Rhythme de vie au sud de la France

We moved to the south of France and wow the differences are amazing: the climate, the food and the architecture were distinct while still giving us the quintessential french feel. We settled in to a quaint little town in Provence called Vaison la Romaine(VLR) for a week-long stay. The area has some of the oldest and best maintained Roman ruins in France and has a wonderful museum dedicated to the life of Romans in the area. VLR is a mecca for road biking, hiking, eating and wine! There are many famous road bike routes that spiderweb out from the town. This town of 5,000 boasts over 50 restaurants and the largest weekly market in Provence (Tuesdays). Our Airbnb was hosted by a wonderful French gentleman Hervé, and was over 200 years old. It overlooked the Roman bridge, a landmark that crosses the river Ouvèze and forms the historic centre of town. It was so old it was not on a road at all, but rather a walk up ancient stairs for the last 100’ to reach the front door. The kids were quick to point out that our home for the week was older than Canada!

The view from our kitchen window

Out for dinner Grandpa Hugh

Finlay outside of the VLR roman museum

Our first few days were blessed with our second family visit from home with Grandpa Hugh and Dagmar. We explored the narrow streets and lovely restaurants with them daily; many have ‘gourmand’ (gourmet) options on their menus- a multi course meal to satisfy the tastebuds. The boys both said they had some of the best meals of their lives there. One night, the boys met some ex-pat children who live in Switzerland and had a lively game of tag in the courtyard after dinner while their parents enjoyed a last glass of wine. Nice to meet some people their own age and burn off some of that delicious French food. Our adventures included a hike up to the old castle perched on the hill above VLR for panoramic views of the surrounding area and a (unfortunately very foggy) drive up Mount Ventoux. 

Settling in for a week felt like a nice break. We really enjoyed being in a smaller town, feeling a bit more like locals for a brief moment. Finlay’s Blue Jays hat helped us meet neighbours who provided great local recommendations (one of whom was from North of Toronto, but calls VLR home for retirement). Thanks to Grandpa Hugh and Dag for bringing a replacement Jays hat all the way from Canada - just in time for the playoffs!). We made almost daily trips to the local marché to get essentials (read bread, cheese, wine) and cooked many meals in the small kitchen in the apartment. A few “home cooked” meals really makes us feel less like we’re constantly travelling and more like we moved in, albeit temporarily.

We were fortunate to be in VLR during school holidays - and we were able to register Finlay in a teen program with locals. Thanks to Erin’s french (being excavated from the deep recesses of her brain), and a very helpful registrar, Finlay was able to spend several days participating in the program with dozens of other teens - all ‘en français’. Big kudos to Finn for being brave enough to go alone and meet new people. The program was also a great example of the french approach to social services - a fantastic program - geared and facilitated so teens WANT to go (think casino night, football, billiards, etc, etc), in a facility they call their own. It is understood by all to be an investment in the future. The program cost us 6 euros for the week (!!!). 

On the Roman bridge

Erin finding her happy place with a wall of Rose

Happiness with hot chocolate

Since VLR is off the beaten track, we found our way back to the main train line on the public bus to travel to Nice, having left cars behind for this part of our trip. Nice is a beautiful, historic town on the Mediterranean; we found an apartment in ‘old town’ Nice, newer than older town VLR but by Canadian standards still ancient. This part of Nice is mostly pedestrian traffic with narrow streets and sidewalks full of chairs, patios and cafés. It was nice to get back to the ocean and see why this part of the French coast is named Côte d’Azur: The water here is a beautiful shade of blue. This part of Nice was VERY touristy. The benefits are sooo many restaurants and bars from all over the world, giving us opportunities to reconnect with beer (not that we are complaining about the lovely french wine), and cool asian street food options. The downside is the outrageously high prices, and the crowds. One evening while eating dinner on the boardwalk we were discussing local prices and started guessing how much things cost, leading the competitive Sharps to argue about rules of this ‘game’. When Ian mentioned “Price is Right rules” the kids looked at their father blankly and confused. In the era of Netflix and on-demand streaming, daytime game shows are not part of their upbringing (unlike us who had to settle for whatever was on). Anyway, this led to a long discussion about what exactly PiR rules are ( closest without going over…). Ian gave a very thorough description of the game from memory, including contestants row, plinko, the big wheel and the showcase showdown. What really brought it home though was making the connection between Bob Barker and his cameo in Happy Gilmore. Homeschooling at its best LOL. 

In front of the famous Monaco casino

Erin on the Nice boardwalk

We found this park with fun little trampolines!

On our final day here we took a break from the morning routine of homework for a field trip to another country - Monaco - just a short 30 minute train ride away. Monaco is the 2nd smallest country in the world. As part of the kids' school work they are researching the countries we visit so stay tuned for more information on the smallest one once we get there! We learned the hard way that although Monaco is part of the Council of Europe it is not part of the EU (a small but important distinction as they participate in some EU policies like customs and border control (ie. not showing your passport), but Monaco was NOT covered under our global cell roaming plan. This caught us slightly off guard; we just shut off our phones for the rest of the fieldtrip, but we will see what the bill looks like next month! Monaco has an interesting history, having been traded back and forth between Italy and France over the past few hundred years; it gained sovereignty from France in the early 19th century by trading much of its land. To remain solvent this small principality has relied heavily on tourism (its famous casino and hotels), and being a tax haven for the wealthy. Along with tourism and gambling the city is famous for its Grand Prix. We walked the streets enjoying the sights of many mega-yachts while exploring this famous F1 route. The royal family of Monaco has long supported the Grand Prix and automobile industry in general; the current head of the family has a great car collection that is publicly available. The Sharp boys all decided to go have a look while Erin sat and enjoyed the sights of Monaco; the collection of cars throughout the last century was fantastic. 

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The boys on the South of France

Jasper:

J’ai aimer qu’il y a beaucoup de fromages et baguettes. Il y a aussi beaucoup de crème glacées. Il y a des beaux ruines romaines. Ce que j’ai préféré, c’est voir Grand-père Hugh avec des soupers vraiment bons à Vaison. Aussi, j’ai aimer le musée des autos et les yachts à Monaco. C’était difficile de m’habituer à parler et entendre un autre langue dans les rues. 

Finlay: 

Ma partie préférée de Vaison la Romaine était le club jeunesse avec beaucoup d'autres enfants français. J’ai aussi aimé la nourriture mais il y a un restaurant en  particulier que j’ai aimé c’est l’un ou j’ai mangé un souper de 7 plats. Après nous sommes allé à nice pour 4 nuits le pizza est plus bonne en nice car c’est plus proche de l'italie. Un jour à Nice, nous sommes allés à Monaco. Pendant cette visite à Monaco il y avait un festival. Mon frère et moi sommes allés sur des manèges. Après, les garçons dans la famille sont allés à un musée de voitures.   

The Sharps overlooking Nice