France Encore

Au Revoir France - July 7

2010-07-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Karl reading some German newspapers at the airport.

Flying Executive means a pod to stretch out for the long journey home.

While in our rented home in Thouars, we read a lot of books on art. This is a quote from Ted Seth Jacobs who wrote Drawing With an Open Mind.

"I would like to thank the flowers and the trees who posed uncomplainingly, various pieces of furniture that gave their opinions about life and art, old streets full of stories, musicians - imagine! - who transform the air as we draw; generous human models, idealistic and courageous dancers, and, since we are all both teachers and students, everybody; but especially my reverent thanks for the incomparable shining gift of life."

We could not express our appreciation more eloquently.

We asked the flowers from the Thouars courtyard to please take a bow.

***

Musée du Louvre - July 5

2010-07-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Louvre Museum contains one of the most important art collections in the world. It has a history dating back to the medieval times.

Over many centuries the Louvre was enlarged by a succession of French rulers.

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

This triumphal arch was built to celebrate Napoleon's military victories in 1805.

The Glass Pyramid

The new main entrance designed by architect I.M. Pei in 1989 is made of metal and glass. The pyramid enables the visitor to see the buildings around the palace, while allowing light down into the underground visitors' reception area.

The Louvre is immense and contains three main wings: the Richelieu, the Sully and the Denon.

Karl went to the Denon Wing where many of the Italian, Spanish and 19th-century French paintings can be found. (This is also the wing made famous by Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code.)

Napoleon crowning himself then his Josephine. Notice how the "church" is seated lower than the Emperor.

Of course there's the Mona Lisa.

I went to the Richelieu wing. I wanted to see the Dutch paintings and found "The Lacemaker" by J. Vermeer.

Then it was onto the French sculptures. Oh my, I could have sat there and admired even just one all day.

Mercury tying on his wings (to his ankles).

We took time out to play a little.

Château de Versailles - July 4 (Part I)

2010-07-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

The Château de Versailles is the most opulent in all of France. Under Louis XIV, it became the center of political power.

An hour and 40 minutes in line to buy tickets with a 32 degree sun beating on our shoulders.

Another 45 minutes waiting to get in the front door.

The Chapelle Royale.

The first floor was reserved for the royal family and the ground floor for the court.

The beautiful interior is decorated with Corinthian columns and white marble, gilding, and Baroque murals.

The Hall of Mirrors.

Great state occasions were held in this room stretching 233 feet along the west façade. Here in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was ratified, ending World War I.

The Salon du Sacre is adorned with huge paintings of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David.

This is the Queen's drawing room, but next to it is her bedroom where she gave birth to the royal children in public view.

Pianoforte.

The gardens are sumptuous. Geometric paths and shrubberies are features of the gardens.

The Dragon Fountain's centerpiece is a winged monster.

Fountain of Neptune.

Groups of sculptures spray spectacular jets of water in Le Nôtre's 17th-century garden.

La Gauloise - July 4 (Part II)

2010-07-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

A fantastic restaurant not all that far from the Eiffel Tower and just around the corner from our hotel.

Karl ordered the onion soup and I just wanted a little taste.

Oh my, is this ever good!

Just a wee bit more...

Ok. All done.

Is this all you left me?!

A very tender roasted chicken.

Karl said he hadn't tasted a chateaubriand like this in years.

Île flottante.

Crêpes Suzette.

Café crème with chocolate.

MMMmmmmmm!

Le Musée de l'air et de l'espace - July 3

2010-07-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful museum - but ever so huge! Imagine a hangar that holds 2 Concorde planes plus a few smaller ones. Then think of 8 of those hangars plus all the outside space in between. It's an immense complex with more to see than can be fitted in a day.

A wing very similar to a bird's.

Notice the bat above the plane. (Half of it is taxidermied and half has exposed bones to show the skeletal structure.) It was used as inspiration when developing flying machines.

A busy workshop.

The Montgolfière brothers invented the hot air balloon.

Big motor.

Karl leaning into the motor.

Menacing nose.

The Rafale.

The closest I've ever come to the Concorde.

The Concorde cockpit.

Karl under the landing gear of the Concorde.

If you want to see more photos of planes, let us know. We have about 300 of them from this museum alone.

PARIS - July 2

2010-07-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

La Tour Eiffel.

We have arrived in Paris! We stayed at the Beaugrenelle Hotel, within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, so we went there quite a few times over our 4-day visit. (Hence why the attire changes.)

We drove around Paris and saw the sites. One experience we won't soon forget is driving in L'Étoile, that 8-armed and 8-laned giratoire (round-about) around l'Arc de Triomphe. Nobody stays in "their" lane because there are no painted lines to guide the way. It's a free for all that reminds me of "bumper cars" at the Fair. Karl enjoyed himself while I prayed.

French Books

2010-07-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

One of the very exciting things to do when in France is to browse the "librairies" (bookstores) to find out what has been recently published and what the folks are reading. I was introduced to some new authors I wasn't familiar with.

Anna Gavalda. Finished reading "La Consolante" and loved it so much that I quickly bought "Je l'aimais" and "Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part".

Marc Levy. Read "Le Premier jour" and was disappointed to discover at the end that there would be a sequel, but not available till next year. He writes a lot like Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code), with a lot of action and with a screenplay in mind.

Jean-Louis Fournier. "Où on va, papa?" apparently caused quite a bit of controversy when it came out. It's a father who talks about life with his two handicapped children. Some felt he lacked respect towards the handicapped, but I just felt a lot of love from a father struggling to deal with incredible challenges.

Annie Ernaux. "Les années". I was told that this book is brilliant because the story unfolds against the political backdrop of after-war France while describing the fashions and habits of the day.

I have saved the best till last. While in France, I became acquainted with a cousin from Montreal who wrote informing me that we share the same ancestors, Jean Gobeil and his wife Jeanne Guiet, who left France in 1665. I think we continued having the same family tree till about 5 generations ago, when we branched our separate ways.

Sylvie Gobeil teaches writing in Ottawa and is a published author. She has written a trilogy around the characters of Jean and Jeanne and their children. She had to imagine their characters and the story, but the setting, the dates and everything she could research are true. She was kind enough to have the 3 books waiting for me upon my return, so what a treat for me to read these novels!

