saint amand de coly

I've been away on a "family vacation" to Capbreton last week and I'm finally back with my own computer and photos!

On my second day here, 7-year-old Baptiste had the day off (no school on Wednesdays in France!) and he planned our itinerary while his sisters were at their babysitter's. We biked to a tiny nearby village where we wandered around and had a picnic.

Saint Amand de Coly was so tiny that I think we saw less than 10 different people there. It was quaint with its tiny streets, charming houses and flowers everywhere. We even made a friend (who I like to call "puppy") that followed us around everywhere we went. Even though Coly is the tiniest town I've ever lived in (it's 3 kilometers wide), I hope I can take more biking adventures around the area to find little gems like Saint Amand.

le manoir

It's my third night here in Coly and every time I leave my room in the morning I always think, "Am I really here?" After the 10 hour flight to London, a slight mishap getting from Heathrow to Gatwick, a quick flight to Bordeaux, and a two hour drive, it's still hard to believe I'm here.

The family I'm staying with owns a hotel here in Coly (see gigantic manor house) and on the property, there's also another house (what I'd then refer to as a.. mini manor) where they live. The property/houses have been in the family for 327 years, and it was only turned into a hotel about 20 years ago. A branch of the Dordogne river runs through the property and there are little ducks everywhere.

I wasn't sure how I was going to fair as an au pair, and even now I'm not quite sure where I'm at. But, the kids are all sweet (even if they do like to test me) and hearing them go on and on in French is just about the cutest thing in the world.

More to come, bien sûr.