Thursday, February 24, 2011
Vaillard de Lans, France
Around and round the curvy mountain roads we climb from Grenoble to Vaillard de Lans to visit Charles' grandmother, Michele. We know how excited Little Red Riding Hood was when she set out to visit her grandmother. We bring treats from Nichols Candy House. Luckily the big bad wolf is bothering other travelers aujourdhui!
We park the Fiat and walk down narrow streets through the village open air market to find her big brown wooden door. Charles rings the bell. We are surprised when Michele opens the blue shuttered window to greet us; "Ha ha Bonjour". Michele is smiling as she welcomes us into her lovely winter home. The table is set for five as she is ready to serve us Choucroute - no matter that she only has four chairs. She expects Keara and Charles to share one! Jim and I are happy to see how much Michele loves Keara! Michele presents Keara with a scarf and gaiters that she has knit for Keara. She also shows Keara the scarf and hat she made with the gift of yarn Keara gave to her. Fun!
Choucroute is a French saurkraute with potato and meat recipe from the Alsace region - very special and very delicious ( I took the meat out, Ailis ).
Communicating with Michele is easy because she is so happy - always smiling and saying; "lalala" and "ha ha" with her joyous expression as we share information about our familiels and the fun we are having in France.
Charles' aunt and cousin come by to meet us. Dominique and Quentin take us off to find a cross-country ski area - Bois Barbu - on the other side of the mountain near Correncon. We love meandering around the hills and valleys way up high in these Alpine villages. I look out the car windows to see the snow covered craggy mountains peeking up behind the chalets on the grassy hills and ask myself; "Am I really here?"
We enjoy an 8 kilomter ski up to the Auberge Malaterre. Downhill was a blast. Charles invented a new style of skiing! "La la la" - What a nice ski. C'est fun!
Keara says: "Incroyable!"
We park the Fiat and walk down narrow streets through the village open air market to find her big brown wooden door. Charles rings the bell. We are surprised when Michele opens the blue shuttered window to greet us; "Ha ha Bonjour". Michele is smiling as she welcomes us into her lovely winter home. The table is set for five as she is ready to serve us Choucroute - no matter that she only has four chairs. She expects Keara and Charles to share one! Jim and I are happy to see how much Michele loves Keara! Michele presents Keara with a scarf and gaiters that she has knit for Keara. She also shows Keara the scarf and hat she made with the gift of yarn Keara gave to her. Fun!
Choucroute is a French saurkraute with potato and meat recipe from the Alsace region - very special and very delicious ( I took the meat out, Ailis ).
Communicating with Michele is easy because she is so happy - always smiling and saying; "lalala" and "ha ha" with her joyous expression as we share information about our familiels and the fun we are having in France.
Charles' aunt and cousin come by to meet us. Dominique and Quentin take us off to find a cross-country ski area - Bois Barbu - on the other side of the mountain near Correncon. We love meandering around the hills and valleys way up high in these Alpine villages. I look out the car windows to see the snow covered craggy mountains peeking up behind the chalets on the grassy hills and ask myself; "Am I really here?"
We enjoy an 8 kilomter ski up to the Auberge Malaterre. Downhill was a blast. Charles invented a new style of skiing! "La la la" - What a nice ski. C'est fun!
Keara says: "Incroyable!"
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Our Imprevu Chalet in the Alps
Our "imprevu chalet" south of Grenoble, France is teeny tiny - just like our condo at Waterville Valley, NH, USA! We hear the seven dwarves singing 'Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off the work we go" and wonder when Snow White might arrive to do the dishes. Imprevu means "unplanned"! Ha ha Ha ha - we did not know it was going to be so small! So far, we love it - being tucked in the mountains - c'est fun!
Poire - ization
Poire - ization started with the flight attendant on Air France offering me a Brandy or Poire William appertif. I chose the pear and that made all the difference. Everywhere I go in France, I notice pears!
The glass medallions in the chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles are shaped like...... pears!
Such a pretty pear!
We walk along the sidewalk and see this chidlren's book open to a picture of....
The glass medallions in the chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles are shaped like...... pears!
Such a pretty pear!
We walk along the sidewalk and see this chidlren's book open to a picture of....pears!
In the Chartre Cathedral we see a "Notre Dame of the pillar" carved out of PEAR wood and holding a wooden....
In the Chartre Cathedral we see a "Notre Dame of the pillar" carved out of PEAR wood and holding a wooden....pear!
After lunch at the "Winged Ant", we notice this painting of.....pears!
When we visit Intercaves, Charles' wine shop, he has a few appertifs/spirits on the shelf -
After lunch at the "Winged Ant", we notice this painting of.....pears!
When we visit Intercaves, Charles' wine shop, he has a few appertifs/spirits on the shelf -
one of which is....
Poire William!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saint Marcel
Our dream to visit Charles' grandmother's stone house in Saint Marcel, France, comes true today! We meet Charles' father, Christophe, for lunch in this very interesting house. We had a very French lunch; country bread, pate au champignoins, sausage, salad du carrot avec green olives and mustard sauce, cornichon (pickles), Planter's incredible punch, wine, and marzipan from Nichols for dessert! We love to see the five cats as they ramble around the yard going in and out of the house wondering who we are...
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Versailles
More photos coming soon!
Louis, 'the sun god', was not there the day we trapesd through his ornate "little place"!
Monet's Nymphemas at L'Orangarie
L'Orangerie is best appreciated when you take someone there for the first time. We know this because my brother, Simon, took us to this small museum in 1992 - not telling us anything prior to our visit! We live with the magic of our encounter with Monet's water lilies every day now.....only enhanced when - like today - we bring our friend, Bronwyn, to enjoy this extraordinary delight. Jim says it is like.."seeing water lilies in a dream and you know it is not a dream...." something like that.
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