Reflections

It was a priceless trip. The experiences were great. We lived a different lifestyle and were able to change our daily groove. We lived the Parisian - life. We spent time getting to know county folk, we tried to pick up some French culture and habits, like spending more time talking at the table. Treating our meals with a gourmet attitude and maybe having an eclectic feel in our house (hanging a sword on the wall, finding a marble bust). Some things stay the same, for example, brothers and sisters still fight over nonsense. TV is still the entertainment of choice.... 

This marble bust was tucked into a corner in the house we rented in Amboise.

Day 14: travelling home odds & ends

Time to list some trip events that did not make it into the blog.

Kilometres driven: 1960km

Gas station fill ups: three and one half tanks

Total Cost of diesel: 195 euro

Wrong turns with the car:

1. Into on coming traffic (lucky no cars were coming)

2. Twice around the round about because we did not know which exit to take

3. Onto the bike bath (which looked like a narrow road)

4. Onto a dead end street (I blame the GPS for this mistake)

5. Into the car wash entrance and not the parking lot exit, I was able to back out.

We think we climbed between 2000 and 3000 stairs.

Days without flan, two.

Days with rain, one.

Mice that the cat gave to us, three.

Pictures taken 1700.

Walls Jonah peed on: Six.

Personal toilet paper: one role in Paris.

Ten loads of laundry.

Suitecases: four coming to France and five leaving. 

Icecream consumed: Too much.

Flan consumed: Way too much. Even in the airport....

Don't tell anyone but before leaving Amboise we went to the Gigot cafe for breakfast for an extra 500 calories. Then we filled up a shopping bag with croissant and pastry for the trip home. It seems we cannot pass a 

   

Day 13: Chinon Royal Fortresse

A cool and sunny day, perfect for the hill top Chateau in Chinon. The chateau has a dragon theme that the kids liked. We loved the feeling and the information. There was a clear and easy history that was explained as you went through the chateau, in part with creative films about the period. Most important was Joan of Arc meeting King Charles vII in 1492. 

One of the very friendly touches here are lawn chairs for the guests to use...made a great picnic spot, when no one is attacking.

What do you think we ate?

Yes, that is a can of sardines and avocado, we are really deviating from our regular diet. We even had tomato and cucumber before the cantaloupe and flan.

I can only imagine that it took all summer to cut down enough trees to heat the chateau. Especially because every room had a massive fire place. 

We are packing up tonight. Going to a bakery for breakfast then heading to Orly for our flight home. The accommodations in Amboise have been great for our needs. We have a parking spot, we don't need to use the car to walk to the city centre and the house is very nicely set-up.

What did we learn?

You can hear church bells no matter where you are in France.

The kids are exploring more and more, with their diet. In the last two days they have tried, tomato soup with tomato and basil ice cream, French onion soup, mussels, and cream brûlée. No matter what we order everyone is happy with their meal. Today we sat at an outdoor brasserie for one and a half hours, who knew that the kids could sit that long at the table and talk and eat.

We are coming home, our pants fit a little tighter, our cheeks a little more plumb and our willingness to try new experiences more generous.

Day 12: "is it art or pig?"

I think this picture explains our title.

We spent he morning walking the local vendors market. One side was meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables, the other side was clothing and costume jewelry. We bought soaps and cheese cake. Guess which one is in this picture. Okay the picnic table is a clue. Blackened cheese cake loaf. Light and fluffy and does not taste burnt.

Chateaux Chenonceau is huge and fascinating. Many people inside, but the grounds are spacious and it is fun to walk around. The kids loved the donkeys, I liked the gardens and the chateau kitchens. .

Each room has a fire place big enough to burn tree trunks. This fire place is six feet wide and five feet high. The chateau has an amazing history and was used until 60 years ago. In both WW I and II the chateau was first a hospital and then an escape route out of occupied France. O

Today we slowed the pace down somewhat. Everyone is tired after a late night out. Still we did a lot and walked until our feet hurt.

