LA POTERIE AND TRIP TO ANSE

In the morning our hostess, Madame Charles, gave us a huge breakfast and then we thanked her and had a picture with her and said goodbye until next time.  She is the nicest person.

We can strongly recommend La Poterie in Donnery, France, to anyone who is passing into the Loire Valley near Orleans.  The rooms are spacious and spotless, the hostess is friendly and generous, the prices are reasonable.  infors@loiret-gites.com

We packed the 4 kids into our minivan for the long trip to Anse.  The kids were very good on the drive and we rotated seats every hour or so.  We stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area and overall the trip went quite smoothly.

When we arrived in Anse Don found the house with no problem and the neighbor took us in and showed us around.  What a house!

Our new digs are half of an old barn.  The manor house was built in 1206 and this building is probably that old too.  But it has been beautifully remodeled into a spacious contemporary living space.

Our master suite has a lovely view of the valley below and a comfortable king bed.  In the loft is a workout room with every machine you could want.

Isabella stays in the "Princess Suite", a huge room with king bed and bathroom.

Down a few steps we find the "office" with a nice computer and table, and two sitting chairs.

 

The boys share a third bedroom.  It is kind of exciting to go to this bedroom because the access is along a clear glass walkway and you can look down below and see the lounge.

On the main floor we have a huge kitchen, a formal sitting room, a formal dining room and a den.

 

There is also a mezzanine where there is another tv room.

The front yard is a huge rolling green lawn and in the back is a beautiful outdoor kitchen.

The kids love the swimming pool which is located up the hill and there is also a hot tub.

Off to the side is a nice little vegetable garden with lots of tomatoes for our lunches and dinners.

The kids are eating well.  They have taken to the French bread and jam breakfasts and once in awhile they have eggs or cereal.  We usually pack a picnic lunch of sandwiches, fruit and cookies.  They have gone through 4 big salamis so far.  I can't get them to eat ham or chicken sandwiches.  At least they are getting plenty of fruit to cut some of that fat.

So, life is good here in Anse.  Yesterday we just hung out and the kids played and took a break from museums.

Thanks to Emma and Bruno Delas for the use of your beautiful home.

LOIRE VALLEY

We spent the last few days visiting some of the chateaux in the Loire Valley.  Since we had to limit the number of places we could visit we went to Chambord, because it is so massive and impressive and we went to Chenonceau because it is my favorite.

The kids were suitably impressed when we drove up the lane to Chambord.  It is an impressive castle with turrets and a moat and lots of towers, chimneys and roccoco touches.  The grounds are extensive too.

The chateau was built as a hunting lodge by Francois I, but he seldom used it.  Such sumptuousness for a hunting lodge.  After Francois died the castle was abandoned for many  years and finally Louis XIV had it revamped and he used it to entertain sometimes.  At this time there was no furniture and everything was carried with the visiting party.  Also, food was a problem because there was no nearby village.  They had to bring everything with them when they came.  Over the centuries ownership changed many times until finally in the early 1900s it was sold to France.  At one time many of the valuable art in the Louvre was stored here

We went inside and had a self-guided tour of the first and second floors.  In the center of the sturcture is a double helix staircase. It is really two staircases entwined so that someone coming down and someone coming up never will meet, but they cansee each other as they progress.

The rooms were exquisite with old tapestries and fancy beds and desks and furniture.  There was also an interesting room with hunting trophies--animal horns and heads of wild boar.  Some of the ceilings are painted with beautiful scenes of godesses and flowers and fruit.  There was lots of carving with the salamander being a prevalent theme because that was Francois I emblem.  He chose the salamander because it is reputed to be able to live through a fire.  In the king's bedroom there was a fence, kind of like in a courtroom.  This is because the king would receive visitors and country folk who would petition him for a ruling or a favor as he reclined in his bed.  The king often slept in a different room and had a formal bedroom for receiving guests

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The most stunning part of the castle was from the terraces where we could enjoy the renaissance architecture of the castle and the beautiful estate.

From Chambord we went to Chenonceau.  This castle crosses the river Cher and was given to Diane de Poitiers, King Henry II's favorite mistress.  Diane did a lot to make the castle beautiful and also planted beautiful gardens.  But, Queen Catherine, Henry's wife, made her give it back after Henry died.

We entered through the Guard's Room which had beautiful tapestries depicting hunting scenes, a marriage proposal and other scenes of daily life in the middle ages.

  

Last Day in Paris

Saturday, July 26, 2014

  
Today we took a day off from sightseeing and just hung out.  It was kind of nice to not have to rush somewhere on the metro, stand in line, and read French signs.  The kids played with their electronics, Grandpa worked on his pictures, and GG played Monopoly. 

