us had a rockin’ party that started at 10:30 pm and went until almost 6 in the morning! I don’t know what they were doing but it must’ve been amazing because there were obviously A LOT of people and a lot of moving around. Poor Julia woke up around 1 am and couldn’t go back to sleep because of the noise – we all were a little tired this morning!
We caught the high speed train from Paris down to Marseille and the 3 hours went by incredibly fast. Jeff and I noticed a bunch of cool little castles perched upon mountaintops but the girls were way too busy playing to notice. Usually you try and find something to occupy yourself but before we knew it we checked the clock and were only 20 minutes away – just enough time to finish our chocolate mousse and coffee and pack everything up. When we arrived it was HOT! Paris had been unseasonably cool and wet so the introduction to the South of France and the Mediterranean climate was quite the change! We found the rental car agency and then proceeded to walk about 3 blocks to get to the car – very different than any North American city we’ve ever been to! The car is actually great – aside from the fact that it’s baby blue and kind of a weird body style we are all very comfortable in it and Jeff’s head doesn’t even touch the ceiling. The kids love the fact that there are actually little trays attached to the back of the seats just like an airplane – the parents like that too because that means they will be more easily occupied during the upcoming day trips we have planned!
Cassis was an easy drive from Marseille – less than an hour for sure although we forgot to look at the clock when we left. Getting out of Marseille was tricky – lots of traffic and people and the roads weren’t well marked. But, we did it with minimal stress and ended up in the right place! Cassis, on the other hand, was not easy to navigate. We had some google maps we’d printed out from home which proved to be grossly inadequate when we arrived. We spent quite awhile driving in circles on very narrow roads before finally finding our apartment – which, by the way, is great. (Aside from the lack of internet access!) We walked down to the beach which was very different – rocky instead of sandy which excited Chloe but made my feet hurt! She can’t wait to get there tomorrow. Poor Julia was hot and sweaty – she has the same problem of me with a lack of heat dispersal in these types of climates. Luckily I can recognize it and squirt her with water when she needs it.
So, we’ve moved in, unpacked, and made ourselves at home. The little port is so cute with lots of restaurants and people watching. We had a fabulous dinner of tapas which we all enjoyed and then took a stroll for some gelato. Horrible, I know. So, now we’re off to bed as soon as I finish this delicious glass of local wine sitting to the right of my keyboard…
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Another day in paradise… seriously this place is amazing. I’ve been to many beach towns before but there is something so different about this place. The sun is HOT, but soft too, if that makes sense. Plus I’ve never seen so many dark, dark, dark people before. Not that they were born dark – au contraire – they have been laying in the sun for years with baby oil. Not good – actually kind of gross. A lot of old ladies with saggy brown boobs (topless) on the beach (cue – Something About Mary). This tanning is a serious business here! The beach we had the pleasure of visiting today is about a 5 minute walk from our apartment and is quite small and unusual. It is made entirely of rocks, no sand at all. The kind of rocks that I would classify as river rocks (being roundish and smooth), yet extremely painful to walk on! Hard to look cool walking to the water with a grimace on your face… but I still tried. There is another beach a little farther away that is sand and also filled with much younger, and less brown, people. We’ll be checking that one out soon too.
After spending the morning at the beach we went for a delicious lunch where I thought I should enjoy a salade Nicoise (when in Rome…), and enjoy it I did. Jeff and I also marveled (and were not entirely sad) that a carafe of wine is actually cheaper than water. Ah, the good life! We lazed around for the afternoon reading books on the balcony then went out exploring. All 3 of us girls bought some cute tank tops because we did not bring enough clothes for this super hot weather. A girl cannot wear the same tank top everyday! (Plus, who can resist this cute stuff??) We also picked up some pamphlets to try and figure how we best want to spend this next week, but just lazing around also seems so delightful! So now the girls are drawing, Jeff is reading, I’m typing (about to switch to reading) and the next big job of the evening is searching out a restaurant for dinner. Oh, and try and find a darn internet café!
Wow, not having Wi-Fi sucks! I am forced to sit here typing into a blank word document with the hopes that sometime I can cut and paste it into my blog. If I don’t write tonight I’ll forget about today! Well, not forget entirely but it’s the little things that make the difference and make the experience what it is, isn’t it?
