On the Trail of the Great Wars - Belgium & France

ON THE TRAIL OF THE GREAT WARS

BELGIUM & FRANCE

It has been 100 years since the Great War in Europe where thousands of our Canadian soldiers died in the name of freedom and democracy. This spring a small group of guests equipped with war stories  from their grandfathers or fathers set off on a one week visit of the memorial sites of WWI and WWII on the battle fields of Belgium and France.

We started off on a lighter note – beer, chocolate and fries in Brugge, a small town dating back to the 14^th century which, miraculously was untouched by either war! What fun wandering the cobblestone streets, climbing the 366 steps to the Belfy Tower for a magnificent view and staying in the quaint Hotel Groeninghe with host Laurence. Did you know that Belgium produces over 400 kinds of beer ! –yes we tried to taste them all!

Early the next morning we had to defog our brain cells as we set off on our quest to relive the lives of our soldiers.  In Belgium we concentrated our efforts on WWI.  Our first surprise was discovering the Atlantikwall,  a German Battery just outside of Oostend  which was built for WWI to protect Belgium from the invasion of the Brits and then refitted by the Nazis for the same purpose in WWII. Amazingly we wandered through bunkers, armory storage units and past artillery guns for 2 hours!! . A real” diamond in the rough” as the guests commented.

On to Ypres, Belgium.This town was flattened in WWI and the citizens rebuilt it to the original – amazing feat!  We checked into our family run Hotel Ambrosia before attending the Last Post at the Menin Gate at 8pm sharp. This was followed by a quiet moment strolling by the names of thousands of soldiers lost in the war, bodies never recovered. The Flander’s Museum in the centre of town is housed in the rebuilt Cloth Hall – again a vivid explanation of the Great War.

Driving in Belgium is not easy!!! After all who understands Flemish??? It was quite the challenge for me at the helm and Dez in the navigator’s seat! Nice thing about roundabouts, you can go around as many times as you like!!  However, on our excursion  we managed to find the monument “The Brooding Soldier”, Tyncot cemetery and the Passchendaele museum in Zonnebeke, a somber drive through the countryside once decimated by bombs craters, trenches, and fallen soldiers. The culmination to our WWI circuit was the fabulous monument at Vimy Ridge, Canadian soil as they took the ridge on April 9, 1917 and helped change the course of the war.

Switching wars was a challenge for the head as we headed off to Dieppe where the Canadians played a vital role in the “raid”, most losing their lives! M Jaspart welcomed us to the Operation Jubilee Canadian War Memorial and was overcome with emotion for the sacrifice the Canadians made to the liberation of France!  Carol located the beret of soldier of the South Sask. Regiment, the only uniform they are missing in their grand collection of artifacts. 

From the defeat in Dieppe to the huge success on June 6, 1994 on the beaches of Normandy, we understood its significance.  Juno Beach, where the Canadians land , Dez’s grandfather for one, portrayed the D Day landings with videos real footage of our Canadian Soldiers! A happier end to this story compared to Dieppe!

 

Yes, our brains were full of war details and after 5 days were tired of reading, but what an insight to this aspect of Canadian history! 

Lest We Forget!

Following the footsteps of the Impressionists - May 2015

What a magnificent two weeks in France!  This year's impressionist art tour consisted of a small group, only 5 fantastic and easy-breezy travellers joined Natascha to follow in the Impressionist Footsteps, visiting ateliers and plain-air painting sites!  We lingered in appreciation of the memoirs and artworks of Renoir in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, Cezanne at Aix-en-Provence, Van Gogh and Gaugin in Arles and we finished with a visit to the master of the impressionists's home; Monet's house at Giverny.  

Everyone on this trip was a first time traveller with us at VM Travel Adventures. All were so very flexible and easy-going, and although strangers at first, they became fast friends! We shared many laughs, cooking experiences, good food and maybe a few glasses of 'vin blanc'!  Our trip started in lovely Nice for some time at the beach before heading west into Provence for almost a week.  The trip terminated in Paris after much exploring of the city of lights.

The group in Giverny after a visit to Monet's Gardens

With almost a week in Paris at the Hotel Chopin, we enjoyed taking in all of the impressionist art at the Musee d'Orsay and the Orangerie, while studying the art-nouveau and the modern graffiti that popped up on each street corner!  We carved out some good shopping time and then balanced that with a few little stops for a pastis in the cute cafes of Montmartre

...it really was a dream!

