Last lazy day in Nice

Vacation got real today. After a delicious nutella-banana crepe breakfast, we climbed a mountain that led to an archaeological site and a castle that then led to a waterfall. So many stairs! The views from the summit above the waterfall were stunning- we could see nearly all of Nice, dotted with red shingled roofs and church bell tower, and a vast expanse of the teals and verdant-blue, vibrant hues that comprise the Mediterranean. The various levels of the mountain had numerous parks and mosaics and a drinking water fountain and vistas, etc.

After this beautiful climb we plopped upon the beach and didn't move unless we wanted to go swimming or get food. People, this is the way to live. I'm not kidding. Please do it for your health and sanity. It's glorious. We had seafood salad and fetuccine with salmon, window/souvenir shopped and plopped upon the beach again. Also, Shakespeare's sonnets and Kerouac's On The Road were read while ashore of the sea. No big deal. Someone had better drag us to Brussels....

After this, two days of travel. The train ride from Nice to Brussels is only slightly shorter than our plane ride from Brussels to Atlanta. Woohoo. It will be difficult to leave this gorgeous country, but it must be done. FOR NOW. Over and out, love & bisous. <3 Marg-Autumn

Nice is nice. Most of the time.

-       Step one: looooooong train rides. 9 hours, it was rough, but we made it thanks to some beautiful maneuvering on the part of Babeth! Thanks Babeth!

-       Step two: discovered our hostel is in the heart of Old Town Nice

-       Old Town Nice: AWESOME during the day, full of local vendors and produce and incredibly kind people and mean people and ethnic food and scents and flowers and clothing and every kind of everything. However, AWFUL during the night if you are not nocturnal or a person who enjoys nightclubs until 5am then drunkenly screaming about it in the streets. I wish we were those people sometimes. But sometimes, you’re exhausted from the night before, ya dig? Note: cobblestones and courtyards echo. We haven’t been sleeping much. There have been steam punk dinosaurs that gnaw on trash at the buttcrack of dawn. Nice is strange.

-       The Hostel: we booked a 6-person all girls dorm. We found that the day we arrived they were converting it to an 8-person dorm by adding an extra bunk bed. Now, we’re on the third floor, and to keep from suffocating, we keep the windows open, which also allows in the afore-mentioned cacophony that is what happens when your window is located above an Irish pub and across from a discotheque. The discotheque is the glorious establishment that stays open until 5am. That’s not a problem. The attendees however, like to shout about their rights at 5am until 5:40. It’s the best! So far, we’ve shared the space with 2 Australian girls, 2 Swedish girls, 1 Russian girl, 2 Polish girls, and 3 Australian guys.

-       Why 3 (beautiful) Australian guys in an all-girls dorm? The hostel put them there at 1:00 in the morning. Just for the night. Despite sleep deprivation, waking up was lovely. They were very charming.

-       THE BEACH. We are four minutes’ walk from the MEDITERRANEAN. JOY! We are tan. Weather is lovely. Things are good.

-       Jazz festival: outdoor concert celebrating jazz. Kicked off with a tribute to Miles Davis’s album Kind Of Blue. Beautiful. The second band also rocked really hard, complete with a violinist. The third group was way too self-involved so we headed out to the Mediterranean for some nighttime chilling.

-       Also, the Matisse Museum! It’s not in Old Town so we got to see other parts of Nice as well by bus. Matisse is a badass and we appreciate his work very much. Forever one of our favorites.

That’s all for now folks. Between sleep madness, limited internet and the vast array of activities in this gorgeous town, please give us a break if we aren’t blogging every day. We are living some life and it’s great. Photos and a myriad of epic tales from the adventures of Marg-Autumn to come!!!!!!!!!

Brittany/Bretagne

*HOME OF crepes and alcoholic apple cider. DO IT.

-       Vannes = Gothic port town complete with architecture straight out of Beauty and the Beast, a castle (Castle Suscinio), beach with Atlantic Ocean, and salt farm. Salt farm: a place similar to rice paddies where they cultivate and harvest salt.

-       Biggest garage sale ever spanned two streets uphill, with its own cotton candy vendors and barbecued food for sale

-       Strolled along a canal that stretches from Nantes to Brest with super idyllic trees lining it

-       We had first rate, home-made breakfast and dinner, mostly on the patio (terrace), mostly until 10:00 or 11:00 at night.

-       Said farewell to Fred and Georges, whose weekend holiday ended. Sadness.

-       Went shopping in Rennes at numerous places. Europe is a haven for shoes of all shapes and sizes. Margot even found two pairs, which is kindof a big deal for her.

-       “Celebrated” the 4^th of July via a surprise breakfast of American-style pancakes topped with caramel and Nutella. Breakfast of champions.

-       Sorted out our train tickets to Nice… FOR THE FUTURE: even if you have a Eurail pass, you still need to book specific train tickets as the Eurail network is limited and does not in fact guarantee you seats on a train. Also, always validate your ticket(s) in the station beforehand.

