Col Malval

Mathieu is much happier in his mother's arms. :(

We got lots of Snow

This is right outside of Lyon which is no more than 600 ft above sea level. It snowed most of the week so it is looking good for some late December boarding.

You Can Do It!!!

Unfortunately, we don't have any good video of him walking but this was shot right after he did his little tour.

MATHIEU WALKS!

Mathieu took his first steps in Boston. We were on the Freedom trail on the 3rd of November in the USS Constitution Museum and Mathieu stood up on his own and took about 5 steps and fell over. It was so cool. He had been getting up on his own for about 2 weeks but this time he actually put a foot forward to move.

New York and Boston

We just got back from a trip to the US. Other than the baby jet lag we are back to normal now. The trip was everything we expected and more. We decided last May to do this trip because Air France/Delta started offering a direct flight from Lyon to NY in August and Valerie had a free flight.

Before the flight day we were a bit nervous because Mathieu had recently had ear problems. In fact the night before he didn't sleep. We aren't sure if it was because of the ears but it made the flight over that much more difficult.

During the flight he did better than we expected. We were worried that he was going to be as difficult as when we took our first flight to the US back in May to California. During that flight we spent 15 hours trying to calm him down. Sorry passengers.

Once over in the NY we visited some family about an hour north of the city. We had a wonderful time and they all loved meeting Mathieu for the first time.

Following our family visit we headed up to Boston. Neither of us have been up there before and I have an old college friend who I haven't seen in over 10 years living out there. We did a home exchange in Boston which once again worked out perfectly. We stayed in Cambridge and had the chance to do the freedom trail, Harvard, MIT and spend a wonderful evening catching up with my V.J. and his wife. We traveled down south to visit the Cape but neither of us were overly impressed. We were expecting ocean views throughout the drive but the road goes down the center of the Cape and there is no ocean views unless you find a private road off the beaten path and we didn't have a ton of time to explore. However, we did like P-town. We were there on Election day and there were a bunch groups out pushing their opinions on the street.

We found the north of Boston to be much more interesting. We visited Gloucester, Marblehead, Essex, Salem and Rockport. These beautiful fishing towns were exactly what we wanted to see.

From Boston, we headed down to NY where we did a second home exchange in Brooklyn. This needs a bit of explaining. The couple from NY had already stayed in our Lyon home back in August while we were up in Brittany.

It was the first time we have been to Brooklyn and we will definitely be going back there if possible. It is known by New Yorkers as the place you move to when you are ready to have a family. The whole town seems to be taylored to kids and the home we stayed in was heaven for Mathieu. They had more toys than a toy store! On top of that I found a beer and sandwich store down the street that was my heaven.

In NY we visiting the Empire State Bldg, Central park, and of course Brooklyn. We also spent some time with a couple of my friends Gabe and Sarah who live in the city.

Of course, I should mention the shopping. If you are ever in NY or Boston, it is a must to stop at Filene's Basement. This store has everything at outlet prices.

Well, now we are back in France already thinking about our next vacation.

Mathieu's B-day

OHHHHHHHH, fire.....

Mathieu's 1st Birthday

It has been a crazy week leading up to Mathieu's birthday. He had a cold last week which turned into two ear infections. Last Friday we has to pull him out of day care because he was so down. It was definitely a bit scary since we had never seen him so sick before. He went through one really bad night but felt much better on Saturday which was just in time for Sanoe's (Mathieu's friend) 1st birthday. We took some pics at Sanoe's birthday and some more for Mathieu's birthday, oh, and there are couple from a picnic the same weekend, so take a look at "Our Photos" for the link. I will leave you with one here on the page to hold you over.

Nimes

They stole our baby.

Matt and Mahe

Fun in the tub and who will get up to the top of the slide first.

Weekend with family

We spent last weekend near Nimes in the south of France visiting Mathieu's cousin Mahe (pronounced Ma ay). The weather was beautiful, as is typical of the south. We spent a bit of time Nimes, known for bullfighting culture and then some time in the small village where Val's cousin lives. The village and the area was so beautiful that we will be going back soon. Even better yetm it only takes 1 hour and 1/2 to get down there on the train. Here are a couple of the pics I really liked from our trip.

Nothing Like Musilac

Well, for all of you who have never heard of Musilac which is most of the world, it is a 3 day music festival held in Aix Les Bains each summer. You can't beat the location since it is right on the lake overlooking the mountains. There are 2 stages that face each other. They are about a soccer field length apart so there is plenty of room. Only one stage is live at a time and within 5 minutes after a band finishes their set the second stage starts up so it is very well organized. You basically just walk across the field to the other stage or turn around depending on where you are standing.

We have been going to Musilac for 3 years now and have yet to be disappointed. The first year I didn't know any of the bands except Simple Minds (80s band) and I wasn't really excited about going. But once Simple Minds took the stage they really took me back and they put on a great show. The same night we saw a band called Cali which, once again did nothing for me but he put on an even better show. He actually crowd surfed from one stage to the other (think crowd surfing the length of a soccer field) and then started singing on that stage.

