South of France

So I didn't realize I never posted this... 

October 20-29

Well in France kids have 2 weeks off of school at the end of October.... Why you may ask? I have absolutely no idea, but it allows them to travel in the off season which I am not going to complain about.

First part of our trip was at their grandparents house in Grignan, which is one of my favorite places, mostly because it's super quiet and there is always something for the kids to do so they don't get bored. The only down side is that it was just myself and the kids there with their grandparents for 5 days. Which doesn't sound bad but it was a little rough.

It went down like this:

Eleonore pushes hippo. (Names can be interchanged depending on the argument) 

Hippo cries.

Apolline screams at Hippo for crying.

Eleonore screams.

I come in.

I (nicely) tell Apo to shut up and stop getting involved in their fights.

She storms off.

I have to pick up either El or Hippo because they are hitting or kicking each other.

The one that is on the ground screams more.

I tell them to stop.

They don’t.

Finally I say I’m going to take something away.

The screaming either continues but turns into a plea not to, or they shut up.

Now it goes one of two ways,

One: They shut up and I make them apologize and they continue to watch the movie or play whatever game

Or

Two: One of them freaks out and screams and goes running to either grandma or grandpa and somehow ends up getting their way and the other 2 are still mad.

It’s rather frustrating.

Anyway, On Friday we went down to a little town outside of Touloun called Sanary something. But it was sooooo cute! I want to live there. It’s tiny little surfing town, it’s just adorable, we stayed with their friends. So there was a total of 3 families there. We were all there because Nicolas, and the mother of the other guest family were going to be the godparents of the host family’s youngest daughter Iris. There were a total of 12 kids… It was a little tough on me. But all the kids spoken English extremely well as well as the parents.

Actually, fun fact… Iris’s mother who’s name I cannot remember was telling me about how she spent a few summers as an exchange student in this little town outside of Detroit. Obviously I asked more about it, yeah so she spent 5 summers in Clarkston. I forgot the name of the people but I know they were super into the catholic church in Clarkston and I guess are always helping out there.  But I thought that was pretty cool, of all the places in the states she could go and she went to Clarkston. (For those who don’t know, that is where my mother’s family is from and still lives in the area. Oh and Kid Rock lives there too)

 So Family number one, the host family had 4 kids. 

Alban 9

Octavia 7

Timothy 4

Iris 18 months I think, their two cousins also stayed at the house but they didn't speak english so yeah... And I just don't remember their names but they were 11 and 13.

Family 2 (the godmother)

Arthur 9

Will 6

Caroline 3

Then our family... so there were a lot of people in the house. But it was a lot of fun and the house was gorgeous and the weather was amazing. 

Our last day there we went to a town an hour or so away and went to over look an old Formula 1 race track... it was foggy so it kind of failed but it was still cool. Oh and after seeing the film Rush i'm totally into that now. Not nascar, but Formula 1. I don't know anything about it but it looks like fun. 

well sorry about the delay! 

YES WE CANNES (and the rest of the week)

Well I’m sorry about the massive gaps in my blogging. I guess my life got interesting…

So 2 weeks ago I had the weekend off because it was a holiday weekend and the kids did not have school on Monday. So myself and Colleen who is also from the USA and Micayla from Canada and the Lone Brit Heather… The four us drove down to Cannes for the weekend.

Those of you who have known me since I was 10 ish… will know of my mild obsession with George Clooney… I don’t want to brag but I was on the SAME beach as him, AND I stood on the red carpet he has walked down a bunch of times. So all and all it was amazing.

We stayed Saturday and Sunday night in this adorable little apartment in the center of Cannes. We honestly had the best location. Sunday there was a marathon starting in Nice and ending in Cannes, due to the extremely high wind they hand to extend the allotted amount of time an extra 90 minutes for the runners. We looked at boats, a lot of boats, and did all the cheesy tourist stuff.

Sunday night… there was a bar called Morrison’s and for 8 euros it was UNLIMITED wine for ladies. To say the night was fun is an understatement. Around 2 am we went to the Irish pub that was across the street from our apartment and that place closed at 5 am. On our way to the second pub I may have tripped over my own feet and ended up having a fight with the pavement… The pavement won. Don’t worry I was fine, I just kind of had a black eye. I will get back to that later, after the Irish pub micayla thought it would be awesome to go to another club! (for the record it was not awesome) Apparently I looked under 18 so I wasn’t allowed in so I let them go inside and I said I would walk back it was only a block. But being Allison, I decided to sit and talk to the bouncer. Eventually he got sick of hearing my life story and let me into the club.

The next great idea Micayla had was at 7 am, when she suggested that we go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. It was horrible. But it was 100% worth it. We got to watch the sunrise on the Mediterranean and go swimming. Although I am convinced that that’s the reason why I was sick the following week…

When we got back Sunday night I guess my eye was pretty purple because my family’s reaction to it was hilarious. They all just looked at me like I was crazy, then…

Nico broke the ice and asked if I got in a bar fight.

Aude made the doctor who lives on the floor above us come down and make sure I didn’t have a concussion or how she sounds when she said it “concuuuuushin”

Eleonore asked why I only had make up on one eye

Apo just asked what happened

Hippo decided he would smack it. To say it hurt in an understatement.

