This past Saturday night, the Upper School students had a massive outdoor party at Champs de Mars. That is a large park area at the base of the Eiffel Tower.  It is a stunning location under the Tower and many tourists and locals hang out there on the grass around the fountains.  The party was great fun for the kids;  it is the one they got in from just ahead of us at 3am on the Saturday night.

Then on the Sunday, it was ‘graduation day’ for Greg and we all got dressed and toasted to Greg, before leaving (by uber of course) at 4pm to go over to the beautiful LaFayette memorial in Parc St. Cloud. What a fantastic back drop for his graduation! It really was perfect weather with calm skies and warm temperatures (25 degrees).  Truly a gorgeous day to sit outside and watch the ceremony.

 

There were fantastic speakers, Glenn Keane (Disney Oscar winner) and Rodney Ingram   (Actor/Singer from Broadway), that were moving and inspirational.  Raoul actually sung a Phantom of the Opera song with another famous broadway singer for us and it was amazing! All of the speakers were interesting and the traditions of being marched in and out to music as well as throwing their caps off at the end ~ all of it was so memorable.

During the award ceremony, we were all awestruck when the most important and prestigious award was introduced and Greg won it (award and 3000 euro scholarship)!! They had not forewarned us that he had been chosen to win from the 28 that applied, and when the announcer began describing the award winner, it sounded to me like Greg, and then more and more like Greg, so I grabbed my phone and began to tape…and then of course, in the end, it was Greg they called to the stage! Wow!! What an incredibly proud moment, that made us think about all he has accomplished. The speech was touching and he was just so happy about this award and scholarship called the Lyle-Nicoll award that we couldn’t have been more proud. The words spoken were all true of Greg’s efforts and successes in high school and we printed them to attach to the award.  Through all the trials of high school, he persevered and was always admired by peers and teachers alike. We were often given compliments on his character and attitude at school, so way to go Greg!!! This award was for school leadership, high academic pursuits and service in the greater community. Greg had worked on a few different service clubs (Kalahari Education Experience and Compassion Without Borders) and raised money and materials to  feed and clothe refugees living on the streets in Paris. He volunteered as an English teaching assistant on Saturdays and tutored a French family in English in Garches (they needed to learn English to move to USA in June). He was involved in sports and was seen as a top athlete and strong student. He truly set an example to others and we could not have been more proud of him on this day!

None of the feelings on this day would have been the same though, without uncle Kelly there!! He made Greg’s smile twice as big just by being there with him to witness the award and to celebrate his graduation with all of us!! Thank you for flying over Kelly!! We all enjoyed the graduation weekend as much as Greg I think !!

Here are more photos from the day:

 

 

 

On the Saturday night of the Homecoming weekend, a Soiree was held at Musee des Arts Forains for the parents, staff and friends of the American School of Paris.  Tickets were like gold and we had luckily purchased one for Kelly, knowing in just enough time that he was coming. We left home after Greg and Brianna had left for their evenings out and took an uber to be at the venue for about 8:00pm.

The museum venue, is filled with the private collection of Jean-Paul Favand, an actor and dealer of antiquities and amusement attractions from 1850-1950.  It was a magical setting with the drinks and food all included and they were divine!!  Massive steaks were being grilled outside over an open fire by 3 chefs and then the meat was sliced fine and served all night long fresh at the many banquet tables that were overflowing with French delicacies. Champagne was abundant and between trips to the bar we tried all of the Parisian fair rides and games that were there to enjoy.

There were shooting gallery games and vintage carnival items as wooden carousels, German swings, and the famous “Manège vélocipédique” from 1897, a carousel of bicycles powered by the pedalling of its riders.  There were five large open bars (yes, all included!) and fantastic music was pumped out all night long..It was hilarious at times and competitive at other times. So much to enjoy that we wished it would last much longer than it did!

Here are some videos of us on the swing, bicycle carousel and Chris gambling on his French waiter winning the race:

 

In the last hour we hit the dance floor and closed the place down…things were getting silly by that time:

Lightsabers and baguettes became our dance props…

Afterwards, we decided to bus into Paris’ center since it was provided for free, but when it dropped us off…we had no idea where we were. We had all drank too much champagne and we had jumped on a randomly provided bus and then it was 3:00 am and we were stranded near Les Halles.