The second year we saw the Pixies and Muse. Both were excellent shows and I was really excited to see Muse so it made the experience all the better.

This year was a bit different. Once again I was a little less excited but Valerie wanted to go since Vannessa Paradis was performing. However, Patti Smith and the Babyshambles also were playing so I thought they might be fun to see. Having Mathieu with us makes everything a bit more challenging, however Val's uncle lives right by the festival site and he volunteered to watch our him for the night.

Anyway, when we arrived they were predicting rain so we decided to walk down early with Mathieu in a stroller and just take a look at the festival. We hadn't bought tickets yet since we knew we could buy them on site and plus we were afraid it was going to rain. The festival started at 4pm but we planned on going around 8pm depending on the rain and since the shows we wanted to see were playing late evening.

At the festival Val went up to the window to check out the tickets. They said they had plenty at 49 euros/piece. Val wanted to buy right away but I wasn't so excited looking at the sky above. I told her we didn't need to buy them until 8pm that way we wouldn't waste 50 euros if it started raining. So we decided to sit down and people watch for a while right by the ticket booth. Well, 15 minutes later this woman comes up to us and asks us if we were going to the show and if we had tickets. Val said we were a bit hesitant because of the rain. The woman replied, "here are 2 tickets, enjoy the concert." I asked if they were real and she said yes, go have fun and enjoy Patti Smith. Val and I looked at each other and all we could say was thank you. We had just saved 100 euros and now we didn't care if it rained or not.

So, we decided to go in for 30 minutes and after we would take Mathieu back home and come back. However, there was one small problem they don't let you reenter once you exit. I went up and asked to verify this and he said no. Val decided to go to another gate and ask and the guys were really nice and said just come back to us. I don't know what it was, but everything was in our favor.

Well, to make an already long story short. After we returned from dropping Mathieu off we went to watch Patti Smith. If you haven't seen her, I recommend it. She sings with her heart and is very emotional. She put on a great show. Next we watched the Babyshambles. They were a bit disappointing. The music was good but Pete slurred out only a few words during the show and never really acknowledged the crowd. Finally the last show Vanessa Paradis was the most interesting of all. About 5 songs in it started pouring rain. All of sudden the sound went out. The band stopped playing and that was it. However, they felt really bad. They all stayed on stage for about 5 minutes waving goodbye and working the crowd. The concert promoter had to announce that the show would have to stop there because of the rain. By then I had had enough and was ready to go home. All in all this year's festival will definitely be memorable and it was FREE.

The Creche (Day Care)

Mathieu was finally accepted into a Creche (day care center) here in Lyon. What an ordeal!!! Sometimes I feel like we are in the baby capital of the world. Everywhere you look there are babies. Well, it definitely becomes more apparent when you are trying to secure a spot in a day care center.

After 6 months and several letters they have finally placed Mathieu. There are 2 day care centers in our area and of course we didn’t get into the one that is right around the corner. Instead, my new morning commute involves a 15 minute walk down to the day care with Mathieu which is conveniently located next to a Vélo station (Lyon’s semi-free biking system – greatest invention in the world by the way) where I take a bike and then bike 20 minutes to work. At least I am getting my exercise but I am not looking forward to this routine in the middle of winter.

Anyway, as always there are a few wrinkles to iron out. Basically once you are approved you have a meeting with the Director of the day care and at that point they tell you about their center and they give you the rate you will pay which is an hourly rate. Well, this rate is based on your combined revenue and cannot exceed a specified level which is defined by the city each year. Well, lucky us, we have to pay the highest amount and even more interesting is that it is higher than actual established rate by the city. Hmmm, seems a bit bizarre. Makes me think we are paying for all electricity bills.

So, Valerie called the city hall and they said that the director is not allowed to charge more than the set rate which will not rise this year. Well, after confronting the Director, she said that she never received information stating that there would be no raise in rates from the city hall. Ok, she works for the city but she never heard this information and she has conveniently created a rate just for us. Once again seems bizarre. So, now we are playing the waiting game to see what we are actually billed at the end of the month. Should be interesting.

On another note, Mathieu seems to be doing fine at the day care. Unfortunately, I have the crappy shift (the drop off) in which the second I put him down or hand him over he starts crying and reaches out for me, but apparently after I leave he quits crying. Val has the good shift since he is really happy to see her and go home. C’est la vie.

Mathieu Loves Rocks

All the Bad in Brittany

Ok, our trip was really fun but it didn’t come without its problems. We rented a car when we arrived from Hertz. I didn’t take the insurance because I thought that we had a base coverage through Opodo, the site I used to reserve the car. Well, apparently, I was wrong.

On our way down south we got a nail in the tire and it deflated right on the freeway. We immediately pulled over and Valerie called Hertz. Hertz said that it wasn’t covered and we needed to pay for that. On top of that, we needed to call a tow truck because it is illegal to change a tire on the freeway. Well, there was no way we were going to pay for a tow truck and a tire out of our pockets so I quickly changed the tire to the spare and got the hell out of dodge.