Le pays au bout du fleuve (Premier tome de la trilogie)
http://www.leseditionsgid.com/select/fictions.htm#GlossF

Les tiroirs secrets de Jeanne (Tome 2 de la trilogie)
http://www.manuscritdepot.com/a.sylvie-gobeil.1.htm

Au gré du vent (Tome 3 de la trilogie)
http://www.manuscritdepot.com/a.sylvie-gobeil.2.htm

Please ask your library to order these books if you choose not to buy them.

Bonne lecture!

Le Château de Tennessus - July 1

2010-07-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Canada Day in style by staying at Le Château de Tennessus for the night.

The Château is a remarkably authentic 14th-century castle complete with moat, working drawbridge, arrow-slits and battlements.

Entrance seen from inside the courtyard.

Karl examines the weight to lift the drawbridge which broke just the week before.

The reception area is also where breakfast is served at the huge refectory table in the magnificent setting of the stone-vaulted entrance hall.

There are 26 steps leading to the Knights' Room, where we stayed for the night. The narrow and winding steps are rather challenging when carrying luggage, but the rooms above us are even more challenging, with 52 and 80 steps from the main...

At the casement window of our bedroom.

It had a curtained double bed.

Originally the Great Hall of the Château, this splendid Knights' Room has a heavily-beamed ceiling, a vast granite fireplace and window seats.

It has been furnished in authentic medieval style with trestle tables and benches, torches, shields, wall-paintings and hangings.

Drinking the champagne left on the table to welcome us.

Not sure if the hostess left these red and white roses on the table because she knew they were the colours of our flag, but how appropriate for Canada Day! I don't suppose we'll lose the house key.

The moat is filled with fish and we watched them jump and splash. Now that's entertainment!

The little black pig was most friendly.

Looks like I've graduated from my troglodyte home to a shack above ground.

There is a huge medieval garden planted in boxes above ground. There you can also find an artisan metal bird and unicorn. Extremely well made!

Karl at the watering hole again...

A dark-haired beauty befriends Karl.

The Château calmly bids good-night to the voyageurs it protects within.

http://www.tennessus.com/

***

Tired of reading about fine food and the wonderful restaurants we discovered along the way? We are thinking of becoming food critics and writing reviews for restaurants, so this is our practice run! (Just kidding.)

Drove to Parthenay for a special Canada Day dinner at Le Fin Gourmet.

Settings were red and white - how appropriate!

For the mise en bouche, we dipped our bread in a cream sauce with garlic and chives.

Shrimp mousse with whole shrimp on top, sitting on a lobster bisque type of sauce.

Lobster and white fish set in a jellied mousse with asparagus spears. Topped with BEET sprouts!

Stuffed white fish served jelly-roll style with chanterelle mushrooms and Manchu peas. Potatoes and root veggies mashed together.

Light white fish served in beurre-blanc sauce with rice and mushrooms and peas.

Chocolat fondant (volcano cake).

Orange mousse wrapped inside a crêpe purse, surrounded with strawberries and peaches, sitting in a Grand Marnier sauce.

Coffee served with meringues dipped in chocolate, macaroons, and honey tuiles.

***

A little treat for us. The next morning, as we paid our bill, we were invited to enter the private kitchen of the Château. Raymonde, who was looking after things while the owners were away on holidays, was trying to cope with cats and dogs who weren't where they should be! We had the privileged opportunity to peak into the private domain...

Their dining room. Please note the benches have a "back" that can be adjusted so that you can face the table to eat, or face the fireplace. We saw these benches in one of the castles and they called it "caquetière".

This is their stove. I kept thinking of our new friend Aaron from Circle of Missé and how he would appreciate this "cuisinière" when he teaches his gourmet cooking.

The hutch with very beautiful dishes.

The working kitchen. Note all the jams stacked in the alcove.

Absolutely loved this kitchen!

Bye-bye Thouars - June 30

2010-06-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

We did a final tour of Thouars before saying good-bye. The weather had changed and with the hot sun, all the flowers were peaking and the gardens were just beautiful!

Garden plots all along the river bank.

The Château de Thouars and the River Thouet.

Horses on the road leading out of town. We stopped often to pet them.

Our favourite café, just around the corner.

Thomas introduced us to Duhomard, a drink similar to sherry, and to several foreign beers.

The door from La Tremoïlle Street to the inside courtyard of our rented home.

The growth is rich. You'll find no crack in the stones not filled with a tangle of herbs or moss. Vines, figs, roses, strawberries, lavender, hydrangea, and so much more!

Three levels of patio, three different tables and chairs. One can easily follow the sun or the shade, as desired.

The famous keys that we forgot one day...

Karl with his broom and his beer. He swept the courtyard every day, unless it was raining. He loved roaming around with scissors and clippers and trimming a little bit here, cutting a wayward branch there.

The flowers right next to the front door.

Welcome to our home away from home!

Our hostess is an artist and this painting of hers took central stage on the main living room wall. It is also the one she has used as her business card. To us, it will always be representative of our delightful home in Thouars! How lucky we were to come across this incredible find.

Back to My Roots (La Rochelle & Niort) - June 29

2010-06-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

The Gobeil family can be traced back 11 generations. Our ancestor, Jean Gobeil, left Niort in 1665 with his wife Jeanne Guiet and their 4 daughters. They made their way to La Rochelle and sailed to "La Nouvelle-France" on board the ship Le Rubis.

The Tour de la Chaîne and the Tour St-Nicolas would have been guarding the entrance to the harbour even back then. A huge chain used to be strung between them to ward off attack from the sea.

A bit further, you can see the 15th-century Tour de la Lanterne (with a pointy roof). Its inner walls were covered in graffiti by prisoners, mostly mariners, in the 17th - 19th centuries. Ships are the most common motif.

Taken from the other side of the harbour. The harbour is now the biggest yachting center on France's Atlantic coast.

The tall building to the left is the gate leading to the Old Cité.

I'm standing at the gate to the Old Cité.

The streets are bustling with activity.

