Repeats and firsts during the sister visit

Luckily my sister, equipped with her foot brace, was able to continue to visit the sights in Paris. Of course, since I've been here since September, and since I'd visited Paris twice before (man, am I lucky!), I've covered all of the main tourist spots and much more, some multiple times. Obviously, though, there are several must-sees in Paris and any good host will revisit these places with the first-timer. I tried to regain my own first-time enthusiasm, as to not bum out my sister with my boredom.

In some places, it worked.

I continue to love strolling through the halls of Musée d'Orsay, looking at Van Gogh and Monet and Degas paintings. The enthusiasm didn't hold up in the Louvre, however. I prefer the Louvre from the outside. Gazing at the ancient palace turned museum with it's modern pyramids from the Tuileries is how I prefer to experience the Louvre these days. Once inside, I fell trapped and I know that the next 4 or 5 hours will be spent wondering the halls, feeling like a lost soul not knowing when it will end. Yet I survived my 5th (6th?) visit to the Louvre and was happy that my sister found a lot of interesting Egyptian art, including a Book of the Dead, which I suppose was pretty neat.

Since she came for two weeks, we had the time to see more than the must-sees, and I was excited to be a first-timer again in a few new places.

Although I have been to the Marais countless times (usually for a good falafel), I had never visited any of the hôtels particuliers. Although we weren't able to visit the inside of Hôtel de Sully, the courtyard of this town house, connected to the Place des Vosges, provided great views of the exterior. At the Hôtel de Soubise, we succeeded in getting in before it closed. The prince's and princesses' apartments are worth a visit.

Hôtel de Sully

One of my favorite new places was La Conciergerie, a royal palace dating from the middle ages that was later used as a prison. It was used to hold prisoners during the revolution. Their next stop after La Conciergerie was the guillotine. Marie Antionette and Robespierre were held here before their executions.

La Conciergerie

A mock up of what Marie Antoinette's cell looked like. Her actual cell was later converted into a chapel.

Still in the Conciergerie. Tom showing the mark of the water level during the 1910 Paris flood.

In the middle of Jenny's two week Paris visit, the three of us took a weekend trip to Normandy. Having studied in Normandy in the summer of 2006, almost everything we did and saw was another repeat for me. But it was a wonderful repeat! I love this region and it was good to get out of the city for a few days. Tom had also never been to this area, and he really enjoyed it, too, especially the adorable port city of Honfleur.

We visited Monet's gardens in Giverny, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, Mont-Saint-Michel, and spend an evening and afternoon wondering around Honfleur before returning to Paris. One new thing for me, though, was horseback riding near Mont-Saint-Michel. My sister is a horse enthusiast so we organized this detour. Sadly we didn't actually ride on the beach like she wanted to, but we did have magnificent views of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Another new thing was staying in a Chambre d'Hôte (Bed and Breakfast), which was the only option for us in the countryside where our horseback riding took place. It was definitely not the most comfortable (bed and awkwardness-wise), but it was another wonderful opportunity to speak French. The couple who owned the place were exceptionally welcoming and talkative.

Monet's gardens

Monet's...flowers

American Cemetery

Getting ready for some serious horse-riding, or just hoping not to fall off. Domino, my horse, was sweet, but all he wanted to do was eat along the trail. I had to yell "Non! Tu ne manges pas!" quite a bit.

Jenny smiling for a picture during a pit-stop.

Le Mont-Saint-Michel

Tom in the hall where monks ate...in silence.

Gorgeous Honfleur. How could I refuse a second visit?

I'm really glad my sister was able to experience a little bit of France, a place that holds such a special place in my heart. It's a bit of a risk inviting someone to visit you in your beloved new home. I know that sounds odd and snooty, but let me explain. Since France is so special to me, it is important that any guest of ours have a great time and find it equally wonderful. I suppose that I may be a tad unreasonable. I took my sister, and other visitors, to some of my favorite places, which are not exactly the most famous or must-sees. They liked some, but didn't care at all for others, which hurt a little. But on the whole my sister's trip was a success (well, besides the few special places she didn't care about or the whole falling down the stairs thing). It really helped that she had done some research before and was interested in seeing certain places...even if one of them was the Louvre.

