Our first few days in France…

The first few days in Paris are rather slow on account of the jetlag. We manage to go to an Internet café to check our e-mails and we also visit the Rodin museum. I really wanted to visit this museum last time we were in Paris but we ran out of time. David like his dad can spend hours in a museum reading every description of the art being displayed! I tend to admire the work and keep moving. We get a brochure before entering the museum that David reads from beginning to end. I wait patiently for him as I realize this is part of the learning process for him. It also becomes handy, as he is able to relate more to the exhibition in the museum. He tells me about some of the sculptures and the context in which they were done. Rodin was an amazing artist and I thoroughly enjoy the museum as well as the beautiful outdoor garden.

After two three days in Paris we go to Beaugency to visit friends. They are very happy we are spending the 4th of July weekend so they prepare a barbecue for us. Bernadette is so wonderful! She cooks so much food and encourages us to eat well: you are going to be walking a lot today, the train ride is long. Luckily, she loves vegetables so we are never left feeling too full. We visit the Chartres Cathedral which sits in a town by the same name about 50 miles from Paris. We also visit the Caste of Chambord, the largest castle in the Loire Valley. I am very impressed with the castle and its condition. Very well maintained and huge…440 rooms, 365 fireplaces and 84 staircases!!! The double=helix stairs that lead to the top of the castle fascinates David and it takes a few hours to see this monster castle. Needless to say, at the end we are exhausted.

Visiting so many historical places continues to be an allure for us. There is so much history in Europe!

The Reluctant Traveler

David was reluctant, almost until the end, about this 7 weeklong trip. He made sure to let anyone willing to listen that he was being “dragged” around in Europe or that he was “wasting” his summer. He was not able to elicit much sympathy after all it is hard to feel sorry for someone who gets to travel to Europe as often as David does. Having said that…I completely understand his desire to spend time with his friends. He is at that age where friends become more and more important. My only hope is that in due time he will fondly remember this vacation.

Once the day of our trip arrives he is less anxious and is very helpful through out the process. He insists in putting the luggage in the car himself…trying to prove he is a big boy. James took us to the airport and I had forewarned him about putting on a strong face for David. David tends to be the sensitive type and I did not want him to feel bad about leaving his dad and his two sisters behind (Alex and Amina). So James acts very casual about the whole thing even though this is the first time him and I (and David of course) had been separated for more than a couple of days.

The flight is uneventful and to our surprise it goes by rather quickly. By the time we look at the clock we only have 2 ½ hours left!!! David managed to finally sleep for about 2 hours, I was not so lucky. Needless to say we arrive exhausted. Our friend Bernadette is already waiting for us and takes us to the apartment where we will spend a few days. Long story but we ended up with two generous invitations and decided to split our time in between the two places. She welcomes us with a generous breakfast of homemade bread and croissants. We talk for a little bit but then we go to our room to take a short nap. We could probably sleep for hours but we want to adjust as quickly as possible to our new schedule. After we wake up we realized she had been cooking to leave us enough food for three days!!! She is wonderful…before leaving she opens a bottle of champagne and brings some stuffed mushrooms and an assortment of olives and pickles. Even David gets a bit of champagne that he quickly transforms into a mimosa! I Love France!