I want to capture in my mind and in my heart some of the wonderful moments we have experienced over the last six months. Warning….this may have special meaning for only our family!
Arriving in Annecy in February and loving the lake and canals. Our first experience with fondue and an introduction to French cheese. Rory and Heather rollerblading. Skiing in the Alps. Eating French fries up on the mountain. Sledging in Interlaken. Meeting teachers and getting enrolled at school. Looking for the darn trouses and fountain pens. Settling into my office at the WHO and making friends with Matthews, Annie and Severin. The market in Ferney Voltaire. Fudge. Wine. Cheese. Chocolate. Driving the Renault Scenic. Biking to the bakery in the morning for baguette, croissant and pain au chocolat. Passing fields of bison on the way to work in the morning. Singing in the car. Listening to Virgin Radio and World Radio Switzerland. Our French CD’s…Les Grands Poetes. Claudia, Mauricio, Nathan, Livia and Hannah. Soccer with Tim and Emma. Martin and Doris. Dick and Mary. Juliette and Dan. Canada day with Brazilians, Austrians and Germans.Memorable dinners with Keith and Jennifer. Wine from the bomb shelter. Dave having dinner with Alexa in Geneva. Talking the boat to Yvoire across Lac Leman. Brunch at the Olympic museum in Lausanne. Rory finally really learning to ride his bike without fear despite crashing into a parked car in Stockholm.. Dinner at Annies. Doug Laube . Singing along with Anna Laube in the car. Athens when Dave yelled out to Heather “Forget about the kids Heath. Save yourself!! (long story) Visits with Camille and Charlotte. Long car rides with some short tempers. Heather saying “If you don’t stop bickering, I’m gonna pound ya!!” Musesums, churches, battlefields and concentration camps. Palaces. Swimming…..in Annecy, Lake Geneva, Hallstatt, Poking, Lake Como, the Mediterranean, Stockholm, the Atlantic, the pool in Ferney. Dave and Rory in their little bathing suits (French style). Window shopping in Geneva, Paris, Rome, Florence, London. Traveling by car, boat, train and plane. Our B and B owners who befriended us and shared stories with us. Friends we made along the way. Rory’s conclusion that Rome is the best city ever. Taking the “Roman Holiday”. Rory fainting in the colloseum and then picking himself up and carrying on . Rory saying to Elizabeth “Is that a historical question?” when really he meant rhetorical. Hiking in the Alps. Playing “stone face” in Sifnos Lost in Sifnos with Jerome and Elise. The Greek equivalent of the snow birds putting on a private show that we were able to witness. Attending concerts in Salzburg and Vienna. “Betty Blue Eyes” in London. Suzanne, Lorraine and Mike. Running around in their gardens. Friends from school…..Nina, Clemence, Camille and their families. Madame Gentle. Rory and his Classe Verte. Holly learning to play rugby. Dropping the kids off at school and marveling at the mountains just outside the doors. Going for walks in Bretigny. Our lovely house with its roses. Awakening to the swallows each morning (we had three nests under our eaves) Dinners outside on our “patio” Claudia dealing with the rat! “Keep calm and carry on”. Dave looking for (but never finding) man capris. Sleeping in dormitories in the Alpenhof, Lucerne, Lausanne, Menagio. Christine and Dana sharing the experience in Italy. Hiking and gondala rides. Cow bells. Fields of poppies. Breath taking beauty.
Arriving at the airport in Toronto in tears. Wishing it would never end. Giving thanks for the precious time together as a family. Wanting more. The warm embrace of extended family in Canada. Stoney Lake (swimming, skiing, tubing, bonfires) and finally, back to Halifax.