For lunch we walked over near the Metro Station to a little creperie, where we all had dessert for lunch.  Our crepes were large, thin pancakes topped with ice cream and fruit and chocolate or berry syrup.  GG had a salad and Grandpa had a galette, which is a buckwheat pancake, thicker and not as delicate as a crepe.  His galette had potatoes, ham and eggs in it.

After our crepes we walked along and stopped at a patisserie where we ogled the pastries and bought out their entire stock of 5 Napoleon Squares, called Mille Feuelles in French.  After walking around a bit we went back to the apartment and supplemented our crepes dessert with sandwiches and fruit.

Grandpa used his last metro ticket to ride over to the car rental agency and brought back our rental car and found a parking place around the corner from our apartment.  GG did her last shopping trip (groceries) in Paris because the stores will not be open tomorrow, Sunday.  More salami, bread, fruit, and some chicken for dinner.  She asked us what we wanted for dinner and we said chicken and pasta, so that is what she made.

After we took our showers and went to bed GG washed 4 loads of towels and the washer and dryer were running far into the wee hours.

Sunday, June 27, 2014

We were up bright and early (for us) in the morning to get ready for our departure and the next leg of our trip.  All of the kids were very helpful, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming and packing.  GG did 6 loads of sheets, cleaned the kitchen and dining room and Grandpa worked hard too.  We had the house pretty clean and shiny when the Delamare son, Martin, arrived about 9:45.

We finished up a few last things, toted all of our luggage and some food things and a lot of bottles of water down to the car.  Our car seats 7, but there are about 4 inches of trunk space, so were were crammed in pretty tightly.  We said goodbye to Martin and we were off, on a quiet Sunday morning, to see a new part of France.

Even on a day when everyone is sleeping or in church it was challenging for Grandpa to get us out of the city and onto the right road.  GG had her road atlas out and she felt that Grandpa’s phone was not directing us correctly, but she had to try to be quiet and let him drive.

Pretty soon we were out into then country, with farm fields, and suburban houses and little villages and forests lining the road.  Everything is pretty green compared to California because it rains here sometimes in the summer.  We stopped in a little village at the church near a creek for our picnic lunch and a little rest before continuing on our journey.  Grandpa did a great job of driving us safely and we arrived at the Loire River around 2 in the afternoon.

We next stopped at the Castle of Sully-sur-Loire. This is a chateau that GG and Grandpa have never visited before. 

 This is a true castle, with a water-filled moat and spires.  It was built by Henri Behune, the right hand man of King Henri IV in the 14^th century. 

The family had to sell off most of the furnishings in 1942 and in 1962 the estate was acquired by the government.  Since then there has been a very active effort to reacquire the furniture and décor and they have done an admirable job of furnishing the chateau.

 

We visited the tomb room where the Duc de Sully and his wife are buried.  There are statues of the two of them, looking pious with their hands folded in prayer. 

Then we visited the great hall, a huge ballroom, painted red.

And then we saw the king’s bedroom, which was done all in sky blue and very pretty.  Every chateau had to have a royal bedroom ready for the king, just in case he decided to stop by.  Henri IV never did come over, but his son stayed a few days.

The kitchen was actually three rooms, one very large for the workers, and a small one to butcher meat and another to store fruits and vegetables.  The cooking was done over the open fire in the enormous fireplace that had a giant kettle hanging from a spit.

We also saw the lady’s bedroom suite, which included a bedroom, a commode and an office.

We walked through a number of receiving rooms and offices and guardhouses, parlors and the dining room.  All of the rooms were nicely furnished.

When we finished at the Chateau de Sully it was time to find our Chambre de Hote, le Poterie.  GG and Grandpa stayed here 9 years ago and the hostess, Madame Charles, was so cordial and generous, so they made arrangements for us to stay with her a couple of nights while we explored the chateaux of the Loire Valley.

Madame Charles warmly greeted us and showed us our rooms.  There is a very nice sitting room with a tv and a little kitchenette and a dining table.  There is also a nice patio for outside dining, overlooking some of the farm fields.

The boys had a great time playing with the farm dogs while GG and Grandpa got settled and rested a bit.  We went out to The Boutcherie for $15 hamburgers and then it was back to our lodging for showers and bed.

‘

  

CATACOMBS

July 25, 2014

This morning everyone got up bright and early and I didn't even have to nag them.  We ate our breakfast, picked up our clean laundry, packed  up some water bottles and headed off to the line for the entrance for the Paris Catacombs.  Isabella felt that the Catacombs would be too spooky for her, so she stayed home and read her book while the rest of us went to stand in line.  

The line wasn't too bad.  We got there an hour before opening and we had to wait about 2 hours before we were admitted.  Grandpa and GG stood in line while the boys played on some grass, and then the boys stood in line while GG and Grandpa went to sit in the shade.  We alternated every 15 minutes until the line began to move.

