A Castle In My Back Yard

Blog #8
Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin and 5th Grade Class:

One of the neatest things about living at my house in France is that there is a real castle in my back yard.  Yes, one that is super old, with a real drawbridge and a huge moat.  It is called The Citadel and I can see it every time I look out my living room window.

Our Castle On The Sea

Our town of Villefranche Sur Mer is really old.  It was a fishing village back over 2000 years ago when the Greeks were around but we were officially founded by Charles II in 1295 because pirates were attacking the town.  Then in 1557, when we were part of Italy, the Duke of Savoy built the Citadel to protect our town from the Turkish army.  It is  beautiful castle and it is almost "on" the water and to this day it looks like it still owns the town.

The Castle's View of The Sea

It is so cool to look at this nearly 453 year old castle.  It has a moat around it which is so deep that now it has been turned into a parking lot.  It even has a working draw bridge that you can walk over.   The fortress is now used for the mayor's office and inside has 5 museums that you can visit.  And in the summer it has an open air theatre where we watch movies.

The Real Drawbridge

Me On Top Of The Moat

My favorite part is the top of the moat since it has the best view of the town.  It even has real cannons up there.  (I can just imagine what it must have looked like with 50 feet of water inside) Soldiers once walked where I am walking now centuries ago.  And for you movie fans, this is also where James Bond had an awesome motorcycle chase scene in "Never Say Never Again."

The Moat Is Now A Parking Lot

I hope some day I can take you all on a tour of our castle.  I also am finishing my last blog for the year.
Thank-you so much for reading along with me for the past 2 months and thanks so much for all your awesome comments.  See you next week in person.

Maddy out.

Comment Corner:

Thanks again for this weeks great comments.  It is so cool that my present and past teachers never let me down.  I can't thank you enough for keeping me close.

Mrs. Tomlin:  It is so cool you have family from Germany.  There is a rumor going around that they are even more formal than we are.  That is crazy that they have only celebrated Halloween for about 5 years.  At least they have started now but I am happy I don't have to sing to get my candy.  :-)
Thanks agin Mrs. Tomlin for staying with me every week.  I have been a bit homesick and you have really helped.  See you next week!!

Our School Halloween Play

Katie:  Hi Kat. I loved being on Facebook with you last night.  Plus it was great talking on the phone.  It sounded like you were right down the street just like at home.  It would be great if you and your family could come and visit us sometime.  I know you would love it here.

Mrs. Santello:  I will definitely show you my Italian Silly Bands when I get back.  They are called Shocky Bands here and are a bit different than the U.S. ones.  But no, there is none of the Leaning Tower of Pisa but here is a picture of it because my parents were there last week.  Thanks so much for staying in contact with me.  You are such a special person.  See you next week.

My Mom and Dad at The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Mrs. Brink.  Hi Mrs. Brink. I do have some great stories for all of you.  Today when I was writing my blog I was really home sick.  I really miss all of you so much.  I am doing my home work every week but I can't wait to come home and do it with you.  Thanks so much for writing each week.  It was so great to meet your son.  See you next week. Can't wait.

-Maddy

Personal Blog (A Little About My Life Here In France)

Blog #7
Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin, and 5th Grade Class:

Hi Guys, Maddy here in France for my 7th week.

Every year I try to post a personal blog about some of my daily things I do here in France.  And as some of you know I haven't done this in a while so here I go.  (Hopefully it's not too boring)

#1 Silly Bands
It's official.  I now have 700 Silly Bands.  It's funny but they are just becoming popular here.  You can't even buy them yet in France so my mom and dad found them when they went to Italy.  (Which is only a 26 minute train ride from our house.  Pretty neat to go to Italy for lunch) I will try to bring some Italien SB's back for all of you when I get home.  I tried to put them all on my wrist for this picture but they cut off my circulation.