-       Brocéliande: forest of legends, home to Merlin, King Arthur, and Breton/Celtic lore. Epic questing occurred in the forms of visiting the fountain of eternal youth, Merlin’s castle, hiking through the beautiful forest in the magical rain while stopping frequently to be told stories and fairytales. We scaled a mountain amidst the ferns and the rain and the oak trees, and as soon as we hit the summit, it stopped raining long enough to take pictures. Tales of dragons, faeries, gnomes, mermaids, witchcraft, metamorphosis, and epic battles were told.  SO MUCH LEGENDARY.

-       Went to the seaside town of Quiberon with Babeth and Philippe (aka Mama and Papa ‘Zo’): enjoyed lunch, climbed over the “cote sauvages” or savage coast with epic rocks and thoughts of Disney songs, again.

Went to Malestroit for the BEST crepes and cider EVER. In the process, we obtained the most adorable teacups, one depicting Broceliande’s cider and Merlin, the other mentioning korrigans (mischievous gnomes).

Mercî as Mercy

Sunday July 3

We woke up missing Nadia and in disbelief that Paris just happened. Also, church bells starting at 7:55am, 8:00am, repeat every 5 minutes 'til and on the hour. Had brunch with Fred and Georges with Philippe's homemade yogurt and Nutella on bread. Eventually awakened Antoine and the gang went to a MASSIVE "garage sale" that spanned every single house for two streets, uphill. Complete with: bbq vendors, outdoor "toyshops", rollerblades, beer steins, Harry Potter books in French, overpriced vinyl, so many tea sets, and matryoshka dolls. As Fred and Georges say, "some for the garage, some for the garbage". Returned to a delicious lunch on the terrace complete with salads prepared by Antoine, cuts of beef with potatoes and mixed veggies, and homemade chocolate mousse. Yum. It seems like all we do is walk around and eat delicious food. Well, after lunch we went on a stroll that took us by a Gothic castle and along a beautiful canal (sans Georges who had a siesta). It was so pretty, surrounded by large oak trees, ladybugs, and sparkling water.

Back at the hotel-home, we had a brief downtime followed by a happysad bon voyage to Fred and Georges since they were leaving, and for a Paris-bound train.  Happy because we met them and consider them our Tontons (Uncles), sad because we don't know when we will see them again. SO much love and thanks and smart words to them. We are in the midst of creating a book/movie recommendation list for them. They patiently taught us so many French words and translated, we taught them "sup homies?".

Autumn, Fred, Georges, Margot (aka Margautumn and the Tontons)

Skype happened with California as Margot's family is hosting Emy, the Morizots' daughter. We basically just did a daughter-swap. First time so far Margot has Skype'd home. Yeah. The mellow evening included Margot reading one the books she purchased at Shakespeare and Company and Autumn going to the canal. Yes, we were separated, but this time it was okay.

A late dinner en terrasse avec Babeth and Philippe, a treat not yet enjoyed since Babeth hosts and Philippe cooks. A pleasant dinner of fish with lemon and herb marinade, avocados with mayonnaise and shrimp, an arguala/tomato/mozzarella salad, and fresh melon. It truly felt like a lazy summer afternoon at home. Great company, great food, fun sights, and all on our own time. Simple joys.

Love,

Margautumn

New month, new place.

Saturday July 2nd- Bretagne and Vannes!

A solid night of sleeping and sleeping in, followed by a delicious homemade breakfast. CROISSANTS! Fruit! Deliciousness.

We were up and at 'em fairly quickly despite our lethargy. Fred and Georges led Antoine, Margot and I on an adventure to Vannes, a nearby farm and beach town. Vannes is a beautiful medieval town with sprawling markets, Colombarge architecture, a harbor, and delicious crepes. Margot had a crepe called Melchior. Yum. Bretagne in general is known for its crepes. From Vannes we went to a nearby beach with beautiful sand, such a relief for aching feet. Plus it was funny to think that we were at the Atlantic Ocean, just the "other" end of it. Oddly enough, the water here is warm enough to swim in and at home in the Pacific, swimming is a no-go. And then to and through the Castle Suscinio, a 13th -14th century castle trussed with fairytale decorations. Literally, they set up these grand classical rooms with modern-day "enchanted" decor. Strange. Still, lots of fun nooks and spiral stone stairs. And pigeons. And "bats". Then to fromagerie for fresh cheese- the cows there let us pet them and there was a MASSIVE pig. Then to a salt farm. Yes, a salt farm, cultivating and harvesting natural salt. It looked like a small-scale rice paddy and just happened to be situated amidst nature trails. There was an unrefined salt mound the size of Margot from which we collected salt for our amazing chef-friend Philippe Morizot.

"Home" to Le Petit Keriquel for another lovely dinner on the patio. Autumn had a small taste of rabbit. We both ate duck. Desserts were overwhelmingly delicious; peach soup, chocolate mousse, black current sorbet in a pastry shell and apple mousse with strawberries. Head Cheese was absolutely amazing and reminded Autumn of Christmas dinners of old. Life is good here. A nice change of pace from the bustle and hurry of Paris.

