The Cossette Family Sabbatical - pscossette
Off we go to France and Spain as Paul takes a sabbatical from Mortenson for the next 6 weeks. We will try and keep everyone posted on how our travels are going!

Arriving in Paris
Paris, France
After an uneventful flight across the pond, though the three of us slept a collective 3 hours, we arrived in Paris ready to go. After a slight delay in getting our train passes due to unexpected glitches in credit card function we were on our way to Paris city center. We arrived on Ile Saint Louie and settled into our new digs before wandering through the neighborhood in search of sustenance. Mark promptly found plenty within a block of the apartment. Screeches of “I love Paris” filled the air with each sighting of a pastry shop or gelato stand. The giant chocolate fountain defied words.
We soon found a nice sidewalk Bistro for some real French Fries among other delights. Mark quickly became the official photographer with many shots of the Seine, motorcycles ECT.
We then wandered around the Island, went back and took a bit of a cat nap. All except Mark. Then it was off on the subway to the Eiffel Tower. AWSOME was Marks description. All family members managed to climb the stairs to the first observation level. It was beautiful. Mark then decided he could climb to the next level, but Mom and Dad were feeling the lack of sleep and the first 300 steps so sent him on his way. Just as we were wondering if we would ever see him again, we catch sight of a descending elevator with two passengers, the guard and Mark. Once reunited we climbed the stairs back sown to ground level where we were met by the twinkling lights of a gorgeous tower. After a short walk to dinner, Mark promptly fell asleep before his dinner arrived. Good Night.
SKC
written by  pscossette on June 18, 2007 from Paris, France
from the travel blog: The Cossette Family Sabbatical

Day 2
Paris, France
First of all we need to fill in the missing details from yesterday: As we walked from Ile St Louie to Ile La Cite to check out Notre Dame, we were crossing the La Seine on the Pont Saint Michel bridge, a musician was playing along the river and a beautiful young women in a sun dress was riding her old fashion bike right buy us – I thought it was only like this in the movies…
Suzy also forgot to mention she was told “you can’t have the Tartar” since the waiter was sure an American would never eat raw beef. He was wrong.
Today began with Paul going for a run about 8:00 am along La Seine, past the Louvre, across to the left bank, and than past St Chapelle and Notre Dame. I arrived to the apt, purchased pastries for the still sleeping rest of the family, and went for my morning espresso. While at the corner café I watched the local firemen shake down the proprietor of my corner shop. When I returned to a still sleeping family, I went and bought fruit at the market, and checked out places for lunch. I finally broke down and aroused the rest of the family (about 11:00) and off we went.
We started the day checking out the multi hour line to hike to the top of the bell tower of Notre Dame and have our picture taken next to the Gargoyles. After 10 minutes we bailed and headed to St Chapelle where we found out the line was closed until 2:00 for lunch. So off we went to one of Mark’s favorites, the Catacombs, where we must have seen over 6 million bones and skulls relocated from the cemeteries to underground caves in 1874. After one of our several breaks in corner cafes we headed to the Jar din Luxemburg gardens. It was a great spot to relax and for Mark, to collect bird feathers….Next we headed to Notre Dame where Suzy and Paul attended Mass and Mark quietly protested. For dinner we headed to Bastille at the Blue Elephant, a Thai restaurant. It poured, but we still managed. To close the evening we played charades with Mark until midnight.
PIC
written by  pscossette on June 19, 2007 from Paris, France
from the travel blog: The Cossette Family Sabbatical

Day 3
Paris, France
We started by sleeping in, again. We shared a fresh baguette for breakfast. Then off to St. Chapelle where we saw beautiful 769 year old stained glass windows in the chapel that was built by Louie IX as a part of his palace to house the thorn crown from the crucifixion and a part of the cross. He paid about 2 billion dollars for in today’s money for the relics. We had a discussion about whether or not he was duped by the seller. They were no longer there. “I wonder what they looked like” said Mark. Next we dashed to the Orsay and saw tons of Renoirs, Monet’s, Whistler’s Mother, Degas, and more. The gorgeous old train station was a piece of art in itself. Lunch in Jardin des Tuileries where Mark’s hamburger was served on a vegetable Quiche bun. Needless to say he ate only bread and ice cream. Mark was busy playing in the fountain, trying to rebuild a sailboat he had found anyway. The newly sailing boat capsized in about 3 seconds. Oh Well….Off to Place de la Concorde where Marie Antoinette is rumored to have lost here head, along with about 999 other people. No blood stains ere visible today. We then tried to go to an Aquarium by strolling down the Champs-Elyses, but after a check of the map realized we were headed in the opposite direction, so we bailed and went to the Louvre. Wow!!! Mark was surprised to find the Louvre is not just the pyramid of glass. First stop was the Mona Lisa where the guards gave Mark an up close view. The Venus di Milo, Napoleons apartments, all the teenage mutant ninja turtle names and even more.
Now thoroughly cultured out we went outside to play in the fountains, then home to get Mark settled in and fed before Paul and Suzy headed to the local Brassiere for dinner. On the way home we stopped at the Jazz bar on the corner near our apartment. Down in the basement cave was a great band playing with a sultry young Parisian gal singing. It was packed, hot and very good!
SKC
written by  pscossette on June 20, 2007 from Paris, France
from the travel blog: The Cossette Family Sabbatical

Day 4
Got up early to make the trip to Versailles. We got on a train that was not very crowded. After a couple of stops, we heard an announcement in French and noticed there was no longer anyone else on our train. We were soon in a train yard and headed to the Train Wash! When the conductor (Michelle) found us she let Mark up front to copilot the train!
After she led us through the train yard and set us on our way to the Metro we were headed to Versailles again. This palace is one BFH (Big F’n House). Room for a King and 20,000 or so of his closest friends. Mark took about a billion pictures. The grounds were spectacular! If we go again we will get a cart and go on Saturday or Sunday when the fountains are on for an hour (that’s a lot of fountains when you can only run for an hour or two per week).
After lunch in Versailles we went to Invalides where Mark had a great time at the Army museum – Lot’s of armor, 16-17th century guns and swords, and even a few tanks – way cool for a 9 yr old and fun for the rest of us. From there on to Napoleon’s tomb, also pretty cool. Next we headed to Arc de Triomphe with plans to climb to the top and see the city and 8 lanes of traffic going in a roundabout. Well all the hot shots of Paris were there and they closed down the stairs so we took off down the Champs-Elysees. Talk about beautiful people and conspicuous consumption! We did snap a picture of the sidewalk café attached to a McDonalds. Seems like a great day, but we saved the best for last – tonight was the music festival in France and every Frenchie and all the brave tourists were in the streets. There were literally bands on every street corner and lot’s of the national drink consumed. It was the biggest party we have ever seen! We tried to head in about 11:00 but we couldn’t keep Mark from hanging out the window trying to join the party, so what the hell we went back out!
PIC

Up a bit earlier today in anticipation of the arrival of John, Connie, and Craig. Paul tidied the apartment and we went for breakfast near the hotel of Connie and Craig so we would be right there to meet them. A weary looking trio soon climbed out of a nearby cab. The first information we received from John was that he had borrowed my car and crashed it the day before. No wonder he didn’t sleep on the way. This vacation gets more expensive by the day. At least no one was injured. After a short break we walked to Vagnende Restaurant on Rue St Germaine through a gully-washing rain storm. We now were in the company of very wet and weary travelers. After some French wine and food they perked up enough to head off to the Pompidou Center to view some modern art. We took the gerbil tubes up to the exhibition halls and got our fill of Picasso, Calder, Kaminski, Miro, Lipschitz, Pollack, Matisse, Barque, Chagall, Dali and some nice cleavages according to Craig. Mark said “I am half boy, half crazy, and all artist. This is so coo!” Now the trio was as worn out as the stairs of our apartment after 250 years of people climbing in the same place. We sent them all home to bed and Paul and Suzy drank a bottle of wine and introduced Mark to Crepes. He actually ate it! About midnight, Suzy decided “I shouldn’t have had the Tartar or maybe the snails as she was up every half hour through the night.
SKC

Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France
Paris to Avignon. After packing 40 kilos of @#%!^ into a couple 20 kilo bags (approximately 8), we left them to be moved to a car by the rental staff. After carrying them down 3 flights of stairs, they were not nearly as pleasant about the service as they had seemed the day before when offering to move the bags. While they were sweating and grumbling, we were off the Eiffel Tower once again. John needed to get a few pictures of himself near the tower. After a short visit it was back to get our bags, which were being held hostage for a large tip. Hmmm, don’t know why? Paul gladly paid and we were off to the train station.
We arrived in plenty of time so decided to get a beer in the restaurant before we boarded. What we forgot was that Parisians never rush time spent near food or drink, so with a whopping 10 minutes to spare, we rushed to our train, lugged all 8 bags, plus assorted carry-ons up to our seat on the second level of the car, stashing them in various places near and far from our seats. As we were settling in, a group of travelers stated they had these seats as they were on car 7, not 17. Car 17 was about 10 cars further toward Avignon, though we were not sure where it was at the time as they did not seem to be in any numerical order. A bit of shouting, tugging, sweating, and running we reached our seats on car 17 with seconds to spare. The French do not have the same relaxed attitude about train schedules as they do about dining. After kicking the poor lost vacationers out off our seats, we relaxed for a very comfortable and smooth, high –speed train ride to Avignon. Disembarkation is allowed about 3 minutes and we just got off and counted our bags, which were amazingly all with us, as the train pulled out.
We then drove to our new home in St Remy De Province. Mark’s first words to the nice gentleman helping us settle in were, “No wonder this place costs so much!” It is really quite reasonable, but very comfortable. I am sitting under the arbor on the patio, listening to the pool gurgle as I write this. We should be very happy here.
written by  pscossette on June 23, 2007 from Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France

Avignon, France
With the children snug in their beds, the adults charted a course back to Avignon for our cooking class. The GPS worked like a charm and we drove through a winding street and found a sign for La Mirande. The parking situation looked a bit dicey so Paul dropped the rest of us off and drove off to find a space. Connie, Craig and I followed the signs for the hotel through several more winding, increasingly smaller alleyways. Finally we asked someone where the La Mirande really was and found it just around the corner. We checked in at the front desk minutes late. The staff was very pleasant and asked where our 4th was. “Parking the car”, only was met with raised eyebrows, laughter, and the comment “He will be here in 3 hours.” We were then led to an amazingly beautiful courtyard and served coffee without an ounce of exasperation at our poor planning. We noticed one other table in the corner enjoying a relaxing coffee and pastries. In about 20 minutes a very rushed appearing Paul entered. He was offered a coffee by a very relaxed staff, which he politely declined. Chef Jean Claude then appeared, notified the other table of guests that we were now ready to go off to the market. They too appeared curiously unbothered by the delay in their day so we all relaxed and began to enjoy a highlight of the vacation.
Off we went to the market, walking away from the former home of the Pope just behind us, down curvy alleys surfaced with apricot-sized rocks, we were glad we left our stilettos at home. We crossed an open square and looked up to see a wall of herbs – yes, a wall of herbs above the Les Halles entry, our market. The herbs grow right out of the wall about 2 stories high, okay right out of some substance on the wall. Tres fantastique.
Chef Jean-Claude Altmayer leads the class around the market, poking and prodding produce, checking the eyes of fish, and after a conference with the butcher we had back to La Mirande with melons, cherries, ducks, and gambas.
Okay, the hotel courtyard lobby was great – actual French provincial -- but next we were descended down a circular stair to room with a large wood table and proceed into a kitchen I am sure Julia Child would have loved. A big square table, windows that open to a small patio, and a wood burning stove that will be the source of the creations of the day.
First step, is to toast with vin blanc in glasses surreptitiously filled by the sous-chef Heidi from Bavaria. We toast with a Santee and down the hatch with our cooking companions, 3 from Marseille (2 nurses and a biologist) and Jeanette from Avignon, born in St Remy and studied English in England. You could tell she actually did study, plus she taught English. She was a gem. Friendly, accommodating and always willing and volunteering translations.
Chef Jean-Claude was a hoot. He knew how to make the shot for the camera, and when he added the hugging yourself dance in front of the wood burning stove, we knew we had a fun one.
Oh, the cooking. We got to smash fresh almonds to remove the exterior husk, ball melons, pit cherries and ball avocados. More importantly we helped clean the ladle used to fill the chocolate cake tins and taste the lavender infused strong red wine served with a melon ball.
Chef Jean-Claude stoked the fire, added wood, adjusted the ventilation and used different parts of the stove’s surface, the artful substitute for hi lo simmer. The overall theme was slow and long, with some high heat for short periods of time.
The menu – lavender infused wine served in a glass with a melon ball; jamon wrapped around melon balls; prawns in a puree of melon, basil and avocados; duck breast on a sauce of cherries, melon and almonds; (yes, melons are in season) and chocolate almost lava cakes served on puree of melons, basilica, and Muscat with tarragon ice cream. Absolutely delicious.
The final course was coffee on the patio under a canvas umbrella, surrounded by pots of herbs and flowers, where we had to bid our fellow cooks au revoir after a big merci to Jeanette and a fond farewell to our new friends from Marseille.
CNH (Connie)
written by  pscossette on June 24, 2007 from Avignon, France

Nimes, France
We are off in search of Roman Ruins today. A short drive along the Rhone River brings us to the Pont Du Gard, a 60 AD Aqueduct over the river Gard. It is definitely not in ruins. It took 1000 men 12 years to build this amazing structure. That is without computer scheduling, hydraulic cranes, and a bunch of sub-contractors to blame if it goes awry. Just kidding Paul, that would never happen. We walked up and down both sides of the aqueduct while watching the Kayaks and cliff jumpers really enjoy the ancient site.
When near Roman structures, do what the natives do. We were off in search of Kayak Verte (the best looking green kayak rentals.) Voila! We were soon floating down the Gard in a single, double, and triple Kayak. The older boys were on the lookout for local French wild life. Mostly of the female hominid, half-clad variety. Soon we were back at the aqueduct. On the upriver side was a 30 foot cliff just begging to be used as a jumping off spot. No problem for John and with a bit of coaxing Paul. Mark could not be convinced that this was either a fun or good idea.
On we go under the Pont to the cliff we had all been waiting for. The initial jumps on the other side were just warm-ups. I will let Paul tell of the experience of jumping off a 50 foot cliff. All I know is that the sound of flesh on the water was quite loud! Testosterone defiantly blunted Paul, John and Craig’s survival reflexes. They all jumped, and without hearing the comment from a passing Kayak filled with teens, “We should have done it, those senior citizens did!”
All survived and we wrapped up a wonderful day.
written by  pscossette on June 25, 2007 from Nimes, France

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
In case you were wondering where the pictures went, we all suspect the weary bellman from Paris absconded with our camera link cable to extract a little revenge on us all. Most likely we simply left it on the kitchen counter. Not to fear, a new cable should be arriving on Saturday morning and the pictures will again be flowing.
Well, the sensation of jumping off an 18 meter (+50 foot) cliff was not something Craig or I was expecting to experience. Let me tell you that is a looooong 2 second rush followed by a stinging sensation – depending on your exposed areas at the point of impact. Add it to the list of life experiences.
Today Connie, Craig, Suzy and I were back to the Avignon market to do a little shopping for tonight’s home cooked provincial dinner. We needed a few things like fresh Chanterelle mushrooms, homemade pasta, a pork loin, a great bouquet of fresh mint, half a dozen cheeses, melons, the biggest cherries you have ever seen, thinly sliced jamon, dates, I could go on but you get the idea, we were planning a feast. After picking up our supplies we were off for a little wine tasting and winery touring. The highlight of the trip was the town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, or ‘New House of the Pope’. The countryside was beautiful, some of the wineries were actual castles, and the wine was fantastic. We pilfered some of the famous stones that cover the vineyards and keep the vines warm at night. Soon you will see them gracing the Cossette cellar. Needless to say we also packed home a few bottles of special wine.
Dinner tonight was fantastic, but how can you go wrong with four good cooks and great fresh ingredients, not to mention a few Cuban cigars to finish the night off.
PIC
written by  pscossette on June 26, 2007 from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France
Today we took a trip to the Ste Maries de Mer in the Camaruge, famous for it’s white horses, black bulls, and Pink Flamingoes. We drove through the wet lands that have formed at the entrance of the Rhone into the Mediterranean. There were white horses and Egrets everywhere. We did not see any of the famed Bulls that are collected for the Bull fights. Unfortunately the Bull fights in the arena would begin next week, so instead of watching a Bull fight we had a nice lunch, Paella for Paul and Connie, and rented bikes.
Paul and Suzy had a bicycle built for two. If you want to build trust in a relationship, a tandem bike is the way to go. The person on the back has absolutely no control over any situation and is also blind to where they are headed. After some trials and tests to the relationship, we were a well oiled machine. We all rode along a stone/sand path running between the beach and the wildlife preserve. The plan was for a trip to the distant lighthouse and a return. About halfway we decided the lighthouse was best viewed from a great distance as the Mistral would be blowing into our faces on the way back.
After returning the bikes we watched a game of Boules in the park. A game much like Bochee ball, appearing to be a very serious past time for the well-tanned-older-set in town. We then found a bar to quench the thirst we had acquired on our bike tour. Mark was quickly enthralled by the Bull Running shown on the TV. From what we could tell it is a team sport where team members take turns being chased by a very large, very angry bull around in a ring until they are able to grab a ribbon off it’s horn and jump from the ring. This was accomplished with various results to both bull and man. Apparently the team with the most flags at the end wins regardless of how many men are left standing.
Later that night John and Mark had Pizza at Villa Rosa and us old folks went out for another great meal. Are you catching on to a theme here?
written by  pscossette on June 27, 2007 from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France

Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France
To Les Baux we go. This is an amazingly beautiful citadel that sits on a plateau seemingly on top of the world. The views of the surrounding fields and vineyards go on to the Mediterranean Sea. The citadel itself is in ruins, but there is a very good audio guide to explain what life may have been like back in the hey day. The number one attraction though, at least according to Mark, is the working catapult. Sergeant Mark, as he was dubbed, was drafted to give orders to the men to prepare and fire the catapult. Luckily the ammunition was a large water balloon instead of smelly dead animals.
The village was full of places to get all those one of a kind Provence items. There were cicadas of wood, glass, stone, pottery, and every other thing you can think of. Everywhere you go in Provence you are followed by the sound of cicadas, or heat bugs as we used to call them. It is actually a very nice sound.
On our was back from Les Baux we stopped at a beautiful wine cellar that was a huge cave cut into the mountainside. The wine was awe full! Just goes to show you it’s not the digs or the bottling that make the wine, or does that saying apply to people, I get confused???
Our Chef from the cooking school, Jean Claude, directed us to a beautiful Michelin rated restaurant, La Maison Domaine de Bournissac, which had an incredible view of the surrounding countryside. We opted for the 7 course chef’s dinner which was fabulous. Highlights were the caramelized foies gras, the short ribs, and the tomato course with no fewer then 5 tomato based appetizers. When dinner was complete we were not only fuller and fatter, but Suzy was a year older. A wonderful birthday celebration.
SKC and PC
written by  pscossette on June 28, 2007 from Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France

Day 12 - Suzy's Birthday!
Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France
Happy Birthday Suzy!
Today was Suzy’s choice which she designated as a relax at Villa Rosa day. Paul loaded Connie and Craig up in the car and brought them to the Avignon train station for their trip back to Paris. They plan to spend a couple of days in Paris before they head home. As usual it has been great sharing our vacation with C & C. Somehow after all these years of taking three or four trips a year together, we still seem to have a great time. Can’t imagine going on a vacation without them!
As we said, today was relax day, so we spent it lounging by the pool, walking into town to pickup fresh bread and pastries, reading, you get the idea. We cooked a great provincial lunch which everyone enjoyed.
John got a “frenchie” haircut in St Remy today. It looked great all gelled up, but all that work to make it look good in the morning is not likely to happen.
All in all, Suzy declared it her kind of birthday.
written by  pscossette on June 29, 2007 from Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France

Perpignan, France
Today we leave St Remy de Provence and begin our journey to Spain. It is sad to leave Villa Rosa, we have really enjoyed our stay here. On our way to Spain we pass through Arles, a hot spot for all the great impressionist painters in the early 1900’s. As Connie would say, “the light is great here”. Next we stop in Nemes to take a tour of another walled city that is thousands in stead of hundreds of years old. Nemes boasts that it has the best preserved “coliseum” built by the Romans. It is still in use today for bullfights and concerts.
From Nemes we travel to Carcassonne, a medieval town complete with moat. Robin Hood was filmed here. Carcassonne is very touristy, exactly what Mark loved. He went into every shop looking to buy a sword, armor, and all kinds of other useless items. We eventually pried him away and headed on to a small beach town outside of Perpignan called Canet-en-Roussillon. The town seems to be a hot spot for English tourists looking for a little French Riviera sun. The boys had a little beach time and Mom and Dad just relaxed with a nice bottle of wine. Dinner was interesting as John had his first cuttle fish which did not go down too well.
written by  pscossette on June 30, 2007 from Perpignan, France

Barcelona, Spain
We decide to spend the morning at the beach and catch an afternoon train from Perpignan to Barcelona. Wouldn’t you know this is the first and only sold out train we would encounter, so we spent a couple of unplanned hours in Perpignan. Not a hot spot in southern France, we could see why everyone was trying to leave.
The eventual train ride to Barcelona was quite nice. First we crossed the Pyrenees Mountains, than as we entered Spain and changed trains in Port Bou, we traveled along the Spanish coast. Lots of great views of villages along the Mediterranean. Lots of wind turbines all along southern France and Spain. As a matter a fact, there are almost as many wind turbines as tower cranes in Spain. Paul was quite thrilled.
Upon arrival in Barcelona, we knew we were somewhere we would definitely like. At 10:00 PM it was a bustling, colorful, loud place. It seemed like everyone was out walking around. We quickly found a Tapas restaurant to start our epicurean tour of Spain. Mark liked the idea of being able to see what he was going to eat.
The whole choosing things to eat off a non English menu had him on a very limited diet. He found what appeared to be “little smokies” sausages and promptly ate 3 servings. They were even better than at home. The rest of us stretched our palates a bit more, though John avoided cuttle fish. PIC/SKC
written by  pscossette on July 1, 2007 from Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, Spain
We began the day with a ramble down the Ramblas of Barcelona. This wide, tree-filled, walkway is the heart of Barcelona. It starts at a large central plaza and goes all the way to the water over about 2 miles. Again it appeared as though everyone was out and about. Mark passed by about 3 “statues” before he realized they would move occasionally. These street artists lined the entire Ramblas. They were a big jump above the tin men or statue of liberty you may see in the US. Just as we were getting used to the buskers, we came upon the blocks of pet sales. Just about any animal that would fit into a small cage, excluding cats and dogs, were for sale. Chipmunks, squirrels, tortoises, frogs, toads, birds, snakes, mice, prairie dogs, hedgehogs, were among a few of the animals in cages. Just off the Ramblas we found the best, most colorful market we had ever seen. Every part of the cow, sheep, or pig was on display for your dinner. There were whole booths dedicated to spices, every fruit and nut you could think of, and the hams…I could go on forever. We grabbed a quick snack and continued on to the waterfront.
Next stop was a sidewalk café near the Cathedral of Barcelona. We needed a little drink before we could do any further site-seeing. The cathedral was amazing. Even the kids thought it was a pretty cool church, especially the view from the roof and the geese in the courtyard. Not the typical church visit. All the excitement tired the boys out so we dropped them at the hotel and headed to the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Church which was designed by Gaudi. He spent almost 40 years of his life working on it and left very detailed instructions for it’s completion in 1926 upon his death. It is still being constructed today and won’t be completed for another 50 years. It currently has 8 tower cranes on this one block project. It is truly an amazing architectural, artistic, and engineering wonder. After walking past a couple of his other projects, we went to gather the kids for dinner.
We found very busy and lively Tapas restaurant and ordered a nice big pitcher of sangria. John finally found an alcoholic drink he liked. (He is legal in Europe). After the second pitcher, he was even a little goofy so we took him home and put him to bed before we had to carry him home.
written by  pscossette on July 2, 2007 from Barcelona, Spain

