Entry 8

Salut! Its been about two weeks since I've updated this... my bad. Its been a really good two weeks because my mom was here and then my dad and brother came. My mom and I had a good week of shopping and hiking to the Bastille. One day I took her to these picnic tables at the top of the Bastille and brought a picnic lunch. She had a great time. Then we decided it was necessary for me to skip school on Friday and go to Paris with her. I wanted to surprise my dad and brother at the airport and we wanted to shop in Paris on Friday. Thursday night, my mom came to dinner at my french host family's house. It was very nice and she had a blast speaking french with them and enjoying a traditional french meal. We started with wine in the parlor and then moved to the kitchen. We had a traditional meal of potatoes called Gratin Dauphinois. After the main course we ate bread and cheese and then ended the meal with ice cream with raspberries on top and a cafe. It was a great evening and my french family really like my mom. Friday morning we went shopping in Paris. It was great.I bought a little french dress and didn't have to worry about getting a phone call from my dad saying I was spending too much money. We went to dinner at on of the top 10 most trendy restaurants in Paris called the Budda Bar. It is a Japanese restaurant close to Place de la Concorde which is beautiful at night. We had an amazing evening and ate very good sushi/Japanese food. Saturday morning we got up in a hurry to get to the airport on time. My mom didn't want to make my dad and brother wait at all. I said we should probably check to see if the flight was on time, but she insisted we leave so we wouldn't be late.... needless to say the flight was 3 hours delayed so my mom and i spent a lovely day in the airport! It was worth it though when my dad and brother got there. We went to the hotel and I bought Stephen a crepe which he loved. Then we went to the Arc de Triumph and watched the sunset from the top. We also took a boat tour on the Seine and then went and ate dinner at a traditional french restaurant. The next day we went to the Eiffel Tour and I convinced my family to walk the stairs to the top. I think it was a little difficult for them. haha. It was a beautiful day... about 70 degrees and sunny. We ate lunch outside at a cafe and then caught the train to Grenoble. Monday we hung out in Grenoble and hiked to the Bastille. Tuesday, we went skiing at a place called Meribel. It was a little warm for skiing and the conditions weren't great, but the scenery was beautiful and we had a nice lunch at the top of the mountain. On the way down from lunch my mom fell and slid on her back down an entire slope. It looked really funny and I was laughing really hard. I feel bad now because the next day she went to the doctor and found out she has a little fracture in her tibia. So I am the worst daughter ever. My mom has been really positive about it because she got to experience it all speaking french. Thursday we went to Mont Blanc for the day. We took the tallest gondola in the world to the highest peak in Europe. I can't put in words how incredible it was. It was really scary riding to the top and once we were there it was freezing and you were above all of the other mountain peaks. We had lunch up there and then hurried home for dinner with my host family. That was quite an experience seeing as my dad speaks no french and my brother only speaks a little. It was a great evening. Everyone got a long great and my dad tried really hard. We translated for him and the Rossiers tried their best to speak in English. Stephen and my 16 year old host sister hit it off and she tried to speak in english to him while her tried to speak in french to her. It was cute... I mean they can go ahead and get married so I can come to France a lot to visit family. haha! We ate foie gras... for those of you who don't know... that's goose liver. It was disgusting. First thing I haven't like in France. Both of our families really hit it off and I think Daphne is coming to stay with us this summer in July to practice her English. I really hope that happens. Friday my mom spent the day shopping with my host mom, I went to school, and my dad and brother went with a guide fly fishing. They had a great time despite the fact my brother fell in and had to borrow some french guys clothes. My family left on Saturday morning to spend the day in Paris and fly back Sunday. I was sad to see them go, but it was a really great family vacation. Saturday, my host family took Emma and I snow shoeing in Vercors Mountain range. There are three mountain ranges around here and it is incredible to me how different they all are. Makes me want to be fluent in French and study geology here. Anyways, there was no snow so we just went hiking. After the hike they took us to this mountain town and bought us chocolate croissants and really good french tea. Then we went shopping at a very french store and after that took a scenic route home that over looked Grenoble. It was a very charming afternoon. I'm really lucky because my host family is so nice. Saturday night we went to the London Pub in celebration of St. Patty's day. It was great seeing everyone dressed up for the occasion. Today, Sunday, I sat outside at a cafe on top of the Bastille and did my homework. It was blue skies and about 70 degrees. Tonight I am going to mass with my french family. So that's about everything. Miss you all a lot and I'll keep you updated! Ciao!