Chateau du Vau Ballan Mire

... is a parasite that grows on other trees and they are really easy to see in the winter because all the leaves have fallen off. I thought it was pretty cool so the whole way to tours I looked for mistletoe trees. I found lots and took some pictures.

France isn’t big on lighting up their roads and boy does it get dark at night. After almost driving off ...

... I know I'll wonder how I did so much living in so little time.

Something special happens to an estate that's been around for almost 250 years. It starts to take on it's own personality, and through that it attracts the type of people that would make what it is that much better. My hosts at La Meslerie treat the people that visit with such undying grace and character that it's easy to chock it up to some mystical ...

... that straddles the River Cher and is surrounded by gardens which even though its late October are still stunning. Inside over 3 floors we take in the places beauty - all of the rooms werer specatuarly painted withj deep blues, green and gold finishes, fine tapestries hang down the ceilings, large oil paintings litter the walls, period furniture gives us an insight into the life of its inhabitants over the years. This chateau wowed us!

... big, delicious macaroon biscuits (but not as good as the ones I heard Laura made for Kim before she left London!!!). Kim went for another wander through the village and found a little cave under the chateau that offered free wine tasting. She tried a sparkling, rose and savingnon from the region. The sparkling won her vote (even though it was not pink!). I on the other hand giving Scooby some more TLC ...

... amazing chateau second in splendor only to Versailles. It's an amazing castle built across the river (see the pictures), and after my 90-minute video i-pod tour of the joint, I'm pretty much an expert. It was definitely worth the trip, and I spent so much more time there than I thought I would that I wasn't able to go to Clos Luce, my second destination of the day. I did, however ...

... around here, and to visit some of the friends that I've made during the time that I've been here. I'll hopefully have lots of pictures of the various chateaux in the area, as well as any other adventures I may have. This post is mainly to update you with alot more pictures that have come my way since my friends were here for the harvest, so hopefully you'll enjoy them.

I'll keep you updated!

... My main course was boeuf bourguignon (this after I stated very clearly to Yvonne that I did NOT want another hunk of beef tonight); it was very, very good. And dessert was the best ice cream I've had outside of Italy: a scoop of the chocolatiest chocolate, and a scoop of the lemoniest lemon. It was all delightful, and all for only 19.80 euros.

And now I must pack up because we move to another location tomorrow. Also, must do some research on how to be an art forger!

... nice. It tasted a bit like fancy Thanksgiving stuffing. The main course was small slices of pork in a white cream sauce, mustard mashed potatos, and everyone had different vegetables. The mashed potatos were awfully good. Dessert was a poached, spiced pear with a little ball of sorbet.

Once again, I am not managing to get to sleep any time before 11:30. Fortunately, we don't need to leave the hotel till about 8:50 tomorrow, so I can sleep in a bit.

I took a day trip into Tours, which is the biggest city around here. It's a pretty amazing places, I still have a lot of exploring to do here yet, but I wanted to post some pictures of my first trip that I took into Tour alone.

Enjoy

... things through. This is a big thing. And she needs to understand that its not acceptable. We walk back to the car and pass a pirate candy shop ... so we send Sam in to buy a bag full of candy since he missed out on the desserts. Ella stands outside the shop, not allowed to enter as part of her punishment. ... I tell her several times that I'm disappointed with her and she has made all of us sad and angry. Sam, meanwhile, forgives her within a minute or two. He is so ...