Day 16 - All but Paul
Barcelona, Spain
Paul was up early and caught a flight to Valencia to watch the America’s Cup sail races. He will write all about that. The kids and Suzy went to what was advertised as the largest aquarium in Europe. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but were skeptical about the claim of the largest. We then stood in line in the hot sun at the Picasso museum for awhile, decided that it was not moving fast enough and found a Salvador Dali museum instead. He was one weird dude. John thought he probably had some pretty strange nightmares.
Off to the train station for our trip to Valencia. I watched “The Queen” in Spanish and didn’t get much of the subtleties. John understood much more than I did. The coast of Spain along the Mediterranean was gorgeous. I think the next big trip should be on a boat in the Mediterranean.
We arrived safely in Valencia and met Paul for dinner and heard all about the excitement of his day...
written by  pscossette on July 3, 2007 from Barcelona, Spain

Day 16 - America's Cup!
Valencia, Spain
Today’s the day – quite possibly the final of the America’s Cup race between Alinghi, the Swiss boat, and New Zealand. I have been accused of organizing our Europe trip around this race, but nothing could be further from the truth, I just was in the right place at the right time….. A little luck was necessary as in order for there actually be a race I could attend. It would take a very even series that would require an 8th out of 9 possible races. You see the America’s Cup is a best out of 9 race contest between the best racers in the world – like a sailing world series. It is called the America’s Cup because for 132 years no one could take it away from the Americans. It was the longest winning streak in history. But as you know streaks are made to be broken and in the 80’s Dennis Conner managed to lose the cup to the Australians and it has been a pretty open contest ever since.
Well this year has turned out to be a very even series. Alinghi won the first race and than New Zealand took two in a row and was looking very fast. Alighi than reeled off 3 straight come from behind bullets (wins) and went ahead 4-2. The seventh and possibly final race was to be run on July 1st and we were still going to be in France! I needed New Zealand to either make a big comeback or it was all going to be all over before we got to Spain. As luck would have it the race was postponed because of light and fluky winds and the race was rescheduled for July 3rd. Man I love when a plan comes together!
As you may have already read (unless you are one of my sailing friends who likely have only read this entry) we arrived in Spain on the evening of the 1st, which gave me a great day with the family in Barcelona before heading to Valencia. On the morning of the 3rd I got up about 4 am to catch the first flight to Valencia, leaving the rest of the family snoring in their beds. As soon as I arrived I checked into the hotel, dropped my bags and headed to the port base camp for the Cup. I had no tickets or plan other than to try and work my way onto a spectator boat. On my way there the person sitting next to me on the train had on an America’s Cup shirt so I started talking to her about the event. She was a college student from Australia who was working at the Cup. She proceeded to give me the bad news that every thing was likely sold out, has been for weeks, but that there we plenty of spots where you could watch from shore. Well since the race is held a couple of miles off shore, that didn’t sound to exciting to me. My new friend mentioned that she had a friend who did the booking for the main spectator boats and that when we arrived she could introduce me to her – you never no.
Once again the stars were lining up for me as one of the main spectator boats had a cancellation as a result of the rescheduling of the July 1st race. I pounced on the ticket without even asking about the boat or checking into how close they might get to the action. I figured any boat on the water was better than being on shore, and the ticket cost me less than the binoculars I would have had to purchase. Here it was, about 10:00 and I was already set up with a ticket. The boat wasn’t leaving the dock until 1:45 for a 3:00 gun (start of the race), so I decided to do a little exploring. The America’s Cup has turned into an unbelievably huge event. Every racing syndicate, there were 12 entries, had a huge compound with a building right on the port the size of an aircraft hanger that they could use as a base, and a place to park there boats when they were not racing (yes, most of them had 2-3 boats each for training). Every compound also had there marketing store selling there logo wear. Obviously Italy’s Prada syndicate had the best store where you could buy everything from shoes to underwear to sunglasses with the Prada team logo, all at Prada prices. Valencia had also built a huge building at the entrance to the port to serve as a base for the event.
About 1:30 I headed over to the spectator boat I was on, which happened to be right next to Alinghi’s base building. The port was really beginning to buzz by now. Boats from 20’ to 250’ started forming a channel from the Alinghi and New Zealand bases and began honking horns, ringing bells, and doing whatever they could to show their support. Soon the race boats began their tow out to the course and the place went crazy. It was very cool and the race hadn’t even started. Next all the private boats and other spectator boats followed the racers out of the harbor, we stayed at the dock. It seamed like all the other boats were already out of the port when we started pulling out. It was looking like we were defiantly looking at a back row seat, but hey we were on the water!
As we made our way out of the port you would not believe the number of spectator boats lining the course. It was a massive effort for the patrol boats to try and simply hold them back off the course. Think of Lake Minnetonka or Lake Union for the 4th of July fireworks.
As we nudged our way into the spectator fleet one of the patrol boats approached our boat, we were sure to tell us to hold our place. But no, they were coming to lead us to the front row on the inside of the patrol line. We were going to have the best seats in the house, topped only by the race committee boats. If you watched any footage of the race look for an ugly blue and yellow spectator boat, we are front and center in most of the shots.
The sun is out, and it’s blowing a steady 15, perfect conditions for the race. I am pulling for Alinghi to win as I have sailed with the Alinghi helmsman, Ed Baird, at a J World Race week about 20 years ago where he was the training helmsman on my J Boat. It also would be nice to see the final of the Cup and all the hoopla that goes along with crowning the champion. If New Zealand wins it could go as many as 2 more races which I would not be able to see.
I ended up sharing a few beers and the race with another avid sailor from San Francisco, John, who had brought his girlfriend along. She spent her time playing Sudoku and waiving at us every few minutes as we were either pegged to the rail or down below watching the action on the big screen. At the ten minute gun we set our watches, and waited for the action to begin. At the 5 minute gun both skippers began a dangerous dance with their multimillion dollar 60 foot yachts, jockeying for the all important favored position. Barker (NZ) had the early advantage over Baird (Alinghi) as he held starboard. The boats headed towards each other and began a dial-up, literally only feet from each other. NZ looked in perfect position to control Baird, but suddenly broke off and jibbed around. Now it was Alinghi’s turn to have the advantage. He gained leeward position on NZ and tried to push them over the line. NZ managed to break the overlap and they both headed to the line. NZ had the early lead and seemed to have both better boat speed and more pressure on the the left side. NZ had built a 2 boatlength lead and if Baird didn’t do something they were going to do a horizon job on Alinghi. About half way up the course they began a fierce tacking dual. Each time Alinghi would gain on the tack, and NZ would build back a lead working off the better pressure on the left. After about 8-9 tacks and subsequent covers by NZ, Alinghi had cut the lead down to less than a boatlength and had themselves in perfect position to control the rounding. As they approached the windward mark Baird did a masterful job of controlling the rounding and luffed NZ to a full stop right at the windward mark. As NZ stalled, Baird bore away and took a two boatlength lead around the mark.
I forgot to mention that we were right there for it all as soon after the start, our spectator boat had an escort to the windward mark so we were in perfect position to see all the action. After the rounding, back to the leeward gate to see the kites come down.
On the downwind Alinghi built on there lead until it was over 3-4 boatlengths. NZ caught a great shift right before the leeward pin and managed to round first. The next upwind was a carbon copy of the first, as NZ built a lead and Alinghi forced the tacking dual. At the windward mark Baird again was about a boatlength behind, but NZ did not have enough room to cross so Alinghi had control again. This time Barker made a great move by decoying Alinghi out past the layline and moving to duck him at the pin. Baird went head to wind and hit the brakes (not easy to do in a 60 yacht). NZ couldn’t duck fast enough and Alighi had to alter course – up went the judges protest flag! Alinghi bore away and reached around the mark ahead again. On the downwind and final leg Alinghi built a 4 boatlength lead and it all looked over as NZ still had to do a penalty turn before the finish. About 200 yards before the finish NZ noticed a major shift. They jibed, and began to put up there jib. Alinghi jibed to cover and lost control of their chute. The spinnaker pole shattered and was raining down carbon fiber on the crew. The chute went into the water and brought the boat almost to a halt. As Alinghi goes to raise there jib and bring in the spinnaker, NZ goes flying past them – but the still have a penalty turn to do! Barker waits until the absolute last second and begins to spin about a boatlength from the finish. Both boats cross the line in a photo finish – from our view it appears NZ crossed first. We rush below deck to see the replay and see that Alinghi has crossed first by less than one second! What a finish.
The spectator fleet was going crazy, the crews on both boats just seamed wiped out. As the NZ boat dropped their sails a huge roar went up for them and they made there way home through the fleet. Now Alinghi dropped their sails and a huge parade started. There were so many boats the ocean was churned up into 10’ plus waves of foam. On the way in the canal and shoreline were lined with what seamed like a 100 thousand cheering fans – unbelievable!
After we docked we made our way over to the headquarters building to see the presentation of the cup. It was a madhouse and we couldn’t get even close, but who cares, we had the front seat for the best race in America’s Cup history!
written by  pscossette on July 3, 2007 from Valencia, Spain

