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Lakeside

Spot of Sunday relaxation by the lake (just us three), and a lovely dip too (Frith currently away, and not far from the Vietnamese border in southern China).

Make the most of our last three weeks

Lots of opportunities in the sun the last few days to make the most of our final lake swims  — we really will miss the chance to nip down and dip in the lake! Frith and Bea have been swimming down the river Limmat too (no pics), and overall — in between frantically organising and packing — we're making the most of the last three weeks here with as many swims as possible.

Spot of snorkelling

Well, not quite the tropical waters of Indonesia, but a spot of snorkeling after school on Monday was one way to beat the heat and I had my first lake swim of the year too - wonderful! Just love the adventurous nature of these two!

Swimming season started in Zurich

The lake was still chilly on Friday, but it didn't stop Bea and Ili taking the plunge (they had two days school holiday to enjoy). But, by the end of the weekend the Lake had amazingly heated up and Zurich was in full-on summer mode, with lakeside bars and lidos heaving! Had an evening swim at Utoquai, and Bea swam out to join Papa on the raft (can just see Bea swimming out from the bottom right of the piccy).

Swimming in Siena

Although most of the time we were driving around looking at potential places to live around Siena at the weekend — what incredible scenery, miles and miles of astoundingly beautiful landscapes — we did have a few hours to enjoy our accommodation at the Borgo, and of course the pool. A couple of Bea's classmates live here, so perhaps we'll be back another time!

School visit

So very very proud of these two, and although they were a little nervous, they took their first morning at their new school completely in their stride. We'd actually met a couple of children the evening before, as we were staying at the same accommodation, so that made things a little easier for them. They both loved the school, and I was very impressed with what I saw too. The International Baccalaureate is a great program and will suit Bea and Ili — a great mix of multi-cultural and multi-lingual children.

At the Borgo before we set off.

The school.

Florence (on route to Siena)

While Frith was in Kenya for a few days, the kids and I travelling back down to the Siena area so that they could have their first trial day in school. We had an overnight stay in Florence and watched a beautiful unset over the river Arno, and the large coypu swimming in the river. Such a beautiful city.

Siena and schooling

Successful visit to Siena and after seeing the sixth school (these things need good consideration!!), we've decided on the International School of Siena — the best school we saw by far — and both Bea and Ili said it was their favourite so that is a very positive start. Stayed at the lovely Borgo Argenina for the weekend and had a beautiful four hour walk around the area. Good finish to our searching.

Tin Tin's island

The inspiration for Tin Tin's island was close by, so had a stop on route to Italy to explore the coast a bit, and then further down the coast on the Corniche (spent time here as a child Ili's age — big thanks to Mum and Dad xx) we had to stop for a swim in the Med! Cold but beautiful!

Night on the French Riviere

Stayed a night in a quirky villa (where they filmed some of Natalie Portman's "Planetarium" movie) right on the sea near Saint-Raphaël. Very interesting history to the place (we met the Grandma) and it was like stepping back in time to a French Riviera heyday before the glitz, glamour and oversized boats. After being in the car for most of the morning, Bea and Ili were happy to explore the rocky beach. The little island that you can see in some of the pics was the inspiration for Tin Tin's island in the story books.