AU REVOIR LA FRANCE

On Friday July 23rd we packed our bags to the point of bursting and jumped into a cab (no more metro for us) heading to the airport. As we were walking to the check-in at the airport we ran into our good friend Susan Fuhr and her two sons Kieran and Landon. They had just arrived on the Toronto flight to Paris and were waiting for their Dad, Greg, who was flying in from Johannesburg, South Africa to meet them to begin their holiday.

We boarded our plane without incident but then our departure time was delayed by 45 minutes due to a security breach at the airport. Because of this delay and yet another delay waiting for our bags at the Toronto airport, we missed our connecting flight to Edmonton. Fortunately, we were able to get on another flight to Edmonton leaving 50 minutes later. Once we landed in Edmonton, we were greeted by Harley and Joan (Gramma and Grampa) who drove us back to our house. We spent an hour re-packing and then headed to the lake for the weekend. Logan participated in a Pro Am golf tournament at the Gull Lake Golf Course. He golfed really well (considering that he was off the course for three weeks) and his team placed fifth.

Our France trip surpassed all of our expectations. We met some amazing people, experienced a different culture, sampled great cuisine and enjoyed the amazing French landscape. It was wonderful to see that our children were comfortable in another culture different from their own. All in all, this was a fabulous adventure for our family.

FRENCH PASTERIES

Our first couple of trips to the patisseries we focused on purchasing baguettes and croissants. Occasionally we lucked out and found freshly baked baguettes that were still warm. It wasn’t until the last days in Paris that we paid attention to the “dessert section” of the store. This was the beginning of our pastry tasting adventure. We tried éclairs, Opera squares, chocolate mousse cake, thin pastries with custard, macaroons, etc. We can’t remember what they were all called but we thought they were all delicious. We didn’t pass too many patisseries without having a look inside. Even Logan was able to find a type of French donut that was nut free.
Finding yummy treats was not only limited to the patisseries, we also found a certain type of chocolaty goodness in the grocery stores. This confection was like a dense waffle that had been glazed with granulated sugar then dipped in chocolate.

ALBI, FRANCE

We woke up to another hot and clear day on Wednesday so we spent the morning and early afternoon in the pool. Later that afternoon we decided to follow Christiane’s advice and venture into Albi. So we programmed the GPS for Albi and it took us north along windy country roads. Along the way we were treated to vistas of beautiful fields of sunflowers and lush pastures. We drove through many small villages and noticed that they all had a church as their focal point/hub of the town.
Forty-five minutes later we arrived in Albi and drove to the centre-ville. We parked our car and toured through the narrow streets looking in small shops and patisseries (bakeries). After walking quite a while we came upon Cathedral Ste-Cécile which was the main reason for our visit to Albi. Christiane said that this cathedral was worth the drive and she was right. With the exception of the entrance, the outside of the building wasn’t very elaborate. We were not prepared for the sight that greeted us once we stepped inside. This cathedral was amazing. Rod thought that it was comparable to Paris’ Notre-Dame in its beauty. There were sculptures, walls painted with biblical scenes, carved stone pillars, stained glass windows and elaborately decorated alcoves. The main focal point was the pipe organ located high above the altar. The actual pipes were very large and all around them were cherubs carved from dark wood. The construction and installation of this pipe organ took 30 years. This did not surprise us as we had never seen carving that elaborate. In fact, everywhere you looked, you could see the amazing craftsmanship that went into decorating the cathedral when it was built between 1282 and 1512. The day we were there we heard a small chamber choir performing for the tourists. Their voices blended effortlessly and the sound was carried all through the church.

After touring the cathedral we continued our walking tour through the town. We found a nice restaurant and had another delicious French meal. It was very hot that day and after we ate our dinner Taryn and Rod decided to run through the fountain. Most of the other fountain jumpers were under the age of 5 but this did not seem to bother them.

We drove back to our cottage as the sun was setting.

DINNER AT THE HEN HOUSE

On Tuesday night we were invited to join Laurence and Christiane for dinner at a restaurant owned by family friends. We met at their house at 7:30pm and enjoyed a drink and snacks. Around 8:30pm we headed out with Laurence in the lead. We drove out of town quite a while before turning off the highway onto a much lesser used road. We continued on this twisty dirt road for about 10 more minutes (passing through a marble gorge) until we were sure that we would never be able to find our way back to civilization. Then we drove into a farm yard. This was Le Bonnerie – an exclusive restaurant housed in an old stone building that was once the farm’s henhouse. We were surprised to see peacocks wandering around the yard and horses in the paddock.
The menu offered three selections for the main course. Logan, Taryn, and Rod ordered the lamb. I ordered the mackerel and Laurence and Christiane ordered les coeurs des canards (duck hearts). For appetizers we sampled cantaloupe with prosciutto, roasted tomato tart, duck with lemon juice and parmesan, and roasted eggplant with roast veggies. These dishes are all examples of traditional French country fare. What a gastronomic adventure! All of the dishes were fantastic. Logan even tried the duck hearts and the eggplant dishes (please don’t faint G & G!) and proclaimed them “really great”.
We had such a good time with our hosts. This was truly a highlight of our time in Castres.

