Hello from Italy! We could not get internet access from Beziers, and have no internet here in Italy. We are having beautiful weather and will tell you all about it when we get back.

Colleen, Marcia and the crew

Triumphal Arch!

As dusk set upon the city, we made our way to the Arch de Triumphe.........Napoleon's crowning glory. The boys marched up 284 steps to the top, while the mature regiment took in the sights from a lower level. One look down the Champs Elysees and you can picture grande parades of days gone by. Unfortunately we witnessed a Crime Horrible! (J'accuse!) Vincent Roy was discovered using an illegal tre-pied (tripod) by the gendarmerie, and was told to cease and desist such activities. Vince managed to free himself using his superior Inspector Clouseau accent to convince the officer that he should not be taken away in shackles. We went away with one thought.....we will not leave town using the traffic circle around the Arc. We ended the evening with a quick peep at the notorious Moulin Rouge, and then home to bed!

Museum Madness!

If only we had paid attention during history classes! Two world class museums, and 2 days of tortured feet and legs, and we are so much smarter now. The sheer magnitude of the galleries and the art, sculpture and artifacts that are collected here is awe inspiring. And awed we were. We come from a very young part of Canada, where 100 years seems like a long time. Paris took it's name in the year 360. To think of the people that trod these very cobblestones, and built these monuments in that time, it is hard to comprehend. We visited the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay. Although both museums were filled to the brim with "must sees" we were not able to visit it all, and we had to say " Mai nous allons revenir !" (we will return)

La Tour Eiffel

Sunday evening! We climbed back on the metro and headed off to see the Eiffel Tower. It is the most amazing sight to behold, and we were all impressed. We came upon it through the park, looking at the beautiful trees and ducks in the pond, and there it was. We walked under the tower, cameras clicking away and then we headed to Trocadero to view it from the ultimate vantage point. After turning down many an opportunity to buy little plastic towers, and taking the requesite kissing shots we were about to leave when...the lights began to twinkle. What a sight!

Market Day In Paris

We're standing in the Fresh Food Market at Bastille and can't believe what we are seeing. Rows and rows of amazing edibles. The fruits,greens, herbs, fresh meat,vegetables and fresh fish are unbelievable. The Parisians are quite relaxed about it, as this is usual for them. We have markets in Edmonton, with good food, but this abundance is unbelievable! I got caught touching a bunch of radishes, and the stall owner told me "ne touche pas". I forgot that they pick and bag your items for you. He did smile though and was not uncivil about it. We walked through the market once and then went back and made our purchases. A magnificent pork roast, fresh herbs, cherie potatoes, a marvellous french melon, green beans.......we will have a feast tonight!

PARIS OMG!!!!!!!!

We are here! We are excited! We are tired... First thing first lets get into the check-in line and then find our luggage. No problems........the immigration officer checkin'us in was too busy checkin' out a young lady to worry about us...........France is amazing. We picked up our bags and on mass, headed to the RER, which is the train that will take us to our apartment.

We phoned our contact to let them know we had arrived, funny the phones in France are different than back home. All was set on the train and away we go!

We are on a train and heading to our stop at the Gare du Nord. We arrive and get off we are all OK and still together. We are greeted at our door by M Phillipe ( we actually have no idea what his name is we were all completely exhausted but determined to beat jet lag at its game!). The apartment was all that we thought and more.

We settled in and did some quick unpacking, time to get the sim cards. We need those so that we can reach each other if required. After that we split up and the young guns went exploring, while we went to find supplies. Did I mention we are all very tired, hour 18 of the trip, and we need to buy food...

We bought the essentials and headed home after the food was put away and the naps were done. Colleen and Vince made a beautiful pasta prima vera and Marcia made the vinaigrette and Greg bought the wine. The boys set the table and we had our first meal on our tour of 2009.

