From July 5th to the 8th we stayed with the daughter of our friends from Marsannay. A few years ago Sophie spent six months with us while doing a practicum at the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City. We affectionately refer to her as our French daughter. She attended our youngest daughter's wedding and our oldest daughter attended Sophie's wedding. We are quite close to our "family" in France. Sophie and Emmanuel have two children, a girl and a boy. We were able to pack in quite a few activities while there. The first set of slides show their home near Lille. /
They learned to play the game Therapy while visiting with us. They liked it so much that it was a Christmas present one year. We played the game a couple of times while in their home. It was just as much fun as we remembered.
One afternoon we spent at the Jardin Mosaic. There were many theme gardens on the grounds. These are just a few of the art objects we were privileged to see.
This is the last posting concerning our European trip. It was a wonderful and adventuresome trip. Driving through Germany and France was fun. It wasn't until I returned home and took a look at the speedometer in my car that I learned 130kph is quite fast. The Germans have the right idea, NO PASSING on the right.
We look forward to our friends/family coming to visit us next year. Maryann is already collecting information on appropriate places.
One of the best ways to promote world peace is to get to know folks from different lands. It works for us. It could work for you. After all, look at the friends you are making just by blogging. Just a thought.
In the meantime, continue to... Server with integrity, care about those you serve and share the love in your heart/soul. #488
During our visit to Dijon in 2004, Jean Louis thought we might be interested in visiting the memorial to World War I American soldiers who had died in the hospital in Is-sur-Tille. There were 238 "doughboys" who died there. The memorial was beginning to deteriorate due to environmental conditions. Later in the summer of 2004 work was done to refurbish the monument and replace the names of the Americans. The photos below were taken in late June 2004.
This year JL asked if we would like to see the refurbished memorial. It was a must and I am glad we did. The following slides show the results of the refurbishing effort on the memorial.
When we got there we met the Deputy Mayor of the town. He, and some of the citizens were at the memorial to give a guided tour to a bus load of tourists from Germany. We were asked if we would like to tag along. Of course we agreed. We do not speak French and understand very few words in German.
Prior to the arrival of the tourists, we asked if we could go into the town hall to see the bust of Marianne. She is an historic representation of liberty and reason. Many women have been the model for the statue/bust. They include Brigette Bardot and Catherine Deneuve to name a couple.
JL thought it might be nice if we could see the one in the local town hall. We had been unable to see her in any of the other communities we visited on the trip from Normandy to Marsannay. We did try, but they were usually closed. It pays to talk to the right people.
Marianne
We were also invited to have a drink with the French hosts of the tour once the Germans went on their way. We couldn't because of another commitment. It was nice of them to ask. This was to be the last day of our visit to Marsannay. The next day we begin our adventure through Germany. #478
This day was a sad one for us. It was the day we had to instruct the vet to put Hazel out of her pain and misery. We had hoped she would hold on until our return. It was not to be. She was a good cat and we loved her dearly.
To cope with our sorrow we decided that we should go for a walk along the farm land and to a copse of woods about a mile to the West. Marie, the youngest daughter of our friends walked with us. It was very therapeutic for all of us. Maryann was able to find a stone to bring back to use as marker for Hazel's final resting place in our back yard.
Along the way back, a neighborhood cat greeted us. We would like to think that Hazel might have sent her to let us know it was OK. It wasn't until later that I learned about the Rainbow Bridge. Thanks, Karen, for sharing the poem. #477
One of the highlights of our visits to the Dijon area is a trip to Beaune. You can google map this one too.
We had planned to visit the Fallot Mustard Museum in the morning. They open at 10 AM and we were there waiting for the doors to open. They no longer manufacture mustard at this site as they once did. Our guide gave us quite a nice tour. One of the most interesting parts was to learn how the mustard seeds are crushed with a little oil. An interesting fact we didn't know about was the taste of pepper when they are first crushed. We even got a chance to taste some of the different mustards. All quite delicious.
The next stop was shopping at Maryann's favorite store. We were in it for about 20 minutes before she realized that we were there. We all had a good laugh about that one. After the requisite shopping we had lunch and then prepared for the next event, the tour of the Bouchard Pere & Fils winery. Google might be of help here too.
We had a fun time locating the winery. Apparently there is another Bouchard winery in Beaune. We stopped there first only to discover that we were at the wrong place. They would have given us a tour there but we had a reservation at the other one. The young lady who was our tour guide was very knowledgeable and quite hospitable. You can see that there are bottles that have been in the cellars for quite some time. She told us that every 25 years or so the vintages are decanted, tested and re-corked. After touring the cellar we toured the grounds and then went to the tasting room. There were only seven of us on the tour. You can see how sumptuous the grounds are.
Our friends had made a dinner reservations at le P'tit Pardis, a restaurant that was highly praised in Wine Spectator. Our reservation was for dinner at 7:30 PM when the restaurant opened. We had some time to kill so we toured the vineyards in the surrounding area and then spent some time at a beautiful park in Beaune. We got a kick out of the children feeding the animals. You might know that I couldn't get my camera ready when the little girl in red was nose-to-nose with one of the deer.
