Nashville...

I'm about to leave for Nashville for a few days. Should be a nice relaxing trip. I definitely need one of those. Things around here have been rather nutty of late--which leaves me feeling rather nutty.

I decided, smartly or not we can debate that, to start Weight Watchers last week. I question my intelligence because I'm going on a trip this week, and next, and didn't have my house stocked up for healthy eating. But the past two days have really shed good light on why I'm overweight. Trying to eat within my points with my old food and habits was impossible. It's been enlightening to say the least. So, we'll see how I do on the road. I've made plans for snacks and breakfast, it'll just be challenging to make good choices on the road. Wish me luck!

I'll report on how I did when I get back and how my experiences in Nashville were.

Mobile

David and I went to Mobile for the 4th of July. We'd been told the fireworks were pretty good...but they were cancelled due to rain, so we didn't get to see them. Maybe next year. We did take a walk around downtown while waiting on our lunch appointment with our friend who lives there and came upon this little fair in a park right outside our hotel. The girl pictured in this picture was so unbelievably unhappy about having to dance. All the other kids and the teacher too, completely ignored her, though, and enjoyed themselves immensely.

The Joy of Conquering Your Fears...

...Means that you can finally lay down in the curly red wig that showed up while you were at the "Kitty Spa" while all the other ladies were at the Quilt Bee...

A New TV...

While we weren't sure that we could get the TV out from under Ms. Lochi, we did manage. We also finally managed to find a suitable TV armoir at the limited furniture stores we have in town. Now, everything is tucked away and tidy...and very fun to watch! The cable guys come out today...

Book Review: Homestead by Rosina Lippi

I'm having a hard time starting this review of Homestead by Rosina Lippi. It's definitely a good, well-written book. Its characters are extremely vivid and real to life. This summer I spent a couple of days in a small Austrian village near the area where Homestead is set and can imagine the women and men and the hardships they endure. I can imagine the geographica setting all the more because I've been there, but even if I hadn't the isolated mountain village is clearly wrought. Lippi even deals with very difficult topics--like war and how it affects small towns.

However, there was just something about this book that I wasn't crazy about and the more I think about it the more I'm convinced it isn't just me not being in a good mood. The book, overall, is depressing. While I've read depressing books before (Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith comes to mind first), at least the characters who were depressed in that book, or had sad lives, tried to overcome their problems. Lippi's characters, for the most part, feel as if they're simply stuck and have no control over their lives. They live their depressing lives because they have no choice. It's simply sad.

That said, I left each chapter wanting more from these characters. I wanted more than just the quick little snapshot of their lives, probably because I wanted to believe they'd overcome. But also because the characters were so vivid and real that I wanted to believe that they had more to their lives than just the few pages dedicated to them. While a few of them may have come back in later chapters (Johanna is one example, and she is an enjoyable one. In fact, one of the few characters embracing life), most were simply mentioned in an aside so that we had to piece together the story of the village. And while I don't mind having to work for the books I read, I did mind the ambiguity that I felt at the end of each chapter.

So, for the first time, I'm saying that I'm not crazy about a book that Lippi/Donati wrote. While I didn't hate it, I certainly didn't love it the way I have everything else.

The Loire Valley

We left Paris in the afternoon by train and arrived Amboise around dinner time. We took a cab to our B&B (no car rental places in France being open on Sunday), checked in, rested a bit, and then walked into the city center for a lovely dinner. Back to the B&B for an early bedtime and late morning sleep-in--we were in much need of rest after our tour. This is a picture of our B&B. It was extremely nice even if the prorieters were a bit curmudgeony.

The next day we decided to take it easy, so David rode the train into Tours to pick up our car, drove back and we girls were just getting out of bed. We all ate breakfast, showered and got dressed for our day of chateau hopping. Our first stop was La Clos Luce whch is where Leonardo da Vinci lived in the last years of his life. I was so disappointed in this place. While the basement had interested replicas of da Vinci's "inventions," the rest of the house did little to demonstrate his imagination and interesting life. We all left wishing we hadn't wasted our time there.

From there we drove to Pontlvoy which is where the university has a semester long program. We walked through the grounds, went into the old church and were saddened by the lack of care for the place. It has been rumored that the person who owns the property has declared bankruptcy, so I will be interested to see what happens once all the bank-rolls have been settled. I was especially disappointed to see that the frescoes on the walls of the church had been painted over as part of the "restoration" of the building.