Merci pour le dîner, Laurence et Christiane. Trés fantastique!

CRAWFISH HUNTERS

It all started when Laurence (owner of le Moulin) told us about the little creek by le Moulin and how there are crawfish and trout in the water. On the second day we went down to the creek just to see if we could see anything…nothing. A few days after that Dad and I baited the traps Laurence showed us with some Italian sausage and put it in the water where it was most deep, and within 5 minutes we had our very first crawfish. I named him Phill. With two”L’s”. We put him in a pot that had some water in it, and then put the traps back in the water and we did that a few times. The second one we caught was a bit smaller so I named him Jimbo. After that came Sparky and then the biggest one we caught was Big Daddy – he was the last. Dad named him. At first we thought we would serve them with a delicious rosé sauce but then I decided that they should stay with their families so we put each one back where they came from. We also gave them extra pancetta for their troubles.

LE MOULIN DE LA ROUQUETTE

Sorry for the lack of blogs lately, but we have been lazy while at Le Moulin de la Rouquette. We arrived on Saturday night and instantly fell in love with this place. When we first started planning our trip we looked into booking hotels. Unfortunately, with two teenagers, it was difficult to find hotels with queen beds or accommodations to fit all four of us. The norm for French hotels is one large bed and one single bed. After speaking with family friends that have travelled to France with 3 children, they suggested we look at the website, http://www.homeaway.com/. This is a website where people rent out their vacation homes. At first we were reluctant to go this route, but after looking on the web site and finding some great places to stay, we made our reservations. All three of our accommodations outside of Paris were found through this website. Each of the accommodations has exceeded our expectations.

When we arrived in Castres, we meet the owner, Laurence Maraval Haddon at her mother’s house. Again our GPS unit was instrumental in directing us to the exact location. We were greeted at the gate of the house by Laurence’s mother, Christiane. Then they drove us to Le Moulin de la Rouquette as it was about 8 km outside of Castres. Le Moulin is located in a forested area on 2 acres of land - very isolated. It is a beautiful country cottage with an open concept and four large French doors which open up the whole south side of the house onto a wide veranda overlooking the pool. Beyond the pool runs a small river which cascades over very large granite boulders. It is spectacular. The kids each have their own bed and share a bathroom. The main bedroom has a king-size bed with full ensuite. It also has a full kitchen and large dining and living room.

This home was built by the Maraval family in 1961. It is obvious to us that this is a much loved family retreat featuring items gathered from their many travels and adventures. We feel privileged that they are willing to share this wonderful place with us. Since arriving, Mae and I have already discussed returning. We love the very tranquil and relaxing environment which has been a perfect fit for our third week of vacation. http://moulindelarouquette.blogspot.com/

Since arriving, our days have been leisure. Our morning routine has been eating breakfast on the deck and spending the rest of the morning and early afternoon by the pool. Once we had enough sun, we head out on adventures touring the Tarn region.

New video links have been added to the blog (Top right). Click on links.

ANOTHER GREAT DAY AT THE TOUR (STAGE 14)

The start for stage 14 of the Tour de France was again in the small town of Revel, France. Our accommodations were only 20 minutes away. Logan and I got up and had breakfast and decided to go see the cyclists start the 14th stage. The last part of this stage had two very large and steep hills. It was going to be a long day at the office for these professional cyclists. Logan and I arrived in time to see each cyclist sign in for the race. Each day the cyclists go up onto the stage and sign/ autograph the start sheet. It is a great way for the spectators to see each cyclist. Lance got a huge ovation. After they sign in, they mount their light-weight steeds and head out on the 185 km stage. We were able to see all the cyclists leave the starting gate followed by all the team cars. After the cyclists left, we shopped at the cycling and Tour de France boutiques. Not sure how we are going to get all the swag back home in our checked luggage. Unfortunately, this was the last day of the tour for me as it moves farther into the Pyrenees Mountains and is about a 2 hour drive one way. I am thankful my family allowed me the time to see this amount of Tour during our vacation. I would definitely like to come back and follow the Tour with a bike. I saw a lot of cycling groups today at the start.