After a lovely day we returned to the main part of town to get ready for dinner. It was around 6:30 PM so we walked around the town and passed the restaurant, la Cave du Paradoxe. We arrived at le P'tit Paradis around 7:15. There were two young woman sitting at one of the outdoor tables chatting and smoking. It was obvious that they worked there and were waiting for the time to open for business. When asked if we could sit at a table until our reservation time, we were quite rudely told NO!!! We informed them that we were tired and just wanted to have rest. NO!!! We mentioned that we had read a glowing report in Wine Spectator. "We don't need that", was the reply. We left. Since we were tired, hungry and thirsty we decided to dine at la Cave du Paradoxe if they had space for us. They did and we had an enjoyable dinner. The wine was good too.
We then went back to "Paradis" to inform the manager of the manner in which we were treated. Much to our dismay the rude young lady pronounced that she was in charge. She mentioned she was sorry. Too little, too late.
We didn't quit with that. Our friends wrote to the local restaurant guide of our treatment. Maryann wrote to the editor of Wine Spectator. Later we learned that our friend, Jean Louis, happened to meet with one of his insurance company agents who worked in Beaun and told him of our situation. The agent said that the owner was a personal friend and that he would have a talk with him. We are waiting to learn what, if anything, happened after that.
In spite of that minor glitch, we had a wonderful day. There is something about sharing such adventures with good friends that makes the experience worthwhile. #476
This was the day we traveled back to Marsannay le Bois and the home of our dear friends. On the way we stopped at the town of Vezelay and toured the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalen. There is something about the architecture and the construction methods of ancient times. It is amazing how these structures can be built with such high ceilings and they didn't have the benefit of cranes and other motor driven devices.
The view from the top of the hill overlooking the village of Vezelay Les Fontaines Selees is spectacular.
(This is an attempt to circumvent whatever challenge blogspot has put in my path.)
Several years ago, 4 or 5 probably, we visited the gardens at Villandry. We were quite impressed with them. When planning our trip this year our friends decided to surprise with another visit to the gardens. The real surprise was the B&B we were to spend the night. It was the same one we visited on the previous trip to the Loire Valley.
For some reason the gardens did not seem as magical as they did on our first visit. How quickly our minds embellish some of our memories. With that in mind, I can look at these photos and be suitably impressed all over again. I hope you will be too.
When we left LeHavre we were headed to Dijon and would arrive there after several days on the road. We would spend this night at a La Mere Poulard Hotel on Mont-Saint-Michel. On the way we stopped at the Caen Memorial in Normandy. It is dedicated to peace and non-violence. While it is dedicated to the efforts of the soldiers who served on Normandy, it does draw some parallels to subsequent wars and police actions. There are displays from the 9/11 attack in NYC.
We also visited the Bayeux Tapestry museum, but they have a policy prohibiting photography. I obeyed the rule.
We then proceeded to Mont-Saint-Michel. It is a sight to behold when you first see it from the roadway. It is located on a very rocky island. There is an ancient Benedictine Abbey at its peak. There is a town that is located at the foot of the "mountain". The streets are quite narrow and are filled with shops, hotels, restaurants and bars. The way to the top is quite a trek. We had to stop several times along the way to rest. Of course there were ample opportunities to take photos.
Because it is on an island, you have to drive across a causeway to get to it. There are designated parking areas. You can park elsewhere, but you do so at your own risk. The tide will come in and take your vehicle away.
One of the things our hotel is famous for is their omelets which are made over an open wood fire. They still prepare them as they did when Madame Poulard first did. It is quite a show to watch them being prepared. It is even tastier.
Sunday, June 22nd, we have been in LeHavre for two nights and it is time to disembark. The cruise has ended. Most of our fellow-passengers have departed. There are buses to take them to the airport.
We are packed and waiting for our friends to collect us and takes on the next step of our adventure. They did not show up at the appointed time which is very odd. They are always, and I do mean always, on time. As you can see from the photo with the bus, it is difficult to see the boat from the roadway. With that in mind, I went up to the road and waited there for them. It was about a half hour later, we were the last passengers to leave, when I saw a couple of vehicles driving up the pier from the other end. I recognized the first vehicle as a police vehicle. The second vehicle pulled along side the police vehicle and flashed its lights. I knew then our friends had arrived. I was so excited, that I forgot to get a picture. Now our adventure could continue.
We proceeded to the B&B for the first night-La Ferme Chevalier. The accommodations were quite comfortable. Along the way we saw many houses with tatched roofs. Thatching is a technique that dates way back in Normandy. Today it is too costly to have it done and the insurance rates are exorbitant. There is something of a fire hazard to be sure.
The rest of the day was spent touring Trouville-Deauville. (When the tide goes out, it goes out.) You may recall that Deauville is the place in France where American film makers participate in an annual film festival.
As you can see the casinos in both towns are quite something to behold from the outside. We did not visit either casino, but we did have a very nice dinner in Trouville. It was a fitting ending for a busy day. #471
