All the Bad in Brittany

Ok, our trip was really fun but it didn’t come without its problems. We rented a car when we arrived from Hertz. I didn’t take the insurance because I thought that we had a base coverage through Opodo, the site I used to reserve the car. Well, apparently, I was wrong.

On our way down south we got a nail in the tire and it deflated right on the freeway. We immediately pulled over and Valerie called Hertz. Hertz said that it wasn’t covered and we needed to pay for that. On top of that, we needed to call a tow truck because it is illegal to change a tire on the freeway. Well, there was no way we were going to pay for a tow truck and a tire out of our pockets so I quickly changed the tire to the spare and got the hell out of dodge.

Anyway, the next day we went to the garage to have the tire fixed. It was only 20 euros for the repair so it wasn’t that big of deal. Now here’s the whammy. On the way out of the garage I rear ended another car. Boom! No insurance for the tire repair and now an accident. Well, it so happened that there was no damage to the rental car except a bent license plate. However, the other car, I must add was a piece of crap Twingo, had some bumper damage. Initially, I had given Hertz a caution of 670 euros. Our first thought was there goes our 670 euros so we decided we would ask the person (a woman in her 70s) if they would have the car checked out without going through insurance hoping it might be cheaper. A day later the husband gets back to us and says it will be 1200 euros. 1200 EUROS, for a little bumper damage on a car that is probably worth no more than 3000 euros. There was another dent in the back of the trunk that I don't believe we caused and I guarantee the garage wanted to fix that too. Of course, we said no and are now waiting for the response from Hertz. Hopefully we will get back some of our caution… On a side note, I just subscribed for an American Express card which will cover these types of problems next time.

All the Good in Brittany

I have to say Brittany is beautiful. Everyone says don’t expect to see the sun while you are there but for some reason we must have brought it with us. Located in the west of France bordering the Atlantic and the English Channel it tends to get weather typical of the UK. But during our trip it rained the first 2 days and then it was sun, sun, sun.

First, Brittany is well known for crepes, seafood and its beautiful architecture in which we were not disappointed. We spent 2 days visiting St Malo (a fortified port city still surrounded by the walls of the original fortress located on the English Channel) and Mont St Michele (town that was built on a small island 1 kilometer from the shore).

The Mont St Michele is really an architectural beauty. At certain times of the year when the tide is high the island is completely surrounded by water and it appears as if the town springs from the depths of the sea. As you enter the gates of the town you follow a cobble stone path that circles around the island town to the highest point on the island where the cathedral is located. We really enjoyed the beauty of the Mont St Michele however there were way to many tourists when we were there. Along with the rain and the massive crowds it made it difficult to really enjoy walking through its cobble stone streets.

I want to make quick mention to the town we stayed in the first night called Dinard. This is a beautiful seaside town with houses easily rivaling anything in California. They were huge!! We would have liked to stay a couple of days there but we were a bit anxious to get over to the Atlantic Ocean.

Anyway, once we arrived in the south of Brittany to a town called Erdeven the sun came out. We stayed in a Mobile Home about ¼ miles from the beach. We spent the next 5 days visiting beautiful little villages along the ocean, meeting locals, basking in the sun, swimming and even a little surfing. The amount of people surfing rather surprised me but also made me happy since it was easy to find a rental shop so I could go.

I can’t stop writing without mentioning the food. Seafood, crepes and beer was the theme or more specifically mussels and oysters. I ate mussels twice maybe 3 times, I lost count, and Valerie ate crepes a couple of times. One night we stopped in an oyster farm where the oysters are fresh from the water. They are opened up right in front of you and you find yourself a seat on the ground or at a table if you are lucky and eat oysters with a nice bottle of Sancerre. The best part is that they forgot to charge us so it was all free! And I have to mention the beer, I don’t get this one. The beer is really good in Brittany. They have tons of great microbrews but they don’t sell them anywhere else in France. Beer every else in France sucks. WHY???

Bise in Ardeche

For the final weekend of my Mom's visit here in Lyon we did a home exchange and once again it was extremely successful. Well, technically the person who we exchanged with stayed at our place back in July so last weekend was our turn. Bise is about 2 hours southwest of Lyon in the middle of NOWHERE. In the village you will find 2 bed and breakfasts and a very small store carrying regional specialties including wine and anything made from chestnuts.

The home was nothing out of the ordinary, 2 bedrooms and a small garden in front but what made it spectacular was the view. The house is on the hill overlooking the valley and mountains.Besides the small village below there was nothing in front of us for miles. Even the sound of cars were missing.

In the afternoon we visited some of the region's beautiful medieval villages and at night we relaxed and enjoyed the serenity. We could have easily stayed there a couple more days. It was a wonderful way to end my Mom's visit in France. Hopefully next time she is here will find something just as exciting.

On a side note, Mathieu was missing her on Monday.

Mathieu Attempting to Crawl

Mathieu Goes Mobile for Grandma

Mathieu is finally crawling. With the arrival of Grandma, Mathieu has decided to progress to the next level. In the last week 3 new teeth came out and he started to move around. Now we are really going to have to start paying attention to him. I have already secured most of the front room but we are going to have to start closing doors so he doesn’t go in places he shouldn’t be.

