Etap Hotel Laval Bonchamp-Les-Laval

... we counted only 4 people on our walk) I popped into a creperie to try the local buckwheat crepe. I ordered one with the lot - egg, ham and cheese. Not bad but doesn't match up to anything I have had at Manison du Scooby of late. Last stop in Vitre McWifi to upload our blog!

... different person to our host at Chablis. Invited to a 'degustation' I decided to mention at the outset that, as travellers, we bought only in small quantities. Undeterred, she kindly insisted that we sampled all five of her products. We left with a reasonably priced red and a half bottle of a special rose. The rose, proudly described as full of fruit was, in fact, rather too sweet to our taste but the red was delicious. 17.08.09 Sarlat-La--Caneda N4 53.747'E1 12.747'

... otherwise! In France > it is illegal to hitch on the actual motorway so we alternated > between the slip road and asking inside at the service station, but > sadly there were no takers. Finally around lunchtime the rain > stopped, but our luck didn't pick up. We read on the Internet that > someone managed to get a lift with Ewan McGreggor filming Black Hawk > Down, so if anyone knows of any film crews in the area, please send > them our way now!

... Did hurt a bit though....). A good laugh, ... and we play on. A good hour or so of play and then we call it quits and back to the house. We will spend the rest of the day packing and preparing for tomorrow's early departure. The train leaves from Anger at 9:15am to.... the big surprise of the trip for the kids ... DISNEY PARIS! We are SO excited to see their response when the train pulls in. They have no clue. They ...

... it seems to be much more about culture and tradition than anything else. Our feast of food and fun goes from 11am to nearly 6pm. At the end, we are all exhausted and full to the brim. Tomorrow's plans: Janice and I have challenged the two Frenchmen to an olympic scale tennis match. We shall fight ... blood, sweat, and tears ... for the pride of the Red, White, and Blue! Well, the Red, White, and Blue with stripes and stars. Yes, for the Stripes and Stars!

... and so that Franck can let Janice and I in to play some indoor tennis. Its great fun to finally be able to see Franck and Sandrine. They are just as we've imagined them to be. Fun, outgoing, nice, ... and easy to enjoy a laugh with. We both exchange compliments with one another's homes/cities/countries, and tell our minor horror stories. Nothing bad on either side ...

... looks like that tastes as good as they are acting. Who wants a blended mango soup, for instance?!" ... Well, now I'm a believer. I've never eaten food like this. Ever. It defies explanation. Its amazingly good. But I simply can't explain the tastes or textures to you. Yes, I'll tell you what was in the food ...but the taste was not like anything I've ever had. There were hints of this or that, half way through a bite, you ...

... I found my backhand. We both played really well today ... and she DESTROYED me. 6-3, 6-1. DOH! Just as we started winding down the game, I noticed a shiny green Austin Martin pull up and a gray haired gentleman step out of it. He was walking towards us. "Great." I thought. "He is gonna' come over and ask us to pay for using the courts." ... Sure enough, he comes our direction. We greet one another with our standard, "Bonjour! ... Par le vous Anglais?" ... And yes, he does! ... But ...

... the girls, and Samuel discovers the age-old practice of tree climbing in between Nintendo sessions with the boys! The evening feels like its straight out of a movie. The children are independent and happy and there is plenty of room for them to run around and play, and the adults are free to have fun talking and relaxing. Everybody is getting along fabulously. Its great! Soon, Laurent decides it is time to introduce me to the French custom of Pastis. A strong drink taken before ...

... games. Its amazing how grateful they are with this new kid-friendly home. In the late afternoon we take a walk down to the nearby church area and find a boulangerrie still open. Janice can't resist the urge to snag a treat ... so we end up with a couple of ice creams. So much to take in, its overwhelming. We have now been on the road for TWICE AS LONG as any previous vacation (longest prior to this was two weeks). And we've never traveled for more than one week ...