Well, last time we talked, we were recovering from a whirlwind visit with Wendy. We continued to rest on Monday and Tuesday, not to mention clean house. We were preparing for our next set of visitors, my parents. They arrived on Wednesday at noon. We took them out for pizza, then we just rested around the house. The trip over is quite a shock and we usually take the first day easy. Grandpa did take the kids out for a walk and had them convinced that they were lost. He isn't commenting. They made it home in time for dinner though, so all was well.
On Thursday, the boys went to the tutor's in the morning. While Andrew was there, Grandpa blew up his shaver with the 220v we have here. So we made a quick trip to the store. We also picked up some new things to try, after all we were shopping with MY father, the ultimate shopper!! We tried some French salami, ham, and three different kinds of cheeses. All were very good.
That evening, I took my parents out to the same Chinese place I took Wendy while Dave stayed home with the boys and worked. We had a fun time and my Dad learned that the cokes are very small (33cl), there are no refills, and the wine is cheaper. We all agreed that the nems are wonderful.
Friday morning, we went to downtown Toulouse so my dad could change some American money that he brought along. Silly man. After we concluded our business at the bank, we decided to do some sight-seeing downtown. We saw the Capitole square, the Marie, St Sernin cathedral, and the church that St Sernin started. We also made a stop at the museum of antiquities of Toulouse. This museum is amazing. They have rooms of Roman statuary that were all found around Toulouse. We saw busts of all of the Roman emperors from the one before Augustus (BC) to almost 400 AD, and some of their wives. Then in the basement, we saw lots of sarcophaguses that they discovered when they were remodeling the basement of the museum. It turns out that the museum was built on top of an old Roman burial ground! They had no idea that there were over 100 sarcophaguses in the basement. Some of them were left where they were, so you could see how they looked when they were found. We also found some glass containers! None of us knew that they made glass that long ago.
Saturday morning we left Toulouse around 10:00. We drove all the way to Lyon. It was about a six hour trip. It rained a lot of the way, but while we were in the mountains it snowed!! The only time it snows here is when people from home are here.
After checking into the hotel and baths for the boys, we headed downtown to a restaurant recommended by the front desk. It is called the Trois Maries (three mayors) and is apparently a very well known restaurant in Lyon. It was really good. We broke our long standing avoidance of beef and had steak. (It is said that now the beef here is safer than there. I hope so.) It was wonderful. There was a very funny Frenchman sitting at the table next to us and at one point he even took our picture for us. It was a really fun night, but very late. We got back to the hotel at 11:00!
Sunday morning we woke up to a steady rain. Yuck. We dragged our feet getting ready, but it didn't show any signs of letting up, so we headed out anyway. By the time we got to Lyon center, it was pouring. We had a hard time finding a place to park due to a marathon being run through downtown, but we eventually managed it. Then we explored old Lyon for a bit. It is a very pretty town, with tons of little alleyway streets all over. Just what you would see in the movies. We tried to go to a museum (to get out of the rain) that said that it was open everyday, but it was closed. So we headed over to the Cathedral Saint Jean and arrived just as it closed for lunch. We instead headed to the cable car to see the basilica at the top of cliff overhanging the city. But when we got to the top, it was nowhere to be found. We searched for a while, decided that we were hungry, and headed back down to find some lunch. We stopped at a friendly brasserie and all had crepes for lunch (they are not just dessert!)
We then stopped by St Jean's cathedral. It is very pretty and has the honor of having the organ that was the first one to be recorded. They also have a very unusual clock. It has been around since at least 1383, and from it you can determine the time, the date, the year (yes, it said 2005), any liturgical holidays, and your astrological sign. In addition, three times a day, it acted out when Peter denied Christ three times. The cock even crowed. It was really something to see!
Then we took the cable car back up to the top of the cliff (on a different line this time) and found the basilica. It was built to show how powerful the catholic church was after the very anti-church revolution. There are mosaics from floor to ceiling (including the floor) and all use gold. The rest is gilded in gold. We will post some pictures, but decided that it would be really hard to describe. It was beautiful, but over the top, too. Too much beauty, if there is such a thing.
We looked out over the cliff to see the city. It was a very beautiful view, but the edges of the city disappeared into the rain clouds (yes, it was still raining).
Our last stop of the day was the Roman theater and museum. The theater was impressive, but nothing like the museum. It was amazing. There were tons of displays. There were funeral monuments, statues, mosaics, signs, catapults, money, and even glass (we weren't surprised by this anymore though). One of the most memorable was a huge bronze plaque (20 ft x 15 ft) that reprinted a speech by a Roman emperor from in 61 AD. It was amazing. We also saw coins and coin molds from before Christ! The only problem was that we had about an hour to spend there and we only saw about a third of the museum! They kicked us out at closing time. We will try to work a trip back into our busy schedule.
We had PB&Js in the hotel and are heading off to an early bed. My parents are out to dinner somewhere. We hope they can find their way back to the hotel. We are going to spend one more day here in Lyon, then move on to Geneva. From there we aren't sure. We will just have to see. We will be sure to let you know what we are up to, though!!
Until next week!
Amy
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Furman weekly, April 4 - 10; Volume 3, Number 10
Whew! What a week. We are worn out.
On Monday, after the boys went to the tutor's, we rested around the house so Wendy wouldn't be worn out when she went back to school next week. We had Roxanna come over that night, though, so we could take Wendy to the P'tit Montagnard, our favorite fondue restaurant. Our first stop was the capitol square for drinks. Wendy tried a southern France favorite, Pastis. It tastes like black licorice. Then it was off to dinner. We had a great time. It is fun to share these places with our family.
