Friday we spent in the Champagne region. We saw the Reims cathedral, looks similar to Notre Dame in Paris. It is the church where all of the kings of France have been crowned. Then we had a interesting tour of Moet & Chandon. The kids did great during the tour. It was only us and another American couple (on their honeymoon). The caves were very cool. Hand craved from chalk in the 1700's, Moet & Chandon claim to have been the birthplace of champagne. They are also the makers of Dom Perignon. Dinner was a drag. E was tired and cranky and the food was mediocre at best and way over-priced. But all in all a fantastic day.
Saturday we did chateau-fest. Started the day at Fontainebleau, which is hugely interesting from a historical perspective. After seeing the glorious Versailles my expectations were low that I would be impressed. In fact I was blown away. The chateau was home to many generous of french royalty and has been re-built and added to many times. There was an excellent audio-guide that was interesting and easy to follow, and almost no crowd at all. Plus, unlike Versailles which was ransacked during the revolution, Fontainbleau still has most of it's original furnishings and wallpaper. The chateau is every bit as grand as Versailles in my opinion, although Versailles does have it beat in the gardens. After a lovely visit, during which the kids were excellent, we drove to Vaux le Vicomte, another historic chateau (the one that inspired Louis XIV the build Versailles in the first place). They had golf carts to rent for only 15 euros and we all had a great time driving around the property and seeing the gardens. Both boys got to help daddy drive, they loved it! We had scheduled a dinner the prix fixe restaurant on the property, we were definitely taking a gamble, but since it was the only dinner option in the area we went for it. The kids must have known it was Mother's Day Eve because they were perfect! S was polite, quite, and ate everything. E was just as cute as can be the whole meal. As we were leaving an older American man stopped us, and complemented our children. He said "I couldn't even tell there were kids in the restaurant". A delicious and even slightly romantic (as much so as one can be with your children at the table) meal. After dinner we went into the chateau which had been completely lite by candle light. Gave one such a sense of what it must have been like to live then, plus everything just looks better when lite by a flickering candle. When we came out over 2000 candles had been lite all over the gardens. It was stunning. We all enjoyed a lovely stroll around the gardens. We were having such a nice evening that time got away from us and Gardner looked down to learn it was already, 10:45!! So a very late night out for our kids, but such a nice pleasant day it was worth it.
Today is Mother's Day in America, but not in France. Their Mother's Day is in June. Gardner surprised me with brunch at an American Diner. I have been missing my breakfast like crazy. The food was great and such a nice change. You know the place is good because there is line around the block to get in, full of Americans and French alike. After brunch we went to the Rodin museum, and Napoleon's Tomb which also includes an impressive (if your really into guns and armor) french war museum. Got to skpye with my parents, which was a great end to the day. Tomorrow we are driving to Normandy. We will see the D-Day beaches and Mont-Saint Michelle. Looking forward to a night on the coast.
Happy Mother's Day!
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