Sharon at Les Collettes, Renoir's House

Sharon from Courtenay, B.C is a very well travelled girl and we were glad to have her join us!  With her tiny suitcase she was the quickest on and off the TGV that linked us from Provence to Paris!  Passionate about the flowers of Provence, Sharon found her way through the Paris streets to be able to take home a perfume gift for those dear to her.

Dawn and Rich from New Jersey were such a blast to travel with!  We got to know Dawn's generous spirit through the sharing of cookies and wine, while Rich's rock and roll personality had us sharing music videos and links!  Rich made us a fire in the Mas St. Antoine's cozy guest living room every night, really looking after this group of ladies!  Dawn is a lucky lady and their 14 year marriage has now been sealed with a lock on the Pont des Arts in Paris - he's just so spontaneous!  These two were always ready to point the way to a great restaurant, hang out with the pack of us and also make the most of the nightlife in Nice and Paris!  Thanks for joining us you two, and see you on the next trip!

Sharon and Verdyne did not know each other before they decided to room together on this trip. These fantastic educators from Saskatchewan travelled magically together, despite a few slaps in the forehead.  Sharon, professional photographer took some stunning photographs, all the while instructing her apprentice in photo composition.  These gals were always ready to stay up late and share stories, recipes or home-economics teacher tips!  Thanks for those wonderful meals we shared, Verdyne!

Cafe La Nuit - painted by Van Gogh

We had a very important stop at the Cafe La Nuit, where we enjoyed a variety of fruit juices and wine!  We followed Van Gogh through all of his painting sites and one of the most moving places we visited was at St. Paul Maussole clinic where they still practice Art Therapy.  

 

St Paul Maussole's Cloister

While spending quality time around the fire, while we speculated on Vincent's emotions, desires and frustrations during his time in Provence.  We could sure feel the inspiration from the Provencal sun, something that Van Gogh expressed the best, and we made the most of our sunny days while thanking the impressionists for inviting us on this lovely journey!

Turkish Delights

Not only does this term refer to the delightful jellied sweet originating in this city of Istanbul, but also the delightful surprise we experienced in our recent visit to Turkey.  It was easy being a tourist here – the food was colourful and delicious, the Turks speak English, they are happy and cheeky…Natascha’s term for them.  Everything is very well organized, it is SAFE – no worries of stolen passports – the only difficulty was learning the local language and we did take a stab at it!  Really, visiting Turkey is a “ delight” – a real pleasure. 

We stayed in the middle of the action in a neighbourhood called Sultanahmet. In fact I arrived on May 5 – celebration of spring with singing, dancing and drinking in the streets. Quite the welcoming party!!! Natascha and I and our good friend Isabelle decided to explore this country together. After some pointers from Umit (Humid as Izzy called him) front desk manager at the Best Point Hotel, we set off to visit the major sites within walking distance: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cisterns and Topkapi Palace. He lent us his tram card to go further afar to the Palace Dolmabahçe, Sultan’s palace since the 1800s totally decorated with elaborate 4 tonne chandeliers and reception rooms for guests. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk spent his final days here.  The Galata Tower was close by, but after queuing to climb the 400 stairs of this 1451 tower we found out that the only way up was by elevator. Did seem worth $12 not to climb it so we went for wine instead and met a Turk who invited us to view the Bosphorous straight from this Penthouse apartment!!! Better view and no ticket… how could we refuse?! Yes, we met some great people – really genuine hosts. Certainly the restaurant owners or the carpets sellers tried various charming techniques to entice us into their shops, but a kind no thanks from us was sufficient to give them the message.

We fell in love with Istanbul, but wanted to go further afield to the Cave dwellings in Cappadocia and the Hot Air Balloon ride. Over 13 companies now launch over 100 balloons over this volcanic countryside every morning at 5am. We hiked the valleys, entered the underground city and witnessed the twirling trance of the Whirling Dervishes. We could have used one more day in Göreme, but alas we found a rare flight from there to Izmir and we jumped on it instead of the alternative overnight bus ride of 15 hours. 

We found some beaches for Izzy in Selçuk (the smaller town near Ephesus) and managed to spend a couple of hours each day for the next 4 days on the Aegean Sea. Mahmet, our guide in Ephesus gave us a very passionate tour of this ancient site and slowly the history of this area spanning over 4000 years started to take a foothold in our minds. Hadrian’s fountain, the infamous Library and the 20 000 person amphitheatre came alive with Mahmet’s stories – and he had a few!!!  Our visit to the small hillside town of Sirince had us taste wine from the area and dine with home cooked specialities. We stayed at the Nylia, a small hotel in Selçuk where we enjoyed a copious breakfast in the courtyard. Again, well situated to the town center, the bus station and the museum. 

