This morning started as all mornings should: with pastries. Freshly stuffed, we were on the go by 9:00, heading toward the Eiffel Tower. We walked down the parc du champ de mars and got pictures of the tower — currently cradling an enormous rugby ball — from up close. I’m glad we didn’t want to take the elevator up; the lines were already miles long.

Instead we ducked out of the cold and onto the batobus, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour up the Seine. Really we were just using it as a water taxi from the tower to Notre Dame and back. We hopped off near Notre Dame and had a look around (impressive, but way too crowded with yahoos), had lunch at a nearby tourist trap and had a look at the stained glass inside Saint Chapelle as well.

Back on the batobus we went and looped around to the Champs Elysees stop. We walked the avenue for a bit, stopped so my mom could buy a bag and jumped in a cab back to the hotel. Nellie, my dad and I went ’round the corner to the Rodin museum to admire the sculpture and gardens, before scoping out some dinner options and grabbing afternoon snacks.

Dinner was at a brasserie down the street, and it was nice to have a reasonably proper French meal before we left. Everyone enjoyed their meal, our waiter was crazy and fun, and we were finished nice and early so we could relax for the rest of the night, just the way we wanted it. We finished off the chocolate and wine, packed all our stuff (re-packed in some cases; my big suitcase was pushing 25kg) and Nellie filled out her postcards. We were ready to go. One more night in France and then it’s back to Toronto.Yaaay?

[tags]paris, eiffel tower, notre dame, champs elysees, rodin museum[/tags]

After a wait, and being accosted by a little old French lady who was upset I didn’t speak her language (rightly so) our train arrived. We had a little trouble finding room for all our luggage and Nellie had to kick an old lady out of her seat, but we made it.

We pulled into Paris’ Gare Montparnasse about half an hour late, and it took another half hour to get a cab. It would’ve taken only a few minutes to reach our hotel except military-type guys kept turning our cab away. We eventually had to just jump out and walk the last few blocks…in the rain, of course! Anyway, our hotel seemed reasonable and we immediately set out for some dinner and to catch at least an hour or two at the Louvre. To get there we walked through a good portion of St-Germain, a beautiful part of town.

Dinner was pretty good*, and quick, which is what we needed. A few minutes later we crossed the Pont du Carousel — an amazing sight at night, by the way, and entered the Louvre. We had less than two hours so we did speed runs to some of the biggies. The Mona Lisa was swarmed and the Venus de Milo was beset by photographers, who Nellie and my dad and I decided to mess with a bit. At this point my parents were bagged so we decided to call it quits. Someday I’ll come back to Paris and spend an entire day here.

We still haven’t figured out how taxis work here in Paris, so we decided to just walk home. Unfortunately it was a cold night and my mom’s feet were hurting, but we eventually made it in one piece. Nellie and I then plopped down on the bed with some gourmet chocolate and a bottle of wine (which we nicked from my brother’s wedding). Vive la France!

*I ordered the jumbo prawns. I forgot that in france they arrive with the heads and legs still attached. It went against my preference to only eat things without the eyes remaining but I managed.

[tags]france, paris, montparnasse, louvre, saint germain[/tags]

Having a computer with proper internet access is a beautiful thing when travelling, even if it is French (who knew the French don’t use QWERTY keyboards?), for finding things out. My Blackberry has served us well, but it just can’t match the speed with which I found out the weather in Paris and Toronto, located a nearby gas station, updated some Facebook crap, moderated some blog comments and confirmed a train departure time + station. Not to mention all the camera maintenance we were able to do last night.

We gassed (diesel’d?) up the car and drove to the train station in Libourne. We erred on the side of caution, which was a mistake, ’cause by the time we returned our cars and got to the station we still had nearly two hours to wait. Sigh.

[tags]france, chateau franc mayne, saint-emilion, libourne, the internets[/tags]

I really should post throughout the day. Saving it all up ’til the nighttime is too time-consuming.

First order of business today was to get ourselves some breakfast. Normally I wouldn’t pay to get it from a hotel but today’s was quite good. Lots of very good pastries, drinks, breads, yogurt, etc., and we saved time by not having to go find it.

Next up Nellie and I did a little touring around Sarlat after the others left to explore some caves. Stopped by the market, picked up road snacks and gourmet chocolates, bought croissants and pain au chocolate from a 120-year-old bakery, toured some back streets and got on the move. After a few detours getting out of town we were on our way to Domme.

Domme’s an old fortified city on a hill overlooking the Dordogne river, and the view from the top was spectacular. We got a pile of shots and admired the sweeping views and perfect weather. As we sat near the railing and drank cafe viennoise the bell in the cathedral next to us began to ring, and nearly shook our ears off. Anyway, down the hill we went and set off along the Dordogne.

We drove through some very pretty towns built along the water, then some nice countryside as the river wound along. We arrived in Saint-Emilion just after a slew of tractors; the town was also choked with tourists, so we guessed the first harvest must be happening. Just outside the town we reached our chateau, arriving only 60 seconds before les autres…pretty good timing. Just as we arrived a tour of the winery (our chateau is in a working vineyard) started, and my dad quite enjoyed the winemaking discussion and the limestone caves. Nellie and I bought a few bottles too.

The chateau was gorgeous, by the way. Just stunning. The rooms were all intricate and unique, the other rooms were ornate and luxurious, there was a natural swimming pool, we were surrounded by vineyards as far as the eye could see…simply amazing. There was even a nice little lounge with a pool table and an internet connection to relax if the plush sofas and brandy aren’t your thing.

