WEEK 6: BARCELONA

Bonjour,
To all the children at TGS, we hope you have a great summer holiday! Grace, Adele, and Ellise are looking forward to catching up with you in the new year!

So, back to the Blog:
After our 2 week tour we settled back into school here in St. Remy. Only to find out that there was another long weekend holiday! At the last minute we decided to drive to Spain. Barcelona is only 4 hours drive from our villa. The same as it takes to get to from Townsville to Cairns. 

  On route to Barcelona, we diverted off the highway for a Lunch stop at the medieval town of Carcassone. Whilst in France, Brendan has been on an infernal quest to find the best "Cassoulet" meal. Originating in the south of France, cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole containing meat (typically pork sausages, pork, goose, duck) and white haricot beans. The dish is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the cassole, a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides. Numerous regional variations exist, the best-known being the cassoulet from Castelnaudary, Toulouse, and Carcassone. Carcassone is a fortified French town in the Aude department. The fortress, which was thoroughly restored in 1853, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.



Carcassone Cassoulet!!



 After Lunch we continued on to Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona is a very interesting and vibrant city. Located on the coast, it is famous for its architecture and in particular the organic, mosaic architectural works of 'Gaudi'.(Antoni Gaudi 1852-1926).

During the day we visitied the Guell Park, Temple of the Sagrada Familia, Poble Espanyol de Montjuic (an open air museum), and more Gaudi buildings whilst shopping along the Ramblas. That night we enjoyed a traditional Flamenco Dancing Show in the old town. It was fantastic!!

 Au Revoir till next week!!

WEEK 5: AUSTRIA, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND

Bonjour,
"Joyeux Anniversaire" to Elaine. Thinking of you on your special day.

So, taking up where we left off last week.  


SALZBURG - AT BASE OF CASTLE

 

After our beautiful stay in Venice we headed off to Salzburg, Austria. I downloaded the "Sound of Music" soundtrack to play in the car for the whole trip to get us in the mood. Austria is the most beautiful country I have ever visited. Driving through the mountains was wonderous. Vibrant green fields with the trees in autumn red bloom and the mountains topped with snow. The air was so fresh. Our two nights in Salzburg were fantastic. Brendan celebrated his 40th birthday at a traditional Austrian restaurant. We really liked the food: Wiener schnitzel, boiled beef, dumplings, sausages, red cabbage, kaiserschmarren, and a delightful dessert called Salzburger Nockerl.
(a sweet souffle, meringue thingy full of hot air and sugar.yummmmmy!)



VIEW FROM CASTLE

 

Waitresses wear dirndls to emphasize the traditional Austrian ambience with rustic Austrian wooden chairs and tables that harmonize with the wooden beams that cross the ceiling. Pronounced arches and white walls are decorated with engravings of hunting scenes that recall an era of grandeur. What a great night. The next day, we visited the Hohensalzburg castle which overlooked the whole valley. Built in 1462, Hohensalzburg Castle is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.

To be honest, I don't have a bad word to say about Salzburg. I could live there.


swarovski world



From Salzburg we drove to Dachau Concentration camp, outside of Munich. This sure changed the happy mood we were in. (I didn't feel well for hours after). Next stop was BMW world in the heart of Munich. The new 6 series is a work of art. After Munich we stopped for the night in Innsbruck, Austria. Innsbruck has a lovely cobblestoned old centre, where you can walk around. The next day we visited "Kristallwelten" or in english "Swarovski World". This is Grace's Happy Place.



This was quite an interesting place. It is a walk through museum of Swarovski pieces and artistic displays made with crystals by different designers. At the end there is a shop with the latest works that you can buy. Of course we left there with our wallets lighter!! From here we then drove through the day to get to Saint Mortiz for the night. That was another beautiful drive through the Swiss Alps. Upon arriving in Saint Moritz we were amazed to find that all the hotels were closed. As we had not booked any accomodation and after much heated discussion, we decided to drive on through the night across the snow ridden Julier Pass back down to Bad Ragaz to spend the night.

