A Family Visit to Cité du Chocolat in France

August 03, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, Learning Resources, Travel, French Culture

Bonjour les amis! We've just returned from an extended weekend spent visiting dear friends in la Drôme, a region in southeast France. Our friends took us to La Cité du Chocolat in Tain-l'Hermitage (near Valence) and even though none of us were true chocoholics beforehand, we left this place feeling like chocolate connoisseurs--and gourmands who enjoyed far too many of their abundant samples! Here's why it's such a deliciously informative place to visit, and why we'd enjoy visiting it again anytime:

Family, Food, and Friends: One Week in Bretagne

July 27, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Travel, Contentment, French Culture, French Language Learning, International Exchange

I'm writing you with a full stomach and a contented heart because we've just spent a week in Bretagne (Brittany in English). Bretagne is on France's northwestern coast below Normandy, and it's a popular vacation destination for Parisians who want get out of the city. It's an area with Celtic culture that can be seen in the age-old erected menhirs and dolmens--great Stonehenge-like monoliths that you might recall from Asterix comic books. We didn't see those rocks, though we enjoyed hiking among similar ones with my distant relatives. Actually, I should say my probable relatives--we haven't proved we're related, but genealogy suggests we are and we share a variation of my maiden name. I enjoyed staying with this retired couple ten years ago, and this past week my husband and children got to join me in experiencing their amazing hospitality.

Two Weeks in Paris: Our 14 Days of Family Activities

July 22, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, Travel

Our two-week stay in Paris flew by--probably because we did so much more than I expected. We could have easily enjoyed staying longer if our budget and schedule allowed it, but we have French friends to visit as well, so I'm now writing you from the lovely stone home of my distant relatives in Bretagne. But before I jump too far ahead, here's where we went and what we did in Paris, starting with the most family-friendly and descending to the least family-friendly, in my opinion:

Celebrating Le 14 Juillet in Paris: Our Family's Experience (& Tips for Tourists)

July 15, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, Travel

As a passionate Francophile, I'm thrilled that my family's stay in Paris this month coincided with Bastille Day. (The French always call it Le 14 juillet, but the day is in memory of the storming of the Bastille in 1789.) my husband and I had heard about the military parade on the Champs-Elysées and the unforgettable fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, but we didn't know exactly where to go for the best views or how to escape the crowd afterwards. Here's what we learned:

Visiting the Louvre & Jardin des Tuileries with Kids

July 11, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, Travel, Education, Learning Resources

Many people might not consider taking their children to France's museums but even young children can appreciate the Louvre's incredible treasures in its opulent palace setting. You can pique your child's interest with the Louvre's own interactive site for children or printing out their treasure hunts for families (select parcours-jeux on their family page).

On the first Sunday of the month, many museums in France offer free admission. We'd planned to take advantage of this offer to visit the Louvre (the world's most visited museum), but instead we went the following day, thinking that it would be less crowded if most people had come the day before. Perhaps this was true, but in summer there are such hoards of tourists that any dip in attendance was imperceptible! You can try to avoid the crowds by arriving early or when the Louvre is open very late on Wednesdays or Fridays. (Kids under 18 enter free everyday.)

Arriving in Paris (and What Not To Do on Arrival)

July 08, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Travel, American Culture, Reflections on Parenting, French Culture, Cultural Reflections

Bonjour les amis! We're in Paris! This is my first trip back to France in eight years, and It's great to be able to share this city with my husband and children. (He and I were last in France when I was two months pregnant with our first child.) I hope to write more frequently about our experiences here, so Intentional Mama will be more of a travel blog for a while, d'accord? Here's how we're adjusting, and what we've learned the hard way:

On Returning to France: How "Paris to the Moon" Allays My Fears

June 24, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, Cultural Reflections, Travel, Reflections on Parenting

In preparation for our trip to France (we leave next week!), I’ve been re-reading Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik’s essays on five years of living in France with his wife and young son. It’s a perfect read now, because in the weeks before I leave for France I always develop a small undercurrent of fear—fear that perhaps France won’t be the same.

Bilingual Progress Update: Before Our France Trip

June 02, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, French Language Learning, Travel

Bonjour! It's been a while, hasn't it? May was a whirlwind--amidst the beauty of spring, it was my husband's busy season of coaching track, but thankfully we'll have more time together soon. This past month I've figured out some details for our first trip to France as a family. It's an extended trip stretching from July to the end of September. We figured if we're going to pay for all of us to go (we opened a savings account last year towards this goal), we might as well stay as long as possible. Without a visa, we can stay close to 90 days.

I'm really curious to know how much fluency our children will gain from their time in France! Here's where they are currently at in their French knowledge and acquisition, along with my hopes for their experience: