Paddleboarding

     Last May, while the guys were on road trips, Allyson and I went to the beach... a lot. We live about 5 kilometers or 2 miles from many beaches so it was never too much of a hassle to go.  Now, I have two criteria for actually going in the ocean: the water has to be clear and it has to be warm. Like, warm enough where it doesn't take your breath away...I'm talking to you San Diego. This criteria works two-fold. First, it eliminates most places since there are a handful of places like that and secondly, if I do find somewhere like that, it will keep me in my comfort zone.  ( I realize there are more than a handful of places like that exist but for story purposes... you get the picture.) 

{ Clear waters}

     The water here is clear, glass clear. Check. And I had a sneaking feeling that since it had been beach weather since late March, the water was warm enough to actually swim in.  My feeling was confirmed when I stuck my toe in and my first reaction wasn't to pee. Check again. So in the water it was. In all seriousness, it was so hot that I welcomed a refreshing dip in the water.  Come to find out Allyson had the same criteria as me.....must be a girl thing. I know that if I see a shark, I at least want to have the opportunity to do my best Phelps impression and haul ass out of there. So, we decided not only to go in the water but to also rent paddle boards. It was great AND I would like to add that neither one of us fell.  We kind of stuck somewhat close to shore, about 100 yards out, for fear that if we did fall, we were close enough to land for some one to don their best red Baywatch swimsuit, cue the music, start the slow motion run and rescue us. It was the most relaxing afternoon. There was little to no breeze which allowed us to see straight to the ocean's floor. Like discovering hidden gems on our bikes, we vowed to return with the guys and fortunately we met a kind man who had many paddle boards that he offered to us for use when they returned from the road. Which we took him up on....

{Cruisin'}

{The point where we realized we were going to run into each other}

     For the guys, it wasn't as smooth sailing as it was for us. I don't know whether it was their size or what, but something was off. In the beginning, they both spent most of the time in the water. The funny thing was when one fell, the other fell soon after. I chalk that up to mimicking the other person when you are watching them do something. (We've all seen that soccer coach on the sidelines looking like an idiot kicking that imaginary ball)  I soon figured out I couldn't be any where near them, not just the jerking around and try to balance themselves, but the splash and little wave that the fall sent my way. After 10 minutes or so, it seemed they got the hang of it and could relax a bit. There was the occasional fall followed by many giggles from shore (not the most graceful of falls), but for the most part, we all enjoyed the afternoon in the sun. We haven't been yet this year but when the water warms back up, you bet we will be back out there and I'm expecting big things from Shaun this time since he is no longer a newbie.

{Shaky start...keeping my distance}

{Feelin' really good about himself}

Topbikes

     It's a little slow around here right now, literally. Shaun has thrown his back out and can only move at a snail's pace. It's not only a shame for Shaun but also because the weather has been super nice, which got me reminiscing a little of last spring/summer here. So I thought that since we did so many fun things last year, that I will do a few posts re-capping some of our favorite times here in Toulon.   Let me start off with saying I had the perfect partner in crime last year, Allyson. She was down for anything, no responsibilities and had no problem making an ass out of herself, sounds familiar huh? She is a professional basketball player so she only could be here from the end of March on and coincidentally, when she arrived, so did the hot weather. The first day I met her, we went and bought folding bikes (at the grocery store none the less). I have always had this vision of riding a bike through the city in a long skirt with a basket full of fresh vegetables from the outdoor market in the front (so cliché). Needless to say, I had been eyeing a bike forever. (Little did I know that a long skirt can and will get caught in the spokes/pedals and riding in the city is more dangerous than I thought as I did get hit by a scooter once. For the record, it was not my fault, the bike held up beautifully, I did not fall and I would like to forget about that as quickly as possible.)  The hard part is where we live. We live in a neighborhood full of hills so at some point you were going to be in an uphill battle. That is where the folding bikes come in, or Topbikes as we called them. You put it in the car, drive to an area where you want to ride (one preferably with no hills or scooters), pull that bad boy out, un-fold it and go. It solved all our problems and looked a little like a 'low-rider' too, double bonus. The guys would meet at the gym for practice and we would take one car and drive down to the beach and bike all day. We would go to markets, wind through old residential streets, discover places we would vow to return to with the guys, stop for lunch, try to pop wheelies, in other words, go wherever the bikes took us. The boardwalk seemed to go for miles and we were more than happy to follow it. We used those bikes so much that we became 'locals' at the food market down on the beach. Sadly, Allyson is not back this year, or rather they were one of the many players affected by the poor management here, so it is just me, myself and 2 Topbikes...hmmmm, wonder if I could get Shaun and his 200lbs on one of those, after all, it did hold up well against the scooter.