A road trip through the Hexagone

Enjoy our pics, then scroll down for English.

Un de mes cours préférés à la fac était La France Contemporaine. J’ai appris pleine de choses sur la France et les Français. J’ai appris que les Français appellent la France, des fois, l’Hexagone, et qu’ils sont tellement fiers de leur pays varié. Pour le cours, il fallait situer les chaînes de montagnes, les fleuves, et beaucoup de villes sur une carte. Ça fait 3 ans que j’étais assise dans la salle de classe, m’émerveillant à la belle France avec une carte, un livre, et des photos. (J’avais déjà visité la Normandie et Paris, mais j’avais beaucoup à apprendre). Et maintenant que j’ai vu beaucoup plus de mes propres yeux, je peux vous dire que je serai fière aussi si c’étaient mon pays. Bon, je suis fière d’être résidente. Et je sais que j’ai vraiment la chance d’avoir vu encore de la France la semaine dernière.

Avec nos amis, Thomas B et Maggie, on a loué une voiture pour cette aventure. Notre première étape était Auvergne, une région dans au centre de la France. Les parents de Thomas ont une maison en Auvergne, alors il connaissait déjà la région et il était un excellent guide. Nous avons monté deux volcans (oui, il y a des volcans en France !), et nous avons visité le château de Murol, des grottes, une ferme de chèvres où on a acheté du fromage, et le village d’Usson où la Reine Margot a été bannie. Et nous avons essayé beaucoup de nouveaux fromages : Salers, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal vieux, et trois types de chèvres.

Le quatrième jour, Tom et moi avons dit au revoir à Maggie et Thomas qui sont rentrés à Paris en train. J’ai continué vers le sud avec mon mari, content d’être au volant. Après quelques heures au Puy-en-Velay où nous avons visité le rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe (une chapelle bâtie dans le rocher d’un volcan) et un magasin de dentelle fait main, nous sommes allés au Chambon-sur-Lignon. C’est une ville assez inconnue, même parmi les Français, mais avec une histoire incroyable. Pendant la deuxième guerre mondiale, les gens de cette ville, et dans le voisinage, ont accueilli et caché 5000 juifs, pour la plupart des enfants. J’ai écrit mon mémoire pour mon cours de l’Holocauste à ce sujet et c’était un peu irréel d’être là.

Ensuite, nous sommes arrivés en Provence, à travers la route des Gorges de l’Ardèche, pour une journée à Avignon et une journée à Aix-en-Provence. Ahhh. Provence. Vous imaginez le soleil, des bons repas provençaux, et les santons ? C’est ce que j’ai imaginé. Je suis sûre que on peu trouvé toutes ces choses, mais pas nous. Il a plu les deux jours. Beaucoup de restaurants (ceux que notre guide Michelin suggère), magasins, et musées étaient fermés. Samedi était un jour férié, et puis dimanche, c’est dimanche en France. On n’avait pas beaucoup de chance en Provence. Mais, bien sûr, en Avignon nous avons visité le Palais des Papes (oui, les papes habitait en France pendant un moment de l’histoire !) et nous avons dansé sur le Pont d’Avignon, et nous avons même réussi à trouvé un bon restaurant, l’Orangeraie. À Aix, on s’est reposé un peu à l’hôtel pendant la pluie. Je n’ai pas réussi à trouver un magasin ouvert pour acheter mon santon convoité, et on s’est contenté de manger un repas, moyennement bon, à Patacrêpes, une chaîne. Par contre, les serveurs étaient très sympathiques. Mais, avec notre guide Michelin fidèle, nous nous sommes promenés en apprenant un peu sur l’histoire et l’architecture. Je dois avouer que Aix est une ville charmante, même dans la pluie. En route vers Lyon, nous sommes allés à Orange pendant une heure, pour voir les vestiges romains, y inclus un Arc de Triomphe beaucoup plus vieux que celui de Napoléon.