So, we did what any responsible parent would do and called our son to order us an uber from the ‘location’ we dropped him. Greg did that, but the uber didn’t find us and canceled on us. Eventually we ran to the uber who was nearby and had to be bribe him ($$) to drive us home because he had already canceled our ‘order’.  He didn’t speak any English (as is usual here) and so Holly sat in the front and tried to tell jokes in French the whole way home. It took her 20 minutes just to tell one about an elephant in a tree…   So painfully funny at the time as she struggled for all the words in French. We got in after both of the kids and it was amazing to all of us that Kelly was still standing.    # Best night out in Paris!

 

Saturday, June 15th, was International Day at the American School of Paris and also the day that Kelly Wayling showed up on the steps of 15 rue du Levant, Garches! Oh my goodness! Kelly Wayling arrived and surprised Greg and Brianna at 10am Saturday morning!! Greg walked out of the shower as Kelly was walking in from another hallway; Greg nearly lost his mind! Bri was still in shock from seeing him arrive while Greg was in the shower. It was the best moment ever to witness!!

Chris and I took Kelly up to the town market, and then returned after eating breakfast made in front of us at the market (a gallette complet).  Kelly enjoyed all the fresh food stands and beauty of the market right there in our little village.

Once everyone was ready for the day (after the shock waves subsided that Kelly was actually there with us, IN PARIS), we went to International Day at ASP to sample all the foods from countries around the world.  It was a sunny gorgeous day and Greg toured Kelly around the campus while Brianna volunteered at the Maple Syrup smoothie stand (go Canada!).

After Kelly had met a few of our ‘local’ parents and teachers (the Waters, Mr. Topazzani, and Filipa Pavic), and shared a few drinks, we went directly into Paris. He went ahead with Chris to the Louvre and to see Paris from Ponts de Neuf (bridge over le Seine). Then I met up with them after they walked the Champs d’Elysees for a while and Kelly and I hit the Arc de Triumph with attitude!! It was a vertical walk of 284 steps in tight circles to get to the top. His legs were burning and my head was spinning, but we did it with humor and grit, without missing a beat! It is the Arc de Triumph after all! We hit the metro train home and Kelly had a short nap before we pouring champagne and dressing in suits and dresses for a gala soiree taking place in Paris that night for ASP staff and friends.

We ubered to the soiree at about 9pm after Brianna and Greg had both set off on their evening adventures. Greg was going to a club in Paris and Bri was at a friend’s party.  So we were all out for the night in Paris, and I’m pretty sure us ‘grown ups’ had the best time! The Soiree was a whole evening event with food, drinks, entertainment and games set at the infamous Musee des Art Foraines.  It is the most beautiful setting for a party we’ve ever been too. The weather was perfect when we set off in our uber excited for the evening. The uber ride home was just as interesting as the one there…Oh, what a night! The Soiree blog has the photos of that night (and early morning!).

The next day was Greg’s graduation at the Lafayette Memorial in St. Cloud Parc.  The graduation was unbelievable in magnitude, style and tradition. Held outdoors with a grand back drop…Check out the graduation blog for more! Thanks for joining us for the best weekend of our year in Paris, Kelly!! You made it so special by being there to celebrate with us and we’re so happy you got a taste of our life in France. You jumped in with both feet and we didn’t give you much time to relax, but we hope you always cherish the memories as much as we do! It was a whirlwind of a trip!

Wow…the time is finally here. Graduation weekend for Greg and it began last night with the prom! The tradition at ASP is for the graduating class and all those attending prom to go down to the Eiffel Tower at 5:30pm on Prom night and have photos done at ‘Trocadero’. Family members went too and it was beautiful with absolutely perfect weather!! It really was a magical start to the evening and we all captured the memory with photos taken by the Eiffel Tower. Greg’s date was his friend Lucy, but they all went as friends and he had photos taken with the whole group he hung around this year, especially all the girls because they looked wonderful in their gowns!

The theme of his prom this year was ‘Casino Royale’ and so it was fitting that him and seven other friends took a limo from the Eiffel tower to the dinner / dance location which was at the infamous Les Salons Hoche, a beautiful, renowned club in Paris. They had dinner there and a dance followed until 2am. At about 1am, Greg went to a Paris club with the group he went with and then was home about 4am. It was the beginning of a big graduation weekend, and a great night to hold as a memory forever! These are the photos from Trocadero before the night began!! Hopefully it holds some great memories for him to look back on – Prom night in Paris, 2018!