On Tuesday, while Dave was at work, we packed up and headed to Albi. Even though the boys were just there, we had lots of fun. Due to construction, we had to park a ways from the cathedral. But we stumbled across a new museum. This museum follows the travels of a French explorer, Laperouse. He sailed all over, and meet his end at New Zeeland in Botany Bay. We had fun looking at all of the items that they recently pulled up from the shipwreck.
Then it was off to lunch. Wendy tried the French favorite, croq monsieur. We also enjoyed some hot chocolate after the meal. Of course.
The church was next on our list. We got there right as it opened after lunch and looked around for a while. Unfortunately, due to the death of the pope, only certain parts of the church were lit. The treasure and the choir stalls were closed. But Wendy was impressed by the beauty of the cathedral. She agreed that it is nearly impossible to describe the impressiveness of the building.
From there, we went through the Toulouse-Lautrec museum. This isn't a museum geared to kids, but ours did really well on their second trip through. We rented audio-guides and Michael loved searching for the numbers on the paintings. Then he would listen to the guide, even though I don't think he could understand any of it.
When we got home that night, we noticed that we no longer had any hot water. Oh No!! Another plumbing saga. How long would this take?
Wednesday morning we spent resting. Dave came home at 3:00 (after watching the A380 roll to the test hanger) to work from home. Wendy and I left and headed to the "center commercial." We sat outside in the sun and had "tea" before heading in to check out the grocery store. It is quite an experience. We looked at things for a while and Wendy picked up some surprises for people back home. After dropping off our treasures, the two of us headed to dinner. We went out for Chinese. You would think that it would be the same from country to country, wouldn't you? Nope. Our favorite things are nems. They are like spring rolls that you wrap in a leaf of lettuce with a sprig of mint. Yummy!! We had a lot of fun hanging out together, and finished off the night sharing a bottle of cidre with Dave at home.
On Thursday, the boys visited with the tutor. I dropped them off in between visits from the plumber. No hot water is an two day wait. Not bad. After he had left, I jumped into the shower before going to pick up Andrew. When I got out, we noticed water pouring out of the hot water heater! No shower for Wendy yet. After a few frantic phone calls, I left to pick up Dave and Andrew. In the meantime, the water heater healed itself and all was well. We quick grabbed a bite to eat and headed off to Auch, the home of D'Artagnan (the three musketeers). On the way, we stumbled across pieces of the A380, getting ready to squeeze through the town just north of Colomiers, on it's way to the assembly plant. Cool. Check out the size of the fuselage compared to the size of the truck towing it. (by the way, the website is up and running. Check us out at efurman.com)
When we got to Auch, we discovered that it was very crowded. There was a funeral going on in the church and a carnival in the park. There were people waiting in the parking lots on the off chance someone would come back to their car and leave a space. We drove around for a little while and then, after some fancy maneuvering on our part, parked on the curb, down the street from the church. All four wheels up on the sidewalk. When in France...
We explored the city and ended up back at the cathedral. Wendy took some really great pictures, while I entertained Michael. He is tired of sight-seeing. He kept saying "I hate this church." and "This music is giving me a headache." There were organ lessons going on so they did repeat a lot, but I thought it was very pretty.
On the way home, we passed by the A380 again. They were preparing to take it through town. They raise the wings up on an angle so they fit better down the skinny streets.
Friday morning, we had a special birthday breakfast for Wendy. Then we rested because we had a busy day ahead. Wendy and I dropped the boys off with Lisa Reich (after another really fancy parking job downtown) and went to downtown Toulouse for the afternoon. We had a great lunch in the sun on the terrace of a cute brasserie. Then we explored two different churches to compare different building styles. Then we decided to stop and have hot chocolate (of course) at a brasserie. After we ordered, the sky opened up and it POURED!! But by the time we were done, the sun was shinning again. On our way back to pick up the boys, we stopped at two different chocolateries to sample and purchase sweets for Wendy to bring home. In one of the shops (the first place that made chocolate in France) they sold hot chocolate. Well, I am not one to turn that down. So I ordered one. Wow. First, she took powdered cocao, mixed it with a little bit of liquid ginger. She stirred it for a while until Wendy said it looked like crude oil. The she took a piece of 92% cocao chocolate and broke it into pieces to add to the cup. After this was mixed well (this took up 3/4 of the cup), she added hot milk. This was awesome. I will be stopping there whenever I am in Toulouse!!
That night we headed off to the Cote de Boeuf. This is the restaurant where we go to feel cared for and known in Toulouse. Dave is always greeted with a handshake at the door. Now I am greeted as well. A handshake and a kiss!!! I knew they would take good care of Wendy on her birthday. And they did. We had a wonderful meal. Then, we not only got after dinner drinks (on the house), she left the bottle. And when she felt that we were not taking advantage of this, she refilled our cups! It's good to know people.
We slept in some on Saturday, so we got a late start. We decided to head north to visit the caves of Lascaux II. As we got underway, the skies turned very threatening. We considered turning around and heading south, but decided to chance it. After a downpour, the sun came out and the drive was very pretty. We stopped for lunch in Cahors, but first visited the devil's bridge. Apparently, to find the money to finish the bridge, the city leader's made a deal with the devil. In exchange for a finished bridge, the devil would get the soul of the first person who crossed the bridge. After it was finished, no one would cross, so the city sent a dog across. The devil was furious!! He caused the center tower to fall down. Each time the city rebuilt the tower, it fell down again. Finally, they built a small demon onto the tower. This seems to have appeased the devil, because the tower is still standing.