Valencia, Spain
We woke up and thought about all our friends back at Christmas Lake who would be busy decorating their docks and boats for the big 4th celebration. We were sorry to miss it, but found a little something to keep our minds off of what we were missing back home. Off to the Valencia aquarium (which really was the biggest) and a part of the whole big beautiful Santiago Caltrava designed complex. Spain has some very good architects. Paul said the most beautiful parking garage he had ever seen was there. The Oceanographic Museum was really cool. We saw lots of fishes and other marine wildlife, and finished up the morning with the dolphin show. Unfortunately we had a plane to catch, so we had to quick find a cab and get to the airport. We were wishing we had a couple of more days in Valencia, but it was not to be. We had a very nice, talkative cabbie take us to the airport. He and John had quite a conversation, and he told us that John’s Spanish was very good. We rushed through security and ran to the gate to catch our plane. The plane was an hour late of course, so there had been no need to rush. Eventually we were on our way to San Sebastian in the Basque area by way of Madrid. Mark did not like the turbulence and filled a couple of air sick bags. It reminded me of my youth. Another wait for another delayed plane in Madrid and then on San Sebastian, another bumpy landing and another air bag filled by Mark. We were missing two of our bags upon arrival and decided that we would travel by train the rest of our time in Europe. We were getting the feeling we really were meant to stay in Valencia.
Our minds were quickly changed as we pulled up to our hotel after driving up a winding road full of switch backs. The view of the Atlantic and the town of San Sebastian with the surrounding mountains was probably the most beautiful we had ever seen. The hotel itself was very nice too. We settled down and headed into town for some Pinchas (the Basque name for Tapas). The tapas bars were filled with roving bands of young people. They were having a blast, but it wasn’t quite the right atmosphere for Mark so we found a restaurant with a tank full of fish for Mark to watch and ordered a nice traditional Basque dinner. Hake, a type of fish that is prepared all sorts of ways, and very good and some lamb were our main courses.
written by  pscossette on July 4, 2007 from Valencia, Spain

San Sebastian, Spain
Today is errand day. We need to try and locate our luggage that contains all of John’s clothes, contacts, and most of his pills. It isn’t looking like we will see the bags any time soon so we go off to do laundry and find John some contacts. We find a place that will do all the laundry for us for 9 euros. Things are looking up. We had a very good Chinese lunch, and found an eyeglass place that understood everything John said in Spanish and voila he had contacts and could now see his surroundings. Things were really looking up.
We next headed to the Chillida sculpture museum. He is one of the most famous sculptors in the world and certainly in Spain. He was from San Sebastian so he had a huge exhibit on an old farm just outside of town. We got there about an hour before it closed so we had to rush a little, but saw some beautiful sculpture and were almost completely alone. It was so cool we decided to stop in San Sebastian at the “Wind Combs” one his most famous works. They are three large metal sculptures placed on a point were the waves come crashing in to shore. There were several blow holes on the walkway out to the sculptures that would send a big blast of air and sometimes water up when a wave came in. Mark found that it was a great way to style his hair. Mark says the wind combs symbolize past, present, and the unknown future, they were one of the highlights of his whole trip, much better than the amusement park located next to our hotel. It was a very old amusement park that reminded me of what the Excelsior amusement park must have been like after its heyday. It was built around the old light house. Mark did think the “house of horrors” was pretty good. I thought it just smelled pretty horrible.
Now the boys were both soaked through so we went back to the hotel and had warm baths and Mark charmed the bartender into two very delicious hot chocolates. We got Mark fed and settled in to watch a movie and the rest of us went out for another try at Pinchas. It wasn’t nearly as crowded and we found many delectable treats and even tried the local hard cider that is poured from about 2 feet above the glass to aerate it. I think I still prefer Sangria. Some of our favorite tastes were the grilled, salted Guernica peppers, fresh sardines, black pudding with rice sausages, and coconut covered fried chicken. We meet a couple from Kentucky that reminded us of our friends Simon and Agnes. They had quit their jobs and were traveling around Europe. They were missing the VW bus with the nice wardrobe and shitty engine though.
written by  pscossette on July 5, 2007 from San Sebastian, Spain

San Sebastian, Spain
The luggage arrived today!!! Now we don’t have to figure out how to get John new drugs. We awoke to a gorgeous day and spent the first half inside at the Science
Center. The kids really enjoyed the exhibits that were heavy on Physics. Lots of interaction, buttons to push, bells to ring, and flashing lights to keep them from wanting to go to the beach. We finally got them convinced to leave and headed to one of the two beautiful sand beaches in San Sebastian. Paul had challenged John to a race on the beach. He told him if he could beat him, John could run with the Bulls in Pamplona. John obliterated him (at least according to John), so he was feeling pretty good. Paul went for a 4 mile run on the beach, Mark dug a hole to China (or wherever a hole goes in Spain) and Suzy slept on the beach.
We got all cleaned up just in time to pick up Serina Albrecht at the train station. Serina is our neighbor who is doing a study abroad program in Valladalid Spain this summer. We retraced all our favorite spots with Serina, especially the Wind Combs. We then turned in early so that we could get up at 4:30 AM to get to Pamplona for the San Fermin festival. Yikes, that is EARLY!
written by  pscossette on July 6, 2007 from San Sebastian, Spain

Pamplona, Spain
This should be a lucky day by the date. Is our luck good enough to run with the bulls? We shall see. Up way before dawn, the 5 of us packed into the car and set off for Pamplona. The route took us over some pretty tall mountains and through several tunnels. It was very foggy at some points so Paul was very much awake by the time we arrived in Pamplona. The sun still was not up, but the town was wide awake. Signs of a huge all night party were everywhere. The streets were filled with drunks and empty bottles and the not so faint odor of all that comes with that. We were to meet a guide to take us to a balcony to watch the festivities at a hotel near the center of town. We parked in the middle of the street behind a bunch of other cars doing the same and ran to the hotel where we amazingly found our guide right away. He was from Seattle, but now lives most of the time in Pamplona. He said it is a much nicer place in about a week.
We then joined a group of about 12 of us to head to our balconies. We were warned to stay close and hold on to our wallets and each other. Luckily there was a TV camera man following our group so we could see his camera above the crowd. Even so, we did get separated and almost squished a couple of times. The idea of being up on a balcony safe above the hoards seemed very attractive. We eventually reached our host apartment and were welcomed by two very nice ladies into a beautiful apartment above the throng. One of the members of our group did get his pocket picked of about $350 Euros on the way.
Our view was perfect. We were right where the first and second turns of the course were and watched the police clear the streets and the clean them before they started the running promptly at 8:00.
There was a police line holding back a throbbing mass of revelers all dressed in white with red scarves and sashes, most covered in wine stains. The firecrackers went off and the crowd was all running to find their spots along the street. A second set of firecrackers and the bulls came running around the first turn. The bulls appeared to be much less dangerous than the crowd of runners. In about 2 minutes it was all over, much like the Kentucky Derby. We then watched the highlights on TV and when the drunks had somewhat dispersed we ventured back onto the street.
We went and got our obligatory T-shirts and red scarves and sashes so we would be ready for next time or maybe just Halloween. Then 5 very sleepy people piled back into the car and headed to Valladalid to drop off Serina. We stopped for lunch in Burgos which was a very pretty town situated along a nice river.
Serina introduced us to her host Mother, who was very gracious and let us use here internet connection to book a hotel in Madrid for that night. John was going to leave early the next morning so we found a hotel near the airport to make things easy and set off for Madrid, about 2 hours away.
We followed our GPS to the hotel once we arrived in Madrid, for about another 2 hours. We circled the same spots, on ramps , off ramps (all of which seemed to be numbered the same) and decided at that point we would turn the car in and take taxis even though we had paid for a couple of more days. The wear and tear on our relationships and the loss of vacation bliss was not worth it. We did finally find the largest hotel in Europe, or at least it seemed that way, filled with tourists. We threw our stuff in our room and took a shuttle bus to the center of the city and had a very nice dinner just off the Plaza Mayor. Mark even thought the “chicken” was pretty good. It was really roast leg of lamb, but who’s telling. We then crashed into bed as the 7th of July had been a very very long day.
written by  pscossette on July 7, 2007 from Pamplona, Spain

