April 26, 2013

Editor's note:  This blog was written 2 days ago but we couldn't get enough internet power to post it with the pictures!  

Wednesday and Thursday were beautiful days to cruise the canals.  The weather was perfect! 

Wednesday morning we visited Beaune (pronounced Bone).  Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy.  We visited the Hostel Dieu (God Hospital).  It seems in the mid-1400s this guy was getting on in age and realized he might not make it into heaven due to some of his extracurricular activities.  As he had a lot of money, he went to the head Duke in Burgundy and asked for a piece of land to build a hospital for the poor people.  The Duke, having some of the same fears as the rich guy regarding getting into heaven, said sure, here’s some land.  So the hospital was built.  It was used until the 1960s.  It really is a beautiful place and I suspect the sick and mentally ill thought they had already died and gone to heaven!  During our visit I was reminded of our nursing homes.   Sorta like today, people shared a bed, and there were curtains to provide privacy.  There was one room that people went when they were nearing death and there was another room for the rich people where they didn't have to share a bed and had more amenities. 

Then we walked around the little village.  It was very quaint and pretty.  We sat and had a coffee and listened to a great duo singing and playing.  They were so good I bought one of their CDs. 

Then back to the boat for another marvelous meal.  We cruised the River Saone to the village of Fragnes.

Thursday we got off the barge for a brisk walk along the very nice path.  We met the barge at a lock and it is amazing to see how close the barge is to the walls of the lock. 

After lunch we docked at Remigny.  We walked around the very quaint town a bit before boarding the van to go to Chateau of Chassane Montrachet.  We had a nice tour of the caves and then a tasting of some of their wines.  

Then onto the fairy tale castle, Chateau de la Rochpot.  This castle was built in the 1400s and then after the revolution in the 1700s it became the towns quarry.  The people literally tore the majority of the castle down, stone by stone to build their own homes.  In the 1800s a lady decided to buy it for her son.  They had it rebuilt in the style of the 1400s.  Now it is a museum.  We climbed to the top of the turret and the views were amazing.

Back to the barge for cocktails and another wonderful meal.  The hostess Sophie brought bc his evening scotch and apologized as she thought it was maybe “too much”.  I nearly fell off the chair laughing.  I explained to Sophie that “too much scotch” and bc in the same sentence was not possible. 

For dessert the chef Greg made us a wonderful profiteroles dessert.  It had sparklers and ice cream, chocolate, all stacked up into a pyramid.  It was beautiful and so good!  I had asked for something special for bc’s birthday Saturday and they decided to combine our anniversary and his birthday.  It was lovely! 

It is cooler today.  It is our last full day on the Hirondelle. 

We miss you and hope all is well with you.  We are happy….. bc and gc.

April 24, 2013

Day Three cruising the canals in France.

We were picked up in Paris and driven 3 hours to Dijon Sunday.  France looks a lot like America, except the signs are in French.  Freeways give way to suburbia, give way to green pastures and fields. 

We were greeted on our barge Hirondelle with champagne and canapés.  Ok, now this is going to be great!  There is a staff of 5 for the 8 of us.  There is the captain, guide, cook, hostess and deck hand.   And they stay very busy.  Our cabin is nice.  This barge was just refurbished this past winter and we are the second trip this year.  New carpet, tile, bedding, bath robes and towels to die for! 

Quite a few of the locks are very close for the barge to pass through.

Sunday evening’s dinner was a terrine of crab, main dish of duck and potatoes.  Of course there was cheese and a wonderful dessert and very good white and red wines. 

Monday morning we cruised out of Dijon onto the Burgundy Canal.  There are 15 locks to get through before we moored in Longecourt.  In the afternoon we took a trip to the Clos de Vougeot and Chateau.  We walked through the 12^th century chateau that still has the ancient presses that the Monks used to make their wine.  Also, this is the famous location of the Burgandian wine society the “Confrerie de Chevakiers de Tastevin. 

  Back to the barge for a relaxing dinner of pea and asparagus risotto, halibut, and of course cheese and dessert.  (I’m so full!) 

This morning we went to the city of Dijon to go to the weekly market.  It is similar to Pike Place Market and other markets we’ve been to in other countries.  The one thing I thought was odd was the bra table.  There were 5-7 women sorting through piles of bras, picking out the ones they wanted to buy.  I've never thought about buying bras on a street sidewalk.  At least they weren't trying them on!  We had a cup of hot chocolate at a café and watched the people go by. 

  Then back to the barge and cruising to St Jean de Losne.  

We got off the barge and bicycled about 12 kilometers to meet the barge a few locks up.  Now this was not bucolic pedaling along the beautiful canal scenery.  The scenery was wonderful, but the path was rocky, pebbly, grassy and very bumpy.  We worked hard to stay upright!  But it was good exercise and we did have fun. 

Here's the lock house we waited at for the barge to get to the lock we were at. 