After a few hours ride we stumbled upon a hidden beach..

This being the beach.

Another stop on the way.

Who knew Allyson was a tour guide for Mount Faron also? Notice, the walking stick, took us 20 minutes just to find the right one.

Don't know if you can tell but we are really high, like 2,000 ft high and I'm about 2 feet from the edge. I may seem calm but I'm not.

Port at Sanary sur Mer where we stopped and ate many times.

The Wednesday market at Sanary.

Remember my last post about the clothes that sometimes don't flatter?? Well I had to give it up for this lady cause not only did she wear this, but she wore it PROUD. 

The many things I've learned living in France...

  At first I was going to put a number on the post title, like ' the 10 things I learned, the 20 things..' but after brainstorming a bit, I realized I couldn't narrow these 'pearls of wisdom' down so here goes... However, I will semi-categorize them for clarity.

Driving or car related

     My old coach at Santa Clara used to tell us, 'bumpers are for bumping.' But what he forgot to tell us was 'doors are for dinging.'  Something the french seem to have down to an art.

     1 way streets can easily be turned into a 2 way street by just throwing some dotted lines down the center. No need to expand or widen the road, just slap on some paint and you're golden...which leads me back to the above point, 'bumpers are for bumping'.

     Any lane can be made into a parking spot and/or waiting lane by stopping, leaning over, putting on your hazards and ignoring every evil eye or honk that comes your way. Oh, and in order to fully embrace this method, you mustn't under any circumstances give the person behind you warning as to what you are about to do.

     Blinkers are used to let you know they are coming over into your lane. Often times, they are used after one has already started the move.

     When making a right turn in the right lane, one will veer way left before making the turn as to get the best angle (as instructed in their boat steering manual that conveniently doubles as a driver's manual).

     Motorcycles and scooters are everywhere. Not required to stay in a lane ( read: swerve in and out of traffic and are really annoyingly dangerous), they often times slide by cars in bike lanes, breakdown lanes etc... And it is not only nice, but expected to maneuver your car out of the way to accommodate them. By doing so, you will get a nice leg shake as a thank you when they zoom by you as you are still stuck in traffic now at an odd angle.

     Speed cameras do work. They have caught us 2 or 3 times in 11 years and one of Shaun's teammates was just informed that he received 15 in the last 2 months...seriously, not a typo, 15.

Fashion

     The french dress for the seasons, no matter what the weather. That means, if it is still winter and it is 65, you still wear your heavy coat, boots, scarves and gloves.

     They don't follow 'fashion rules'. On one hand it is refreshing, on another, I am thinking the rules are there for a reason: to help the majority of people look good. I see a lot of white after labor day, genie pants that Shaun so accurately describes as 'pooped your pants' pants, and other unflattering ( or as the mainstream would describe unflattering) silhouettes on ladies and men alike. However, I do not see the ' middle-america' stereotype 'jean sweatshirt and sneakers' outfit, bonus!

     The color red with some copper and purple in it is, by far, hands down, the most popular hair color for ladies in France. I mean all ages too.

     They have perfected scarf wearing to a 't'. I now own plenty of scarves thanks to my many inspirations here.

     If you don't own at least 5 pair of pattern stockings ( and wear them, cause we all have those crazy printed ones in our closets'), you aren't French.

     Wearing shirts with English writing on them is ' à la mode/trendy'. However, upon further inspection, the sayings rarely make sense. The other day I saw a girl with a shirt that said ' you're boyfriend look me.' Wait, what!?! I almost wanted to tell her but then I realized my French most likely would of sounded like this, ' your shirt no make sense, I am of an American girl who talks in english so trust in me', so I smiled and walked on. And don't get me started on the New York Yankees hats with a Red Sox jacket. Don't they realize that is like wearing a OM shirt with a PSG hat?

