Pierrefonds, France

Well, I know that you all have been screaming for a post from me, and as I was looking for past ideas, I stumbled onto this post which, well, never quite made it, so here you go! I'll get another post to you later.

Near the end of our thousand-plus kilometer venture, we found this small town, Pierrefonds. Pierrefonds is a small town located approximately NW of Paris by about 60-70 kilometers (35-40 miles). Overall our stay there was thoroughly enjoyable, we stayed at a "2-star hotel" but it felt more like a 4-star with the perfect view of the castle and surrounding country, a full size bathroom, and a location in central Pierrefonds. You may of noticed that I mentioned castle... well Pierrefonds has the biggest and most complete castle that I have ever seen. It features eight towers, a grand hall, chapel, an amazing crypt, along with the ability to go through the entire castle just by yourself, on a self guided tour. Frankly I find this amazing. In America it would probably be quarantined and "preserved," basically cut off from the people.

Another reason that I find Pierrefonds so wonderful though is that it is so well kept. Flowers on the tables, lawn cut, and all the stones perfect and polished. It really is something else. My experience was that the whole castle was incredibly surreal, and I found it intriguing to imagine a cart being hauled up the path by a donkey, traders calling their wares. The entire experience is amazing, right from it's origins.

In fact, Pierrefonds was originally built by Louis of Valois (the Duke of Orleans) and King Charles VI, in the late 1300's. But it was demolished two centuries later. The ruins sat there for centuries until they attracted the noice of Napoleon III, in the 1850's, who had it rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc in the medieval style. Initially they were actually only going to work on the keep (central fortress in the castle) and leave the rest in ruins, but over time they modified the plans to finish the castle. Pierrefonds was completed in 1884, finished but unfurnished because of the war of 1870. It still only has a few benches and chairs.

For me Pierrefonds was one of my favorite cities, and I will try to go again someday in my future. I could spend a good amount of time at this nice, historic, and quaint town, which is not only off the tourist tack, but overflowing with history.

weekend peek at Sienna

We have grandiose plans of seeing all of Tuscany. Will it happen? It remains to be seen.

It is certainly (certa) a good goal, nestled somewhere between settling into routine life in Florence---with school, soccer, and regular walks to food markets and espresso bars---and running all over to see everything.

We have been busier settling into school and soccer and our new apartment than we have been looking outward at the Tuscan hillsides. Though we did steal away to Fiesole for a day. And this past weekend grabbed the train to Sienna for an overnight.

A quaint hill town, Sienna is very well-kept and picturesque, with just a handful of must-see landmarks. We hopped into the Duomo of Sienna and around the Piazza del Campo, climbed tiny circular stairs up the to-be second facade of the church (there were plans to double the size of the church, and archways and museums highlighting the enormity of their goal).

And we ran into friends. How shocking to hear someone say your name, while traveling in a foreign country. A friend I had not seen---but had been very fond of---since graduate school (marriage & family therapy), was there celebrating an anniversary with her husband. And there we all were; so we grabbed a bottle of wine under an awning overlooking the plaza and carved out some time to catch up. Great to see you Layna!

Other highlights from Sienna: all the hanging laundry out the windows made for great photos, one very delicious meal (in contrast to one very non-delicious meal), and my first purchase of Tuscan pottery: a sangria pitcher (store link www.sangiovannistyle.it). Plus, we were intrigued with all the symbols for neighborhoods (Sienna is known, historically, for its strong neighborhoods): street lamps ran up and down streets, and were painted specific to the color codes and detail of each neighborhood.

Info: the great restaurant was La Taverna di Cecco. Skip the risotto but hail to the polenta, veal scallopini, cheese plate, wine... and ambiance. We had dinner there, then went back for lunch the next day. After a summer of lots-of-eating-out, we have learned that when you find a gem, stick to it. So we did.

Top 5 Memories from July 2009

Now that we have safely passed mid-September, it is time for me to stop procrastinating and write my memories.