After visiting the bridge, we stopped at a cave (wine seller) to purchase a specific brand of cahors wine that we enjoyed but can't find in the store. How fun to be familiar enough with the wine to know where to find a certain kind. While we were in the store, it started snowing heavily. What is going on with the weather? By the time we left the store, the sun was shining again. Then we grabbed sandwiches to eat in the car and went on our way.
We visited Lascaux II again, while Dave and Michael took a walk. This tour guide told us some new things. He also turned off all of the lights and held up a lighter to the walls to show us how the paintings seem to move in the firelight. Very impressive.
Then it was off to the Parc Prehistoric. We had fun walking through the park in the sun, although it was quite cold. Because we were there so late in the day, the flint knapper had already left. Maybe he will be there when we return with my parents.
We started heading for home, but decided that since it was Wendy's last day, we should make one more stop. We decided to eat in Sarlat (where they taped EVER AFTER). We ate at a cozy brasserie, where Wendy had her first French pizza (without egg) and her last hot chocolate. It was very late when we finally got home, but we had a really good day.
Wendy left this morning and will be home late tonight. I think that she had a fun visit and that we didn't tire her out too much. I know that we enjoyed having her. We miss her and she was only here for a week. I hope that she can come again.
The Reich's came over for haircuts and pizza tonight. We had a good evening and sent the kids to bed early. They are worn out from a week of playing tourist and need to rest up before my parents arrive on Wednesday. Then we are planning a week long vacation starting Saturday. We hope to make it to Switzerland and maybe even Italy! We will keep you posted.
Until next week!
Amy
On Monday, after the boys went to the tutor's, we rested around the house so Wendy wouldn't be worn out when she went back to school next week. We had Roxanna come over that night, though, so we could take Wendy to the P'tit Montagnard, our favorite fondue restaurant. Our first stop was the capitol square for drinks. Wendy tried a southern France favorite, Pastis. It tastes like black licorice. Then it was off to dinner. We had a great time. It is fun to share these places with our family.
On Tuesday, while Dave was at work, we packed up and headed to Albi. Even though the boys were just there, we had lots of fun. Due to construction, we had to park a ways from the cathedral. But we stumbled across a new museum. This museum follows the travels of a French explorer, Laperouse. He sailed all over, and meet his end at New Zeeland in Botany Bay. We had fun looking at all of the items that they recently pulled up from the shipwreck.
Then it was off to lunch. Wendy tried the French favorite, croq monsieur. We also enjoyed some hot chocolate after the meal. Of course.
The church was next on our list. We got there right as it opened after lunch and looked around for a while. Unfortunately, due to the death of the pope, only certain parts of the church were lit. The treasure and the choir stalls were closed. But Wendy was impressed by the beauty of the cathedral. She agreed that it is nearly impossible to describe the impressiveness of the building.
From there, we went through the Toulouse-Lautrec museum. This isn't a museum geared to kids, but ours did really well on their second trip through. We rented audio-guides and Michael loved searching for the numbers on the paintings. Then he would listen to the guide, even though I don't think he could understand any of it.
When we got home that night, we noticed that we no longer had any hot water. Oh No!! Another plumbing saga. How long would this take?
Wednesday morning we spent resting. Dave came home at 3:00 (after watching the A380 roll to the test hanger) to work from home. Wendy and I left and headed to the "center commercial." We sat outside in the sun and had "tea" before heading in to check out the grocery store. It is quite an experience. We looked at things for a while and Wendy picked up some surprises for people back home. After dropping off our treasures, the two of us headed to dinner. We went out for Chinese. You would think that it would be the same from country to country, wouldn't you? Nope. Our favorite things are nems. They are like spring rolls that you wrap in a leaf of lettuce with a sprig of mint. Yummy!! We had a lot of fun hanging out together, and finished off the night sharing a bottle of cidre with Dave at home.
On Thursday, the boys visited with the tutor. I dropped them off in between visits from the plumber. No hot water is an two day wait. Not bad. After he had left, I jumped into the shower before going to pick up Andrew. When I got out, we noticed water pouring out of the hot water heater! No shower for Wendy yet. After a few frantic phone calls, I left to pick up Dave and Andrew. In the meantime, the water heater healed itself and all was well. We quick grabbed a bite to eat and headed off to Auch, the home of D'Artagnan (the three musketeers). On the way, we stumbled across pieces of the A380, getting ready to squeeze through the town just north of Colomiers, on it's way to the assembly plant. Cool. Check out the size of the fuselage compared to the size of the truck towing it. (by the way, the website is up and running. Check us out at efurman.com)
When we got to Auch, we discovered that it was very crowded. There was a funeral going on in the church and a carnival in the park. There were people waiting in the parking lots on the off chance someone would come back to their car and leave a space. We drove around for a little while and then, after some fancy maneuvering on our part, parked on the curb, down the street from the church. All four wheels up on the sidewalk. When in France...
We explored the city and ended up back at the cathedral. Wendy took some really great pictures, while I entertained Michael. He is tired of sight-seeing. He kept saying "I hate this church." and "This music is giving me a headache." There were organ lessons going on so they did repeat a lot, but I thought it was very pretty.
On the way home, we passed by the A380 again. They were preparing to take it through town. They raise the wings up on an angle so they fit better down the skinny streets.
