We are leaving this morning for Prague in the Czech Republic.  I have read and heard from others that if we had the chance to visit any Eastern European country, visit Prague!  Some say it is the most beautiful city in all of Europe. 

I will let you know what I think and you can tell me what you think after I post pictures.    Have a great day!

              "Life is not measured by the number of breathes we take,
              but by the number of moments that take our breath away.
                                                        ~Anonymous

Belle Ile took our breath away from the moment we saw it.  Our day was one packed with fun and adventure from beginning to end.  I will remember this day forever. 

Thank you Guillame for sharing a piece of your France with our family.........

Thank you for the way you loved on the kids and the smiles that you generated........

The day ended far too soon..........good bye Belle Ile, you will be missed........ 

Hello Versailles..........

Hey Paris, did you miss us?

The flight over to Belle Ile was beautiful.  We were anxiously looking out our windows, enjoying the beautiful french countryside. 

I couldn't find a car on the maze of roads below.  Giullame reminded me that it was a holiday and "it is lunch time in France, everyone is inside".  (But of course!)

Within an hour, we could see the Brittany coast and the Atlantic ocean.  A beautiful peninsula lapped up the coastline. 

This is where you can take a 45 minute ferry from Quiberon to Belle Ile.  We flew over the turquoise colored waters, looking below at long stretches of beach and rugged cliffs...........then we spotted the beautiful island that was our destination. 

The island is only 12 by 6 miles and has a wild coastline, they call it "cote savage".  It has numerous inlets with small coves and beaches.  The interior of the island has sweet neighborhood communities with small cottages.  Some of the communities have pathways right down to the ocean...........

These pictures don't do this island justice.  The colors of the countryside were so much greener than they appear and the water was an unbelievable greenish blue.  It took our breath away. 

Once we landed, we decided to go to one of the beaches that we saw from the air.  We called a taxi from the small airport and drove about 5 minutes to the beach.  We had a picnic lunch and an extra pair of clothes for the kids so we were set. 

The kids ran ahead of us down the long pathway from the road and screamed with delight when they saw the blue ocean.  They could not get to the coastline fast enough.  

A small hotel at the beginning of the pathway sat  overlooking the ocean.  The sky was so blue, the sun so intense, the breeze so refreshing.  Beautiful bodies lay all over the sand, glistening and brown.

Once the kids made it to the water, they stripped down to their undies and jumped into the cold water. 

They became quite the spectacle.  It was fun to see the other vacationers swim close to them, smile and laugh at their utter joy; listening intently to all of us.   

I will leave you with your toes in the sand and cool water running over your feet.  Let's continue this little trip tomorrow..............

Another french holiday.............  Dan's friend has a small airplane and is flying us to "beautiful island" today for lunch on the Atlantic coast.   How fun is that?    

It is warming up to 83 degrees today.  The sun is bright, the sky sapphire blue without a cloud in sight.   I will be sure to post some pictures of our trip tomorrow.

These are the coolest stores all over Belgium and the Netherlands.  My Mom would feel like she died and went to heaven.  I don't think I would ever be able to drag her out of here.  These stores have everything to do with making a house a home. 

I have noticed smaller boutiques like these scattered throughout Paris and the French countryside as well. 

Come on in and have a look around....... (I would have had more pictures for you but the staff at this store were very unhappy with me and my camera) 

They had every size and shape of scrub brush you could imagine.  I have noticed this in France as well.  They make cleaning look very serious and so very chic.

Now that I have cleaned my house and watered my bulbs; I will grab one of these straw bags and walk to one of the many outdoor markets for lunch. 

I happened upon this boutique hotel called "81 l'Hotel" in the heart of Deauville.  Hotel rooms are quite small in Europe and it takes a lot of finessing to find rooms with enough beds for all of us. 

We tend to stick to Hilton hotels because that is where Dan always stays on business.  We know what we are getting and we end up racking up points for free nights.  (If you travel quite a bit, I highly recommend sticking with one chain hotel). 

I was delighted by this hotel's location and charm.  Once we checked in, we were escorted outside, down the sidewalk to another old home that was part of this hotel. 

The property was absolutely lovely and our room was incredibly roomy by European standards.  It had two rooms with a bathroom.  Our bedroom had a window that opened to the quiet residential street and the children were in the back with a window overlooking the charming neighborhood and beautiful horse track off in the distance.