La Rochelle is easy to explore on foot, though its cobbled streets and arcades are very congested with tourists during peak season.

Along the harbour is a long street of restaurants, mostly serving seafood.

We picked "Les Grands Yachts"

I had the langoustines (crayfish).

They're a lot of work for very little reward.

I wonder if Diane will recognize Captain Hook - we posed with him last year... He got polished up since we last saw him!

On our way back to Thouars, we stopped in Niort to touch base with my roots. This was Jean and Jeanne's home before leaving France.

The town's immediate attraction is the huge 12th-century donjon* overlooking the Vieux Pont (Old Bridge). Built by Henry II and Richard the Lion-Heart, it played an important role during the Hundred Years' War and was later used as a prison. One prisoner was the father of Madame de Maintenon**, who spent her childhood in Niort. The donjon is now a museum of local arts and crafts and archeology.

* A donjon in French is not translated to dungeon in English. It is the "keep" in a castle.

** In 1684, following the death of his first wife Marie-Thérèse, Louis XIV secretly married his mistress Mme de Maintenon, then aged 49.

We could not go back to Niort without visiting our special restaurant "La Table des Saveurs" which we had so enjoyed on our visit in early May. It did not disappoint!

Stuffed sardine with salad for K.

The rabbit for M.

Chicken stuffed with mushrooms for M.

Pork tenderloin for K.

Chocolate ganache for M.

Nougat for K with raspberry infusion.

Homemade wafer with white and dark chocolates to accompany the "café crème".

Karl ordered a Cognac Summit at the start of the dinner, so they gave him a little book with Cognac drink recipes. What a wonderful way to end the day!

Azay-Le-Rideau - June 27

2010-06-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

Azay-Le-Rideau Castle

In the XII century, the owner was Rideau or Ridel d'Azay, whose fierceness earned him the nickname "Child of the Devil". Henry II Plantagenet expropriated all his lands, but they were later restored, together with the castle.

Coat of Arms

The "voile" over the beds were to keep bugs out, heat in, and provide privacy.

An absolutely stunning desk.

More magnificent furniture pieces.

The Library.

"Caquetière". A bench with an adjustable back used by women who wish to sit together and chat while facing the fireplace or facing the opposite direction, without moving the bench.

Expecting company.

We've seen this style of glassware in other châteaux as well, with the Fleur de Lys motif.

Dishes specific to this château.

Furniture of the era.

Billiards anyone?

A fancy scoreboard for billiards.

Karl in the games room, ready to deal the cards.

Family photos.

***

Recognize this château? It is the Château d'Ussé. The particularly elegant, fairy-tale-like appearance of this castle at the edge of a dark, mysterious forest seems to have influenced Charles Perrault's conception of the castle in his "Sleeping Beauty".

We were going to visit it, but since this was our second castle to visit that day, it was 33 degrees, the hill to get to the front door looked particularly steep and we were told that there were 80 steps to climb within the castle, well, I decided it was just too much. We'll have to visit it some other time, during another trip. Instead, we took a long meandering drive through the enchanted forest.

The Unexpected - June 26

2010-06-26T02:51:00.000-07:00

Karl and I were having tea in the courtyard, talking about Puy du Fou and how much fun we had had yesterday, and decided to run out for some croissants before leaving for Niort. As we walked out of the courtyard, "Do you have the house keys?" "No, don't you?" We had locked ourselves out of the house!

Needless to say, it was a stressful day, trying to figure out how to get back in. Fortunately, we knew that Aaron and Wayne (where we took our writing course) had a spare set of keys, so we drove out there 3 times, wondering where they could be on a Saturday. They came home around 4:00, to our great relief! The bonus in all this is that we all went out for dinner together, to St-Généroux.

The town was named after a monk who settled here 1200 years ago.

Aaron, Wayne, Karl

There is an ancient packhorse bridge dating back to the pilgrims who crossed it on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Aaron, Marguerite, Wayne

The church is one of the oldest in France. Built in the 9th century, it was a popular resting place for pilgrims. In the half light, one can almost conjure an image of them kneeling at the altar or resting in the base of the pillars.

We had dinner "Au bon accueil", and it was fantastic! Served family style, with huge platters of food placed in the centre of the table for us to serve ourselves.

Started off with a platter of potato salad, shredded carrot salad, white asparagus and pasta salad.
Then came a platter of poached perch in a beurre blanc sauce - so light!
French fries, potatoes Dauphine, green beans.
Magret de canard cooked on their big indoor chimney bbq.
Tray of cheese.
Île flottante, chocolate mousse, lemon meringue pie, almond blanc-mange. We each had something different, depending on our taste.
Mareuil Rosé wine.
Coffees.

Another excellent dinner - one of our top favourites! Wonderful to share it with friends.

Puy du Fou - June 25

2010-06-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

We are at a loss to know how we could possibly describe or convey to you the magic that is Puy du Fou. It's Disney meets Grand Theatre meets Opera meets Le Cadre Noir. It's a universe all its own!

It is a Theme Park, but everything is live, actors and animals. The sets are bigger than life. Castles move, galleon ships sink, horses prance, birds of prey take flight. We spent most of the day with dropped jaws and eyes wide open. We can honestly say that we've never in our lives seen anything like this.

There were 5 main shows and we got to see them all. The first one was "The Vikings". Set in a peaceful village in Normandy, we are invited to attend a joyful wedding.

Everything is festive and we see village life unfold around us - deer, wild boar, and beasts of burden. A wolf man appears leading five wolves. After foretelling the couple's fate, he presents them with a wolf as a wedding gift.

Appearing like a sudden dark storm, an invasion of vikings abruptly changes the village into a war zone.

Villagers must rescue their animals and hide their treasure before it is too late!

But alas...

***

The next show was "The Secret of the Lance".

Joan of Arc leaves to fight the war against the English and asks Marguerite (we're not making this up - that really was her name) to protect the castle until her return. She entrusts her magic lance to the young woman.

There are jousting and horsemanship games, until the enemy arrives... A parade of knights hints at the ordeal to come. Catapults, cannons and jets of flame transform the scene into mayhem and carnage.

But Marguerite saves the day!

