Return from France

There was concern with a 55 minute connection in Frankfurt. We fully anticipated an overnight stay in Frankfurt having missed our flight and it very nearly came to pass. 

We arrived early into Frankfurt and waited for the wheelchair people.  Complicating the time constraint was the aircraft parking out on the tarmac. We were the last off the plane with Carol being carried down the steps in a chair.  This fellow who came down the same way

just after her used up more time.

The driver of the private bus told us he was taking us to our gate.  We found ourselves in the handicapped holding area using up even more time. The senior person there finally realized we'd run out of time and personally took us to the gate with only minutes remaining.

It was a mad dash through immigration and that bypassed security. The high speed walk turned to a gallop the last hundred yards with our guide waving at the people at the gate to hold the plane.  The first/business class jetway was already removed when we arrived.

The head flight attendant followed us down the jetway and closed the door behind us.

We returned to Smithfield to find 75,000 people without power due to Hurricane Matthew; CJ's boss being one of them.  There is still heavy flooding throughout the area but fortunately our area and home survived showing no signs of the storm.

We were the last two people on the plane with the doors closing minutes behind us. But at least we made it. 

Now it's time to go home and find out what the hurricane and its 10 inches of rain had done to us. Until the next trip, chow.

Return to Lyon

The route to Lyon begins with routing through Pomeral before entering the motorway.  The middle of France is covered with mountains and farmland.  It is beautiful country and one could easily be driving through the US.  There are viaducts, bridges spanning gorges, where villages below look like miniature toy cities.

Along the road there are various sculptures. The French invest in art, even along the roads.

The return of the wheelchair is accomplished in less than ten minutes.

Finding our hotel is another story. We circumnavigate the airport nearly twice, at times putting the vehicle at risk on very narrow roads in tiny villages.  Stopping at another hotel, we're directed to our hotel, located AT the airport. Later in the evening while working on the journal, CJ discovers his write-up on the hotel where it states the hotel is 100 steps from Terminal 1.

The evening is spend making ready for our return to the US.  Barring missing our flight in Frankfort which is a distinct possibility given the 55 minute supposedly "legal" connection, this may be the last blog entry of this trip.  If it isn't we'll be spending an evening in Frankfurt.

Bordeaux Wine - Day 2

It's an hour and a half drive from where we're staying in a vineyard in Entre deux Mers to Saint Julien in the Medoc. 

We arrive in time for at delightful lunch at Le St Julien. In spite of not having CJ's first main choice and first wine selection, we have a very good meal highlighted by the scallop entrée.

 

 

 

Between lunch and our 3pm tasting appointment we make a quick drive through Pulliac and St Estephe.  These are the chateaus of Pichon, Cos, and Lafitte. It's harvest.

 

 

 

 



We have a private tasting at Ducru Beaucaillou. Our guide, Rene is a rip.  We are told there will be no walking but Rene is proud of the estate and walks poor Carol all over it; the crutches being left in the car. Their barrel cave is built in an underground concrete bunker for temperature control.  The three wines tasted elegant and superb.

 

 

 

Arriving back at the B&B, we're now in our originally programmed second floor room with the view of the vineyards.  The owners graciously bring a light meal to the room to save Carol another climb.

Bordeau Wine - Day 1

Fighting construction and morning traffic we arrive with only a few minutes to spare at Chateau Marquis d’Alesme in Marguax.  We are lucky.  This is a new facility, three years in the making and has just recently opened. Two very nice women conduct the tour and the tasting.

 

 

Our plans for lunch get completely buggered. We have a lunch reservation for noon.  We don't leave the left bank winery until noon and our next appointment is in St Emilion as is our restaurant reservation.  Between heavy traffic and not having a good address for the restaurant we never make it there. We have only time for fast food before working hard to find our next appointment.

Whenever we ask directions we're told we can't go there since its not open to the public. Please just tell us how to find the bloody place!

We eventually find Chateau Angelus, one of the two or three best properties in St. Emilion. It's another beautiful property with architectural attention to detail.



 

 

It's nearly four when we depart for our new hotel located to the south in the middle of the Bordeaux vineyards.

 

Our reserved room is on the second floor.  We take a first floor room for the first evening.  Tomorrow we must go back up to the second floor room since they are full and they cannot offer this better room to others because of the overlapping reservations. We have a simple dinner and drinks at the hotel.