Today we learned:

Jonah- Nothing

Isabel- only women lived in the Chateau

Sam- donkeys are cuter than you think

Iris- Donkeys don't attract flies

Steven- The French lifestyle is about pleasure. Family, food, socializing, leisure. 

One more day before we fly home.

Day 10 in Nolay

Another beautiful day in Burgundy. Today we drove to the town of Nolay. We were somewhat surprised to learn that we had already been through the town and stopped at the bulangerie before. Luckily it was one of the best stops we made. The bread and pastries are Devine. Funny thing about the GPS is that the route seems to change, which is confusing but also nice because each road offers different scenery. 

We did a two part hike. Bout de Monde, not well marketed so there are local people, but few tourists. The loop is 3.5 hours, but not really. I think we walked 3/4 of the loop in 90 minutes. On the way back we found what we were looking for, the grote. the cave entrance was five feet off the main trail. We could only look into the cave from a tiny hole in the face of the cliff. As we looked into the cave we could feel the cool damp cave air. The hike lead us up to the top of a limestone cliff. Not dangerous but very scenic. 

The second hike was shorter. From the trailhead we walked  through a field to the base of the cliffs we were on top of during the first hike. There was a great oval formation with towering rock walls and a cascading waterfall. This was the best possible spot for our last lunch in Burgundy. We perched ourselves on a low rock ledge and ate and ate some more. Today we added to our diet because we purchased gigantic tomatoes called Coeur de Boeuf.

 As you may know, public toilets in France are few and far between. In the county there are no public bathrooms. Some restaurants will allow a child to use the bathroom, while others restrict the bathrooms for clients only. At the parking lot next to the hike there was no bathroom, and no hope of making it back to Nolay in time, so Jonah had his first lesson in how to shit in the woods. It was a pass/fail lesson and Jonah passed!

It was 33 degrees Celsius back at the car, but the heavy shade during the hike kept us feeling comfortable. We found the church in Nolay and the tiny village also had a fountain. All three kids were soaking wet and feeling refreshed. Before driving home we  walked to the grocery store for a box of pistachio drum sticks. All-in-all we finished touring  Burgundy on a high note.

Back in Beaune we stopped for take out pizza somwe could eat dinner by the pool. The sign said non stop service from noon to midnight but of course the door was locked and the restaurant closed at 4:30 on a Friday. We opted for a swim and then Isabel and I drove to Suerre to find dinner. We found frozen pizza, turkey nuggets, cantaloupe and candy... Another successful meal.

   

Day 11: Escape Chateau Amboise

We had a full day, I am blogging at 12:45am. 

We left Beaune at 8:30am and as we passed through Toucy we were in the middle of the Saturday market, it seems you can buy live chickens for 15 euro, not a bad price, but Iris would not let me stop the car. 

We arrived at an working museum called Guedelon. Using 13th century tools and techniques they are rebuilding a stone chateau. Really they have created a village already, in order to support the project. Of course there are stone cutters and quarry workers. But there were carpenters, blacksmith, rope makers, cooks and farmers. As you can see we ordered a typical 13th century meal with pork, sausages, egg (we think) and lettuce. We also ordered a meat plate to share.... There was not too much sharing, Iris volunteered to eat the pickle.

Here a worker uses an axe to shape a beam from a log with unbelievable skill.

Back in the car for 2.5 hours. After a brief shopping break at the Grand Frais, a great find for fresh produce, we arrived at our final destination, Amboise. The house is perfect, Clean, spacious, well equipped and best of all a short walk to the centre of town. The owners have an old collection of cool hats. The Internet works too!

We walked around town which is lively and intriguing with many paces to eat. Lots to explore tomorrow including the Sunday market with 400 vendors. 

I forgot a funny story. Remember the Gaul sword we bought? Well Iris was right, it is too long for our suitcase. So on the drive we found boxes in the trash that I will cut up and tape around the sword so we can check the sword as language on the plane. I don't think we could get it onto the airplane as a carry on.

Why did we name this blog Escape Chateau Amboise? 