...and the castle.

***

The next show is set in Roman Gaul and takes place in a Colliseum.The grand entrance is a parade of the Governor's wealth and status before the Christians are thrown to the lions and gladiators must fight to the death.

Ostriches, camels, a caged tiger and Bacchus drinking wine...

There is a chariot race. The prize? Freedom.

The "white" team is victorious but the Governor will have none of that.

A Senator defies the Governor and questions why Christians must die.

Centurions are called to "remove him".

Three lions come into the arena, but none of them want to eat the Christians.

The Christians are given their freedom!

***

The next show is called "The Three Muskateers" and by juggling our schedule, we managed to see this one twice. It takes place in a theatre that is about 5 times larger than any theatre we've ever been in. Flash was forbidden and the lighting was poor for photos, but it was theatre and acrobats and dance. Cyrano de Bergerac, Cardinal Richelieu, the Roi et la Reine - they all make an appearance. The horses and the water features steal the show.

[Some videos to be added...]

***

The grounds of Puy du Fou are enormous. With 1200 actors and 8000 costumes, it covers 23 hectares and has attracted 10 million visitors. We did not get to see Cinéscénie, the acclaimed evening show, not realizing we needed to reserve months in advance. But the Grand Parc itself has so much to offer it's impossible to see it all in a day.

Between the venues for each of the 5 main shows, there are settings for The Lost Worlds, villages from eras long ago: a village from the Year 1000, a medieval town, an XVIII century village, a 1900 burg, etc. Artisan shops and taverns and eateries are everywhere.

Animals that would have been found in some of these villages long ago are in vast enclosures.

***

The final show we saw was "The Ball of the Phantom Birds".

Falconers live on site and train these birds year-round. There were species we have never seen, not in Africa, not in the Amazon, not even on TV.

Check the neat outfits that the trainers wear.

Any similarity with the eyes?

The breadth of the wings!

Striking black and white colour on this bird.

Press the play button to watch an African Secretary bird kill a snake.

The show ended with an ultra-light coming in with all these birds following it.

***

Walking through the Roseraie (rose garden) at the end of the day.

If you ever get the chance to come to France, Puy du Fou is a must. Check the website and book their evening show which we've heard is even more spectacular than the day shows. It must be awesome!

www. puydufou.com

Le Cadre Noir de Saumur - June 23

2010-06-24T07:43:00.001-07:00

The Cadre Noir is an equestrian display team based in the city of Saumur in western France. The troop was founded in 1828, and gets its name from the black uniforms that are still used today. It is one of the most prestigious horsemanship schools in the world.

In 1972, the National School of Équitation was constituted around the Cadre Noir, which form its core teaching staff. Today, there are about 50 horses and a team of elite riders, usually limited to 22. The members of the Cadre Noir are either under a civilian or a military status. Some of the riders have reached the highest level of international sport, being olympic or world champions.

The equitation on which the school is built was taught by Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere, the French riding master to King Louis XV and author of the book École de Cavalerie, which was published in 1731.

The facilities are unparalleled. They have a number of arenas, some enclosed and some not. This one is so large that you can put seats inside the arena field and still have an olympic size area. The light is all natural.

Although we didn't see a live presentation because Le Cadre was in Toulouse, we saw a video and many photos. It is spectacular!

The Cadre Noir mainly uses Thoroughbreds, Anglo-Arabians, Hanoverians and Selle Français, but also keeps Lusitano horses to demonstrate the 16th and 17th century baroque style of riding. The Thoroughbreds and Anglo Arabians are used for the Grand Prix dressage, and perform individually, pas de deux (two horses), pas de trois (three horses), and dûe quantité (four or more horses). They may be either displayed in hand or ridden.

The Selle Français are used to display the 'airs above the ground.'

Press play button to watch horse get a shower. The water is warm.

These horses are treated with kid gloves. After their shower, they warm up under solar lights so that they don't catch cold.

In addition to Le Cadre Noir and their horses, this is also a teaching school. You must have achieved your Galop 7 before coming here, and the most you can acquire is Galop 9. (Designations of whether you are an instructor or competing at world or olympic levels.)

There are hundreds of horses boarded here and their riders come every day to practice and to learn.

All those horses produce a lot of manure, but the stalls are mucked in a very efficient way. There is a trough in the hallway between the stalls, and the chain-driven conveyor automatically brings the manure to these stations where the manure is then transported to mushroom farms in the area.

The grounds cover 300 hectares. It's huge! Besides the number of indoor arenas, there are also many outdoor arenas and practice areas. Some are used for dressage, and others are used for jumping.

We stayed for a national competition that took place that afternoon.

Press the play button to watch the horse jump competition.

Air Museum - June 20 (Part I)

2010-06-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

On our way from Saumur to Angers, we came across the Air Museum of Angers-Marcé. It's a small museum that had a great collection of vintage and glider aircraft. I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting - hoping - to see a few of the fighter aircraft from WW II. Even so, it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon as it was cold and very windy outside.

The Rene-Gasnier III was the first aeroplane to take flight in the Anjou district (eq. to our province). This beautiful vintage aeroplane looks much like our Silver Dart ... and flew just as well (they had a badly bent up propellor to prove it).

In one corner of the hangar, we found a wonderful workshop full of tools for wood working. Volunteers (retired aviation pilots and engineers) reconstruct planes and were more than happy to explain the process. In this case, the rebuilding of the wing for the French Bobcat.

M found a plane of special interest. The size and folding wings made the airplane a perfect replacement for her Honda - her new mode of transportation! As a bonus, it would fit nicely in the garage.

Nothing fancy for K - the pilot may be ready but the plane was not. The aircraft was still being rebuilt and did not have a tail when I took the controls!

K next to the "Wylie Coyote". Great paint job! Note the small model aircraft - they were scattered all over the place - ducks and ducklings.

The closest M ever got to the Concord. Yes, you are right, this is not a vintage or glider aeroplane but seeing she has been retired, she fits.

Another strange bird from the early days of aviation. Would be great to take this baby one out for a spin.....

A model of a glider carrying a very colourful paint job.

