Who forgot the camera?

Friday is a lazy day, everyone is tired and Judy is coming down with the flu. The boys spend their time reading and doing homework. In the afternoon Judy had her first Tunisian cooking lesson with Rachel and I took the boys for a leisurely 15km ride to a neighboring town. On the way back we passed Joseph and Arlette’s house and were invited in for a cold drink which we appreciated very much. While we were away Rachel and Judy had been preparing a feast for us all. We shared this feast with not only Rachel and Dominique but also two of their sons, Matthew and Mark, along with their partners Marie and Yaite and of course Mini Rachel. There was much lively discussion and fun to be had while we developed an instant appreciation for this new style of food. A great night was had by all except we forgot to take photos, sorry.

Angus. The boy made of chocolate.

Thursday is mostly a rest day, we only have two important things to do today. The first is going to Damville and Michel Cluizel’s Chocolatrium to finish the visit we started almost 3 weeks ago. Obviously this gave the boys great delight. On the way we stopped for breakfast/brunch/lunch or whatever meal it was (the long days are playing havoc with our body clocks) and Angus was greeted by the joy of chocolate crepes. He was then heard to comment “I love this country; you can have chocolate for every meal.” Of course Cluizel’s was awash with magnificent Chocolate treats as well as a fine educational museum and factory viewing of fine chocolates being handmade. After some selections were made from the praiseworthy offerings we made our way home. Our next journey was a short trip to the house of Rachel’s brother, Joseph and his wife Arlette. We have been invited to enjoy an afternoon aperitif and feel honored. We have a wonderful afternoon enjoying more wonderful French hospitality and some entertaining conversation while the children play in the yard. At this point we think our holiday has been perfect.

Mont-St-Michel or bust

28th July, Dominique and Rachel are taking us on a great adventure today; we will be visiting Mont-St-Michel. We leave early and along the way we stop at the small medieval town of Domfront perched atop a hill, complete with walls and a beautiful church which is about to undergo a major restoration. Unfortunately if you were to stop and take photos at every interesting town along the way you would never get anywhere so after a smooth trip we are greeted by the truly magnificent sight of Mont-St-Michel looming as a silhouette in the hazy distance. When we arrive at the tidal wetland lying in front of the island we are stunned by not only the stark tidal nature of the environment but also the grandeur of the structures which make Mont-St-Michel what it is. This was certainly one of the most wonderful things we had seen in France so far; however Rachel and Dominique had another ace up their sleeve today. On Dominique drove just up into the Brittany coast where we were confused by what lay in front of us, was it a castle, strange but large terrace houses or the work of a deranged architect. The answer was St Malo, a walled town/city perched at the mouth of the river Rance. It wasn’t until we were much closer that we made sense of the buildings jutting above the top of the 10m thick wall. We spent the afternoon walking the ramparts and the streets of this seaside wonder, staring out at the harbor which we knew in six hours time would be filled by an extra 5m of water due to the incredible tidal flow in this region. On the way home we paused for dinner at a Chinese restaurant where we had a chance to thank Dominique and Rachel for the truly magnificent day they had organized for us.

Monet's Backyard

27th July, how good are Monet’s gardens? Not only was he a great impressionist but also pretty handy with the Dynamic Lifter and a wheelbarrow. But seriously after the easy drive to Giverny it was easy for all the family to see how Monet was inspired to create his masterpieces. Harrison was so inspired that he decided that it was time to learn how to use the SLR camera, after which it was hard to pry from his creative grasp. The soft summer light, the lazy water lilies and vivid floral displays all combine to create a tiny paradise on the banks of the river. Although we had been at the gardens for hours we didn’t realize as we had been so engrossed by what we had seen on the day.
Another great adventure, followed by home made pizza and the promise of an even greater adventure tomorrow.

Rest and schoolwork

Monday is our rest day. The family needs to recharge after the last week and the boys also need to do some homework (no escape). Andrew, Angus and Harrison went for a ride in the afternoon along the quiet country roads where they decided there may be no better place to ride. After a very quiet day we prepare dinner for our new French family and have a fun filled evening, trading stories across the table. The boys even got to watch the first “Planet of the Apes” in English; we classified this as school work (history of cinema). We are looking forward to tomorrow as we are going to Giverny to see Monet’s’ Gardens.