The geologic history of the catacombs:

At one time, 45 million years ago, all of Paris was covered by a shallow, warm sea. Over the millenia sediment collected on the bottom of the sea, forming limestone.  Eons later the Romans began to quarry this limestone to use in buildings, and over time creating a maze of tunnels underneath the surface.  The stones used to build Notre Dame, the Louvre and the city ramparts were quarried here. 

As Paris grew cemeteries began to fill up and become unhealthy and some of the catacomb tunnels began to collapse, so King Louis XVI ordered that the catacombs be shored up and used to bury the bones of the deceased.  The remains from many cemeteries were transferred to this site, starting in 1786-1859.   This transfer left more land for development and established a sacred place for the remains.

As we entered the catacombs we went through several chambers of storyboards telling the history of the catacombs and how they were restored and how the transfer of remains was carried out.  Then we went along the path, deeper and deeper, until we were underneath the tunnel used for the Metro.  The walls of the tunnels are lined with bones, stacked 8 feet high, in a design that alternates femurs, skulls and tibias.  Each area has a plaque telling which cemetery these bones came from and often there were other plaques which included poetry, bible quotations and typical headstone inscriptions. 

Some of the famous people buried here include Robespierre, painter Simon Vouet, architect Claude Perrault, Jules Mansart, people killed during the French Revolution and millions of others.  It is estimated that there are over 6 million bodies buried here.

We came out in a side street, not far from the entrance, and we made our way back home for lunch and to pick up Isabella.  The catacombs really are not too spooky, but it is amazing to think of the vast number of people whose remains are just under the ground we walk on every day.

After lunch we took the metro over to visit the Museum of the Middle Ages.  The boys were hoping for weapons and torture implements, but it turned out to be art.  Most of the art is religious because it was very rare for artists to paint anything from everyday life.  That is one of the reasons the Impressionists were so unusual, they did paint pictures of everyday life and scenes of gardens and fields.

So we saw many altar backdrops, sculptures, reliquaries, paintings and stained glass of scenes from the Bible.  There was one dramatic stained glass of a red-faced devil with cloven hooves riding a horse, chasing a woman.  There were also several huge tapestries telling the story of "The Lady and the Unicorn" and a long ivory tusk, purported to be a Unicorn horn.

There were also examples of mosaics and pillars from Roman buildings.

After the museum we walked over to the Luxembourg Gardens, with displays of beautiful and colorful flowers.  GG and Grandpa sat in the shade and told us kids that now was the time to run and jump and play.  Isabella and Bryce took a walk around the fountain and pond and Ryan and Brendan rolled around on the grass until the guard shooed them off.  The kids are at a point where they need a break from each other.

After awhile we decided to go home, so Grandpa, Isabella and Bryce took the Metro and GG, Ryan and Brendan walked home.  GG did the evening's shopping, then pizza for dinner, laundry collection, showers and bed.

Our time in Paris is just about over, so tomorrow we have no specific plan.  We thought we might walk around the shopping area and try to find a creperie for lunch and a patisserie to pick up some Napoleon Squares.We really wanted to go see the lights on the Eiffel Tower at night, but it does not get dark until 10pm and we need to be in bed by then.

NOTRE DAME AND SACRECOEUR

Out of bed and on the metro by 8:30 this morning, we headed off to visit Notre Dame, the huge church on the Ile de la Cite.  Every time we have been near this church the whole plaza has been packed with people and the line to get in was two blocks long, so we wanted to get there early.

 This huge church was built over the top of an earlier church and took almost 300 years to complete.  The construction uses several architectural techniques that were new at the time, most notably Flying Buttresses.  These are wall supports erected outside the walls that hold up the walls.  The cathedral is very tall and it is hard to imagine how much work went into quarrying the stone, transporting it from the quarry to the building site, designing the building, and erecting the building.  As with all construction projects, the plans kept changing, and over the 300 years new architects were hired, and a long line of construction workers added their own touches to the building.  Their tools were ropes and pulleys, levers, and chisels and  hammers.  There were no cranes or bulldozers back in 1180.

Notre Dame ended up being one of the largest cathedrals in the world.  It has a beautiful rose window and a huge organ.  Several important relics are kept here, including the purported Crown of Thorns, one of the nails that held Jesus to the cross, and a splinter of wood from the cross. These are kept in the treasury and we didn't get to see them, but they are brought out for special ceremonies during the year.

The exterior of the cathedral is covered with numerous carvings of saints,scenes from the Bible,  gargoyles and chimeras.  These used to be painted in bright colors, but nowadays the paint is gone and the stone is gray and sooty.