 

We’ve been crazy busy “closing up shop” in Paris.  It’s very surreal to think we will be leaving our village of Garches behind, with it’s palm trees and parrots and view of the Eiffel Tower.  As we’re packing suitcases and the apartment is starting to empty out; it feels strangely similar to when we first got here.  Our life is temporarily in disarray again, but we seem to be handling all of the stress surrounding the move back home quite well. We are posting everything in our apartment to sell or we are giving it away so that we only take 10 suitcases back with us and 8 carry ons (Did I say “only”?). That’s the goal…So as I banter and answer questions in French (trust me, no English allowed!), on “French kijiji” sites, over our items for sale, and we downsize more and more every week. We have many meetings with our bank, the landlord, tax office, our employer, phone companies (you go to a store to return your modem and TV box here to be re-used), and more.  Final inspection of the apartment by the rental agent is June 27th. Flight is June 29th. We are in a tailspin trying to close things down while still working around the clock at the school and getting ready for Greg’s graduation this coming weekend.

 

We have now spent seven years living in Europe and we honestly love it.  It has become our second home.  So familiar and comfortable.  But, we all feel that we’re ready to be back in Canada with family and friends.

So now that we are on the other side of our European adventure, we thought it would be fun to ask each of the kids what the top 10 things are that they will miss about France (and top 5 things they won’t miss).  We did this before leaving Peterborough, at the beginning, with 2 weeks before the move as well, so here is the ‘flip side’:

Greg says:  Top 10 Things I Will Miss…

1. The Paris Club Scene and its VIP sections
2. My favourite Boulangerie (the raspberry torte!)
3. Travelling across border with friends (Mykonos – legendary)
4. Views of the Eiffel Tower (even from our dining room)
5. The metro and RER system to navigate on my own
6. Speaking French with Uber drivers (free French lessons)
7. Carravaggio’s in Vaucresson (Favourite Italian Restaurant), Five Guys and Frog
8. ASP events; especially prom nights with sunrise at the Eiffel Tower
9. Working out at the PTC – Keith and Parnell
10. The Garches Market crepes and speaking French with local merchants

Greg says: Top 5 Things I Won’t Miss…

1. Dog poop on the streets
2. Smokers everywhere
3. The cost of clubbing (80 euros at the door)
4. The L-line from Garches to La Defense in hot weather
5. The winter gloom – cloudy, dull days

Brianna says:  Top 10 Things I Will Miss…

 

1. The Eiffel Tower at night with friends
2. Walking through Champ de Mars (without being thrown in the fountain!)
3. Watching the sunset over Paris
4. George V Cafe (especially the chicken penne) and other amazing dinners out!
5. Social Studies class at the American School of Paris
6. Crepes at the Saturday Market
7. Hanging out at ‘Frog’ with my friends
8. House parties (mansion parties) and ‘SolisDays’ concerts
9. Hearing French spoken everywhere (especially with friends)
10. Shopping on the Champs d’Elysee

Brianna says: Top 5 Things I Won’t Miss…

1. Vocabulary lists from English class (see a sample from 1 week below)
2. Zero air conditioning anywhere in summer (apt was SO hot!)
3. Touring museums (“Not again!”)
4. The odours wafting up from the sewage system
5. French ‘attitude’

So there you have it… From the mouths of babes. After the two years is said and done, this is their Top 10 Will Miss and Top 5 Won’t Miss of Paris.  I’m certain it may be different answers if we ask them a month from now and even a year, but it gives some ‘teen perspective’ on the whole experience. Some of those items I’d have to agree with on the ‘Won’t Miss’, but there are so many things I will miss and hopefully they pull me back here one day.

For Chris and I, the children were the driving force behind all of this…so we have many discussions about their experiences with them. We are happy that their learning was rich and we know their growth was tremendous.  An incredibly rewarding two years…

Overall – unforgettable!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

One Grade 9 Vocabulary List so Brianna doesn’t forget the rigour of her ‘day to day’ at ASP:

Lists had to be memorized and used properly in different types of sentences and spelled correctly. (ie., either as a noun or verb). 🙂 New every week, related to the novel being studied…

Clamour – loud (confusing) noise

Contemptuously – behave in a scornful way

Decorous – polite and restrained

Dubiety – uncertain, doubtful

Ebullience – being cheerful and full of energy

Enmity – feeling of hostility

Furtive – secretive, not wanting to be noticed

Gorge – valley between mountains ;  to eat a lot

Grudgingly – in a resentful/reluctant way

Hinder – slow down, impede

Incredulous – unconvinced, unable to believe

Indignation – dissatisfaction, resentment

Loiter – wait around for no reason

Mortification – great embarassment or shame

Stupendous – extremely impressive

Corpulent – fat

Cynicism – distrustful, pessimistic

Daunting – difficult; intimidating

Demure – quiet, shy, reserved

Diffidently – shyly (diffidence)

