Pont du Gard on Christmas Eve
A 2000 year old Roman Aqueduct bringing water from Uzès to Nîmes.
View of Castillion du Gard from the Pont
Hawk?
Poor Cole, having to take a back seat to the backpack as well!
Un bisous!
Apparently you can take tours inside the water channel but only in the nice weather -- we will miss it.
Ellie & Cole using the Roman toilets!
"Stone, what stone?" Cole oblivious to impending doom.
Good thing we were the ONLY people in the theatre for the English screening about the Pont. Kids were a bit wild!
La Cathédrale Saint-Théodorit, Christmas Eve service in Uzès.
Church service was standing room only.
Our tree - huge thanks to our French friend Amy for lending us her decorations.
Decorations this year were minimal but got us in the spirit.
Cole & Ellie "helping" put ornaments on the dehydrated, "needles fall off when you look at it" tree
Putting their chaussures by the fire for Père Noël
Cookies and milk for Père Noël
Lance, of course, super traditional.
Christmas Eve dinner with escargot, fois gras, chestnuts, mushroom tarts, lobster St. Jacques, bacon wrapped figs, and of course Champagne... all from the Boucherie!
Check out these mushroom tarts with the fancy stamp on them! We forgot to take a picture before we started eating - they smelled so good.
Santa's helper getting the shoes ready.
A French Christmas tradition that Père Noël fills their shoes with bon bons.
Christmas morning in France!
"Wow!"
"I'll show you the ropes, little brother."
Cole, more interested in eating than opening presents.
Until...he discovered "the bonbons."
"Don't tell Ellie, but there's chocolate over here!"
Christmas "all day log" as big as Cole.
"Wow, this looks kinda neat."
"I can really make some people's lives miserable with this." What were Mom and Dad thinking?
Not so much a fan of Jagi's rum balls. Probably for the best.
Cole, however, was! "Hmm... yeah, these are good. I'll have more!"
French toys from Evelyne. C'est magnifique!
Cole had this tag stuck to his butt for a good 2 hours.
Cole could have cared less about all the other presents...3 construction trucks was all he needed.
Cole doing his impersonation of Père Noël with yogurt.
The dud present. When they say "Age 5 and up," they really mean it.
Ellie as the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Our Bûche de Noël.
Our fancy French potato and mushroom gratin avec truffle oil.
Christmas dinner of pistachio & currant encrusted lamb chops, sauteed spinach with truffle oil, potato and mushroom gratin and champagne, of course.
Castillion du Gard. Note to self -- hilltop towns very cold on windy days.
The Pont off in the distance.
View of the Pont from Castillion du Gard
There are just some crazy trees here.
Un Deux Chevaux très jolie.
Our favorite lunch place in Castillion du Gard.
Eating inside is just as cool as outside.
The Santons... traditional Provencal creche figurines.
The cave at the Duché d'Uzès
Oh, the wine barrels.
"Oh, my head is spinning thinking of drinking all this Champagne!"
Palace of the Duché d'Uzès
The 17th Duke of Uzès and his family still actually live here!
On top of the Tower of the Duché.
l'Église d'Uzès
Uzès from up top
Domaine de Malaïgue - another great winery
"Cathedral of Images" - Van Gogh in a cave!
Ellie and Cole had a blast running around this huge quarry.
With all the crazy lights and images.
Dirty "mochyns" from the quarry.
Day in Les Baux-de-Provence...it is said that Dante used this as his inspiration for Hell in Inferno.
You can see the Mediterranean in the distance.
Nestor, perhaps?
Little church in Les Baux.
Just a great shot!
Olive orchards... vineyards... c'est Provence.
Love the "On-the-go vin chaud."
Ellie climbing through the ruined castle.
Nice dinning room!
This ruined castle was HUGE!
Check out this pâtisserie. They have the best cookies!
Relaxing by the fire in our lower living room.
First ice skating for Cole.
Cram those feet into last year's skates, Ellie.
Not too bad for his first time out.
"High 5!"
Ellie's a pro by now - 3rd year.
"Shake it off."
Right back up!
Not as easy to negotiate 2 of them while freeing someone up as the photographer.
Showing off!
How many merry-go-rounds will our kids go on in France??? They are everywhere here!
"Look what I made!"
Wondering who thought it was a good idea to give her lipstick for Christmas????? NOT I!