Madrid, Spain
Paul got John off to the airport and home to Christmas Lake. We were going to miss him, but he thought he was ready to get back to America. Paul returned the car and we decided to give Madrid a second try since dinner had been nice the night before. We were not going to experience real Madrid from our current hotel so Paul booked us into the Villa Real near the Prada for 2 nights. Our room was fantastic. We had an upper and lower floor, two balconies that over looked the square and Spain’s Congress building. The area was filled with squares, restaurants, museums, and a very short walk to Madrid’s version of Central Park. Paul went and extended our stay to 4 nights. We relaxed in our room, went to the Park and relaxed some more while Mark explored, then off to the Sunday night Bull Fight.
The bull fighting is quite interesting and we are glad we have seen it once, but that is enough. This night was for the lesser known and less experienced matadors. They dressed with all the glamour of the famous matadors and there was great pomp and circumstance when they entered the ring. The first bull entered the ring and appeared to try to get back out again. I think he had some prior knowledge of what this was going to end like. First several matadors or helpers try to rile up the bull, then after a horn is sounded a horse and rider come out and tease the bull into attacking them. When the bull charges, he is poked in the back by a large spear. Next the Matador holds 2 picadors and attempts to stick them in the bull’s neck while being charged. This is repeated 3 times to loosen the neck muscles of the bull to hasten the kill at the end of the fight. Now the matador places his hat in the ring and does his one on one dance with the bull, trying not to get the horn. Finally, the matador places a sword in the bull’s neck that is meant to kill it quickly when removed. If that doesn’t do it, a dagger is used. Once the bull is dead he is hooked up to a couple of horses and dragged from the ring. We stayed for 3 bulls and as the skill of the matador improved, the suffering of the bull definitely lessened.
written by  pscossette on July 8, 2007 from Madrid, Spain

Madrid, Spain
We decided to get the lay of the land today so we hopped on Madrid Vision tourist bus in the nearby square. It really is a nice way to get your bearings and find out what all those statues on every few corners or squares are for. We felt the need for a coffee so hopped off in a very nice neighborhood near a park. After a bit of caffeine we walked through the park and explored a 400 BC Roman temple that had been given to Spain for help with some war or another. It was pretty amazing. The views over the valleys that spread out from Madrid were also very pretty. Madrid is at 2000ft, the highest city in Spain.
We hopped back on the bus for awhile and then a stop in Plaza del Sol for some more exploration and to get a treat for Mark. We found the perfect chocolate and churro spot. The hot chocolate here is more like a thin pudding, and the churros are nothing like Taco John’s. Imagine dipping a nice greasy donut into a warm pudding that hasn’t quite set yet. That is hot chocolate in Spain. We then walked to Plaza Mayor for a little lunch and back on the bus we went. Next stop was the Cento de Arte Reina Sofia to see Picasso’s Guernica. The painting is Picasso’s protest of Franco and his fascist government in Spain. It is Picasso’s view of what took place in Guernica when Franco allowed Hitler to test his bombs on the town. It was especially moving as Guernica is located very near San Sebastian.
Mark had been cooped up for quite awhile now so Paul took him back to Retiro Park to feed the fish in the pond and rent a row boat. Suzy went and relaxed on her veranda with a glass of wine. We all do what we have to do. Mark was filled with McDonalds and hooked to the internet for the evening so Suzy and Paul could find their new local Tapas bar just across the street. We had two drinks and 3 tapas in a very friendly and active bar for only 5 Euros. This became our home away form home for a couple days. Even Mark eventually found that he enjoyed this spot.
written by  pscossette on July 9, 2007 from Madrid, Spain

Madrid, Spain
We have an appointment with Vincent Van Gough this morning. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum has an exhibit of paintings from the last 90 days of Van Gough’s life, prior to his suicide. He had a very tortured soul, but the beautiful paintings of this period certainly didn’t show it. There was also an exhibit of Richard Este’s paintings, which is also one of our favorite contemporary artists so it was a real bonus. This was our favorite art museum so far and we have been in a lot of museums the last few weeks.
Our laundry we had asked the hotel to do was back in our room upon our return. The bill was 168 Euro. It was probably the most well pressed laundry we ever had or ever will have. I told Paul that it just showed how much I was worth back at home. He was skeptical about that as he hasn’t had pressed shirts since leaving home at age 18. Anyway, so much for the deal we had gotten on the room rate.
Paul needed a new watch battery and was going to get us train tickets for the next portion of the trip so he headed in one direction and Mark and I went to the Wax Museum. This was Marks choice, and it was a lot of history about Spain, but all in Spanish so I did not catch a good deal of it. (I would say that this is a miss of you are planning time in Madrid.)
written by  pscossette on July 10, 2007 from Madrid, Spain

Today is Holy Toledo day. We were up and going by 8:00 today, which is very early for us lately, so we could catch the train to Toledo. This was the Capital of Spain until 1561 when King Phillip II moved his court to Madrid. Toledo sits in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula so was a trade route for every power and religion in history. There is still a very strong Christian, Jewish, and Muslim presence here. The town is a historical shrine so the walled portion of the city is maintained as it has been for hundreds of years, other than the hundreds of tourist trap stores selling medieval weaponry. Mark as you can imagine was in heaven. Toledo is also well known for its metal work. The knives are some of the best in the world and the decorative metal plates with inlaid gold and bronze are everywhere. Mark made it his quest to find the perfect toy catapult. Paul and I quested after the perfect lunch. No surprise there.
Before lunch or any purchase we visited the most elaborate Cathedral in Spain. It contains so much famous art work including El Greco, Rubens, Goya, and Velázquez masterpieces. This is the real reason one should travel to Toledo, a most definite do not miss. El Greco who was born in Greece and trained in Italy said, while in Italy, that he would have done a much better job than Michelangelo on the Sistine chapel as that Michelangelo is a nice guy, but not a very good painter. He was then banished to Spain. He did leave some beautiful artwork in Toledo. We went in search of one of his most famous works next in a nearby chapel, Santo Tome’, The Burial of the
Count of Orgaz. This is another do not miss in Toledo.
Now we were ready for lunch at La Perdiz (the Partridge) where we had one of the best meals in Spain. Paul had the Partridge and Suzy the suckling pig, both of which were excellent, but the grilled goat cheese with caramelized onions was out of this world. This is one Suzy will be attempting to duplicate at home.
Full of good food and Toledo we caught a train back to Madrid 3 hours earlier than planned. The train station bears a mention. It was a beautiful tiled building in the Moorish tradition. The 30 minute ride back to Madrid wasn’t quite long enough for the nap we needed so we went back to the hotel to relax.
Paul was enjoying a nice glass of wine on the veranda when after a large noise noticed by Suzy, but not Paul, he says, “Where did the umbrella go?” We quickly located it on the next veranda. A call to the front desk required the manager to come to the room as we had a bit of a language barrier with the words flying umbrella. By the time he got there, the umbrella was on the roof. “Not Good”, were his words. Soon it was 6 stories below on the ground, thankfully not hitting any bystanders or vehicles. We were without an umbrella the rest of the stay.
After recovering, Paul and Suzy went to dinner and a Flamenco show at Taberna Casa Patas. Its nick name is the house of feet and that is very apt. The dancers have incredible energy and stamina to move so fast in such a small warm little room. They were literally wringing wet after each performance. SKC

