Toulouse with friends

What a whirlwind month it has been! Posting has been tough from France because there has just been so much going on… what a change of pace from New Zealand. So here’s a quick recap of our last month in France with friends.

Our dear friends, the McMahon’s, arrived in Toulouse at the beginning of February. These are the friends we met in Christchurch who are also using their sabbatical to travel the word and just so happened to be splitting their time between Christchurch, New Zealand and Toulouse, France. What an incredible coincidence. As soon as they arrived we basically saw Sarah, Jay, Maggie, and Finn everyday. Maggie started babysitting Mara, with help from Sarah and Finn, giving Wylie and I some much needed relief and Mara some new excitement in her days. They completely took Mara in like one of their own and by the end of the month Mara was so comfortable she was taking 3 hour naps at their place! And thanks again to Maggie and Finn we even got time for just the adults to go out for dinner sans kids, 4 times in one month!

We went on a weekend getaway with the McMahon’s to the nearby town of Albi. It was about an hour by regional train from Toulouse. We stayed in a very cool, very old, very charming airbnb in the center of Albi. We explored the town, played games at home, drank plenty of wine, and ate tasty food. It was a great little getaway and so easily accessible by public transit! There are so many places like Albi to visit, each one with its own charm.

We got to spend time with more friends during our last weekend in France. Our good friend Amanda came from Barcelona, and Sandrine, who Mara lovingly calls cou-cou, came from Paris. Oh and I can’t forget about Sandrine’s pup Bao, he came too! Despite super crappy weather we had an amazing weekend hanging out together and even got to spend a night with Jay and Sarah while Maggie watched Mara. It was so nice to get to introduce our old and new friends!

We had so much going on in our last month, that it honestly feels like a bit of a blur. But the standout is definitely the time with great friends… that, and a solid month of no diapers, except for sleep, go Mara!