French agenda -- August 5th-18th

Sunday, August 1"
We hated to leave Mary and Xavierx at La Barbee but we headed south to Aix. we arrived in Cucuron just at Sunset. Amy loved her second floor room and settled right in. It is a remote charming rural French village and we love it. Today we drove to Aix and we are at an internet cafe. we did not think about the problem of a different keyboard

au revoir...

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To see a few Paris photos, go to http://tinyurl.com/mqe4y

August 11, 2006 late, late, Friday night
Ah...we hate to leave La Barbee and Mary and Xavier...We just finsihed a wonderful dinner prepared by Marta, a young Polish girl who is Amy's age who is staying at La Barbee to do the tours of the home since it is a historical monument. Marta is lovely and she and Amy have enjoyed each other's company...

Today we took Mary geocacheing...and what a day it was. I will have to get out my notes and Mary's map to see all the names of the places we visited...First a tower no doubt from the 1200s standing all along in the midst of a beautiful forest...then on to a beautiful lake, then on to a beautiful chateau Giseaux (sp?) where they were rehearsing Cyrano de Bergerac...and then to the all time memorable cache where we curiously went down a little path searching for underground caves where they used to mine stones for the chateaus. Mary heard voices in the cave and went in to investigate and before long, we were all invited by Pierre Jacques Druet for a wine tasting. There he was with all the barrels of wine in the caves...It was incredible...he was so charming and we all enjoyed the moments with him as he and Mary discussed (sometimes in French and sometimes in English)quite heatedly the various aspects of the wines in France. We sampled probably 8 wines and then he took us down into a special cave where he had some wines reserved only for his friends...it was an aperitif wine as smooth as silk...so lovely...and so special since he decided to share it with us. We were wishing Wil was with us! It was a great introduction for Amy to the world of wine.
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Unbelivable day...when then raced home on the highway to see Xavier waiting for us. Marta had dinner on the table and we sat down to a wonderful dinner...and talked for a few hours....we hate to leave...and could stay here indefinitly. Jeff is adding French words to his vocabulary and is saying Bonjoir to everyone! C'est magnifique!

http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/druet.shtml


August 10th, Thursday night
It is now 1am and I am just trying to catch up with my journal. Yesterday, Mary called H & M and took them" "to task" for treating Amy so poorly and for ignoring me when I said (in French) that my daughter was on the third floor in the dressing room when they closed the store. Can you imagine my chagrin when they pulled that garage door barrier down and here I was on the street with Amy missing! Anyway, when we returned today, a fellow named Alex helped Amy find what she wanted and we were on our way. Although Amy felt embarrassed about the whole incident, she was glad to get the things she liked!

I rode with Mary and Jeff and Amy followed as we traversed the city and left Paris for the roads to La Barbee, near Le Mans and Le Fleche. Mary and I talked nonstop the whole way and brought each other up to date on our families...the 2 1/2 hours flew by and before we knew it, we were turning into La Barbee. It is unbelievably beautiful here....a huge estate with a chateau built in the 1790s...it is actually the latest of many chateaus built on this site. The rooms are expansive with tall ceilings and floor to ceiling windows, doubled shuttered to insulate against the cold winters. We are staying on the second floor and we ascend up a spiral staircase each night to fall into wonderful beds with the crispest linens. We look out toward the front of the chateau, toward Le Loir, the river that runs through their property. The view is beautiful and I love looking out across the fields. Mary is an incredible guide...after touring most of the chateau and leaving our bags in our room, we toured Mary's English garden and Xavier's extensive garden with the bountiful apples, pears, vegetables, berries....and the beautiful hedges and extensive rows and row of roses. We visited the old horse stables and climbed the ladder to the loft...where we followed in Mary's steps so as not fall through the roof!

There is so much history here....and it is everywhere you turn....German soldiers during World War II cohabitated with the family during the war...and as the Allies were closing in, they blew up areas of the chateau outbuildings where they kept their munitions. Mary told us the story of how a German soldier warned the family to run to th river as the Germans were starting to blow things up. As they looked back at the chateau, bombs and missles were flying over the top of the chateau...and then, in the heat of the summer, with no rain for weeks, a huge storm came in and saved the chateau from burning....

It is an unbelievable place with portraits of so many of Xavier's ancestors gracing the walls of the various rooms. There is also a chapel where Mary and Xavier were married...dedicated to Saint Barbara. It is a beautiful chapel in a place where it is purported that the saint appeared to residents of the chateau.

Yesterday we walked in the woods where Xavier hunts wild boar and deer...and it reminded Jeff and me of our Washington woods....thick and dark, and deep....

Today we went to Chateau la Lude and to La Fleche for the French marketing experince. Since we will be on our own Saturday as we leave for the south of France, it was good to shop for groceries and ask Mary questions. Mary has spoiled us rotten, feeding us with traditional French ways, always elegant and so gracious.

Last night, we ate our supper in the garden, with tablecloths and candlelight. Tonight we ate in front of a wonderful fire that Jeff built in the huge fireplace in the farmhouse. We just finished our wonderful dinner, followed by endive and vinaigrette and roquefort cheese. C'est bon! Life here is so good...and we can all see how much Mary loves this place...we have fallen in love with it as well. Mary has imparted a great sense of history that this area brings. We will always remember the time we spent with her at La Barbee.

