As noted, we are way behind on posts ... so here is the Cliff Notes version:
We spent Christmas in our beloved Clermont-Ferrand, right spang in the middle of France (where we live this year).
Then we went to Barcelona for a few days. Ever since our October trip to Paris, Paris had been our favorite city. But after Barcelona, we're not so sure. The architecture alone (mainly by Antoni Gaudi) makes Barcelona absolutely beautiful.
In February, a week of skiing in the French alps with a bunch of other families. More on that later.
In early April we drove south into Italy. Spent a week on the coast near the famous five villages of Cinqua Terra, then to a farmhouse in Tuscany for a few days, then took a car ferry to Corsica. Everybody's favorite. A fantastically beautiful island.