more pics day 3

This is what happens when girls are on the bus too long.  Sillyness kicks in.

This is Janet.  She is Katherine (Kat) and Lydia's mom.

Olivia and Lydia pretending to be garden statues.

The hunting hounds at Chateau Cheverny.  They are fed whole raw chickens so they keep the "blood thirst".
One of the drawing rooms at Cheverny.  There are portraits and tapestries everywhere.  There is also an original framed document that bears the signature of George Washington.  He mentions in the letter one of the chateau owner's ancestors in regard to his good service.  He fought under LaFeyette during our American Revolution.  

Pictures from Day 3

This is an example of one of the fireplaces in Chambord.  It is made of some type of stone that looks like marble perhaps?  It is the most beautiful red and gray.

This is a picture I took from the bottom of one of the spiral staircases that went up the outside of a tower.  The kids peaked out from the windows.  I thought it was kind of neat.

This is a picture of me and Olivia outside the castle.  Yep, it even had a moat.
When we arrived in the morning the fog had not burned off.  It was very eerie and beautiful at the same time.
Here is Olivia with a bunch of the other kids on the trip sitting inside the bottom of one of the towers at the foot of the spiral staircase.

Day 3 in France

Today was wonderful.  We slept sooo well after such a long day yesterday and woke fresh and alert this morning at 6:30AM.  I took a nice warm shower as apposed to Olivia's cold shower last night then we had a lovely breakfast at the hotel.  Fresh Croissants, jam, the best coffee I've ever tasted - yes, Russ EVER tasted along with fresh fruit, cheese and granola.  YUM!

The first visit we made was to the castle Chambord.  It was a true fairytale princess castle.  It was build by King Francois I and was commissioned to be designed by none other than Leonardo Di Vinci.  The project began in 1519 and was intended to be a hunting lodge.  Well, if that is a hunting lodge then Northern Minnesota has a long way to go to catch up.  It has 77 staircases, 282 fireplaces and 426 rooms.  Francois I died in 1547 and only spent 72 days at Chambord.  His son Henry II and Louis XiV were those who finally saw it through to completion.  

Next we visited Chateau Cheverny.  This structure while being very impressive is not nearly as expansive as Chambord.  It has a long and rich history and has been owned by the same family since the 1600's.  The owners and their 3 children live on the 3rd floor but the first two floors are open to the public.  It is still completely furnished and is a great example of the extravagance of the period.  Rich decor abounds.  The dog kennel is home to more than 60 hounds that are still used for hunting fox, stags and boars.

After an outdoor lunch on the patio behind the local deli we boarded the bus to return to Blois for a couple of hours of shopping followed then by the 3 hour trip back to Paris.  We checked in to our hotel and then had dinner in the restaurant next door.  We actually had Italian tonight and it was very good.  We adults shared a nice bottle of Chianti.

It was a fun day.  Our group is wonderful and we are making friendships that will hopefully last beyond the next week.

Good night, we'll see you tomorrow!

more pics from day 1 & 2

More from yesterday...

Here is part of the outside of the castle of Blois.

A building in the little village of Blois.
Some of the girls of the group posing in a doorway.
Olivia in front of a streetsign.
Me sampling flowers at the open-air market.

The is the French equivilent to Super America.  You can see that even their snack displays are artistic and pretty.  They also have vending machines with excellent Espresso.

In the square outside the Paris train station Olivia found this art display of John and Yoko.  She had to post it for Scott.  

Here is one of the produce vendors at the open air market.  If only we had a place to cook!

Here is a gypsy street musician playing money for coins.  I don't know what the instrument is called, but it sounded pretty.

This is Place de la Bastille. This is the sight of the Bastille prison that was destroyed in protest during the French Revolution.  To this day when the French organize a protest or demonstration they join arms and begin their march here.  

Garre de Lyon.  This is the main train station in Paris.  It is a block away from the hotel we will stay at most of this week.

These were the pictures painted across the doors of the women's bathroom in the Paris Airport. Olivia couldn't resist taking this photo.
Kat and Lydia's mom stretching after spending too many hours on the plane. Lydia says "Yoga's just a fancy name for touching your toes."
This is the Amsterdam airport, right before our gazillionth passport check. Amsterdam airports look pretty much like American ones... Olivia was sad because she thought it would be full of people wearing wooden shoes.
The inside of the airplane on our first flight. The backs of the seats in front of us were all tricked out with personal video monitors.

Day 1 & 2

Hi everybody.

We made it to France.  It has been a long 36 hours.  Our plane left Mpls at 4:30PM CDT on Saturday, March 21.  We arrived in Amsterdam at 5:45AM which is actually 11:45PM in Minnesota.  This time zone is 6 hours ahead.  We then caught a connecting flight to Paris at 7:45AM and arrived in Paris at 8:30 AM.  After having to report one person's suitcase missing we spent a couple of hours in Paris before taking a bus to Blois which is a 3 hour ride.  I was able to sleep about 1.5 hours of the entire trip.  

In Paris we roamed the open air market that takes place every Sunday and Thursday.  The varieties of goods available was outstanding.  There were florists, fruit stands, fish mongers, butchers with fresh meat, fresh dairy products and eggs, pastry and bread booths, booths with wonderful cooked meats and dishes, clothing.......anything you can imagine.  We had a breakfast of wonderful chocolate croissants.  Other people purchased fruits, cheeses or whole loaves of bread.

Upon arriving in Bois we took a walk to do some sight seeing and then toured the Royal Chateau of Blois.  The Chateau has a long and interesting history.  It is made up of four distinct wings that were built during seperate royal periods so each wing has its own distinct personality and design.  The oldest portion of the Chateau was build in the 13th century as a royal medieval fortress and it is known as the Hall of the Estates General.  It was built by the counts of Bois.  The next wing was built between 1498-1503 by Louis XII.  That wing is of red brick and stone and bears ornate embelishments carved from the local white limestone.  The third Wing was built between 1515 and 1524 by Francois I and it bears much influence from renaissance Italy.  The 4th and final wing was build by Gaston d'Orleons between 1635-1638.  It was never finished.  Gaston was in line to the French throne until another male heir was born that was of closer relationship to the then king.  Gaston was unable to pay for the final construction.  This historic castle was inhabited by a long line of French royalty including Henry II and Catherine de Medicis.  

Blois is a beautiful city located in the Loire Valley of France.  We had the opportunity to do some sight seeing today but tomorrow after touring another castle we will be able to spend more time in the city.  We will be able to spend some time shopping as well.  Tonight we were fortunate enough to have a local establishment stay open late just for us.  On Sundays most businesses close early but our group was large enough to make it worth while for the proprietor to stay open to serve us dinner.  The food was excellent, especially after such a long day of walking and traveling.  

It is now Sunday night at 10:00PM Paris time.  Back home it is Sunday afternoon, 4:00PM.  We have basically been awake and on the go since 6:00AM CDT Saturday - nearly 36 hours straight.  The bed is going to feel great.  

This is our blog we have created so we can chronicle our trip to France during spring break 2009.  We are leaving on Saturday, March 21 and will return on Saturday, March 28.  Until then, au revoir!