2007-12-26

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Maggie chasing finger mullet

Burgundy France Wednesday May 12, 2010

Today is our last day in Burgundy. It started out raining again but we got in the car and drove to Puligny Montrachet to tour Maison de Olivier LeFlaive. They have been in the wine business since the 17th century and have beautiful vinyards. We toured the vinyards for an hour and a half and learned a lot about how they grow their grapes and then we toured the 'cave' which is their wine cellar for an hour and learned about how they make the wine. Then we had an amazing gourmet lunch and got to taste 14 of their wines over about 4 hours. It was quite the day. We got to meet Olivier. He was very interested to know how two carolinians would find their way to his winery. His brother Patrick LeFlaive led the cave tour. It was great to get to talk to the people who own the winery. The wine was incredible. And of course, so was the chocolate mousse ! We ended our day with dinner at Chez Leon in Dijon. They remembered us from a few days ago and we had another delicious meal. Tomorrow we are scheduled to fly back to the states. Hopefully the volcanic ash will cooperate and allow planes to fly. Ai yi yi.

Burgundy France, Tuesday May 11, 2010

We had lots of heavy rain this morning. And this was market day when Les Halles is filled with vendors selling fresh cheese, meat, fish, vegetables, clothes, etc. Amazing fresh food. I bought some beautiful french table cloths. We went to Lafeyette which is a fancy department store and I got a new black purse. Then we grabbed two baguette sandwiches and headed to Burgundy. The rain finally stopped at 2pm and the rest of the day was sunny. We explored a lot of the more western villages today: Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, St. Aubin, and some very large and old castles. The most midevil was LaRoche Pot. It was enormous, had a moat and I thought the knights of the roundtable were going to come storming out and trample us. Yikes. The acres and acres of vinyards seem unending. The countryside here is very beautiful.

Then we ended up in Beaune which is a beautiful town where the center of the village is completely surrounded by tall stone walls called ramparts. We had dinner at a small restaurant called Ma Cuisine that our local wine store had recommended. It was our best dinner while in France. So delicious. Then we headed back to Dijon. It was a long day but very fun.

Burgundy France Monday May 10 2010

Today we rented a car and headed to the vinyards. We had some initial trouble figuring out how to drive all the one way streets in Dijon so we could park the car, but persistence paid off. We explored some beautiful countryside, many tiny towns like Arcenant, Meuilley, Marey-les-Fussey, Chax and Premeaux-Prissey. Many of the builidngs date back to the 12th century.
We had lunch at Nuits St. Georges in an outdoor cafe called Cafe Central. Our first 'Cave' wine tasting was in Marey-les-Fussey at Domaine Michel Joannet. The wine was delicious. Then we went to Premeau-Prissey for another tasting. We drove to Vougeot and toured Chateau du Clos de Vougeot. They were famous for forming an alliance to save the ailing wine industry in the 30's. They still hold celebrations of that pact. In one of the little towns we came upon a very strange vehicle called the super mobile. It was yellow and looked like an airplane. We saw it speed by us later that day. We headed back to Dijon and had dinner at an outdoor cafe right near our apartment called Cafe Gourmand.

Dijon France Sunday May 9th

Today we made breakfast in our apartment which was very fun. Almost like we live here. I made a chevre and basil omelette with toast and fresh oranges. Then we went for a walking tour of the city. Dijon is the capital of Burgundy so there are lots of palaces, churches and government buildings. We followed the Owl Trail. There are 22 points of interest on the walk. You get to each by following a triangular brass plate that is pressed into the sidewalk. It has a little owl on it. And they lead you around the town. There is an owl on one of the buildings that is a good luck charm which is what the trail is named after. The town has a Notre Dame, a triumphal arch and a beautiful park called Jardin Darcy where there was live music playing. We had lunch at Maison Milliere which is a house that was built in 1483. Unfortunately we had some rain later in the day so we are hoping it clears tomorrow for our biking. Just in case, I've reserved a rental car for exploring the vinyards. Tonight we are cooking in our kitchen. Yum.

