Dreaming of France -- Football

Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
Here in the U.S., we are all gathering around our televisions to celebrate American football with the Super Bowl, so I thought I'd show you our experience with European football.
When we traveled to Europe in 2006, the boys loved our hotel room view in Bandol -- not because we could see the Mediterranean but because we overlooked a large soccer field. Soccer to us, football to Europeans.
At the time, Spencer was more into soccer than Tucker, but he convinced his brother to join him.

Tucker is wearing the Beckham shirt

Spencer is wearing the Inter Milan soccer shirt. 

And the boys eventually made friends with some French boys who played soccer with them.
This was the kind of international experience we wanted them to have.

They couldn't actually speak to each other, but they managed to play some Football until some grown up yelled at them to get off the field. 

I hope everyone else has a sportif weekend, whether you're watching the Super Bowl or not.
Thanks for playing along and please visit the blogs of others who join in too.

Dreaming of France -- Perfect Beach Day

Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Today in Ohio, the weather is nearly perfect. Sunny, 77 degrees (that's 25 Celcius) with a lovely breeze. It would be a perfect day to spend on the beach.
It reminded me of another lovely day on the beach in 2006, when we visited Bandol along the Mediterranean.

First let me set the scene. You can see the beautiful villas and hotels across the bay.

Our kids were still young enough to enjoy digging in the sand and running along the beach. 

Look at that intensity.

 But mostly, look at the joy of running and kicking up their heels.
I hope you find joy this weekend, whether it is on a beach in France, or wherever you are.
And my thoughts are with the people in France and in Houston who have suffered rising flood waters.

 Thanks so much for playing along with Dreaming of France. I really appreciate your participation and I hope you'll leave a comment plus visit each other's blogs.

I'm also joining a link for All About France. All of you France lovers have another place to visit now with this once a month meme.

Dreaming of France -- Football

I like to think that in France, people are not obsessing about the Super Bowl like they are here in the United States.
But, in honor of the Super Bowl, here's a photo of French football.
My boys playing soccer on the soccer field outside of our hotel in Bandol. They were 12 and 10 years old at the time.

Bandol is along the Mediterranean and this soccer field was just along the coast. 

 

Later they met some local boys who played a game of soccer with them. 

 

Spencer said the kids talked kind of funny, but they were able to work out the basics through the language of football.
This was a great experience for them.

Dreaming of France -- Beach in Bandol

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
Maybe we can all satisfy our yearnings for France, until we get there again.
In honor of my son Spencer's birthday, I thought I'd include a photo of him on the beach in Bandol when he was 12. The kids were too young to enjoy the nightlife, but they all still talk about what fun they had in Bandol along the Mediterranean. 

The city is a perfect place to explore the Camargue, Aix en Provence and all the other cities of Provence and the Riviera.
Thanks for playing along. 

Dreaming of France -- Bandol

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it

Maybe we can all satisfy our yearnings for France, until we get there again.
Six years ago we took the three kids to Europe. They were 14, 12 and 10. We took a night train from Venice to Bandol, France along the Mediterranean. We walked off the train tired from lack of sleep on the train.
Since the sun had risen, we'd been watching the coastline and the sparkling sea. The train station was up a hill from the town, so we traipsed down, pulling our suitcases behind us. As we walked along, I smelled the most wonderful scent -- wisteria was blooming in great sagging bunches along the walkway.
Even though it was April, we played on the beach.

Here's Spencer at 12, a much skinnier version of the boy he has grown into.

The kids buried Tucker in the sand.

This was the view from our hotel room.

 The kids counted the time in Bandol as their favorite, but who doesn't love a vacation on the beach?
I'd say one of the biggest mistakes people make when vacationing in Europe is travelling too much. With kids, pick a central place and do day trips.
A place with natural attractions, like a beach or skiing or hiking is perfect. That way, the kids are distracted and having fun, and my husband and I were only there to soak up the culture, which we can do in any town in France.