Opa and Oma joins us on holiday
March 3, 2013 31 Comments
Oma!!!!
To a little girl who have her grandparents a constant presence from day 1, three weeks feel like eternity to not see them for that length of time. Thus, when we were planning our summer holiday last year, we took into account that opa (grandfather) and oma (grandmother) can also join us for a few days.
As driving the over 1,000 kilometers distance is not my father-in-law’s idea of driving pleasure especially at the height of the European summer holidays when highways are filled to the brim with traffic, we arranged for them to fly from Rotterdam Airport to Bergerac Airport which was a good hour’s drive from where we were camping. Though we have quite a spacious six-person tent, camping is no longer their idea of holiday convenience so through booking.com, we found a cozy two-star hotel in the village of Le Coux et Bigaroux, about 10-minutes drive from our camping place. My mom-in-law fell in love at first sight with the charms of Le Chambellan. Nothing fancy, the hotel’s magic is woven from its gardens filled with many lovely plants, canopies of grapes under which we would have our dinner on a balmy summer night and its close proximity to the Dordogne River from where we would enjoy carefree moments throwing stones and snaring little trouts in later days.
It was a very hectic day for opa and oma who had to start early with their trip starting with a bus ride from their place in Dronten to the train station in Kampen from where they could take the train to Rotterdam. From the train station in Rotterdam, they then took a bus to Rotterdam Airport and then boarded the Transavia flight to Bergerac. Weary but happy, it was a wonderful moment for all of us to see each other again. The little girl was overjoyed to see her beloved opa and oma and could hardly wait to keep them up to speed on what to do and see in the coming days.
Oma!!!
So happy to have you here, Oma!
“Opa, you are here at last!”
Can’t wait to check out presents from the grandparents.
Le Chambellan
Canopy of grapes under which we would later have a lovely dinner
Charming Le Chambellan
Cozy window panes and lavender in bloom
Beautiful skies
Cozy nook and corner at Le Chambellan
Le Chambellan courtyard
Summer blooms
Le Chambellan courtyard
Oma and Francesca at our camping
Oma and Opa
Opa and oma with Francesca at our camping place
Oma and Francesca
Stone-throwing
Stone-throwing
Opa and Oma at the Dordogne River
Oma and Francesca at the playground beside the Dordogne River
Shallow waters of the Dordogne River
Dordogne River
Stone-throwing
Looking for flat stones
Waiting for dinner
Steak and fries
Typical Dordogne dish — Duck
Chocolate dessert
Strawberry dessert
Dessert
Francesca
Our family
Weary but happy after the long trip — bus, train, plane and car all in one day to reach France
This cat at Le Chambellan is a cutie.
Francesca find this cat a real cutie.
About Malou
The food looks fabulous!
It was, John.
Oh what beautiful countryside! I love how you captured the rapturous joy on the faces of the Little Girl, Oma, and Opa. As always, love the pictures of the food and duck is one of my faves!
Thank you, Kelli. Pictures were not so sharp because I had no time to focus on these very spontaneous moments. Dordogne is a great place if you love anything with duck.
Obviously a joyful time! Great fun!
Yes, it was a joyful time for everyone.
Being a cat owner/lover, you just KNOW what my favorite shots are of this group.
Ha, ha, ha! I’m sure that you’ve been charmed by this cutie.
LOVE the face of the little kid in the baseball hat at the airport watching the joyous reunion of Francesca and her Oma…
Yes, that kid was so amused by the sheer happiness of my little girl at seeing her grandparents.
Lovely pictures of a family reunion.
Thank you, Chrisstov.
As usual, beautiful photos Malou. What a lovely holiday. The food looks amazing as well.
Thank you, Althea.
As usual, beautiful photos Malou. The food looks amazing as well as the surrounds.
So good to see family, right? Looks like you had a wonderful visit!
Yes, it was a wonderful few days together. We really had so much fun.
Love your photos! Great that you’re able to enjoy some family vacation time. The blue on the windows of the hotel is so French! and so charming! Thanks for sharing! ~ Sheila
Thank you, Sheila. The French had their way of doing things which has a charm all its own.
Such a soothing place to vacation, Malou! Everyone enjoyed obviously, as all look so happy, especially Francesca! That ‘steak and fries’ have made me very hungry…but it is only a bit after 6:00 AM here…and only chicken and salmon in the freezer!
The countryside of France is really beautiful and charming. There was so much to see in that part of the country, especially parterre gardens and castles.
Chicken and salmon should be ok too.
Look at the delight on Oma’s and Francesca’s faces! You really captured a beautiful moment. All of the photos are gorgeous. That cat in the last photo looks like he’s had a rough day – tough life huh?
They can’t bear the long time apart so you can just imagine how happy they were to see each other again.
What a nice vacation! And that hotel is filled with charm.
Yes, can hardly wait for a repeat of that holiday. France is simply divine.
SO FUN! Love the reunion shots, and that little cottage is just gorgeous! Felt like I spent the evening with you all
Thank you. Simple hotel with lots of character.
Lovely photos. this is such a wonderful reunion. I hope your daughter will have lasting memories of them when she’s older.
Thank you, Mary-Ann. She’s extremely close to the grandparents and we do our best to create these holiday memories together which we hope will stay with her forever.
Great family photos Malou, your daughter is growing so beautiful.
Thank you.