French Adventures

Paris

Paris was our first stop in France. We found our way to our hotel which was just 10 minutes walk from the Eiffel Tower, and about the size of a shoebox as expected. Legs did some hanging off the edge of the bed there.
In our walks around the city we viewed all of the typical highlights - Pont Neuf, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, and a terrific walk through the Louvre for a few hours. A particular highlight was sitting under the Eiffel Tower at about 11pm with a bottle of wine while it lit up majestically.

Mel and Dave then parted for a day to explore on their own. Dave tried to get into the French Open at Roland Garros (no chance without a pre-paid ticket) and settled for a lovely day walking around the King's old hunting forest. Mel on the other hand continued with the mega sightseeing, visiting the Bastille, Victor Hugo's apartment, the Moulin Rouge and Montmatre. Her favourite moment was listening to an impromptu concert on the steps in front of Sacre Coeur.

Eating in Paris 

We experienced both the highlights and lowlights of dining out in Paris. One night we found a lovely little restaurant located in a University district. The food was like peasant fare, hearty and filling; and the restaurant was really pretty. Sadly however, this is not the meal that remains in our mind.

The next night we chose a semi-takeaway pizza restaurant near our second hotel. If the food wasn't bad enough, the service certainly took the proverbial cake. We found little chunks of glass in the (awfully plain) pasta, reporting it to the 'chef'. He grunted and returned to the kitchen. Had he noted it? Was he preparing us another sumptuous dish as a replacement? Who could say? We got up to leave shortly after, and after he rung up the full amount, we displayed the glass, disputing the bill. He started yelling at us to pay the full amount. Dave left enough for the pizza, then turned to go. The hairy bastard then came out, grabbed his arm to try to stop him leaving, gave up on that and then threatened us with a knife and a stream of obscenities. In the end we reluctantly paid after a failed negotiation with his underling.

Bordeaux 

Upon our arrival in Bordeaux we were met with quite a spectacle. It turned out that the local soccer team had become the champions of the French Soccer League the night before, and the official celebrations were still continuing. In the main park were hundreds of zealous supporters, cheering their heroes and lighting flares to show their approval. Songs were sung, applause was roundly handed out and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Dave and Mel took a little trip out to a winery in St Emilion where we were shown all of the various stages to wine-making. By far the most interesting part (other than the wine tasting!), was the cave where they store the wine. It was carved from limestone and remains a steady 12° centigrade throughout the year. A photo op if ever we saw one. Oh yeah, and the wine was nice too!

Plonk tasting

Guethery 

Thanks to the kind hospitality of family Hautemont, we were able to rent a car in Bordeaux and drive down to the beachside town of Guethery, near Biarritz. We stayed in the Hautemont summer house, which was a lovely change from our hotels. The town was warm with a panoramic view of the Atlantic. We also had the unadulterated joy of being able to shop in a supermarket and cook! Thank you very much Kinou and Jean-Claude.

Toulouse 

This was sadly a short stop for us. Our driving in France to this point had been rather stressful, with many an enthusiastic expletive emanating from Dave as he bravely navigated the French freeways, by-ways, tollbooths, lanes and alleys. Luckily the manual car was very forgiving to drive. We were only able to wander the streets of Toulouse for two hours, but were both delighted by the canal and bridges, as well as the beautiful gardens and fountains in the city. Mel was particularly overjoyed to see a rotunda with flowers in the shape of Mickey and Minnie Mouse surrounding it.

Toulouse in the summertime

Carcassonne 

After another stressful drive (our habit was to enter a place with no map, or a super-lame printed one), we stayed in this walled city for the night. Wonderful castle, lofty parapets and ramparts were to be found. Cool samba drum players banged away on the outskirts (for hours - did'nt their arms get tired?) and we slept in the pinkest room imaginable (great [pink] bed though).

Montpellier
Now we've dropped off the dratted car and are catching the train back to Paris tomorrow. All we have seen of Montpellier so far is this internet cafe! Our time in Montpellier was short and sweet. We took a walk into the suburbs in the evening and then relaxed with a few beers at a very cool cafe in one of the squares in the centre of the town. The weather blessed us here with warmth and sun, so staying out late in the beautiful evening, having dinner and drinks was just what the doctor ordered.

Paris Again!!

Thanks once again to our gracious hosts, Kinou and Jean-Claude, we have been able to stay in Paris for our final European days. We were treated to some beautiful dinners and entertaining conversations, as well as the most comfortable doona either Dave or Mel have ever experienced.

One fun day was spent at Disneyland Paris, where we made ourselves sick (and in saying ourselves, it was mainly Dave), riding rollercoasters and eating fairy floss. A day well spent. 

The happiness of spun sugar

Tomorrow we will move on to our ultimate destination, Canada!