Anyway, back to the day’s activities: we drove into Libourne to get some dinner, but that town is crap. We couldn’t find anywhere to eat, and what we did find was closed. We managed to find one bar that served basic pub fare, but that was it. Literally, one bar. It was smoky, but the food was serviceable and the waiters were very nice. Not a typical French meal but we didn’t have much to choose from.

Tomorrow: back to Paris on the TGV!

[tags]france, sarlat, villa des consuls, domme, saint-emilion, chateau franc mayne, libourne[/tags]

After leaving the chateau we started the next part of our trip, driving north to Agen and turning east. The farmland changed substantially almost as soon as we left, becoming very green. As we drove east we noticed it getting rockier, especially as we drove into the very pretty main street of Cahors.

After having lunch in a Cahors cafe we took some pictures of the Pont de Valences and decided to head to Rocamadour. The ground changed very suddenly, and we were climbing solid rock. We soon left the highway, winding our way down ever-shrinking roads, and twisting here and there, high and low, like a writhing snake all over the French countryside. Finally we reached Rocamadour and it was a breathtaking sight. The town is carved into the side of a mountain high above a valley, and we had to pull over (on some very dodgy roads) for pictures.

We probably should have left after that but we went up into the city. It was about 8 different kinds of tacky. Very tourist trap. Dad and I climbed the stairs to the top (wrong day to wear a hoodie!) for some pictures before we fled the schamltz. We now turned northwest toward Sarlat.

It took us about an hour to hit the outskirts of Sarlat, having crossed and driven along the Dordogne river, just as it began to rain. Lack of adequate maps, confusing streets and the pouring rain made it very difficult to find our hotel, so we spent quite a bit of time driving around the winding city streets. Finally we found it and checked in, then had another hard time finding the parking garage. It’s a beautiful little town, but it’s been wet and confusing so far!

The front desk suggested a hotel; we asked for casual and quick, but where he sent us was fancy and expensive. After waiting 45 minutes to have our order taken and realizing we didn’t want to stay anyway, we buggered off. Sometimes you just have to call it. Anyway, plan B — a pizzeria — ended up hitting the spot. I know, having pizza in France seems sacreligious, but sometimes after a long day you just need some comfort food. A quick stroll to see the cathedral and we went home for the night. Sweet, sweet bed.

[tags]france, agen, cahord, rocamadour, sarlat[/tags]

I’m sad. We’re just about to leave the chateau, and we’ve come to think of the place as our French home. We’ve fallen in love with the rooms (even the secret kind*), the courtyard, the pool, the countryside, the owners and staff, and all the new family and friends. This gathering really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and as great as the remainder of the trip will be, it’s a little depressing to think that this chapter is coming to a close.

However, tomorrow’s a new adventure, and we have pictures, blog postings and visions burned into our minds (one of the better ones involves “99 Problems” by Jay-Z) to help us remember.

* Two bedrooms have two trapdoors each leading to the cave (or basement) where people have been hidden over the years. Our guesses are priests, French resistance and/or particularly delicious wine.

[tags]france, lartigolle[/tags]

OK…I have a lot to cover and I’m still a teensy bit shaky. Didn’t get enough sleep and I laid in bed, on and off, until about 2:30.

Highlights from last night are almost too many to mention. The ceremony was wonderful, the bride looked lovely, the dinner was fabulous, my brother sang a Jimi Hendrix song with the band, I got to play the drums for a few minutes, there were cigars, the Scotsman’s s.o. rocked the dance floor, there were moving speeches and we partied long, long into the night. All in all a tremendous occasion.

By the way, any rumours that my brother is as gay as a picnic basket are unfounded. Apparently.

[tags]france, lartigolle[/tags]

Can’t blog. Taking advil.

Yesterday, after my swim, I learned how to play boules, aka petanque, aka bocce. I’m not sure flicking heavy steel balls across the yard is the best thing to do when one’s broken wrist is healing.

The whole cast and crew had dinner last night at a nearby restaurant. It’s the only place to eat in the tiny village, but it’s an awfully good one. Most had either sea bass or lamb; I had an omelette made with local forest mushrooms. I don’t even *like* mushrooms but the dish was still good. It was also cool to see the chef whipping up the feast over a wood fire. All that, plus lots of wine, a dessert crepe and fun conversations at multiple tables made it a great evening. We even saw a deer on the drive home.

Upon our return home we had a few more drinks and chatted, with the last few of us calling it quits around 1AM. One of these days I’ll get to bed before midnight.

Today we got up and checked out the market in Auch. I was more interested in the cathedral and old town than the market. We did some poking around and ate some lunch, and got a little lost on the way home. We arrived back at the chateau to find the preparations underway (we just missed the pig being gutted, thankfully) and decided to chill in our room for a while. Nellie watched Freaks and Geeks; I listened to Vampire Weekend, The National and Interpol.

[tags]france, lartigolle, auch[/tags]

Another relaxing day. Once again the hordes left for parts unknown so Nellie, my dad and I had the place to ourselves. We had originally planned to drive into the Pyrenees this morning but Nellie took sick so we took it easy. I don’t know what it is about her and weddings…

I had a dip in the pool this afternoon, hung out in the shade and played with the kittens. I do NOT hate it here.

Last night the ladies got up to some pre-wedding nonsense while the men hid in the other room, played some snooker, drank some whisky and had some laughs. We were the last to bed, around 1:45.

[tags]france, lartigolle, pyrenees[/tags]