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.

Saturday Snapshot --

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
This month, I'm also participating in Paris in July sponsored byThyme for Tea and Bookbath, so, of course, I need a France related photo.
Last Saturday, I posted a photo of the kids with us in France at ages 2, 4 and 6. This week, I'll jump forward to the trip we took with them at ages 10, 12 and 14.

The challenges were different this time, but still pretty tiring. Again we created some great memories.

Here we are in front of the Arc de Triomphe with Grace already towering over me. She chastises me now for letting her traipse through Europe looking awkward and 14.



Tucker, age 10, tried to reach up and give his dad bunny ears in every photo. Now, 6 years, later, he could easily give his dad bunny ears. This was, of course, in front of the pyramid at the Louvre.

We took a ride on the Bateaux Mouches at night so we snapped a shot of the Eiffel Tower lit up behind the kids.

I hope someday, when the kids are all adults we can go together again. 

Saturday Snapshot -- France with Kids

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
This month, I'm also participating in Paris in July sponsored byThyme for Tea and Bookbath, so, of course, I need a France related photo. I wrote yesterday about the wildfires in Corsica when I visited there more than 25 years ago. I have some great photos from that trip, but they aren't all on the computer yet. Instead, I'll post a photo from one of our visits to France with the kids.
We took the kids to France when they were 2, 4 and 6. Yes, we were slightly optimistic and a little insane, but we have some fun photos and memories of this trip. We've forgotten the exhaustion and frustration.

Here we are outside our friend's apartment in Paris having returned from
 a successful day hunting and gathering for a baguette.

Here's Earl and the kids in front of the Arc de Triomphe. We had just visited a bakery.
Grace got a Saint Honore cake and Tucker got a pain sucre pastry; Spencer asked for a KitKat candy bar. He was not convinced
of the goodness of French pastries at that point.