Over 700 Silly Bands



The Bands are Killing My Arm


#2 My School Life
Did you know that schools here just teach the basic subjects?  No specials such as art and music and gym.  Since we have off all day on Wednesday that is when most of the kids have the time for the things they like.  (Not for me though, because I have to spend all day Wednesday doing Mrs. Brink's homework)  They don't even have equipment on the playground for recess.  But we did practice some gymnastics yesterday  It was great fun and a big surprise for everyone!
We also have a class clown named Mendrick. He sits just in front of the window and plays a really mean prank on our teacher.  And she doesn't even know it.  He takes his clear ruler and since he is by the window, he makes the sun shine through his ruler and then makes it glare all over the room....even on the teacher's back when she is not looking.  It is really too mean for me.

3#  You Tube
I have been making a lot of movies here and my You Tube account is getting more and more popular because I am here in France.  The most popular video is when my friend Manon and I are swimming in our piscine (swimming pool).  It is sort of silly but if you want to see them you can go to You Tube and check out my site which is wowrandonmaddy.

#4 My French Friends
I have made a lot of very nice friends here in France.  Most of them do not speak any English so it is sometimes hard to play the same way we play in Florida.  One of my friends is named Emma and she came over to my house yesterday.  She is really cute and has brown eyes and brown hair.  Here is her picture.
Most of the time we either swim, make movies or play in our vineyard because I have a secret club house down in the grapes.  I will surely miss all of them since I don't get to see them for 8 months.

Emma and Me by our Pool

#5  Halloween
You might not believe this but here in France they are just beginning to celebrate Halloween.  I guess I never knew it was just an Amercian holiday.  They don't even go Trick or Treating.  I feel so bad for them.  Not because I love candy so much, but it is so fun to get dressed up in our costumes and get together as friends.  One funny thing is that are actually having a Halloween play this year at school.  And I got the LEAD role!!!!
(I think that's because I got down on all fours and begged the teacher) It is called "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything."  We are all dressing up and performing it in front of our parents and the entire school.  Here is the information.

My Halloween Party Invitation

I hope these stories and pictures help you to find out more about my what my life is like here in France.
It is really pretty cool and I would love you to all come and visit.

Next weeek will be my last blog on a Castle in My Front Yard.  Yes a real middle age castle.
And then I am HOME!!!!!!!  Can't wait.

Blog to you later.  Ha Ha.
Maddy out.

Comment Corner:

You guys are crazy?  18 comments.  If I get 10 or more comments next week you will have the record number of any comments I have ever had.
Amazing.
Thanks so much for the time you have taken to write.
I really LOVE reading them and it keeps me close to all of you.

Katie:  First again Kat. You must be very ready for my blog.  I think I am going to be a devil for Halloween.  And you don't look like either of your dogs.  You are way too cute.  Thanks so much Kat.
See you in 13 days.

Mrs. Brink:  Yes they do treat their dogs like kings and queens.  And yes I think that Francisco and I might have some things in common.  But I don't think I would be good at teaching French.
I miss you so much too.  See you in 2 weeks!!!!

Olivia:  Hey Livi:  Ha ha.  Soooooooo  LOL Z!  Actually I do take breaks picking the grapes and someone else takes my clippers.  Sometimes I miss you so much I think I won't be back for a long time but really it is only 13 days.  So back before you know it!  LOL Z=D

Peyton:  Do you really look like your dog Aspen?  I would love to see a picture. I should have bought a dog that looks like me but on the other hand I love my dog.  Maybe you and I can bring our dogs to school at Willis one day?

Maggie:  Hi Maggie.  The man and his dog does look alike.  Almost like identical twins.  Yuck. And yes it was a nightmare about Princess Grace.  She was such a wonderful person.

Christopher:  A Spanish speaking penguin? Now that would be a trick!  I actually took that picture of the man and his dog myself.  My mom showed me the guy so I took out my camera and got the snapshot.

Michelle:  Yes I liked that picture too.  I actually took the picture myself.  The second I saw him I burst out laughing and I almost missed the shot.  Can't wait to see you too.

Nora:  Yes I laughed so hard when I saw it in person.  Do you know that a lot of French Poodles here actually look like the French girls here?  And yes the bread is super good here.  It is one of the things I miss the most about France when I am in Florida.  See you soon Nora.