Life in general

     Some things translate with out a word spoken. For example, the eye roll and heavy sigh I witnessed from a husband the other day at Ikea clearly translating that he was bored and not happy his wife had drug him there. I have seen that look and heard that sigh many a times from Shaun on both French and American soil, no translating necessary.

     The French, and many Europeans, whistle instead of boo.

     When a restaurant or store says it closes at 11, that means the place is cleaned, the lights are off and the employees are in their car at 11.

     They don't rush you out of your table at restaurants and going so far as some times you have to ask for your check. It is nice to be able to sit and enjoy a meal and lose track of time...sometimes. 

     In a traditional French dinner, they eat their salads after their meal. 

     There has never been a baguette in history that has made it home with out some part of it nibbled off (in our house hold it is more like one third is missing.)

     No matter how many check-out counters there are at Auchun or Carrefour ( our grocery stores), the amount that are actually open is baffling, as in maybe 10%. And the only people who seem to be bothered by it are the foreigners. I have attempted my best 'eye roll and heavy sigh' like the man at Ikea many times in order to speed things up.

      I don't think there is a translation for personal space in the french language. That was mistakenly left out. If you can not identify the type of gum, deodorant and or laundry detergent someone uses in front of you while standing in line, you are not close enough. And if you are not willing to do it, someone will kindly move from behind you in line to do it themselves. I like to give my hair and nice swish as a friendly 'back off' and if that doesn't work, I can always go to the no fail  'Ikea eye roll and heavy sigh'.

  For all of these, there are many more and the sooner you come to accept these, the happier you will be. After all these years, we still have our off days where we become impatient with things but then realize that even after all of the above, good or bad, we still love it here and that makes us realize what a special place it is.

    

     



    

    

 

The Two Amigos!

Steve Martin and Chevy Chase had nuttin' on these two amigos.

  As 2011 came to close, one can't help but reflect back on what the year offered. For us, 2011 was a pretty good year. The basketball season went smoothly (or as smoothly as European bball can go), we attended weddings, welcomed friends' babies, had my mom visit for a few weeks in Toulon, and spent some time with Shaun's family over the summer. It was almost all good. Now as most of you know, Shaun and Nikki usually come with a side of Max and Bella, our 2 Jack Russell Terriers. ( Named her Bella way before all this Twilight B.S. so don't get any ideas people!!) They have been a part of our life for over 10 years. Just re-reading that, and saying they were both just 'a part of our lives' is a gross under statement, they received Christmas gifts from our families for goodness sakes. As anyone who has had a Jack knows, they are not just a part of their owner's lives, they squirm their way into every single aspect of their life with their bold characters and HUGE personalities. They don't call them Jack Russell 'Terrors' for nothing. Well, unfortunately we lost both Max and Bella pretty suddenly this last year and not far apart. They grew up together and I am pretty sure they were best friends, they never actually told me but you could just see it in their eyes.  I think one having to live with out the other proved to be too tough.  Sure they had the occasional fight but they would always make their way back towards each other to snuggle after. Can't lie, it has been hard with out them, as anyone who has an animal can imagine or lost an animal can relate to. The house is quieter, which still baffles me since they didn't talk. But we often sit back and laugh at all the stuff they did. Most people play fetch with their dogs, but a few years ago, it dawned on me that they were playing fetch with Shaun by continuously knocking their ball under the armoir forcing him to get up and fish it out for them. I didn't say anything at the time, just sat back and marvelled at their smarts...and lack of Shaun's for that matter.

Best pillow ever...

Who needs pricey toys when you can lug a stinky sneaker around?