From here, Izzy made her way back to Istanbul to join her friends on a bike trip in Belgium. Natascha and I endured the long bus ride up to Çanakkale where we participated in a tour of Ancient Troy and Gallipoli, the latter being a pilgrimage for Auzzies and Kiwis as they honor their soldiers in a battle that resulted in many deaths including the Turks. Ataturk’s reputation as a strong leader for the new republic of Turkey in 1923 was apparent in the commemorative statues dotted over the Gallipoli peninsula.

Back to Istanbul for a couple of days to check out a few more sites, buy our Turkish lamps, do a quick sketch of the Blue Mosque from our roof top terrace and pack our bags for our next adventure. It won’t be long until we visit this “delightful” country again. Tesekkur Ederim to our new friends in Turkey!

Thomson Sisters as Zorzal Winelords in the Uco Valley, Mendoza

In November the Three Thomson Sisters escaped the cold temperatures in Canada to the Valle de Uco just south of Mendoza in Argentina. The desert like conditions of this Valley which touts to have over 300 days of sunshine are ideal for the wine production. The grapes benefit from the Andean winds to ward off disease so chemicals are not in the formula for Zorzal's world renown wines. This means that winemakers Juan Pablo and Matias Michelini are able to stay the course to produce Bio Wines!  Water supply too can be a problem but the well on the property means a constant source of water for the growing of grapes - we even have our own nursery of saplings!
 As avantgarde winemakers, the Michelini brothers convinced a local cement company to make the "EGG" vats. The egg shape creates a natural flow of fluid so the wines are constantly in touch with the skins to give it that rich flavour. This technology was developed in France and European wineries are lucky to have 1 or 2 Eggs, We have 10!! The high altitude of this valley also means more drastic changes in temperature adding to the complexity of the wines.
 
I say WE because Glenys and I are shareholders in Zorzal Canada and thus this trip was to look at our investment. Even though the winery is still in its infancy stage (2008) we were thrilled to talk to Juan Pablo and Gerardo Michelini about their dream - and soon it became our dream as well.

As shareholders we nestled into the rustic apartment on the property for one week. We spent time with Juampe tasting his experimental wines, we scouted out some property for potential development with Gerardo and enjoyed a few gourmet meals at other wineries as Zorzal Shareholders. We even enjoyed a round of golf at the Tupungato Winelands, losing only 2 balls!

Although the original plans for Zorzal included a restaurant and a few apartments for guests and shareholders, the main focus with new investment money is to expand the bodega as we are bursting at the seams, buy more eggs as consumer demand is for more fruit forward and less oak and invest in our own bottling machine to maintain quality. Only 5 hectares of Zorzal land is planted and there is another 60 hectares for vineyards  to be developed over time.  We have so much potential as the Uco Valley of Mendoza is likened to the Napa Valley in California. Great potential for tourism!

We reluctantly packed our bags for home, leaving behind a few little personal touches from Canada in the Zorzal apartment. Gracias to Mauricio, Juan Pablo, Gerardo, Cristian and Cynthia  in Mendoza for making us feel so much a part of the Zorzal family. We are pleased with our investment and encourage other Zorzal investors to enjoy the beautiful sunsets from the terrace of our winery!!

Corinne, Glenys Carol - las 3 hermanas!

See entire album https://vmtravel1.shutterfly.com/1697

Belgium & Beaches, Weyburn Paris Travel Club takes a summertime trip!

Our dear friends from the Weyburn Paris Travel Club joined us again in Europe on a summertime trip this past June.  Lead by Leah, their uber-organized and super-fun French teacher, the group consisted of 4 "families" with a mix of french students, Mums, Dads, Grandmas and a couple of joiners who were already in Europe.  35 people gelled together to make this an unforgettable experience in Belgium, Normandy and Paris.

Day one was jam packed with a couple of train rides from the Brussels Airport to Bruges, followed by a boat ride on the canals after checking into the Lybeer Hostel.  The Lybeer is newly renovated and central, and we got to sleep in 'honeycomb' style bunks... quelle style!  We had a nice big bowl of pasta on the hardest to find terrace in all of Bruges, and we hid from the money-grubbing musketeer who lurked around the corner, waiting to coax us out of our precious euros... in exchange for what, we are not  quite sure.