That night we went to dinner at La Chaumiere in Dole.  It is a Michelin Star restaurant.  The food was amazing and so very well presented.  For example, bc’s dessert had spun sugar around nuts.  The spun sugar stood up like swords while the nuts sat on the plate.  BC had a steak while I had the local fish with couscous.  Amazing flavors!  The pictures are on the other camera, so you'll have to wait to see them!

We’ve been trying lots of different types of cheese, wines and champagnes. It is so relaxing to just sit and watch the beautiful scenery as we slowly make our way down the canals.  The internet is spotty, so we don’t know when we’ll be able to post this, but oh well….

Hope all is well with you!  Bc and gc  

April 21, 2013  Paris, France

Hi!  We’ve had a nice visit to Paris.  It’s cold and windy, but that didn’t stop us from walking and sightseeing. 

Jenn dropped us off at the local hotel in Marlton for the ride with Abdul Parnelli to JFK last Thursday.  Abdul made it to the airport in 2 hours, doing no less than 80mph except when we were sitting in traffic! 

The flight to Paris is only 6 ½ hours which isn’t all that bad.  We got into Paris at 5:30 am local time and walked 10 miles through the airport to gather our bag and go through passport check.  I was surprised at how easy it was to get into France.  The agent barely looked at my passport.  We caught a taxi in rush hour traffic to our hotel in Paris.  We dropped off our bags at the Westminster Hotel and walked to have some breakfast at a local brasserie.  After a little walk around we went back to the Westminster Hotel to wait for our room to be ready.  It was 8:30am and they said it would be 10:00 before we could have our room.  We thought that sounded good.  That is until the young man came to us and said “I have a suite available for you.  We are upgrading you at no charge.”  Nice!!  So, we have a lovely suite which makes the room rate not look so bad!  I promptly lay down and took a nap, then a shower and then we were ready to walk around and do some shopping!

There was one store I wanted to visit.  When we were here 20 years ago, we had gone to Fragonard perfumery.  They have a museum and a gift shop.  We visited the museum and then did some damage at the gift shop!  Then we found a chocolate shop and felt obligated to purchase some chocolates and macaroons.  

We stopped at a Brasserie to have a drink and snack.  The smoked salmon canapés were so good!

We found a nice place to have dinner and came back to the lounge at our hotel to enjoy an after dinner drink.  By this time we were getting a tad bit sleepy.  But wait!  Someone famous was at the lounge and we had a perfect seat! Manuel Grossman and Jean Luc Kaudyoti played the piano and bass amazingly.  Wonderful jazz riffs of American standards.  Then the filming began while Catherine Falgeirai sang while Manuel and Jean Luc played.  Catherine sang in English but in that husky French voice.  It was a very nice ending to a long happy day. 

Yesterday we went to Notre Dame.  Let’s see, Saturday at Notre Dame?  We decided not to go in as the queue was way too long.  We walked all around it and admired the tulips and outside gargoyles.   The wind was blowing and it was quite cold.  Of course I forgot to bring one of the many scarves I have, including the one I bought last fall in Ireland.  So, I found a new scarf and it really helped cut the wind.  It’s purple! 

We walked around the tiny little alleys window shopping.  We found a shoe store and bought some new shoes.  Here’s bc’s:  Aren’t they nice?  He says they are really comfortable and light.  I bought some shoes to go with my dress pants. 

After we dropped our packages back at the hotel we then caught a taxi to the Eiffel Tower.  Another touristy place, but we wanted to get a picture of us to go with the picture of Ruth and Lou and Mike and Jenn at the Eiffel Tower.  Here’s your picture Mike and Jenn!

We walked away from all the tourists and tricky men playing betting games on the ground to find a taxi.  It’s cold and windy and as we walked I stopped dead in my tracks!  Could it be?  It is!!!  A quilt exhibition!  What are the chances?  ( I can see my mom shaking her head as she reads this!)  Here we are walking down Rue du New York and there at the Mona Bismarck American Center is “Quilt Art.  L’Art du Patchwork”.  There were 25 quilts made by Americans from the collection of the American Museum in Britain.   There was a wonderful selection of American quilts from the mid 1800’s to the mid 1900's.  There was even a Gees Bend quilt!

We came back to the hotel for a rest then out to find some dinner.  We had a nice salad at a local brasserie on Rue Louis Le Grande.  Somehow fitting! 

Back to the hotel for an after dinner drink and to enjoy some of those chocolates and wonderful piano playing and singing by a very talented woman. 

This morning we are rearranging our bags and packing up.  We will be picked up by Michael for the next leg of our trip, the barge cruise.  Did I mention the craziness about the barge tour?  BC arranged this cruise several months ago.  The Thursday before we left on this vacation they emailed and said our barge was broken and we would need to change cruises.  Ok, so we’ll take another cruise.  They upgraded us at no charge.  (I’m seeing a very nice trend here…)  Then a couple of days ago we were notified that there was flooding on this latest cruise so we would be going on a different route.  Again, a nicer area, so in effect another upgrade! 