Anyway, the next day we went to the garage to have the tire fixed. It was only 20 euros for the repair so it wasn’t that big of deal. Now here’s the whammy. On the way out of the garage I rear ended another car. Boom! No insurance for the tire repair and now an accident. Well, it so happened that there was no damage to the rental car except a bent license plate. However, the other car, I must add was a piece of crap Twingo, had some bumper damage. Initially, I had given Hertz a caution of 670 euros. Our first thought was there goes our 670 euros so we decided we would ask the person (a woman in her 70s) if they would have the car checked out without going through insurance hoping it might be cheaper. A day later the husband gets back to us and says it will be 1200 euros. 1200 EUROS, for a little bumper damage on a car that is probably worth no more than 3000 euros. There was another dent in the back of the trunk that I don't believe we caused and I guarantee the garage wanted to fix that too. Of course, we said no and are now waiting for the response from Hertz. Hopefully we will get back some of our caution… On a side note, I just subscribed for an American Express card which will cover these types of problems next time.

All the Good in Brittany

I have to say Brittany is beautiful. Everyone says don’t expect to see the sun while you are there but for some reason we must have brought it with us. Located in the west of France bordering the Atlantic and the English Channel it tends to get weather typical of the UK. But during our trip it rained the first 2 days and then it was sun, sun, sun.

First, Brittany is well known for crepes, seafood and its beautiful architecture in which we were not disappointed. We spent 2 days visiting St Malo (a fortified port city still surrounded by the walls of the original fortress located on the English Channel) and Mont St Michele (town that was built on a small island 1 kilometer from the shore).

The Mont St Michele is really an architectural beauty. At certain times of the year when the tide is high the island is completely surrounded by water and it appears as if the town springs from the depths of the sea. As you enter the gates of the town you follow a cobble stone path that circles around the island town to the highest point on the island where the cathedral is located. We really enjoyed the beauty of the Mont St Michele however there were way to many tourists when we were there. Along with the rain and the massive crowds it made it difficult to really enjoy walking through its cobble stone streets.

I want to make quick mention to the town we stayed in the first night called Dinard. This is a beautiful seaside town with houses easily rivaling anything in California. They were huge!! We would have liked to stay a couple of days there but we were a bit anxious to get over to the Atlantic Ocean.

Anyway, once we arrived in the south of Brittany to a town called Erdeven the sun came out. We stayed in a Mobile Home about ¼ miles from the beach. We spent the next 5 days visiting beautiful little villages along the ocean, meeting locals, basking in the sun, swimming and even a little surfing. The amount of people surfing rather surprised me but also made me happy since it was easy to find a rental shop so I could go.

I can’t stop writing without mentioning the food. Seafood, crepes and beer was the theme or more specifically mussels and oysters. I ate mussels twice maybe 3 times, I lost count, and Valerie ate crepes a couple of times. One night we stopped in an oyster farm where the oysters are fresh from the water. They are opened up right in front of you and you find yourself a seat on the ground or at a table if you are lucky and eat oysters with a nice bottle of Sancerre. The best part is that they forgot to charge us so it was all free! And I have to mention the beer, I don’t get this one. The beer is really good in Brittany. They have tons of great microbrews but they don’t sell them anywhere else in France. Beer every else in France sucks. WHY???

Bise in Ardeche

For the final weekend of my Mom's visit here in Lyon we did a home exchange and once again it was extremely successful. Well, technically the person who we exchanged with stayed at our place back in July so last weekend was our turn. Bise is about 2 hours southwest of Lyon in the middle of NOWHERE. In the village you will find 2 bed and breakfasts and a very small store carrying regional specialties including wine and anything made from chestnuts.

The home was nothing out of the ordinary, 2 bedrooms and a small garden in front but what made it spectacular was the view. The house is on the hill overlooking the valley and mountains.Besides the small village below there was nothing in front of us for miles. Even the sound of cars were missing.

In the afternoon we visited some of the region's beautiful medieval villages and at night we relaxed and enjoyed the serenity. We could have easily stayed there a couple more days. It was a wonderful way to end my Mom's visit in France. Hopefully next time she is here will find something just as exciting.

On a side note, Mathieu was missing her on Monday.

Mathieu Attempting to Crawl

Mathieu Goes Mobile for Grandma

Mathieu is finally crawling. With the arrival of Grandma, Mathieu has decided to progress to the next level. In the last week 3 new teeth came out and he started to move around. Now we are really going to have to start paying attention to him. I have already secured most of the front room but we are going to have to start closing doors so he doesn’t go in places he shouldn’t be.

Grandma arrived last Thursday and has become our live-in nanny since our real nanny (who isn’t a live-in nanny by the way) has taken the month of August off. Anyway come the month of September Mathieu will be going to Day Care instead. We believe Day Care will be better for his development since he will be around more kids. However, I am not looking forward to more runny noses.

On another note, he has also started to develop his personality. He is becoming really good at throwing little tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants. Over the last few months mommy has been feeding Mathieu off her plate anytime she is eating. Now Mathieu thinks that every time someone is eating he should get some and throws his little tantrum which sounds a bit like the roar of a Lion. This is a bit irritating. Hopefully this stage passes soon. I will add some new pics soon.