I've heard that you're not supposed to do any kind of internet "publication" about a vacation, while you're on that vacation -- basically anything that might broadcast the vacancy of one's home -- but I'm not so sure that Amsterdam thieves are such big readers of my personal website... And even if they were, well, our house is being well looked after by our neighbors Harm and Pauline. They both have a keen sense of hearing, coupled with mad skills in the martial arts, so that anyone even trying to break into our house would be very, very sorry...

So anyway, we're on vacation in France, and we're having a very lovely time.

First we spent two days in Paris. It was a very different exerpience for Marci and me, almost exactly ten years after our first visit to the city (sans les enfants) -- but still enjoyable.

Since then, we've been in Normandy, enjoying the beaches, the historic sites, and the natural beauty of the countryside. It really has been idyllic, in a lot of ways. The weather has been, well, comme ci, comma ça -- but at least it's been better than the weather we've been having in Amsterdam throughout the summer.

I've actually found myself enjoying the fact that the internet access is very spotty, in the little cottage where we're staying. A week of "radio silence" has suited me just fine. At the same time, I also think it's fun to share experiences and images like this -- so I thought I would make just a bit of extra effort to put up a few of my favorite photographs thus far. In addition, a broader collection of images can also be accessed in the Family Pictures section of the website, in case you're interested.

I'm still looking forward to the remainder of our vacation... though I will not say when we plan to return to Amsterdam (thus, thieves, beware that it could be at any moment -- and even if you get there before we do, you'll still have Harm and Pauline to reckon with!). Vacations are never quite long enough, but we're doing just fine with what we've got.