This one would be better in an automobile museum - missing are its wings.... Was used to ferry some of the first home builts to the local aerodrome.

Another very interesting bird. Pretty fragile wings much shaped like the wings of a bat.

Strange to find an example of the Merlin V12 engine here - the heart of a Spitfire.

Two photos of a very beautiful glider that set many records. Note the air/speed brakes that fold out from underneath the wings.

Compare the above with another beautiful glider below. Note the air/speed brakes - they slide out vertically from wing slots located on both top and under surfaces. Also, making this my favourite of their collection is the V-tail.

I was hoping to find a Fieseler Storch but to no avail. Instead, I found a grasshopper and a criquet....

US Army Cub - Piper L4H (Grasshopper)

And the Morane-Saulnier Criquet (the French version of the Storch).... Note the wing slats and aeleron configuration giving this aircraft its unique flying characteristics - can seemingly land/takeoff on a dime.

And last but not least, two more strange flying contraptions that piqued my interest...

~ OK

Château de Brissac - June 20 (Part II)

2010-06-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Taller than all the royal castles of France, Brissac, with its seven stories and 204 rooms, has been nicknamed the "Giant of the Loire Valley". It is also the only one we've visited that has an elevator!

Acquired by René de Cossé in 1502, the first Lord of Brissac, it is today the residence of the 13th Duke of Brissac. His family lives here permanently and therefore some sections of the château are not available to the public.

Of the original 15th century fortress, there remains two medieval towers and the ancient wine cellars.

Brissac's most unusual underground river is yet another sheer delight to the eye and quite a rarity.

Coat of Arms

This is a kitchen mock-up since the real one is currently being used and not accessible to the public.

One of four Venetian crystal chandeliers from the Murano glassworks found in "Le Grand Salon", previously called the "salon doré" (gilded salon).

Richly carved coffered ceiling dating from the 17th century. It is gold-leafed.

The monumental mantelpiece is richly sculpted with garlands of flowers, fruit clusters, and scroll motifs. The bust is of Charles II de Cossé, the one who rebuilt the castle and the first Duke of Brissac.

The current Duke and Duchess of Brissac on their wedding day in 1993. We met them and their 3 children as they were leaving the château to go for a walk. We said hello and exchanged pleasantries.

The Dining Room which still hosts special events, from crowns to celebs.

The dishes were made specifically for the Brissac family.

This display case has china from Meissen and a service plate and soup tureen of 18th century Sèvres porcelain with the Brissac coat of arms.

Louis XIII Bedchamber.

This is the room where Louis XIII and his mother, Marie de' Medici, were reconciled in 1620. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. The figurines in the display case portray this event.

In the Portrait Gallery, you find this very large portrait of the world famous Veuve Clicquot, one of the great names of French Champagne. This extraordinary strong-willed and talented lady became a widow early in her marriage. Well known for her business acumen and her determination, she decided then to take over the family business and turn it into an international enterprise.

The bridal dress of the current Duchess of Brissac, found in the Chapel. (You can see the wedding picture in a magazine on the podium.)

The Reception Hall or Grand Gallery.

It is 32 meters in length. Throughout the centuries, it has served for many a festivity and banquet.

Today, the Gallery continues to be used for private receptions, seminars and conferences.

The beamed ceiling is particularly magnificent. Painted in 1625, it is decorated with some 100 small pictures, pastoral as well as biblical and mythological scenes.

The Opera House or Theatre

Jeanne Say inherited the castle upon the death of her husband, the Marquis de Brissac. He was to become Duke but died during the War against Prussia in 1871.

She came from a wealthy family which made its fortune producing refined sugar. The company is known today as Beghin-Say.

She was a music enthusiast and a talented soprano. When renovating the château, she decided to build her own opera house. The dress found on stage is the same one she wore in her portrait.

Jeanne Say's portrait .

An unusual 19th century wedding present to the 11th Duke and Duchess de Brissac: a sedan chair, (chaise à porteurs). On the side panels, you can read the words "Joy, Happiness and Love". It was rarely used because it was too heavy.

You can stay at the Château as a guest. Your room awaits.

Wine growing has been a family tradition for more than 500 years. We sampled 3 estate wines and purchased the rosé.

Medieval Kitchens

There is an amazing display of copperware, traditional cooking utensils and equipment, a massive fireplace, and cobblestone floor.

Just a wee mortar and pestle.

The old kitchens are still used to this day for private receptions and seminars, but caterers arrive with most of the food already prepared.

We stopped for dinner at l'Auberge des Isles in Montreuil-Bellay. It wasn't fancy, but was it ever delicious!

We both had aiguillettes de canard (duck strips) with a pepper sauce dip, served with fêves (beans) and a salad. Karl had the Tiramisu and I had the chocolate mousse for dessert.

Angers - June 18

2010-06-20T01:34:00.000-07:00

Angers is the historic capital of Anjou, home of the Plantagenets and gateway to the Loire Valley. We found it big. There are lots of one-way streets and it took us a while to find the Tourist Information, let alone all the sites. We reminded ourselves yet again that we prefer smaller towns.

Roi René

The best way to explore a new city quickly is to go on a tour. This one was on "Le Petit Train d'Angers" which covered the "Cité" and the "Doutre", two old quarters. Some of these photos are blurry, but they were taken while the train was travelling at a good clip on cobblestones, so a bumpy ride.

Pretty impressive statues for the doorway leading to a hair stylist.

Typical street: clean, bright, not as old in this section.

Quai Ligny

Hôtel des Pénitentes

Place du Tertre

La Maison d'Adam, with carvings showing the tree of life.

***

The town has a formidable 13th-century Château built using black and white stones.

The moats at le Château d'Angers never held water, but did house exotic animals. Today they are filled with sculpted gardens.

Taking a break below the castle walls.

Angers was once inhabited by fierce Celtic peoples who tenaciously opposed Roman penetration. After the period of the Norman invasions (IX century) Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, had a castle built here. (Models are displayed in one of the towers. The king's residence, located in the lower right hand corner of these photos.)

