The place we are staying in Dijon is our own house attached to our host’s home. This home is usually occupied but was available for us. We are all sleeping in a loft which the kids love. It’s almost like a tree house and they have toys here too which make the girls very happy.

This morning we played games with our host Céline’s kids, some in English and some in a combination of English and French. My kids resist learning French sometimes which can be frustrating for me. I hate to waste the opportunity but I know it can’t be forced. Céline’s children speak English so play has been easier though sometimes they still don’t understand each other.

We had lunch (well my kids had pre-lunch then we all lunched together).

Then after lunch we went to a local park, Combe à la Serpent which had some fun playground equipment.

We brought along some of our “road toys” which were a big hit because they were new to Céline’s kids. We even made a scene for the mermaids and fairies to play in with things we found at the park.

When we were walking between the two playgrounds, there was a little path alongside the main path that the kids took. The trees had lots of moss on them which made the area look like it came from a fairytale.

Nova found an iridescent beetle.

After the park the kids and I needed to get groceries. The plan is for me to cook the rest of the dinner meals while we are here with Céline and her family. I hadn’t seen an Aldi yet but I checked Google maps and there was one on our way home. Shopping at Aldi was great. It was enough like the US version to feel comfortingly familiar but different enough that it took us over an hour in the store before we could check out. I got everything I needed except for marsala wine, soy sauce, and an acceptable cheese to put on tacos (sorry but emmental won’t do!).

I made hamburgers for dinner. Aldi had the best looking hamburger buns I have seen since arriving in France. I couldn’t even bring myself to buy the ones we found in Strasbourg and instead we went bun-less there. These were great. Besides the hamburgers we had Coke, cucumber salad, and strawberries. I somehow managed to both burn and undercook the green beans but overall it was a well-orchestrsted meal. We even got to enjoy it out on the patio since the weather was so beautiful today.