Lyon était notre dernière étape avant de rentrer à Paris. N’ayant qu’une demi-journée, nous avons concentrés sur les deux collines. Sur la colline Fourvière, la colline qui prie, se trouve le Basilique Notre-Dame. Les mosaïques étaient exceptionnelles. À droite, elles racontent l’histoire de France et à gauche l’histoire de l’Église, avec Marie partout. Dommage, photos interdites. Ensuite, nous avons visité la Croix-Rousse, ou la colline qui travaille. Mais nous avons trouvés rien d’intéressant. Peut-être que nous n’étions pas au bon endroit. Ou peut-être que le travail n’est pas très intéressant. Nous n’avions pas le temps de visiter des musées ou d’autres églises, mais les vues du Rhône et de la Saône étaient superbes.

Il y a certainement des avantages de voyager en voiture. Les trains ont leurs avantages, mais en voiture on voit beaucoup plus. On découvre les petits villages et on aperçoit des jolis panoramas inattendus. Malheureusement c’est moins écologique que les trains, et c’est plus cher quand il faut se garer. Il y a aussi les péages si on prend les autoroutes. Si vous pensez à voyer en voiture en France, munissez-vous d’espèces ! Même si les péages sont censés d’accepter les cartes bancaires, la mienne n’a pas marché (il y en avait de l’argent, je promets !) et après 10 minutes, j’ai rendu une dizaine de gens derrières nous vexés, et après une interrogation j’ai reçu la facture avec une menace d’être poursuivie si je n’aurai pas payé sous 8 jours.

~~~~~~~English~~~~~~~

One of my favorite college classes was Contemporary France. I learned a lot about France and the French. I learned that the French call France, sometimes, the Hexagon, due to its shape, and that they are very proud of their diverse country. For the class, we had to be able to place mountain chains, rivers, and lots of cities on a map of France. Three years ago I was sitting in a classroom, marveling at beautiful France with only a map, a book, and some pictures. (I had already visited Normandy and Paris, but I still had a lot to learn). And now that I’ve seen much more with my own eyes, I have to say that I would, too, be proud if this were my country. Well, I guess I can be a proud resident. And now I know that I’m really lucky to have seen even more of France last week.

Together with our friends, Thomas B and Maggie, Tom and I rented a car for our Spring break adventure. Our first stop was Auvergne, a region in the center of France. Thomas’ parents have a house there, so he already knew the region and made for an excellent tour guide. We climbed two volcanoes (yes, there are volcanoes in France!), and we visited the castle in Murol, caves, a goat farm where we bought cheese, and the village of Usson where Queen Margot was imprisoned. We also tried a lot of new cheeses: Salers, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal vieux (“old” Cantal), and three types of goat cheese.

The fourth day, Tom and I said goodbye to Maggie and Thomas who took a train back to Paris. I continued south with my husband, happy to be behind the wheel. After spending a few hours in Puy-en-Velay where we visited the Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe (a chapel built in the rock of a volcano) and a handmade lace store, we went to Chambon-sur-Lignon. This town is not very well know, even by French people, but has an amazing story. During WWII, the people of this town, and in the surrounding area, welcomed and hide 5000 Jews, mostly children. I wrote my paper for my Holocaust class about this and it was a little unreal to be there.

Next, we journeyed on to Provence, driving through the Gorges de l’Ardèche, to spend one day in Avignon and one day in Aix-en-Provence. Ahhh. Provence. Are you imagining sun, wonderful regional meals, and cute little stores (particularly those selling santons- figurines for elaborate nativity scenes)? That’s what I imagined. I’m sure you can find those things here, but not us. It rained both days. A lot of restaurants (those that our Michelin guide suggests), stores, and museums were closed. Saturday was a holiday, and Sunday was a Sunday in France. We didn’t have a lot of luck in Provence. But, of course, we visited the Pope’s Palace (yes, Popes lived in France