Bordeaux

There is no more avoiding the toll roads no matter the outrageous cost. On the road shortly before 10, we arrive in Bordeaux shortly after five.  In order to enjoy the city, we have an American style lunch in the car.

The motorway is dotted by beautiful hill top French villages along the way as well as a quick look at spectacular Carcassonne second only to Le Mont St Michel in magnificence. GPS lady takes us directly to our quaint boutique hotel that has a great central location in downtown Bordeaux.

CJ pushes Carol in the wheel chair around downtown Bordeaux all evening.  We begin with drinks along the Gironde River.

 

We pass through one of the original gates of the city.  There are many outdoor cafés and most of packed.

 

We enjoy a good meal and wine at Brasserie Bordalais.  Carol has a pork and chestnut dish while CJ cannot pass the ris de veau (sweetbreads).

 

After taking the recommended night photographs, CJ returns Carol to the room.  He is dripping wet from pushing the wheel chair.

 

Lome Visit

High above Grenoble, there is fortress.  On exiting the city we finally get a picture of it.  On a future visit we will take the cable car to it.

It has been nearly two years since we visited Christian and Dominique at Christmas. We depart from Grenoble in the late morning for a meandering drive to Chateaurenard, a small village just outside of Avignon. Carol insists we stay off the toll roads.  Next time she insists, she drives even if she has a broken foot. This time the drive is more picturesque with the mountains close by on the left but it is still a drive of too many round-about and too many villages and their 30mph speed limits.

Once again we randomly pick a restaurant along the road and it turns out to be marvelous.

Shortly before arriving in Avignon we stop in a small village along the Rhone River.  There is a fortress high above an ancient village.  Can you see the fortress?

The reunion includes the entire family with Antoine and Sara joining with Vincent and his new girlfriend, Leah. Good wines and good conversation dominate the evening of friendship. Christian brings four bottles for CJ to select one.  It's relatively easy to eliminate two of them since we've had them previously.  The final two are difficult.  The choice is between a good local wine we've never had and a 1990 St. Estephe.  Any 1990 Bordeaux cannot be passed.

 

The evening adjourns at a good time for everyone.  Dominique must work early in the morning, the children must drive to their homes, and we need to get up early and get on the road.

The Day After

As arranged the car was left up in the mountains at the reception venue and a private van delivered a group of us back to the apartment between 2AM and 3AM.  The next bus was scheduled for the hard partiers at 4AM. It got stuck in the mud and those folks were shuttled back in three deliveries with the last ones getting to town after 5AM.

A van will take us to the brunch at noon. We get seven hours sleep; a lot of folks get four or less.

Brunch is at the same location and is wilder than the wedding.  Our table is constantly breaking into song.  In fact Didier has come with a folder of song sheets. Various pictures show Joelle leading singing with our table providing the chorus, Didier and the father of the groom bursting into song with others including Joseph.

 

 

We didn't realize that Friday was Didier's birthday.  His cake is death by chocolate.

The immediate families, that would include us must tear down and clean the venue before leaving. Carol is folding the dozens of Japanese umbrellas hanging around the hall.

We pass by the newlywed's new condo to see the beginning of their remodeling adventure and to open our gift before returning to the apartment.

 

At 8PM, those of us staying in the apartment complex gather for final cocktails.  Didier and Jocelyne have prepared various dinners for us to take back to our rooms.  By the time we complete dinner and dishes and perform some initial packing it's nearly midnight.

Reception Part II - Dinner and Partying

There are 10 tables and one bet you can take to the bank is that action central is wherever Didier is.  Our table is easily the wildest and craziest of the evening. The tables have been named for places in Japan.  We are seated at Kyoto.

 

The meal is the one quiet time remaining before things get crazy.

 

Joelle, Jocelyne's mother begins the shenanigans.

 

I'm fairly certain Carol's doctor didn't have this in mind when he took off the cast and put her in the boot.  Didier is dancing with her in the wheelchair spinning her and somehow not injuring other dancers. Then Joseph dances a fast one with her with Yves dancing a slow one; and these were not the only dances for her!

 

 

Let the record show that the next day her foot was badly swollen and she was icing it.