Eiffel Tour, Tour de Tower, maybe Tower and Tour

The Eiffel Tower is BIG, it dominates the view from many places in Paris and although it may be argued that it lacks the architectural subtleties of many of the fine buildings in Paris it draws the eye none the less. Today we will visit the Tower twice so we make our now very organized way to Versailles, eat some bread and cheese while waiting for the train and make our way to Paris. Our first visit to the Tower today is for lunch at Restaurant 58, which is on the first floor at 58 metres from street level. The view was great looking back up toward Trocadero and the food was fine. After a very lazy 2 hours we made our way back down to the Seine for another cruise which was included with our lunch package. Amazingly rather than being a repeat of our first cruise it was amazing how many more details we picked from the scenery as we cruised by. Of course today is also the last day of the Tour de France so after the cruise we assisted the rest of Paris in lining the entry road to the city and cheering the riders on. We then moved on to the Champs Elise so that we could watch the closing minutes of the race. After a quick dinner we trotted back to the Tower to make our 8pm booking for the top. The view was of course spectacular and the boys were determined not to leave until the sun went down and the lights came on. Angus and Harrison staked out their spot looking to the west and bravely defended it for well over an hour against the occasionally forceful hoards until they had their way and were rewarded with a golden sunset and a spectacular light show. Another huge day for the Brooks family in Paris, but also the last, as its time to go other places.

The return to Versaille

Hey, hey it’s Saturday. We have decided on a quiet day today as tomorrow is going to be huge, so we are returning to Versailles Palace to do the gardens justice and finish off a little of the museum. Again the museum is wonderful but the gardens are a whole other story. As they stretch on for km’s we felt a hired golf buggy was in order. Judy promptly nicked the keys and was disappointed to find that the buggies are not powered by 350 Chevrolet engines like her Statesman. The gardens and fountains were magnificent, Angus and Harrison, along with us, were in awe of the sheer magnitude of this floral wonderland. If we could get Mum over here she could spend days having a good look around. Fortunately we were home early and in bed ready for our next adventure.

We are sailing

Friday has dawned and we are all exhausted but the show must go on. Part of our Pass includes a Seine River cruise and we were not going to miss it. So off to Versailles once more where we have discovered one of the joys of France, the produce market. At these markets you have your choice of over 3 million local cheeses, chicken cooked 126 different ways any fruit or vegetable you like and more bread than an army could eat. So we have been doing things the French way, buy some bread, cheese and other ingredients and make your own while sitting at the train station, very fast food. We make our way into Paris and to the Cruise which is very relaxing when you can sit while others drive and tell you what’s happening. A lot of time was wasted today due to the ways of the Metro and by the time we got to that big churchy thing (Notre Dam) we were unable to go on to St Chapell. However Notre Dam is a true monument to the architectural and building skills of the time. Before going home we visited Lafeyettes department store which we had been told was a must see, however it was so overwhelming that Judy couldn’t even shop for shoes properly.

We meet Sophia at the Louvre

Thursday 22/7. Sophia arrives at the Louvre. For anyone who is unaware Anthony (Andrews’ brother) and his wife Rita have been expecting a new baby. Well, she arrived this morning and we received photos of her via Apple hand held technology just after we entered the Egyptian exposition at the Louvre, and yes before anyone says anything, it is open today. Well the Louvre was fantastic and we enjoyed it very much but even all its splendor couldn’t hold a candle to the arrival of our new little niece and the news that all the family were well. Judy and Harrison even got a photo in front of Moaning Lisa by Leo Whatsisname. When we had finished at the Louvre we made our way to the Champs Elise to explore the shopping and cultural highlights of the area. While there Harrison produced one of his usual masterpieces to be hung on the wall of the Toyota eco display. A quick pizza at a nice place down the road and then off home to rest up for another big day.

Versailles

Versailles, Versailles, Versailles. There isn’t much you can say about Versailles except that it is the greatest monument to excess which is imaginable. It is simultaneously beautiful and almost frightening for the totality of power which it represented in its glory days. The most wonderful experience, the boys couldn’t get enough of the museum and the grounds.

Swimming at the Louvre

NOTICE the Louvre is closed on Tuesday, everyone remember this when you visit Paris. Obviously we discovered this the hard way, however it didn’t matter as we made good time into Paris today by driving to Versailles and the catching a train straight to our destination. So after realizing the error of our ways we stuck our feet in the fountain pools at the louvre to try to get some relief from the heat. Moving on 100m we made our way to the Museum of Decorative Arts. This was a surprise package, a great variety of arts are covered with something for everyone, fashion for Mum, furniture for Dad, toys and advertising for the boys. After some more red bus touring we stopped for dinner at our first Parisian restaurant. It was here that we met our waiter who obviously enjoyed Fawlty Towers and had modeled his waiting style after Manuel. Much more fun on TV than in reality. After this 3 hour debacle we made our way home again getting in at about 1 am.

P Day

Monday 19/7, P Day, Otherwise known as Paris Pass day. We have been looking forward to starting our pass days but we also know that it will be hectic. Our day starts with the early train from Vernoil after which we arrived at Monparnasse Station. From here our Metro odyssey begins. When we arrived at the Paris pass office we were pleasantly surprised to find that our passes were for 6 days not 5. We walked around the corner sat on the grass, in the shade, in front of the Eiffel Tower and had some lunch before continuing. It was the time for the red bus tour around Paris where we tried to get our bearings for future reference. After hopping on the red bus again we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe where we enjoyed the queue jumping benefits of the Paris Pass for the first time. The view from this monument is wonderful as is the monument itself. Our next real stop was the Maritime Museum which was extremely interesting. As we still had to figure out transport home we decided to get home early and regroup for day 2.