Tori:  Hey Tori!  I hope Mrs. Brink doesn't change our seats.  It should be fun sitting next to all of you.  Sweet.  And I am so jealous of you and the party you are having.  I am sure you all deserved it for all your hard work.  Hopefully we can get another one soon.

Sarah:  Hi Sarah.  Great to hear from you again.  Yes the man and his dog are strangely similar.  Sort of freaky. The ice cream here is really good so maybe they were going there.  We have a place for ice cream called Fenochios which has 100 flavors!  Really.

Vince:  Hi Vince.  I do like that picture too.  I am actually having the best year ever here but I am also the most home sick too.  I can't wait to see you in 13 days.  Happy Halloween.

Xavier:  Hey Xavier.  Did you know I just had lunch with my friend here and his name is also Xavier?  Pretty cool.  (But they pronounce it here VERY different even though it is spelled the same)  And no, the food is still horrible.  I can't wait to have lunch in the Willis lunchroom.

Cara:  Hi Cara.  School is OK but I wish I was having the party with all of you.  I really do miss you too Cara.  Plus I am sure your cookie cake will be awesome!  Save me a piece please!!!!

Adrian: Hi Adrian. Actually I hope I don't look like my dogs and I don't think I want to.  Maybe when I am older as they both have white hair.  And yes I did climb the Eiffel Tower.  The view was amazing.  Paris is such a cool city.  I am sure you will think so too.

Sydney:  Hi Sydney.  I really wish you could come here too.  Actually I can only bring my dog to the outside of the school but they don't really like them in the class.  But all the shops for sure.  It is really fun at restaurants because they get their own dish of water.  See you soon.

Kyle:  Hi Kyle:  Yes its really not a law that you have to look like your dogs but it seems so true here.  Did you know that when I was younger I got to swim and ride some dolphins?  They are my favorite animal.  My dad said we get to go to Busch Gardens when I get back to ride some roller-coasters but I am a little scared.  But I will do it anyway because I don't want anyone to think I am a whimp!  See you soon Kyle.

Michael:  I will be back for Halloween night but not for the party.  :-(  That makes me very sad.. Pixie sounds cool.  Be sure to take pictures of your Sumo costume as I would love to see it.  Take care Michael.

Kylee:  Hi Kylee:  Yes it is true that banks don't have money.  Maybe a little but most of them don't.  People use teller machines to get cash and even to get into a bank you have to go in one at a time through a double guarded glass door.  I think the French are a bit scared of robbers.  I miss you so much too.  13 days!

Thanks again for the awesome comments.
Next week is my last blog so see you then.

Maddy from France
Out

You Would Not Believe Some Of The Laws In France

Blog #6
Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin and 5th Grade Class:

Maddy here in France again with some of the strangest laws I have ever heard of.  As I mentioned last week, there are so many weird ones I might not be able to remember all of them but I'll try to give you a few.

Law #1:  There has to be a boulangerie (bakery) open every day of the year in every village.  Really.  The French people have to have their fresh bread every day.  So every bakery has to talk with the other bakeries to plan day's off and vacations.  Can you imagine a law like this in the States where McDonalds has to talk with Burger King to make sure we can get a cheeseburger every day?  Weird.

Great Bakeries Here

Law #2:  The radio stations have to play at least 50% French music every hour.  I guess the French love American music so much that they have to make sure they play French songs on the radio.  It is so funny to hear my friends sing American songs in English when they have no idea what the words mean.  I just have to laugh.

Law #3:  Dogs can go ANYWHERE!  Yes its true but it is kind of a fun law.  I love taking my dogs to restaurants, shopping and even to school.  They even get served their water first at restaurants even before humans get their drinks.  Really.

Law #4:  Everyone here has the right to go on strike....and they do.  It has happened 3 times since we have been here this trip.  All the bus drivers, trains, airplanes, police, teachers and more jobs all at the same time.  The entire country shuts down.  And they are planning another one next week on the 15th.  Sounds good about the teachers so maybe we could get a day off, but my teachers never strike.  My bad luck.

