I forgot to talk about last night’s meal. The owners started off with something foie gras that I couldn’t (and wouldn’t) eat before bringing out these unbelievable goat cheese and honey hors d’oeuvres…manoman. I ate three or four. Couldn’t stop myself.

We moved into the grand salon for the meal, and first up was this huge, delicious, amazing pile of prawns. I couldve left the table then and been happy with the food. There was also lots of wine flowing, as well as conversation…two families gathered around one huge table like that was quite an experience.

Next up was the main; most people had duck while Nellie and I had wolf fish (?), which was very tasty with some pepper on top. Dessert was…I can’t remember now. Not peach, not orange…eesh. Anyway, it was delightful. We brought more wine (and our hosts) to the table and chatted on into the night. Some of the transatlantic travelers began to fall off so we moved ourselves into the kitchen and stayed there ’til nearly 1AM.

Today’s been a lazy one. Nellie and I slept past 9, getting up for some pastries and a walk to the top of the hill (where you can see the Pyrenees in the distance). This place is a mosaic of rolling hills, farms, thickets, animals and chateaus, and it’s a very calming place.

Since this is the first real downtime I’ve had in months I’m enjoying the peace and quiet. Nellie and I are the only guests left here right now; everyone else is off in town or exploring the countryside. Me, I’m sitting in the courtyard, in clean air and perfect temperatures, nibbling a pain au chocolate, occasionally scratching O’Malley (the resident cat) while I write this up. I may play some ping-pong later, or I may sit by the pool. I may read in the petit salon or have a nap in my room. Or I may do absolutely nothing, and enjoy the hell out of it.

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

After some twists, turns and frustrated 180s we arrived at the chateau. Other family members arrived soon after, so much of the gang is now here.

What a place. What an unreal location and fabulous owners and spectacular setting and blah diddy blah blah blah. I couldn’t possibly describe the brilliance of it all, but it’s been brillliant on and off since the 11th century or so, so that should tell you something. Tonight we stood outside and stared at the clear stars before retiring to our room with titanic beams and vaulted ceilings. How awesome is that?

OK, it’s 1:05. Must sleep. Bon nuit!

[tags]france, lartigolle[/tags]

We moved at a leisurely pace this morning, packing and enjoying pastries in our room before our cab arrived. We arrived at Orly in plenty of time, checked in and had a bite to eat at the little terminal.

After a very quick, uneventful and sparsely populated flight we arrived in Toulouse, collected our bags and sat down to wait for my parents, whose flight from Paris was delayed a few minutes.

[tags]france, toulouse[/tags]

Well, that was a fine Parisien(ish) meal. We were all set to try a trattoria around the corner but the hotel suggested a place called Willi’s Wine Bar. It sounded weird, but a) it obviously had great wine; b) it was 100% non-smoking; c) it was only 2 minutes away; and d) it apparently had pretty good food. Done and done.

We had a look at the menu and could figure out that there was enough fish/veg to fill a meal, so in we went. After a few sad attempts at explaining our vegetarian plight en francais the waiter told us he was better with English (as was most of the staff) and we placed our order. Nellie had some octopus w/ pasta to start; I had some cold crab + apricot cake. OK, but not great; our glasses of wine were tasty though. Next up; sea bass for both of us. Normally we wouldn’t have it (being endangered and all) but we were short on choice. It was pretty good, especially with the lemon + ginger flavour. At this point we were into a bottle of dry Sancerre.

The piece de resistance (ha! that’s an actual phrase here!) was dessert: I had the terrine de chocolate and Nellie had the cheese plate…and I do mean plate. It was huge! There were four huge hunks of cheese on the plate, and she barely finished half. CB would have lost her mind.

They had some great art on the walls too. I think we’ll order one when we get home…which is over a week from now! Woot!!

[tags]paris, willi’s wine bar[/tags]

We got up at 7:30 this morning. Our bodies still weren’t 100% adjusted, but 12 hours of sleep made us feel normal again.

We got to the Louvre shortly after 9AM, and marvelled at how lucky we were that there were no crowds. We soon realized the source of our luck: the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Damn. Damn dammity damn-damn-damn. Sigh…we got some exterior shots anyway, and went to plan B.

We decided to walk around Ile de la Cite and Ile St-Louis instead. We walked by Sainte-Chappelle and Notre Dame, then up to Le Marais after cruising by the site of The Bastille. We stopped and sat in the Place Des Vosges before just wandering around the streets a little.

We grabbed some lunch on one of the main streets. Mozzarella + tomato (in either sandwich or salad form) has become my staple here…not a lot of veggie options on French menus. We then walked along Rue de Rivoli toward our hotel, stopping for a quick look at the Palais Royale. Short pit stop at the hotel to recharge and refresh, and then back out.

Took the metro to Montmartre. Walked up a spiral staircase at Abbesses station just about long enough to kill Nellie. We strolled over to the stairs, eschewing the funicular, and climbed the hill to Sacre-Coeur after being harassed by some Senegalese hucksters. After we got some great shots of the city it started to rain, so we hoofed it back down the hill and took refuge. Oh look! A bar! We had a few glasses to wet our whistles and jumped back on the metro, heading home to relax a bit before the restaurants re-open for dinner.

I’m completely knackered, so this is gonna be in point form.

Yesterday at 5.30 PM our cab arrived. We got downstairs and were greeted by a guy in a Mercedes. For a minute there we were excited, but we soon realized he mistook us for newlyweds. We get out of the Mercedes and into a minivan.

We arrived at Pearson, and at our gate, in plenty of time. I picked up the new Naomi Klein book and the NHL season preview. Nellie got some houseporn magazine.

We boarded a bit early. David Cronenberg was on our flight. Fresh off his win of top audience prize at TIFF, he was celebrating by flying first class. Smart boy: I couldn’t get comfortable long enough to nap, so I got maybe 30 minutes all told. Nellie got a few hours. We were both pretty messed up when we landed at 10:00. On the plus side, our vegetarian meals weren’t half-bad. For airline food.

Charles De Gaulle is one ugly-ass airport. Old, badly organized…makes me appreciate Pearson terminal one all the more.

Taxi ride: uneventful, except we noticed that many of the cabs are Mercedes. Suck it, newlywed chauffeur man.

Our hotel and room were very nice, very Parisien. Or what I picture Parisien to be, at any rate. Small, nicely furnished, windows that open wide to the small street below. We admired it for a few minutes then turn and head out.

We sat on a bench in the Jardins des Tuileries and split a sandwich. We walked through the Place de la Concorde, down the Champs Elysees, beating a path through crowds of tourists. The beating continued when we reached l’Arc de Triomphe, just long enough for Nellie to snap a few photos.

We figured that was enough and turned for home. After some twists and turns, an espresso and a pain au chocolate, and more twists and turns we arrived back at the hotel.

One more trip out garnered a baguette, some fine chocolate, a bottle of Bordeaux, some fruit and general exhaustion. Now that we’ve eaten we’re about ready to pass out. I’ve fallen asleep, while typing this, sitting up at least 3 times.

And now…I sleep. Nighty night.

[tags]paris, tiff, tiff07, naomi klein, david cronenberg, hotel therese[/tags]

Checked in. At the gate. Pre-boarding called. On y vas!

[tags]paris[/tags]

We’re off to the airport. We land tomorrow morning around 4 ET. I’ll try to blog, and upload the occasional picture, if/when we have the chance. Be good, everybody.

Ah, who’m I kidding? I’ll be blogging from the check-in line. I can’t help myself.

[tags]paris, france[/tags]