Paris to Dijon Saturday May 8 2010

We started the morning exploring Luxembourg Park which is right near our hotel. It is very big and has tennis courts, horse rides, amusement park rides, lots of flowers, statues, fountains and open space. There is a pond where you can rent a small wooden sailboat that floats around the pond. Then we packed up and headed for the train station Gare De Lyon. We took the high speed train to Dijon. The person we are renting the flat from picked us up at the airport and gave us a tour of the town. Very very charming. I am looking forward to exploring it tomorrow. The flat is so nice after being in that small hotel room in Paris. We have 500 square feet which includes a well appointed kitchen, washer/dryer, living room, and bedroom. And chilled champagne, cheese and bread and a stocked fridge. What more could you ask for ? Oh yes, we stopped at the wine store to get a couple of bottles of red. We had dinner at Chez Leon and had a delicious meal. Not sure why they say the French are rude, because everyone so far has been so nice to us. And we really do not speak the language.

Paris France Friday May 7 2010

Today we went to MontMartre. It was like being in a Parisian Soho. I loved it. Especially the windmill. Who knew I'd see windmills in Paris. We toured Sacre Coeur but could not climb to the top as the machine that took the tickets was broken and the poor man could not get it to work. So that is a great reason to have to return to Paris. We bought a baguette sandwich and a bottle of wine and sat across from a park and ate our lunch. We later found out where we sat is a very photographed area and we saw many postcards with that picture. Then we did a walking tour of Marsai. An interesting area of Paris where Victor Hugo hung out. Much more reserved than where Picasso hung out in MontMartre. For dinner we went to Le Violo d'ingres, a new wave Paris restaurant. The food was incredible. We then walked to the Eiffel tower and saw the city all lit up. Every hour the eiffel tower lights all twinkle. So beautiful. The view from Trocadero circle is very fine indeed.

Paris France Thursday May 6th

Another full day of sights. First we went to Musee D'Orsay. It was in the middle of renovations so our IPOD tour didn't work well as everything was moved somewhere else. So we wandered and saw all the art we had wanted to see. Rodin, Monet, Renoir, Manet, Van Gogh, and the list goes on. A well spent 2 hours. Then we got on the BatoBus Ferry and toured the Seine River. Great way to see Paris. We then went to the Champs Elyses and walked to an outdoor cafe for lunch. It was the Montecristo and the pizza and salad were delicious. We met a very wealthy woman who was French but had lived in California most of her life. She was treating her maid to a trip to Paris. Must be nice. lol. Then we walked to the Arc D'Triumph and climbed the stairs to the top. Great view of Paris. We then walked to the Eiffel Tower. For dinner we went to Le Coup Chou that Darlene and Bill had recommended. It was a classic traditional French restaurant tucked away where you couldn't find it unless you were looking. That was my best meal in Paris.

Paris France Wednesday May 5 2010

We landed on time at Charles DeGalle Airport and breezed through passport control and customs. We found our way to the train station and got into Paris just in time for a croissant and cafe at a small brassiere. We checked into the Hotel Senat which is perfectly located on the left bank. The room is small but well appointedand right near Luxembourg Park. We walked to Notre Dame and did a 2 hour walking tour of the cathedral, River Seine, Ile Louie, the Latin Quarter, St Severin, Place Dauphine and Pont Neuf. We had lunch at a restaurant recommended by Darlene and Bill at the Au Vieux Paris d'Arcole. It was wonderful. Delicious food and outstanding service. They gave us a tour and Mark played their piano. Then we checked into the hotel and changed clothes. We toured Sainte Chapelle. Such beautiful stained glass. Then we toured the Louvre as it is open late on Wednesday. We did the 2 hour walking tour on our IPOD and saw Venus De Milo, Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and many beautiful green, roman and french art and sculptures. So overwhelming. Then we had a light dinner at a small bistro Cafe Du Paris. I can't believe it is 10pm and we are still awake on our first day.

On our way to Paris France May 4, 2010

We're all packerd and we are just taking carry on luggage. Laura picked us up and drove us to the airport. I picked roses from my garden for her. The beautiful peace rose. We had a hamburger and fries to enjoy true American cuisine at the Carolina Ale House in the airport. Our flight boarded on time but was delayed an hour from taking off due to high winds at JFK. Ai yi yi. Then we were in a holding pattern over Atlantic City. Wish we could place a bet from here. We finally landed at JFK and made the big trek to our gate just in time for priority boarding.

