Scrooge

I cry like a baby from the minute Scrooge buys that outrageous turkey to the final "I'm going to have Christmas dinner with my family." Watching this movie ushers in my holiday spirit and is one of my favorite traditions. Is it because I grew up singing these songs so they are all embedded in my idealized childhood psyche? Is it because the Scrooge is perfect, the music jolly and the energy infectious? Is it because I love the themes of redemption and joyful living?

YES!

Let the holidays begin, and God bless us, every one!

Thanksgiving 2011

(Elders Horlacher and Singleton, Gary, me, and Natalie)

Excerpt from a letter to my grandmother, Nanny:

We had a delayed Thanksgiving here in the Emerald Isle. They don't have a Thanksgiving holiday so on Thursday Gary and the girls had to go off to classes! But we had arranged to have a big Thanksgiving feast today (Saturday) to celebrate, on a day when all the dads and kids could be here. I cooked, baked and watched Christmas movies like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol with the kids for two days to prepare, then we had the other two American families who are here, and the missionaries, over to eat. The kids made turkeys out of construction paper and wrote things they're thankful for on the feathers while we put the finishing touches on the meal Then we sat down and ate.
(Mag and Soph and good friend Heather Botts by the food)

Since I was in charge of the food assignments, I made sure we had all the essentials: turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes (only without the marshmallows because they don't have them here), green bean casserole (but not as good as Natalie's), jello salad, salad, stuffing, and rolls. Everyone brought a dessert too: I made Lindsey's amazing frosted sugar cookies, and the other families brought pumpkin cake and apple pie. They had to have their mom mail them a can of pumpkin and a yellow cake mix from the States to make the pumpkin cake, since you can't get either over here and they really wanted to make that recipe. And I thought I was the only one emotionally attached to the food I ate... :-)

(Maggie, Sophie, Liesl, and Spencer. And Afton's arms)

Somebody also brought some mince pies, as it seems to be such a culturally prevalent food - you see mince pie everywhere in Ireland. We all tried it, and it was... okay. Not really what I wanted to fill up the remaining vacant corners of my stomach with though, especially when I could stuff another sugar cookie down there. We all had a little nibble and called it good.

After dinner, which took about two hours, and dessert, which took about another hour, we sat around and talked. We considered playing games but ended up just sitting around and chatting - we had 11 adults and 6 very well behaved kids there and it was a really fun, diverse group of people to talk to. Eventually one of our friends, Collin, who is here at the University of Limerick getting a Master's in Music, pulled out his mandolin and his concertina (like an accordion) and played some Irish tunes for us while the little kids jumped around and danced. It was really fun. Eventually we slowly cleaned up, divided the leftovers, and one family left to go to a Rugby match while another stayed here with us to watch movies and lay on the carpet to digest all the food we just ate. Altogether it was a lovely day. Not quite up to the par of luxury and culinary excellence that always prevails at the Hunter Extended Family shindigs, but considering the resources we had, I think we did pretty well. Wish we could have been at your house though! Love you Nanny!

Gratefulnesses (Is that a word?)

Some things I'm grateful for:

*being a mother. Sometimes, when I'm in the right mood, I get a thrill when I hear my kids call me "mommy." If I am half to them what my mother is to me, being a mother is a pretty darn amazing thing. I am a mommy - wow! I love my kids!

*my amazing grandmother Nanny who has always made me feel special, loved and appreciated. She is the most thoughtful, service-oriented person I know! Love you Nanny!

*the wheel. Seriously, think about it - wheels allowed my plane to take off and land to get us to Europe. Wheels helped me get to the store and back again in less than an hour on the bike. They also propels the stroller I use to wheel my groceries home when I have to walk. And there are four of the blessed things on my wonderful minivan at home! Can't wait to drive you again, powder puff!

