Cantine or How School Lunch Should Be or How to Get 100 Pre-Schoolers to Sit Still

This has been a pretty amazing school year for the Mommacita so far. The littlest Duckling started at the Maternalle (the all-day French pre-school) and since I have been going to French class, all the Ducklings have been attending Cantine or school lunch. Now for any Americans out there you may be thinking big deal, everyone goes to school lunch, but here in France, your child only goes to Cantine, if you work, go to school, or can prove that for some reason,you are unable to pick up your little darlings at 11:30 and return them at 1:30. This is a very effective way to ensure that ones day is broken into two 3 hour blocks, neither of which is long enough to really accomplish anything.

So last year we began completing the copius paperwork to enroll all of the Ducklings in Cantine. Unfortunately, we did not complete it properly, or provide proof of my schooling. This led to us spending many hours rushing around, gathering paperwork so we could stand in line at the school district lunch offices and prove we were worthy enough that our children could attend Cantine. After returning once with our children's birth certificates (yes, birth certificates for lunch) we received approval for our children's lunch room education to begin, and begin it did.

I have always wondered how French families teach their children to behave in restaurants as they don't often take their children out. It turns out, they don't. The school teaches them to behave at the table. As the lunch break is 2 hours, the children have plenty of time to eat and still play. There are no tater tots and hotdogs here, the meal itself consists of 4 courses each of which is served by the lunch room wait staff. (I think this might be why the lunch ladies are always the first to take off on strike days) The first course, or entree (appetizer for you Americans) consists generally of a vegetable, beans or cucumber in a salad. Next, is the plat (main course) which is a meat and rice, potatoes or couscous, followed by a cheese course and then dessert. Dessert is usually a fruit, but can be anything from cake to ice cream. Fridays there is no meat served (Good Catholic country that France is) but eggs are sometimes offered instead of fish. All of this is served with baguette and water. The teachers and aides eat in the same room as the children with the children 6 to a table. There is no messing around tolerated at all.

What amazes me, is that my children like it. And especially for the littlest Duckling, they are trying new things that I could never get them to eat at home. The menu consists of fish, lamb, beef etc. It is varied and it is amazing. Every day the Ducklings return home and share their culinary adventures. They don't love everything but generally they try everything and that is a good thing. Yes, they would rather be home with me, but for now at least, I know that they are eating a nutritious lunch and are learning something in the process. The best part? Instead of being rushed like they would be in the U.S., they have time to go play and have fun after lunch. I think Cantine is something they will miss next year when return to the States. I am sure I will hear a lot about the noise and craziness of the US lunchroom as well as the fact that they are rushed and don't have an hour to play. Just one of the many differences we will be adjusting to next year I am sure. Oh well, it will be good to be back to a country that has a Target, and Starbucks, and Nordstrom and.....

A Perfect Day in Le Revest

After much rain (very unusual this time of year) the beautiful blue skies and sun have come to Southern France. Each day, I wake up, look at the sky and just breathe. This it what makes living here special. Few places that I have lived have this amazing blue sky, no clouds and not too hot yet, ability to make me feel wonderful. It was on a recent day just like the one described, that we had one of our most special days in France.

I am sure to our friends who live in a beautiful little village called Le Revest les Eaux it was a normal day, but for us it was almost magical. A quaint little village tucked up against the mountains, behind Mt. Faron, Le Revest is filled with little springs that pop up everywhere. Newer houses tumble down toward the old village, where a town square and fountain surrounded by trees greet visitors. Each year this little village has a featival honoring a different region in France. This year the honoree was Corsica, a small island south of France surrounded by the beautiful water of the Med. Our French friends, Sabine and Bernard, invited us to join them in their village for the festival. We would meet some of their friends, the children would play and we would eat and drink the foods and wine of Corse. It turned out to be a nearly perfect day.

The sun was shining, but the tree filled village was cool and shady. The three families gathered on a terrace and as the children sat and played, the adults planned the meal for the day, pizza for the children (not Corsican, but really how many kids want boar pate) and an assortment of foods from Corsica for the adults, salami, meats, cheeses, bread, soup and most importantly wine. Although our friends thought it was not as big a feast as other years, we enjoyed relaxing talking and getting to know everyone better.