Friday morning, we had a special birthday breakfast for Wendy. Then we rested because we had a busy day ahead. Wendy and I dropped the boys off with Lisa Reich (after another really fancy parking job downtown) and went to downtown Toulouse for the afternoon. We had a great lunch in the sun on the terrace of a cute brasserie. Then we explored two different churches to compare different building styles. Then we decided to stop and have hot chocolate (of course) at a brasserie. After we ordered, the sky opened up and it POURED!! But by the time we were done, the sun was shinning again. On our way back to pick up the boys, we stopped at two different chocolateries to sample and purchase sweets for Wendy to bring home. In one of the shops (the first place that made chocolate in France) they sold hot chocolate. Well, I am not one to turn that down. So I ordered one. Wow. First, she took powdered cocao, mixed it with a little bit of liquid ginger. She stirred it for a while until Wendy said it looked like crude oil. The she took a piece of 92% cocao chocolate and broke it into pieces to add to the cup. After this was mixed well (this took up 3/4 of the cup), she added hot milk. This was awesome. I will be stopping there whenever I am in Toulouse!!
That night we headed off to the Cote de Boeuf. This is the restaurant where we go to feel cared for and known in Toulouse. Dave is always greeted with a handshake at the door. Now I am greeted as well. A handshake and a kiss!!! I knew they would take good care of Wendy on her birthday. And they did. We had a wonderful meal. Then, we not only got after dinner drinks (on the house), she left the bottle. And when she felt that we were not taking advantage of this, she refilled our cups! It's good to know people.
We slept in some on Saturday, so we got a late start. We decided to head north to visit the caves of Lascaux II. As we got underway, the skies turned very threatening. We considered turning around and heading south, but decided to chance it. After a downpour, the sun came out and the drive was very pretty. We stopped for lunch in Cahors, but first visited the devil's bridge. Apparently, to find the money to finish the bridge, the city leader's made a deal with the devil. In exchange for a finished bridge, the devil would get the soul of the first person who crossed the bridge. After it was finished, no one would cross, so the city sent a dog across. The devil was furious!! He caused the center tower to fall down. Each time the city rebuilt the tower, it fell down again. Finally, they built a small demon onto the tower. This seems to have appeased the devil, because the tower is still standing.
After visiting the bridge, we stopped at a cave (wine seller) to purchase a specific brand of cahors wine that we enjoyed but can't find in the store. How fun to be familiar enough with the wine to know where to find a certain kind. While we were in the store, it started snowing heavily. What is going on with the weather? By the time we left the store, the sun was shining again. Then we grabbed sandwiches to eat in the car and went on our way.
We visited Lascaux II again, while Dave and Michael took a walk. This tour guide told us some new things. He also turned off all of the lights and held up a lighter to the walls to show us how the paintings seem to move in the firelight. Very impressive.
Then it was off to the Parc Prehistoric. We had fun walking through the park in the sun, although it was quite cold. Because we were there so late in the day, the flint knapper had already left. Maybe he will be there when we return with my parents.
We started heading for home, but decided that since it was Wendy's last day, we should make one more stop. We decided to eat in Sarlat (where they taped EVER AFTER). We ate at a cozy brasserie, where Wendy had her first French pizza (without egg) and her last hot chocolate. It was very late when we finally got home, but we had a really good day.
Wendy left this morning and will be home late tonight. I think that she had a fun visit and that we didn't tire her out too much. I know that we enjoyed having her. We miss her and she was only here for a week. I hope that she can come again.
The Reich's came over for haircuts and pizza tonight. We had a good evening and sent the kids to bed early. They are worn out from a week of playing tourist and need to rest up before my parents arrive on Wednesday. Then we are planning a week long vacation starting Saturday. We hope to make it to Switzerland and maybe even Italy! We will keep you posted.
Until next week!
Amy
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Furman weekly, March 29 - April 3; Volume 3, Number 9
March 29 - April 3
Bon jour all. It's Sunday night again, so the saga continues.
This was a very short week. Monday was a vacation day, so things started off on Tuesday. The boys did the school routine. Things are going very well with the tutor. Andrew is making great advances in math and is starting to read magazines in French! Michael is learning a lot of French as well and has virtually no accent. That means when we don't know how to say something, we ask him. It's fun. We are also are learning lots of French medieval history. It is fun to be able to live our lessons each weekend. Learn the history, go see the history. What a cool way to learn.
On Friday, we decided that I had spent too much time with the boys and needed an emergency date night. So we hired Roxanna and headed off. This time Dave took me past the hanger where the A380 is. It was a long way away, but I could tell it was very big. The most noticeable thing were the wings. They are attached at the bottom of the belly of the plane. Then they are angled very strangely. They are really curved. The plane is being moved to the test facility next week, which is right near where we live, so maybe we can get a picture for you to see.
On Saturday morning, Wendy arrived!! Her plane from Amsterdam had computer problems, so they were delayed while they got a new plane, but she arrived all in one piece, with all of her luggage, almost. Her carry on had to be checked on the plane from Amsterdam. That was fine, except that when she arrived in Toulouse, that bag wasn't considered and international bag. All of her other bags arrived on the international belt. We thought that one was lost. Of course, it was the one with all the important things in it, it was a carry on after all. It turns out the airline found it on the domestic flights belt, but not until after we left. So Dave went back to the airport to retrieve it later that night.
After Wendy unpacked, we didn't want her to sleep, so we drove her to downtown Toulouse. The first thing we saw was a demonstration of teachers. They have been striking about once a week, to protest changes in the education system. Wendy, being a teacher, was very excited to see this. We walked over a lot of downtown, saw the capitole square, the inside of a chocolate shop, the inside of the capitole building, and visited a creperie (You can't visit France without tasting a crepe!). We walked a lot and wore Wendy out. Then, since we were downtown, we stopped by and visited with the Reich's. They had fun talking with Wendy.
After we got back to the house, we fed Wendy her first taste of French food; Fondue, of course! It was a very good meal, complete with Apple tarte for dessert. Then Wendy headed off to bed.