for a time!) and we danced on the Avignon Bridge, and we even succeeded in finding a good restaurant, l’Orangeraie. In Aix, we rested in the hotel while it rained. I was not able to find an open store to buy the coveted santon, and we settled with having a moderately good dinner at a chain restaurant called Patacrêpes. However, the servers were really nice. But, with our trusty Michelin guide, we learned a bit about the history and architecture of Aix while strolling through the city. I have to admit that Aix is a very charming city, even in the rain. On the way to Lyon we stopped in Orange for an hour to see the Roman monuments, including an Arc of Triumph much older than Napoleon’s.

Lyon was our last stop before returning to Paris. Only having a half of a day, we concentrated on the two hills. On the Fourvière hill, “the hill that prays”, is the Notre-Dame Basilica. The mosaics were beautiful. On the right, they tell of France’s history, and on the left the history of the Church, with Mary to be found everywhere. Too bad, no photos allowed. Next, we visited the Croix-Rousse hill, “the hill that works.” But we didn’t find anything interesting. Maybe we weren’t in the right area. Or maybe that work isn’t very interesting. We didn’t have time to visit museums or other churches, but the views from the two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, were superb.

There are certainly advantages to traveling by car. Trains have their advantages, but in a car you can see so much more. You discover little villages along the way and you see amazing and unexpected views. Unfortunately it’s less green than trains, and it’s more expensive when you have to park. There are also tolls if you take the autoroutes. If you are planning a road trip in France, go prepared with extra cash! Even though the tollbooths are supposed to accept bank cards, mine did not work (there was money in it, promise!) and after 10 minutes, I had angered the ten people behind us, and after a questioning from a lady through the speaker, I received a bill that threatened that I would be “pursued” if I didn’t send in the payment within 8 days.

4 jours à Nantes/4 days in Nantes

English Version a little further down!

Nous avons passé 4 jours à Nantes chez Catherine et Matthieu pour célébrer Noël avec eux et leurs familles. J’ai rencontré Catherine (Cat) en 2006 quand elle était stagiaire à Anderson University. Maintenant, elle et son mari sont propriétaires d’une boulangerie à Nantes. Ça a fait 3 ans qu’on ne se s’est pas vu et je m’inquiétais que ça serait un peu bizarre ou mal à l’aise. Au contraire. C’était absolument, sans doute, un séjour magnifique, mieux que je pourrais imaginer. Je ne pouvais pas demander une meilleure expérience. Vous vous demandez pourquoi c’était si super…

C’est peut-être grâce à la belle ville de Nantes. Nous avons visité les cryptes de la cathédrale (pas de photos L- l’appareil photo est mort ce jour-là), le beau Château des Ducs de Bretagne et son Musée d’Histoire de Nantes.

Nous avons eu un rendez-vous avec Estelle, une amie que j’ai rencontrée à Lourdes en 2007. Avec Estelle, nous avons fait les Galeries Lafayette et nous avons fait les magasins sur la rue Crébillon, ou plutôt, nous avons crébillonné. Et, nous avons vu le fameux Passage Pommeraye et sa verrière.

Mais, ce n’est pas vraiment pour ça…

C’est peut-être grâce ou grand éléphant. Avant d’aller à Nantes, nous avons trouvé les Machines de L’île sur Internet et nous savions que nous voulions le faire. Parmi les créatures mécaniques, il y a un éléphant énorme. En plus, il marche et on peut monter dans l’éléphant pour une promenade. Si génial et unique ! Nous avons visité les Machines de L’île avec Cat et Matthieu. Malheureusement, la dernière promenade de la journée était complète. La prochaine fois ! Comme Cat a dit, « il faut toujours laisser un raison de revenir. »

Mais, ce n’est pas vraiment pour ça…

C’est peut-être grâce à l’amitié et à Cat et Matthieu eux-mêmes. Ils sont de très bons hôtes et ils étaient très accueillants, malgré le fait qu’ils étaient très occupés avec le travail. Cat nous a préparé des plans et des idées de visite. Ils nous ont gâtés avec des croissants et des pains au chocolat. Ils ont même préparé un petit-déjeuner pour le train le jour de notre départ, avec un cadeau, une boîte aux leurs chocolats.

