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.

You may be thinking we're way behind in posts, and you're right. But lately we haven't been able to upload.

Saturday morning after Al gets home from foraging. That's pain paillase in the background, our favorite crusty bread, and a pain au chocolate - incredibly light with a strip of chocolate inside - to the left of the croissant. (About "pain," -- it's pronounced, more or less, like "pan," except you don't really say the "n.")

(photo above) Al and Noah, the two principal authors of this blog (so far), and Bryn, refusing to be silly. We'll get a shot of Shelly and Tristan in soon.

Food. You've heard about French food, right? We haven't been eating in any three-star restaurants yet, but everyday food is worth mentioning. Al is especially fond of green olives stuffed with anchovy paste, and also rhubarb yogurt. The kids eat mounds of bread and croissants (the inspiration for our blog title, "pain au chocolate," is a sort-of croissant with strips of chocolate inside), but a favorite is crepes - with Nutella for Bryn, Al and Noah, and strawberry jam for Tristan.
Nutella - that chocolate spread made from hazel nuts - is fabulous and it's not expensive here. So we're considering it to have the same nutritional value as peanut butter (which is expensive and also scarce).

Here's a photo of our small yard/garden from the balcony. You can also see the bottom of our towering spruce tree, Tristan on the bike, and the garage behind Tristan. The yard might look small to you, but it's a huge yard for this part of town. We're very close to the city center and can walk to everything - the bank, post office, grocery store, school and most important by far the boulangerie/patisserie (for baguettes and croissants of which we consume mass quantities). Our building is about 100 years old. A lot of newer apartment buildings surround ours and we have some great neighbors (more about them later). I think a lot of college students also live near us. We don't see them much but we hear them very very late on Saturday nights.

The first thing to tell you about is our house - well, apartment really. But it seems like a house because, by French standards, it's pretty big and has a nice yard with a huge cedar tree.

This photo is taken from the kitchen and past Noah you can see the dining room and beyond that the living room. The whole apartment has elegant french doors (porte-fenetre) like these. Can you see that marble fireplace at the end of the living room? There are six more fireplaces; even one in the kitchen.

Hello, everybody. Over time our blog is going to tell you about our life in Clermont-Ferrand and many other places we visit. We will also post photos that we take around town. Maybe they will help you understand more about our life. There is so much to tell you! This is Noah typing right now, representing the whole family. We will tell you about what is going on when my parents are here to type. Until then, Au revoir!