Arriving in Paris

Well we have been in Paris a week now, and have all fallen in love with the city. There is so much to do here that we get up in the morning and have a big discussion with the maps and tour books about where we will go. Of course we have been to see the Eiffel tower but havent braved the huge lineups to get up to the top as yet ... soon. Yesterday we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral, and braved all of the hundreds of winding stone steps to the viezing area. The gargoyles are fantastic up close:

We finally got a picture of the whole family together, standing in front of the bell that Quasimodo rang in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". The view was magnificent. We also explored some of the left bank, visited Montmartre, and strolled along the Seine and many other places, but one of my best memories is just going to the patisserie in the morning, pulling my little shopping bag, and getting baguettes for breakfast!

Cote d'Azur

We managed to make it down to the Cote d'Azur for a mini vacation on the beach. We headed to Marseille first, and spent a night and wonderful day taking a cruise and exploring the old city.

Then we went on to Montpellier, and ended up driving down south to the Grande Motte beach, which is a wonderful, silky sand beach that goes on forever. We spent 2 great days playing on the beach and generally doing those touristy things that people do at beaches, including riding a ridiculously big blow up whale. (Note the european bathing suit on Steve ... no comment!)

Puy de Sancy and Rocamadour

Puy de Sancy is the highest volcano in the range, so we had to go and see it. We took a gondola ride part of the way and then walked up the 829 steps to the summit. We know that there are 829 steps because the kids counted each and every one on the way down.




Yesterday we went to Rocamadour, which is an amazing town built into the side of a mountain, and the Gouffre de Padirac caves.

The caves are some of the biggest in France and we got to travel by gondola into the heart of them. Unfortunately you are not able to take pictures, but we did get some shots from the first section of cave (shown here).



Rocamadour has three different levels. On the top is the castle, which dates back to the tenth century. Below that, carved right into the side of the mountain is the church, which predates the castle. The stone masons carved blocks into the face of the gorge, so that you can't tell where the blocks end and the mountain begins. Below that is the old town, which sits just above a beautiful valley.
We stayed and had dinner and then took a trolley ride in the dark to get a wonderful view of the city with the lights shining. Unfortunately the Roc is 3 hours from the house, so we got back very late this morning and are taking a 'down' day, playing pingpong, going to the market, and generally getting geared up for later this week, when we plan to hit the mediterranean sea.

See you all soon ... The Browns

Clermont-Ferrand

Well, here we are in France ... oh la la! The house we are staying in is a beautiful old, very large, house in a charming cite ancien ... with 5 bedrooms so the kids, for the first time in their lives, each have their own room.
We are staying in the town of Ceyrat, which is similar to a suburb. There is an old church just a bit further up the hill, with bells that ring on the hour. We havent been in the church yet, but it is on our to-do list.
On Sunday there was a reenactment of one of the old battles between the Romans and the Gauls, in which, if course, the gauls won. The Romans later returned and beat them, but that little detail is left out around here). The men seemed to be having a great time in their short skirts, waving their zooden swords around and pretending to kill each other.
Yesterday we went to the tallest volcano in the region ... le Pui de Dome. It is 1465 metres high. Although we did take the bus up, we managed to walk down. The views from the top were stunning. The kids slept very well last night.
The hardest part of travelling around France is the language. The people get this look on their face when we try to speak french ... and then we get a look of panic when they answer us speaking at full speed. Steve has been studying his phrase book and is optimistic that he will be able to speak French by the time we leave. I find that we know just barely enough to make ourselves intelligible, and that is fine with me.
Well I must go to the boulangerie and get some groceries ... Steve goes to the patisserie every morning for fresh bread so we have been eating well. Miss you all at home. The Browns

July 20

Hi all ... sorry, it has been a while since I have updated this blog. We have been busy! We returned to Longleat and did the rest of the activities. Including the drive-thru safari, where we met this little monkey, and fed some deer. There were also lions, tigers, giraffes, zebras, etc. The weather miraculously cleared up for the day, so we had a picnic and played outside. The kids got to handle snakes, and we saw a wonderful bird show.