On Sunday, we decided to take Wendy to see Carcassonne. What fun! The walled city was just as impressive as always. Our first stop was lunch (of course. As Wendy says, in France it's all about the food). Wendy sampled the regional dish, cassoulet. Yum!
Then it was off to tour the castle. We first toured the museum, full of sarcophaguses and various other medieval objects. Then we took in a tour of the castle and part of the ramparts - in English, no less. It was a great tour and we learned lots we didn't know, including that the king, Louis XIV, added pointy blue slate roofs to the towers so that everyone knew it belonged to him. Two of the towers, weren't reconstructed correctly and have pointy orange tile roofs. This is causing some offense to the French people. Pointy roofs are from northern France. Orange tiles are from the south of France. So... when the orange roofs are old and need to be replaced, they will use blue slate. Then everything will match. This seemed to be a big deal to the tour guide. Wendy found it very funny.
After touring the cathedral (which, by the way is one of only three in France that has Chartes blue stained glass windows), we did some souvenir shopping. Then Andrew took Wendy to the School museum. They had a good time playing with the quills and ink. Then it was off to home for taco dinner and bed.
This promises to be a fun and busy week. We have so much that we want to show Wendy and she has a birthday this week. We will have lots of fun.
Until next time!
Amy
Bon jour all. It's Sunday night again, so the saga continues.
This was a very short week. Monday was a vacation day, so things started off on Tuesday. The boys did the school routine. Things are going very well with the tutor. Andrew is making great advances in math and is starting to read magazines in French! Michael is learning a lot of French as well and has virtually no accent. That means when we don't know how to say something, we ask him. It's fun. We are also are learning lots of French medieval history. It is fun to be able to live our lessons each weekend. Learn the history, go see the history. What a cool way to learn.
On Friday, we decided that I had spent too much time with the boys and needed an emergency date night. So we hired Roxanna and headed off. This time Dave took me past the hanger where the A380 is. It was a long way away, but I could tell it was very big. The most noticeable thing were the wings. They are attached at the bottom of the belly of the plane. Then they are angled very strangely. They are really curved. The plane is being moved to the test facility next week, which is right near where we live, so maybe we can get a picture for you to see.
On Saturday morning, Wendy arrived!! Her plane from Amsterdam had computer problems, so they were delayed while they got a new plane, but she arrived all in one piece, with all of her luggage, almost. Her carry on had to be checked on the plane from Amsterdam. That was fine, except that when she arrived in Toulouse, that bag wasn't considered and international bag. All of her other bags arrived on the international belt. We thought that one was lost. Of course, it was the one with all the important things in it, it was a carry on after all. It turns out the airline found it on the domestic flights belt, but not until after we left. So Dave went back to the airport to retrieve it later that night.
After Wendy unpacked, we didn't want her to sleep, so we drove her to downtown Toulouse. The first thing we saw was a demonstration of teachers. They have been striking about once a week, to protest changes in the education system. Wendy, being a teacher, was very excited to see this. We walked over a lot of downtown, saw the capitole square, the inside of a chocolate shop, the inside of the capitole building, and visited a creperie (You can't visit France without tasting a crepe!). We walked a lot and wore Wendy out. Then, since we were downtown, we stopped by and visited with the Reich's. They had fun talking with Wendy.
After we got back to the house, we fed Wendy her first taste of French food; Fondue, of course! It was a very good meal, complete with Apple tarte for dessert. Then Wendy headed off to bed.
On Sunday, we decided to take Wendy to see Carcassonne. What fun! The walled city was just as impressive as always. Our first stop was lunch (of course. As Wendy says, in France it's all about the food). Wendy sampled the regional dish, cassoulet. Yum!
Then it was off to tour the castle. We first toured the museum, full of sarcophaguses and various other medieval objects. Then we took in a tour of the castle and part of the ramparts - in English, no less. It was a great tour and we learned lots we didn't know, including that the king, Louis XIV, added pointy blue slate roofs to the towers so that everyone knew it belonged to him. Two of the towers, weren't reconstructed correctly and have pointy orange tile roofs. This is causing some offense to the French people. Pointy roofs are from northern France. Orange tiles are from the south of France. So... when the orange roofs are old and need to be replaced, they will use blue slate. Then everything will match. This seemed to be a big deal to the tour guide. Wendy found it very funny.
After touring the cathedral (which, by the way is one of only three in France that has Chartes blue stained glass windows), we did some souvenir shopping. Then Andrew took Wendy to the School museum. They had a good time playing with the quills and ink. Then it was off to home for taco dinner and bed.
This promises to be a fun and busy week. We have so much that we want to show Wendy and she has a birthday this week. We will have lots of fun.
Until next time!
Amy
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Furman weekly, March 21 - 28 ; Volume 3, Number 8
Joyous Paques a vous!! Happy Easter to you all!!
Has it really been two months? This is the eighth edition of the Furman Weekly so it must be, but it has gone so fast it is hard to believe.
As you recall, last week we had dropped Dave off at the airport to send him off to Germany. He arrived home around midnight on Monday. He had a good trip and only got lost twice on the way to the hotel. He stayed in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on Lake Constance. This is the border between Germany and Switzerland. He could see the Alps and flew near Mount Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps.
The rest of the week was short, due to the Easter holiday. The boys went to school and Dave went to work as usual. On Wednesday, while Andrew was at the tutor's, Lisa came over to spend the morning at our house. I am helping her plan her trip to Paris next month. We had a good morning and commented that it is really nice to have someone to chat with that has the same set of references. We will work on her trip again.