Impervious – waterproof; water resistant; impermeable

Interminable – endless, never ending

Irk – annoy

Lamentation – grief/sorrow

Obtuseness – insensitivity

Perilous – dangerous

Rebuke – scold, criticize

Sagely – to do in a ‘wise manner’

Saunter – stroll, walk slowly

Vexed – problematic or debatable

A few weeks ago, I decided to book tickets to Barcelona for Chris’ birthday, so this past weekend we went on our last “3 day get-a-way” before moving back to Canada.  Brianna had exams coming up this week, so there was no way she would be able to go and study for 5 exams while touring Barcelona non stop, especially with all the travel time at either end. Luckily, she was willing to stay back and study at the apartment.  Holly, (our ‘couch surfer, colleague and friend’) offered to stay with her and oversee the studying.  Holly is our recent ‘roommate’ who we offered a ‘couch’ to because of the train strike over the past month. She would otherwise, not have been able to get to work (2 hours travel time normally for her, using 3 trains).  She works with me in Learning Support and so we were happy to help her out. We all have a lot of fun together and it has been an adventure in itself, having her stay with us! So, with this in mind, Holly (age 26) was the responsible one who had the big job of keeping tabs on Bri and trying to get her to study while we toured Barcelona with Greg.

We were excited to be celebrating Chris’ birthday in Barcelona while having a last bittersweet trip with Greg, since he will move out this August for University.   It was a really nice way to top off the memories of seven years of living in Europe (in total), with just the three of us on a mini vacation together.  So, we researched Barcelona on our way there and made plans as to everything we wanted to see or do.

{like drink the best Sangria in the world}.

There are so many beautiful sights to take in around the city of Barcelona. We planned on hitting Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, La Rambla and Casa Mila ( a Gaudi masterpiece) once we were in our Airbnb and settled. That in itself is another whole story, because I thought it would be cool to rent a yacht and sleep on a boat in the harbour for the weekend.  However, when we finally got to the boat at 10pm after dragging our luggage on 2 subways for 40 minutes from the airport and walking almost 1 km to the boat, it was much smaller than the picture appeared on Airbnb. None of us wanted to sleep under the bow of this boat, so we decided to leave the keys and check out as soon as we checked in!! We took a taxi into the city center, found a restaurant/bar with wifi right away and went to work trying to book another Airbnb for that night. We still had to pay for the boat for the one night, but it was worth paying double to be in the center rather than the harbour.  In two years, that was probably our only Airbnb blooper.  🙂

We ended up staying very close to the famous square, Placa de Catalunya, right in the city center. We were on a quiet side street (Carre des Tallers) about 50m from the square and enjoyed walking La Ramblas late into the night after full days of touring in the Spanish sun. We ate dinner at about 9pm each night, outside on patios, with lots of stops during the day to snack and have drinks. The atmosphere was relaxed and electric at the same time, set in a historic city with beautiful architecture.  Antoni Gaudi was the architect responsible for the city’s many UNESCO Heritage sites which are very unique and detailed in their design.

We were amazed by the awe inspiring Gaudi village and picnicked there with a few beers and food we bought on the climb up to the park. This is where we also bought two paintings that we hope to bring back to Canada with us.  Greg was so hot, he had his t-shirt off in the park and then he was warned by a local to put it back on before the police saw him and fined him.

We wandered all over the city center reading about it’s history and soaking up the warm weather. The heat made us want to stop for drinks on patios in the many squares we passed and we ordered tapas to try everywhere we went.  There was cool sculptures and plenty of graffiti to take in as we walked the streets.

We had read about a wonderful market called ‘La Boqueria’ off of La Rambla so we ventured there one day and we enjoyed more tapas and Sangria of course!  We also stumbled across the ancient Roman Temple of Augustus that is situated behind a tapas bar we were at…It was truly amazing finding them around a hidden alleyway. The columns date back to the 1st century BC and were discovered in the 1800’s.

 

Another interesting ‘thing’ we came across was a ‘nitrogenie’ ice cream shop where they made your ice cream, or gelato, in this case using liquid nitrogen! It seemed to ‘cool’ to pass up, so we ordered one and this is how it looked as it was being made:

We spent our last few hours on the Sunday at a beach named ‘Nova Icaria’ which is where the body (metal sculpture) artwork you see above was taken.  The weather was nice and we dragged our suitcases down the boardwalk and then changed into our bathing suits in order to lie on the beach for an hour.  We played some frisbee and Greg actually swam in the ‘cold’ ocean!! Greg always want to be in the ocean no matter what time of year it is! I slept on the beach while he and Chris walked up to the pier, only to realize that entire end of the beach was a fully nude beach. Greg found it disturbing to say the least. We had a good laugh when they woke me and told me.

