... best breakfast ever ...

Day 22 and 23 ... Paris -> Langeais -> Monpazier

The real adventuring started on Thursday. 

We picked up Pablo (the C4 Picaso) and almost immediately were in trouble. They only put in enough diesel to get you to the nearest service station (about 400m away) but we missed the exit and we heading towards Versailles with no fuel and no clue!! Disaster was averted (but we had the whole gazole vs SP 95  what the hell do they mean debate) and then we turned around and headed (on the right right side of the road) to the Loire Valley. 

Then, in what may be greatest blunder of the trip so far, and perhaps the whole trip, we had our one and only night in Langeais last night. Just below a picturesque chateau in a pretty village in the Loire Valley in one of the loveliest  B and Bs I've ever seen. 

This morning we woke to a beautifully set French antique table - with the biggest and best continental breakfast any of us have ever seen. We feasted and feasted some more, had a quick wander and then set off for another hair-raising and white knuckle (at times) trip through the countryside. 

And in their words;

Before we picked up the car we all had to guess what colour it would be. I guessed green. Mummy got it right...it was silver. We had the kids meal for dinner...chips with loads of tomato sauce, nuggets, orangina and smartie icecreams. Breakfast was great...I had 5 crepes. The trip to Monpazier took 5 hours. On the trip Daddy couldn't count to two and made the wrong exit on the round about. At the road toll, Daddy had to try 3 credit cards. 

Jack

Before we picked up the car we had to guess what colour it would be. I guessed blue but it was silver. 

For breakfast this morning I had 4 crepes, a croissant, half a mandarin and a hot chocolate. It was all delicious.

We left Langeais and drove to Monpazier, it took over 5 hours. At the road toll, David tried 3 cards (including mummy's Medicare card) because he couldn't make the machine work. 

Grace

Today we picked up our car which Mummy named Pablo. Except the only problem was there was hardly any petrol left in it. Luckily the lady gave us a map to where the petrol station was. So we hopped in the car with all our luggage and drove off. We found it eventually thankgoodness. 

When we arrived in Langeais we took all our luggage upstairs. We were staying in a bed and breakfast place which was good because we didn't have to walk endlessly looking for food. Our room was so cute!! Teddy bears everywhere. For breakfast I had 4 crepes, a kiwi fruit, a croissant, hot chocolate and an orange juice. It was delicious!!!!!!! 

Today we left Langeais and drove to Monpazier. It was 5 hours and no one slept! Near the start Daddy had to put a credit card in the slot thingy. But it didn't work so in the end he used 2 credit cards and Mummy's Medicare card! It was pretty funny. Mummy was a great navigator and was more patient then the GPS when Daddy mucked up. The funniest thing Daddy did was when both the GPS and Mummy told him to take the fourth exit he took the third. Just because he can't count. 

We finally arrived where we were staying. Jacks happy with the marshmallow bed and me and grace are in the attic. Hope it's comfortable and glad that tomorrow we aren't doing anything big. 

Lily

London and Paris were great for all the reasons people love them but it was a relief to leave the masses of people and drive into the French country side. 

A brand new Citreon with 3 km on the odometer, a push button ignition and a steering wheel on the wrong bl... side.

700 km in two days with a few curb hits, two round about issues and a major melt down at the end of a toll motorway was my induction into driving on the other side of road. Definitely saved by a brilliant navigator and my 5 year old policeman in the back seat.

Love the Dordogne already.

David

... city of love ...

                        

                   

Days 16, 17, 18, 19, 20  - Paris (we've been busy!)

This week we went to the lock bridge which is across The River Seine in Paris. It was amazing to see all the locks on the bridge there must have been in the millions!!!! People write or engrave their's and their partner's names to show their love for each other then when the have put the lock on they drop the key into the river. There were all different sizes and shapes of locks lots of them were small and square but some of them were big and were shaped like love hearts and other things like that. 

The bottom picture is of us at Monet's garden. It was just beautiful all the flowers and the bridge in his painting was just like the real thing. We took so many photos Mummy used up two batteries!! Jack took a lot too,something like 100 or more. 

The middle picture is of Mummy and Daddy next to the Eiffel Tower. It was amazing the views you could get. I think Jack got a bit scared near the top because he wanted to walk up the stairs not the lift. Daddy said he got queasy when people stuck their heads out the fence so I did it front of him just for fun. I can't wait till we hire a car so we don't have to walk everywhere and so Jack doesn't moan. 

Lily

Today we went to the lock bridge which is across The River Seine in Paris.  In year 2000 about 2000 locks disappeared from the bridge overnight - they never found out how or why.  We bought a lock to put on the bridge  - it had all our names on it.  Lily, Jack and I each had a key to throw into the Seine. Lily's didn't fall in though - it landed on one of they pylons.  Near the bridge were some artists painting people's names using animals and buildings for letters - the pictures looked fantastic.  

At Monet's garden we saw heaps and heaps of flowers.  We got an ice cream at the end - mine was lemon/basil - it took me about 5 minutes to eat it - it was delcious.  

Yesterday we went up the Eiffel Tower.  I'd been looking forward to it for soooooo long.  We caught the lift to the second level and then another one to the top.  Our guide told us that the Eiffel Tower was red when it was first built.  She told us we could vote for what colour they paint it next - I would choose pink.

Grace

I really liked Monet's gardens because there were lots of beautiful flowers.  I took more that 100 pictures on daddy's phone.  I wish I had my own camera.  At the end we all had icecream.  My flavour was chocolate.

The other day we walked to the Eiffel Tower.  We went to the park just near and played hide and seek.  

Yesterday we waited on the corner for our tour.  We were in the blue group.  On the Eiffel Tower the first lift went to the second level. Then we had a look around the second level before we went to the top.  It was very high.  

On the lock bridge there were lots of locks.  I thought there were about 99999.  

On the boat we went on today we went under 27 bridges. Under one of them we got to make a wish.  

Jack 

... 2.5 million rivets ...

Day 16/17 - Paris

It was only meant to exist for one year but is now one hundred and twenty seven years old.  It is held together by over 2.5 million rivets and takes 60 tonnes of paint to redecorate every six years. 

This large metal structure is mesmerising. I was surprised how captivating it is and how drawn to it I was (as are all those other tourists here). 

Paris,  with all its beautiful architecture, would not be the same without it.

It is the most visited tourist site in the world and I think a lot of them were there today (I'm not sure any of them said "Bonjour... non parlez Francais, parlez anglais " as poorly as I did though).  

( David)