Thursday night was date night again. This time we went back to the capitol square to sit and watch the world go by. It had turned a little colder, so we had our hot chocolate first. Then we headed off to dinner. We really enjoy spending this time alone together. We get a lot of family time when we are here, so we really appreciate any time we can get alone.
On Friday morning, we met the Reich's and headed off for a long weekend. This time we decided to head to the Atlantic coast near the Spanish border. This region is known as the Pays-Basque. It was about a three and a half hour drive. After we checked into the hotel, we headed off to the town of Biarritz. This is a beautiful coastal town. We walked through the town for a bit, then the boys played on the beach for a while. Mom walked in the sand for a bit, then advised that everyone be careful or they would get wet. Turns out Mom knows best. David's pant legs got wet, Andrew's pants were quite wet all the way up, and Michael? Well, Michael fell flat into a wave. He was soaked from his shoulders down. After that, the beach didn't seem as fun. We tried to walk a little through the town, but the boys were too uncomfortable. So we headed back to the hotel for baths and clean clothes.
After everyone was clean and dry, we headed off to find some dinner. The backseat drivers requested Italian, and the Men in the front delivered. We were a little worried after we stopped because there was no one else in the restaurant and no one else came in while we were there. That is usually a bad sign. However, the food was wonderful and the service was very attentive (there was no one else to worry about). Then we had one of the regional desserts, gateaux Basque. WOW!! It is probably good that we can't get this cake anywhere else. It is great! We had it every time we could the whole weekend.
The next day, we started of the day at the Museum of Chocolate. We learned the history of making chocolate, starting with the Aztecs. Did you know that only men were allowed to have it in the beginning? We even got to try some pure Cacao. It is very strong. Then it was served as hot chocolate (heaven!!). This was a very educational and tasty tour. We also met an English family who were very friendly and gave us some suggestions of places to visit when we go to England next month.
Then we headed south to the coastal town of St Jean-de-Luz. We had a traditional Basque lunch (Paella and poulet (chicken) Basque) complete with gatuaex Basque. Yum. Then we wandered around the town and saw the house that King Louis XIV (the sun king) built for himself and the one built for his future bride. Then while Michael played on the beach with Dave and Tom, Amy, Lisa, and Andrew went to see the church where Louis XIV was married. It is a beautiful church and was decorated for Easter the next day.
After sampling some of the local macaroons (the recipe hasn't changed since they were sampled by Louis XIV on his wedding day), we went back into the car. We decided to drive to Spain for dinner. (Can you imagine!?!)
We drove down the coast to the city of San Sebastian. What a beautiful city. We walked around the city for about two hours, checking out two churches, a mall, and an ice cream shop. We bought some souvenirs and then headed to dinner. UGH!! The food was very good, but ordering was a problem. We were all so confused. Everything was in Spanish and even so close to the border, no one spoke French, not to mention English. The waitress did speak German. Unfortunately, Dave didn't learn enough while he was there this week. We finally struggled through ordering, enjoyed our dinner (and some GREAT Sangria), and decided to head home to France. It helped us to see how comfortable we have become in our new country.
The next day was Easter. After the boys found the eggs that the bunny hid in the hotel room, we headed off for a day of ups and downs. Our first stop was the Petit Train. We boarded the train and took a 30 minute trip up mount Rhune. This mountain is 902 meters (~3,000 feet)above sea level, the tallest one in the area. When we reached the top, we walked around a bit until we spotted a magician doing tricks. He was entertaining children for Easter. While we were watching, he picked Andrew out to help him do some tricks!! After a little explaining, the magician started translating into English for him. It was a good bit of magic and the boys both got balloon animals.
We headed back down the mountain and headed off to our next stop, hoping to find lunch on the way (it is a pretty rural area). We found the only restaurant on the way, and stopped in. It smelled wonderful! But alas, it was 2:15. Lunch is only served until 2:00. We were turned away. Fortunately, I also stock snacks in case of a situation like this. We snacked on the way to the bottom of the mountains. Literally. Our next stop was a cave.
After grabbing a sandwich at the stand where you bought the tickets for the tour, we took a tour of the caves of the Pays-Basque. Unfortunately, the tour started out with a 15 minute informational video about bats. YUCK! We were a little worried about the tour after that. However, it turned out to be a good tour about the people who lived in these caves 40-20,000 years ago. We did see some bats, but also lots of neat rock formations, an underground river, a magma tube, and underground pools.
Then it was back to town for dinner. We almost stopped at a Tex-Mex place, but opted for a seafood place on the beach. Very good dinner and our last taste of gateaux-basque. Then it was off to bed.
Monday morning we lounged at the hotel, eating, playing ping-pong and play station, and packing. We checked out and headed to Pau for lunch. Because the French take Easter Monday as a holiday, many places were closed, but we tried a new thing called a Panchetta. It was sort of like a pizza on a really big piece of bread. It was very good. I tried to order Sangria (I thought since we were near the border, it might be as good), but they only had the non-alcoholic version available. How strange, in France!
Then we walked around the grounds of the castle in Pau. Since the tour is in French and we have been here before, we decided to skip it. We did have a lot of fun walking around in the gardens, though.
We headed home then. We unpacked and had dinner. The boys are both glad to be "home." It's good to know that they are adjusting to living in a new place.
This will be a quiet week. We are preparing for a visit from Amy's sister, Wendy. She arrives on Saturday, so we will spend all of next week showing her the sights. We can't wait.
Sorry this edition was so long. We had a lot of things to tell you all. We still miss you and look forward to your notes and emails. Until next week.
A bientot
Amy
Has it really been two months? This is the eighth edition of the Furman Weekly so it must be, but it has gone so fast it is hard to believe.
