Back in Boston

But there is still so much to tell about Angela & Guillaume's vacation in France!

On Wednesday evening, after spending their afternoon shopping for food and wine to bring back home, Guy made blanquette de veau for dinner. It was delicious. Angela even had it for lunch, too!

Cyril came over for dinner, too, and Angela and Guillaume were very happy to see him!

After dinner, they all watched the home movie of Claudia's 40th birthday party. Angela loved it! She loved seeing Guillaume, Cyrielle and Cyril when they were little too. It was a lot of fun!

The next day was the long travel day! The Four Rousseaus headed out on a castle tour: Chambord, Cheverny, and Chenonceau... the Three Ch's!

This is a map to show the locations of the castles:

The first castle they went to was Chambord. They didn't get lost (yet)!

Angela had to be very quick with the camera to get the pictures as they whizzed by! Sometimes Guy could back up and stop, like here. But she still had to be fast.

The first sight of the castle is very impressive.

They didn't give out free samples of the Chambord. Quel dommage!

They visited the outside of the castle, but did not pay for the inside tour. The outside grounds were beautiful, and the weather cooperated for a little while. It was rainy part of the day, but not this hour!

After visiting the castle a little, they made their way to the restaurant just outside for lunch. And imagine this: no pictures of food! Impossible!But this was their view from their dining table. Pas mal, non?

They piled back into the car:

Next stop, Cheverny!
At Cheverny, there are hunting dogs that go out two times a week. There are 100 of them! They arrived at the castle shortly before feeding time, and it looked like it would be very interesting.

And here is a movie to show that it was VERY interesting! They released the dogs, and then the dogs did not eat until the handlers told them it was okay to eat. Then they went crazy! They jumped all over each other to get the food. The food smelled terrible, and Angela and Claudia had to leave shortly after the dogs started to eat.

They toured the castle, and then headed out for the 3rd Ch.. Chenonceau! (Angela had to be very, very quick with the camera to take this picture - no backing up on the roads!)

Chenonceau is a castle that is build primarily over the water, and is beautiful! To get to the castle, there is a long promenade through trees. Guillaume, Claudia and Guy were very happy they didn't have to use their umbrellas!

Finally, they headed home. But they weren't quite sure how to get there.

But, they made it home with help from GPS, and with a little traffic. It was a long, but very very nice day.

On Friday, it was time for Angela and Guillaume to go to Paris, and their stay in Ste Genevieve des Bois was over. They were very sad to leave, but were very happy that they had this time together.

Guy drove Angela and Guillaume to Vincent & Martine's apartment in Paris. As they rounded the final corner to get to their home, they saw the Eiffel Tower, and they were all amazed at the beautiful view.

The story continues...

Thursday Already?

Angela and Guillaume feel like they just arrived, but they have been in France for 5 days already. They have done a lot and seen a lot of people!

On Monday morning, they awoke with excitement. After a breakfast of croissants and coffee (Nespresso, of course!) they left Ste Genevieve des Bois.

First stop, Papy Pierre and Mamy Dedette! Guillaume and his father drove in one car, and Angela and Claudia drove in the other, to Chartres. It took about 1 1/2 hours to drive, and time passed very quickly.

Upon arrival, everyone piled out of their cars to find Papy Pierre and Mamy Dedette at the window. Angela called out, "Papy Pierre! Mamy Dedette!" because she was very happy to finally see them.

Everyone went into their home, and Angela felt very welcomed.

There were creatively wrapped gifts for Angela and Guillaume, and even for Petit Robert!

There was wonderful food: salmon, radishes, foie gras, ham, potatoes... it was so delicious, Angela had a hard time stopping to eat dinner.

Thank goodness for dessert or she may not have! Here, Guy is cutting the tarte tatin.

And everyone who enjoyed the day:

After all the food, they felt like taking a walk, so they drove to the huge, old (really old... much older than America - built in 1260!!) cathedral in Chartres. This is the Chartres cathedral from a distance.

Guillame made a friend just outside. He always meets interesting people!

When they were inside, Angela lit a candle for her dad.

After a final walk, and a drive back they left for Mamyline and Papy Roger's house, very close by. More lovely gifts were presented to Angela and Guillaume.

They had a very nice dinner that night, and ate a lot more food. Angela, Guillaume and Mamyline were very happy.

Chanel wanted to be sure Guillaume is in the picture. They stayed there on Monday night, and had a very good lunch the next day, with pain poisson, duck, vegetables, then desserts and more desserts! Angela thought she would never eat again!

In the afternoon, Manuel and Flora came to say hello, and to get the Paul Pierce Celtics shirt and shorts for Paul. Angela and Guillaume also went to see their new home, and it is beautiful!!!

Finally, the Chartres voyage had come to an end, and the Four Rousseaus returned to Ste Genevieve des Bois, and Home Sweet Home!

On Wednesday, Angela, Guillaume and Claudia met Guy at his golf club for lunch. Guillaume ran into someone who used to work at the Crillon Hotel! Lunch was very good, of course.

Angela is proud of her beaux pere - this plaque is above the bar at the club:

After lunch, the Four Rousseaus went to the wine shop and bought some wine to take back to America. The man who sold them the wine talked a lot. Angela thought it was funny that this is the only California wine in the store:

Next, the Three Ch's Tour... Stay tuned!

Christmas Spirit

It seems the elves have multiplied!

Since Maman Rousseau wanted to "learn" the dance, and since Cyrielle tried and it didn't work, Angela elfed them too! (Maybe Angela is more in the Christmas Spirit, and less in the Working Spirit today.)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1325685020

One of Angela's jobs at work today is to make a Christmas cd for their Christmas party next Wednesday. The sound coming from her office is very joyful!

Last night, Angela and Guillaume were talking about their upcoming plans, and they are getting very excited to see faraway family and friends.

Vincent and Martine will be in New York City the first week in January, so Guillaume and Angela will visit with them for a weekend. They will probably go to see a Broadway show, too. They saw Mamma Mia! on Broadway almost 2 years ago, and loved it.

They are in very serious discussions about their trip to France. Angela would like to go next week, but they think it might take a little longer to plan. BUT, they will definitely go in the next couple of months, and they can't wait.

Also, one of Guillaume's best friends might be coming for a visit in January when Angela has to go to Florida for work. At least it will be warm in Florida. It is very cold here in Boston, and we are expecting 3 different snow storms this week alone.

Il fait froid, mais il fait chaud dans nos coeurs!