After lunch, the older children took the younger children to play fair-style games, ride the carousel and play at the park. How wonderful for us to be able to relax knowing that the children were fine in this fabulous little town. Would we have let the children have this independence in the US...no. Because, let's face it, in the US, people do not give their children nearly the independence they do here. By 14, many French teenagers are headed by train to other towns to explore with their friends. Life seems so much more simple here and this may be what I miss the most when we leave.

As the children played, the adults headed up the hill through the old town. We were given the VIP tour of this beautiful village. We saw the church both of the other couples were married in. As Bernard is a mason, we enjoyed seeing the houses he has worked on and the ones he will soon be starting work on. We saw the lake that used to provide water to Toulon and I guess is now just a beautiful area to picnic and hike. We saw the medieval tower that tops the hill and has a gorgeous view. From many spots in this amazing town, you can see all the way to the ocean. From this point you can also see the historic pigeonnier (pigeon house), on the opposite hill, recently refurbished and quite beautiful although it no longer houses pigeons. We finished our stroll by checking out the vendors tables, looking at the jewelry and other things, were impressed by the man carving beautiful works of art out of stone and using the towns fountain to rinse it as he went, and finally, we joined the children at the playground before heading back to our friends house for drinks and a snack.

Yes, we spoke French and some English when necessary, but it was the first time here that I felt really comfortable in an all French setting. What a great accomplishment for me. And, one that would not have been possible if our hosts we not so willing and welcoming.

It was really a leisurely, wonderful day. Of course, it wouldn't be my family if there were not a few hiccups, one of the twin ducklings fell and scraped herself, the littlest duckling threw up after a few too many spins of the park merry-go-round etc. But all in all it was the perfect day. Many thanks to our friends for including us and showing us such a special place.

Rome

It takes me awhile, but I eventually get organized enough to finish another Blog entry. I cannot believe it has been a month since we returned from Rome, and already, we are preparing to leave again on another European Adventure, or as we like to call it F-cubed, Forced Family Fun. However, I thought I should finish up my thoughts on Rome, before they get all mixed up with my thoughts on our upcoming trip.

Rome, it was everything one would expect it to be, beautiful, historic, and amazing. It was also a few things one would not expect it to be, or at least I did not expect it to be: Huge, crowded, hard to get around, and rain, lots and lots of rain. Who would have thought that Christmas would be busier then summer in Rome? Ok, maybe I would have, but that is not my travel style. My travel style goes something like this, "Hey, the girls have another break coming up next week. Where should we go? How about Rome? That sounds good, I will make reservations." Then, we get to Rome, with no itinerary whatsoever, and voila', we make it work.

And, it worked this time as well, with one exception. Our rental apartment was really far from the Metro. Who knew? It looked a lot closer on google maps. Thankfully, the horses of the Rome Police were between our apartment and the Metro, so that was good for a few moments of fun each morning. When you travel with 4 kids under 7, it takes awhile to walk anywhere, so being close to the sites is essential. Unfortunately, we weren't. I suppose it would help to be organized as well, but again, not really our travel style.

So, Rome, as I said, it is everything you would expect it to be and more. On the first day, we saw the Colosseum and a bit of the surrounding area. The ducklings loved it, and especially, the animal bones found during excavation. I was a little hesitant to mention that the ostrich bones were there because the Emperor at the time had them hunted for the spectators, so we just glossed over the details and enjoyed the bones. Another essential at the Colosseum, and really anywhere in Rome, is the rented headset. Signage does not appear to be a strong suit of the Italians (as mentioned in the Naples blog, they thrive on chaos), so having the headset for the basic info is vital. The only problem, is that to return the headset one must stand in the same line they already stood in to pick it up, and then, go all the way back around to the exit.....chaos, but a great time, rain and all.

Lunch was preceded by another hugely long walk, that allowed us to see more of the city. The restaurants in Italy are great for families, and Da Sergio's, in the Campo de'Fiori was no exception. Like a lot of things in Italy, it was hard to find but totally worth it. The food was fabulous and the children were welcomed. The littlest Duckling even has a new favorite dish....Fritto Misto or small, fried, whole fish: yummy. Another long walk returned us home after passing all the must-see sights, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps etc. Truly, there are hundreds of must-see sights, and no way to see them all.