WORD OF THE DAY: lapin = rabbit

Paris, J'taime! Bonjour Bretagne!

Last day in Paris involved coffee next to Shakespeare and Company followed by a brief detour inside. Even though we've been there often, and often two days in a row, it's incredible to see how much rearranging and changing occurs in such a cramped space. From there we walked to to and through the Natural History Museums and gardens, founded by French naturalist Georges Cuvier (perpetuator of catastrophism as the main mode of extinction). Museum #1: Paleontology. We got in for free between being students and under 24 years old. THREE LAYERS OF BONES. Most had completely articulated skeletons for creatures living and extinct. SO MANY SKULLS. And brains. And a Tree of Life chandelier!!! Not sure who was happier, Margot for simply being around skeletons again, Autumn for the marine creatures, or both for the dinosaurs. There was a small section on hominids, though they jumped from the Miocene to the Holocene. Annoying. Then on to Museum #2: Gallery of Evolution. Interior looked like an old train station plus the set of Next to Normal. Mostly full of taxidermied and plastic-replications of animals, NOTHING on the evolution of humans. We did not stay long.

Chandelier/Tree of Life, representing the kingdoms!

Top to bottom: Chimp, Orang, Human, and Gorilla skulls through their ontological processes.

Bones everywhere, not behind class. You could touch, if you were so daring/sneaky.

Brief naptime/last minute tidying and packing, ice-cream eating (Berthillion brand, get some), meeting up with Fred, took the Metro to the train station, met up with Georges, and away we went to Rennes, to Bretagne in the north! Can't believe our Parisian jaunt is over. It was wonderful and already we need/want to return someday.


Now in Bretagne where we are staying with more family friends, the Morizot family (Babeth, Philippe, Antoine and Emy) at the hotel they run. Off the train, into Babeth's arms, and off to their hotel for a homecooked meal of salad, veal and potatoes au gratin, bread and cheese, mini creme brulee, pomme de terre, pomme tarte, apricot and cherry pastry, and wine. YUM. Life will be good here, with even more Belle moments.


WORD OF THE DAY: L'homme chauve-souris = BATMAN.

JEUDI!

This day was really not as exciting as one would expect even though it was our second to last day in Paris. Our plan was to wake up early and have brunch in Montmartre, see Sacre Coeur and Pigalle. It was more of a wake up late, eat delicious brunch at the Esmerelda Cafe next to Notre Dame and plan a delicious picnic for our amazing hosts: Fred and Georges. It ended up being perfect and when we come back to France in four years before we turn 26 we will do Montmartre. We shopped for produce, spoke to locals in french, franglais and english and made a picnic! Of course, it was next to the Seine with street musicians nearby and plenty of vegetarian dishes, wine and fromage. We love Paris. The end.

VERSAILLES

Wednesday 29th = visit to Versailles (Palace of King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette)
- HUGE. Everything is covered in classic artwork and/or gold and/or beauty.
- Autumn and Margot were separated for an hour. There was much anxiety and restless searching. But it clearly all worked out and the Palais was still a gorgeous work of extravagant art.
- The gardens: more like fairytales. Disneyland Princess shenanigans (and by that we mean we felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast). Sprawling manicured lawns and hedges, fountains and mythological sculptures everywhere, flowers, mini-shrines to honor Love, millions of ponds and such, a man-made canal for boat-racing. EPIC. Trout in the ponds near the cottages, ducks, swans, dinosaurs (ok, not really, well we're not sure, but it's not likely, but one can dream...)
- Petit Trianon aka Marie-Atoinette's mini-cottage aka our other other summer home when we're not living in Shakespeare and Company. Windows inside the house to see to other parts of the house, spiral staircase, yes please. Note to the world: this is the land of the spiral staircases.
- Queen's Hamlet where her workers worked and lived, truly felt like we were IN Belle's village
- Grand Trianon aka Marie-Antoinette's actual palace. Too overwhelming to even go inside.
We spent 7 hours there and only covered maybe a third of the actual estate of Versailles. Well-played, Sun King. Except for the whole starving a nation thing.

- While walking about, the extravagance and fanciness broke Margot's shoes. Good thing she still has her hiking boots... for the rest of the trip... yeah. What an epic way for a pair of shoes to go, though!
-Exhausted, we left the gorgeous Palaces and gardens in search of a meal and stumbled upon a god-awful Italian tourist trap restaurant. Don't go. Wait a block. Then we got lost in Porchfontaine which is a quaint little something or other in the middle of nowhere, but is, contrary to our belief at the time lead back to Paris.
-We finally got to Paris and had delicious street-side crepes in little Italy/Greece and walked "home" to Shakes & Co for some light reading and then home to let the day go.

Word of the day: Hameau- hamlet (cottage)

Love and Bisous!