Night One SACRE-COEUR de MONTMARTE

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Edmonton Airport

After a flurry of packing, grumpiness and sometimes craziness, we flew off into the wild blue yonder. The planes were on time and flights uneventful. The Montreal to Edmonton leg was easy......The Montreal to Paris part was .......easy too. Just don't ask us about people flying with babies. It's funny when you are used to not getting fed on planes, how airplane food is such a great novelty now. The rubber chicken and instant mashed potatoes were quaint....and quickly devoured by all. After dinner was lights out. We're not sure if anyone really had any sleep at all. Next stop Paris.

Montreal between flights

3 Men in a Tub

We just had to have a last get together before we head off on our adventure. There was lots of excited talk and last minute plans. The boys started off in fine form with their insults and jibes. Many hamburgers were eaten. A celebratory bottle of Moet Chandon was shared in honour of our French first leg.

Marcia showed me a photo of the 3 amigos from 1996 and I had to share these smiling faces with you. That was the "then"......... At the bottom of the post is a picture of the "now". Many exciting days ahead.

Tuscany....at last

We have finally booked our Tuscany property. It is above a little town called San Martino in Freddana, about 10 km from Lucca The villa is called Casia Elia and is part of a property that has 4 houses and a "6 hole golf course". The golf course sounds charming. The owner is obviously very proud of it and seems to be introducing golf to Italians. Here is a charming description of golf by the owner:

"The pitch is the name of the club that allows the ball to fly about 100 metres."
"The putt is the club used to make the ball run on the grass towards the hole."

I'm sure Tiger Woods has played at this course.

Ciao!

Murviel les Beziers

We found a beautiful place in the Languedoc called La Maison Rose in Murviel les Beziers. The owner is from New Zealand, and after much back and forth by email and phone calls. It is booked. We are looking forward to staying in this beautiful village. There are butchers, and bakers around the corner, and the courtyard is beautiful.

Paris Accomodations

This is a view from the apartment window.

We booked our Paris accomodations today. It is by the Gare de Nord train station on Blvd de la Chappelle It is a 19th Century four floor walk up, with those tall ceilings and big windows. The kitchen is fantastic. Check it out here

The Planning Begins

All we needed was a dinner, a projector and the internet to start the planning. After about 3 hours, we had fleshed out the trip and decided on a few places to visit.

First Stop - Paris May 2, 2009.

Second Stop - Normandy May 8, 2009

Third Stop - The Languedoc in Southern France May 9, 2009

Fourth Stop - Tuscany May 16, 2009

Next step is to book accomodation

Here is the recipe of what was served on Planning Night.


Chicken Tajine with Potatoes, Olives and Chick Peas
*Moroccan spice is mixture of cinnamon, coriander and cumin.

8 each chicken thighs
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 lemons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 oz olive oil (2 tbsp)
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup black olives, salt cured (dry) or green olives if desired
1 pinch saffron
2 tsp moroccan spice*
1/2 bunch parsley Italian fresh or Cilantro, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans or chick peas (1 can drained)
1 tsp Thyme Leaves
1 lb potatoes baby

Procedure
1 Marinate the chicken thighs in the fresh lemon juice and garlic for 1 hour. Reserve the marinade when you brown the chicken pieces.
2 In a large casserole dish or dutch oven, brown chicken thighs, skin side down in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Turn over pieces, skin side up and season with salt pepper, and brown for a few more minutes. Remove the chicken thighs onto a plate.
3 Skim off some of the fat from the pan if desired.
4 Saute the onions in the pan .
5 Put the chicken pieces back into the pan and add the chicken stock, reserved marinade, chick peas, baby potatoes, moroccan* spices, salt
6 Cover and cook in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Test a chicken thigh with a knife to make sure it is cooked through to the bone. Check the potatoes to see if they are cooked.
7 Skim off some of the fat again if desired.
8 Add the black olives and parsley at the end of the cooking time.

Servings: 8
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Recipe Tips
Serve with Naan bread, pita or other flat bread. The sauce is great for dipping.