Law #5:  You want to hear a funny law?  Banks are not allowed to have money.  Really.  If you want to cash a check or get money from your account you have to go to le Poste (the Post Office).  When my Dad needs some money, he has to send a fax to the banks 3 days in advance so they can order money.  At least the post office still handles the mail but it takes a lot of time as the lines are always really long.

Our Poste

Law #6:  Everyone has the right to the coastline.  Ever since the French Revolution, it is illegal to block the coast from the public.  It is sort of a cool law because the coast is great and even if there is a restaurant on the water, there has to be a path for the public even if it right through the tables.

The Path On The Coast By Our House

My Mom And Me Hiking On The Path

Law #7:  All dog owners must look like their dogs.  :-) Well, that's not really a law but it sure seems like it could be.  Haven't you noticed how many people really look like their dogs?

Come On! This Dog Definitely Looks Like His Owner

There are so many more but you will have to come visit here and see them for yourself.  So, I hope you enjoyed reading about all the crazy laws.  I surely liked writing about them.
See you next week.

-Maddy out.

Comment Corner:

Thank-you for all the comments you left last week.  18 comments is a record!!  It really helps me be a lot less lonely here and I love to write each of you back.  But please, I need you to write your name on the comments or I can't tell who wrote them.  But for all of you that I can't personally thank, I sure appreciate them anyways.

Mrs. Tomlin:  Well I am not exactly the school hero but you sure are my hero for being the first to write a comment almost every week. Thanks a million. And yes the zucchinis get so huge here.  I know you don't like vegetables a lot, but they really taste different here so I think you might like them more.  We do have a gardener that takes care of our grapes and our vegetables when we are in Florida.  Thanks again for writing!

Olivia:  Yes I would be excited about it but they haven't started serving the new food yet.  And they serve so much fish with terrible sauces.  Yuck!!!  Thanks for all the comments even if you did send them more than once.  It did make me laugh.

Christopher:  Trust me, that is not STEAK!  If I could guess it might have been over cooked fish or something but I wasn't going near it to try it.

Mrs. Brink:  Hello Mrs. Brink.  Thanks so much for writing.  I really miss you.  I think that tomatoes are fruits because they have seeds in them.  And I would love to help with Mr. Stenger when you need it but I probably can't do much.  But I'll surely try if you ask.

Peyton:  Hi Peyton.  I really miss you too.  Less than 3 weeks now and I will be home. You have fun too but save some fun for me.  See you soon.

Kyle:  Hi Kyle.  Computers still not in huh?  LOL!  Miss you too.

Adrian: LOL.  Gagging is definitely not fun.  I have made some new friends here.  I just met a girl from England and her name is Emily.  You would really like her.  Hard to say which I like better between France and Florida because they are both great.  Thanks for writing.

Mrs. Santello :O) Yes the zucchini are big but I really don't like them.  I love it when my Dad makes lamb chops here as the lamb in France is awesome!  Thanks as always for writing Mrs S.  I love your comments!

Katie:  What do you mean a new bunny?  Maybe we can both get one when I get back.  I can't wait to go trick or treating and no I don't have a costume yet either but I will probably find something in my closet.  Miss you too Kat.

Tori:  Hi Tori.  I am happy my desk is still there and right next to yours.  I can't wait to come back too!
Hopefully Mrs. Brink lets us sit next to each other when I am home.  See you soon.

Michael:  What do you mean you can't get the pics?  No fair.  By the way, what is Pixie?

Thanks again for all of your comments and don;'t forget to write your name!!