Off and Racing

Today is race day. We are going to Le Mans to explore the race track and the Museum. On the way we stop at Alencon which is yet another beautiful town which just pops up as you drive along. When we get to Le Mans, the tracks museum gets a thorough workover. Dad wondered if anyone would notice if he slipped out with a couple of the cars on display. We then purchased a track pass and had a good look at the permanent track. As there were roadworks outside the track we couldn’t do the public road section which completes the track, so we will come back for another crack at that. We then travelled on to Chatre for the light show. It was here while eating Pizza for dinner that we noticed that everyone here appears to eat Pizza with a knife and fork, we may have to change our habits. Eventually it got dark (about 10.30) and the light show began. There was not only a stunning musical display set against the cathedral but also a walking tour with light shows depicting the history of the ancient town. Another huge day getting back home at about 2am.

A day to remember

Well another day has dawned and we are up early for our next adventure, we have decided to explore the D roads in an effort to get to Villers-Bretonneux where we will visit the memorials to Australian and Commonwealth troops. All started well however we soon realized that French backroads go through many towns, slowing the journey considerably. Even though slow the journey was memorable for the people we met along the way, like Isabella the host at a café where we stopped, she was lovely and the situation was proof that even without French language skills you can still make friends. Judy even let Isabella serve her the second shot of coffee she has had in 20 years as she didn’t have the heart to ask for a tea and would have killed someone to get to a toilet (buying something is the only way in France). Eventually we made it to the outskirts of Villiers where we found the Adelaide Cemetery. The boys were stunned by the number of headstones in this small cemetery and the fact that well over half were young Australian men. We then travelled on through Villiers to the Commonwealth memorial where for the first time we met some other Australian tourists. The Cemetery itself is enormous and the memorial imposing. It’s hard not to be moved by this place. We look out in every direction to the signposted battle fields, which now lay silent as farms and quiet villages under the golden glow of the sun as it hangs low in the West. Today has been very long and we don’t have time to make Chartres for the light show so having learnt our lesson we take the National Highway back home.

Our first Bastille Day

On Wednesday we went to Le Mesnil (just outside Paris) for lunch with some people we met on house exchange, their names are Fabrice and Laurence. We had lunch and then went for a walk around the suburb and then we walked through the forest. The forest was bright green and had lots of bugs. Most of the houses didn’t have fences, which really added to the sense of community within the suburb. When we arrived home we went out for dinner in Vernoil with Dominique and Rachel . Their daughter in law was singing at the restaurant which made a great end to our first ever Bastille Day.

Our first full day in France

On Tuesday we had breakfast with Rachel and Dominique where we discussed our plans, then we went for a walk around Ruel Le Gadeliere before going for a drive into Verneuil where we went grocery shopping. We came home and had pasta for dinner before going back to Verneuil where we had something to drink at a bar. As France was in readiness for its Bastille Day celebrations, there was a band playing in the town square. Then when we had finished our drinks we went to another part of town to watch a fireworks display. The fireworks were the best that I had ever seen.

Helsinki or just plain Hell

When we got to Helsinki we got something to eat and then sat around for 9 hours, before getting on a plane to Paris. The plane was hopeless there weren’t any TV’s or sick bags which Harrison needed while we were landing.
We were very lucky that Dominique came to pick us from the airport. He then took us to his house, it looked exactly as it did in the photos we had seen of it.

Farewell Hong Kong

On Sunday we had a lazy day. We went to a dim sum restaurant with Yammy for brunch, then we walked around a nice cool shopping center and had a look at the shops. After this we found Yammys school and enjoyed some wonderful performances by the students, obviously Yammy and her colleagues work extremely hard to provide for their students.
That night we went with Yammy to a western restaurant before getting a taxi to the airport were we had sad goodbyes with Natalie, her family and her boyfriend, Mandy and her boyfriend, Yammy and last but not least Peggy. Mandy’s boyfriend got us some Chinese medicine which dad was panicking about because he had put it in the luggage and thought it might explode on the plane. We then got on the plane to Helsinki, it was a long flight but at least we could sleep.