Our last day in Madrid and Spain for that matter. Mark wanted to go to two museums today, the Archeological and Navel museums. We started at the Archeology museum which was filled with ancient artifacts and art. Lot’s of mummies, skulls, and old art and pottery. The Roman mosaics were very cool. Our hotel room was also decorated with 3rd century Roman Mosaics.
We then had a nice lunch on Passeo de Recoletos, a wide treed area with side walk cafes where Spain’s famous authors often meet to talk. There was an artist painting our lunch scene. We didn’t stay to see the finished painting. Next to the Navel museum that was unfortunately closed so we went back to the Park again as Mark had no interest in going to the Prada, the last big art museum on our to-do list. Paul and I took turns going to the Prada while the other watched Mark in the park. There was an artist painting pictures with spray paint in the park that had Mark captivated. He would paint very elaborate scenes on a paper in about 5 minutes. Then right on to the next one. He would get about six done and take a break to sell them. Then he would repeat the whole process.
The Prada was filled with whole galleries of masterpieces rather than one or two famous works mixed with lesser known artists. It was quite amazing even though renaissance art isn’t my favorite.
We went back to our favorite Tapas bar for one last time for dinner and then to the train station for our overnight train to Bordeaux. We were in a sleeper car with 6 berths. The other three were filled with young English speaking men about John’s age. They were very nice and didn’t complain about Suzy’s snoring. It was really hot in the train and the kids partied in the hall for quite awhile into the night so we did not get much sleep, other than Mark who can sleep through anything. SKC

Saint-Emilion, France
We did awake from what little sleep we did have in a new country with a new language. We switched trains just over the border as now we were in the French train system. There is little or no cooperation between French and Spanish transit. We arrived in Bordeaux at about 10:30, exhausted. We thought we might explore the town, but had just enough energy to find a lunch spot and eat. A glass of Rose and a nice little French meal with really great bread and we were ready to head to St-Emilion in the heart of fine wine country and our next hotel. The drive is really quite pretty with vineyards on every bit of available land the closer we got to St-Emilion. With some wines in the area selling for over 1000 Euro a bottle, you can see why.
Our hotel was a renovated Chateau just outside town with beautiful ground, a pool, and grape vines up to our patio. We got settled in and went to town to feed Mark, who didn’t want to eat at the fancy hotel restaurant. St-Emilion is a very old town built on the side of a large hill. It is filled with wine shops offering tasting of fine Bordeaux wines and restaurants. Mark was picky though and we found him a cheese pizza, what a waste. Paul and I went back to the hotel and had a very nice dinner outside at the hotel, overlooking a large yard and the vineyards. The chef did and excellent job of surprising us with new taste combinations. The red pepper sorbet was really memorable. SKC
written by  pscossette on July 13, 2007 from Saint-Emilion, France

Saint-Emilion, France
I neglected to mention we had a nice swim in the pool yesterday afternoon and a bit of a nap around the pool. There were several English speaking guests at this hotel including a group from New Zealand that were having a great time. The typical sedate French hotel was challenged a bit by all of us non French tourists.
We got up and went back into St-Emilion to explore. After Mark had a hamburger we started checking out all the wine shops. Mark even enjoyed learning about Bordeaux wine. He was petty good at determining the contents of the bouquets, but often couldn’t get over “that alcohol smell”. We were looking for a 1982 wine as that is our wedding anniversary. 1982 was a very good year so the selection of available wines is scarce and expensive. We did find a nice bottle of Pomerol for 5000 Euros. I think we may have to celebrate with a nice 2000 vintage wine. We always new we were a fine vintage. The recommendations from most of the wine shops were to get 2005 Bordeaux now as it is going to be even better than the 1982 or 2000 vintages. The second labels of most of the Grand Cru Classic Chateaus are also very good wines that will cellar just a few years less than the first labels and are much less expensive. There are 7000 Chateaus in Bordeaux alone so finding the perfect wine is a bit overwhelming.
Paul and I decided we needed more training so we signed up for a wine tasting school. The class was led by a very funny guy who put on quite a show of being the Bordeaux wine snob. “That Beaujolais is made over night, not even really a wine, and the Rose’s, definitely not wine”, were a couple of his comments. We learned how to smell, swirl, taste, and check the legs after being tested on our ability to detect smells. I only got 3 correct out of 8, but I still know what I like and do not like.
We went back to the hotel for another swim and dinner. The plan was to eat and drive into Leborne to watch the fireworks as today is Bastille Day, or French Independence day. Dinner was a long and very enjoyable event. Mark even joined us for most of it. Just as we finished our dessert, we saw the first fireworks being shot off. We jumped in the car and got to town just in time for the grand finale. We had a perfect day!
written by  pscossette on July 14, 2007 from Saint-Emilion, France

Nantes, France
We have been traveling for a month now and it is still wonderful. We would highly recommend a prolonged vacation to all who have a chance to take one. I think Paul will even survive in retirement as he is relaxed and has not even thought about work more than a couple times. More importantly, I think I will survive Paul’s retirement.
Today we are going to start toward Normandy. We will go a little over half way to Nantes. We drove through the wine area for awhile after loading Mark up on Dramamine and putting him in the front seat. The roads are quite winding and his stomach as we know is not very tolerant. After a tour of the country side we got onto the highway. We could have been in Minnesota by the scenery. The fields are smaller, but lots of corn and wheat, cows and sheep to be seen.
We decided to take a detour to La Rochelle along the way. This is a very nice seaside town that happened to have a music festival going on when we arrive. Lots of people and things to see. We had a very good seafood lunch near the pier before siteseeing. Suzy managed to get seperated from Mark and Paul when they headed to the beach. Mark was not too happy when we had to pack up from the beach and look for Suzy. She was eventually found, and we headed back to the beach for the afternoon. La Rochelle was a nice spot and a key sailing center and beach town, nice detour.
Nantes is not much of a city to look at. Apparently there are some interesting sights including a secret garden, but we could not find them. We could see the spires of the church we wanted to visit, but couldn’t make our way through the maze of one way streets and blocked roads by the above ground train system. After about 45 minutes of driving in circles we gave up and went to the hotel. There was a big thunderstorm and just as we sat down in a restaurant for dinner the lights went our. We had a half bottle of wine and by then the lights were on and we ordered a very nice dinner. It seems that no matter what is wrong with a place in France, they still have good food.
written by  pscossette on July 15, 2007 from Nantes, France

Pontorson, France
Today we are driving to Mont St Michelle in Normandy. After about 11/2 hours we turned a corner and caught a glimpse of the beautiful monastery on the mountain in Mont St Michele. The countryside is very flat along the northern coast of France and suddenly there is a mountain with a huge spire sticking out of the tide flats.
The legend is that St Michael, the archangel came to earth to convince the local Bishop to build a Monastery and cathedral on this mountain. He came to the bishop in dreams two nights in a row and the bishop ignored him. The third night, St Michael had lost his patience and pushed on the bishops head so hard that a hole was created in his skull showing he meant business. The nest day the bishop got started on the plans for the church which was built starting in the 8th century. This story lends a new meaning to the saying, “He must have a hole in his head.”
We climbed up the cobblestone streets to the base of the church. It was almost as crowded as Pamplona had been. The crowd was much better behaved though. We got tickets for the tour and had a very nice young lady, who said she was a trainee tour giver; you would never know it, take us and 4 others on an hour tour. It was very interesting and amazing to think about how they built this huge structure on the side of a pyramid shaped stone mountain. The views across the tide flats were amazing too. It was a very low tide and you could see forever. Until recently, pilgrims coming to this holy spot had to cross the tide flats, about 6 kilometers, during low tide to get here. Not so bad except the flats are filled with quick sand and when the tide comes in, it is at a rate of one meter per second. We learned much about Benedictine life in the monastery’s earlier years.
This a definite do not miss if you are in France.
We went and checked in to our hotel room, which had a full wall of windows that viewed the Mont. We decided to go back for dinner as there were many restaurants on the hill. We wanted to go have an omelet that had been cooked on a wood fire as we had watched them being made earlier in the day. As it happened we did not eat there, but would certainly try it in the future. We found a spot that had a view of the incoming tide for Mark and a hamburger steak that he though was wonderful. The Norman roast chicken and vegetables were pretty great too. The tide was going to be very high that evening so the announcement to move your cars out of the parking lot before they were under water was made. We were parked high and dry so we just sat and watched as it rushed in, and rushed it did. I would not have wanted to be about 1 kilometer away, walking around quick sand when it came in. The lights then came up on the cathedral and it was absolutely stunning. I actually got up in the night and sat by the hotel window for awhile just because of the amazing view.
written by  pscossette on July 16, 2007 from Pontorson, France