This first stronghold was replaced by a better furnished architectural complex built by Louis IX, known as St-Louis, between 1228 and 1238, which was then further enlarged by Louis I of Anjou and under Louis II of Anjou, added a Gothic chapel. The court of René of Anjou, known as the Good, regent of Sicily and Jerusalem, resided here. A man of letters and benefactor of the local community, he was fond of fêtes and tournaments which were often held at the castle.

Karl at the main gate to the castle that opens to the old city.

The religious wars later led to the decline of the castle and Henry III ordered it to be demolished in 1585. The cylindrical towers of the pentagonal stronghold began to be torn down and the conical roof and the upper part were dismantled.

Family tree of the various kings through the centuries. This castle is sometimes called Château René.

There are gardens within the castle grounds - even on the castle's ramparts.

A place for afternoon tea. This was originally the residence of the castle's governor.

La Cathédrale St-Maurice, noted for its façade and 13th-century stained-glass windows.

Impressive views of the city from the ramparts.

Bridges, both old and new, cross the river Maine.

Internal gate tower leading to the king's residence. This is more or less the only part of his residence still left standing.

This is a piece of art within one of the Château's towers that represents the souls of the dead who long to tell their story. Note: during the American War for Independence, France sided with the American states. The French navy was victorious over the British navy and British sailors found themselves imprisoned in France - many ended locked up in this castle.

***

Inside the Château is the longest (338 feet) and one of the finest medieval tapestries in the world. It tells the story of the Apocalypse, with battles between hydras and angels. The room used to display this tapestry is huge and very dark - not conducive for taking photos and no flash allowed.

Commissioned by Louis I, Duke of Anjou, in 1373, this magnificent textile is based on drawings by the painter Jean de Bandol, also called Hennequin de Bruges, and was woven by Nicolas Bataille.

The series of panels which illustrate the "Book of Revelations" of St. John was in the archbishopric of Arles in 1400 and after 1474 in the church of St-Maurice in Angers. In 1782 the tapestries disappeared, to be recovered in 1848 by a canon, Joubert, who had them restored.

Each panel is accompanied by the figure of St. John, who participates in and illlustrates the scene.

For further enlightenment, go to: http://sourcebook.fsc.edu/history/apocalypse.html The 5 tapestry photos were taken from this site.

Restaurant Les Années 30 - June 15 (Part III)

2010-06-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

After visiting 2 châteaux in one day, we were exhausted and wanted to enjoy a nice dinner. Chinon, halfway between Amboise and Thouars, still had a restaurant we hadn't tried. It had been recommended to us by that delightful woman who owns the Brocante in Chinon's Centre Square.

The theme of the restaurant is from the 30's.

The "mise en bouche" came in 3 parts: a cheese stick to dip in a parsley sauce; little puffs with a "bite"; tartlets with cream cheese mixture topped with dill.

Karl's appy was rabbit in aspic surrounded with grapefruit pieces, raspberry sorbet and a scoop of pâté. He loved it!

I had the fish appy which included marinated fish, a cod pâté log, and tapinade on a bread wedge. That choice was also fantastic.

Karl ordered the "sanglier", wild boar in Grand Marnier sauce, with quinoa and veggies. He loved it so much, found it so tender, that he decided this might be the best meal he's had in France this year!

I had the magret the canard in a reduced cherry sauce. What looks like fries in the corner are actually sticks of parsnips. The potatoes came as 3 little croquettes on the side. All the flavours were so concentrated and delicious.

I may be tired, but I'm very happy with my meal.

After the cheese plate, we got our desserts. Karl had a strawberry mousse on a bed of strawberry coulis with fresh strawberries on top. He thought it so good that he inhaled it.

I had the raspberry and chantilly between feuilletée. It was light and airy, a perfect ending to a perfect meal!

But it wasn't the end. Coffee came with fruit squares and coconut meringues. An awesome meal!

Château du Clos Lucé - Leonardo Da Vinci Park - June 15 (Part II)

2010-06-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Château du Clos Lucé stands in the pleasant valley of the Amasse, a small tributary of the Loire.

The main building is organized around an octagonal corner tower containing a spiral staircase, with two 3-storey buildings at right angles. The elegant façade of pink brick and tufa stone bears the architectural stamp of the 15th century.

The greatest, at least in terms of genius, of those who entered the ogival gate of Le Clos Lucé was Leonardo da Vinci. Invited to come and live in France by King François I, he settled here in 1516.

François I, who treated Leonardo with great honour, appointed him "First painter, architect and engineer of the King". He made this residence available to him, as well as a princely pension of 700 gold Ecus a year and the King paid for his works, asking nothing in return but the pleasure of hearing him talk, a pleasure he enjoyed almost every day.

The château is surrounded by a vast green and shady park. Bought by Charles VIII on July 2, 1490, it was a royal residence and summer residence of the Kings of France for 200 years.

Château du Clos Lucé is filled with the beautiful items that would have surrounded Leonardo.

The Chapel.

Leonardo da Vinci's bed and the rooms he occupied for the last three years of his life. This is where he wrote his will on April 23, 1519, leaving his manuscripts and his notebooks of drawings and sketches to his beloved disciple, Francesco Melzi. This is also the room where he died on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67.

An 18th-century earthenware fountain representing Bacchus sitting on a barrel.

The hall where Leonardo da Vinci was received, with XV century furniture.

The original Mona Lisa is in the Musée du Louvre in Paris.

This is the realm of Mathurine, the vegetarian Leonardo Da Vinci's cook.

Leonardo is known as a painter, but he was also an inventor and a scientist. The following are but a sampling of what he invented.

An "escalator" transferring circular motion to vertical motion.

A futuristic assault tank.

A machine gun.

Design for a paddle-wheeler.

Swing Bridge.

Double hull for ships.

Cogs.

Bicycle and automobile.

Leonardo had thoughts on the Art of Flying.

The helicopter.

The Mill.

Double level bridge.

Leonardo was also a botanist and painted many plants with incredible accuracy. The flowers found in his paintings, often next to hands, are beautiful and precise.

Leonardo drew the human body with a great deal of anatomical knowledge. He knew a lot about health and medicine.

He was also a philosopher, wrote on ethics, religion, love and friendship.

Leonardo - a genius!