We have also gone out to the coast, to a place called Weston Super Mare. You will be glad to know, as Canadians, that we left our mark on that beach - we could hear folks laughing up on the pier (where I took this picture). It is a great place and the beach is a couple of miles long. They have open air plays, and the pier has a huge games arcade at the end. The tide was out while we were there, so the kids (and Steve) made a huge sand castle. Tommy thinks that it will be there whenever we get back.

And, wait for it, we finally made it to the 2 big henges - Avebury and Stonehenge. Both were magnificent. Stonehenge is protected, so there is a path around it that you must stay on (but very photogenic!). Avebury is not protected, and so we got to get up close and personal. So do the sheep, who are grazed in the fields where the stones are.

We also took a trek into Wales and stopped at a "History of Wales" museum. They had moved several historical buildings (some 600 years old) onto the grounds, and we wandered around the working mill, cottages, barnes, and even a recreation of a mud hut settlement. There was also the remains of a castle on on the ground, which looks like this.

We just want to say congratulations to the McLeans, particularly Julia McLean, who competed on the synchronized swimming team, winning GOLD at the US Open in Hawaii yesterday! Yahoo!

Talk to you soon ... The Browns

July 12

Hi there ... here are a few more pictures to show you ... Monday we went in to Bristol .... have I said before what crazy drivers these British people are? We saw 2 accidents on the way in in a roundabout ... No one seems to like to stop here.

Anyway, Bristol is a very large modern city, with very old castle remains in the centre of it. This picture was taken on the grounds of the old castle (the ditch behind the guys was part of the original moat) and a church, bombed in the war. The kids also enjoyed the wooden, medieval themed playground, where we ate lunch.

Yesterday we went to London by train. What a fantastic city. We headed to Picadilly circus and walked around Buckingham Palace (in the picture) the parliament buildings, and of course, the great ferris wheel. The city is very clean and orderly - with tons of Italian tourists around. The sculptures in the public places are really wonderful.

It was a very long day - we didn't get home until midnight, so the kids were all asleep in the train on the way home. They have asked for a "day at home" today ... it is 11 and we are all still in jammies!

I'll leave you with a view from the "Eye" (the ferris wheel) ... See you all soon! The Browns

Hi there ... Friday we went to the Cheddar Caves ... absolute gorgeous .. you can see from the picture that they are this gorgeous golden orange colour (like the cheese!). We took a bike hike up the 273 stairs to the top, then climbed the tower for this gorgeous view.

Saturday we went to Longleat Castle. The castle was completed in 1580 and a Marquess (Alexander) and his wife still there. In the entrance hall is the shirt worn by King Charles I when he was beheaded - with faint bloodstains on it to thrill the boys. Unbelievable collection of art, furniture, miniatures, sculptures, tapestries, weaponry etc. - and we only saw about 1/3 of the house. In ONE glass case were six sculptures worth over $12 million - unbelievable wealth there. The house has been handed down generation to generation to the first born male, and the people living there are still called "Thynne". We were told that the current Marquesse is very eccentric - pictures of him skydiving with Richard Branson, and with his face painted up were scattered around, beside the coronation dress of Queen Victoria. I guess when you have that much money you can do whatever you like.

Also at the Castle is a wonderful hedge maze - it was fun to wander around and try to find our way out. We didn't get a chance to finish everything there - we will have to go back to see the drive through safari, do the boat ride and simulator ride, and wander around a few gardens and labyrinths, but there is a little splash park and playground so the kids are happy to go back. (Sorry, I couldn't get a pic of the kids inside the maze ... once you are inside it is hard to find anybody!).

Yesterday we took a cruise on a tiny, electric boat up the Avon river to Bathampton, and had drinks on the deck of the old mill (now restaurant). Great weather these days - we are in our 4th day of sunlight now (yes it actually does get sunny here!) which makes all these outdoor activities a bit better!

Cheerio from the Browns!