While walking around Amboise we ended up buying tickets to the 10 pm light show about the history of Amboise. Of course the story is told in French, we are all very tiered, the show ends at 11:30 pm, the show is outside. Clearly we should have been wiser about this grand spectacle. Upon sitting in our seats we knew that we made a mistake. The show started 10 minutes late, then it started to rain lightly. Finally when Jonah fell asleep we got up and pushed our way off the stadium seating and walked out crossing between the seats and the performers. We made our escape, laughing all the way.

 

For sure we learned a lot today. Mostly the 13 century building and innovation for the time period was impressive. One of the coolest tools was used by the rope maker to twist string into rope using a two part tool we are calling the rope tool. I had no idea how many innovations came from the Romans. I think the boys wee impressed by the second floor outhouse. Iris picked up a recipe for bread and chicken-fat pudding. Isabel loved the lunch plate.

 

Day 7: Ceaser

Today we visited Alesia, the great battle between the Romans and the Gauls. Of course the Roman army won. The kids did a 90 minute training camp to learn to use the sword and shield. They loved the lesson but were nervous about the French. They had no idea the fighting manoeuvre terms were in Latin!

The museum was beautiful and educational. We each had an audio guide to explain the history of the area and the Gaul and Roman arms and war strategy. Even the coffee was nice that Iris and I enjoyed while the kids did their 90 minute program.

In this picture you see the plains upon which the battle took place. I will add pictures of the kids training when the vacation is over.

As always lunch was a baguette with meat and cheese, but today we also had fresh cantaloupe, very sweet. Instead of Nutella, Jonah had cream cheese, and enjoyed the change in menu.

What did we learn?

1.The tourist office in town offers free Wifi.

2. The fighting training and leadership of the Roman army gave them a commanding lead over the disorganized Gaul troops. Also the philosophy was that injuring was better than killing because it is harder to care for the injured than the dead and causes more hardship for the opposing army.

3. Isabel really enjoyed the military training.... Maybe she will have a career in the army?

4. Sometimes the gift shop wins... Like today. We almost had an inexpensive day, but Sam argued so eloquently for the replica Gaul sword that we had to get it for the house as a commemorative decoration.

On the way home we stopped at the Inter Marche to get groceries and ate salad and chicken wings next to the pool. Guess what we ate for dessert? More Flan! The kids snuck an entire flan pie into the shopping cart.

Outside of the circular museum The roof is a circular with grass and birch trees on the roof top garden. Very spectacular, maybe because we visited the terrace without the kids, it seemed romantic. 

Tomorrow we visit Autun to see Roman ruins and a winery and cellar on the way home. 

  

Day 8: 22km

We reserved five bikes from Montreal and arrived at 10AM at the bike shop in Beaune. All five bikes fit perfectly. Two minutes with a map orientation and off we went. Three KM through Beaune and then onto a bike route through the 1re cru wine region of Burgundy. Breathtaking as you might imagine. We packed our lunch, baguette, melon, peaches, etc... And after passing through three towns, including Pommard, we stopped for lunch at the town fountain in Meursault. Here is a picture of our feast on the cobblestone road.

Along the way we stopped for a break and were invited to eat lunch inside at the table of the vineyard owners. So on the way home we stopped to eat our melon and get a tasting of her wine. We spent over one hour at the vineyard and each of us had a wine glass and we tried five wines.

We learned to look at wine, smell wine and then taste wine. The kids could identify the earthy and fruity  smells in the different wines. By the end Sam and Iris each found their favourite wine and we left with three bottles. Before leaving we went into the wine cellar to see the barrels and the bottles. Some of the wine is exclusively for their family and has been stored in the cellar (cave) since the great grandfather made the wine in 1912. The most amazing thing was spider webs around the bottles. We are already saving one bottle to drink at Isabel's bat mitzvah. 

Then we biked back to Beaune and returned the bikes, we walked around town, found flan, ice cream and coffee. We walked in and out of various tourist shops and liked what we saw, but not the prices. 

