Last Supper

Well friends, alas, our grand adventure is coming to a close. :( The last day was spent shopping and making the pilgrimage to the Louvre. We all went out one last time to have a big French meal together and the kids stepped up to the plate ordering things like escargot (snails), steak tatar (raw steak) and the exotic French fries. :) Now we are all packing and trying to figure out how our bags doubled in size and nothing fits (including our pants!). We have a private shuttle coming to pick us up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to take us to CDG Paris airport where we catch a non-stop (yipee!) flight back to Utah. Funny to think we'll leave Paris at 9:25 am and our flight gets into Salt Lake at 1:40 pm. So short! I'm sure we will all just sleep for two days when we get home, and then go on a month long fast. So, for now, bonne nuit et avoir mes amis!

parisparisparis

Sorry for missing the last two days! Paris is a whirlwind and it's hard to find the time to breath, let alone blog! We've been having a great time here as we've learned to navigate the metro, have seen several views of Paris (from the top of Notre Dame, from Sacre Couer, from the top of a bus. . . ) and have enjoyed exploring the city. There is so much to see and do! We've gone to the Musee D'Orsey which was so lovely, visited several churches, walked through the Louvre complex (the inside visit will come tomorrow) and today we spent the entire day exploring Versailles, which was amazing. We are tired, but having a great time. I think right now everyone is going swimming! :)

Paris, Je t'aime

After a very early start out of Chasteuil, and a long drive to Aix-en-Provence, and then a 3 hour train ride . . . we made it to Paris where we took a taxi drive through town to our amazing hotel that's a 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. So after we'd gotten some food and rested, that is just what we did. When we got to the Eiffel tower I realized the line to climb the stairs up the tower was about 1/10 of the length of the one for the elevators, plus it's way cooler to say you've climbed the Eiffel tower! It took some convincing, but each and every one of us made it to the very tippy top where we enjoyed spectacular views of the city at night. It was breathtaking, and worth every step! We stopped by for some street side crepes and made it back to the hotel ready for sleep and excited for more adventures tomorrow. Bonne nuit!

Sleepy Saturday

Today has been a rest day to catch up from all the activities we've been doing, and make sure our batteries are charged for Paris tomorrow! We slept in, and then my sister and I made Pain Perdue (lost bread, or as we know it French toast). We had bought some delicious bread at the bakery the day before, and cut it up the night before so it could get a little stale. Then we soaked it in vanilla infused milk for an hour, then dipped it in the egg cinnamon mixture before throwing it on some butter in the frying pan. The result? Delicious custardy inside and crispy outside, add homemade apricot or quince jam, or some Nutella and voila! The most delicious breakfast to be eaten while looking out over the lovely valley today. Then we took a short drive into the nearby town of Castallene where we gave the kids time to explore and we did some serious food shopping at the Saturday market for the feast tonight. We bought cheeses, olives, sausages, tons of veggies (fennel, carrots, lettuce, tiny potatoes, onions, etc.), bread at the bakery, three tarts at the Pattiserrie (chocolate pear, apple, and pine nut- a local speciality), and some fresh chickens at the butchers. We came back and did laundry, read, slept (the kids slept most the day!), and gathered fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage in the nearby hills. The last hour or so we've been cooking up a storm and are now waiting while the potatoes and chickens roast. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! Tomorrow we have an EARLY start to get to Aix-En-Provence where we will drop off the cars and take the train to Paris! I think all the kids are very excited to get to the big city. While I have loved being in this tiny village surround by glorious mountains, I think they have been a bit bored with a more simple and slow pace. But, I told them this is a very real part of France and now they can say they've experienced real French living, and cooking!

France at it's best

I can't believe that I'm here in France, I love France so so much, the things that Ms.Bennoin and Mrs.Johnson and everyone have shown me and given me have changed my view of the world and put them in a new light. I'm so greatful that I've had a chance to go to places that not everyone get to go to, the out in the middle of no where places and the posh places. Every where we have gone has been wonderful.

-Chandler

Medieval Times

We got up early and took a hike to a tiny chapel nestled on a cliff in the Alps. The hike was about two hours, and we enjoyed spectacular views of the Alps, the deep canyon, and saw a Chamois sheep in the wild! Then we took off to the Medieval town of Entreveaux, which was formally on the boarder of the Provence kingdom and Italy. It is still a fortress/walled city and you have to cross a huge drawbridge to get into the city that is topped by a magnificent zigg-zagg trail to a citadel. We had our first crepe lunch with some delicious local Secce de Beouf (dried beef like Speck). Tonight we are back at the Gite making a traditional Provencal dinner of green lentils with bacon, carrots, and topped with lamp sausage, a salad of arugula, endive, and mache, and an assortment of French cheese and of course- bread. Ah, life is rough.

Bienvenue a Chasteuil

Today we left St-Cyr and took a scenic route to Chasteuil stopping for an hour or two at a cool Abbey built in the 1100's, and then a long Provencal lunch on the shores of a lake. The drive was really spectacular especially as we drove along the Gorges du Verdon, known as the Grand Canyon of France. The kids are adjusting to the Gite in this tiny village of 28 people where there is only ONE internet connection and NO wi-fi (it's a rough adjustment for them, but I think they'll survive) :).
This village really is so secluded and out of the way, totally off the map. We are nestled in the Maritime Alps, which are spectacular, and surrounded by amazing wilderness, Medieval towns, and plenty of hiking and exploring opportunities.