Grandma arrived last Thursday and has become our live-in nanny since our real nanny (who isn’t a live-in nanny by the way) has taken the month of August off. Anyway come the month of September Mathieu will be going to Day Care instead. We believe Day Care will be better for his development since he will be around more kids. However, I am not looking forward to more runny noses.

On another note, he has also started to develop his personality. He is becoming really good at throwing little tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants. Over the last few months mommy has been feeding Mathieu off her plate anytime she is eating. Now Mathieu thinks that every time someone is eating he should get some and throws his little tantrum which sounds a bit like the roar of a Lion. This is a bit irritating. Hopefully this stage passes soon. I will add some new pics soon.

The Alps continue to amaze me

It is fun to live in Lyon but it is also great to get out of Lyon. On the weekends we like to get out of the city and head to Val’s fathers. It is always a pleasure to be in the mountains winter or summer and the Alps definitely hold true to their reputation of one of the world’s most beautiful mountain ranges. In the summer Val’s father likes to go up into the mountains to eat and hike and each time we visit a different place. Now, we have been here for 4 years and we have experienced many different restaurants, trails, waterfalls, valleys, cows, sheep, lambs, chickens, etc. You would have thought by now that we would have exhausted the list but this weekend definitely didn’t disappoint us.

On Saturday Val and I were on our own so we took Mathieu to an ecological lake in Combloux. Combloux is a ski town just below one of the more famous ski towns in the French Alps called Megeve. They have created a mountain lake for swimming with clear, pure water that requires no chemicals to clean it. Aquatic plants, a fountain, a waterfall with a running stream all guarantee an irreproachable water quality. But the coolest thing about this lake is the view. You look up and the Mt Blanc is towering above. On a side note, I had the best tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life there. It was not a traditional tiramisu but a tiramisu made with rum and pineapple. EXCELLENT!!

Following our swimming adventure we headed over to Megeve. Megeve is similar to Chamonix. It is a charming little ski town that is as alive in summer as in winter. When we arrived there was a welcoming reception. A band was playing and they gave us a glass of champagne. It wasn’t really a welcoming committee we just stumbled across it and everything was free so we decided to take part. Then we took a walk through the village stopped for a beer and did some people watching until Mathieu told us it was time to head home. This town is well worth visiting any time of year.

Sunday Val’s father, once again, amazed us. We went for a picnic in the mountains at the Cirque du fer à cheval (basically a cul de sac in the mountains). You walk the trail at the base of the mountains and at one point you can see about 7 different waterfalls that drop more than 100 feet. All the waterfalls flow into a river at the bottom that snakes down through the valley. Just when you think you have seen it all in the Alps you stumble across another hidden gem.

Bastille Day

One more photo. Yes, as my wife says, we need a new camera.

Well, we were unable to go out with friends because Mathieu was giving us a bit a trouble. Instead, at 10pm we got into bed, turned off all the lights and this is what we saw.

Lesson learned

Last weekend we decided to go hiking. Valerie was dying to see the Lac Blanc (White Lake) which is tucked away at 7500 ft in the mountain range of the Alps just across from the Mt Blanc and above the town of Chamonix. Well, of course we had no one to leave Mathieu with so he decided to come with us.

To start the hike you can either hike from the town below or take the gondola up to about 6000 ft and then start your hike there. We opted for the gondola. From the top of the gondola the hike takes about 1 hour 45 minutes of walking straight up the mountain side and another 2 hours 45 minutes to descend, since you are actually doing a circle route around the back of the mountain. On the way up there are 3 glaciers to see descending towards the valley of Chamonix, the Mt Blanc and the Aiguilles de Midi, not to forget the lush valley below. The views are just magnificent. When you arrive at the lake there is a small Refuge that sits right at the edge of the lake which is perfect for having lunch or just a quick beer. The lake in itself is not all that impressive. It is rather small (more like a pond than a lake) and mostly covered in ice and snow. However, the panorama is surreal and as you descend down the back side of the mountain you stumble across the real treasures. During the descent we came across 3 small lakes, a waterfall that fell about 150 ft through a crevice in the mountain and a couple of mountain goats.

Now I know this all sounds amazing and it definitely was. But let’s step back to the first paragraph where I mention that we took Mathieu. Hiking up 1500 ft with a kid on your back is not easy, add a few sections with stairs and it becomes even harder. But don’t forget about the ladders as well and sliding through the snow sections. Overall, he didn’t suffer only I did. After 4 hours of hiking, the beautiful valley and glaciers start to become less intriguing. And once the blisters set in and your back starts to hurt it becomes even less intriguing. By the 4^th hour I was ready to be sitting in Chamonix with a beer in hand watching the people pass by.

Funny that the next day my legs were hurting but Valerie, on the other hand felt great. Anyway that is the last time we will be doing a hike that involves Mathieu on my back, 4+ hours, and a steep incline.