Spring Break :: 't Zwin

 

You probably guessed it but we were (well, actually still are) on Spring break. Despite the bad weather I took the girls to the Belgian coast last week. It rained and rained and rained some more but we did have a great time and even got a teensy bit of sun in between showers.
One of the highlights of our week was our trip to 't Zwin in Knokke-Zoute, a beautiful nature park and breeding spot for stork and many other birds. We saw and heard quite a few stork - simply amazing. And the one in the picture treated us to a defile as if on a catwalk, walking slowly and elegantly not the least bit shy. All, while I was taking pictures in real paparazzo style, trying not to disturb the bird but getting as many shots as possible. Wonderful!
After our visit to 't Zwin (and after taking off our muddy boots and clothes and me performing a silly dance with one foot still half way in a boot and the other one wearing a sneaker in an attempt to catch a plastic bag which flew from our car trunc - I got it! ) we went to Marie Siska for pancakes and some more fun at the playground.

A perfect afternoon despite the rain - you can't tell from the pictures, but as soon as we bought our entry tickets it started pouring - p o u r i n g! - for a minute we thought about going back to the car and simply leaving. And are we glad we didn't...!

Back

We're back from our trip to the Lot. It was really fun in every respect. The weather was great, so was the food (canard, summer fruits,...) and so was the place where we stayed. We booked a gite run by the very nice Peter and Zoë, who've been doing this for over twenty years now. They transformed a former farm into small cottages and B&B rooms. The big yard contains a pool as well. What more could one wish for?! We found a perfect balance between day trips in the area, playtime by the pool and lots of reading.
The region of the Lot is simply gorgeous with its small medieval villages, winding roads, sun flower fields, vineyards, markets, châteaux... What was striking though is that quite a few of these villages have turned into ghost towns almost, as people moved to the bigger cities. Apparently this has been an ongoing process and the recent economic and financial crisis certainly didn't help. A lavender distillery we visited, is running on its last legs because it's economically no longer viable to maintain the activity or to do the much needed investments. This is only one of several stories we heard, and it made me feel sad knowing that traditions and part of a culture will sooner or later disappear that way. So, I truly hope the region will surmount its problems and will become flourishing again as never before because it really deserves it...

For more pictures, visit my Flickr set here - I'll probably be adding more photos in the days to come.

// La douce France // - arts and crafts

Earlier this week we visited this cute little village, Puy l'Eveque, and found quite a few surprises there besides the weekly market we intended to visit. Different alleys across the village were "dressed up" in one way or another - with old shoes, umbrellas, word art, ... So much fun - we felt like being on a treasure hunt wondering what would turn up in the next alley.
And we all loved this tree decorated with a most colorful crocheted scarf.

To be honest: this visit made my fingers itch...

A short trip...

Some of the apple blossoms that colored the garden of our hotel...

We just got back from a short trip we took. Very last minute (very last minute should have been my last name) but so much fun. It was little H. who gave us the idea. She learned about it in school and decided she wanted to go see for herself. We were lucky to still find a hotel less than 48 hours before leaving - what would one do without the internet? If you ever travel to the area, I highly recommend le Gué de Beauvoir - an absolutely great hotel especially when traveling with children. Not the classic touristy kind of hotel typical for an area like this, but a family-run, charming little hotel with additional little "cabanes" in a big garden, landscaped to look like it's not landscaped, in which they very well succeeded. We were lucky to have one of those little cabins. So, in between the sightseeing - and we did quite some as we explored a bit of both Brittany and Normandy - you'd find us relaxing in the garden. We didn't even bother to go out for dinner in the evenings. Instead we had our little picnic outside in the yard. The girls played outside until late at night - M. tried to tame the unicycle she found there, much at the expense of her shins. And since there was no TV (so nice for a change!) we all read in bed instead.

Our little getaway was totally improvised but so totally cool and fun!


The Mont Saint-Michel as seen from the Couesnon river banks, just behind our hotel.














As much as we liked the Mont Saint-Michel, I believe our favorite part of the trip was our hike towards la Pointe du Grouin and its breathtaking views...