La Bretagne ca vous gagne! Brittany is overtaking you!
We are spending some wonderful time by the beach where I grew up most of my teenage years. We went clam fishing which is honestly the funniest thing to do. When the tide is low we go rake the sand to look for clams that we will leave in water all night to get the sand out of their shells. Then we boil them until they open and cook them with garlic parsley and salt. On a buttered french bread it is absolutely amazing!
So here we are near Quiberon and in Guidel "claming around".

So France is famous for its food.... we went to the market and these are the things we saw....

The Broceliande Forest...heard of Merlin, King Arthur and Cie? Well that is what this forest is all about. It encircles a city called Paimpont. If the forest was water, Paimpont would literally be an island.
We were able to climb some beautiful hills in the forest to enjoy a green breath taking view! The kids did a great job climbing too and felt really proud of themselves. It was so relaxing to hear the water streams, the sound of so many birds and the wind blowing in all these trees. We were able to see the golden tree...really cool story about an artist wanting to immortalize as a symbol of renaissance one among the 500,000 trees which burned in the 90's from a forest fire .
We looked for Merlin but we only found some fairies.
For lunch, we enjoyed some delicious buckwheat crepes with ham and cheese and some sugar and salty butter crepes for desert. We are having a hard time not binging on all of these delicious food all at once.

http://www.brittanytourism.com/discover-our-destinations/broceliande/unmissable-sites/the-forest-of-broceliande

According to legend, whenever the wizard Merlin could get away from affairs of state at the court of King Arthur, he would return to his lover, Viviane, in the forest of Brocéliande.

In the forest, the fountain of Barenton is reputed to be the spot where Merlin first met Viviane, who was the daughter of the Lord of nearby Comper Castle. The castle’s lake is said to cover the palace that Merlin magically built for her. The fountain is also claimed to be the spot where Yvain, one of King Arthur’s Knights, defeated the Black Knight, the fountain’s guardian.

One day, Viviane implored him to teach her his magical arts and gradually she learned all his magic. It is this knowledge that she used finally to imprison Merlin in nine invisible rings – a prison of air – to keep him from leaving her again to return to his duties at Arthur’s court. It is said that Merlin’s Tomb hides this prison of air.

Few pictures of my home town: Vannes

Les remparts de Vannes...I am from a city with remains of fortifications from the middle age. This is where we took our wedding pictures. There is an event happening right now but soon the tents will be gone and gorgeous flowers will be planted.

I got married in a gorgeous city hall. Here are the molding on the ceiling and while the pictures does not show it well, the kids are sitting on the marble stairs leading to a incredible stain glass.

Yes we are finally here!!!! So happy for a smooth and peaceful trip. Our 6 hours car ride which followed our 12 hours flight was difficult and we had to stop at a hotel. We were happy to be refreshed and get back on the road to my moms. It has been so exciting to see the kids reactions. They are loving every bit of it. They definitively feel like they are on an adventure. My mom was so happy to see them and they have been hugging her continually. They are enjoying playing in the yard, learning french and trying cheeses, yogurts  and chocolate treats. Lou has had the chance to celebrate her birthday with her french grandma and has had a great cake for the occasion! We have seen our french red poppies and already enjoyed our gorgeous library.
Here some pictures for your enjoyment!

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We are about to leave for San Francisco to take a plane to London and then Paris at 7:30 pm. Our tribe counts an 9 years old, an almost 8 years old, a five years old, a 2 years old and an 1 year old. We will be staying in France for almost 2 full months eating, visiting, eating, traveling and eating. For some reasons the odds were against us: running into a car on Friday, flooding the house on Monday, and Shiloh keeping on getting eggs on her forehead from falling.... but the fact is that we are unstoppable: we are going no matter what!