We spent a lovely last night in Loire Valley with dinner in nearby Le Mans, at its core a charming old medieval city still intact surrounded by a more modern, industrialized version around it. The old city is seemingly trapped in time with narrow cobblestone streets, tiny shops marked with painted wooden signs and a large gothic cathedral standing tall and proud at its center. We were told Le Mans does not actively promote, but is hidden gem as far as movie set locations go, most recently for the film, Pirates of the Caribbean and many others.
On certain summer evenings tourists and locals alike gather to walk the streets of Le Mans to watch as the entire town lights up beginning at 10:00pm until close to 1:00am as colored images move magically across building facades coordinating with ethereal music. It is truly a spectacle for the senses, and the girls wished we could have stayed longer.
Alas, we were to depart the Chateau very early in the morning, make the three hour drive back to Paris and yet again lug our burgeoning suitcases onto the TGV to Avignon. It was another long travel day, but well worth it once we arrived, the hot, moist air feeling almost tropical and more like the vacation destinations we are used to going to.
Avignon is a busy town with tons of touristy shops, street cafes and street performers on every corner along with a gelato bar every three paces. We stayed at La Mirande, a beautiful boutique hotel at the base of Palais des Papes, the first papal residence before the Vatican was established in Rome. We rented a car for the rest of the trip (its imperative to have a car to go anywhere in Provence), and just getting to the hotel through the winding streets of Avignon was an adventure. Thank goodness this car comes with an amazing navigation system!
Our first night here, David was able to check another item off his long bucket list: A cooking class with a real French Chef!
Chef Jean Claude Altmayer runs the cooking school at Le Mirande which offers private cooking classes. Even celebs like Bono and Kim Cattrell have hired Chef Jean Claude to teach them the fine art of french cooking! David reported for duty to the underground 14th century kitchen at 6pm, and learned to clean, dress and cook duck, and make what else? Ratatouille! David says it was well worth his time, and he learned a few new techniques from Chef Jean Claude, as well as few things he had been doing incorrectly before (mainly regarding over-spicing, use of dairy, etc)
The girls and I were invited down to the cavernous but cozy kitchen at 8pm and found the Chefs table set for just the four of us (other guests had signed up for the class that night had cancelled), a mix of popular French and old American music wafting through the stone rooms, and the smell of wood burning in the hundred year old French stove beckoning us down the stone steps. David was apron-clad and all smiles, and the Chef greeted us warmly. We enjoyed the four course meal including sautéed squid, heirloom tomatoes with whipped goat cheese and wine poached apples for dessert. It was a very special night for all.
While in Avignon, we spent a day canoeing to Pont du Gard, a 2000 year old (the oldest in existence) aqueduct. We stopped along the river for a picnic lunch. This is one of the first places the girls noticed the "topless" French women. Lots of giggles and pink cheeks. The girls comment: "Thanks Dad for taking us to France, now we're scarred for life!" Seriously, I really don't see the big deal. In fact, in general French women don't seem to be too worried about covering up at all - even the heaviest of women donning bikinis. While that might not seem appealing, I actually think it's pretty liberating.
Another day, we headed to the Wild West of France and went horseback riding in the Carmague, a swamp-like region known for its pink flamingos, wild white horses and French cowboy lifestyle. After we hit a nearby seaside town for a lunch of mussels and frites and seafood paella and took a quick dip in the Mediterranean sea.
I promised i would write about the good, the bad and the not so wonderful parts of this trip, but thankfully there have been few. However, i must admit at this point the girls had just about hit their limit with hotel rooms, long car or train rides and touring old, historical buildings. They are done. Toast.
And I don't blame them- they have been subjected to more than than most 11 and 13 year olds would be able to endure for a minute let alone 20 days, and they have been real troopers. It's truly been a joy to have this experience with them.
That being said, the next three days were a struggle in civility between the two, crabby from lack of sleep, hot temps, lack of outside social interactions and general homesickness. Not to mention our clothes situation. David washed them once at a laundromat in Paris, half of them shrinking in the process. Now they are just plain old musty and ripe, having been worn and reworn on multiple occasions with underwear becoming a dangerously scarce commodity at this point.
As I write this I am happy to report things are a little better now that we have moved down to Aix en Provence and into a private villa for the week. Complete with two things I've been dreaming about for days: a laundry room and a pool!!
Yeah!!!
More to come....
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