🍁 AUTUMN is my favourite time of year . . . all of a sudden, one notices that there are some shades of 🍂 orange, brown and gold on the otherwise 🍃 green palette of trees . . . 🍂 the odd brown leaf flutters to the ground, and soon there is a crunchy carpet underfoot . . . 🍁 autumn is the perfect season … Continue reading AUTUMN AGENDA au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
The 🍂🎃 Vacances de la Toussaint here in France fall this year between 🗓 Saturday 23rd October ⇒ Sunday 7th November 2021 – and you are in for a treat – as there are plenty of family-friendly activities a-happening here 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc. And this year, we find ourselves less restricted by 😷 Covid measures! We still have to wear masks for certain events, … Continue reading 20+ IDEAS for LES VACANCES de la TOUSSAINT au Pays du Mont-Blanc
All that we really need to do to enjoy art 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, is to open the window, as outside is 🖼 the most exquisite work of art of them all: 🌿 Mother Nature, Dame Nature! It is no wonder why so many 🎨 famous artists have been – and are still are – attracted to our 🏔 alpine scenery: 🍂🍃 the changing seasons, and … Continue reading OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
Each new spring season, ❄️ the snow melts and the 🌷 first spring flowers peep up shyly from the lawns; this re-awakening of nature is the perfect invitation for a buggy stroll . . . Early in 🌷 the spring season there may still be too much ❄️ snow along the river paths at higher altitude in 🏔 the Pays du Mont-Blanc, but there is a lovely stretch … Continue reading BUGGY STROLLS: Parcours de l’Eau Artistique (Arve River, PASSY)
I woke up a few weeks back now, on my 🐿 10th Groundhog Day, and decided that I would like to take the boys to 🗺 Paris . . . They have been asking to go for a while now, and I’ve always told them that we would go once they were old enough to be able to walk a fair distance without complaining (as … Continue reading GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY & CULTURE LESSON – learning about Paris (primary level)
I first got really up close and personal with 🌻 Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), his artistic genius and his personal demons, when I studied him for part of my GCSE art class (eek, 30 years ago!) . . . I made my dad sit on a decrepit old garden chair in our 🌸 springtime suburban garden, and then I painted him Van Gogh-style, with ☕️ a cup … Continue reading ART HISTORY LESSON – teaching your children about VINCENT van GOGH from your home!
It was quite by chance in the spring of 2014 that we discovered that we could enjoy the 📷 « Wildlife Photographer of the Year » exhibition fairly close to home, just across the 🇮🇹 Italian border from Chamonix! I had always enjoyed visiting the London-based exhibition at the Natural History Museum (NB « Wildlife Photographer of the Year » competition – exhibition was developed and is produced by the … Continue reading « Wildlife Photographer of the Year » (Forte di Bard, ITALY)
Every visit to the 🇮🇹 Aosta Valley unveils another wonder to the MBFF family . . . On one of our visits, we stumbled – quite by chance – upon 🖼 a modern & contemporary art museum IN a 🏰 20th century castle overlooking the valley! I did know that one of the 🏰 Aosta Valley castles (the valley is know as The Valley of 100 Castles!) housed … Continue reading CASTELLO GAMBA – modern & contemporary art in the Aosta Valley (ITALY)
When my friend heard that we were to spend the weekend in Lyon during the Toussaint holidays, she asked if we were heading to Mini World Lyon, to see the Harry Potter Lego® exhibition: « L’expo-dont-on-ne-doit-pas-prononcer-le-nom » . . . and that got me wondering if I would be able to fit in a visit to our already busy weekend in Lyon, as I have two … Continue reading MINI WORLD LYON – a unique & fabulous family visit!
During the 🍂 Toussaint holidays of 2019, MBFF spent a long weekend in the beautiful city of 🏙 Lyon. As Daddy MBFF had some work meetings in the beautiful city, we decided to head there en famille, arriving at our hotel (located in the 7è arrondissement, just across the river from 🖼 the Musée des Confluences) at 8h in the morning (eek!), in time for me … Continue reading LYON – 72 hours of fun & visits en famille !