*tender mercies. So many of them, blessing my life constantly. Finding this place to live and renters to take our home in Idaho. Having another LDS family with kids two houses away. Friends to talk to, email, love, empathize. Obedience from my kids. And I know I always talk about getting to and from church here, but seriously, sometimes it's the small tender mercies, like getting a ride home (two weeks in a row now!) or the weather being fine for the tenth Sunday in a row, which make me feel loved from on high. Or at least noticed.

*Head tickles. Especially when I have a migraine.

*Late night movies with my hubby!

*The Internet. It makes it possible for me to run our business from Europe! and keep up this personal history online so if my computer crashes (as it did yesterday) all this is still here! and is an easy way to do devotionals in the morning - thank you Mormon Messages and LDS.org.

*My body. It may be getting squidgy around the edges, and my hair and clothes lack somewhat in the style department, but my body is healthy and functional and does what I need it to do. I had back issues for a month or so last spring, which made me realize how lucky I am that I can use both my legs and arms and head however I want. I can see and hear, I can talk, I can walk and run and drive and dance. My body is great! Health is a blessing!

*An AMAZING father for my children. I really think Gary is one of the best dads out there. He is fun, creative, willing, involved, caring, hilarious. He makes up fun games (blanket tag) and builds things (snow forts, cardboard slides) that I would never think of, and the kids adore him. So do I. Love you hub - you're awesome!

*Travel. Yup. We love it.

*Warmth.

Updates

I thought I'd give an update on our kids, long overdue, with an eye to personal growth and accomplishments. Starting with my young padawan, Spencer. Spence has had a banner three months. He has gone from being barely able to scratch out a letter or two to counting, writing, and sounding out four letter words! Almost all owed to Starfall.com and the Leap Frog videos. Okay, I've helped a little, but it's mostly him. His favorite thing as we walk to and from the grocery store together is for me to give him words to sound out and spell, or basic math problems to unravel. When he accomplishes each task successfully, his joy is unalloyed and delightful! We are loving being together during the day, and he keeps us all in hysterics with his funny faces, voices, and physical comedy. He also loves playing with his BF Liesl Botts, a little American girl just his age who lives two houses away. They play so well, making forts or running around looking for "ghostes" and fighting imaginary monsters with Spencer's collection of swords. We will miss her when we go back to the States!
I was a little worried about Sophie going into first class here in Ireland; most of the kids in her class have had two years of almost full-time instruction, whereas she had only had one year of half-day kindergarten to prepare her for this fall. However, she has flourished in Mr. Kinnerk's First Class, jumping right in and doing very well! She is the first one to get her homework out every afternoon after their post-school snack, methodically laying out each subject then ticking it off in her homework journal when completed. She is organized and disciplined and a very hard worker. She wakes up happy, makes friends wherever she goes, keeps her room and drawers neat and tidy, sings in her sleep (sometimes in Gaelic!) and while she does dishes, and is by far my best eater, trying everything I make and liking most of it. Her kind ways and loving heart bring us joy every day, and we are so proud of how lovely, intelligently, and sweetly she is growing up!
Maggie is our family drama queen. Gifted with beauty, brains and charm, she always excels at school, made friends fairly easily, and has enjoyed our sightseeing around Europe, discovering new passions for history and art. She has had a self-defining fall, comparing the Catholic faith she learns about at school to our LDS beliefs and learning what makes us different in faith and lifestyle. Her brain is amazing, very absorbent and analytical - after watching The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe one night she pointed out that Christ left the church to Peter, just as Aslan left the throne to Peter, and how Lucy and Susan were like Mary and Martha, respectively. What do you expect though from a girl who had memorized all the state capitals and the 13 articles of faith, and read all the Harry Potter books, by the end of second grade! So stinkin' smart. She's had some challenges here though; starting a new school in a new country is never exactly a cake walk, and there's nobody her age in her class at church. Eating healthily has also always been her Waterloo, and we decided to hit the bad habit hard this year. Maybe not the best timing as she had so many other new things to get used to, but, there comes a time. So she's struggled through mealtime after mealtime of crying, grumbling, and whining. Still not making much progress, but here she is (almost) willingly eating a fish stick for dinner one night. Baby steps.