Stanley and The Peak

It’s Saturday and Yammy has got the day off. We are all going to Stanley markets today with Peggy, Mandy, Angela and Avis. The bus trip to Stanley was great as we were at the top of a double decker where we were able to see much of the hustle and bustle not easily seen from ground level.
Stanley is a different side of Hong Kong where obvious wealth and all its trappings are on display for all to see. The markets were an interesting mix of old world charm in a modern setting. Some hard bargaining was done and bags were filled before moving onto the Maritime Museum where the relics and recreations gave a great insight into Chinas’ seafaring past.
Moving on from Stanley the girls took us to one of the other highlights of the week, eating out.
Tonight it was Taiwanese cuisine in Hong Kong Central and then on to the Peak. This was a breath of fresh air, literally, as the altitude gave us some relief from the unrelenting steamy heat of the lowlands. The view is truly impressive giving a city lit panorama of Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour stretching all the way to the New Territories. A quick cable tram ride back to the city saw us on our way home again for a very late night finish to a hectic variety filled day.

Ocean Park and more

Friday has dawned and once again we are faced with a sunny 37 degrees of humid Hong Kong weather. (niiice)
Our adventure today sees Natalie and Peggy escorting us to Hong Kongs Famous Ocean Park, a theme park with a strong conservation message concerning Chinese flora and fauna with a particular focus on Pandas. We catch the MTR once again to Admiralty Station and then by bus to the park. Our immediate impression is of the enormity of the park, it scales two mountainsides and has the largest cable car ride we have ever seen just to get between separate sections of the park. Again the girls local knowledge comes to the fore seeing us access the best rides and attractions at the best times. We were lucky enough to see one of the giant Pandas in action with Angus in hot pursuit for photo opportunities, along with the red pandas who appear to enjoy all the attention.
We also had a landmark day for rides with Harrison going on his first big ride, the “Raging River” and Judy going on the cable car. Again we stayed until stumps and by the time we arrived home it was 10.30pm.
Our Daughters had once again given us a fantastic experience.

Shopping, shopping, shopping

Thursday has dawned with Angus feeling unwell and a day of shopping in Mon Kok ahead of us.
We venture onto the MTR ourselves today, and have no trouble using this superb rail system to make our way to the rendezvous with Natalie, Peggy and Mandy. We did a bit of looking around before meeting the girls and the getting down to a bit of shopping. All was going well until Angus became too unwell to continue. However before leaving we had the honor of meeting Natalie’s very charming boyfriend Edgar.
As Angus was below par we had our only early night in Hong Kong with Yammy bringing home some local takeaway which was scrumptious.

Disneyland here we come

Well it’s Wednesday and the girls have planned a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. We met Natalie and Peggy at Yuen Long station and had another flawless trip on the MTR. At Disney it was as hot as a furnace, but because of good planning we were able to stay out of the sun. Nat and Peggys’ local knowledge allowed us to see much more of the park than we would have done by ourselves.
The boys had a ball at the park, riding all of the rides our Hong Kong Daughters recommended as well as visiting the best attractions. Harrison loved the Buzz Lightyear ride as well as having photos taken with the space ranger himself. Angus had a great time taking photos with the girls and riding the Space Mountain Rollercoaster. The finale for the day was the fireworks display over the Magic Castle which was watched by a sea of people.
Again we made our way home by MTR where we were treated to Yammys’ mothers’ homemade dumplings for dinner. At this time Yammy arrived home from another incredibly long day at work and was able to take Natalie and Peggy back to the MTR for their trip home.
Another long but very exciting 18 hour day for us but the girls appear to take days like this in their stride.

We have been very busy in Hong Kong, the weather is very hot and humid. On Tuesday we walked around where we are staying. It was an interesting experience, the food markets were not like anything we have ever seen before.
It's not like Australia when you go to food markets in Sydney, you can see all different races but not here! we were the only Westerners, people looked at us and nodded their heads to say hello, we didn't feel unsafe at all. Hong kong is a funny place like that, there are so many people and it is so busy, but all of the Hong Kong people are very polite.
We met Natalie, one of our home stay students, she took us to a real Hong Kong restaurant for lunch, the menu was in Cantonese only, it was a great experience, you place your order and within 2 minutes it is in front of you. From there Natalie took us to the Science Museum, it is 3 or 4 levels, the boys loved it, from there we went shopping then took the MTR to Natalie's house where we met Mandy another of our home stay students. Some of their friends joined us Peggy, Joyce and Tanya (there were 6 girls, Natalie's family and us). we shared a real Honkonese meal cooked by Natalie's mother and her sister Kathy, it was amazing.
All the girls came on the MTR to bring us back to Yammy,s place by this time it was 11pm.
Poor Harrison he was asleep standing up on the way home.

1st Step, Hong Kong

Well here we are in bustling Hong Kong. Our flight was very easy and the boys were very relaxed. Amazing sights, sounds and smells greeted us in Hong Kong.

We ate out with Yammy and her family last night. This morning we have explored the local food market streets, we have never seen so many heads still on dead animals.
This afternoon Natalie is meeting us and we are headed to a secret destination.
Very exciting.