Sydney Day 5

May 8th Sydney Day 4

Well today is our last full day in Australia. We decided to do a little shopping as we haven’t done much of that. So after breakfast at the B&B, we walked to the Queen Victoria Building that is a very impressive structure built in the 1800’s. It has 4 floors, domed roofs, beautiful stained glass, tiled floors and an animated clock that hangs from the center of the building. The bathrooms were all marble including the floors, walls, and sinks. We bought a few items and then headed to Hyde Park, the oldest public park in Australia.

Hyde Park has beautiful gardens and is lined with huge fig trees. St. Mary’s Church is across the street and it is massive. We then walked to Domain Park and then to the Royal Botanical Gardens. The gardens were beautiful and there was a big palm tree section with exotic cactus and palms. We saw many birds by the water and there were loud screeching noises coming from the trees which we thought were more birds. They were bats, hundreds of them hanging in the trees upside down with their wings around them. They were the biggest, ugliest bats I had ever seen. And they were everywhere. Really creeped me out. Yikes.

Then we walked to the Sydney Opera House and along the harbor. Just beautiful. We had been walking for about 3 hours, so we decided to have lunch at Café Sydney which is a posh Café on the 5th floor of the Customs House overlooking the harbor and of course the Sydney Opera House. We weren’t really dressed appropriately as most of the people there were in business suits, but ‘no worries’ we had a delicious lunch.

Our next adventure was to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It is quite the trip. They are very serious about safety as you climb to 440 feet. You spend an hour going through orientation with 11 other people. They provide jump suits. You take a breathalizer test. You go through a metal detector. If you have glasses they must be hooked to your suit. They provide hats that are hooked to your suit. You can’t wear jewelry or have cameras or carry anything. You have a radio transmitter and headphones so you can hear the guide at all times. You are hooked to a cable for the entire climb. You climb steep steel ladders and at one point you are climbing up between 6 lanes of traffic. Another time you are climbing down between 2 lines of speeding trains. But the best part is climbing on top of the span to 440 feet high. The view is spectacular and it is worth everything you have to go through to get there. We definitely want to do it again.

We got back to the room and got ready for dinner. We decided to go to the restaurant that my Food and Wine Magazine had given a top rating to. It was right on the harbor overlooking the bridge and the opera house. We sat in a glass- enclosed circle which was so cool. The service was superb and the food was fabulous. A wonderful way to end the trip.

Sydney / Blue Mountains Day 3

May 7th, Sydney Day 3

The morning started off warm and sunny. We had breakfast outside on their brick patio and we met Mate, the B&B dog. He’s a little black, brown and white mutt and is adorable.

We decided to rent a car and check out the Blue Mountains. We made our way to Katoomba where we saw the famous ‘3 Sisters’ and beautiful landscapes at Echo Point. We bought a picnic lunch and headed to Grove Falls Lookout. Then we did some hiking that involved way too many stairs but was very fun. We hiked Grove Falls, then we went back to Echo Point and hiked down the ‘giant steps’ to the 3 sisters. We actually stood in the middle of one of the three sisters. Then we went toWentworth Falls and walked to the lookout.

Then we headed back to Sidney enjoying the little mountain towns along the way. When we got into Sidney we decided to take a drive to Bondi Beach which is one of the famous Sidney surfer beaches on the ocean. The beach was beautiful and lots of surfers were doing their thing. There were homes built into the cliffs on each side of the beach that reminded us of Cinque Terra in Italy. The town was a little dumpy but parts of it were nice. It was not what expected at all.

Then we headed back to the B&B. I must say, Sydney drivers are very aggressive and a little crazy. If you can believe it, the lanes are narrower than those on 6 forks road. And the buses do not stay in the lane, and neither does anyone else. Ai yi yi.

But along the way, we caught a picture of one of our favorite signs with the dancing people. We think it means “caution, dancing people”. Hah!

We dropped off the rental car and walked back to the B&B. We bought a bottle of Annie’s Lane Shiraz and sat on the brick patio enjoying some delicious wine. We went to a little Italian restaurant for dinner and then had ice cream on George St.A great way to end the day