Fairy Trees

In Ireland, trees like this are called Fairy Trees. It is illegal to cut them down - the running legend is that there was one on the property used to build the DeLorean factory. They cut down the tree to build the factory. Two years later the company declared bankruptcy. Never cut down a Fairy tree, friends! :-)
Frankly, if I were a fairy, this is precisely the kind of tree I'd choose for home - gnarled, curvy, limbs with moss cushions growing up them and cushy little dells in which to hide from big nasty humans. Very charming and homelike. Good choice Tinker Bell!

For our family home evening last night we had the lesson of the airplane and if it goes even one degree off target it ends up somewhere totally different than its end goal. I asked my kids where we as a family wanted to end up (thinking, you know, the celestial kingdom), and without hesitation both Maggie and Sophie said "Maui." 'nuff said.

Thought for the Day

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.

The Valjean Quartet

I've watched this about 400 times by now. The four of them together have redefined an already legendary song. When Alfie Boe comes in and takes it up a key... words fail. Just watch. Again and again and again! :-)

Meant to post this yesterday...

Fastest return home from church ever! What usually is a 1.5-2 hour ordeal through rain and bus changes and grumpiness was a sleek, relatively quick 1 hour jaunt through mild clouds and on-time buses! Hooray! We got out of church on time, had a nice brisk walk to bus stop #1, and the bus pulled up a mere minute or so later. Then we got off and ran to catch our connection, which turned out to be the same bus driver (he switched routes downtown) who remembered us and didn't make us pay the 6 euro normally charged to get back on the bus, which left moments later and got us home in record time. Tender mercies! It's the little things, especially when you're trying to get three (four) hungry, tired kids home for dinner.

It's going to be a good week!

"Dynamite" France Recap

In honor of the Grand Hunter Tradition of making up a song to accompany the trip ("we left Brook and Josh, the first day at Conoco - da na na na na - Just getting some gas, and very anxious to go"), we came up with the following alternate lyrics to the song "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz. Feel free to sing along!


We made our plans plans plans plans
to take our family to France France France France
We only took two pairs of pants pants pants pants
just make sure to wash your hands hands hands hands

And we drove on and on and on
and we drove on and on and on

I wave my hands up in the air sometimes
saying ay-oh, it's Chenonceau!
I like to stay in a chateau at night
and then ay-oh, sun's up so let's go

'Cause we can drive this car
to the left and right
we can see all France
and it's dynamite!

It could rain all day
We couldn't sleep at night
but we had the time
of our very lives

Chateau D'usse was cool cool cool
saw art and ruins like in school
Always looking for some food food food food
Steak frites and Pizza Hut are good good good good

Cause we drove on and on and on
Yeah we drove on and on and on

I wave my hands up in the air sometimes
saying ay-oh, it's Chenonceau!
I like to stay in a chateau at night
and then ay-oh, sun's up so let's go

'Cause we can drive this car
to the left and right
we can see all France
and it's dynamite!

We hit Carcasonne
and it rained all day
Climbed some stairs at Nimes
The gladiator way

Through some lovely landscapes,
Only puked a couple of times.
Up the Eiffel Tower
Maggie was scared. We went to the bathroom
and I I I felt it swaying
and I I I did not want to fall, did not want to fall,

That's why I put my hands in the air

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes
saying ay-oh, it's Chenonceau!
I like to stay in a chateau at night
and then ay-oh, sun's up so let's go

'Cause we can drive this car
to the left and right
we can see all France
and it's dynamite!

Louis the 14th, Marie Antoinette
they're all dead right now
but we won't forget...
FRANCE

France Trip Day 7: P.A.R.I.S.

