Girls trip to France 2010

Hi Family!

It really has been on my mind to write a blog post about our awesome girls trip to France and Italy for a few weeks, but I was shy because I know the blog has of late been overlooked. On November 3rd, 2010, RoseAnne, Colleen, and I (and a two of my friends from UP Sara and Bree) took a trip of a lifetime to France and Italy for 7 days. Here is a little debriefing of activities:- We arrived on November 4th after 20 hours of traveling to the wonderful city of Marseille. We bussed into the city and met up with Kathy Sullivan, who many of you may know. Her energy was exactly what we needed! She gave us an amazing 2 hour tour of the city and we stopped for lunch along the way. We learned that Marseille is known for it's handmade soaps, moroccan spices, and seafood. mmm!! (see pic of Kathy and me!)

- We headed for Aix en Provence late in the afternoon, about a 30 min bus ride from Marseille. We arrived at our wonderful B&B, Le Epicerie (or Grocery Store), where we would stay for the next three nights. It was the perfect place to stay after a loong 30+ hour day. We all recommend! Our host Luc greeted us and chatted in his limited, but very good, english and headed for dinner. We unexpectedly came across a delish Moroccan/French place and had our best meal, tangine chicken. After full bellies we got a great night sleep! (see pic of Colleen and I in Luc's B&B back yard!)

November 5th we had the best French breakfast made by Luc. (well, that was every morning there...such a cultural experience!) We then met up with Miguel's good soccer friend from UP, B-lo. His parents were in town visiting as well. We spent the day shopping around finding Provencial treasures and goodies. Aix is a gem! We had a delicious pasta dinner and went out for a bit to see what local night life was like. Turns out it's pretty wild, since it is a college town- we made lots of French friends and even witnessed a French fist fight! eek!

- November 6th was our "big day" of cooking school. After graduating from UP five years ago, B-lo started a cooking school and wine tasting company in Aix. We met early in the morning at a market that has been going on every day since the 1300s!! We picked out all of the ingredients with our amazing chef, Patrick (pronounced pat-REEK), and even squeezed in a little time for shopping along the way for provencial table cloths!

Patrick showed us how to make veal blanquette, ceps (mushrooms) with garlic and parsley, pumpkin soup, and crepes suzette. Each dish was paired with a different type of provencial wine. DELICIOUS! This was one of our best days of the trip! (See pic of Rosita learning how to cut a veggie properly. "Bon!" Patrick said after she learned!)

- November 7th Sara and Bree headed for Paris, and us Roach girls headed south to San Remo, Italy. It took us about 7 hours and four trains, although it's only a 2 hour drive from Aix. It was a fun journey, and we kept saying, "oh no big deal, there's the Mediterranean!" We were in constant awe of the beauty before us! We arrived late, checked into our hotel, and decided to get the perfect snack while in Italy...gelato!

November 8th we toured around San Remo, shopping for Italian delights. We walked

through La Pigna, or old San Remo, and found ourselves having a picnic, that we brought, of prosciutto, mozzarella, pesto, and French bread at a local pub with delicious Italian wine. We stayed there for much of the afternoon, and chatted with locals and befriended the young bartender girls. We were there for about 5 hours until dark! The bar had prosecco on tap, how could we leave??! It was a fun, fun day to say the least! (see pic, "Salute!")

November 9th we woke up and headed for Nice, France. Our hotel was right on the boardwalk and had a stunning view. We walked all through old Nice. What a beautiful city! We found catholic churches on just about every other block! That evening, we ate a delicious traditional French meal of ratatoulli and veal. mmmmmm! (Thanks Mom/Aunt Liz!!!)

November 10th we had a tour scheduled to show us around Fragonard (perfume factory), the stone city of Eze, and Monaco. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and was fluent in Spanish, so we mostly spoke spanish on the tour! Eze was all of our favorite because of the midieval feel and stunning views. Monaco was pretty dang incredible with its yachts! (see pic of RoseAnne and me in Eze)

We left for home on November 11th. We were sad to leave, but excited to get back to our husbands (and kids, RA!). It was the trip of a lifetime! EVERYONE should visit the South of France!