Amboise - June 15 (Part 1)

2010-06-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

We immediately fell in love with Amboise. If we were ever to buy a holiday home, this would make a great candidate: close to all the châteaux, proximity to Paris, lots of history. It has it all!

Karl leaning against a half-timbered home. It WAS a windy day!

To begin our touring day, lunch next to the château.

This picturesque town, in its delightful setting on the banks of the Loire, is distinguished by its majesty and the live feeling of history.

Few buildings are more historically important than the Château d'Amboise. Louis XI lived here; Charles VIII was born and died here; François I was brought up here, as were Catherine de' Medici's 10 children. Leonardo Da Vinci worked here for the last three years of his life.

Notice the sharp precipice on the right. That's how you get in...

View from another angle.

It's a LONG climb to even get to the entrance (about 4 stories' worth). The château has 3 levels.

Karl climbs faster than me.

Once you've arrived on the upper grounds of the château, on the ramparts, you notice the beautifully restored Gothic Chapelle St-Hubert, Leonardo da Vinci's burial place.

I thought the sculpture on the face of the building was incredible and have given you a progressive close-up so that you can better appreciate it.

The gargoyles were so ferocious looking...

Leonardo Da Vinci was 67 when he died, a very old man for the times.

The chapel is surprisingly small.

This is the gate Leonardo used to enter the château. Under the patronage of François I, the artist lived in the nearby manor house of Clos-Lucé, walking distance away.

Bust of Leonardo Da Vinci

The grounds of the Château d'Amboise are very unusual, as evidenced by these sculpted gardens.

The inside of the Château is well furnished, including some spectacular tapestries.

Knights' armour for Karl to admire.

Wait till you see the white of their eyes!

The guards' room controlled the upper level where the king resided.

This is the Hall of the States.

Royal bedrooms. This one belonged to Henri II.

One of the first sleigh beds. Louis-Philippe's room.

The Cupbearer's Room recalls changes in table manners at court. This room is where the cupbearer served drinks. Medieval trestle tables were being replaced by fixed tables. Italian-style tables then became fashionable, richly decorated and with extensions. Despite the timid introduction of the two-pronged fork, the knife and spoon remained more popular up to the reign of Henri III.

The Music Room

A grand piano (Erard) with veneer in rosewood from Rio. (XIX century)

A carved box - a masterpiece.

If you enlarge this photo, you will notice the complex locks.

The Franciscan Antechamber (L'antichambre de la cordelière)

The interwoven cord found on this chimney is the symbol for the Franciscan Order.

The Tour de Minimes, the château's original entrance, is famous for its huge spiral ramp up which horsemen could ride to deliver provisions.

The guards' walk is right next to the metal lacework balcony which served as a gibbet for 12 of the 1200 conspirators who were put to death. This refers to the 1560 Amboise Conspiracy, an ill-fated Huguenot plot against François II.

View of Amboise from the guards' walk.

The centre building in this photo, the one with the white awnings, is Maison Bigot, Chocolatier. We stopped in for afternoon tea.

The original owners, 1913. It was like dropping in on old friends.

Loved the ambiance, so charming.

Musée Henri Barré - June 14

2010-06-16T05:26:00.000-07:00

We visited the Musée Henri Barré today, in our home town. It took on the designation of museum in 1893, but it was only after the death of Mrs. Barré in 1912 that the City of Thouars took over the museum and its collections.

This once private residence was built in 1862 in the neo-gothic style.

The collections have retained the cachet of private collections from the XIX century.

Karl was particularly taken with the chimney tiles found in the back of fireplaces that absorb heat and continue to radiate hours after the embers are out. There was a wonderful collection and they represent the handiwork of artisans from cast iron (foundry) to artist.

These ornate clocks that we see in so many museums and châteaux remind us of the passage of time, of the link between past and present.

Karl stands next to a porter chair. Note the handles on both sides where wooden beams would be inserted and then carried by the porters. This carriage is so small that I suspect it was made for a woman. But the women had big skirts, so perhaps a small man would have fit in.

There was an amazing collection of swords, épées, hunting knives, daggers, sabres, etc.

The first bicycles began to appear.

This one looks like one might need a very good sense of balance.

Absolutely loved this doll with all her changes of clothes! The hats were extremely well made, with careful attention to the smallest detail.

A moving toy.

A very fancy bird cage.

Circle of Missé!

2010-06-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how things develop within a story or within a trip. We came to France with a goal to explore the western region of France, see many châteaux, and hopefully discover a few surprises along the way.

Circle of Missé was a surprise!

We didn't know about this place before coming to France. It's not just a retreat and it's not just a school. It's both and more. It's a creative holiday where people come to express themselves as writers, chefs or artists. Karl and I delightfully accepted a last minute invitation to participate in the Writer's Boot Camp. We thought it might be a parantheses within our travels.

Who knew that two Canadians from the Pacific Coast would travel to France to take an English writing course given by an American and a Brit - on French soil! Wayne, the resident writer and host, invites various published authors to give seminars and workshops, and we lucked out by having Annie Kirby.

She's an accomplished author who managed to pack a whole lot of information in 6 days, in her gentle and encouraging way.

Karen

The class is never larger than six students and they arrive with all levels of writing experience.

Alison and Andrew, looking very absorbed.

Here we are at "Le Petit Médard", enjoying dinner with some from the cast of characters: Wayne, Karl, Andrew, Marguerite, Karen, Annie, Aaron.

Writing was intense and challenging, but there was ALWAYS time to eat. It was what came between the dashes - the aside from our writing - that was in some way connected with the main course.

Meet Échalote, the English Springer Spaniel. She greeted us enthusiastically every morning and could sniff food from afar. She had us pegged in no time and knew who she could entice to give her a tidbit. (There's obviously more to this story...)

Alison, Karen, Annie, Andrew

Writing ideas come ever so easily when we can munch on homemade pizza. Aaron, Chef and Cooking instructor, spent all his days catering to us. He was in the garden picking herbs, off to the market to buy fresh produce, then back in the kitchen cooking up a storm. (Was it my imagination or did his choice of music indicate whether we could look forward to a slow-simmering soup or lots of chopped veggies...) Our writing course participation turned into a two-for-one deal since we were there to write but also benefited from Aaron's culinary talents.