How quaint is this?  Staying in an converted gem of a home.  We were on the tippy top floor.  

The typical French breakfast was served in the main hotel the following morning.  Tres chic!

After breakfast, we spotted a small yard on the side of the hotel and had to investigate.  First I had to pose the family on the hotel balcony.

Max saw the green grass, the space to run and he said "total freedom".  Wow, "out of the mouths of babes".  He soooo misses his big Texas yard.  The kids sprinted from one end of the yard to the other while Dan and I sat in the chairs, heads pointed toward the sun, relaxing (in between timing the kids). 

I hope to see you again you sweet little hotel.  Until then, save a chair for me by the window....

The drive from Honfleur to Deauville was breathtaking.  The trees were green and lush signaling us to our destination.  As we wound our way to the coast, we were greeted by hillsides dappled with small farms, cows grazing and paint strokes of bright yellow fields. 

Deauville was utterly beautiful.  This is the town where wealthy Parisians have flocked to for years.  Our first glimpse was of a stunning village lined with old homes perched on hilltops, standing with confidence on the coastline, and sitting snug next to their neighbors in the city center. 

Deauville is clean and chic; well thought out flowers beds surround every "round about" and fountain.  The beauty that wraps most every town in France will forever surprise me.  So much beauty in one small country, how can it be?  It doesn't seem fair. 

The streets gave way to a sense of calmness and peace.  Everyone seemed relaxed, strolling down the sidewalks.  I heard little else but the French language.  It was clear, that the French have kept this little village a secret.  I wonder how long it will last? 

Peaking through garden gates and out our hotel window is mandatory in my book.  I can't resist.  

The sea called us early Sunday morning.  We woke to a blanket of fog that lifted by 9am. 

 We drove five minutes and were at the shore.  Slides and swings were sprinkled here and there for the children.  A long boardwalk brought us face to face with "old money". 

I will leave you with the sounds of waves crashing, seagulls flying overhead and the smell of salwater.......   

Tomorrow we will go back to our hotel.  It is worth an entire days post.  

Honfleur is a charming fishing port in Normandy that sits at the mouth of the Seine.  It escaped major damage from World War II and looks like an antique postcard. 

The streets are lined with flags strung from one side to the other, the weekend flea markets are lively and restaurants are jam packed with everyone from the tour buses which pull in for the day.  

It is a great place to enjoy for the day but is extremely crowded and full of souvenir stores on every corner which take away from the charm of such a sweet little town.      

I found this quiet restaurant off the beaten path.........

Wine abounds in France, I especially noticed it in Honfleur.  The bottles were housed in crates and baskets with straw and blankets underneath to protect them from breaking; tiny umbrella's were shading the little infants from the sun.  Calvados reign supreme in this region, it is an apple brandy that this region shares with the world.  

I always know we are in the Normandy region by the timber houses, they add such character to the homes.........

All in all, Honfluer was a treat to see..........

I think the kids would agree........

Tomorrow, we will drive a little further and explore Deauville.....

 Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing women out there who give there all day in and day out.  Some days feel like "ground hog day"......the same thing over and over......especially with little ones.  

I love the song by Trace Adkins entitled "Your Going to Miss This".  I need to be mindful to not rush through some of the "uncomfortable" parts of mothering.  I find myself "wishing away" some of those seasons but I need to remember how small this window of "hands on" mothering is and be grateful for it.....all of it.  Why do we only want to take the good?

A great big "shout out" to my Mom.  Oh, it is difficult being so far away from you and having so many months pass without seeing you and touching you.  You are a beautiful example of a Mother if I ever saw one.  Thank you for Mothering me with such expressive love and support.  You are my forever cheerleader!  I love you beyond love!

**I will do my best to sort through my photo's from this weekend and post them tomorrow.  Honfleur was sticky sweet but Deauville rocked my world!! 

We are driving to the coast this weekend to celebrate Mother's Day. 

The French don't celebrate Mother's Day until the end of the month.  Do you think I can get away with celebrating it twice?  Two weekend get-aways?  

I will leave you with a little eye candy.  The peonies are front and center in all the floral shops.  They are standing at attention, some so excited they are bursting with their brilliant colors, other's quite reserved still, holding everything inside.  Trust me, you can't keep everything inside for long, am I right?   Or is that just me??   Let go this weekend and enjoy!!!!