The French Riviera!

Unfortunately we didn't see the Jolie-Pitts or Johnny Depp, but we did have an absolutely fantastic week on the French Riviera! Who can complain when Germany is absolutely freezing already and there we were...on the beach...enjoying the sun, the water, relaxing!? I got a fabulous tan which sadly has been covered up with pants and sweatshirts ever since we got back! Oh well. It was a great time to go! The kids missed some school, but the beaches were not at all crowded and the weather was still great!

We planned the trip with Tyler's parents who met us there. It was a nice way to spend time together and just enjoy without much hassle. We got two huts, one right on the beach which was fantastic! We would wake up in the morning and the kids would go out the front door to play on the beach, still in their pjs. Then at night we could put the kids to bed and sit on the porch playing games and listening to the waves. Viva la Riviera!

We drove from Germany about 10 hours, so we decided to leave a couple of days early and just camp wherever we ended up on the way. We had hoped to see Chamoniox - a village in the French Alps beneath Mont Blanc - but I guess hurricane Ike threw some nasty weather our way and it was really stormy. We camped one night on Lake Geneve in Switzerland and in the morning decided we had better head south towards the Mediterranean and better weather! So I have tried to organize the pics by days. I will probably be messing with what I've posted over the next week, but here is kind of the rough draft! I'll probably add captions and things that you can read or ignore as you choose, but here it is!

And if you are wondering just how topless the beaches there really are...they are very topless. I would say a good 85-90% topless. There is no question that I was by far and away the most covered person on the beach - even though Sophie was giving me grief before-hand that my halter style top was too low! She is the modestly police at our house which I do hope continues through her teens! I'll just keep my fingers crossed on that one.

Day One - Driving & Switzerland

We rented a 9 person van for the drive since we were going to have Tyler's parents with us once we reached St. Tropez. Tyler did a fantastic job of packing our many, many supplies! There was no room to spare! We were packed for two nights of camping and a week on the beach, complete with most of our food! Of course I was up until 4:00 a.m. the night before and we still left late, but it was all very organized! Does that sound familiar to anyone who knows my dad?

Rain is not rare in Germany by any means, but non-stop downpours are! Lucky us though! It poured straight all the way down to Lake Geneve in Switzerland. Fortunately we got the tent up during a brief lapse in the storm and stayed dry! The wind and rain rocked our tent all night though! And it is quite cold in the alps in September, but seemed more so than usual. We powered through though and the kids slept great.

So when we got up in the morning to bitter cold wind and this view of Lake Geneve and the Alps, I said, "Take me south!" And we drove down to Italy to Cinque Terra, hoping it would be warm and sunny!

I was determined to make the camping thing fun despite the cold, so I got up and made pancakes and hot chocolate! I kept saying, "Isn't this fun!? Didn't you love the sound of the rain on the tent last night?" Does it look like they were buying it?

Day Two - Switzerland & More Driving

We made one stop before leaving Lake Geneve at the Chateau de Chillon. I love Switzerland. They make things pretty. Castles usually seem so cold, but this one had a little Swiss style and was much nicer.

And here again are the Alps. This is driving through a pass into Italy where we are realy up quite high. Still, not much to see. It was a shame. The Alps are amazing.

And here we are camped out in Levanto, Southern Italy. Just above Cinque Terre where it was much, much nicer weather! Hooray!

Day Three - Cinque Terra, Italy & Monaco

Cinque Terre is a string of 5 villages that are right on the coast, at the bottom of really steep hills. There are no main roads to the middle towns, just trains and hiking trails. We parked at the northern most town and hiked part way to the second. It was a little treacherous with 4 small children. People either thought we were really cool or really insane. We didn't cross one other child, other than a baby in a Bjorn. So when it started raining, we turned around and hiked back. We ended up getting to right about where Sophie's nose is in the picture before we turned back. There was a picnic table where we had lunch first. The second village is around the other side of the bend.

And this is Monaco. I had read that people either love it or hate it and that you make your decision within the first couple minutes you are there. I LOVED it! Despite Porter nearly being run over by cars twice - even while holding my hand - and being a bit stressed driving through Monte Carlo with scooters flanking every side of our very large van, I just really loved it! It was just the look...the atmosphere...maybe knowing that there is a whole lot of money in that tiny little country!

So sad we left before night. All of these trees have lights in them!

This is the Grand Casino in the background. You actually have to pay admission to go in and spend all your money gambling!

Day Four - St. Tropez Market

Tyler tends to be somewhat of a scrooge when it comes to spending money unless... it has something to do with FOOD! I never take him shopping because he ruins all the fun, but turn him loose in a French market with fresh produce, meets, Mediterranean dishes, and CHEESE and look out! He was on a mission! He paid 12 euro (17 dollars) for a little block of cheese! He was pretty happy about it though. Grandma Ronna stocked the kids up on candy, so they were pretty happy too! And Grandpa Tom got himself some french prunes to top off the heist...and keep things regular as well.

Day Five & Six - Gassin & Ramateulle

Both of these villages are on the hilltops above St. Tropez. They were so fun to just wander through. Ramatuelle had a market the day we went, but my favorite part was just winding through the little cobblestone streets.

Day Seven - Nothing But The Beach

I realize now that while I enjoyed myself, I didn't really appreciate this day like I should have. I have a hard time doing nothing! Tyler could sit on the beach for days and love every minute...I get a little antsy. I find joy in organizing things or completing projects. But after being back to the grind for a couple of weeks...in the cold...I would gladly go back and just sit on the beach!

Day Eight - St. Tropez Old Town & Pier

Day Nine - Port Grimaud

Port Grimaud was sort of a brightly colored mini-venice. It was fun to stroll around and we had dinner at an outdoor cafe. Somehow though, we got there without Porter's shoes...

Day Ten - Coming Home

Tyler actually suggested we camp somewhere on the way back, but the sheer amount of dirty laundry, plus Sawyers new 4:00a.m. habit, and Porters potty regression contributed to the decision to drive the 10 hours straight and just get home. We did make one stop along the way though in some little French town (I don't even remember the name of) that was just off the main highway. Have I mentioned that I love France? There are the coolest little villages everywhere.

We also had gotten into making friendship bracelets as we lounged on the beach, and Sophie probably made 10 of them on the way home. Unfortunately the really cool one I made for Tyler has not been photographed, but he has actually been wearing it around his ankle all week. Those of you who really know Tyler would know what this means... He must really like me!