We drove to Montrichard which is a town where David and I and his students had many a lunch but couldn't find our way to our favorite pizzaria so headed to Chaumont instead. This is a fairy tale type castle with turrets, a courtyard, and when I toured it 4 years ago some of the most interesting furniture. The entire chateau is under repair, so we only got to view two rooms...at least it was free.

From here we drove into Blois, which is another town where we spent a lot of time 4 years ago. In the center city's town square there is a magic shop. At the top of the hour, the windows on the top two floors of the shop open up, gold dragons pop their heads out and make this most atrocious noise for about 5 minutes. Fortunately we got to see that again, because the rain that had been threatening all day finally came down in a gulley washer which left us running for cover in the nearest restaurant. We were starving anyway, so it was not a bad stop, but it was very disappointing to miss this chateau's tour. We were all completely soaked and just didn't have the heart for another tour in the pouring rain.

So, we headed back to our town, went grocery shopping, and had dinner in our room. It was so nice to be able to eat what we were hungry for rather than having to pick off of a menu foods that we werent' sure what they were.

The next day was our last day in France, so we made the most of it by seeing Chambord, Cheverny and Chenenceau. Three of the most famous chateaux and all lovely in their own right. After making the most of these tours, we headed back to our B&B for some dinner, rest and packing up for our return home.

I really enjoy the French country side. I find the people to be so charming and friendly, the air clean, the food wonderful and fresh. I love going to the chateaux and seeing the grandeur that the kings felt was appropriate for their position. Of all the chateaux that I've seen, Cheverny is the best preserved because the nobles who had this place were in good standing with their peasants, so when the revolt came, they didn't loot the place, burn it down and lop off the heads of the nobles. In fact, the person who lives there now (and it is inhabited in the top 2 floors), is a direct decendent of the first marquis who built the place.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. It was definitely one of those whirlwind tours where we saw way more than we thought possible. I enjoyed being on the tour because I didn't have to plan my itinerary most days, I didn't have to figure out where I was going to stay and I didn't have to get myself from place to place. I think the tour gave me a new respect for my abilities to walk a lot and be more physically active while traveling. I will definitely do another tour, just not a family tour. I also thoroughly enjoyed our few days without the tour. It was nice being a family again and not having the interference of 20 other people. I would, however, arrive earlier--at least two days before the tour starts--to give myself time to get over jet-lag. Everyone else did this and it was definitely a smart thing to do!

Paris

We're nearing the end of our trip, which is kind of sad. I've enjoyed recounting it. And Paris was a fun, fun place to visit. I went there 4 years ago and found it even more charming the 2nd time around, and can't wait for a 3rd visit.

Paris is so tourist friendly. The spaces are big, the crowds are controlled, the museum lines make sense and aren't ridiculously long. There are many many open spaces around and you can see major landmarks from many different vantage points. It's simply a lovely place to visit. It's also super easy to get around once you know the metro system and where you intend to go. I recommend getting a subway may with an overlay of the city so you'll know what stop to look for. There are even some fun interactive "machines" that tell you which line to take, which we found fun.

We arrived in Paris in the late afternoon with just enough time to get our hotel room keys, drop our luggage and leave for St. Chapelle. St. Chapelle is a gothic chapel built around the same time at Notre Dame with stained glass windows filling the walls all around. It is one of those amazing feats of historical architecture that today's architects and engineers still can't figure out. It was a beautiful quiet respective place. The picture of all the kids from our tour group was not posed. It was a natural picture of them enjoying the sight together.

After St. Chapelle we walked over to Notre Dame and walked through that cathedral while a mass was going on. It was much more crowded than the last time I'd been so I didn't get to take pictures. As we were leaving, however, one of our tour members took this picture of our family with Notre Dame in the background. I think it's the best one of the trip.

We had dinner with our friends at a local cafe and then headed to the Eiffel Tower. This was one of the high points of our time in Paris. Upon walking up to the tower for my second visit, I was amazed again at how big it is. We waited in line and went to the very top where it was ridiculously crowded. I urged us to go down to the 2nd observation level so that we could move around a little more and see the city layout better. We really enjoyed hanging out and looking around. I highly recommend visitors to Paris to go up the Eiffel Tower, even if the lines look daunting. You can really get an appreciation for how tall it is and understand the layout of the city even better from up high. I do think, however, that the 2nd observation level is high enough.

We left for our hotel just as it was getting dark and got to see the tower all lit up and that was really cool. WE couldn't walk 20 feet without having to turn around and look aagin at the sparkling lights. It was really quite fun.