In the crypt of the cathedral there is a wonderful display of the history of Paris.  There is an excavation there and we could see remnants of the old Roman village from 27 bc.  It was called Lutecia then. The bath houses are especially interesting to see how they had a frigidarium and a steam room.  They had a raised floor with hot water running underneath the floor to heat the steam room.  Many buildings were built one on top of another over the centuries, but this place was always a holy place.

We decided to skip the hike to the tower because the line was already two blocks long.  So we caught the metro and went on to Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church on the top of a hill overlooking Paris.  As we hiked up the hill we stopped at a little park and ate our lunch under the cool trees.  Then we walked the rest of the way up to see the church.

Montmartre has been a holy place from the beginning of man.  Druids worshiped here and temples were erected here to worship Mercury and Mars in the days before Christianity and many Christian cathedrals were erected over the years.  There are records of the Saint Denis Cathedral being here as early as 475.  The current church was built in the 1800s.

The view out over Paris from the logia of the cathedral is beautiful.  It was quite hazy for our visit, but we think we could see the Eiffel Tower out in the distance.

After leaving the hilltop we wandered down the streets of Montmartre through the Pigalle where numerous artists had their easels set up and were painting street scenes.  The little shops and buildings of the area are quaint and colorful and make for some charming pictures.  The plaza used to be full of artists painting, but now it has been taken over by the restaurants that line the perimeter of the plaza, and the waiters scurry back and forth carrying trays of drinks and food,  through the throngs of tourists who stroll around the square looking at various art works.  A lot of the artists on scene now are doing commissioned quick portraits or charactures of passing tourists.

We continued down the hill and along the x-rated Boulevard de Clichy to see the famous Moulin Rouge with its red windmill.  This nightclub is where the famous dance, the Can Can, was introduced in the late 1800s and Toulouse-Lautrec designed advertising posters to promote the Moulin Rouge.

Back on the metro and home.  GG and Grandpa are wiped out by 3pm and so they took a rest while the boys ate the next three days worth of fruit and asked 75 times when dinner would be ready.  We had roasted chicken for dinner and we ate every bit of it.

A nice chicken dinner                                                 My kitchen after making it.

 A nice chicken dinner                                                 My kitchen after making it.                                                                                                                      
To bed by 8:30 because tomorrow we get up early (for us) at 7:30 to get ready and off to the line for the Catacombs.

Metro Dancing

LOUVRE AND ARC DE TRIOMPHE

Well, they got us up bright and early again today and we were off to the Louvre, getting in pretty fast just when they opened.  The first thing we visited was the famous Mona Lisa, which is actually a pretty small, brownish painting and not really very interesting unless  you get to spend some time up close studying it.

  We walked through several galleries of medieval paintings to get to the Mona Lisa, but really didn't spend a lot of time looking at them.  From there we went to the extensive Egyptian collection and looked at Assyrian pottery, Etruscan art, sarcophogi, statues, sphinxes, and stellae, some over 5000 years old.  Marching ourselves down to the sub-basement, we saw the original walls of the first castle which was built on this site,and walked around in the moat.

 We also got to see several rooms furnished in the style of the 14th through 17th centuries.  The decor was very elaborate and the sky blue and gold motifs were so ornate and pretty.  There was a large collection of Sevres china used 400 years ago--amazing--and Marie Antoinette's comb and brush set.. There were beautiful paintings on all of the ceilings, mostly of scenes from Greek myths.

By noon the museum was so crowded you couldn't breath or move, so we left and had lunch in the Tuilieries garden while we watched the birdies beg for crumbs and the African man trying to sell us 5 mini Eiffel Towers for 1 euro.  

We took the metro up to the Arc de Triomphe and hiked up the stairs to the top where we could watch the traffic coming into the circle from 8 different spikes and cars trying to get out of the circle and motorcycles zipping in and out between everyone else--what a zoo!  Grandpa took the elevator, but the rest of us hiked up.  

When we got home Ryan ran in and took off his shoes and got a big,, deep splinter in the ball of his foot.  GG and Grandpa took turns working on removing it, but it was hard to dig out, so finally we had Ryan soak his foot in hot water and some of the splinter came out.  Now we think we have most of it out and will check on it again tomorrow.  

In the meanwhile, Grandpa's lower legs have turned bright red and he thinks it is because his socks are too tight over his ankle, so he cut off about an inch of the top of his sock.  We are hoping things get back to normal on this too.

Everyone was starving by 4pm, so we got out the leftover spaghetti and gobbled it up.  We ate more spaghetti this afternoon than we did for dinner last night.  GG is waiting to see if we want dinner too.

Every day on the way home from our outing we stop at the grocery store and buy more juice, iced tea, bread and croissants, because somehow we keep running out of these things. Now we are out of cookies and fruit too, so GG will have to go back for those things.