As you recall, last week we had dropped Dave off at the airport to send him off to Germany. He arrived home around midnight on Monday. He had a good trip and only got lost twice on the way to the hotel. He stayed in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on Lake Constance. This is the border between Germany and Switzerland. He could see the Alps and flew near Mount Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps.
The rest of the week was short, due to the Easter holiday. The boys went to school and Dave went to work as usual. On Wednesday, while Andrew was at the tutor's, Lisa came over to spend the morning at our house. I am helping her plan her trip to Paris next month. We had a good morning and commented that it is really nice to have someone to chat with that has the same set of references. We will work on her trip again.
Thursday night was date night again. This time we went back to the capitol square to sit and watch the world go by. It had turned a little colder, so we had our hot chocolate first. Then we headed off to dinner. We really enjoy spending this time alone together. We get a lot of family time when we are here, so we really appreciate any time we can get alone.
On Friday morning, we met the Reich's and headed off for a long weekend. This time we decided to head to the Atlantic coast near the Spanish border. This region is known as the Pays-Basque. It was about a three and a half hour drive. After we checked into the hotel, we headed off to the town of Biarritz. This is a beautiful coastal town. We walked through the town for a bit, then the boys played on the beach for a while. Mom walked in the sand for a bit, then advised that everyone be careful or they would get wet. Turns out Mom knows best. David's pant legs got wet, Andrew's pants were quite wet all the way up, and Michael? Well, Michael fell flat into a wave. He was soaked from his shoulders down. After that, the beach didn't seem as fun. We tried to walk a little through the town, but the boys were too uncomfortable. So we headed back to the hotel for baths and clean clothes.
After everyone was clean and dry, we headed off to find some dinner. The backseat drivers requested Italian, and the Men in the front delivered. We were a little worried after we stopped because there was no one else in the restaurant and no one else came in while we were there. That is usually a bad sign. However, the food was wonderful and the service was very attentive (there was no one else to worry about). Then we had one of the regional desserts, gateaux Basque. WOW!! It is probably good that we can't get this cake anywhere else. It is great! We had it every time we could the whole weekend.
The next day, we started of the day at the Museum of Chocolate. We learned the history of making chocolate, starting with the Aztecs. Did you know that only men were allowed to have it in the beginning? We even got to try some pure Cacao. It is very strong. Then it was served as hot chocolate (heaven!!). This was a very educational and tasty tour. We also met an English family who were very friendly and gave us some suggestions of places to visit when we go to England next month.
Then we headed south to the coastal town of St Jean-de-Luz. We had a traditional Basque lunch (Paella and poulet (chicken) Basque) complete with gatuaex Basque. Yum. Then we wandered around the town and saw the house that King Louis XIV (the sun king) built for himself and the one built for his future bride. Then while Michael played on the beach with Dave and Tom, Amy, Lisa, and Andrew went to see the church where Louis XIV was married. It is a beautiful church and was decorated for Easter the next day.
After sampling some of the local macaroons (the recipe hasn't changed since they were sampled by Louis XIV on his wedding day), we went back into the car. We decided to drive to Spain for dinner. (Can you imagine!?!)
We drove down the coast to the city of San Sebastian. What a beautiful city. We walked around the city for about two hours, checking out two churches, a mall, and an ice cream shop. We bought some souvenirs and then headed to dinner. UGH!! The food was very good, but ordering was a problem. We were all so confused. Everything was in Spanish and even so close to the border, no one spoke French, not to mention English. The waitress did speak German. Unfortunately, Dave didn't learn enough while he was there this week. We finally struggled through ordering, enjoyed our dinner (and some GREAT Sangria), and decided to head home to France. It helped us to see how comfortable we have become in our new country.
The next day was Easter. After the boys found the eggs that the bunny hid in the hotel room, we headed off for a day of ups and downs. Our first stop was the Petit Train. We boarded the train and took a 30 minute trip up mount Rhune. This mountain is 902 meters (~3,000 feet)above sea level, the tallest one in the area. When we reached the top, we walked around a bit until we spotted a magician doing tricks. He was entertaining children for Easter. While we were watching, he picked Andrew out to help him do some tricks!! After a little explaining, the magician started translating into English for him. It was a good bit of magic and the boys both got balloon animals.
We headed back down the mountain and headed off to our next stop, hoping to find lunch on the way (it is a pretty rural area). We found the only restaurant on the way, and stopped in. It smelled wonderful! But alas, it was 2:15. Lunch is only served until 2:00. We were turned away. Fortunately, I also stock snacks in case of a situation like this. We snacked on the way to the bottom of the mountains. Literally. Our next stop was a cave.
After grabbing a sandwich at the stand where you bought the tickets for the tour, we took a tour of the caves of the Pays-Basque. Unfortunately, the tour started out with a 15 minute informational video about bats. YUCK! We were a little worried about the tour after that. However, it turned out to be a good tour about the people who lived in these caves 40-20,000 years ago. We did see some bats, but also lots of neat rock formations, an underground river, a magma tube, and underground pools.
Then it was back to town for dinner. We almost stopped at a Tex-Mex place, but opted for a seafood place on the beach. Very good dinner and our last taste of gateaux-basque. Then it was off to bed.
Monday morning we lounged at the hotel, eating, playing ping-pong and play station, and packing. We checked out and headed to Pau for lunch. Because the French take Easter Monday as a holiday, many places were closed, but we tried a new thing called a Panchetta. It was sort of like a pizza on a really big piece of bread. It was very good. I tried to order Sangria (I thought since we were near the border, it might be as good), but they only had the non-alcoholic version available. How strange, in France!