Ils nous ont montré et expliqué la boulangerie. Tom a aidé un peu. Et moi, j’ai regardé et j’ai mangé !

Après notre visite aux Machines de L’île et le Passage Pommeraye, ils nous ont amené dans une crêperie pour manger des galettes.

Ils ont parlé en français avec nous. Ils avaient de la patience et nous avons eu de très bonnes conversations. J’ai beaucoup aimé comment Cat m’a corrigé. Elle était tout à fait gentille quand elle l’a fait et j’ai appris pas mal de mots et d’expressions. Et grâce à Matthieu, j’ai appris des mots comme « moche. »

Oui, c’est pour tout ça.

Peut-être que ça semble très simple et rien d’extraordinaire. Mais, pour nous, c’était formidable. Je pense que c’était la première fois que nous avons eu l’occasion de parler avec des français et d’avoir des conversations un peu plus profondes qu’avant. Comme j’ai écrit, nous avons rencontré des jeunes au foyer, mais ce n’est pas facile de devenir des amis avec les français. J’étais un peu triste de rentrer à Paris…

Merci Cat et Matthieu !

English Version!

We spent four days in Nantes at Catherine and Matthieu’s to celebrate Christmas with them and their families. I met Catherine (Cat) in 2006 when she was an intern at Anderson University. Now, she and her husband own a boulangerie, a bakery (but much more than a US bakery) in Nantes. It’s been three years since we’ve seen each other and I was worried that it would be awkward. It was the opposite. It was absolutely, without a doubt, a wonderful time in Nantes, better than I could have imagined. I could not have asked for a better experience. Why was it so awesome, you ask?

Maybe it was because of the beautiful city that is Nantes. We visited the crypts of the cathedral (no pictures L- the camera was dead that day), the beautiful Castle of the Dukes of Brittany and its Nantes History Museum. We met up with Estelle, a friend I met in Lourdes in 2007. With Estelle, we looked around the Galeries Lafayette and we shopped around the stores on the rue Crébillon, or rather, we crébillonner, a verb that means “shopped along rue Crébillon.” Haha! And, we saw the famous Passage Pommeraye and its glass ceilings.

But that’s not really why…

Maybe it was because of the big elephant. Before going to Nantes, we discovered the Machines of the Island on the Internet and we new that we wanted to go there. Among the mechanical creatures, there is an enormous elephant. But that’s not all. He walks and you can ride the elephant as it goes for a walk. How unique and awesome! We visited the Machines of the Island with Cat and Matthieu. Unfortunately, the last ride of the day was full. Next time! Like Cat said, “you always have to leave a reason to come back.

But that’s not really why…

Maybe it’s because of Cat and Matthieu and their friendship. They were very good hosts and were very welcoming, despite the fact that they had a lot of work to do. Cat prepared maps and brochures for us, with ideas for things to do. They spoiled us with croissants and pains au chocolat. They even prepared breakfast for us for the train the day we left, with a gift, a box of their chocolates

They showed us the boulangerie and explained a little of how it works. Tom helped a little bit. And me, I watched and I ate!

After we visited the Machines of the Island and the Passage Pommeraye, they took us to a crêperie to eat galettes.

They spoke to us in French. They were patient and we had some really good conversations. I really liked how Cat corrected me. She was very nice about it and I learned several new words and expressions. And thanks to Matthieu, I learned words like “moche” (a familiar word for ugly). J

Yes, that’s why.

Maybe it seems really simple and nothing special. But, for us, it was wonderful. I think that it was the first time that we had the opportunity to talk to French people and have deeper conversations than before. Like I’ve written before, we have met some other young people at our residence hall, but it’s so hard to make friends with French people. I was a little sad to come back to Paris…

Thank you Cat and Matthieu!

Noël à la Française