AU REVOIR FRENCH RIVIERA

Yesterday, we left the beautiful French Riviera and headed west towards the Pyrenees Mountains (Tarn Region). We were able to get away early but found out quickly that it was the long weekend for the Bastille Day celebration. We found out later, that this is the worst weekend to drive in France. You would not believe the traffic on the superhighway. After about an hour into our travels we hit the gridlock. It was like driving in Los Angeles at rush hour, but it was for 75 km and did not look like it was getting any better. We reprogrammed the GPS unit to get us off the highway and take the back roads. Unfortunately, the back roads have slower speed limits, but at least we were moving. Also, the back roads were very windy and every 10-15 km you drove through a small French town. The positive thing about driving through the French country side was that we saw some great medieval castles and chateaus.

After a long day of driving, we arrived in Castres at about 5pm. Unfortunately, we could not meet with the home owner until after 6pm. We were about 20 minutes from Revel, which was a finish line for Stage 13 of the Tour de France. My family agreed (with some persuasion) to head over to the finish line. We arrived just in time, to see the finish and all the cyclists come through and head to the team buses. I was able to get close to Lance Armstrong as he left the team bus and hopped in the team car. It was another great day at the tour.

PARLEZ-VOUS FRANCAIS?

Our children continue to impress us with their language skills. Once we left Paris we noticed that the ability to speak English diminished the farther we drove south. This was no problem for us because the kids were able to communicate very well. Occasionally, there were issues with pronunciation or accent but generally the kids did great. It is so funny how a shop keeper will start talking to Rod or me and then once the kids start talking to them they totally ignore us. Interestingly, it seems to be the older generation that is more apt to be able to communicate in English.
When we were in Marseille we found a Nike store (all of those who know Rod are not surprised, right?). One of the sales staff that was helping Logan came over to Rod and I and told us how well Logan spoke French. Of course, Logan had to translate this for us so we are taking his word for it.

FRENCH RIVIERA BEACHES

We thought that the beaches we had seen in Cassis were very nice but when we saw the ones in Bandol we knew this is why people flock to the south of France for the sea, sand, and sun. The beaches were sandy instead of rocky and instead of dropping right off the water level went deep very gradually. From the beach we could see many sail boats, larger ships and even a French navy vessel. Rod’s dream of owning and spending a year on a sailboat is back into high gear. Rod and Logan especially liked the sights at the beach (did we mention that tops are optional on French beaches?). Once we had enough of the beach (and oogling) we walked into the market area of Bandol. For lunch, we decided on a restaurant that featured mussels. When served, the mussels arrived in a boat with French fries or salad. It was a great presentation. The consensus was that the French mussels rocked. After this we had ice cream, of course.
I don’t know what it is about being at the beach that makes a person so tired. We felt like we had the stuffing kick out of us. So the rest of the evening was pretty low key. We started packing our bags and cleaning the apartment knowing that we would be leaving in the morning.

DRIVING IN FRANCE

When first starting to plan the trip, we thought that we would travel by train around France. It seemed like it would be a great adventure. Once looking into the cost and the lack of flexibility to move around easily, we decided to get a rental car for the two weeks. It was optional to get an automatic or standard transmission. I thought it would be fun to drive a standard around France. It has been about 15 years since I have driven a standard vehicle. I took the subway to pick up the car at Hertz and tried to drive back to the hotel to pick up Mae and the kids. Unfortunately, the address I punched into the GPS unit did not take me to the Hilton hotel. I drove around for about 60 minutes until I found landmarks I knew and finally arrived at the hotel. I think Mae was getting concerned. We got the car packed up and headed out of Paris. That was the only time the GPS has failed us. We followed the directions out of Paris. Unfortunately, it took us through the 10 lane traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe. There are no lines on the road and it was a true free-for-all going around. We almost got nailed by a truck cutting us off. With all of us looking on their side of the car for vehicles and motor cycles we got through. That was the toughest traffic circle we have experienced so far. There are many round-abouts (traffic circles) in France and a great way to get around without traffic lights. As for the motorcycles, you have to be watching out for them all the time. They pass you on both sides and cut in front of you at the lights. Also, they are usually in packs. As I am still getting used to driving a standard again, I am not the fastest driver. The French drivers are very impatient. I think the first day I was honked at 7 times. Each day, there is less honking. Hopefully soon I will be the one honking.

If you do plan to drive through France we would definitely recommend the use of a GPS. The maps from AMA only show the main highways and super highways (toll highways). All the little side roads to the towns are not on the maps. Our GPS unit has got us to a lot of places that we would not be able to find on a map.

Once out of Paris, it was much easier to drive and the super highways have a 130 kpm speed limit which allows us to travel long distances as fast as possible.

Drive throughout France has been relatively easy. Once we got to Cassis it was very challenging. This port town is surrounded by steep hills. Therefore all the roads from/to the port/marina are windy and steep. It has been difficult going up hill with the standard. I am sure my passengers have sore necks from whiplash due to the high revving of first gear.

We will be leaving Cassis on Saturday for the Pyrenees Mountains along the Spanish border. I am sure there will be more hills to deal with.