Aaron holding Échalote, Karl, Wayne, Alison, Andrew's profile.

Helen, Alison, Annie.

We're on our final evening and we're about to read our "masterpieces", so a bit of champagne is in order.

We each took turns, a semi-colon pause between each reader, providing a pleasant feeling of expectancy.

The "lounge" where we did our readings.

If this story could be told through punctuation, the Circle of Missé would be an exclamation mark!

Here's a link to Circle of Missé.

Check it out. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

http://www.circleofmisse.com/

Circus - June 8

2010-06-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Circus came to town!

Le Cirque Amar is an old one, its creator born in 1860. Today's circus travels throughout France with 100 vehicles (including a school for the performing children), and 3500 tons of material loaded into 40 big rigs stretching out 4 km when on the road.

There is a LOT of excitement before the show, with vendors hawking popcorn and peanuts, music blaring through the speakers, lights flashing and throbbing.

The "grand chapiteau" (the big tent) seats 2500 people. It takes 36 employees 4 to 5 hours to set up and comes down in less than 2 hours.

The excitement builds to a crescendo when we see the big cats enter the ring.

Having animals perform in a circus is controversial and many countries do not allow this practice. We did not want to make a statement about it but were not impressed with the physical condition of the animals when touring the "zoo" before the show started.

I can't remember ever going to the circus and Karl was about 6 or 7 when he last went, so this was a wonderful experience for us.

There were jugglers and "men soaring with ease on a flying trapeze". Gymnasts and acrobats. Clowns and live music. Kids, both young and old, could buy a 2 circuit ride around the arena on one of two African elephants. I saw so many wide-eyed children and heard so many gasps that I thought it was almost a dream.

Press the play button to watch the video on big and small horses. At the end, the little horses walk under the big horses' bellies.

Press the play button to watch the lady acrobat with scarves, accompanied by a violinist.

Saintes - June 5

2010-06-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Our visit to Saintes started off well with a visit to Leonidas, one of the best chocolate makers in the world (in our opinion at least). We originally tasted these delicious chocolates when we were in Brussels many years ago visiting my sister Val.

Saintes, capital of the Saintonge region, has an extraordinarily rich architectural heritage.

For centuries it boasted the only bridge over the lower Charente, well used by pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

The Roman bridge no longer exists but you can still admire the magnificent Arch of Germanicus (AD 19) which used to mark its entrance.

The Roman amphitheater dates from the 1st century. We saw a more complete amphitheatre in Nîmes last year, but this site of ruins gives us a much better understanding of the construction methods used by the Romans. We lucked out in that June 5th was Archeology Appreciation Day so we entered the museum for free, but we would have gladly paid to visit this place!

The "vomitorium". No, not a place to vomit, but a passage where many people go through at once.

What about a view from the gladiator's perspective.

In the background you can see the rather unknown gem, Eglise St-Eutrope.

In the 15th century, this church had the misfortune to effect a miraculous cure of the dropsy on Louis XI.

In a paroxysm of gratitude, he did his best to wreck it with ill-considered Gothic additions. Luckily, its rare Romanesque capitals have survived.

Cognac - June 5

2010-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Statue of François I in the centre of Cognac

The name "Cognac" evokes all sorts of warm feelings for us. Not only is it a liquor that we particular like, but it was our German short-haired pointer's name. We loved that dog.

All the great cognac houses can be found in the town of Cognac: Hennessy, Rémy-Martin, Martell, Courvoisier, Camus, and Otard. We chose to visit Cognac Otard because the cognac production house is located in the château where François I was born in 1494.

Otard has a dynasty dating back to the Vikings. In 849, Ottar, a fearless Viking chieftain from Tromso on the Norwegian coast, sailed the northern seas. From the 11th to the 16th century, the descendants of Ottar were masters of Dun-Ottar Castle near Aberdeen, 30 km. from Dundee in Scotland. (This reference is for Karl's step-father Don who is from Dundee.) Because of their loyalty to the Stuart cause, it forced James Ottar, the last son of the last earl, to exile himself to France in 1688.

The distillery was established in 1795 by his grand-son Otard who ruthlessly demolished an old chapel in the process. Luckily, much of the Renaissance architecture was saved.

These are replicas of carvings from the original Great Hall.

The Great Hall

During the French/English war taking place in Canada, some of the English prisoners were brought back to France and kept in the château. We can still see some graffiti left from their incarceration. Some of the carvings were done with their teeth when these fell out. The stone has a porous lime base.

The basic material for cognac is local white wine low in alcohol, which is then distilled - twice. (A cognac is always a brandy, but a brandy is never a cognac because brandy is distilled only once.) The resultant pale spirit is aged in oak barrels for 4 - 40 years before being bottled.

Those who transported this "eau de vie" soon realized that it took less room in the boats to transport the distilled product rather than the wine, so the production of cognac increased considerably.

Today most of the cognac is stored across the Charente river because it is highly flammable and the laws of the city prevent it from being stored within such a populated area.

Cognac has been labelled "medicinal" in its history in order to sell to Muslim countries and to the US during prohibition.

La Part des anges. Approximately 2% per year evaporates from the cognac casks. This evaporation cannot be recaptured and therefore they call it "The angels' portion". The only others that benefit from this evaporation are the lichens that thrive in both the humidity and temperature needed for the cognac. Whenever you spot the black lichen stains from alcohol evaporation on the exterior of the buildings in this port, you may be sure that you are looking at a storehouse of cognac.

The skill in producing a quality cognac lies in the blending - therefore the only guide to quality is the name and the duration of ageing. Categories include: VS - very special; VSOP - very special old pale; XO - extra old; Napoleon; Extra; Vieux; Vieille réserve; and Hors d'âge (beyond age). We bought a Napoleon and we'll be dreaming of France when we sip from our snifters in front of the fireplace on those cold Canadian evenings...

We did not pay the 7,565 euros for this bottle of special blend... That's the equivalent of over $10,000 Cdn.

The complete story of Cognac Otard can be found at: www.otard.com/gb/histoire_baron/index.htm