We discovered the origin of "French Fries"at the Frites Museum (yes they were invented in Belgium!) paired followed by a visit to Choco Story chocolate museum with a side of Belgian Waffles and local Trappiste beers from Zot Brewery yup, we spent a full day eating and being merry! Of course Belgium's culinary delights were accompanied by a bit of shopping the Vismarkt or fishrmarket, not for fish but for scarves, art and lace.  The whole group climbed the Clock Tower to see if we could tip it over, as it already has a head-start lean to the left of 1.5 metres.  We heard the bells bonging in our ears while we picked out the windmills on the horizon.  The next day was free and while some shopped and ate some more waffles, many rented bicycles to take a ride around town and out along the dykes to the town of Damme.  The tandem bike was a real treat and it worked off the waffles, if only a little bit...


"We were in good Hans" when Hans Lipps our German bus driver picked us up in Bruges to whisk us of to France. We spent the day at Dunkirk dipping our feet in the English Channel and eating enormous potatoes. Our next stop was back in Belgium, however, right in the heart of the WWI battlefields at Ypres. This was the start of our war history portion of the tour and we were ready to learn about how the Great War started and affected the lives of so many from all over the world. We were lucky enough to be treated to an extra special "Last Post" at the Menen Gate after a scrumptious meal at the Hotel O & Regina in the Grootmarkt square.  The next morning we followed in the paths of the WWI soldiers in the In Flanders Fields Museum, looking out from the top of the belltower to the surrounding fields where John McRae wrote the poem of the same title while he worked as a surgeon on the front lines.
Our next important site was Vimy Ridge, where Canadians soldiers took the ridge on April 9th, 1917 in order to push back the German forces and change the course of the war for the Allied Forces.  We were given a wonderful tour by a Canadian student and we got to walk through the now peaceful trenches surrounded by sheep.
On to Dieppe to stay right on the beach.  This beach was held by occupying German forces during WWII and this is where we started our studies of the next 'great war'.  With a small gift to give to the Directors of the Operation Jubilee Memorial we spent the morning in tears and song alongside these French volunteers who keep the memory alive of the 1942 massacre of Canadian Soldiers.  What an incredibly moving morning.
 l


"This is my third dessert...."  Crepes were had for dinner AND desert in Honfleur at the Creperie Les Marmottes.  We were hosted by Cristian who shared some stinky Reblochon cheese with us (it followed us around for a few days in Mme's purse....) and some Genepi which was a drink of unknown herbal origin that made all of us giggle... even Hans!

We explored Juno beach just after the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings on the beaches Normandy.  French soldiers were on pilgrimage along the battle path, and we were privileged to chat to them and enjoy the Cinema Circulaire, a 360º film on 9 screens.

After a toast to Samuel de Champlain in Honfleur, we continued on our path towards Paris.  We picnicked in Giverny at Monet's Gardens and soon after we were arriving in our coach on the Grands Boulevards of the 7º arrondissement, our Parisien neighbourhood.   We said goodbye to Hans and started out on our next big-city adventure with a dinner at Chartier, a 120 year old brasserie for some escargots and steak tartare.  Liv, Rieke...and Rory joined us from their European locations and we soon had a group of 38 whom with do discover Paris and try to cross the streets in one fell swoop. On a free day we visited Euro-Disney, the Catacombs or Pere Lachaise cemetery.  We had a smelly cheese picnic in the Gardens at Versailles after a visit to the decadent palace. (the same stinky Reblochon did a tour of the Louis's bedrooms!)  We climbed the Tour Eiffel with our own two feet, and we cruised the Seine River at night while making new friends and enjoying the vibrancy of France's Capital.   Ballets, cafes, markets and more desserts were enjoyed.  "I remember the Tiramisu..."  One memorable day we enjoyed the Festival de la Musique and a visit to the Manoir de Paris, where we all had the pants scared off of us, with an extra long visit to this haunted house which tells the legends of Paris. "I was scared for an hour, and that's a long time to be scared." The monsters all have a story and they energetically pursued us around the dark corners of the Manoir.  "We didn't know whether to laugh or run, so we did both".

"Travelling with the Weyburn group is like travelling with friends."  We shared lots of laughs, lots of strange quotes, lots of important history and a heap of melted cheese.