To start with, what was NOT in one of my top memories: Hot Weather. We expected to be basking in the sun during our summer in central Europe; in fact, we had planned to ride early mornings to avoid the heat. However, it never happened (in fact, it rained frequently). The moderate Seattle-like weather turned out to be perfect cycling conditions for traversing the mountains of Belgium and France. If it had been 100 degrees, I suspect we may have never made it – a blessing in disguise.

Top 5 Memories for July 2009: Here it goes…

5. Maastricht Café Scene. Maastricht is the prototypical European city absent the crowds of American tourists. It is home to several universities that attract professors, students and visitors from across Europe (drawing a diverse group of people together). We spent days walking the city and soaking up the famous Maastricht Café Scene. Coffee shops and bars flood the streets throughout the city center, making Maastricht a fantastic place for people watching. Janelle and I went for walks every morning, then reposed in the afternoon with the boys at any café that caught our attention – simply reading, journaling or playing cards. We loved it! (see: Maaaahhhhstricht!)

4. Go-Karting. As sports enthusiasts, we are naturally adrenaline junkies. So we jumped at the opportunity to race go-karts in Mariemboug, Belgium. It was a much-needed diversion in the midst of high mountain plateaus. We had a fantastic time racing around the track, bumping each other and spinning out. It was an adrenaline rush that exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend it! (The only downside was that Janelle was ill that day and was unable to join us on the track).

3. Musee d’Orsay. Notwithstanding our go-kart addiction, we DO appreciate the arts. We had a fabulous time at the Musee d’Orsay. Unlike the Louvre (which spans millennia and all major geographical regions of the world), the Musee d’Orsay concentrates on the impressionist movement (late 1850 – 1915). The museum is easy to enjoy in a one-day visit to Paris (and much easier to tour than the Louvre). The Musee d’Orsay sparked hours of conversation for our family and inspired our boys: their sketchbooks are a friendly reminder that we’ll cherish.

2. Castle at Pierrefonds. Near the end of our cycling journey from Amsterdam to Paris, we cycled through “castle country” in Northern France (along the Oise River Valley). It was awesome! We saw countless castles and chateaus dotted across the French landscape. The last, and most impressive, was the Castle at Pierrefonds. Built, destroyed, rebuilt, bombed and restored again – this Castle has a timeless elegance that romanticizes knights and chivalry. Sitting on a hilltop above the quaint town of Pierrefonds, it looked like a movie set (in fact, Young Merlin is filmed here). We had a great time traipsing across the grounds, taking stations for battle, and imagining attacks and counter-attacks as archers and knights defending the keep. Fun! There was even a working catapult (about 20 feet in height) that looked like it was out of the Lord of the Rings. To top it off, the castle had an amazing display of tombs and sarcophagi in its bowels that were showcased by impressive lighting effects and holograms. See it for yourself if you are in Northern France. None of us will ever forget it.

1. Arriving in Paris after 1,398 kilometers of cycling (867 miles) from Amsterdam. Our last day of serious cycling was a lengthy 72-kilometer ride, but a capstone to a fantastic summer in the saddle. For many serious riders this journey would be an easy task, but for a family of four it was a long haul (each of us packing 40-50 lbs in our respective panniers). On the last day, we started in Senlis then made our way to East Paris (around the airport), then cycled in along one of major canals to the River Seine, landing at our apartment on Rue du Louvre. The ride was beautiful and there was a sense of elation (and relief) that we were about to enter Paris. It was great to finally “arrive” and get off the saddle – but bittersweet given that the journey was over. All in all, the days were long, but the trip was short. I already wish we were planning our next trip; it really was the trip of a lifetime.

Other memories that deserve honorable mention: watching the final stage of the Tour De France in Paris along the Champs-de-Ellyses, going to a late-night medieval theater production (in French) at Coucy le Chateau Auffrique, climbing 400+ stairs in Liege, Belgium in the pouring rain, playing “silent” Marco Polo (no calling) at a B&B swimming pool in Ambleny, assembling makeshift fishing poles from carved sticks, dental floss, paper clips and gummy bears (a tribute to Montana), climbing the final ascent into Laon, going up the Eiffel Tower, and eating our farewell Paris dinner on Pont des Arts (Bridge of the Arts).

Next, I hope to conquer the challenge of writing my Top Five memories for August 2009. ;)