J'aime la France!

Day 21: July 8

THREE WEEKS!

We woke up late and Sylvain made us bacon and eggs before leaving for Paris to pick up Jill and Ben from the airport (Tim's stepmother and youngest brother). After breakfast we folded our laundry and packed our bags before going on a walk through the fields. It's been absolutely fabulous to be away from the city!

After our walk we had a relatively small lunch and then helped with the dishes. Then it was time to work! Pascal showed Tim how to operate the "sit on" lawn mower and I helped pull weeds in the garden. It was great being outside.





After several hours Sylvain returned with Jill and Ben and this is when we left La Martinière and headed to Tim's papy's cottage in Avaray. I love Tim's family! They have been extremely hospitable and are lovely and kind people.

From left to right: Vincent, Sylvain, Jill, Tim, Ben and Pascal


We had a great dinner with Tim's papy and his wife, Cecily before showering and hitting the hay! Oh, and by the way - registering for classes from another country is no bueno!

Day 22: July 9

When we woke up we had tea, toast and eggs with Papy and Cecily before going on a walk through the village of Avaray. Sylvain, Jill and Ben showed up midmorning and dropped Ben off for a bike ride.

Tim, Ben, Cecily and I rode to another village called Saint Dyé (san-dee-ay) where we had a picnic lunch next to the Loire River and wandered through the village. Jill and Sylvain picked us up a bit later and we went to Chateau de Chambord - a beautiful castle built by François le Premier and used as a hunting lodge in the 16th century.



Once there we saw a horse show that sucked horse balls (no offense, Sylvain) and then we wandered through the 77 staircases and 426 rooms. Insane!

After our visit to the castle we had dinner with the woman whom Sylvain, Jill and Ben are staying with - her name is Rebecca. The dinner was delicious and afterwards we went to the Chateau de Blois to see a son et lumiere (sound and light) show.

The show took place in the castle's courtyard and told stories of Joan of Arc and the Marquis de Guise - he was murdered in the castle by men of King Henry III. It was a great story and the lights were spectacular. By the end we were exhausted and had a great night's sleep.

Day 23: July 10

Today was Sylvain's birthday so after breakfast we went kayaking on the Loire River for most of the afternoon. The river is flowing very quickly so we expected an easy ride but it was terribly windy so when we weren't rowing we didn't move at all.

It was a great time! We lost Papa at one point and I peed my pants after we ran into the bank of this island 4 times in an attempt to get back to open water. Awesome!

After 3 hours on the river we rounded up and got ready for Sylvain's birthday celebration picnic. People from the neighborhood came and we ate and drank all night. It was great! I really love being here =)



Day 24: July 11

Happy birthday Laura and Aunt Jeanie!

When we woke up today it was raining and quite cold outside =( After breakfast with Papy and Cecily we decided to visit the Chateau de Blois again with Sylvain, Jill and Ben, but this time we went inside. I love this castle because there's so much history behind it!



After our tour of the castle we went back to Papy and Cecily's to have lunch. I finally had some authentice French crèpes! They were delicious! We had a quick bit of coffee and took some group photos before going to the train station in Mer. Our next stop was Tim's aunt Caroline's home in Tours to see his cousin Nathalie and her newborn baby, Antoine.

Ben, Tim, Sylvain, Jill, Papy et Cecily


When we arrived in Tours Caroline (care-oh-lean) picked us up from the station and took us to her home. I met all the family and then we took a walk in an attempt to calm the baby down. We walked through theis gorgeous public park/zoo. It was beautiful!

After the walk we had a great dinner - Chinese food a la Daniel (Caroline's husband). After dinner we played Wii for a couple hours before going to sleep.

Nathalie, Sebastien, Me, Steve, Fanny, Vincent et Tim


Day 25: July 12

Today we woke up really early and grabbed a cab to the train station. Today we go to Paris! It was the fastest train ride and soon we were at Tim's uncle Vincent's apartment - only after taking one subway and then discovering the one we needed to change to was under construction so we had to take a taxi the rest of the way.

After resting a couple hours we got some lunch and met Vincent and his girlfriend, Valerie for ice cream and a walk on the Seine River (sen). We said goodbye to Valerie and Vincent - they were leaving for holiday - and saw the Notre Dame cathedral and the Sainte Chapelle (where the most stained glass is).



From there we headed over to the Eiffel Tower to take photos and go on an underground tour of the tower. Simply amazing! We learned so much about the history and we got to see secret passageways and the old underground barracks of Champ de Mars - the field in front of the tower.



After the tour we embarked on a tour of Paris by boat. Boring, but we got to see the sites! After the boat tour we were starving and unfortunately we lost ourselves in the rich area of town and couldn't find a place even with appetizers under 20€. Luckily we found a cheap Chinese restaurant and had a nice meal before heading back to the apartment for some much needed sleep.

Yes, we took this picture.


Day 26: July 13

Happy birthday Ellen!!!

Today we rolled out of bed pretty late and went to a buffet brunch near by before going to the Louvre. That place is MASSIVE!!! We walked around forever and of course saw the Mona Lisa among other famous pieces. It was very interesting, but hard on the feet.







From there we went to Montmarte to see the basilica of Sacré Coeur. It was beautiful inside and the view from there was great. We even caught the nuns singing during a service being that it's Sunday.





Now we're waiting for Sylvain, Jill and Ben to arrive in Paris and we plan to have a nice dinner out and then get to sleep early to prepare for the Bastille Day festivities happening tomorrow.

I'm having a fabulous time, but I can't wait to be home! I miss everyone so much!