Birthday and Boating

This was a birthday to remember - woke up to a beautiful day...about 80 degrees. Not bad for a sunny December day. We drove down town to Prestigious "British Club" loading dock. Just a tidbit of info- The British Club is one of the oldest sports club on Abu Dhabi Island. We do not belong - I think the Parke's just dock there... Anyhow we met the Parke family who wanted to take our family boating / wakeboarding for my Birthday! It was so much fun! An awesome way to spend the day. Thank you Parke's!


A pic of Haley and I and the kids- and of course our main staple on the boat- Cheetos!

While we were just passing Saadiyat Island we came upon a wild pod of dolphins! How cool is that? They seem bigger than bottlenosed dolphins. They followed the boat for a bit.

They came right up to the boat, playing alongside it. Nobody was more thrilled than Audrey!

The young crew of the boat- Dax, Annie, Gage, Grace, Colby, Sully, and Hazel. Anxiously watching for more dolphins.

Colby and Sul messin' around. They both belong to the Abu Dhabi Wrestling Club.

Audrey enjoying the ride. There was seriously nobody out there on the water except us. The water was glass- perfect!

Quin out coaching Sul. He is trying but just hasn't got the hang of it yet.

The water is about 75ish degrees. Check out how blue it is! The sand is all white and it isn't very deep right about here. We are boating up and down the inlets off Saadiyat Island. Pristine!

Quin and Grace tandem wakeboarding. That is Raha beach in the background- just by The Marina and the Formula 1 race track.

Our villa is just about 5 minutes west of this beach- Raha Beach.

Abu Dhabi- Round 2.

Okay, so yes, I was a bit bummed about being back here after the first week. It was weird I felt this way because I really did miss a lot of things, a lot of conveniences, a lot of people, a lot of just random things. I missed life here, I missed how our family was, I missed good milk, the swimming pool, the enchantment of muggy nights listening to the call to prayer. There is a certain relaxed feel, a laid back-ness, a calm that exists here - maybe because you just realize that you will never be ahead of such a city as this. The fashion is always changing, people are moving in and out in droves, stores are stocked and then empty with items you want and think you need...but you can never have it all here. I think when you come to terms with that - you relax. There is always something bigger, newer, taller, flashier, more expensive. Some people may get depressed or stressed about this, but me, I'm trying to just enjoy it as it comes. All that flashy stuff makes Dubai and Abu Dhabi really cool, but I love the nights just relaxing with friends and family - eating fresh, spicy food under the glow of the full moon. I love the humidity and heat of the night air- not talking 120 degrees, but 80 is good.

We had some good friends visit us last night from the US and Canada - I am grateful for them in many ways. When someone is visiting and exploring your country or in this case your country of residence, you cannot help but feel the excitement and amazement of what they are experiencing. It rubs off on you and I found myself falling in love again with the UAE all over again. So many great things here - religion, education, family, good food, the desert, etc. I will not lie - the overwhelming heat of August and September is unbearable. You almost feel yourself losing your mind during the day. I'm counting down the days until mid-October, when the weather changes, the dampness lessens and the air catches a cool breeze.

I look forward to what this new year brings! Glad my blues have dissolved, ready to enjoy and embrace this place once again.

Provins- Medieval Splendor

About an hour from Paris city limits there lies this jewel of a city. It was once a fortified medieval town - famous in all of Europe for hosting one of France's main Champagne Fairs. The city became very wealthy in its time due to merchant trade in commerce and spices. Provins held the largest cloth fairs in Europe.

The city was beautiful - stone homes, lined cobbled streets, Damascus roses and sunflowers framed village windows. The Damascus Rose plays an important part in history here - It was brought from Damascus by Thibaud de Champagne. He brought a entire rose bed to Provins after being completely taken with the blooms and fragrance from The Garden of The Sultan of Damascus. He was in love with the Queen - Blanch Of Castile, and presented the rose to her. It is now the symbol of the Village.

Today Provins is famous for its Rose products- rose jams, rose honey and rose sugar. You can sample rose crepes and ice cream at many of the shops in town.

The fortified entrance to the medieval town.

Audrey outside of one of the little homes. See the stonework? Very cool! These crochet curtains were everywhere. Grace and Hazel loved the cats!

On the Wall - the view of the farms and countryside were amazing. What is this old in America?

These flowers were so brilliant- had to snap a few pics here. I want a garden full of these!

We saw a reenactment play of life in the medieval ages - and some of the folk lore surrounding the Damascus Rose. It was worth seeing - the kids had fun. There were lots of horses, ducks, cows, sheep and 2 wolves.

A photo session with the villain.....Sul was a little tense.....

Just a bit more nervous of the grip...and growling....

feeling not so brave anymore.......

Ice cream- sad to say I did not sample the rose flavor.

The overcast weather added a bit of drama to our exploration of the town. This is a view from the town square looking at Caesars Tower and the Church.

Audrey playing Rapunzel!

Inside the 11th Century Church of ST. Ayoul. Amazing!

Birds, birds, and oh yeah, Notre Dame.

Cathedral de Notre-Dame, Paris!

One sunny afternoon we walked down the Seine and stopped at Notre Dame Cathedral. It is amazing to look at- so much detail in the architecture. The stained glass windows are brilliant and the kids loved finding the gargoyles!

Inside the church -cool to think that many of France's Kings and Queens were crowned here!

This is the place to which all signposts in France refer to when they give the distance from Paris. (Whew! That is a mouthful...)

Great pic of the front - also showing the beauty of the "Rose Window" above the main entrance. This was one of our warmer days in Paris. It rained a lot while we were there. There were tons of birds chirping and flitting about these hedges.

The kids watched someone feed a small bird right out of their hands. The kids were determined to try it...

We had better luck with the pigeons.

Even me... they liked curry chips the best!

Sully loving it!

I love this pic of Audrey! The kids said this was the best day of the whole trip! When I ask them about Paris they still say they loved the birds best!