Well, I am here in the Chateau de Chassagne in Burgundy enjoying the high life. Spent a large part of yesterday buzzing around the grounds in my bikini driving a golf buggy with the boys before sipping champagne on the terrace. It doesn't really get much better than that!
But anyway, let's go back a couple of weeks to my other holiday first before I continue. I caught the train with Nick down to Bordeaux to meet up with Mum, Dad, Alix and her boyfriend Adrian and my cousins Bec and Jess. Once down there, we checked into the hotel and went out to the food and wine festival in the main street of Bordeaux which was fun. Got to enjoy the weather and sit out eating and drinking there before a beer in the Irish Pub nearby on the way home.
The next morning, we picked Kirstin up from the train station and made our way down to St Emilion to wander the streets and have a little lunch under an umbrella in the sun. Tried some local Bordeaux wine as you do before getting back in the cars to drive down to the gite in the Pyrenees. We had a gorgeous country house set out amongst the fields with a pool and loads of beds and a BBQ out the front. We had a lovely dinner there on the first night all together and Nick, Kirstin and I unfortunately sat on a bit longer drinking a bit more alcohol before finally heading for bed.
The first day there we headed straight for the pool before breakfast and then a drive to the magnificent walled city of Carcassonne. We wandered the streets taking in the medieval atmosphere with slushies in hand to combat the heat before I jumped back in the car to drop Nick at Perpignan airport for his flight back to Birmingham and a week's work.
Luckily for me, my week in the sun continued. The following day was spent reading and relaxing completely while Dad went hiking and the day after was taken up by a horse trek before dropping Kirstin up to Toulouse for a train back to Paris. The rest of us drove on down to Andorra for a spot of shopping and dinner.
It was back to the trails the next day for Dad and Adrian while us girls went shopping again in Pau. I bought a pretty floaty summer dress there after we toured the castle.
On the Thursday, it was off to Biarritz to admire the Atlantic and sit on the beach before grabbing a crepe and getting back in the car. On the last day there, it was another relaxing day before packing the cars up and heading back to Carcassonne. On the Saturday, Alix and Adrian headed back for Bordeaux to catch a plane and the rest of us drove back to Carcassonne for another wander of the streets and lunch in the square. We then dropped the girls at Narbonne train station for their train to Barcelona and the start of their travels around Europe. Mum, Dad and I, the last lucky few, drove on up to the gite they had booked for the following week in Burgundy in the Morvan region. After not getting in until late, we settled in before taking a walk in the morning and then lunch in the town of Montbard before I got back on a train for Paris.
Back at work, there was a dinner on the Monday before back at work on Tuesday to await the arrival of Darren and Jamie at the end of the day. Dinner up the street that night was followed by the boys hitting the town the following day for some sightseeing and some designer shopping. A D & G suit and pair of Versace pants later, I had takeaway pizza with two very happy boys!
Wednesday night dinner was at my favorite Paris restaurant, Brasserie Flo, where we were served amazing desserts. On Thursday, I took the day off so that the three of us could catch the train out to the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland. We started big, hitting the Rock'n'rollercoaster twice before moving on to the other big attractions. A little rain helped keep the crowds down a bit and lunch and pina coladas at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride were every bit as good as I remembered from Xmas.
On Friday it was back to work for a final day before catching the metro out to meet Gabi from her plane from Glasgow.
We met the boys near the hotel in the Marais that they had booked for a number of kirs before heading back up closer to home to meet Nick and friends Joe and Alex at a dodgy absinth bar and on to another bar for some dancing. Managed to crawl back to bed by around 5am to get some well needed sleep before the boys arrived to share a cab to the Eiffel Tower for incredible lunch. It was Jamie's birthday so we splurged on lunch at the Michelin starred restuarant, the Jules Verne, which was everything we hoped. The meal and wines were exceptional and I fell in love with the cheese trolley before having my affections rivalled by a strawberry tart. My new dress got a good showing as did some of the unfortunate few who happened to be standing nearby when I took my dress to the windy side of the viewing platform afterwards!
After finally dragging ourselves away and back home, there was only time for a quick change before heading to my favourite bar, DEPUR, for drinks and to catch up with Gabrielle, a friend from Adelaide, and her travelling companion, Jo. Nicky also came along and the six of us moved on from there to a great thrown together dinner at Nick's apartment where numbers dwindled until again a hard core remainder found themselves drinking at Cafe Oz at 4am before rolling home. I have vowed never to try absinth again as a starter on the road to recovery!
Sunday brought a quiet lunch and wander of the streets of Abbesses and Montmartre with Mum and Dad before they headed for the airport to go home to Adelaide. Monday morning brought another sad farewell when we waved Gabi off to the airport for her flight back. Well, I say we waved but given her 6am departure it may have been a little less formal than that...
A bit later in the morning, the boys and I left the house with our cases to pick up our hire car and drive down here to Burgundy. We were greeted by Philippe who took us to our suite and advised that there was champagne downstairs if we wanted some bfore taking a golf buggy to the pool. I think I have finally come home! We took up both those offers before driving out to dinner at a local place with a panoramic view. Jamie continued his newfound love of snails while I enjoyed an authentic kir and a great chocolate mousse. Poor Darren has picked up a cold but is coping given the surroundings!
Today was up early for breakfast before a game of giant chess in the garden. We then grabbed some bikes and a picnic and rode down to the canal nearby where we cycled in the sunshine before finding a suitable grassy spot to relax. After a much more arduous return, including a horribly big hill which had been great fun coming down, it was back to the chateau. We headed for the pool for another relax after a glass of champagne and then spent some time in the sauna.
To make this reading even worse for you, I am sitting here at the computer after a fabulous hour long massage and before heading in to our four course dinner.
Tomorrow morning brings the hot air balloon ride we have been hanging out for before the drive back to Paris and the fireman's ball tomorrow night.
Still to come: Bastille Day in Paris, lunch in Brussels, dinner at the supper club and the weekend in Amsterdam. I will keep you posted...
