More Notes on the Trip

I'm writing this from the patio of our hotel in the Loire Valley, as the sun rises and I look out a distant chateau.  It is Carol's birthday today, and we are heading for some of the grand chateaus of the valley.

Our current hotel is wonderful -- the Domaine de la Tortiniere.   Because the girls had a three person room, they upgraded Carol and I to a Superior Room.  It's large, and the aforementioned patio is great.  We are not in the main building, but I think we are better off in the side building. 

It's far better than the last hotel we were at.  The people here are friendly, not snooty at all, and it is a very kid friendly hotel.  Not that our teens (and now Julia, who is 20) are "kids" per se, but the last hotel (the Chateaux La Cheneviere) was not particularly friendly.  So far, then, we loved the Paris and Loire hotels, but didn't feel welcome at all at the Normandy hotel.  Which is surprising, because everywhere else in Normandy is great. 

(By the way, it is neat to see all of the American flags in Normandy, as well as the statue of Ike in Bayeux, and numerous memorials and thank yous to the liberators.  As Francis said, the rest of France might not like Americans, but Normandy sure does.)

Last night, dinner was great -- we sat next to a table of nine little kids and a guy who was in charge of them while their parents ate nearby.  The guy reminded us of Adam Sandler, and was nearly as funny to boot.  We were nervous that they would be unruly and spoil dinner (nine kids ranging from probably 4-10), but they were great entertainment.  My favorite line of the guy was "don't be a hater, be an appreciator!" and he had a great quip about them going to prison too.  It helped that the lawn was so expansive that he sent them off to play in between courses.  As we were leaving the spectacular outside setting, I told their leader how impressed I was with the job he was doing wrangling those kids.

With the three course meal, Carol and I had the wine pairings, so we got to enjoy some Loire Valley wines -- the Vouvray is now my favorite white (it's a short list), and the Chinon went perfectly with the lamb.  After dinner, Carol and I sat out on our patio and talked as we watched the bats fly around.

Now it's off to breakfast and then the chateaus.