-Maddy





Extra, Extra News Flash From France

Blog # 5
Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin, and 5th Grade Class:

Hello Everyone:

Well you will not believe this but someone important must have been reading my blog!  For those of you loyal readers, you will remember 2 weeks ago I wrote to all of you about the horrible food at the cantine (lunch room) at my school.  Well my blog must have reached the President of France!  Look at the headline in this week's paper.  La Fin de la mal-Bouffe:  which means "The End of The Bad Food. "

Front Page Of Our Newspaper

Can you belive it?  That means that the food at school was so bad it had to be changed.  And it wasn't just me!  Now all of us kids are going to eat better meals.  And they are also being made with better fruits and vegetables.  Funny thing is that is what I have been telling them for years.

Many of you know that we have an enormous garden at our house here in France.  And we have been growing a lot of our own great fresh food for years.  Here are a few pictures for you of some of the things we grow.  Some of the vegetables are as big as I am!  One of my favorite things to do when I get home from school is go down to the garden and come back with a big basket of fruits and vegetables that my mom and dad cook with for dinner.  We grow all sorts of things such as watermelons, cantelopes, raspberries, zuchinni, eggplant, green beans, peppers, artichokes, avocadoes, almonds, oranges, lemons, and all kinds of spices (and of course grapes too.)  But my favorite are the bananas but they are still green as they are not ripe until January.

Big Basket When I was Younger

These Giant Zuchinnis Made My Mom Happy

A Sample Of Our Vegetables

OK enough of the food talk as I am getting hungry.  Stay tunes next week when I will be writing a really neat blog about all the crazy and unusual laws we have here in France that we don't have in the U.S.

That's all for now.  Thanks for reading and thanks so much for sending all your comments.  I really miss all of you and that helps a lot.  Really........

Maddy out.

Comment Corner:

Katie:  Hi Kat.  I really miss you too.  I am sorry I keep missing you when I call.  It is 6 hours different here and most nights I am in bed when you get home from school.  I'll keep trying.  Love ya.

Mrs. Tomlin:  I really love your comments Mrs. Tonlin.  I can't wait until Monday morning as I know you will be writing .  It makes my Mondays go better.  It was great being with Justin.  He is a really cool guy.  Plus, I can't believe you were so close to our home here when you were in France.  Maybe when you come next year we can go both places together?  :-)

Mrs. Santello:  You are so nice to write.  You know it is because of you that I write these blogs every week.  And it is great that you still read them after all those years  Plus, you even remember Grace Kelly. Cool!

The Munsons:  I can't wait to see you too.  By the time you read this you might already be on the plane.  Thanks for bringing my pancake mix.  I need a good breakfast some days to get through the day with the bad food at school.  See you Tuesday!!!

Mrs. Herrera:  Hi Mrs. Herrera.  It is great hearing from you.  I know you would love Monaco so I will be your personal guide when you come.  :-) Thanks for writing as it really made me happy to see your comment.

Monaco: The Smallest Country in the World and a Fairy Tale Story

Blog #4
Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin and Class:

Do you know the name of the smallest country in the world?  Have you ever heard of Prince Rainer?  How about Princess Grace Kelly?  Well whether you have or haven't I am going to tell you their story.

The smallest country in the world is just 16 minutes from our villa and is called Monaco.  It is the longest reining monarchy in the world.  (That means they have had the same family of kings or princes since the late 1200's.  They even have a real cool changing of the guard in front of their palace every day)  And for those of you who don't like to pay taxes it is a tax free country.  Yes, no income taxes at all because there is a beautiful casino there that makes a bunch of money.

Grace Kelly was a beautiful American actress who married handsome Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 in a fairy tale wedding at their 235 room castle in Monaco.  So she became the most beautiful princess in the world.

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier at Their Wedding

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier had three children, Prince Albert, Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie.  She was a fabulous movie star and played in many great movies.



 But on September 13, 1982 Princess Grace and Princess Stephanie were driving just minutes from our house and had a horrible car crash.  Grace had a stroke while she was driving and lost control of her car.  Her car plunged off a cliff that we can see from our terrace at our house.  It is very steep.  It was a miracle that Stephanie was able to survive with only a few injuries but Grace was stuck in the car when it finally stopped rolling down the cliff.  She died the next day in the hospital.  Everyone was very sad as it was tragic.