The next morning we spent at the Louvre. We saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and several other famous and important works of art. Few pictures were taken because it was never really clear if picture taking was allowed. We had lunch, did some shopping and then headed back to our hotel for the afternoon. David and I had to wash clothes and we all needed a little bit of rest.

That evening was our last dinner with our group. We had a wonderful menu, terrific wine, and lots of fun conversation. It was sad saying goodbye to all our new friends from the tour, but we exchanged contact information and promised to keep in touch.

The next morning we went to the Musee D'Orsay and looked around at the art in there. I found the architecture of the building to be quite interesting. It was once a train depot, so is long with sky lights. I loved the clocks that show through to the other side. You can go on the roof and get a beautiful view of the Louvre across the river.

From here we walked down the Champs Elysees. There were crowds of people everywhere in these bright pink shirts. They even blocked intersections and sidewalks at one point. We thought there might be a protest of some sort going on, but we soon discovered it was simply Parisians out to celebrate their winning rugby team.

We finally made our destination of the Arc d'Triomphe where we admired Napolean's foresight in straightening and widening streets and building monuments to himself. I think looking at traffic navigating some of the roundabouts in Paris is also quite amazing. We took the subway back to our hotel, grabbed our bags and headed to the train station where we were going to enjoy the last leg of our trip.

As I said, I really enjoyed Paris. It's such a wonderful city for visiting. It's pretty, there are lots of things to do for people of all ages, and the food as always is terrific. If you understand and follow the important rules of French etiquette, you get along fine with the locals and can really enjoy yourself. I know I'll be back to Paris and will discover more of her secrets and charms.

Burgandy

On day 11 we left Switzerland and headed out of the country and into France. It was a very long day of driving with little mixed in for interest, but we did arrive at our charming country inn in time for some relaxation (meaning wine-drinking) before our dinner outside. The kids ran around and played with a ball and climbed trees and the adults enjoyed conversation and the lovely French wine.

David and I stayed in the newly completed "sheep shed" or more interestingly called the "love shack." It was decorated with bright red paint and fabrics inside. Of course there was no AC and since it was perched on the edge of the garden there were plenty of mosquitos to keep me up all night, but I'm not complaining.

Dinner that night consisted of more wine and a buffet set up so we could eat ourselves silly on bread, salad, vegies, meat of various kinds, more vegies, more bread, and dessert. Dessert was lovely--chocolate pie that tasted something between chocolate syrup and good fudge (it was that rich) and a berry tart that was perfect in every way--especially when paired with the chocolate pie.

After breakfast the next morning (to which David and I were late because we overslept not having set our alarm!) we headed toward Paris (which will be another blog entry because there's just too much to talk about in that city). On the way we visited Guedelon, which is a 13th century castle being built using nothing but 13th century technologies and materials. They expect the castle to be completed in about 20 years. This was David's favorite part of the trip.

We also managed to get a picture with our bus driver before he left us for another tour. We loved getting to know Jean. He was a fun person and an amazing driver.

I don't really have that much to say about this area in France. We only spent the one night and it was really merely a stop over between Switzerland and Paris. I was glad to have seen Guedelon, as I thought it was a really neat concept. The country inn was wonderful, and the people running it friendly and helpful. I wouldn't mind going back to their place, though I think I would request a traditional room just to get away from the mosquitos.

Switzerland

Ah, Switzerland. If Austria was beautiful, Switzerland was more so. It was bigger, brighter and completely knocked my socks off. We woke up on Day 9 and drove from our little village in Austria to a beautiful little lake town in Germany called Lindau. There was a harbor with boats, flowers everywhere and such a charming little old town that you wanted to wander around all day. In one square (creatively enough called "Church square) there were two churches, one Catholic and one Lutheran. The Lutheran church was built during the reformation to allow for worshipers to choose which church they wanted to attend. Since the two were side-by-side neighbors could still enjoy the experience of walking to and from church together and still attend the church of thier choice. At noon, both churches ring their bells, which was such an interesting cacaphony in the middle of that square! The Catholic church was, of course, very ornate inside, while the Luteran one was not. In fact, the Lutheran church almost felt like a wedding cake, everything was so white and pastel.

We stayed in a town called Wengen, Switzerland. We drove to Lauterbrunnen where we caught the train to our village. While there were a few cars around, our big bus could not navigate the mountain UP to our village. We had dinner at the hotel that night and were surprised by an alphorn concert. The alphorn player got so excited about his instrument and all that he talked and talked and talked! And played and played and played. It was a great evening. (and btw, the food here was just "ok" though the fondue was amazing!)