We woke up early this morning to check out of our Paris apartment. Usually 9:30 doesn’t seem so early except for the fact that the people above us had a rockin’ party that started at 10:30 pm and went until almost 6 in the morning! I don’t know what they were doing but it must’ve been amazing because there were obviously A LOT of people and a lot of moving around. Poor Julia woke up around 1 am and couldn’t go back to sleep because of the noise – we all were a little tired this morning!
We caught the high speed train from Paris down to Marseille and the 3 hours went by incredibly fast. Jeff and I noticed a bunch of cool little castles perched upon mountaintops but the girls were way too busy playing to notice. Usually you try and find something to occupy yourself but before we knew it we checked the clock and were only 20 minutes away – just enough time to finish our chocolate mousse and coffee and pack everything up. When we arrived it was HOT! Paris had been unseasonably cool and wet so the introduction to the South of France and the Mediterranean climate was quite the change! We found the rental car agency and then proceeded to walk about 3 blocks to get to the car – very different than any North American city we’ve ever been to! The car is actually great – aside from the fact that it’s baby blue and kind of a weird body style we are all very comfortable in it and Jeff’s head doesn’t even touch the ceiling. The kids love the fact that there are actually little trays attached to the back of the seats just like an airplane – the parents like that too because that means they will be more easily occupied during the upcoming day trips we have planned!
Cassis was an easy drive from Marseille – less than an hour for sure although we forgot to look at the clock when we left. Getting out of Marseille was tricky – lots of traffic and people and the roads weren’t well marked. But, we did it with minimal stress and ended up in the right place! Cassis, on the other hand, was not easy to navigate. We had some google maps we’d printed out from home which proved to be grossly inadequate when we arrived. We spent quite awhile driving in circles on very narrow roads before finally finding our apartment – which, by the way, is great. (Aside from the lack of internet access!) We walked down to the beach which was very different – rocky instead of sandy which excited Chloe but made my feet hurt! She can’t wait to get there tomorrow. Poor Julia was hot and sweaty – she has the same problem of me with a lack of heat dispersal in these types of climates. Luckily I can recognize it and squirt her with water when she needs it.
So, we’ve moved in, unpacked, and made ourselves at home. The little port is so cute with lots of restaurants and people watching. We had a fabulous dinner of tapas which we all enjoyed and then took a stroll for some gelato. Horrible, I know. So, now we’re off to bed as soon as I finish this delicious glass of local wine sitting to the right of my keyboard…
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Another day in paradise… seriously this place is amazing. I’ve been to many beach towns before but there is something so different about this place. The sun is HOT, but soft too, if that makes sense. Plus I’ve never seen so many dark, dark, dark people before. Not that they were born dark – au contraire – they have been laying in the sun for years with baby oil. Not good – actually kind of gross. A lot of old ladies with saggy brown boobs (topless) on the beach (cue – Something About Mary). This tanning is a serious business here! The beach we had the pleasure of visiting today is about a 5 minute walk from our apartment and is quite small and unusual. It is made entirely of rocks, no sand at all. The kind of rocks that I would classify as river rocks (being roundish and smooth), yet extremely painful to walk on! Hard to look cool walking to the water with a grimace on your face… but I still tried. There is another beach a little farther away that is sand and also filled with much younger, and less brown, people. We’ll be checking that one out soon too.
After spending the morning at the beach we went for a delicious lunch where I thought I should enjoy a salade Nicoise (when in Rome…), and enjoy it I did. Jeff and I also marveled (and were not entirely sad) that a carafe of wine is actually cheaper than water. Ah, the good life! We lazed around for the afternoon reading books on the balcony then went out exploring. All 3 of us girls bought some cute tank tops because we did not bring enough clothes for this super hot weather. A girl cannot wear the same tank top everyday! (Plus, who can resist this cute stuff??) We also picked up some pamphlets to try and figure how we best want to spend this next week, but just lazing around also seems so delightful! So now the girls are drawing, Jeff is reading, I’m typing (about to switch to reading) and the next big job of the evening is searching out a restaurant for dinner. Oh, and try and find a darn internet café!
Posted this today...
**If you have made it all the way to the end then a big congratulations is in order!! Hope everyone is doing well, we are having an amazing time!
PS - I didn't write last night about the great bonbon cart we found. The kids are very excited, and I won't deny that it made my heart skip a little too. All different kinds of gummies in various shapes and sizes.... yum!
PPS - we also spent a long time last night climbing on giant boulders by the lighthouse here. I swear we have raised little mountaingoats!
No comments:
Post a Comment