This was another day where we didn't even want to sleep in. We jumped out of bed at 7:30, packed up our backpacks, and downed a fab breakfast (the typical croissant, baguette, bread, hot chocolate, and oranges - free with the stay!) in the little hotel breakfast room. Gary and the kids stashed our suitcases in our rental car in the garage where it was parked while I settled the bill, and then we were off on the metro! Stop #1 and ultimate goal of the whole trip: the top of the Eiffel Tower. Of all of us, only Gary had been to the very top before. It was a highly anticipated quest!



Some clouds filled the sky, but no rain like yesterday (mercifully). Gary taught the kids a pigeon kicking game (yes, we're animal lovers) and ran them around a bit while I waited in the line, which was much shorter than I'd been lead to expect. We waited for a total of maybe half an hour before stepping into the elevators.

I admit, I got a little vertigo as the elevator went higher and higher, and the supports around us grew slimmer and slimmer. It was thrilling though. And when we got out, in spite of the wind and clouds, a lovely view awaited us!
This is the view down the Seine towards Notre Dame, clear in the distance. And below, you can follow the biggest, curving road over to the Arc de Triomphe.


On our trip, it was foreordained policy that if we came across free toilets of any kind, the whole family would use them. At the top of the Eiffel Tower, guess what? There were free toilets! So we all availed ourselves of their use. And yes, when you're sitting there 1,000 feet off the ground, you CAN feel the sway of the building in the wind. Kinda trippy.

Next we descended the Tower and grabbed a chocolate crepe to keep up our blood sugar (that was my favorite excuse) and while I was ordering it, Gary took this video of Spence. It's one of my favorite clips of our trip, and captures Spen all over:



Here's Soph at the Arc de Triomphe, in the Place d'Etoile. Can you tell why they call it the Place of the Star? Look below for a clue (thank you Wikipedia):

I think I counted 12 major boulevards opening up to this famous circle, including the Champs Elysses, one of the most celebrated boulevards in the World. That's the biggie you can see from the top left to the bottom right.


We were SO proud of our kids - they did some major walking today! They walked from the Eiffel Tower, to the Arc de Triomphe, where we sat and ate an early lunch (baguettes, cheese, drinkable yogurt and fruit again) while watching the passersby (nuns, protestors, chic shoppers) on the Champs Elysses. There Sophie taught us a song in Gaelic, to the tune of the Farmer in the Dell, that sounds like "Ta ma la va te" repeated. Spencer proceeded to sing this tune down the entire stretch of the Champs Elysses while alternately walking and riding on Gary's shoulders. American kids, in Paris, singing in Gaelic - I love it!

We kept thinking that we'd hop on to a bus or metro when the kids had had it, but they just kept on going so so did we! The motivation was getting to the Tuileries Gardens ice cream stands. Along the way, we saw shimmering metal reflectors they've hung from all the trees along the Champs Elysses to make the whole place shimmer; insane lines at the Abercrombie and Fitch flag store (was Jedward there signing copies of the A&F catalogs or something?); and moped-pulled open carriages at the Place de la Concorde.



We found the kids' playground in the Tuileries Gardens (never had a reason to go there before now) and let the kids go crazy for an hour - somehow, no matter how tired they are, if there's a playground wham! off they go. They enjoyed it though. Sophie made a slew of little french amies - no surprise as she is kind and social. But then it was time to move our now-achy feet on a few hundred meters to the Louvre, above.
Alas, this is as close as we got to the Mona Lisa - it was taken in our breakfast room in our Paris hotel. Upon consideration of our time, energy and budget limitations, we decided not to enter the mammoth museum. Tired kids + acres of museum to run through = guaranteed meltdowns. So we betook ourselves to the underground shopping center beneath the Louvre, where the kids and I got ice cream (see Spence below) and Happy Meals while Gary ran to the Virgin Megastore for some big boy happy time. He came back with dvds of our favorite French movies, La Gloire de Mon Pere and the Chateau de ma Mere. Great idea!