Then we walked around the grounds of the castle in Pau. Since the tour is in French and we have been here before, we decided to skip it. We did have a lot of fun walking around in the gardens, though.
We headed home then. We unpacked and had dinner. The boys are both glad to be "home." It's good to know that they are adjusting to living in a new place.
This will be a quiet week. We are preparing for a visit from Amy's sister, Wendy. She arrives on Saturday, so we will spend all of next week showing her the sights. We can't wait.
Sorry this edition was so long. We had a lot of things to tell you all. We still miss you and look forward to your notes and emails. Until next week.
A bientot
Amy
Friday, March 04, 2005
Furman weekly, February 21-27 Volume 3, Number 4
February 21-27
Well, we are settling in nicely. We like the house a lot. The kitchen and shower leave a bit to be desired, but we are quite happy! The boys have new soccer balls that they have been using in the yard. That makes a big difference, they love having a place to run and be noisy. Much better than the hotel.
The week started off slowly. Andrew went to school all day with the tutor on Monday again. She is trying to make up for lost time at the beginning if the month. It is a long day for him, so we will only do it every once in a while. Usually, the afternoon session will be spent with "culture" lessons (a visit to the post office, bakery,etc). He is learning lots of math (even long division) and French and French culture with her. We are pleased.
Monday night has been christened "Pizza night." The local pizza guy seems to enjoy seeing Dave, so I think we will continue to frequent his establishment.
On Tuesday afternoon we had a visit from the plumber. This was very strange. Two men came to the door to look at the radiator in Andrew's room, which has been leaking. The went into the room, looked at it, shook their heads that yes it was leaking. Then they took a measurement and left. They were just the advance scouts to determine that there is a job, I guess. They will send someone else to fix it some other day. I wonder how much that house call cost?
On Thursday night, we had another date night. The boys so look forward to Roxanna coming that we are going to make use of her services as often as the budget will allow. This time we went to the store to look around without the boys pestering us. We found many interesting things and agreed that it was a good use of our time away from the boys. Then we Dave took Amy to a restaurant downtown that he has enjoyed on one of his previous trips. It is called J'Go. It was great. It is owned by some former Rugby players. There is a bar downstairs that you should avoid on nights that the French Rugby team is playing. It was very crowded and it wasn't even a game night. Then upstairs there is a restaurant. Amy had her first Truffles at dinner. The entre (which is the appetizer) was a truffle omelette. The omelette tasted pretty ordinary, maybe a little woodsy. But the little sliver of Truffle on top was awesome. The truffle melts in your mouth. And it tastes... hard to describe... Kind of outdoorsy. It was really good and I can see why they are such a delicacy here.
We knew that we wanted to go somewhere this weekend, but it is hard to decide where to go. We have seen so much of this part of France, that picking something new is going to be hard. So we decided to pick places that we really enjoyed and investigate them more thoroughly since the boys are older. So we headed off to Albi. It has a very beautiful cathedral and we both wanted to see it again (the boys don't remember much, although when Andrew sees the place he remembers).
WOW. I think that it is impossible to describe how huge this cathedral is. It is massive. We learned that it was built during the crusades against the Cathars, so it was built like a fortress. It looks like this massive fortress in the middle of town. But when you go inside, it is one of the most beautifully decorated churches we have seen. Every inch of the church is painted or ornately carved. Keep an eye on the web site. Dave is going to try to post some pictures.
We have never been to see the church's "Tresor." This is where the keep the treasures of the church, for example special crosses (used in coronations, that sort of thing) and the "relics." These would be the bones or hair of some of the saints. We saw things as small as pinky bones to whole skulls. All are in ornate glass and gold containers. It was very interesting. There were also some very old carvings from around the time the church was built, in the 1200's. We poked around the church some more until they closed for lunch.
Then we did as the French... had lunch. We ate at a very good Brasserie. Amy and Michael had a traditional French favorite, the croq monsieur (Toasted ham and cheese), while Dave and Andrew had omelettes (these are always very good, but never served for breakfast, only lunch and dinner). The boys all had dessert (ice cream and crepes), but Amy opted for the hot chocolate. WOW!! This was served the way all hot chocolate should be served. A pitcher of steamed milk and a cup with a half inch of pure melted dark chocolate. YUM!!
After lunch we walked along the ramparts and the riverbank until the museum opened. Albi is the town where Toulouse-Lautrec was born and therefore has the most extensive collection of his works. It was really an interesting museum. He painted a lot more than the posters for the Moulin Rouge that you associate with him. There were some very pretty pieces and lots of sketchings on cardboard boxes! One of the most interesting things that we saw was his cane that he often used. It came apart and hidden inside was a small glass and a vial of alcohol! Pretty tricky.
We headed home then. The boys are pretty worn out. They aren't ready to do long weekends of travel. They just wanted to go "home." So we went home and had tacos for dinner. Very American.
Today we took it easy. Dave made French Toast (pain perdue - usually a essert) for breakfast. Then we walked to the bakery for bread for lunch. We took naps in the afternoon and had dinner at the Reich's. They have just moved in this week end. It is a very nice little apartment (flat) downtown. Parking is going to be a problem, but other than that it seems just right for them. Andrew taught them a French card game that he has learned and then it was time to head home for bed.
The coming week looks pretty quiet. Michael starts French lessons this week. I think that he is very ready. He is very frustrated that he can't talk to anyone here. We will continue to have school here and Dave will continue to work a lot. But the weekend is all ours and we are eyeing a prehistoric museum and theme park north of here for the weekend (especially since Amy is reading The Clan of the Cave Bear series). Who knows where we will end up next!
Have a good week! We will try to have lots of adventures to tell you about in the next edition.
Amy