Coolest boat

Micayla, Colleen, and Heather

Some German street band 

We ran into Captain Jack Sparrow

Marathon 

Biggest farmers market

black eyeee

Manon, Myself and Micayla

This has nothing to do with Cannes but it's One Direction with Novak Djokovic. Which just made my day

 Not gonna lie, I'm pretty artsy 

So then the next week was pretty relaxed, oh yeah except Aude was in Paris and Nicolas was in NYC. So it was I and the kids and their grandmother, who’s English is limited. And every time I would say “No you can’t have another chocolate pudding you know the rules.” Grandma would say, “Oh it’s okay you can have it.” And I’m like DUDE. Come on! You don’t have to live with them the whole time; you get to leave me in a few days! And I’m stuck being the bad guy.

Once Aude came back on Friday so it was just Aude and I over the weekend and Nicolas came back on Tuesday. Then went to Geneva for a day, so it has been a lot of Alli and the Kids. Which makes sense because they did give me Thursday and Friday off to visit my Aunt and Uncle, Martin and Carolyn, in the Bristol area.

I did feel a little bad because Aude also left on Thursday for Hong Kong for a week… but Nico’s parents are going to be there Friday and Saturday night.

Also December is a busy month for the family.

December 2^nd Eleonore’s 6^th Birthday

Dec. 19- Nicolas’s birthday

Dec. 22- Hippo’s birthday

Dec. 25 Christmas

Aude told me I wasn’t allowed to get them anything over 10 euros for Christmas and 5-10 for their birthdays. So that’s kind of awesome haha

I don’t want to get my hopes up but I think I’m getting a hair cut for Christmas from the super nice salon that we live above. It’s called Dessange; I guess it’s really famous, I’m not sure, but I mentioned getting my haircut and she said I should wait until after Christmas and my birthday to make an appointment so fingers crossed. Or they are going to sign me up for tennis lessons (hopefully with the attractive pro that works there but I’m not sure how is English is….)

Oh and when it snows here in Lyon….. Okay so I get that Hong Kong has a subtropical climate, but it is NOT necessary to make your children wear SNOWPANTS to school when there isn’t even a half of inch of snow on the ground. I mean really?!

When I left for the airport in tennis shoes and a patagonia pullover I though Nico was going to have a heartattack. He honestly thought I was going to freeze. It was like 38 degrees out they are all just nuts here.

If you have a minute....

Please take this survey! 

It takes 30 seconds 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XH29HM3

Sorry!

I promise I will update you on my trip to Cannes this week!! 

Busy busy busy here in Lyon!!! 

Roman Holiday

I'm not going to lie to you and say this trip is now in my top 5 trips

1. Sun valley 2011 

2. Halloween in Rome 2013

3. Tie between several weekends at Michigan/Michigan state in 2010 and 2011 

4. Sun Valley 2013 

5. Spring Break, Mexico 2009 

Mom and dad don't worry, Nastar Nationals is still my favorite "family fun" trip. But I'm not going to lie and say the trips above were always "family friendly" 

BACK TO THE PART ABOUT ROMA. 

I took a late train from Grignan to Lyon and stayed the night alone on the flat. It was heaven. The next morning I left for the airport and headed off to Rome to meet up with my friend from high school ski team, Amanda Barnes. Amanda and her 2 friends who I have met before through Amanda are backpacking around Europe. And this past weekend was the only time I was able to meet up with them. 

They arrived in Rome maybe an hour before me... We stayed at the "Alessandro Palace & Bar" 

The first night we got some takeout and hung out in our room and the pub in the lobby, pretty casual. We had a big day of sight seeing the next day... 

Thursday could have it's own book if it wanted too... We started out wandering around Rome. We saw a few churches and sites.

In a museum there was the 125th National Geographic exhibit. It contained the best 125 photos from National Geographic. It was incredible. 

Obviously one of the most famous photos ever to be on a cover of a magazine. After this photo went famous someone said: 

"The Afgahn girl's stare is drilled into our collective subconscious and stopped a heedless Western world dead in it's tracks."  And it's now the slogan for the photo. The photographer spent 17 years trying to find her again.... He didn't even know her name when he took the photos originally. 

Around 4 there was a free walking tour, the first stop was the trevi fountain. We left the tour because there were helicopters flying around because there may have been a riot outside the government building. We may or may not have saw a SWAT team all jump out of a SWAT van.... 

At the Trevi we took this lovely photo 

The gentleman who this for us was our savior. He gave us the best tips and tricks for getting around Rome. Mike and his girlfriend Emily, were in the 50s but were a lovely couple. 

First they took us to their favorite liquor store. No wonder it was their favorite we were given free sames of whatever we asked for. 

Next they took us to the Pantheon. Oh my god. So gorgeous. Near the pantheon is the oldest bank in Rome and right next to the bank is the "world's best gelato" it may or may not be the store tha supplied Audery Hepburn and Gregory Peck the gelato they had in Roman Holiday.... 

From there we went back to the "Alessandro Palace and Bar" to get ready and they were hosting a pub crawl with free pizza..... Oh and free drinks for the first hour than the winner of the costume contest got free drinks for the rest of the night. Yeah I won so to say it was awesome is an understatement. 

Why you may ask because my costume is just a crown? Everyone else may have been in the bathroom for the contest and I happened to be the only one left that dressed up..... 

Too much fun..... 

After several bars we had a rather lengthy walk home. I convinced everyone it would be a good idea to stop at the Trevi Fountain at 3 am.... 

It was 100% worth it. 

Seeing the Trevi lit up at night was the most breath taking thing I've ever seen. 

The next day we went to the Colloseum and the Roman Foro something. It was really pretty. 

After walked around all day we discovered the cutest little restaurant and had the best spaghetti known to mankind. 

All and all Rome was amazing!