Back at our Gite we relaxed and swam. We planned to BBQ and so did our hosts. Just before dinner three young ladies showed up by bike. We had cheese and wine and everyone ate together at the outside table. Marian was especially excited to eat our "American style" hamburger and white bread bun. Here is the BBQ 

Finally we found three non-smokers. They said that it is a stereotype to think that everyone in France smokes. Perhaps I should compartmentalize the stereotype and say that everyone in the county side seems to smoke. The educated city folks know better.

What did we learn today?

1. Steven checked another item off his bucket list, biking in France. Even 22KM satisfied his criteria because the conditions were so perfect.

2. The kids loved the adventure, they need to be challenged so they feel like they are in dependant and able to succeed.

3. We learned a lot about wine tasting and growing wine and how wines are labeled.

4. We learned that the grapes are hand harvested and that the kids can come back when they are 18 years olds to learn about wine and work in the fields during harvest. The best wines are still crushed by bare feet.

5. We learned to have a great adventure some days and not to expect that everyday can be perfect....but today was pretty close to perfection. 

Jonah feeling empowered after biking uphill without having to get off his bike and walk. It was not an easy climb.

Tomorrow we visit the Citadel with three sections, zoo, historical section and park.  

Day 9: scary to cool

The Citadel de Besancon used to be a scary place. Wars were waged, people died. But now the sight is cool. The fort walls provide a remarkable view, if you are not scared of hights. There is a zoo, and the bamboos live in the old moat. There is a large section about the the deportation of Jews and the Holocaust. There is a long passage way in the stones with very old iron fireplace reflectors displayed. And we visited the Sow sculptures. These huge sculptures are really impressive, but we were tired and ready for ice cream.

As we learned, on August 15th there is a holiday and most stores were closed all day, others closed around 1. Despite the construction detour we were able to locate the only open ice cream stand.

The drive up to the Citadel was WOW. I was sure the GPS had gone crazy or Iris had input the wrong location. Sure enough we wound our way up the hill, through narrow roads and even under an arch to arrive at the main gate. The drive home was funny I made two wrong turns. The second mistake put us east on the highway, 14km closer to Switzerland. We debated driving to Geneva for dinner, but opted to stay in France and reduce our time in the car.

Today we really ate junk. On the way we stopped and the kids each got a pastry, Jonah got two. At the same time we got one more flan to add to the two pieces we already had. We stocked up on baguette and Croissant for the day. For good measure we also had five peaches.

Without too many choices for dinner and all the super markets closed, we ventured into Beaune for dinner. Naturally then first and second restaurants were closed. We walked around a found a good menu and a nice table outside in the shade. The food was super again. I was not surprised when Isabel ordered lasagne, or when Sam asked form a ham pizza. I was shocked that Jonah wanted more  escargot. So we ordered six, and shared them. Of course his kids meal included more ice cream.

As you can see I forgot my iPad today. So I'll add pictures after the vacation.

Back at our place the little town is celebrating August 15th with a street party, dancing, beer, amusement park crap and at 10pm a fireworks show. We forced ourselves to attend and the fireworks were very well done and we had a great view because there are so few people who live here. 

Flaking out, overtired, restless, already dreaming and may not have brushed our teeth, we are all in bed trying to muster the strength to hike tomorrow, our last day in Burgundy. The plan is a 40 minute drive to Nolay to visit the area and hike.

Day 8: thwarted

Not every day goes according to plan.

We drove to Autun and the activities we planned were not happening. The tourist information had no bathrooms and the wifi was not working. We walked around the town and saw the Roman ramparts. The kids were not impressed, "we came here to see a wall?" 

A short drive in town and we found the Roman Temple of Janus. We ate baguette, of course. Under the shade of the temple and in sight of the warning sign that stones could fall but we relaxed in the shade of the temple, Jonah was proud because he and Sam and Isabel went to the bakery alone to get the baguettes and they were especially tasty.

After lunch wanted to swim, of course we only had Bermuda shorts, which were not allowed. 

On the way back we stopped at a recommended wine cellar. They were closed!

the kids cooled off and played and enjoyed the afternoon back at our rental house. 