Sketching Italy's Dramatic Amalfi Coast

 Of all the destinations in the world Italy’s Amalfi Coast has to be one of the most spectacular. That coupled with sunny days and warm temperatures  makes for a perfect sketching experience with artist Cecelia. Corinne and Cecelia have teamed up for 10 years now to offer sensational sketching experiences to keen watercolour artists. www.ceceliajurgens.com   
 

We started in Rome, visiting the major sites and sketching in the piazzas. In ancient Trastevere we stayed in Hotel Santa Maria www.hotelsantamaria.trastevere.com  Situated amongst cobblestone streets and terraced restaurants meant we did not have to travel far to capture that perfect Italian scene.  Some of us enjoyed a guided tour of the Sistine Chapel, others wandered the streets of the Jewish quarter, just minutes away. 

Descending to Naples and the ominous Mt Vesuvius we met  Nicola, our personal guide in Pompeii.  On our return to Naples he completed the Pompeii chapter as he guided us through the National Archeological Museum which houses many of the Pompeii treasures. Grazie mille Nicola!

Anna, creator of the Agriturismo, La Vecchia Quercia (the old oak) www.lavecchiaquercia.it  welcomed us into this country lodging with a meal of fresh pasta and authentic Campania cuisine. Later we would have the pleasure of her instruction in her commercial kitchen to prepare our own delights!  We have all the recipes!

Day trips from Anna’s had us visit Cantina Carggiano, a  winery near Taurasi. We wandered through the artistic cellars and stocked up on Devon and Bechar wines before enjoying a coppa di parmagiano pasta at the hilltop restaurant La Collina – a perfect sketching opportunity!  

The flat marshy region near Paestum is home to the water bufalo and the succulent bufalo mozzarella cheese. Coupled with basilico and those delicious San Marzano tomatoes, the Insalata Caprese from this region surpasses any such salad that ports this name!  MMMM lip smacking good! We did wander through the Greek ruins of the Paestum archeological site and wished we had more time to take in that ancient world.  

Reluctantly we left Anna's special abode. She had nestled all 19 of us in her country lodging and fed us the most deliciosso meals we ate in Italy - Mel's favourite? Pumpkin lasagna with " bechamel sauce"! Of course we enjoyed the unique wine varietals in Campania, Aliganico, Greco di Tufo and Fiano which complimented each bite. 

We took our time along the windy cantilevered coastal road along the Amalfi Coast - no need for speed limits  here - our coach driver paid careful attention when rounding each corner, often tooting his horn to warn on coming traffic that he was " larger" than them! The hilltop village of Ravello was our stop for the night as we enjoyed the Hotel Giordano's tiled floors and swimming pool before an evening meal on the terrace but not before some creative sketching time in the famous Cimbrone Gardens.  The next morning some of the more ambitious of the group decided to descend the walking path to the town of Amalfi enjoying Mediterranean vistas along the way.  An afternoon in Sorrento gave us our shopping fix before the 30 min.hydrofoil jet ride to the Isle of Capri. The evening ride to Capri is normally a lot less crowded as we confronted the "day" passengers on their return from the island. The key is to stay, not in Capri with the rich and famous (Tony Bennett), but in Anacapri where the locals live. We spend 4 nights in Villa Ce Selle www.villaceselle.com and delighted in the restaurants, shops, scenes to sketch, and museums. A terrace luncheon at the Gelsomina restaurant gave us more inspiration to sketch scenes of the blue waters of the Sea that surrounded us.  Only one of us managed to enter the Blue Grotto (way to go Loni) but all of us enjoyed a boat ride with Giovanni around the Island - again the weather was perfect! 
Now one would think that leaving the small isle of Capri could not be topped, but our special hotel find in Naples amongst the yachts and with Mt Vesuvius looming in the not to far distance brought this creative adventure to a close. Hotel Transatlantico www.hoteltransatlanticonapoli.com
Thanks once again Cecelia for your encouraging instruction along our creative journeys!                      See you in Argentina in 2015! 

Weyburn Paris Travel Club Takes a Summertime trip to Belgium & France!

Our dear friends from the Weyburn Paris Travel Club joined us again in Europe on a summertime trip this past June.  Lead by Leah, their uber-organized and super-fun French teacher, the group consisted of 4 "families" with a mix of french students, Mums, Dads, Grandmas and a couple of joiners who were already in Europe.  35 people gelled together to make this an, "experience inoubliable" in Belgium, Normandy and Paris.

Day one was jam packed with a couple of train rides from the Brussels Airport to Bruges, followed by a boat ride on the canals after checking into the Lybeer Hostel.  The Lybeer is newly renovated and central, and we got to sleep in 'honeycomb' style bunks... quelle style!  We had a nice big bowl of pasta on the hardest to find terrace in all of Bruges, and we hid from the money-grubbing musketeer who lurked around the corner, waiting to coax us out of our precious euros... in exchange for what, we are not quite sure....