Crying Lion of Lucerne



After destressing for the night, we drove on to Lucerne in Switzerland. Lucerne was a lovely medieval city built around a lake, surrounded by the swiss alps. Highlights were the wooden covered bridges, the old walled town, the clock towers, and the famous crying lion monument. Mark Twain discribed the "Lion of Lucerne" as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world" - we all agreed. It was carved out of limestone in memory of the heroic death of the swiss mercenaries at Tuileries 1792.

The Lake of Lucerne is full of white swans, that love to be fed. Adele and Ellise stole enough bread at lunch to have every swan in Lucerne follow them around the lake. People were stopping to take photos of them with their bevy of swans. After some fondue, and a wonderous dinner at the famous "Old Swiss House" our tummies were full and our wallets were empty. So we decided to head back to our villa in St. Remy.

Au Revoir till next week!!





WEEK 4: Italy.

Bonjour,

We have just arrived back from our whirlwind holiday through Italy, Austria, Germany, & Switzerland. What an exciting 12 days! Our first stop from St. Remy was San Remo (the flower capital of Europe) on the Italian Rivieria. It was great to finally get a real cappuccino and enjoy the Italian fashion. The girls had to learn to say "Si" instead of "Oui" and "Grazie" instead of "Merci". Having mastered the Italian language, they then enjoyed a swim in the hotel pool over looking the Mediterranean sea. 

View of Pool - San Remo



The next morning we drove up to Bellagio at Lake Como. Where people kept stopping Brendan and asking if he was George Clooney!! Several autographs later, we settled into a very old Grand hotel over looking the lake. It was a very beautiful and quaint village tucked away into the hillside. The next day we organised a boat trip around the lake. The high light was stopping at "Villa del Balbianello". A number of feature films have used the villa for location shooting, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, and James Bond Casino Royale. All the villas were so opulent! Richard Branson's estate was pretty good too!!

Villa del Balbianello

As the snow moved into Bellagio, we shipped off to Venice. Returning to Venice after 13 years (Honeymoon) was especially exciting. It is quite unique and special. The  girls were fascinated by the canals and little walkways everywhere. It reminded them of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies. We organised 2 private tours for Venice. The first was of the Doge's Palace (Doge is italian for "Duke"). We learned all about the history of Venice and many questions were asked by the children. Prizes were given out to who remember the facts the best! The second tour was to the islands of Venice. Murano, Torcello, & Burano. Murano is famous for it's world renowned glass making. Torcello has the oldest church in Venice, and Burano is a colourful fishing village where the women also make a special kind of lace. We have attached a video of some special glass making at Murano for you. See if you can guess what he is making??

Will sign off for now - will post the rest of the holiday soon!!

Au Revoir!!

WEEK 3

Bonjour,

We have started to setlle in well to Saint Remy. The other night we had a dinner party at a house around the corner, hosted by some locals Lucy and Sam. (English folk).
They have been very hospitable and helpful with explaining the local area, restaurants, nearby villages etc.

On Saturday morning the local square hosted a variety of vintage cars from the area. It was great to see such a large collection of the automobils of old. With their brass fittings, leather trims and wooden spokes, these were real classic open air carriages with great character. For vehicles over 100 years old and still running was a credit to their owners, who eventually drove off into the French countryside.

The girls have been visiting some restaurants, as part of "Cuisine week". Grace and Adele visited a local Michelin Star restaurant "Valrugues". The school is also organising rock climbing in the Alpilles for the students. I think the strong "Mistral " winds that have been blowing 'vent tres froid' have kept them from going this week.

On Wednesday, we went with the poms (Lucy and Jeraldine) to pick les pommes(apples). It was a belle  apres-midi (lovely afternoon) in the apple orchard. We picked  3 bags of Granny Smiths and Golden Delicious. After the harvest these apples are left on the trees because they are too small. The farmers don't send the pickers back because it is too expensive, so the locals are allowed to help themselves to what is there.

The region is known mainly for its wine and olive oil, but apples (pommes), cabbages (choux), pumpkins(citrouilles) and lettuce(laitue) are also prevelant in the fields.

