Au revoir...

Bay of Villefranche

Simona just turned one and we found ourselves vacationing in Tuscany when Nancy and I dreamed of how nice it might be one day to spend a year living in Italy. Again, in 2004, Nancy and I found ourselves sans kids sitting on the beach in Nice when I flippantly said "one day we are gonna come back here to live". 

Bright flowers everywhere

Like all couples though, we put our heads down and got caught up with the pressures and stresses of raising children and paying down the mortgage. The thought of moving abroad got pushed to the back of our minds. It wasn't until a grey day in February 2010 over a Starbucks with my friend Jim that the dream of moving to France started to take shape.

As I rode the subway in to work that morning I kept asking "why not"? Arriving at the office I called Nancy who was busy with a patient "Nancy I know that this is going to come from left field and you don't have to say yes right this instant but what would you say if....".

Place Massena

Maddy had her last day of school friday and I handed the keys to the Clio over to the new owner. The bike and the rest of our bags are packed sitting by the door waiting for the cab to take us to the airport and back home to Toronto. Sleep eludes me. I've had butterflies in my stomach and a lump in my throat for the past week that I can't dislodge. 

More Massena

Mixed feelings... We are all looking forward to seeing friends and family but wish it didn't have to come to an end so quickly. The kids have shed more than a few tears about leaving new found friends behind. Simona wondered aloud a few weeks back if we could stay another year.  I reminded her that before arriving she asked me to pull her by the ears if she didn’t want to return to Canada. 

That this adventure has been a magnificent and enriching experience goes without saying. It has undoubtedly shaped us individually and collectively as a family.  Watching the girls overcome their initial fears and embrace new surroundings, cultures and friends has been remarkable as has their new found thirst to try new things and learn new languages.

The places we've visited, things we've done and people we've met forever etched into our memories. The time to explore and develop new interests and talents, the time to prepare and share three meals daily as a family has been a luxury that cannot be measured. The mountains and the sea, the unending sunshine, bright flowers and ability to eat fresh fruit and vegetables when they are in season will be sorely missed.

The proximity of so many interesting and wonderful places, the ability to jump in the car and drive forever, never tiring of the views of mountains and Mediterranean will all be hard to leave behind.  And oh the rambling ... I wasn’t sure we'd keep the blog going the entire time and didn't think I'd enjoy blogging so much.  I am going to miss it as we sign off and say goodbye. 


Bonne nuit et au revoir France.
Sal

More flowers

Going Home

End of year guitar concert

It seems that the last few months have been on fast forward. Since returning home from Italy at the end of April the time has evaporated, maybe it was also in part the psychologic preparation, knowing that are departure was quickly approaching.

School award

Everything about this year has run its course. My art and sculpting classes have ended, Simona finished school last week, Sal completed his final bike ride Thursday and Madeleine's last day of school was yesterday.  Yes there is a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as everything has all been wrapped up, but emotions tell the tale. 

Maddy's infectious smile
doing Ironkids in Nice

Simona has been teary eyed for weeks, worried that she may never see her friends again.  Maddy came home in tears yesterday as she said goodbye to her best copine.  Neither of them want to go back home and can't understand why we can't come back again in September and do it all again.  It has been amazing to see them embrace everything this year abroad had to offer. We are proud of the way they handled a new language, school and new friends. They have developed an interest in traveling and have a better appreciation for the diversity the world has to offer.

Future Ironwomen

Although, Sal and I both feel like it's time to get back to work and the realities that await us back home, it is difficult to leave. It has been an enriching experience for all of us and we will miss many aspects of living in Nice. We will miss the many stunning sights, the Baie des Anges, the mountains, the beautiful coast line as we drive into Italy and the temperate weather which allows us to enjoy the outdoors. We will miss the freedom we felt by not being tied down to schedules and deadlines and the time we were able to spend with the kids and each other every day.

Simona transitioning from the swim
to the run at Ironkids

The summer in Nice feels different than the other months we have experienced here. The city is sweltering and it feels like the tourists have taken over, as the Nicois leave the city for summer vacation. It feels like it's a good time to escape, but I agree with the kids, it would be great to come back in the fall! Unfortunately this once in a lifetime opportunity is over, but the memories will last a lifetime.

A big thank you to our fearless leader Sal who made it happen and promised that we wouldn't regret it. He couldn't have been more right.

Nancy

Enjoying Canada Day & dads birthday on Nice Beach

More Canada Day celebrations

Aix en Provence with Mastromarinis and Tullios

Final Outings

The Verdon river below

Even before arriving in France I had it in the back of my mind to climb Mont Ventoux, ‘le Geant de Provence’ made famous by the Tour de France.  With a few weeks remaining, I had 3 final rides I wanted to do before returning to Canada. 

Lac de Sainte Croix

The first was Gorges du Verdon, a 90 minute car drive from Nice which I did a few weeks back. Gorges du Verdon is positioned as the second largest canyon in the world (although this is debatable) and it was by far the most scenic and spectacular ride of the year with views of the emerald waters of the Verdon river flowing into lac de Sainte Croix below. With no ability to turn back, it took me 7 plus hours to ride the 125 km, up and down along one ridge and back along the other. It seemed this ride would never end as beautiful as it was. 

The second ride was to Col de la Bonnette, which at 2808, is arguably the highest mountain pass in all of Europe and has also featured in the Tour de France a few times.  I say arguably because there is some debate whether this or an Austrian col is the highest.  Whatever!

Col de la Bonnette

I left the car in the village of Isola located at an elevation of about 850 meters and climbed 40 kms stopping to add a few layers of clothing at around 2000 meters. Col de la Bonnette is located just above the Hamlet of Bousieyas where we stayed when we came hiking a few weeks back.
 