There are several 🧬 BIG SCIENCE EVENTS that occur regularly 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc and beyond, and we have the annual 🧪 La Fête de la Science approaching fast! 🧪 La Fête de la Science – from 1st ⇒ 11th October 2021 (annual); 🧪 La Nuit des Sciences – every two years in Geneva; 🧪 CERN Open Days – every few years, the CERN opens to the public; This … Continue reading SCIENCE MUSEUMS, EVENTS & ACTIVITIES for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
[ La Rentrée 2021 – 2022 update ] WEDNESDAYS are, in many of the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc communes, a day free from scholastic duties (for children in maternelle and primaire, at least!). A day to perhaps explore a new ⚽️ sport or 🎨 leisure activity, 🏡 to relax at home or to head to garderie (where kids will discover lots of fabulous activities!) . . . … Continue reading LES MERCREDIS – sport, nature, creative activities and relaxation for children au Pays du Mont-Blanc
🍁 AUTUMN is my favourite time of year . . . all of a sudden, one notices that there are some shades of 🍂 orange, brown and gold on the otherwise 🍃 green palette of trees . . . 🍂 the odd brown leaf flutters to the ground, and soon there is a crunchy carpet underfoot . . . 🍁 autumn is the perfect season … Continue reading AUTUMN ACTIVITIES for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
I had been wanting to see and experience 🖼 « Annecy Paysages » ever since its conception in the summer of 2018 . . . and a couple of summers ago, on ☀️ a beautiful sunny day, we finally found a window for a visit en famille. Despite it still being ☀️ summer holiday season, and BUSY, we still had a fabulous time. And just last week, … Continue reading « ANNECY PAYSAGES » en famille (ANNECY)
The 🐧 Muséum Genève, Geneva’s natural history museum, was our go-to museum for ☔️ rainy days when our boys were small! We have – over the years – pushed 💤 sleeping babies around the exhibits there, watched our toddlers crawl, run and topple over there, and we have spent plenty of time running after them too! (now we actually have time to read the information!). … Continue reading MUSÉUM GENÈVE – Natural History Museum (Geneva)
We first visited 🐶 Barryland – Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard with a dog-loving and inquisitive 3 year old and a sleeping (mostly!) newborn baby in a pram . . . this visit coincided with the arrival of Saint-Bernard puppies! A year later we visited again and this visit coincided with another litter of cute puppies, but also with the most wonderful 🐣 Easter egg hunt in the … Continue reading BARRYLAND – Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard (Martigny)
A visit to 🌳 La Maison du Salève makes for a wonderful family day out . . . originally an 18th century farm from the Chartreuse de Pomier (La Ferme de Mikerne – see here for more history), the building has been renovated to host a cultural centre recounting the history of the ⛰ Salève mountain and its environs (a permanent interactive exhibition and temporary exhibitions) . . . … Continue reading Maison du Salève (PRÉSILLY)
[ note: please check Covid-19 restrictions for entrance (online reservations, face-masks, limited numbers, etc . . . ) ] You have perhaps heard that saying ☔️ “ there’s no such thing as bad weather; just badly dressed people “ ? (I heard this several times on a couple of work trips to 🇮🇸 Iceland!) . . . that may well be, but even the strongest of resolves can be … Continue reading RAINY DAYS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
When I had my first baby nearly 11 years ago, I had just moved to a new town 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc . . . I knew nobody in the town, and was quite lonely and keen to find 🌈 baby activities and playgroups, in order to get out and about and to socialise a bit! Progressively, I discovered the 🌈 playgroups that were available … Continue reading BABY & TODDLER activities au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
We are lucky to have some 🖼 wonderful museums 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, many housed in architectural gems (old, new and renovated). . . and as well as their permanent collections, they also offer 🎨 temporary exhibitions and workshops for children and families over the school holidays! [ ⇒ see MBFF article about 🖼 MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc here and 🖼 OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITIONS & EPHEMERAL OUTDOOR … Continue reading MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS (beyond the Pays du Mont-Blanc)
Throughout the year in 🇨🇭 Geneva and Nyon, from 🗓 September ⇒ ⇒ May in 🇫🇷 Cluses, and from 🗓 October ⇒ May in 🇫🇷 Annecy, several 🖼 museums & temporary exhibitions are FREE on the 🗓 FIRST Sunday of the month! In addition, the museums often put on some 🎨 wonderful workshops & guided tours for children and families (also FREE) on this day. The next FREE Sunday will be this 🗓 … Continue reading [ Geneva, Nyon, Cluses & Annecy ] – FREE museums on FIRST SUNDAY of the month!
🎨 Le Chalet des Créateurs in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a fabulous venture, bringing together: 🖼 a gallery showcasing local creative talent (45+ créateurs, with collections changing with each season); 🎁 a boutique with unique hand-made, local goods and gifts to buy; 🎨 a centre providing workshops for children and adults throughout the year (and especially during the school holidays); 🎨 workshop facilities for local artists; A little history Charlotte Paget is the protagonist in … Continue reading Le Chalet des Créateurs (SAINT-GERVAIS-MONT-BLANC)
A few years back, a contingent of the MBFF team (the youngest member and myself) headed off on 🎨 a voyage of art exploration and discovery . . . to 🅿 the newly painted multi-storey 🚙 car park in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains: 🎨 2KM3. This art project really is a masterpiece: an alternative museum of street art, a FREE museum, a museum open every day of the year! … Continue reading 2KM3 – when a car park becomes ARTWORK! (SAINT-GERVAIS)
The MBFF team members are 🇮🇹 big fans of Italy for holidays! As a destination from the 💦 Arve Valley, it is easy to get there through the 🚇 Mont-Blanc Tunnel and we can also book hotels and apartments last minute! Italians simply LOVE children (and not just well-behaving children; ALL children!), the food is very family-friendly (and delicious!), and there is endless nature, history and culture to … Continue reading Forte di Bard (ITALY)
🖼 La Fondation Pierre Gianadda in 🇨🇭 Martigny, Switzerland is one of my all time favourite museums! There are some fantastic 🖼 temporary exhibitions organised here (every 6 months the main exhibition is changed, and past exhibtions have included: Klee, Goya, Rodin, Giacometti, Moore, Modigliani, Claudel, Chagall, Braque, Dégas, Manet, Dufy, Miró, Gauguin, Bonnard, Van Gogh, Picasso, Morisot . . . ). r. The building itself is an … Continue reading La Fondation Pierre Gianadda (Martigny, SWITZERLAND)