The next morning was a free day, but our guides took a group of us to the top of the Schilthorn. At more than 10,000 feet, it was an amazing view before the clouds rolled in. Gondolas are a primary form of transportation in the Swiss alps. While not cheap, everyone rides them to and from villages (a group of school kids from Gimmelwald rode to Murren with us).

Once at the top of the mountain, we were amazed by this view. We also ate a dessert in the revolving restaurant. Shortly before we left, however, the clouds rolled in and we couldn't see a thing.

We went back down the mountain the way we came up (in gondolas) and walked from the town at the bottom back to Lauterbrunnen. This hike was about 6 km and gorgeous with mountains all around, cows ringing their bells while munching alphine flowers. The sky was gorgeous. It really was an amazing walk. In the middle of it all, though, we took a break for one of the highlights of our trip: Trummelbach Falls. Trummelbach Falls are inside the mountain. You walk into the cave, ride a funnicular up to the area where you can then walk, and go around and around these falls and every corner you take, every new view of the falls is a "wow" moment.

We finished our hike, had a late lunch, then rode the train back to our hotel where we rested up until dinner. We then went in search of fondue. We found out that you should order your fondue by 11am (if you're ever in Switzerland and want fondue for supper, remember this). It's not cheap, but it is delicious!

And that was our time in Switzerland. It made me desperately want to go back. If I didn't want to leave Austria (and I really didn't) I really, really didn't want to leave Switzerland. It was so beautiful and pretty and clean. The air was pure, the cows happy, and the food was pretty good--good enough to keep me fed anyway! I honestly can't wait to go back and spend lots more time there.

Austria

On day 7 we woke up early, ate a quick breakfast and got on the bus for a long day of bus riding. David had been talking to our bus driver who recommended that we ride in the front seat for the drive from Venice to Austria. He was right. The view from the front seat of the Dolomites and northen Italy was astounding. The mountains got taller and more straight up. The valleys were greener, the trees more interesting. The sky bluer. Everything about the drive indicated clearer air, more beautiful scenery and a mountain retreat to make us very happy. And all the indications were exactly right.

Around lunch time we stopped in a town in northern Italy called Bolzano. There we went to the archeology museum and saw Otzi the ice man (found in a glacier about 10 years ago), had lunch and gelato. Bolzano was a charming town. It would have been fun to hang out there for a while.

We arrived at Gutshof zum Schluxen around 4 and had to hurriedly get some clothes on to wash, have a bath (David had a nap) and enjoy some of the local wine before dinner. And dinner was amazing. I had the veal and David had the venison. Unbelievable. And did I mention the local wine? Because it was also fabulous. During my quiet time at the bar watching the patriarch kill flies, I was seriously enjoying the relaxation of no kids, no husband and no tour buddies, when one of our guides walked by and said, "You look totally refreshed!" I said, "I had a bath in a real tub with hot water," and she was jealous.

That night after a wonderful sleep, David, Alyssa and Elizabeth went with the rest of the tour group on a hike to Neuschwanstein Castle. They took this picture of the village we stayed in along the way. I stayed back at the hotel and got our clothes on the line (which were later brought in by the hotel staff and folded when the rain storm came up. Wonderful people at Schluxen).

Neuschwanstein Casle was built by Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria but never completed. He built it because he liked the view--it was an astounding view and an extremely difficult hike. He dedicated the castle to Wagner's operas with each room "playing out" the main idea from one of the opeas. Swans also played an important role, with over 300 swans depicted in one room alone!

After Neuschwanstein, we went to the luge and had a picnic. Everybody but me rode the luge twice and found it to be quite fun. It just wasn't my thing. I did enjoy the picnic, especially the champagne.

After that we went back to our hotel where we rested up a bit from our extremely physical day. After David's nap, we hiked into the village and took a few pictures of interesting things. The village church was charming. And the cows that were being herded home by two guys on bicycles kept us laughing for quite some time.

We made it back to our hotel in time to have some of that beautiful wine at the bar before dinner (no flies this tme). Dinner that night was a buffet of all kinds of terrific food.

I did not want to leave Schluxen. It was the first place I totally relaxed on the trip, the kids had play space and enjoyed the country air. The food, if possible, was actually better than Italy. We had so much fun there. The hotel owners were extremely nice. Everything about it was perfect. Our driver spoke excitedly about Schluxen from the day he picked us up in Rome and I completely understand. He called it a "heaven on earth" where the water tastes like nothing else in the world. And he was right. Everything in Austria was perfect--the weather, the food, the activities, the smell, the atmosphere, the scenery. I cannot wait to go back to this little wonder on our earth.