Day 2 brought us to the Castel St. Angelo. Another favorite of the ducklings. The little one however was a little confused by the castle label, and kept asking, "where is the princess." No princess here sweetie, just a big statue of an angel, and a big fortress to protect the Pope in case of attack. The Castel was originally built as Hadrians tomb, but has become best known for the Passeto, or walled passage that runs directly to the Vatican, and, historically, was used to lead the Pope to safety. The highlight, besides the amazing views, was a special art exhibit highlighting works by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir and others. We saw more art at the Castel then in all our time in Paris. Four kids=no Louvre.

After our tour (and yippee, no rain), we were off to lunch again. This restaurant was also highly recommended and did not disappoint. Alfredo e Ada's was described as, "like being at your Nonna's house". We knew we had to check it out. There is no menu, and they just bring out what they have made that day. OMG, so good. Girls loved it, we loved it. Most amazing part? The food came from a kitchen that was tops, 5ft by 8ft. The dishes were washed, by hand, in a small utility sink across from the kitchen, by a real Nonna. It was just like being at our Nonna (and Nono's) beach house. Nonna makes food for the masses and then washes the dishes by hand. Of course, another long walk followed, but we cut through the park, so the ducklings were (mostly) happy.

Our final day was spent touring the Vatican Museums. I am certain that I have never been in such a crowd of people as I was that day. The line to enter was over 2 hours long (apparently quite normal for high season) and, we were told, that the museum will see up to 20,000 visitors per day, also in the high season. We will be forever thankful that we joined a tour. Our guide was great, and we got to skip the long line....key with the girls. As it was the whole thing took almost 4 hours, so the patience of little ducks was wearing thin by the end. However, 20,000 people shoved into a museum, no matter how large the museum, is pretty crazy. If one was claustrophobic, I would think it would have been a horrible experience. People were quite literally right up against one another in many of the rooms. Our guide was great at getting us together and out of the way, but it was sheer chaos. That being said however, the artwork was, of course, amazing. I would love to return just to stare at the Sistine Chapel ceiling. One of the highlights for me? The spiral ramp that exits you out of the gift shop and museum. It is 6 or so levels and I found it slightly ironic that it spiraled down, down, down. I felt as though I was descending into the depths of hell, an apt description after being battered by the crowd. Luckily, after a quick lunch, we were fortified for another long trip home.

Our final trip on the Rome Metro was exciting if nothing else. It was New Year's Eve, and upon our exit, I experienced the first time I have ever, in Europe, felt singled out for being American. As we exited, a group of guys in their late teens, started shouting "Americano, Americano" and pushing against us as we pushed out. The Big Duck easily escaped, but I had a tougher time, screaming in my really pathetic Italian, "the children" as I grabbed the eldest ducklings hand and pulled her through the crowd while practically using the littlest duckling as a battering ram. As we were all ok, it ended up being more annoying then scary. I did however feel quite pleased, when it started pouring rain shortly after our arrival at the apartment, knowing that those nasty boys were standing somewhere and getting quite wet. That is called Karma.

With this, our visit to Rome ended, but we look forward to returning and exploring some of the hundreds of places we did not get to see this trip.

"Every one soon or late comes round by Rome." Robert Browning

Naples, Italy 2009

We just returned from a week in Rome and Naples. It was a great trip, and it is always interesting to leave France and see how the rest of Europe lives. Italy is especially interesting.

Just a little over two hours from our house is the Italian border. The biggest advantage of the new EU stuff, besides everywhere having the same currency, is that there is no check point at the border. However, if you miss the little sign, you still know that you are in Italy. Every building seems as if it might fall down at any second, and the further south you drive, the worse the drivers get. In France, there are two lanes, and two cars can drive side by side, one per lane with the occasionally passing scooter-type vehicle. As you move south in Italy, there are three lanes, apparently, these three lanes are to accommodate 5 vehicles across with the occasionally passing scooter. As you hit Naples, the chaos intensifies and some scooters carry more then the usual 2 people. Some carry whole families. It is quite a sight to see 5 cars in 3 lanes being passed by a scooter carrying 3 people. Thankfully the autoroute is in excellant condition given the fact that the tolls are hughly expensive. It cost us just under $75 (US) to travel most of the length of Italy.

After visiting Italy twice now, it is a common opinion in our family that the Italians thrive on chaos. This is especially true south of Rome, where they can only manage to get their trash picked up occasionally. Lucky for us, we were there in the winter, so the smell was not bad. However, there were piles of trash surrounding every dumpster. I will give a bit of benefit of the doubt as it was the Sunday after Christmas, and it is possible that no trash pick ups were scheduled until Monday. Our area in France however has trash pick up nearly every night. Apparently, we are a bit spoiled even though we have to hand carry our recyclables 2 blocks if we want to be good environmentalists.