Geoff and Lorraine should arrive today and are house sitting the Villa whilst we're on our French October School Holidays.
We are taking a driving holiday to SanRemo, Bellagio, Venice, Salzburg, Munich, Innsbruck, Leichtenstein, Lucerne and back home to Saint Remy.

Will update the Blog at the end of our road trip.

a bientot.

WEEK 2:

Bonjour,

Hello to everyone back in Sunny Townsville.
This week has been all about the French language. The children have been engrossed in school, tutoring, and watching Disney movies in French!! Brendan and I have also joined a local French speaking class in a nearby town called Eyrague.
On the weekend we went to watch a local Camargue Bull fight. Local boys start training at 10yrs of age.

Unlike in Spain, the idea of the game is to run around the bull and get it to chase you. Which is pretty funny to watch. Teamwork is obviously the aim of the game. They work together to distract the bull so they can get a thin rope hanging off the bull's horns. They also scratch the bulls head with a claw they have on their hand! Well, that is what we think they are doing! Have a attached a short film from the day.

The Wednesday Markets were really fantastic!! I wish they had them at home in Townsville. The food is unbelieveable over here. Everything tastes soooo good. We are slowly settling in to our life over here.

There is an amazing network of English people who have been popping in to welcome us. I have even been invited to play a spot of tennis with some of them!! The weather is starting to get cold (il fait froid!).

The children are slowly beginning to understand what their teachers are saying. Especially Taisez-vous! Which means "Be Quiet". I have been using this at home as well! They also use "je ne comprends pas" alot, which is - "I don't understand". But soon it will be - "Je comprends" (I understand) - we hope!!
Until next week,
Au Revoir!!

FIRST WEEK

Bonjour,
After a rush to make the plane at home, we had a very long flight from Melbourne to London.
London had a real buzz to it!! We enjoyed a quick shop at Harrods! What a store, you could get lost in it for hours. That night we had a great japanese dinner a NOBU in Berkley St. The blackened Cod was a favourlte.

The next morning before our flight,we took a lovely stroll from Knightsbridge down through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace.
Soon enough, we touched down in Marseille France albeit $80 lighter due to BA's excess baggage charges.
The steep learning curve started as soon as we passed through customs, when english was not spoken and we could not find the Eurodrive desk to get our car!!
Eventually we managed to pick up our car (Great Thanks to Jacob who came to help us!!) and were on our way through the rustic mediterrean countryside toward our new home in Saint Remy de Provence.
Our villa and the town itself are full of French charm.
The small cobbled stone streets(rues) in the centre of the pretty village (jolie ville), are filled with cafes, patisseries, boulangeries, chocolatiers and a few stray dogs!
Before starting school, we had a lovely Saturday in Monaco, living the lifestyle of the Rich and Famous.
In Monaco we visited Prince Rainier III's Palace and had a look at the Musee Oceanographique. It was a fascinating museum with exhibits by the famous underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau. Throughout the palace there are reminders of Princess Grace, the film actress Grace Kelly whose fairytale marriage to Prince Rainier delighted the world.
We also visited the Monte Carlo Casino and the picturesque Hotel De Paris over looking the harbour with its tens of millions of pounds worth of yachts.
The next day we took a short drive from Saint Remy to Les Beaux de Provence(7kms).Les Beaux was a medieval stronghold set atop of a ridge overlooking the southern plains. It has truly breathtaking views.
The Castle is now partly in ruin and has been converted into a museum. The children enjoyed a treasure hunt through the castle and learned about medieval weaponry.
First day at Ecole Saint Martin (little catholic school) was very daunting! But the girls managed with flying colours and were keen to go again the next day. School in France is very different to Australia. The children go to school Monday,Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They attend from 8.30am to 11.45, then come home for lunch, and go back from 1.30pm to 4.30pm! Homework in French has been a challenge, but with our french tutor it has been getting done. Yesterday we took a drive to historic Avignon (20kms) which is a 14th Century Palace complex. Built by Popes Benedict XII and Clement VI. Beside this walled city is the famous bridge of Saint Benezet which stretches its remaining arches across the Rhone river. The stroll through the cobblestoned streets was amazing, and so were the shops!!!
Au revoir, till next week!