We paid our 5 euros to use the bathroom there, and compensated for not going into the museum by going to its bookstore. The kids all picked out the postcard version of their favorite art work there, and I bought a Louvre coffee table book to go with the ones I'd purchased at Versailles and of the Loire castles. The kids have since used these as their "textbooks" when they play school at home. That, and the statue galleries open to view from the escalators, was all we saw of the Louvre, however. Still, a very successful day on the whole!
Even their ice cream is pretty!
The kids playing on the inverted underground pyramids beneath the Louvre.
We emerged from underground to make a pilgrimage to our favorite patisserie on the Fauborg St. Honore across from the Cour Carre of the Louvre. It has amazing food, bread, and pastries! We had one last, long, lingering picnic on the courtyard by the Palais Royale, gazing up at the Louvre and savoring our last Parisian baguette and camembert, orangina and pastries while watching a variety of young (and old) men doing rollerblade demonstrations.

Then we took the metro back to the Gare de l'Est, got in our car, paid the exorbitant fee to get it out of the garage ($60 for 28 hours? seriously?) and... got stuck in traffic up the Rue St. Denis for the next two hours trying to make our way to our Beauvais hotel by the airport.

I had never taken a tour of Paris' Little India quarter before, and the saris in the store windows were absolutely lovely, but after it had taken us almost an hour and a half to go 4 kilometers we were all going bonkers! After some accidental wrong turns and strange commands from the GPS, we were ready to just get out and walk. But eventually we made it to our hotel, slept well, got up early, returned our rental car, and boarded our plane to go back to Ireland. Ta da - all done. And what a ride it was! I love my husband and my kids! Thanks lads for a great time!!!

France Trip Day 6: Chartres, Versailles, and Paris River Cruise

On this day we all got up early, driven by adrenaline that on this day we would be seeing Versailles and then PARIS! Okay, let me say in advance that my camera ran out of battery while at Chambord, and we had no way to charge it. Tragedy! Oh well. Most of these pictures, therefore, are taken with Gary's ipod, and are slightly grainy.

And let me also apologize for my pathetic, wobbly, rushed video clips. If I had my brain turned on I would have slowed down and taken my time to more adequately document this amazing voyage with my family in Europe! Alas, this is what you're stuck with (and did I really pronounce "Chartres" as "Chart"? You'd think I'd never spoke a word of French. Geesh.):



First stop was Chartres - we got there so early that there were no tourists, we found a great parking place, and the church doors had just opened. Chartres is THE gothic cathedral studied in all art history classes. Okay, all those who took Julie Hewlett's humanities class, see if you can spot the following items:

*flying buttresses
*ribbed vaulting
*gothic arches, lancet windows
*nave, transept, apse, chapel
*clerestory, triforium
*rose window (behind the scaffolding)


Not only was the cathedral transcendent, but the village of Chartres surrounding it is charming, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. Major eye candy - another place I could have spent a happy holiday. Too bad my camera was dead!

But welcome to Versailles!



The little French cd we've been listening to talks about going to Versailles, so the kids had heard of the golden balcony, statue of Louis XIV, Hall of Mirrors and King's Bedroom well before we actually got there. Sophie had her checklist in her brain of these four things and as we saw each one she ticked it off. The lines were long and by the time we got to the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette's room, we could barely find room to stand. Which was sad, because the kids were so interested in seeing the beds and furniture. We just hoisted them on our shoulders and moved along in the herd! Sophie's cool bed fetish continues, and this one is, of course, her favorite:
Just fyi, Versailles has a mere 2,300 rooms and 67 staircases.
We were looking forwards to a row on the Grand Canal and smelling flowers at Marie Antoinette's hamlet out in the corner of the grounds... until we looked outside and saw that it was pouring rain! Argh! We sat down in a covered archway, had a picnic with the bread, cheese and apples I'd brought with us, and waited for it to stop. Which it didn't. So Gary ran to the car and brought back our umbrellas; we had already purchased tickets for the Hamlet, and I wasn't about to end our Versailles experience after a 45-minute walk through slammed rooms. I wanted it all!
So we plowed through it! Bought our fare on the little train that goes (almost) out to the Hamlet, dodged the advances of a friendly (or should I say, hungry) swan by the Petit Trianon, walked the rest of the way, then savored in the atmosphere of this lovely place:



The kid did pretty well, all things considering. We were all soaking wet, muddy, and cold, but while we were at the Hamlet they were as entranced as I was and we went around each building, discussing its possibilities and picking out the ones we'd want to inhabit (I liked the Mill, Sophie, liked the one with the light house, and Maggie wanted the working cottage with the chicken coop.) Gary's foot was hurting so he waited for us at the biggest house. And shot the video. Mission accomplished.

After a soggy, rather muddy trip back to the Palace, skipping the train (it really isn't that far) in favor of walking up through the gardens and seeking a certain outdoor amphitheater that Gary had read about in his studies. Many of the gardens were closed off, and it was far too blustery to rent a boat for the Grand Canal. My overall opinion of Versailles is that it is very impressive, but with better management, it could be a world-class attraction. They need to open more of the castle (we only saw about 15 rooms, really) to help with crowd control, and provide better toilet facilities and eating options. And the buildings of the Hameau really could and should be opened to the public, even if there's no furniture inside. It's just a little disheartening to make the trek out there and not be able to enter into the charming little cottages. I looked through windows, and most are bare and cobwebby. Imagine if they were brought to life by somebody with the right taste!

For the number of people we saw there and for the amount we paid to get in, there should be more. But, the kids had a great time, so we crossed it off the list, changed out of our wet clothes in the car, and drove to

PARIS!

The view of Paris as you come out of the tunnel connecting Versailles to Paris is stunning - there's the Eiffel tower, boom, right in front of you! We were so excited! Only our GPS took us right through the heart of downtown to get to our hotel by the Gare de l'Est. Really? There was no simpler way? Oh well, at least we got to see a lot on the way in! Our hotel, Amiot, was in a shady area, but we were pleased with our family room (four twin beds pushed together to make two big beds, and an en suite bathroom complete with bidet. And a view from our 7th story room to both Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower - sweet!) We only were in the room long enough to drop the bags though and hit the pavement, or, in this case, the metro, to see the City of Lights!

First stop: Pizza Hut by Les Halles. I know, you're thinking, really? But it makes the whole family very happy, let us sit down for a bit, and was a great springboard for the rest of the evening. Rule #1 when traveling with kids: make sure they're as well rested and fed as possible! And always use the free toilets when available! Plus, the kids meals came with huge free desserts - we got two Floating Islands (I had purchased one of these, a sort of marshmellowy cake floating on a sea of sweetened creme anglaise - yum! - at one of our gas station dinner stops and the kids ate it up before I could) and one Chocolate Mousse. Mmmm.

The goal of the evening was to get to the Seine River boat cruises by Pont Neuf - it was the perfect way to introduce the kids to Paris. They LOVED being on a boat and seeing all the bridges, and having the tour guide commentary was helpful to everyone. Our pictures didn't turn out so well, but here are a few:

I told Sophie she could film a bit when we got to Notre Dame. Of course Maggie wanted in on the action as well... life with kids.



After the cruise we took our tired yayhoos home on the metro for some sleep - they were beat! But happy to be in Paris!

France Trip Day 5: Collecting Castles!

Prepare yourself for much viewing of pictures, because today was castle day! Yesterday we entered the Loire River Valley, playground of the rich and famous circa 400 years ago (and still quite lovely today!) Along the banks of this smooth, broad river and it equally civilized tributaries lie castles. More than three hundred of them! They range in architectural style from early Medieval to Empire, and some mixes of everything in between. We spent most of our time in the chateau of the Renaissance, characterized by light and lovely chateaux with graceful lines and refined elements, rather than ponderous defensive structures (like Carcassonne).