Here is the Cliff

This Is The Monument Where She Went Off The Cliff

Monaco and it's biggest city Monte Carlo is one of my favorite places to visit here.  In fact, I was there last night because Mrs. Brink's son Justin came there on a huge private yacht and he came to our house for dinner.  So I got to stay up late and take him back to his boat.  It was really cool.

Justin and Me in Monaco
(See the Casino In The Backround)

I hope you liked the story of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace Kelly.  If you want to hear more history of France, just let me know in your comments because I still have 4 more blogs to go.

The Prince's Castle

The Magnificant Casino In Monte Carlo

So for now, Maddy out.
Talk to you next week.
-Maddy


Comment Corner:

WOW!!  You all went nuclear.  18 Comments!! Awesome.
Plus it was great talking to all of you this week at school  I really miss you all so much.

Katie:  Can't wait to see you too Kat. You wouldn't believe the stuff they served today.  It smelled HORRIBLE!  All I ate today for lunch was 4 pieces of bread.

Mrs. Ross: Yes luckily my parents are good cooks as that is the only thing keeping me alive.  Ha Ha.
I am so happy we get to work together again after school when I get home.  My mom said maybe even 2 nights a week.  Can't wait Mrs. Ross.

Mrs. Tomlin:  Not a great way to go on a diet but you would probably love the food in France.  Just not at my school.  By the way I am loving doing the graph of the temperatures you suggested. It is really neat!

Mrs.Santello :0)  You have a great memory.  When I was younger they did let me go home for lunch every day.  That was paradise.  But not anymore.  I could bring my lunch I guess, but no one does so I would look sort of odd and they would make fun of me.  And there are a lot of landmarks from that period around our house but we don't really study history much here.  It is weird with a capital "W".

Christopher:  Thanks so much for the comment.  I would love it if you commented every week. I am making friends here for sure but I am still having trouble understanding everything they say. Have a good time too.

Maggie:  I miss you too.  Thanks for writing. The weather here is good but not as hot as in Florida and definitely not as humid. And yes we get boat loads of homework. My favorite thing about being here in France is that it is really a lot different than the U.S.  I'll write a blog later next month about some of the funniest differences so when you and your mom come visit us you will be prepared.  Miss you too.

Kylee:  Yes I have been to Paris a couple of time; the first time when I was 6 months old.  And yes the Eiffel Tour is really cool.  I actually climbed to the top once. I will bring some pictures and show you. I do drink some of the wine here but I like dad's Cognac better.  But don't tell him.  :-)  And yes the schools are really different here and they teach in a totally different way.  Much more strict too.

Maddie A.K.A.W.  Ha Ha too funny Maddie.  Yes there was a wedding here last year but it was between Lilliane my Guinnea Pig and Sugar the Rabbit that just died.  And yes luckily they have the best water in the world here or I would die of thirst.

Kyle:  Hi Kyle.  Really I am as lucky as you because I am doing all the work you are doing and my work here too.  Mrs. Brink sends me all the assignments and yes I also took that aweful test.  There are street performers in Nice but not many here but there are some homeless hobos in the street.

Mrs. Brink:  It was so great speaking with you and our class.  Plus Justin is the BEST!!  And yes my mom gave him several big hugs from you.  About mushrooms.  You might like the ones in Florida but trust me, the ones here are disgusting.  I wil be happy to give French lessons to the class when we get back.  For fun here I have been loving You Tube.  Miss you so much Mrs. Brink.

Laura:  Hi Laura:  What do you mean crazy?  You must be talking about here in France.  LOL.  Believe me it is very hard speaking French all the time.  I really don't know which place I like better because they are really different.  All I know is that I miss you and our classmates. Thanks for writing and keep me posted on those science experiments.

Xavier:  Hey Xavier!  Of course I remember you.  I am having a great time but I miss EVERYONE in Florida.  I have been inside and climbed the Eiffel Tower.  The view is amazing from the top.  I really don't like my school much but I do have some friends.  And that is the craziest question ever: no my teachers don't have mustaches.

