We didn’t plan any trips during Ryan’s August vacation because I am very pregnant and not wanting to do much, but we’ve been keeping busy doing a lot of things in and around Clermont Ferrand.
We’ve spent several mornings going to Lac d’Aydat about 20 minutes away. Makenna loves playing in the water and making sand castles. A couple times we’ve packed a picnic, and in true French style we picked up a baguette on our way to the lake and made sandwiches on our picnic blanket. Just before the lake there are donkeys that you can ride, so we took Makenna on one and she had a great time and kept saying “he’s cute!”
Ryan recently got a child seat for his bike and he has taken Makenna on quite a few bike rides. Sometimes they take a ride to the store and other times they wind up at a park. It’s been great that Ryan can have this time with her since it’s usually me that gets to do things with her while he’s at work.
One weekend we took a ride to Thiers, about 30 minutes away, because it is known for knife-making. It’s a fairly small town with a ton of different shops selling knives. Ryan bought a set for us and then we decided to buy children’s cutlery sets for both Makenna and her little brother on the way. The shop engraved their names on the knives so they will be a special souvenir from our time in France.
Another weekend we went to Vichy, about 45 minutes away. Vichy is known for it’s thermal water that has healing properties, so we visited the Hall des Sources, where there are water taps that you can drink from for free. In the center, there are other taps that you can only access if you have a prescription from your doctor. There is something different about those taps that have healing properties for different illnesses, and doctors will actually prescribe this water for certain ailments. We walked around the town and took Makenna to a beautiful park along the river.
The rest of our days have been spent just enjoying having Ryan home and going to the public pool. And of course preparing for our baby boy that we will meet very soon!
The Pawlowski's Go To France 