Kyriad Montargis - Amilly

... light rain, but still). I had a hood on my jacket, but left my umbrella at home, since weather.com did say it was supposed to be partly cloudy. Even with the rain, our resident director gave us an outside tour of the chateau. I didn't really listen, because I was too concerned about being wet. I think someone muttered something under their breath about the rain, and the RD said "a little rain never hurt anyone".... Two minutes ...

... enjoy the scenery and avoid the motorways.
Our drive through Belgium was lovely, through the Ardenne Region. Lots of forest and 'chocolate box' villages. France was just as gorgeous, especially the drive along the Champagne Tourist Route (No stopping, just looking)! Such a beautiful and picturesque part of the country. Fields of corn and wheat. Small villages of old stone houses, colourful window boxes everywhere ...

... so I had two beers (Leffe Blonde), and they were absolute *****. I was so thirsty, I drank one and a bit, but I couldn’t drink the second one to the end. Even Rochelle hated it. The ice-cream was bad, but not inedible (Rochelle says the sorbet was fine, so there you go). Lovely pictures, though.

We had a beautiful dinner across the road, including a home-made raisin mustard, which the waiter was very proud of.

... magnanimous as those at Versailles, for sure. We strolled along the park admiring the symmetry of the landscaping and indulging in the summer rays. I highly recommend this tour to any traveling to Paris...the palace was beautiful and contained so many historical gems within, and with no wait at all for touring. This, Fontainebleau, is a diamond in the rough for French and medieval history lovers!

... right at the gates and is an absolute must if you intend to take some pictures, which you will definitely do. Then, from Chambord, there are another 6,5 km to Bracieux a very cute place with some excellent (not cheap) restaurants, attractive possibilities for photographers if the period between noon and 4 p.m. is skipped. There are only 9,5 km. to Cheverny although these will not be as flat as the ...

While Lou and I were in Ireland, we received news that Chris and Kelly, our friends from the December roatrip, had their baby. Clara Christine Rosati was welcomed into the world on Wed, August 23rd. We were so thrilled to hear the news, so for our "French" Labor Day, we spent the weekend in Orleans, visiting the new bundle of joy. While we were there, the village where Chris and Kelly live had a festival with live music, a carnival and some fireworks. Take a look at the pictures!

Eelnevalt olime oma teekonda miskipärast ka ära märkinud sellise koha nagu Montargis. Kohapeale jõudes ei meenunud aga kummalegi põhjus, mida me sealt otsisime. Kuna seal oli mitmeid chocolaterie'sid, siis otsustasime, et järelikult need olidki põhjuseks. Mitte, et me sealt mitmekümne euroseid šokolaade oleks soovinud osta! Cappuccino vahukoorega läks õigesse kohta see-eest.

... off for Paris on 29th Dec - We can't be late to meet up with Helene and Martial, our friends which recently returned from Chile, where they lived for 14 months! Great moments with great friends! We stayed in a horse camp farmhouse with the 40 guests, and celebrated New Year with (lots of) champagne!

... them down wells over 2 miles deep. Imagine. Good thing you were already dead! Then during some century, the wells were plugged up, and then re-opened 2 or 3 centuries ago for MORE burials-kind of gross to think about, but really cool to see in person. About 30 years ago, medieval murals were uncovered on the ceilings within the crypt site. What we see now are dirt-stained paint remnants; it's very difficult to make out any special designs or ...

... several years ago so it was nice to see them again... we ate homemade food along with some delicious escargot (snails) and drank wonderful wine for the afternoon and evening and then had a nice sleep... the following day we drove to a nearby french chateau for a look at it which was very nice...not too mqny tourists and just the right size so that you ...