Attention non-French speakers: Don't be afraid! Scroll down to the English version :)

Tom et moi avons eu de la chance d’être invité à Nantes pour partager Noël avec nos amis Catherine et Matthieu et leurs familles. Je suis vraiment ravie d’avoir eu cette expérience extraordinaire.

Pour le réveillon (le 24) les parents de Catherine nous ont accueilli chez eux. Il y a eu d’abord l’apéritif, avec du champagne et plusieurs choses à goûter, y inclus du caviar sur des toasts. Après, les membres de la famille ont offert des cadeaux. Nous avons été surpris quand les parents de Catherine nous ont offert un beau livre sur Paris.

Pour dîner, nous avons mangés de la foie gras sur pain d’épice et ensuite des huîtres (pour la première fois) avec du vin blanc. C’est vraiment une spécialité française et c’est sûrement une tradition française à ne pas manquer, même si ces deux américains n’apprécient pas ces délices comme les français. Un cousin à Catherine a rit à Tom quand il a essayé les huîtres, sachant qu’il ne les aimait pas trop. Pourtant, ce n’était que l’entrée. Comme plat principal, nous avons mangé de la dinde, de la purée formidable, et des haricots verts avec du vin rouge. Pour le dessert, nous avons savouré pour la première fois une bûche de Noël chocolat que Matthieu a confectionné. Et n’oubliez pas le vin ! Oui, encore du vin. Cette fois-ci c’était le vin que nous avons offert, un vin blanc sucré. Catherine a dit que le vin s’est marié bien avec le dessert.

Le jour de Noël, nous sommes allés chez la mère à Matthieu pour déjeuner. Il y avait moins de monde que la veille, avec les grands-parents de Matthieu et son frère et belle-sœur.

Comme la veille, on a ouvert les cadeaux après l’apéritif. Tom et moi avons offert des décorations de Noël à Catherine et Matthieu, et à la mère à Matthieu. Tom a reçu des bandes dessinées, Tintin et Astérix, et moi, j’ai reçu un livre de recettes pour les crêpes et les galettes, des spécialités de Bretagne, de la mère à Matthieu, et un livre de recettes pour les œufs à la coque (avec quatre coquetiers) de Catherine et Matthieu. Ça vous dit quelque chose ? Souvenez-vous ma première expérience avec la coque ?! Je serai content d'apprendre plus sur ce sujet!

Pour déjeuner, nous avons mangé encore de la foie gras, mais cette fois-ci avec du saumon, et de la dinde. La bûche était aux framboises, et même si j’adore le chocolat, j’ai préféré la bûche aux framboises. Délicieux !

Ensuite, nous sommes allés chez le grand-père de Catherine, qui est en fait le mari d’une amie de Madame N (mon professeur de français), pour prendre une partie d’une bûche et encore du champagne.

Des gens chaleureux la découverte des traditions françaises. C’était vraiment un Noël de nos rêves.

English Version!

A French Christmas

Tom and I were fortunate to have been invited to share Christmas in Nantes with our friends Catherine and Matthieu and their families. I am so excited to have had this extraordinary experience.

For Christmas Eve, Catherine’s parents invited us over. The night started with the aperitif, with champagne and several appetizers, including caviar on toast. Afterwards, the family opened gifts. We were surprised when Catherine’s parents gave us a beautiful book about Paris.

For dinner, we ate foie gras on gingerbread and then we had oysters (for the first time) with white wine. It’s a real French specialty for Christmas and definitely a French tradition not to miss, even if these two Americans did not enjoy these treats as the French do. One of Catherine’s cousins laughed at Tom when he tried the oysters, knowing he didn’t like them too much. Yet, that was only the starter course. For the main dish, we ate turkey, absolutely wonderful mashed potatoes, and green beans with red wine. For dessert, we savored for the first time a bûche de Noël au chocolat, a chocolate Christmas cake, which was made by Matthieu himself. And let’s not forget the wine! Yes, more wine. This time it was the wine that we had brought, a sweet white wine. Catherine said that it went very well with the dessert.

On Christmas day, we went to Matthieu’s mother’s for lunch. There were less people than the day before, with Matthieu’s grandparents, brother, and sister-in-law.