  Often times people would ask us how it worked with having dogs and living overseas. Did we leave them at home with family? Did they fly with us? Was flying hard for them? Fortunately for us, they LOVED to travel. As soon as the luggage came out of that closet, they were on, cue the circus music. We had to to put off packing always until the last minute since it seemed to get them so excited that things would mysteriously get shredded or chewed up cause they couldn't help themselves. And don't get me started on having to spell things out since many of our sayings got them in a tizzy ( cheese, car, airplane, go for a ride in the car, go for a walk, pretty much' go for' ...anything). In almost the 10 years of them flying, some cross country and most to France, we didn't have 1 problem. The closest thing to a problem was when Bella's zipper on her kennel broke mid flight ( and she finally realized it), she decided to take a tour of the first class cabin while I slept. After that, she never looked at me the same, she knew there were better things out there and we were holding her back.

Both in 1 soft kennel ready to go to France even though they had their own.

 By now, word has spread to most of our friends over here in Europe that the dogs are no longer around but in the beginning of this year, Shaun fielded questions in this order.
1-"Hey man (yes, they use man over here too), how was your summer?"
2-"How's Nikki doing?"
3-"How's Max and Bella?"

.........hate to admit, sometimes (often)  3 came before 2.

Even though you would think it may have stung a little to have to tell people over and over they were gone, it also made us realize that they not only touched our lives, but the lives of those who knew us. We both want another dog and I am pretty sure either one of us could be persuaded today to get one by the other. But we have made a pact to at least see this year out with out a dog and see how it goes and then we can re-evaluate after the year is over. I am sure we will eventually get another one, or two, but we are leaning on maybe waiting until the European life is over and we are back in the States. Until then, Dolly, our neighbors dog, will have to do.

A hint of disgust in his eyes.....

Doing her best 'Puss n' boots' impersonation

Another Christmas gift...he peed on it pretty shortly thereafter, point taken.

They never met a camera they didn't like.

Max's and Shaun's favorite nap time snuggler.

No matter how much we tried, he couldn't figure out how to hold that toy the right way.

Imagine that tan line...

Florence videos

Ok, after almost a day of trying to figure this whole uploading video thingie to the computer, I have finally got it and realized we need a new computer at the same time since most of my problems were with that and not my teeny sized brain. Anywhoo, there are few videos on here. Nothing too spectacular, no streaking, no naked girls, just a small peak into the ambiance in the squares for New Years'. Enjoy!!!

The first video is waiting in the square with the band playing and people mingling.




Turning 2012..... noticed the raised champagne bottles in the lower part of the screen.




This video is right after midnight when people started lighting their own little firecrackers....it might look unruly but surprisingly, we didn't see one fight or people getting out of hand. But what you can't see is that Shaun is right in the middle of everyone lighting his own firecrackers....lol, no, we hung out for 30 minutes or so then headed back to the hotel, no 'Frank the Tank' for us.

Ringing in the New Year

  Happy New Year!!! Hope everyone had a great New Year's celebration. Since the break is shorter here in France this year with the team playing through Christmas, we decided to stay in Europe for the break and do a 'mini-vacation.' We both have travelled a good bit so deciding was tough but we knew we wanted a change of scenery, to get out of France. Don't get me wrong, we love France, but this being Shaun's 11th season here, we wanted to see something new, eat something new and experience something new. We spit balled some places around and Italy seemed to jump off the map for us. Our options were narrowed down to Venice, Florence and Rome and ultimately, we decided on Florence due to some input from our friends and the fact that we could drive there also. Who doesn't love a great road trip??  So after deciding on Florence, I would of normally became obsessive about the planning, things to see, directions, 'must not miss' places, etc... but since I wasn't feeling too well ( read last post), I had no desire or energy. And to be honest, until 1 hour into the ride, I still wasn't too sure sitting for 5 hours in a car was smart, but I kept that to myself. In hindsight, Shaun had to know something was off because I didn't talk much. I know, hard to believe. There was no way I was ruining this Christmas break (last Christmas I had the dreaded gastro, and yes, it is as bad as it sounds) so I soldiered on and boy was I glad I did.