Overall, we covered a lot of ground and made the most of our 3 days, yet it was all very relaxing! I will never forget the inviting architecture and beauty of Barcelona! The hot weather, made it a great start to our summer and a nice way to celebrate Greg graduating from grade 12 in Paris!

 

 

 

At the end of the year at ASP, there is always a Sports Award night where presentations are made by coaches to their teams and awards are given to the: Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player of each team. Greg played Volleyball for the Varsity Team (both years here) and they travelled to Athens, Greece for their ISSTs just a couple months ago. It was a memorable year for him in volleyball with all of the travel and his skills improving significantly on the court. I hope he will never forget the gorgeous house he was boarded in for ISSTs in Athens and the night out in the old centre. I know for a fact, he will never forget the flight into Greece in a terrible storm and how the plane shook all over the night sky. They were all grateful just to have lived to see another day, so him being honoured with “Most Valuable Player” was just icing on the cake!  We are so proud of you Greg! It is such fun watching you play ~ an asset to any team you are on!

 

After visiting Monet’s Garden, we decided to tour a nearby village that is famous for it’s typical Normandy character and historic center on the banks of the Seine.  A key architectural feature in this area, are the half framed timber houses.  Vernon is also known for it’s 12th century Gothic Cathedral and its enchanting old mill (16th century). We walked through Vernon after Giverny and there was a medieval fair on in the town center with music and acting and the old medieval market stalls. The atmosphere was lively and it was a gorgeous day for roaming with a beer in hand to enjoy the history coming alive all around. One of the things I will miss most about France is hearing the old church bells ring in every town you are in, every hour, on the hour. I just stood there in Vernon, listening to the huge Cathedral bells, wishing I never had to leave. It is awe inspiring just to be there and soak it all in.  These are some of the scenes from this part of our afternoon in Normandy.

I had partly dragged Chris and Greg there because I had read about the old mill in Vernon and seen Monet’s painting of it. I wanted to find it myself since I love old, historic, abandoned buildings. We did find it, and here is a link if you want to read more about the mill itself.  I have beautiful memories of Vernon on a gorgeous, sunny day!

We are getting ready to move back to Canada permanently and for this reason, I insisted (sounding bossy) that we go visit Monet’s garden in Giverny which has been on my list of things to see this spring.  Brianna was away with a friend this weekend, so I dragged Chris and Greg with me, borrowing our neighbours car so we could drive to Giverny (45 min. drive) from our house in Garches. I figured that we had been to so many museums and seen Monet’s work and we were so close to his actual home;  his inspiration for his paintings, that we should take the opportunity to go experience the beauty that is seen in his paintings.

Unfortunately, Greg suffers terrible spring allergies (always beginning in June) and it was a disaster ‘forcing’ him to join us. ;/   He really suffered with all of the vegetation on the pathways and being surrounded by thousands of different plants and flowers.  However, I gave him some Benadryl and a bottle of water (for the itchy eyes and throat) and made him tough it out while I enjoyed the beauty of it all :).  lol  I’m sure he was not impressed, but I loved seeing it all with my own eyes (note to self – next time go alone!).

It was a very hot day, so we got an ice cream on the way out afterwards and then stopped for a picnic with wine, cheese and baguette we picked up from the market along the way.  This is very typical, with most French families bringing wine, bread, fruits and cheese to picnic anywhere they want as long as there is 10 square feet to sit.  Bottles of wine are out everywhere in France and I know I will miss that when I’m home, I’m sure.

So much to reflect on in this last month.

Here are more photos from Giverny and Monet’s neighborhood:

For blogs, photos and more facts on Monet, go to this link.

This park is unique because it is an amusement park with rides, play areas, horseback riding, near the centre of Paris.  It also houses the Louis Vuitton Foundation museum which is a beautiful glass structure with a large fountain around it.  This building holds art expositions and musical concerts regularly.  The park was being renovated when we visited and will re-open all of it’s grounds in June to showcase to 44 new attractions.

It was a lively park to explore with many places to sit and picnic and water fountains to cool off in.  It was originally a zoo opened by Napoleon III. During the siege of Paris in 1870, many of the animals in the zoo were cooked and served by chef Alexandre Étienne Choron.  It used to have a miniature road system for children to drive around on through the park but that was closed in 2008. It still hosts fair type attractions, puppet theatres and animal exhibits.

We spent an hour to get there by train yesterday, to get there and that had a leisurely walk to explore the areas that were not closed to renovations. We would like to go back one day and visit the whole park!