August 9th, Wednesday morning
Yesterday we slept until 3 pm! Jeff and I could not fall asleep after the wonderful evening at Mary and Xavier's. Finally at 5 am Jeff slept and I slept at 6am. We woke around 10 and went downstairs for a "petite dejeuner" (continental breakfast) we thought was complimentary, but turns out to be euros 13 ($18)! An extravangance but very convenient none the less. They did provide Amy a free room when we decided to stay Tuesday night, so that softened the blow.

Yesterday we visited Notre Dame and toured this wonderful cathedral. Then on to the Rue du Rennes for shopping. Amy almost got locked into H and M for the night...which she said wouldn't have been too bad since she could have tried on all their clothes at her leisure...but we were all happy to be back in our rooms once again. Yesterday Jeff and Amy enjoyed Panini sandwiches on the Rue St Germaine while I splurged and had a spinach crepe.

Today we will met Mary at 11 for our trip to La Barbee.
All is good in Paris!


August 9 Wednesday -- Leave for La Barbee, La Fleche, near Le Mans
http://maryannlaun.com/blogs/labarbee.htm


August 8th Tuesday morning 5:30 am
We are having a wonderful time in Paris. The weather is beautiful (including a short lightning and thunderstorm on Monday)! We arrived on sunday and after we got to our hotel and rested a bit, the three of us took off walking. With a baguette sandwich and sodas in hand we walked to the promenade near the Eiffel tower and sat on the grass, Parisienne style, enjoying the early evening. Then on to the UN building where we watched breakdancers and a Lebanese demonstation urging disarming of Israel. Then we trekked on through various French neighborhoods enjoying just being there. We went over to the Arc de Triomph and then down the Champs Elyssees, then cutting back to pick up a geocache right about the tunnel where Diana was killed now ten years ago this month.) Back to our hotel...5 miles later...exhausted but ready to sleep at 10:30pm Paris time! Did we kick the jet lag?

No chance! Amy and I woke at 4:45 and read awhile while Jeff snoozed on. We have a great little hotel with very comfortable, quiet rooms and Amy has her own little, adjacent bedroom...which she likes. Monday we were off again and this time Jeff tackled driving inthe streets of Paris...which is really crazy! We loved having the freedom of a car and took in the local sites as well as the flea market. We then went to Sacre Coeur and visited this impressive chuch at the highest point in Paris. We lit a candle for Mom and Carmelita at the statue of the little flower of St. Teresa. We walked the streets of Montmartre and found a cache in a beautiful little cemetary near the center of town. We had a wonderful lunch at a sidewalk cafe! Then we came home to rest a bit before our dinner plans with Mary and Xavier.

What a wonderful evening! Their apartment looks out at the Invalides which is glistening at night. We met John and Sue Tracey there and Mary served a beautiful French celery soup, roasted lamb and vegetables, followed by salade and cheeses. James was also there so we were able to hear of his plans to study physics next year at Leeds, north of London. We talked until after 2am and then we took John and Sue home...and we thought we would just fall asleep. Jeff and I were both wide awake two hours later. It is now 5:45 and I can hear the sounds of the city of Paris start to awaken....we will no doubt sleep late today!

p.s. For those of you who visited Mary in her previous apartment, the reason she had to move was that Mick Jagger bought it!

August 6 Sunday -- Arrive in Paris
Visit with Parisienne cousins and catch a glimpse of the city....
Staying at the Hotel Derby Garibaldi 92, Boulevard Garibaldi - 75015 Paris


August 11, 2006 Friday -- Leave for the south of France

August 12, Saturday --
arrive in Cucuron, north of Aix-en-Provence
Cucuron is situated about 17 miles north-west of Aix-en-Provence, at the base of the Luberon mountains. It is a picturesque medieval village set on a hill amongst vineyards, cherry and peach orchards and melon fields. There is a ruined Romanesque keep, a small museum and village church to explore and there are eight excellent restaurants, two bakers (one superb), two butchers, a small supermarket with all essentials, a wine co-operative selling local wines, paper shop, art and pottery galleries, olive mill and gift shops. The open air market every Tuesday morning has an array of wonderful local produce, including fish, meat, cheese and vegetables plus other gastronomic delights.

We are staying at Le Grenier. Le Grenier was the former home of the late James Gardner the distinguished industrial designer, who was responsible for many projects around the world including the Festival of Britain in the 50’s, the QE2 and many international museums.

Access is from the Place de la Fontaine, through a portcullis arch at the base of a ancient bell tower which dominates the old quarter of St Michel, then up a narrow street that will just take a car for unloading one’s luggage but is not for general use. (There is a carpark and adequate parking in the village.) This then leads to a small square with six houses of which Le Grenier is situated to the immediate left.

Le Grenier is a converted 17th century stone built granary on two floors in the ancient part of the village. The exterior: traditional stone with wooden shutters, a pantile provencal roof and a flight of stone steps leading to the front door on the second floor. The interior: whitewashed walls, wooden beams and natural pine and terracotta tiled floors.