Is This Thing On?

Okay, so I've been slightly absent the last month and a half (with good reasons!) but I am back and ready to blog it up. Just wanted to let you know I've not forgotten about Polaris Princess and I have all sorts of things I want to discuss.

For now, I'd like to blow your mind and show you this super cool new contraption I came across the other day on the Interweb. It's called the BottleBob Bottle Cap Punch and it has got be one of the coolest devices you could ever waste $20 on. It punches through CAPS, people!

Stay tuned...

Cafe Terrace

One of the coolest things about living in Provence, especially in our little corner of Provence, has been the opportunity to check out so many spots that Van Gogh famously painted during his most productive years as an artist. Van Gogh only lived in the Arles/St. Remy region for a little over 2 years but his most famous and arguably his most beautiful pantings came from this area. I knew very little about Van Gogh before I moved here (lopped off an ear, crazy guy, and something about a starry night) but as our 2 years here in Provence comes to an end I feel like I've gotten to know him a little bit better. I've stood in the same spot he stood to paint gardens, the arena, a beautiful starry night over the Rhone... etc. I recognize and understand his love of the amazing light cast here in the 'South of France.' I've even had the opportunity to check out hundreds of his original works of art at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Because I've developed such a fondness for Van Gogh it's always something we like to share with our guests when they come to visit. Here are some pictures we've taken in famous Van Gogh spots while out and about with visitors. Some of them just taken this past weekend. I'll start with originals first.

The famous 'Cafe Terrace.' Van Gogh, Arles

Not quite as beautiful as Van Gogh's painting

The Irsis, Van Gogh, St. Remy de Provence

Taken at the insane asylum where he

stayed in St. Remy

'Garden At The Asylum' in Arles

Just yesterday in Arles.  

Van Gogh was just slightly better than capturing the scene than I am. And he did it while he was mad and with a paint brush.  Impressive. 

And one final picture for good measure. This was after having just a enjoyed a beer at the Cafe.

Here Comes The Easter Bun....Bells?

So here is a little Easter a la Francaise trivia for you. Easter, called Paques , is celebrated much the same way it is back home. There are religious services throughout the weekend, the grocery stores are packed with chocolate and candy, and it is viewed as the unofficial "welcome Spring" weekend. The children also wake up to decorated eggs and candies and chocolate, however, it's not the easter bunny who brought those treats to their homes, it's the church bells. Church bells, you ask? Oui!

 Here is the scoop. On the Thursday before Good Friday the church bells that always ring so diligently in every church across each town in France are silenced. The children are told that the bells have flown off to Rome to go visit with the Pope. On Sunday morning, after a bell-less weekend everyone awakes to the sounds of the church bells chiming once again. It is said that many hug and kiss their family members to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This is when the children run out to their gardens to discover what the church bells have brought them as they flew back from Rome. The treats are similar to ours, however I have to believe the beautiful works of chocolate art I've seen in the windows of the patisserie shops around France lately  have got to be a little nicer on the pallet that the Hershey's back home. 

I think I will taste test that theory this Easter Sunday. Bon Pacques, everyone!

-Kati

p.s. Yes, bells might seem weird but c'mon, we tell our kids that a giant bunny comes hopping into our house and drops off the goods on the dining room table. Equally as odd, if not a little more frightening. 

Roman Stuff

Roman Stuff, originally uploaded by KCapozzi.

This was taken during a recent trip to Nimes, France. There's also a fully intact arena there as well. And, most importantly, a Subway.