Ventoux

My final ride yesterday was Mont Ventoux, referred to simply as Ventoux.  As its name suggests it is incredibly windy.  I set out at 6am driving 3 hours to the village of Bedoin and rode the 22 km to the top of Ventoux in 1h 56mins. I must confess underestimating how difficult this ride was going to be. After doing Col de la Bonnette and Gorges du Verdon, I thought 'how hard can it be' given that it's a shorter climb than other rides I've done. 

It was ugly! It was incredibly steep (with long stretches of 10-12% and a short stretch of 16-17%) and the wind made it far more difficult than I ever imagined. On the way down I feared being blown over.  Except at the top which felt like I was on the moon, it wasn't an overly scenic ride and having done it, I have no real desire to do it again, unlike Gorges du Verdon or Bonnette which I’d be happy to do again. 

Memorial to Tom Simpson who died
July 13, 1967 during the 13th stage of
the Tour de France

And with these rides behind me, it's time to pack up the bike hoping I will make it back this way soon.

Sal

Looking down on the Verdon

Col de la Bonnette

I wish I had time…

I wish I had time to..... lack of time is usually what keeps us from doing something we would love to try.  I always wanted to take some type of art course, but never seemed to have enough time to myself to do it.  This year abroad gave me the opportunity to finally do it.  I started my first course in September, every Thursday morning and it really felt like a treat.  

Held in a tiny atelier "artist's workshop" with mainly retirees who have all been taking art for several years it was nothing fancy. The ambience was authentic and I really found myself absorbed in the classes and was surprised how quickly each class flew by. The teacher, Maurice was always patient and did a great job in educating me not only in the techniques of drawing, watercolor, encre de Chine and acrylic but also in art history. 

It was a little intimidating at first given the quality of work the others ended up with, but everyone was so encouraging and ready to offer their advice on how to improve.  After a few months my work was slowly starting to improve and I enjoyed coming home and seeing the reaction from Sal and the kids.

By January, I had enrolled in another painting course and decided to try my hand at sculpting and was now busy doing my courses 3 mornings per week.  The courses were all different, with some teachers better than others, but I enjoyed the diversity and looked forward to all of them. The welcome from the teachers and other students was always warm. They seemed happy to have me there and took an interest in what I was doing. 

I realized that art is like everything else, it takes time and practice to develop and improve. For me the classes were not just about the finished product. It was a great way to be absorbed in the process and to be immersed in French. I enjoyed listening to the French music playing in the background and listening to others speak French and believe my French improved as a result. 

The courses are all finished for the summer break, my paintings and sculptures are packed up and ready to take home. I couldn't help but feel sad when it was over and feel envious when they all re registered for the fall courses. I am not sure if I will continue with art when we get back. 

Somehow I think work and schedules will get in the way and the ambience will be irreplaceable.  I will however look at my work with fondness and it serves as a great reminder of the enriching experience I had. I will certainly miss the freedom I felt doing it, when time constraints were not a factor.
  
Nancy

Hiking

Eyes closed, face tilted up towards the warm sun, the mountain air offers a comforting breeze as I sit quietly listening. The sounds of birds and marmots off in the distance and the soothing sound of rushing water cascading down over a bed of rocks delight my ears.

Whats so nice about this mom?

I purposely fall behind the others and take a moment to absorb the grace and beauty of my surroundings and enjoy the moment. Butterflies dance effortlessly from flower to flower across a meadow providing balance and gentle softness to the rugged and imposing yet majestic mountains. Mother nature is at her best. What a feeling! 

Look at those cute guys....
oh those are our dads!!

Nancy and I have fond memories of some hiking we did in the Canadian Rockies before the girls arrived. Apart from a short outing along the Cabot Trail a few years back the girls have never been hiking. Avid hikers, Laurent and Tania invited us to join them and their girls, Fanny and Charlotte, for two days of hiking in the heart of Mercantour National Park about 2 hours north of Nice.

Fanny and Simona are classmates and Fanny has become one of Simona's closest friends here in France. Thankfully, Charlotte and Madeleine are the same age and seem to get along. Laurent happens to be the dad I said 'ola' to in my 'How Embarrassing' post back in February and we are grateful for their friendship. 

Hameau de Bousieyas

Happy to just tag along, we left the details to Laurent and Tania who booked rooms at La Cle du Vert Eden, an authentically rustic bed and breakfast located in the hamlet of Bousieyas. With only 4 or 5 buildings, Bousieyas is located at an elevation of about 1800 meters and is uninhabited except for the summer months. 

Now this is my speed

We dropped off our overnight bags at La Cle and set out around 11am yesterday hiking to Col de Colombiere which provided a sweeping view of the valley below. Luckily, hiking with other children ensured that all the kids were distracted and entertained and the complaints of 'I'm tired' or 'this is difficult' were minimized.

Facial anyone?

Charlotte and Madeleine amused themselves by covering their hands and faces with clay, while the older more 'mature' sisters were happy to simply lose themselves discussing whatever 12 year old girls consider important. 

Easy peasy

Clear skies gave way to dark clouds and strong winds and our leisurely lunch at 2100 meters didn't quite have the feeling we were anticipating so we ate quickly and made our way back down to La Cle. 

After yesterday’s long hike and climb, we opted for a less ambitious outing, driving to the mountain village of St-Dalmas-le-Selvage, hiking for about an hour to sit and bask in the sun in front of a waterfall. We then stumbled upon the most beautiful meadow filled with flowers of every hue which offered the perfect setting to enjoy lunch in the mountain air. Cognizant of our impending departure, Nancy and I sat silently knowing what the other was thinking and wishing the moment could last forever.

Sal

Just like skiing

Not sure I like this hiking stuff Simona

Sharing lunch

Laurent and Charlotte