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY

In France, July 14 is formally called La Fête Nationale (National Celebration) or Bastille Day. It is comparable to July 1, Canada Day. Unfortunately, this year we did not get the opportunity to celebrate Canada Day, as we flew to France on that day. Last night, down in the port area of Cassis, the celebration was starting. The port area was full of people, the restaurants were full and there were bands, street performers and magicians throughout the streets. There were also open markets with all the vendors selling their goods. It was a great evening. We headed to the car at about 10:30 pm and we were walking upstream of all the people heading down to the port. I am sure the party went on for a long time after we left.

In the morning, we spent time by the pool. The weather has been so hot that by 9am it is in the high 20s. With no air conditioning in the condo, we just want to eat breakfast and head to the pool to stay cool. Logan made pizzas and salads for lunch. We then headed towards Bandol, the next biggest town east of Cassis along the French Riviera. It was a beautiful drive along the coast. It is a very hilly area with long windy roads overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It took about 40 minutes to get to Bandol. With it being a National holiday, everyone was at the beach and very difficult to find a parking spot. We finally found a small parking spot and I had to use my parallel parking skills, with Mae eyes outside to assist getting the car in. We walked along the beautiful beaches and looked at the wonderful shops. Mae found a great bikini. Taryn also found a great ice cream shop to help us cool down from the intense heat of the sun. The thermometer was at about 34oC today. We then drove back to Cassis.

We cooked a wonderful dinner at the apartment. We picked up fresh seafood yesterday for our Bastille Day dinner celebration. We cooked up garlic shrimp and mussels in a tomato wine sauce. Dinner was accompanied with a great bottle of local French wine.
After dinner, we cooled off with a swim in the pool. We then walked over to an open area overlooking the port. It was a perfect spot to watch the great display of fireworks. When we returned to the condo, we all had a delicious bowl of ice cream with several games of cards. Now it is time for bed.

CASSIS BY THE SEA

On Saturday we said goodbye to Leslie and her family and began our journey to Cassis. Rod’s idea was to take the scenic journey via secondary roads that wound their way through towns and villages instead of using the super highways. This was a great idea until we discovered that we had been driving about and hour and a half and had only covered about 1 ½ inch on the map (approx. 10 inches to our destination). So off to the super highway we go. These highways are toll roads and even though these tolls really add up, they are worth the time they save driving (especially with the “are we there yet?”s in the back seat). We finally arrived in Cassis after 7 hours of driving. We tried to follow the directions to our rental but we ended up getting hopelessly lost. This port town is built in the coastal cliffs rising almost straight from the water and the roads are amazingly steep and narrow. The owner’s father came to get us on his motorcycle and we followed him up the cliffs to the apartment. We were so happy to get there.

Sunday morning Rod and I left the kids and made our way to the market to get some breakfast fixin’s. After eating we headed to the beach. Parking any where near the beach is a nightmare. Even if you find a spot it will only be about 8 inches longer than your car and you would have to an amazing parallel parker. So Rod dropped us off and drove up the cliffs to find parking. The first beach we found was very rocky but the next beach had much smaller rocks and was lots more comfortable. We ended up staying too long and the kids got sunburned. Taryn loved the sea. The water was so clear and refreshing.
For supper we headed back to the heart of Cassis and ate at La Place. This restaurant set up a big flat screen TV outside where everyone sat and watched the final World Cup game. When Spain scored the winning goal the whole place went nuts. After Spain won (11:00pm) we headed for the car and back to the apartment. It was another long day and everyone was very tired.

STAGE 6 TOUR DE FRANCE 2010

Logan and I got up early today to go see the tour stage 6 (Motangris to Gueugnon). We went to the feeding station between the start and the finish (Brinon-sur-Beuvron). We drove through the French country side passing through small towns and villages. There was no traffic on these windy roads and would be wonderful to cycle on. We arrived at the feed station just before the cyclists arrived. We waited for about 2 hours for 30 seconds of cycling action. After they went by, we headed back to the Chateau, where Taryn and Mae had a relaxing day. I think I got a better perspective as to how fast these cyclists are moving in a group (peloton). I can now check off “Seeing Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France” from my bucket list. Overall, it was a great day for 30 seconds of excitement.
On the way home, from the highway to the Chateau, there is a stretch of road with no traffic. Ever since we got the rental car with a standard transmission, he has been intrigued. You should have seen his eyes when I pulled over and told him to try it. One of the reasons I wanted to let him try was that he thought it was so easy to drive a standard. Just release the clutch and push the gas. Well, I have to tell you after a few tries and stalling the car each time, he could not figure out what he was doing wrong. After several attempts he did get the car moving in first gear and shifted nicely into second. We continued practicing all the way to the Chateau. I have to give him credit, he did learn a lot quicker than I did. I still remember my bride having the patience to teach me how to drive a standard transmission.