What did we learn?

1. Even the best planning sometimes does not work.

2. The kids have zero interest in wine and wine making

3. Everyone in France seems to smoke.

Instead of eating-in we chose to eat in one of the restaurants that had good Trip Advisor ratings. The first restaurant was closed, despite the sign on the door saying they were open for dinner. We drove through very narrow streets to the second restaurant, It was also closed. This seemed strange to us because it was 6:30pm on Tuesday. We preserved to the third and final restaurant on our list. Everyone was happy with their meals. Jonah even got ice cream with the Bambino special.

Lesson 4. Don't give up. 

Tomorrow is Wednesday, we will stay close. We want to see the Wednesday market in Beaune and we reserved five rental bikes from a local bike shop. That should prove to be quite the adventure.

Day 5: travel

Off to the train station to catch the high speed train, TGV from Paris. As everyone knows the train system is Europe is easy to use. The service was very good and the trains was on time. We all relaxed for two hours. In Dijon we found Avis and got our Peugeot. By rare chance the car is automatic transmission and diesel fuel. We left our bags in the car and left the car in the Avis parking lot so we could walk the owl trail in Dijon.

We found the Owl trail right away and then made a wrong turn and ended up in a botanical garden. Of course the kids found a fountain to cool off and a water fountain to refill their camelback water backpacks before we rejoins the owl trail.

We ended up in the town square in the centre of Dijon. Maybe the most picturesque town square I have seen. We ordered ice cream and drinks and before long the kids were wet from running in the fountain.

More bread, more flan and back to Avis. The car is fun to drive and having our GPS and the built in GPS is great. We never know which GPS we should follow.

With only one wrong turn we found our house covered in vines. The house is romantic but old, 250 years old. I am pretty sure it won't fall while we are here for seven days, but it might. The home owners sleep in a converted room next to the old barn and I think their 19 year old son sleeps on the sofa in the back living room. We have the attic to ourselves and the bathroom is easy to get to, just push open the curtains. The owners are so nice, they gave Isabel her own bedroom because it is not rented. Iris, the boys and I are sharing the bed-bathroom experience.

After swimming in their pool and drinking 3 bottles of wine it is bedtime.

(No Internet connection here, so I will post this when I can)

Day 6: Hiking & Caving

Lucky we found dinner, a person could starve on a Sunday evening in the French countryside. There is almost nothing open. We were hungry too, after climbing le Roche de la Solutre and exploring two caves on a guided tour.  The view from the top of the mountain was beautiful. The path was well used and has been since the Roman times.

The Grottes d'Aze were also beautiful.  The caves were cold at 12 degrees.  We saw lots of cool rock formations and stalactites and stalagmites.  It was very beautiful, and Sam was enthralled by it all.  The second cave had been used by prehistoric people and animals.

Unfortunately we weren't able to wish Andrew happy birthday since we have no Internet access.  Living like truly on vacation. No Steven understands the depths of his Internet addiction. 

Today was another long day. Isabel found the hike hard while jonah was tired and cranky in the caves. We found a road side dinner and got a few crepes then continued into Macon and found pizza and hot chicken subs. Very tasty and we were all happy to sit and eat.

An evening swim to revive the kids spirits and day six is done. What did we learn?

1. We need internet to survive. 

2. Don't try to shop on a Sunday afternoon in the French country side.

3. Stalagmites extend up and stalactites extend down.

4. You need to be "special" to share your house with travellers. 

5. It feels very gratifying to see a mountain from the bottom and to climb to the top.

6. Always have an extra bottle of wine, so that you do not run dry on Sunday!

. 

Andrew, happy birthday. Sorry we could not find Internet access on August 11th, but we were thinking of you.

So long Paris

Leaving Paris and taking the TGV to Dijon. Paris was great. Changing speeds for the slower pace of the county side and smaller cities, Dijon and Beaune. We are also leaving our Marais flat and moving to a bed & breakfast.

Bon voyage.

