Another great thing about living here in southeast France is the accessibility to other countries. From Albertville, you can be in Italy or Switzerland in about an hour, and several other countries are within just a few hours drive. Since we had some free time before school starts, we decided to rent a little Peugeot for the day and see what we could see.
We started off driving towards Italy for about and hour or so, and after passing through an enormous tunnel under Mont Blanc, we were there. Since Brett spent a semester of college in Italy, he very much enjoyed returning once again and speaking a little Italian.
Mont Blanc is quite a sight! At 4,808 meters, or 15,774 feet, it is the tallest mountain in Europe. It straddles the border between France and Italy, and it has a glacier that starts at the summit and descends several thousand feet down the French side. Here is a picture of Brett and Caden on the Italian side.
We thought about taking a cable car up the side of the mountain, but they wanted 70 Euros for the ride, so we just got this picture instead
Another interesting place we visited was called Gran Saint Bernard, which is known for only one thing: it is the place of origin of the famous Saint Bernard dog, rescue hero for thousands of alpine mountaineers! It is also the border between Italy and Switzerland, and we stopped and got yet another stamp in our passports from the border guard. One thing Gran Saint Bernard has in abundance is Saint Bernard’s – stuffed of course. Tourist traps are not just an American phenomenon, and we couldn’t resist buying Caden a little stuffed rescue dog. Turns out it’s one of his most favorite toys ever, and he loves to give it kisses and talk to it. A name is surely forthcoming, but for now, it’s just “puppy”.
So this is the first of our many adventures while at language school! We have loved traveling Europe by rail in the past, but it looks like cars are the way to go if you actually live here. It’s more affordable for one, and on top of that, it allows the traveler to see more of Europe off the beaten path, or “through the back door” for all of you Rick Steves fans out there!
Also, if you haven’t seen the
video tour of our apartment in France, head over to our
Africa blog and check it out!
"No, no, not for baby" is a common phrase around our house. But this post isn't about Caden, it's about us! We went flying and it didn't involve an airplane or helicopter. That's right, we both went paragliding. Some people might say we jumped off a mountain, but in reality, you start running and the air just picks you up off the side of the mountain before you get a chance to "jump". It was a thrilling experience that compares to nothing else...nothing else human, that is. I'm sure the birds think it's no big deal...but to us, it was a HUGE deal. We highly recommend it! 
He is looking so big! Some people talk about how their children grow up too fast, but we enjoy Caden to the fullest extent everyday of his precious life, and we think that he is growing up at just the right pace... 
So here he is with his mom. Caden LOVES his mom! There are lots of times when only a mom will do, and Caden knows his mom will always be there to take care of him. What a blessed responsibility to be entrusted with the care of this young life. Don't they look happy together?!?!?! 
This second picture is just funny because of his expression. Aren't you just dying to know what he's thinking? Try this one: "How is my car seat going to fit into the backseat of this tiny car?!?!?!" Post a comment with your own caption!!! 