We discovered the origin of "French Fries"at the Frites Museum (yes they were invented in Belgium!) paired followed by a visit to Choco Story chocolate museum with a side of Belgian Waffles and local Trappiste beers from Zot Brewery yup, we spent a full day eating and being merry! Of course Belgium's culinary delights were accompanied by a bit of shopping the Vismarkt or fishrmarket, not for fish but for scarves, art and lace.  The whole group climbed the Clock Tower to see if we could tip it over, as it already has a head-start lean to the left of 1.5 metres.  We heard the bells bonging in our ears while we picked out the windmills on the horizon.  The next day was free and while some shopped and ate some more waffles, many rented bicycles to take a ride around town and out along the dykes to the town of Damme.  The tandem bike was a real treat and it worked off the waffles, if only a little bit...

"We were in good Hans" when Hans Lipps our German bus driver picked us up in Bruges to whisk us of to France. We spent the day at Dunkirk dipping our feet in the English Channel and eating enormous potatoes. Our next stop was back in Belgium, however, right in the heart of the WWI battlefields at Ypres. This was the start of our war history portion of the tour and we were ready to learn about how the Great War started and affected the lives of so many from all over the world. We were lucky enough to be treated to an extra special "Last Post" at the Menen Gate after a scrumptious meal at the Hotel O & Regina in the Grootmarkt square.  The next morning we followed in the paths of the WWI soldiers at the memorial of St. Julieen and in the 'In Flanders Fields Museum', looking out from the top of the belltower to the surrounding fields where John McRae wrote the poem of the same title while he worked as a surgeon on the front lines.

Our next important site was Vimy Ridge, where Canadians soldiers took the ridge on April 9th, 1917 in order to push back the German forces and change the course of the war for the Allied Forces.  We were given a wonderful tour by a Canadian student and we got to walk through the now peaceful trenches surrounded by sheep.   On to Dieppe to stay right on the beach.  This beach was held by occupying German forces during WWII and this is where we started our studies of the next 'great war'.  With a small gift to give to the Directors of the Operation Jubilee Memorial we spent the morning in tears and song alongside these French volunteers who keep the memory alive of the 1942 massacre of Canadian Soldiers.  What an incredibly moving morning.

"This is my third dessert...."  Crepes were had for dinner AND desert in Honfleur at the Creperie Les Marmottes.  We were hosted by Cristian who shared some stinky Reblochon cheese with us (it followed us around for a few days in Mme's purse....) and some Genepi which was a drink of unknown herbal origin that made all of us giggle... even Hans!


We explored Juno beach just after the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings on the beaches Normandy.  French soldiers were on pilgrimage along the battle path, and we were privileged to chat to them and enjoy the Cinema Circulaire, a 360º film on 9 screens.


After a toast to Samuel de Champlain in Honfleur, we continued on our path towards Paris.  We picnicked in Giverny at Monet's Gardens and soon after we were arriving in our coach on the Grands Boulevards of the 7º arrondissement, our Parisien neighbourhood.

We said goodbye to Hans and started out on our next big-city adventure with a dinner at Chartier, a 120 year old brasserie for some escargots and steak tartare.

Liv, Rieke...and Rory joined us from their European locations and we soon had a group of 38 whom with do discover Paris and try to cross the streets in one fell swoop. On a free day we visited Euro-Disney, the Catacombs or Pere Lachaise cemetery.

We had a smelly cheese picnic in the Gardens at Versailles after a visit to the decadent palace. (the same stinky Reblochon did a tour of the Louis's bedrooms!)  We climbed the Tour Eiffel with our own two feet, and we cruised the Seine River at night while making new friends and enjoying the vibrancy of France's Capital.   Art in the Musee du Louvre, ballets, cafes, markets and more desserts were enjoyed.  "I remember the Tiramisu..."


One memorable day we enjoyed the Festival de la Musique and a visit to the Manoir de Paris, where we all had the pants scared off of us, with an extra long visit to this haunted house which tells the legends of Paris. "I was scared for an hour, and that's a long time to be scared." The monsters all have a story and they energetically pursued us around the dark corners of the Manoir.  "We didn't know whether to laugh or run, so we did both".


"Travelling with the Weyburn group is like travelling with friends."  We shared lots of laughs, lots of strange quotes, lots of important history and a heap of melted cheese.  A la prochaine, Weyburn et merci Mme Fornwald, c'etait fantastique!!

www.vmtraveladvetures.com