   The drive was fairly easy. We relied on the GPS to get there and after a bumpy start where she told us to drive to the Nice port then take a ferry to Corsica, an island, then another ferry from Corsica to Italy, she redeemed herself by getting back on track and getting us there in the 5.5 hours it was supposed to take. Maybe she was giving us the 'cheap' route?? Come to think about it, this may be who Shaun's team uses as their travel agent for away games....I can see it now, the front office hops in their car, fires up the GPS, punches it all in, et voila, an itinerary is born.  Back to the drive, it was absolutely beautiful. The route was along the coast all but 30 minutes of the drive so the views were incredible. Almost to Florence, both Shaun and I noticed we were going through a lot of tunnels, I mean a lot. So I threw out a guess of how many tunnels we had gone through since the start of the drive, '30 or 40 something' and vowed to count them on the ride home. Shaun disagreed and said more, 'maybe 50-60'. Remember those numbers for the end of the story...

The Duomo (Florence cathedral)

  Florence was incredible. It was a bit cold, after all it is January, but we knew that going in, so it was no biggie. Figure there is going to be a trade off, it will be colder but we will get to see all the Christmas decorations and lights. Our hotel was great, centrally located, so we valeted our car and left it there for 5 days. Florence is pretty compact so having a car was going to be more of a pain than anything, so we walked and walked and walked. The one thing I noticed right away was the 'fleur de lis' on everything, and I love me some 'fleur de lis'. Come to find out that is the symbol for Florence, a welcome surprise. I'll be honest, I am pretty sure we both were looking forward to the food more than anything else. Sure, the architecture is awesome and it was different from France but we both have travelled some and seen different types of architectures. The food was going to be the focal point for us. Let me tell you, we were not disappointed. We did not have a bad meal. I am pretty sure I more than made up for the 4lbs I lost at the hospital last weekend. At every meal, Shaun would clean his plate, I mean clean like it had never been used. The one thing he did do though, he gave me at least one bite of his dish. It started out romantic but I caught on fast. I could see the wheels turning in his mind thinking, 'this is so good, maybe if I give her some she can re-create it when we are back home.' Guess I have some re-creating to do.
 

The many Fleur de Lis

  Most of our days consisted of just walking. We didn't have a plan. We didn't have a 'must-see' list, or a 'must-eat' list. We would walk and wherever it took us, it took us. I suppose in a bigger city, this method wouldn't of worked but since everything was so close, we ended up seeing everything there was to see in our own time. We stumbled upon a food market that sold the biggest blocks of cheese I have ever seen, and we live in France remember. There were barrels and barrels of balsamic vinegar and tubs of sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. At many points, I thought to myself how great it would be for Shaun to play in Italy, for us to start all over again, to learn a new language, learn a new culture. Then I thought about how much we both loved the food and maybe it was  not such a good idea, I mean how successful can Shaun be if he gains weight at an alarming rate??? His job solely depends on his physical health. I am sure we have a lot of the same things here in France and I have been to our markets here and they are fantastic too, but for some reason, that grass looked a lot greener.

Cheeses and meat

Hunks of Parm

Sun dried tomatoes

Fresh pasta

Marinated artichoke hearts

  For New Year's Eve, we opted to eat dinner early and then just walk the streets. We had heard that the squares/piazzas in Florence are where people gather for live music, fireworks and to ring in the New Year so we decided that sounded more of our speed than an 'ultra' fancy 7 course meal or a nightclub. The squares were packed with all walks of life,  from young kids to the elderly. We walked a bit and then settled on a larger square where a band played and it seemed to be more 'our crowd'  ie. less Snooki types. (Florence is where they filmed the Jersey Shore so Dunn when you come visit, we will take you  and show you all the 'shore' hot spots.) Most everyone brought their own champagne to uncork and glasses to share with their friends at midnight. It was funny because earlier in the day we were trying to recall what we have done for the last few New Years and we couldn't remember anything about 2 years ago. I can tell you we will never forget this one. We didn't get crazy drunk, or eat at an uber snazzy place, or ring it in with friends or family but I will always remember New Year's Eve in Florence.

Gotta love the ole' long arm self photo

Someone kindly took our picture after seeing us struggle to take one ourselves...