Like on Christmas Eve, we opened gifts after the aperitif. Tom and I gave Christmas ornaments and decorations to Catherine and Matthieu and to Matthieu’s mom. Tom got two comic books, Tintin and Astérix, and I got a crêpe and galette (specilites of the region) recipe book from Matthieu’s mom, and a oeufs à la coque recipe book from Catherine and Matthieu. Does that ring a bell? Do you remember my last experience with la coque?! I'll be happy to learn more about this!

For lunch, we had foie gras again, but this time with salmon, and turkey. The bûche de Noël was raspberry this time, and even though I love chocolate, I think I liked the raspberry better. Yummy!

Next, we went to Catherine’s grandfather’s (and actually her step-grandmother is an old friend of Madame N, my French professor) to share more cake and champagne.

Meeting nice, warm people and discovering French Christmas traditions. It was really a perfect Christmas experience.

Châteaux and more

Tom and I had the chance to get out Paris last weekend and go to the beautiful Loire Valley. We based our stay in Tours.

On Friday, we discovered Tours and had an amazing dinner. We both had poulet au miel citronné (Chicken cooked with honey and lemon). Tom had rillettes (a type of pâté special to the area) as his entrée and he actually liked it! He is very picky, so I was happy.

The restaurant, Grill du Roy (with the old spelling for king- Roy instead of Roi):

On Saturday we visited two châteaux near Tours. The first was Chenonceau in the village of Chenonceaux.



This castle's history is dominated by women: Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medici, and Louise de Lorraine. My favorite room was Louise's just because it was so interesting. She was in mourning when she lived at Chenonceau, and she went beyond black and white morning clothes. Her room was solemn, with painted crown of thorns and silver tears on the walls.



The second castle we visited was Amboise. And we just realized we didn't take a picture of the outside of the château. Oops! However, by visiting the chapel of the castle, we stumbled across the (presumed) tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, who spent his golden years in France.



We also had a great view of the town of Amboise that we visited briefly after the château. We also found a place to déguster (taste) and buy some Loire Valley wine.




Despite having a terrible headache on Saturday, it was great. Sunday, we weren't sure what to do. It was Toussaint (All Saint's Day) and everything was closed in Tours and busses weren't running to castles. At the Tourism Office we found that there was a guided tour of Tours. Tom, being the great husband that he is, accompanied me on the two hour walking tour in French. I loved learning about the architecture of the town. We saw the place where Joan of Arc got her armor before heading to Orléans, another city in the Loire Valley where Joan had her great victory. The houses where you can see the wood are from the Middle Ages- at least the style is, and they've been restored. I don't know pretty much any architectural terms, so I can't really describe it, but I enjoyed hearing about it anyway. The guide talked a lot about how dangerous this style of building was for fires, and how the more affluent Tours residents reconstructed their homes (back in the day). Luckily for us, some weren't able to and we still get to see the original style.

The Loire Valley will do just fine

Après avoir appris que les billets pour l'Eurostar sont beaucoup trop chers, Tom et moi avons décidé de ne pas accompagner ses grands-parents (qui sont venus pour visiter Paris) à Londres. Donc, hier, nous avons décidé de venir à Tours, dans la Vallée de la Loire. Et nous voilà! Nous sommes arrivés cet après-midi, et les visites des châteaux commencent demain matin.

After learning that Eurostar tickets are way too expensive, Tom and I decided to not go with his grandparents (who came to visit Paris) to London. So, yesterday, we decided to come to Tours, in the Loire Valley. And here we are! We arrived this afternoon, and visiting the châteaux (castles) starts tomorrow morning.

Pictures coming soon! (Also coming soon-ish: more posts about everything else we're up to!)