Back home #22

I'm back home from this wonderful trip!  Bob stayed behind and went onto Zurich to work in his office. My trip home was uneventful and smooth. I had great flights and minimal delays. The twins are also back from their great Colorado camping adventure. We all arrived in Indy at the same time. They had so many stories to tell and talked nonstop for 2 hours!! They want to go on this trip again next year. Hmmmm...it sounds like I need to start planning my trip back to Europe!

Loire Valley #21

We bought a little wine in the Loire Valley!

Most of the wine we baught is being shipped to the U.S. We did smuggle 4 bottles into our suitcases. 

Loire Valley #20

After our tour of the castle of François the 1st we took a ten minute walk up the street to Chateau du Clos Luce, the home of Leonardo de Vinci. His home was very comfortable. It was also the home of many other royals after Leonardo. In the basement was a large display of his drawings and many inventions. The walled garden was huge and also showed replicas of larger creations. 

Loire Valley #19

On our first day in the Loire Vally we went to Chateau Royal in Amboise, France. François 1st was the first royal to inhabit this huge chateau. It is also the place where Leonardo da Vinci is laid to rest. François was very impressed with Leonardo da Vinci in his later life and invited him to live in Amboise. 

Leonardo da Vinci accepted the invitation of François the 1st to live his final years near the caste. Leonardo was given the opportunity to continue to invent and paint along with make changes to the castle.  Luxury and opulence surrounded him. He died a happy man and was buried on this spot. 

This is the back of the castle. The front is a little more impressive and sits high above the city. 

View from he front. 

Bob got to see his favorite scientist but I got to see the huge (much bigger than shown) collection of Gien china. It's one of my favorites. 

Next da Vinci's home...

Loire Valley #18

One of the beautiful views along our drive. 

Church of the Holy Grail. Valencia. 

Sharing in Lisbon. 

Church in Spain. 

Holy Grail. 

Fish baked in salt. 

Jamon. Our favorite. 

Argentan #17

Yesterday we left Argentan. Bob planned to take the day off. But as you can see from the picture, he is multitasking. 

Relaxing. Eating gelato. Talking/working on the phone.  

Argentan #16

While still on my own, and after the museum, I drove to the castle of William the Conquerer. 

It was in the beautiful town of Falaise but honestly the castle was boring. I had more fun at the grocery store...

The girls will love this translation from the  original Sour Patch Kids!

This hair color really made me laugh. It had white highlights in the front. You really have to choose your wardrobe wisely with hair like this. 

I had to pick up Bob after work but I made a quick stop at a Canadian war memorial. Sites like these are all over the region. We have been to the Normany region before and I have seen everything historical. This is like a bonus visit!

Argentan #15

I have mastered the car, the GPS and driving in the countryside! This morning I decided to drive north to L'Aigle and tour the needle and pin museum and Bohin Factory. I put the address into the GPS and set out. The most direct route led me all over the back roads of northern France. 

I passed through many little towns. 

The roads I used will be closed on July 10 and 11 for the Tour de France!

When I arrived at the factory I was a little shocked because I was just blindly driving and I really had no idea if I was going to the right place. 

These beauties live next to the factory. 

The tour of Bohin was very interesting. Benjamin Bohin was a brilliant man who revolutionized manufacturing beginning in1833.  He originally produced tin and wood boxes but then moved into the needle and pin business. The factory was spotless but the story of Benjamin was the most interesting part of the tour. At the end of the tour you could buy many of the items they produce in France. Of course I had to buy a few things!!

Argentan #14

Below are some pictures of random things I've seen so far. 

Alter at Sagrada Familia in Barcelona 

The TV in one hotel was in the mirror. 

Beggers are everywhere. I always give granola bars but no money. 

We were on the El Greco Floor of our hotel in Seville. Each door was a different painting. 

Best meal so far in Lisbon. 

Best cheese so far in Lisbon. 

Best lunch so far in Lisbon. Cod sandwhich. The food in Lisbon was good!!

Store hours in Europe are crazy. This store is only open 7 hours per day and they are closed for a 2 hour lunch. 