  As I am writing this, I am re-reading what I wrote and realize there is so much more I have to say. Like dinner our second night. Our hotel made us reservations at a nicer restaurant at 8 and when we arrived, we realized that 8 was going to be a stretch. The place was packed and it looked more like we were going to have to wait. So we took our wine and headed to the waiting area and just chatted. Shortly after, an older couple  joined us in waiting for a table. 5 minutes later, a waiter told us only a table for 4 was available so did we mind sitting with the other couple but they would split the table so it would be like 2 and 2. Talk about putting us on the spot...I mean the couple could hear our answer. So we agreed, and as soon as we sat down we realized there was no way we could eat right next to these people and not talk to them, it would of been more awkward to ignore them than to actually talk to them. Then, when they ordered a bottle of wine to share with us we knew we were doomed. They were mid 50's, puerto rican, and spoke broken english. Us, early 30's,  speaking English and French. Not much in common but hey, you only live once. Fortunately for me, I was sitting next to the lady and not the guy since he became very very comfortable and whispered things in Shaun's ear about life, ordering wine, how to pose for pictures and appear thinner, and when we were going to see them again. It was one of those nights you only see in movies. The pinnacle for me was when he asked me to try his steak that he ordered. When I say asked, I mean demanded, since he was already in the motion of putting his fork towards my way when he suggested I try it. We shared wine, food and dessert with them. I honestly couldn't make this up if I tried. For those of you who watch The Office, there was definitely some Michael Scott uncomfortable moments during dinner. We bid them adieu with the promises that we will e-mail them and come visit....we''ll see about that.
 
  While walking one day, we made our way down to the river that flows through Florence, the Arno river. It is lined with shops and little trattorias where people mill in out of and many bridges to cross over on. One bridge appeared different than the others architecturally, Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio bridge was the only bridge not destroyed by the Germans in WWII in Florence so therefore it is much older than the others (learned that from 'over hearing' the english guided tour, promise we weren't following them). Legend has it that if you or your loved one attaches a lock to any part of the bridge then throw the key over into the river, you will have ever lasting love. Well, apparently the government did not like the way the bridge looked with all the locks attached to it, and made it illegal.  However, it is rumored to be all the same to rub the remaining locks attached instead of attaching them yourselves. Needless, to say we gave the locks a little rub, can't hurt right???
 

Ponte Vecchio

Locks

View of other bridge from Ponte Vecchio

 

I could go on forever about what makes Florence special, the warm people, the food, the gelato in 40 degrees temperature, the Duomo. But what really hit home was when I got home and uploaded my pictures to the computer..I took 570 pictures!!!! Most of the pictures are better than words so I will do just that, post them at the end with a little explanation if needed. And I am going to try to load our videos of the square on New Years in the upcoming days if I can figure out how.

  We decided to take a little detour on our drive home and swing by Pisa, don't you just love the fact that you can swing by something as cool as The Leaning Tower of Pisa? It was pretty much on our way home and I figured it would be a shame to drive by it and not at least stop in for an hour or two to explore. This wasn't my first time in Pisa. In 89 or 90,( still can't figure out which year) I spent a few weeks in Italy with a friend and his family who are Italian so I saw the tower on that trip, and even got out on all the levels which is now forbidden, you can only exit at the top. Surprisingly for it being 22 years ago and me being only 11 I have a pretty good recollection of my time so I really wanted Shaun to see it because, obviously, it is pretty memorable. The weather wasn't that great, a little misty but it didn't stop us from taking the obligatory 'holding up the tower' pictures. We spent about an hour there milling around and asking each other questions that neither one of us had a clue the answers too. We took mental notes and figured we would look the answers up on the internet when we got back to France. Darn you cheap French phone with no internet. For me the trip was amazing and when I saw Shaun get on the internet for information about the Tower before ESPN.com, I knew it was just as good for him. Oh, and there were 182 tunnels, might have been 1 more but I was singing my heart out...

Look how strong my man is...1 hand.

Got heavier..two hands needed

I swear I'm not super-imposed

Up close look

Crazy

Side view of Duomo, it was so large I could never get it all in 1 pic.

Duomo from across the river

The author of Pinocchio is from Florence so he is everywhere.

Ahhh...gelato. Who would eat it in this cold?

Yep, me.

Bronze boar statue at the back of the market. Legend has it, if you put a coin in his mouth and it falls into a grate below and you rub his snout, you will return to Florence.

San Lorenzo Basilica

Up close view of the San Lorenzo Basilica