Well, stay tuned and we’ll let you know where we end up!

Take care, bc and gc

Marlton, New Jersey, April 17, 2013

We will catch a shuttle tomorrow morning to JFK to fly to Paris tomorrow.  But meanwhile, here’s what we've been doing!

We have had such fun with the grandkids, Samantha and Sydney.  Their parents, Mike and Jenn are pretty terrific too!  Monday evening Sammy said to BC "Grandad tomorrow morning when I wake up, I'm going to snuggle you!"  What's better than a snuggle with Sammy in the morning?

A snuggle with Sammy and Sydney!

Tuesday we took the girls shopping.  We went to Joann Fabrics (sigh!) to buy ribbon for their dresses for Uncle Dandy and Aunt Joy’s wedding in May.  With their expert assistance we found the perfect ribbon.  And a few fat quarters to fondle.  (smile)

Then we went to Target to buy a washer for the shower.  Now think about that statement.  I didn’t realize how silly it sounded until Sammy said “Why do we need a washer for the shower?”  I mean, don’t you get washed by yourself in the shower?  In any case, there were no washers to be found, but we found a small cherry slurpee!!!  This slurpee was enjoyed very much by the girls and they had red tongues to prove it. 

Then onto the “man store”.  (Lowes)  When we walked in I said to Sammy “Smell it?  Doesn’t it smell like a man in here?”   She agreed.  We discussed buying some 10 foot piping, but decided to take a pink and purple paint chip instead.  BC found the washer, Sydney was in control of said washer at all times and we made it out of the store without any problems.  Whew!

Then onto home, lunch and a drive around the yard in the battery operated car and a game of hide and seek with grandad.  After all that we were all exhausted and had naps. After naps was story time!

We had a lovely evening with Mike and Jenn.  Mike has big news, but it’s best if you talk to him about it.  Suffice it to say, as usual, we are very proud of Mike.

Today we ventured out to Trader Joes for supplies for tonight’s cake-a-party for Lisa and BC.  They moved Trader Joe’s while we drove by it, so we went to Whole Foods.  There we found cookies to eat and of course, salad and chicken for dinner.  It’s so much more fun to shop with the girls!  And lo and behold on the way back home, we saw Trader Joe’s back in its place!  It’s a miracle!

We love spending time with the girls.  As all grandparents say, I know why young people have babies!  This morning I got the girls dressed.  I put Sydney’s shoes on even though she didn't cooperate very well.  I set her down from the dressing table and she wouldn't put her left foot down and said “Shoe off!”  I sighed and put her back on the dressing table and continued to force her foot into her shoe!  Then I looked at her feet and realized I had put her shoes on the wrong feet!  I laughed so hard and so did Sydney. 

After our adventure this morning the girls and I decorated cupcakes for the cake-a-party.  What fun!  Of course I taught them that you must taste all the frostings and decorations multiple times to make sure they are all good.  Each cupcake has its own candle; some even have candles upside down!  Not sure how we’ll light it, but it’s no problem.

While flying into Philadelphia Monday evening we watched the unfolding news about the bombings in Boston.  I’ll never understand why evil exists in our world.  Maybe to remind us how much good there is?  I don’t know.  We are sending prayers of love and healing to all those affected by the Boston bombings.

Well, we plan to have a lovely evening with Lisa and Greg and Jenn and the girls.  Yummy food, wonderful cupcakes for the cake-a-party and celebrations for 2 of our special family members.  Talk to you later!

bc and gc  

Fullerton CA

Hey!

Well, here we are off on another adventure!  Thanks for joining us.   

It's Sunday evening, we are at the Embassy Suites at LAX. It's a lovely room, nice hotel, horrible city.... C'mon, who likes the area around LAX?

We went to the grocery store this evening. I felt so much safer seeing the guard, leaning up against the apple display carefully skimming through his phone. Nothing gets by him! I wanted to take his picture, but felt he might not appreciate my humor.

What a wonderful weekend we had! We went to Chuck and Vicky Cable's home Saturday to enjoy a lavish afternoon couple's bridal shower for Andy and Joy. The Cables, Joy's parents, have a lovely home and we enjoyed meeting more of the Cable family, eating, and hanging out with Joy and Andy's friends.

Today we enjoyed a party at The Pint House in Fullerton. Andy and Joy's friends from Fullerton came and we again had wonderful food, drink, meeting, laughing and enjoying the love and upcoming marriage of Andy and Joy.

If you are ever in Fullerton check out The Pint House! The food is wonderful, the service is great and the ambiance is FUN!

We will fly to Philly tomorrow to see Sammy and Sydney, and oh yeah, their parents Mike and Jenn! We will also get to see Lisa and Greg.  We haven't even left California and we're having a great time!

We couldn't get this to post last night as blogger is so finicky.  But we made it through security at LAX (whew!) and now are hoping this will work.  It's a rainy, cloudy icky day here.  A good day to leave. 

We'll check in with fun stuff from the east coast!  Take care, bc and gc