Day 4: Paris By Foot

Today we did not need public transportation. We walked to Notre Dame. Then after 1.5 hours in line we walked up the spiral stairs to the bell tower. While we were there at noon we were treated to an earful. The bells rang for a long time. The church is 800 years old and unbelievably beautiful and massive. We counted 360 steps going up. It was steep and scary going down.

We learned that the chimeras are simply decoration. The gargoyles extend off the side of the building and function as drainage pipes.

Three chimeras

For lunch we walked over to Café Panis in the Latin Quarter. The food was great. Sam and Isabel tried and loved croque Madame et Monsieur. Jonah had crepe Nutella. Iris had amazing quiche with cheese and potato. I enjoyed calamari and red wine. Trust me, we ate well. Considering the location of the café this could be a real tourist trap, but I recommend eating here. For example,

After lunch we walked the Latin Quarter to the crypt under the Pantheon. Isabel could not go in, too scary. But the rest of us enjoyed the macabre. For kids I might skip the Pantheon. We could not see the pendulum, due to construction it was removed. On the other hand we had the opportunity to stand at the very center of science.

Ice cream on the way home. Not just beautiful, also delicious, Amorino

Baguette sandwiches for dinner. Early night walk and late night Nutella crepes to finish the day.

Seine River at sunset

 The hat? Jonah found this "news boy" hat in a vintage clothing store behind the Centre Pompidou. The price was 6 Euro, the happiness was priceless.

Yummy, late night street snack.

So, what did we learn? We cannot do everything.... We will have to come back to Paris to see the Catacombs, Les Invalids, other parts of the Louvre, Monet's paintings and more time to sit and drink and socialize. Slower is better, cannot expect to rush in Paris in the summer. Wine bill after four days, 16 euros, for me and Iris (and Sam enjoyed a few sips).

P.S. When we get back we will tell you about the time I took the kids into Passage du Désir. Really I had no idea it was a sex shop, until we got kicked out! How rude, I did not even have the chance to take pictures.

Day 3: August 8th marathon de Paris

Jonah's 9th birthday in Paris!!!!  Today's theme was go, go, go. We explored Paris by Batobus along the Seine River. This is a great way to move slowly. The all-day pass worked well for us. With the sun shinning the boat gets hot, bring water.

We got off and took a walk at the Jardin des Plants, avoid the little zoo. Lunch was baguette and cheese on the Batobus between stops.

Jardin des Plants

 We 'ah'ed and oh'ed' at the gorgeous Pont Alexander and all the bridges are fun to see from the boat.

We strolled among the canons at the muse d'armes, (We did not have enough time to go in because we had a 4pm reservation at the Eiffel Tower. Maybe we can come back on Friday.)

and marveled at and on the Eiffel Tower. Purchase your tickets from home three months before the date you want for the Eiffel Tower. This gives you a guaranteed date and entrance time, saving two hours in line.

Not every 9 year old Canadian boy gets to celebrate his birthday on top of the Eiffel Tower. Lucky Jonah....

Sam, Isabel and Jonah are becoming master photographers.  And we are building up our leg muscles.

Walked over three bridges, two gardens, one boulevard, and about 360 Eiffel Tower stairs (down, from the first level to ground). There is no good restaurants around the Eiffel Tower so we got back on the Batobus and picked a random stop and restaurant... we were tired, hungry and lucky because we ended up at Mucha Café

Risotto with shrimp....

"Hamburger" salad... Cured ham and roasted goat cheese. Not kosher but we ate it all so that the chef would not be insulted! Wow was it good.

After dinner we wanted to see the Eiffel Tower at night and managed to catch the last Batobus of the night. It was worth it.

Today's picture is Jonah celebrating his ninth birthday on the Eiffel Tower.  

What did we learn after 14 hours? You are allowed to but your feet up on the chairs on the Batobus, but you need to take off your shoes. The shore of the Seine River is party central after dark, very safe and very fun. Judging from the warning signs the pick-pockets are a problem, but we have been lucky... So far. The kids can do anything we can do, traveling together is very very fun.