First, and our hands-down favorite, was the Chateau d'Usse, one of the less well known but most family friendly of the castles. We stumbled across it in someone's blog and I'm so glad we did- it was fabulous!

It bills itself as the Sleeping Beauty castle, as it is reportedly the castle Charles Perrault had in mind when he first penned the fairy tale. And was reportedly one the artists at Disney studied to design the palaces for Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. All sorts of history happened here as well, including a group of Royalists who as early as 1813 started plotting to get the Bourbons back on the throne.

It has charming corners everywhere, mannequins in all eras of period dressed placed strategically through the rooms to create atmosphere, and acts out the story of Sleeping Beauty up in its higher turrets (again with mannequins). My poor photos can't do it justice, so if you want more info here's its website:

http://www.chateaudusse.fr/

All chateaux of a certain size were required to have in perpetual availability a room for the king. This is the king's room in Usse. The dresses are all real, and you can get close enough to see the hand stitching on many of them. Fabulous!

Thank you Jeeves, we're ready for the first course. Dessert, anyone? Yes please!
The passage way leading to cellars, and to the secret tunnels leading out of the castle in case of invasion or romantic persecution.
Maleficent curses, and Prince Charming kisses.



One of the many reasons why I loved this castle was that it let you go places I always wanted to go in other castles, like the attic (above) and the nursery (below). We climbed to the very top of several turrets and examined the interior woodwork reinforcing the tower structure, then to the bottom of the dungeons where inscriptions of the condemned can still be traced on the walls.

This tunnel was so cool - it opened in the wall in the lower gardens and we don't know where it ends up - we went in fairly far, before my claustrophobia kicked in, and even with the light of our camera flashes and ipod, we couldn't see the end.
Our "engagement" picture. :-)
Loved the carriage house - little signs gave the history and specific use for each carriage. Very informative. I wanted to pull a Jane Austen and just climb up inside one of them for a little jaunt!
I love the gardens - yes those are bamboo trees on the left. They also had a number of massive cedars of Lebanon hundreds of years old.

Evidently the owner lives in the other side of this wing, the part that they are renovating. Lucky, lucky guy! I wonder if he has a grandchild I can marry off one of my kids to someday.

This whole area is punctuated with limestone cliffs, which residents for generations have carved to make houses, garages, stables, and even hotels. The chateau had an impressive array of its own caves, but they were also to be found as part of every dwelling along the autoroute as we were leaving town!

Our other goal for the day was to make it to Chambord, so in spite of the temptation of numerous other turrets and crenellations beckoning to us from sundry artistic corners of the landscape, we only stopped for photo ops at a few of the most important while making our way northeast towards the massive Chambord. Along the way we passed Azay le Rideau,
Amboise (I want to spend a month here someday),

an unknown but imposing castle on the other bank,
and then Sophie threw up but we were prepared with a bag so we just threw it away when we got to...

(da da da dum) Chambord.
Huge, isn't it? It is officially the largest castle of the Loire valley. The great Renaissance king, Francis I built it to be close to his lady love and put the nose of his rival, Charles V of Spain, out of joint. It has a mere 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, and 84 staircases - just a summer cottage, really. As it was the end of the day, we were somewhat pressed for time and only caught fleeting glimpses of most of these as we raced up and down the da Vinci-designed double helix stairway to see as much as we could before closing time.

Our favorite part was the roof, with it's black and white stone work and innumerable turrets, and the nutella and mint chocolate chip ice cream crepe we got afterwards because we were starving and all the restaurants nearby were all too $$$ and swanky for our plebian tastes. We later got dinner at the grocery store, as usual, on our way to our Chartres Formula 1 hotel.