Bonjour!

By Hattie Foote

Disclaimer: I am running solely on baguette, cheese, and rosé, so my thoughts might be a little dizzy. Bonjour from France! We are on week three of an epic month-long family adventure, celebrating my 40th birthday and life in general. We took the British Airways flight SAN-LHR nonstop, and it was so easy. San Diego is lucky to have that route; in fact, the route is so popular that I read they added a seasonal second daily flight! We spent two days in London getting acclimated to the time change, having afternoon tea, and going to Buckingham Palace. We stayed at the St. Pancras Renaissance, and it was stunning. Some of Harry Potter was filmed there, but more importantly, it was the backdrop for the music video for Wannabe by the Spice Girls, and I will never recover from dancing on the same famous staircase with my daughter by my side! When we were planning the trip, something that was very important for me was to take the Eurostar from London to Paris with my kids. My dad and I took that trip when I was 13, and it was such a special time, and now, I got to create a new memory with my babies, husband, and mom. I know he was watching over us, smiling.

To beautiful Paris we went, even with the chaos of the Olympic Games preparations, we had the best time. My sister and her partner met us and made it a full family affair. This was my first time back in France since becoming a mom, and I was just absolutely blown away by how kid-friendly it is. The parks alone are on another level. We spent an afternoon at Jardin du Luxembourg,

and it was magical. The kids sailed mini boats and ziplined while the adults sat on benches enjoying champagne and snacks. There were pony rides and puppet shows, little concession stands serving crepes, and, of course, the grounds were spectacular. I was so excited for my kids to experience the culture and diversity of these cities, and at 10 and 7 years old, they were at the perfect ages to travel. As incredible as the trip has been, you know I will keep it 100 with you, right? It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows; there was plenty of whining about hunger, boredom at museums, and a little homesickness. Pushing them outside their comfort zone and watching them shine was so worth it though.

After five days in Paris, we were on the road again, this time for 2 ½ weeks, to my aunt and uncle’s home in the Brittany region of France. Lancieux is the backdrop to many of my formative childhood memories; it is truly heaven on earth. I feel like when people talk about the beach in France, you immediately assume the south, but this area is a special treasure; they call it the Emerald Coast because the color of the water is just that. The area is rich in history and oysters. One town even has a tiny truck that sells Sancerre while you eat those fresh oysters on the stairs overlooking the water. My takeaways are I so desperately wish Coronado had a cafe on the beach. Nothing fancy, just fresh and simple. And obviously, even more desperately, I wish we could swim at our beach. Le sigh.

I am writing this outside with a glass of said rosé, lavender bushes surrounding me, and the sun hasn’t set yet despite it being 9:30 p.m., and I must be honest, I don’t really want to go home yet. We head back to London for a week tomorrow before we return to the U.S. and as I sit here and reflect on our time, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the time I spent with my family. And croissants. I can guarantee you will find me at Little Frenchie wearing a beret and drinking wine when I get back to town; this is my new personality! Heck, I might even light up a cigarette and start kissing everyone on both cheeks! Ancestry. com says I’m 2% French, so I’m leaning way in! Bisous!