Argentan #13

We are in France! Bob is working here and I am tagging along. We flew into Paris but we drove 2.5 hours north and are very near Normandy. Our hotel is a converted hunting lodge built in 1889. It's on a beautiful estate with golf, hunting, a pool and forest. 

I have a car until we leave France and today I went on an adventure. Thank goodness for the GPS!  Once I mastered driving the Citron Hybred Picasso and spent 15 minutes understanding the map on my GPS I was good to go. 

My first stop was in the closest town, Argentan. I went to the lace museum of the Benedictine nuns. It was very educational. The lace is only sold online and very expensive. The gardens of the museum were laid out in lace like patterns and were even better than the museum! 

My next stop was the town of Alençon. This town is the birth and burial place of St Therese. I took a self guided walking tour about little Therese Martin and her devout family.  As a side note, the woman at my hotel spoke only a little English and I speak only a little French. She gave me lots of instructions and a map ouitlining the walking path with points of interest. I understood that I was taking a walking tour to learn about lace and see a pretty church. It was so much more! First of all, Alençon is a beautiful city with tons of shopping. The cathedral was huge and had stained glass that was painstakingly removed and secured during WWII so it could be saved from the bombings during the war. The tour about St Therese showed where she was born, baptized and buried plus gave details about her huge family and devoted parents. Her mother was an award winning lace maker and employed 15 women in her lacemaking business. 

Here are are few pictures from the day. 

Lisbon #12

Yesterday I saw three churches in Lisbon and all were beautiful. Pictures? Yes but they all look alike. 

One church stood out.  The Church of São Domingos has been through every type of natural disaster capable of happening in Portugal. The first stone was laid by King Sancho II in 1241 as the cornerstone of a convent. Since that time it has always been the grounds of prayer and worship. My first impression was shock. The church looked like it had suffered a fire, which it had in 1959. The walls and upper arches were crumbling like it had lived through and earthquake, which it had in 153. The wall frescos were completely washed away like it had been through a tsunamis, which it had in 1748.  As recently as 1970 the church was put under the jurisdiction of another Catholic Church and really has no parish of its own. I felt a little sorry for this place of worship. It seems left behind and overlooked. It's central location in Lisbon means 1,000s of people walk by it each day but it wasn't crowded with tourists. Most of the people inside were deap in prayer. 

 

One thing that I noticed in every single church I have seen is that all have a sign that says something to the effect that everyone is welcome no matter what religion. It was a nice visit. 

Lisbon #11

Eggs 

I love eggs. I will eat them any way and at any time of the day. Growing up I ate them soft boiled, hard boiled, fried and scrambled. My favorite egg as a grown up is the poached egg. It's hard to make but delicious. Eggs Benedict is a poached egg raised to the highest elevation. 

Our hotel in Lisbon is beautiful. At breakfast there is a wide display of fruit and meats plus cereal and cheese. There is no menu but you just tell the water what you want and they will cook it for you. Yesterday I had a delicious poached egg on a piece of toast. So today I decided to be adventurous and order Eggs Benedict. Here is what it should have looked like...

Here is what I got...

It wasn't bad but it also wasn't good. 

But what they lack in American breakfast cuisine they make up for in the view. 

http://youtu.be/F7qKSDuYSZ8

Lisbon #10

Today I am on my own. Our hotel is on a beautiful tree lined street with walkways down the middle. Last night, on our way to that delicious dinner we watched a band play and on the way back we heard another band and watched people dance to Portuguese music. This morning that parkway has transformed into more of a shopping promenade.  The further I walked the better the shopping got. At one point the parkway opened up into a huge and very busy square! I'm typing this post from a seat outside this outdoor cafe. 

And this is going on around me. 

On my way here I found a shop selling linen and pottery, two of my favorite things!!! I only spent 20€ but I got 4 very cool items. They are already packed away for traveling so I'll have to take pictures later. I found another linen store that was completely different but still Portuguese and really nice. I bought a little more table linen! I walked and walked and bought a few small things for the girls. 

Along the way I have seen some really fun things!