Sydney:  Hi Sydney.  Actually I think it would be a great idea to write a book on France.  Maybe you could come over here and help me? (If your family agrees of course)  See you too Sydney.

Erick:  Hi Erick:  Yes you are right, I do hate the food.  Haha!!  The Eiffel Tower is really big and looks just like it does in pictures.  It is really fun to climb and I think that is what you would like best.

Tori:  Tori!  Now answer this.....why on earth would I forget you?You know what, I feel the same thing about you; it is just not the same without you.  Miss you bunches and thanks so much for writing.  Can't wait to see you too back at school.

Thanks again all of you for the great comments.
More to come next week!!!!!
-Maddy

I Thought The Food In France Was Supposed To Be Good!

Blog #3


Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin, and Class:

I think most of you know that the French are famous for cooking.  Well, let me tell you the real story.
The food at my school is terrible!
Yes I mean TERRIBLE!!!!  But I'll let you be the judge.
(Here is the monthly menu for September.  Luckily most of you can't read French to really understand how bad it is)

I think even the cooks know it is horrible.  Funny thing though is that some of the kids at school actually like it.  How could they like an appetizer of beets and nuts or liver pate` with pickles?  Or how about taboule`.  I don't even know if I spelled it right.  Even when they had pasta they filled it with all sorts of stinky mushrooms.  That's fungus I think.  Unbelievably some of the kids at my table like it.  So I give them some of my food so it looks like I ate it.  And believe it or not I'm saving the worst for last.

Here is the menu for September.
Can any of you figure out any of the foods?

Let me give you a few examples.  Every Friday they have fish.  Last Friday they had some really smelly stuff and then some slimy dessert called flan.  On Thursday we were actually pretty excited because it was a surprise menu.  They called it Bio which means organic in English.  I thought it might be chicken with some tasty fruit for dessert.  No way.  For an appetizer we had carrots and chopped mushrooms in some mystery sauce.  And that was the good part.  For the main course we had a spinach soup with onions and more mushrooms.  (Maybe they were on sale?)  And the worst part was that the Director of the school came into the cantine (lunch room) and made us eat it.  I almost puked.  Luckily the next day we had ground beef or I would have starved.  I wish they would let us take our lunch to school like in Florida.

I would love you all to come visit me in France.  I know you would love it.  But trust me I don't think you'll like the food.  I promise though, that I will not force you to eat it like they do to me.

Yucky French Mushrooms

Look at These Stinky Fish

A Mystery Meat with a Bone!

See you all next week.
Maddy from France

Comment Corner:

Mrs. Tomlin:  Thank-you again for the awesome comment.  You won the prize for 1st to comment two  weeks in a row!  And yes we do eat the grapes from the vine.  They are so sweet and juicy.  (But my Dad gets  mad if I eat too many)
Plus I am making a chart of the temperatures as you suggested.  Pretty cool, really!

Katie:  You would really hate the food here at school.  They never have steak.  Your brothers would hate it too.  Luv ya and miss you so much.

Vendange 2010

Blog #2

Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin and Class:

Well it's that time of year again.  For those of you that don't know, our family makes wine every year.  Yes that's true; right from our back yard.  We planted the grapes in 2001 and every year we invite our friends to help pick them.  It is called the Vendange (harvest) and it is something we do every year.  I really don't like wine very much but our friends in France say "le vin est sensationnel."  And even though I don't like wine much, I love to cut the grapes off the vines.  This year we had the biggest harvest ever, nearly 1.3 tons of grapes!  I guess you will just have to come here and try it as we can't bring much home due to the French tax laws.  But we make about 800 bottles a year so there is plenty for all of you.

Here are some pictures for you.  I especially like the one of me when I was 2 years old helping mom and dad plant the vines.  And, thanks for all the comments.  Remember if you like to see your name in print all you have to do is comment and I will for sure write you back the next week.  And it is super easy to make a comment.   All you have to do is click on the word comment at the end of this week's blog and it will take you to the comment screen.  You don't even have to be a Google member to leave one.

