Yes, I am still reliving our vacation.  It is quite fun for me and I love having it written down on this blog for the kids to enjoy one day. 

One special day was when Mom watched the kids and Dan and I spent an afternoon together exploring the surrounding area.  It has been too long and I so enjoyed spending the day with my man.

We found a beautiful beach about 30 minutes from our beach house.  We drove through the quiet little town, it was lunchtime and everyone was sitting outside at the cafes eating there lunch.  When we stepped out of the car, we both looked at each other and remarked on how quiet it was. 

This area was more open, it felt more like the carribean.  There weren't the beautiful pine trees and rocky coastline.  The beaches were beautiful and uncrowded.

We hopped back in the car after a bit and found the sweetest little neighborhood with thatched roofs on every home. 

This little neighborhood was on a narrow street; I hopped out of the car and snapped pictures while Dan drove the car slowly behind me.  He said that every now and again he saw someone peak out of their window watching me take photo's.  I am sure I wasn't the first.

Aren't these tiny windows and doors adorable?

Our drive brought us face to face with charm and beauty with every mile.  I am forever in awe.

After a wonderful afternoon spent with Dan, we came home, looked over our little gate and saw this...........

Poof, Dan was gone and this is the next thing I saw............Dan running upstairs as fast as he could so he could change his clothes.

And play with his kids on the beach..........

A wonderful finish to a glorious day.

Paul Gauguin love this little village which has a gentle flowing river running through it.  In the late 19th century, many other painters followed him.  There are numerous galleries in the village.

We arrived in this charming village at 1pm and every store and gallery were closed.  We have noticed that in smaller villages, everything still does shut down from noon until 2pm.  Even the grocery markets. 

It was a treat to roam the streets (which were very quiet), admire the homes that are tiered along the sides of large hills as well as peak into store fronts and galleries..  The river was so peaceful and a perfect opportunity to sit or explore. 

Dan found the perfect spot to sit and relax, listening to the river behind us.  We had such an enjoyable day in Pont Aven.  I highly recommend a visit to this quiet, charming village. 

Also, the city of Quimper is not far and "for sale" in many shops in Pont Aven.   Mom and I purchased some of their beautiful pottery which skilled artisans have been making since the 17th century.  

I am always curious as to who lives behind these windows with wisteria creeping all over; the broken shudder looks like it is barely hanging on to the side of the building.  I wonder what the view is from the inside?

We saw thatched roofs here and there.  Amazing to see the craftmanship of these roofs up close.

The small seaside town of Kerfany was unique in that it has retained it's charm through the years.  There are no new mansions built along the cliffside, no condo's to enjoy the view. 

Just higgly wiggly streets, dotted with the sweetest cottages; some bigger than others.  All of them have gardens that looked like they had been there forever. 

I tell you, if I were french, I would do everything in my power to move to this little town. 

Most every home had a gate.  Some small and some large.  They were all freshly painted in a bright color.  I fell in love with them.

Let's not forget the gardens..........

I hope you were transported for a few minutes.........I was........

Our little beach outside our door was very quiet until after lunch.  Once the french had full belly's, they hit the beach. 

I thought it was interesting how the French do not eat or drink on the beach.  They grab a towel and their suntan oil and bake in the sun.  They haven't gotten the memo about skin cancer (or lung cancer for that matter).  Most are an orangy red color and glisten from oil. 

There were no large red coleman coolers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with their sandy crunch, or chips and soda.  I did not hear any music from radio's (I guess I am dating myself........remember boom boxes at the beach people?).   Everyone was so friendly and happy.  We saw the same people day after day.  

The kids learned how to capture jelly fish (yikes), they were a purple color and quite pretty.  They found crabs and played in the sand for hours.  Sophie loved getting wet and then becoming a "sugared donut" by rolling in the sand. 

"When are you getting off that boogie board?"

I will tuck all the sweet memories in my heart from our days spent on the beach.  Whether we were hunting for seashells, eating ice cream on the beach, riding on the red boat (the kids got to go for a couple rides), watching sailboat lessons in front of us, talking with Bernadette (a retired teacher who calls Kerfany her home), watching the french interact with one another, admiring the body confidence that the french seem to have (there were many shapes and sizes and no one seemed to care, they were just doing what they should be doing.....enjoying themselves).  

There was a beautiful sense of calm and freedom on this stretch of sand.

Mornings in Kerfany..........

~sleeping in
~sunshine and blue sky
~the smell of coffee brewing
~windows and kitchen doors open
~the tide out to sea exposing rock and sea life
~quiet
~peaceful
~birds singing loudly
~our adopted (for a week) cat stopping by for his bowl of milk
~crisp cool air, some mornings required sweat shirts
~watching the man in the little red boat go out to sea
~walks along the hiking trails that hugged the cliff side

Here's hoping your morning is as peaceful as ours were..........

