weekend at Etretat

Whew! It's been busy around here! It is April break but just like the last 4 years I've decided to work during my break. They have a program here run by the local government that buses in junior high kids for an English workshop. They ask teachers and assistants to run the different classes (and the pay is great!!) for either one or both weeks. I always sign up for both ;-) This year I'm teaching American Geography, it's usually pretty fun but tiring trying to motivate these kids. You have to try to have fun lesson plans since it is during their break, but not too fun or they tune out quickly... Anyway week 1 is done and only 4 days left of week 2!

To get a little change of scenery Mystery Guest and I drove up to a little village near Etretat where some friends of his live in a beautiful big house. They are great, so nice and fun to hang out with. The weather got a little better as the weekend went on but with their covered veranda you have the feeling you're outside but without the wind (and rain!). It really feels like a vacation with the jacuzzi and vegging on the sofa. Mystery Guest got to play on the computers too :-) I got to play with their little girl, she's going to turn 2 next month and is just adorable!
To thank them for inviting us I made some chocolate chip cookies and it was too cute when I watched the little one eat her first cookie. She eyed it with such suspicion - even when I told her it was a gâteau. In then end she scarfed it down though! I also made them some pancakes for Saturday brunch, seems like I've hit my audience when it comes to American food! I know Mystery Guest's family has already taken to my pancakes ;-) even with maple syrup! In the afternoon the weather cleared and we took a little walk down to the beach to work off all those calories!

It was beautiful down there, extreme low tide exposing all the seaweed covered rocks and you could see the sun setting in the distance and a huge rainstorm off in the horizon... Idyllic.

Here are the insanely steep steps you climb down to get to the beach. Mystery Guest is pointing to the geocache that we fixed, the other one we put there a few months ago but was misplaced so we had to go back and fix it :-)