In Italy, I was pretty impressed by the sense of community that existed everywhere. Small groups of people were gathered on nearly every street talking and laughing. Children played nearby and everyone just seemed pretty relaxed. And, everyone seemed to know their neighbors. There was much kissing, greeting and friendship. The Italians also treat children as a blessing. No matter where you go children and family are welcomed. We never entered a restaurant where the children were not smiled at and made to feel welcome. This is a contrast to France, where we rarely take our children out to eat, especially for dinner. I know I have said this before, but some restaurants here would rather have your dog at it then your children. Maybe the child aspect just adds to the chaos the Italians love so much.

Italy really was a lot of fun and a great place to visit. We were only in Naples a couple days, and if truth be told, we went there mostly so I could purchase a few, not available in France, necessities from the US Navy base located there. For some reason, black beans and dill pickles are not to be found in France. And, who are we kidding, we also had to by a few boxes of Kraft Mac-n-Cheese. No matter how many times/ways we make homemade mac-n-cheese, the girls like the boxed stuff best. They also really like the fact that base has a few American fast food favorites such as Taco Bell and A&W. There is a KFC and a Subway too, but they have those here if we are really desperate for a touch of home and that happens rarely. I think the ducklings favorite part of visiting the base, was that they have a movie theater that shows first run movies in everyones fave language...English. However fluent they are in French, some things are just more fun for them in English. Could Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 really translate to French well anyway?

Also, while we were there we decided to visit a few sites….mainly Herculaneum (In the photo above). The ducklings love history and especially ruins. Located in modern day Ercolano, just south of Naples, Herculaneum was perfect. Similar to Pompeii in that it was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, it is much smaller, much less commercialized and still absolutely incredible. It was the perfect half-day adventure for the family. We spent almost 4 hours exploring every nook and cranny. It was simply amazing, just as though you are walking through a pretty intact ghost town. You feel like you are actually in a working excavation site, and you are. Although no one was working the day we were there you could see where they did work, and although they did not have any pamphlets in English (why? Who knows), they did have French. Also, much of the, mostly well marked, signage was in both English and Italian. To end our really amazing visit, we had a late lunch at a nearby restaurant. It would have been prefect had the little blond duckling not left her raincoat there, where it remains to this day. Actually, you cannot really blame a 5 year old, but I will blame the Big Duck who you would think would have learned, after 4 ducklings, that you need to check the table when you leave a restaurant. I am thankfully in the clear as I was already in the car by that point.

All in all Naples was a fun couple days. Our next adventure took us to Rome, and that is where the fun really began. Until then...au revoir.

Self Cleaning/Pay Toilets 1, The Ducklings 0

On one of the recent beautiful days in Toulon (ok, who am I kidding? It has been hot, really hot), the Ducklings and I headed to our favorite beach. Although a mere 5 minute walk from our villa, all the Ducklings needed to visit the self-cleaning/pay toilet immediately upon arrival. If you have visited San Francsico or Paris, you may be familiar with this creation, a nice public potty, that flushes and cleans itself after each use. A brilliant idea really, but it seems the reality is somewhat different. If you have ever visited one with a toddler, you know what I mean. The floor is always wet, but at least it is cleanish. Anyway, being the organized mommy that I am, I only had 20 centimes with me, the cost of one visit to the potty. I therefore insisted that all the girls go in together, all use the potty, and then all come out. I put in the money and the girls entered. I walked away to set up camp, a distance of about 20 feet, when I heard them call to me with the door open. They could not find the lights. They found them, shut the door and then about 20 seconds later chaos, and screams of terror. Apparently opening and shutting the door set off the self-clean cycle on the potty...with all the Ducklings inside. I dashed over and yanked open the door just in time to see the biggest Duckling sliding to the floor as the toilet retracted into the wall for cleaning. Water was spraying from the walls, and the girls were pretty much terrified, the big Duckling with her swimsuit around her ankles. I did my best to put on the "good mommy face" and not laugh, but it was tough. The dark-haired, twin Duckling just kept repeating over and over, "Mommacita, that was so scary. I was terrified." After a quick rinse in the beach shower, they were off into the water. The "terrifying" trip to the self-cleaning potty quickly forgotten. I really must learn the French trick for never having to use the potty.