It's hard to know where to begin in regards to Kerfany and our beach house rental.  I will have to blog numerous posts to help you get a "feel" for this slice of heaven.

Our drive from Paris took about six hours.  We left gray skies and slowly entered the Brittany sun.   The drive was beautiful, everything was so lush and green.  We finally made it to the Brittany region and drove through sleepy beach towns, winding our way closer to the coast. 

The excitement was building as we could see on our GPS that the coast was near and our beach house even nearer.  All at once, our car turned a curve and before us were diamonds dancing on the turquoise blue water.  Everyone screamed (excluding Dan),  we made a quick turn into a narrow alleyway and then another turn into our small driveway.  The gravel crunched as we entered.  We turned to the right and saw the ocean welcoming us along with a beautiful yard and home. 

All of us scattered throughout the house, searching this room and that.  The lower level housed a large kitchen with a huge table, the middle level had the living room and two bedrooms along with a bathroom, and the top level had three more bedrooms and another bathroom.  All of the front rooms had beautiful views looking out onto the ocean. 

The yard was the biggest hit, the kids played and played while Dan and I ran to the market to stock the fridge. 

The excitement of seven days stretched out before us in this sleepy little beach town made our hearts sing.

I wanted to let ya'll know that we are back in Paris.  We drove in this afternoon. 

I can't wait to show photo's of Kerfany les Pines on the Brittany coast.  It was a slice of heaven; paradise.  Truly, an unbelievable week. 

Once I unpack, finish up the laundry, go through the mail, figure out what we are having for dinner..........ha.......I will post some photos.  Bon weekend!

Aunt Sally is on her way home to California as I type, Mom and the rest of us are home packing for our trip to the coast tomorrow.    

We found a beautiful home to rent on the Brittany coast (through a french friend).  We are beyond excited about living in a house with a yard for an entire week.  Throw in that it sits along the oceans edge and we are beside ourselves.

These pictures are from our friends vacation last June at the house.  Isn't it dreamy???

We were secretly hoping Aunt Sally's flight would cancel and she would have to join us at the beach house, but alas, no such luck.......

We learned how to say "hello, goodbye, please, thank you, yes, no and excuse me" from our adorable taxi driver on our first day in Prague.  The Czech's were happy to hear us speak these few words.  Nashedanou means "goodbye" and is pronounced "nah sleh-dah-noh-oo".   Hello is much easier; "Dobr'y den" prounounced "doh-bree-dehn".  

Prague was a wonderful experience and I had yet another European history lesson from a city.  I think that is the reason why I enjoy travel so much, I always walk away from a new city or country learning a little bit more than when I arrived.  The Czech's are a strong people who have endured much and have come out on the other side stronger and grateful.

Prague is divided into districts and each one is more interesting than the next.  We spent much of our time in "The Old Town"  and "The Castle District"  but the other districts are equally interesting and beautiful.    

The Vtava River is a great place to stroll or sit on a bench and watch boats cut through the calm water............

Dan had to work one day so the kids and I decided to take a rivercruise.  Always a great way to see the city from a different perspective.......

I love the chair that is sitting on the outside of the window looking in......

So much of Pragues beauty is it's location.  It has rolling green hills with castles, churches and montestary's perched on them.  It also has beautiful shaded parks, it is a city of angles; the Old Town Square is not really a square but a rectangle with streets that leads to beautiful neigborhoods.  

Most all of Pragues streets are made from stone, make sure to wear comfortable shoes to walk the streets and hills.  The metro system is a great way to get around and taxi's are very difficult to come by in the center city itself. 

So many of the buildings were painted in pastels and many of the rooftops had red tiles.  The city was very bright even when clouds rolled in threatening to rain. 

 

All of us fell in love with the "matryoshka".  The kids love opening these wooden dolls to find yet another doll, and another, and another.......

We will miss the people of the Czech Republic, they were forever stroking the kids cheeks and smiling at them, their warmth was contagious......

Dekuji (thank you, pronounced da-quee) for a wonderful visit...........

I can't quite put my finger on it but everyone seems so happy in Prague.  The locals and the tourists.  Everyone is incredibly friendly and helpful.  We are continually surprised by the kindess of  the Czech people.   

The main square is gorgeous but it is more than a square.  Every side street from the main square brings one to another breathtaking street. 

This city is loved; it is clean and well cared for.........

Sophie was tickled to take a horse and carriage ride........

We wandered the streets and found the oldest astronomical clock.....along with a hundred other people...........

The old town area  houses the Jewish museum where Hilter sent "all things that represent the Jewish people".  So glad that we still have the Jewish race to share with us "in person" about their culture.

Prague Castle is a beauty that sits high above the city.....

Charles Bridge leads you to the castle and is the oldest bridge in the city.  It is for pedestrians only.........

I will leave you for now, I have so many pictures to share, too many.  I am forever in awe of the beauty that is in Europe.  Prague is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen so far in my life.