Deauville-les-Bains, France
Today we head to Caen to the World War Museum near Omaha Beach. First we need to wash clothes again. A bit hesitant to have anyone else do it, Paul headed to the Laundromat. This time we had clean and dry, but not pressed clothes in a couple hours for 14 Euro.
We headed down a straight road with Mark in the back seat. We had to stop on the highway for a potential puke, that did not come to fruition thankfully, and then transferred him to the front seat. He then became the designated shifter of the car and that seemed to keep his mind off of being sick.
The weather had turned cloudy and quite cool when we got to Caen. This is really the first cool, long pants, type of weather we have had. The museum is inside so it did not bother us much. The museum is filled with war history, starting with WW I and continuing through the cold war. Most of the exhibits cover WW II and are filled with quotes from letters of the soldiers, French people, and the politicians. I did not take pictures as it just did not seem like the right thing to do. It was quite a sobering experience. War is hell and this museum did a very good job of showing that. We spent about 3 hours in the museum and did not see the whole thing.
Next stop is the beach in Deauville. It is not really beach weather, but what the heck. The first thing we notice is the buildings are different here. Large plaster buildings with plenty of roof gables, decorated with various metal sculptures, and decorative brown wood battens. The second thing you notice is the seagulls. They are everywhere and none too quiet about it. Clearly they think all those pretty buildings were built for them to perch upon until low tide reveals their seafood buffet or until some café patron leaves a delectable treat for them. The last thing we noticed were the boats, lots of boats, big boats, expensive looking boats.
Deauville is the Hamptons of Paris crossed with the Sundance Film Festival, the playground of the polo set with the extra draw of the annual film festival the beginning of September featuring both French and Hollywood stars. The French hate to admit that they are impressed with anything American, but from the number of photos of Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, and Jennifer Aniston on the walls of their restaurants and hotels, don’t believe it.
We checked in at the Normandy Grand Barriere, billed as the favorite spot for the French film stars to stay when they were in town and as having a great children’s program. The two seemed incongruent to me, but there were a lot of pictures of stars on the walls and they did have a pretty busy appearing kids club. There were lots of kids running through the lobby at least, trailed by young hotel staff members that were presumably entertaining them. Mark, not speaking French, was not too interested in spending any time in the “club house”. We did go use the indoor pool with the retractable roof, which was not retracted as it was cool and raining. Mark had lots of fun playing by himself near the other kids. In typical French fashion there was a pool monitor that would hiss at the kids when ever they laughed or yelped a bit too loud. (In France, instead of saying shhhh when someone is too loud or doing something you do not like, the all purpose, SSSSSSSSS is used.) It did not seem to be terribly effective on a pool full of children and their nannies on a rainy day at a beachside resort. I did notice the noise did not draw any of the mothers out of the spa in the next room to see what the trouble was.
Following the swim, we went to explore the town itself. It is a very charming town of expensive shops and sidewalk cafes. We found a spot for a snack as it was 3:30 and we had not eaten yet that day. We sat for quite awhile as there was a war of wills involving the consumption of a sugar crepe occurring between the male members of the family. What Mark did not understand is that we really did not have anywhere to go and we did not care how long it took for him to eat. As we watched the stylish Parisians stroll down the streets of their home away from home we noticed that the seagulls were particularly riled up. A moment later a falcon flew by at break neck speed, just above the cars. He was followed by a very fast falcon handler, running next to the cars, and behind him a camera crew. Now this seemed like it may be worth eating a crepe for, just so we could leave and see what was going on.
With crepe digesting, we walked down to a large crowd of people on the ground and an even larger crowd of seagulls flying in circles in the sky. A lone falcon was sitting on a building ledge having a war of wills with his handler, who was standing on the ground waving inducements to the bird and muttering obscenities not quite under his breath. The falcon appeared to be unaffected by any of this, he seemed to be saying, “I have had enough and I will not work without a change in these conditions”. We finally wandered off and several hours later, following a late dinner, we wandered by the same spot and all the commotion was gone. Presumably either the handler or the falcon had given in eventually. SKC
written by  pscossette on July 17, 2007 from Deauville-les-Bains, France

Deauville-les-Bains, France
We awoke to the sounds of Seagulls. I must say I prefer the sound of cicadas in the warm afternoon and evening to the screeches of seagulls early in the morning. It was not raining, but a little cool so we though we would go find some breakfast before heading to the beach.
Off to the town market where we found plenty of fruit, cheese, meat and spices to keep us entertained. We found not only breakfast, but the makings of a nice picnic lunch we would later eat on the train to Paris. After dropping the food in the car, we found a spot on the beach where Mark could busy himself collecting shells and we could read our books. I went exploring the multicolored umbrellas that could be rented if it had been a hot and sunny day. Very few were in use while we were there. More interesting was the walk of Cabanas. There were rows of beach cabanas all named for movie stars, directors and producers. Who needs a star in front of a Chinese restaurant when you can have a cabana named after you?
We had a dinner date in Paris that night with the Graziano’s who were also vacationing in Europe, so to the train we went. Soon after pulling out of the station we ate a wonderful lunch of meat and cheese sandwiches, olives, and the best, biggest, juiciest strawberries we had ever had. It will take me a long time to get used to the Minnesota supermarket produce after being in France.
When we arrived at the K+K Cayre Hotel on Rue Du Bac near St Germaine and went for a quick glass of wine nearby, just to get our bearings. Upon retiring to the hotel we had a message to meet Vince and Jude in their room for a little wine before dinner. It was Vince’s birthday and they were celebrating with his brother Steve and his family as well. We did finally all head to dinner, quite well primed. Luckily the Blanc Gorilla was not hard to find and we had a very nice dinner with more great wine and great company. We said our adieus late that night as they were headed to Florence in the morning to bask in the 100 plus heat. SKC
written by  pscossette on July 18, 2007 from Deauville-les-Bains, France

We enjoyed the Musée d'Orsay so much the first part of our trip we decided to go back. We stopped at a little sidewalk cafe across the street for a little espresso and a pain chocolate. As we were enjoying the sunny morning, a beautiful young women pulls up in a little European sports car to give us a French parking lesson. She backed up to the bumper of the car behind her, yet the front of her car was still hanging into the crosswalk. Not to be detoured when parking is so scarce, she simply slammed her car in reverse and gunned the engine. She proceeded to slide the car behind her tight bumper to bumper to the car behind it. The car behind her was now wedged tight (touching) between her car and the one behind it-they were going nowhere! She then preceded to foof her hair, adjust her sunglasses and saunter down the sidewalk without a care.
The Orsay was great - one of our favorite museums of the trip. Next we went to Montmartre to see the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and the Moulin Rouge-this is definitely the red light district of Paris, and even Mark picked up on the fact the neighborhood was a little more “slutty” than the areas we had been frequenting (where do 9 year olds get their vocabulary). After hiking up and down the hills of Montmartre, Mark was ready for a nap at the hotel. Suzy and Paul headed to Cafe Les Deux Magots, a favorite writers hangout for folks like Hemingway, for a glass of wine, some people watching, and to do a little blog writing of our own.
In the evening we all hiked the spiral staircase to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. There we watched the sun set over Paris and the flashing lights come on the Eifel Tower. It was a great view!
PC
written by  pscossette on July 19, 2007 from Paris, France

This morning was Marks choice so off he and I went to see the rest of the Army Museum (Mark was sure we didn’t see everything during our first visit). Suzy bailed on us and did a little shopping in the boutiques of Paris. Mark and I saw lots more armor, swords, guns, cannons, tanks….every weapon you could think of up to World War II. Mark was in heaven.
We met Suzy a little before noon. She had several full shopping bags and had worked up an appetite. We all decided a picnic was in order so we set off for the Rue Cler to stock up on baguettes, cheese, pate, fruit and a little wine. This is a great little walking street near the Eifel Tower that has one of the best open markets in the city. Once we had stocked up we walked a few blocks west to the Champ de Mars Park for a picnic right in front of the Eifel Tower.
We took the rest of the afternoon pretty easy, simply walking around and doing a little exploring. For our last dinner in Paris we went to a great little neighborhood restaurant about 2 blocks from the Orsay. It was one of the best meals we had in Paris. The cheese ravioli was unbelievable! What a way to end our trip.
PC
written by  pscossette on July 20, 2007 from Paris, France

xx
written by  pscossette on July 21, 2007 from Paris, France

xx

Shorewood, United States
xx
written by  pscossette on July 24, 2007 from Shorewood, United States