Peeking Through The Vines

I always cut the best bunch

Our Rosenberg 2009 Rose`

Me planting the grapes in 2001

The Vineyard Now in 2010

Comment Corner:

Mrs. Tomlin:  Hi Mrs. Tomlin!  Well to answer your question about my animals, my dogs do travel back and forth with us from Florida but Kookie the rabbit and Lillian the guinea pig stay here in France.  Thanks so much for my VERY first comment!

Chris and Don Esposito: Thanks so much for writing. I can't wait for you both to come and see us next week and maybe we can do my next blog together?

Katie:  I miss you so much.  I really can't wait to come home :-(  I was thinking about what it would be like for you to come here with me.  That's how I manage to get through some of my bad days so I don't scream like an idiot.  I miss you bunches.

Cousin Krissy and Family: Wow, I didn't know you could use the North Star to help find latitudes.  Amazing.  Thanks for reading my blog Cuz.

Peyton:  Hi Peyton.  Thanks for reading my blog as it reminds me of all of you at home.To answer your question, our weather here is really quite perfect right now.  It is usually in the high 70's during the day and 60's at night but that could change really quickly in October.

Mrs. Santello:0)  As always, thanks so much for writing.  And two times!  I know you remember but if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have started my blog.  Thanks again so much for writing.  And I'll bet that all the fifth grade classes at Willis will be learning about latitide and longitude this week.  Pretty cool.

Mrs. Brink:  Thank-you for all the emails.  I love it when my mom reads me your letters.  To answer your question the latitude and longitude of Paris is 48.48 North and 2.20 East.  And, I am so excited to meet your son next week here in France!

Arial:  Hey Sissy.  I miss you sooooo much!  I really hope you like Kookie as I know how much you loved Sugar. I hope school is going well for you too.  I wish you were here but I know that next year you will be here helping with the Vendange.


OK, that's all for this week.  Stay tune next week when I write about how HORRIBLE the food is at my French school.  It is disgusting!!  You won't believe what they make us eat.

Maddy....signing off for now.

44 Degrees North Latitude

World Latitudes

See The Palm Trees

Blog #1 September 3, 2010

Dear Mrs. Brink, Mrs. Tomlin and Class:

Maddy here back in France for more blogs about this year's trip.
Just to remind all of you who haven't been part of my 5 years here, I LOVE COMMENTS!!
I promise to all of you that if you send me a comment I will ALWAYS write you an answer back in next week's blog.  It's a deal!

Well, I know you are studying latitudes and longitudes in science class and there is something very strange about the latitude here in Villefranche.  Our latitude, where I am sitting right now is 44 degrees North.  And that is way north of where you all are sitting now in Bradenton Florida which is about 27 degrees North.  But even though we are about the same as Minneapolis Minnesota or Ottawa Canada it is very weird because we have citrus and palm trees and it doesn't snow or get cold like Canada or Wisconsin! 
So I wondered if we are so far north why it stays so warm?  Do any of you know the answer?

OK ready?  The answer is because of two very special things.  One is that the water from the Gulf of Mexico by Florida actually moves here during the winter and is called the Gulf Stream.  The second reason is that the warm winds from the Sahara Desert in Africa blow here in the winter across the Mediterranean Sea.
Amazing!!

Extra! Extra!
News about me.  (If you don't want to hear you can skip this part)
Well I think many of you didn't know but my rabbit Sugar died 2 weeks ago.  So, I got a new bunny.  Her name is Kookie.  She is tan with a white belly and some black dots around one of her eyes.  But...she doesn't get along with my guinea pig Lillian like Sugar did.  I still think a lot about Sugar and it makes me sad.  :-(
But this is about Kookie not Sugar.  She is still very afraid of me since I had to give her a bath yesterday.
(She smelled bad)  If you want to see what she looks like there is a picture in our math book at the top of page 207.  But if you really want to see her, look above.

OK that's all for now.  Remember to send comments and I will be back next week with another French story.

-Maddy

This is Definitely NOT Canada