Annivarsaire de Mariage

We celebrated our 4th anniversary on March 10! We wanted to do something special since it might be the last anniversary we celebrate while living in France. There is this amazing restaurant here in Chambery called La Maniguette.

It's a small restaurant with a small menu (3-4 choices for appetizers, entrées and desserts), a huge wine list and delicious food. We've been fortunate enough to have eaten there a couple of times before with people from Max's work, (thank you if you’re reading this!) so there was no doubt that this is where we wanted to go to celebrate our day. The food was unforgettable and our dessert plates were even decorated for the occasion. What a nice surprise! We just might have to find another reason to go back…like Cinco de Mayo, or Administrative Professional's Day. Just saying.

Chateau Chillon

It is starting to look like spring outside, even though it's the end of February. It's still a little cold to start doing a lot of traveling, but we were really ready to get out for a little day trip. We headed over to Chateau Chillon, located on a small rocky island near the far end of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

Here I am at the postern gate at the castle's base level. This gate had access to the lake and allowed for delivery of goods by boat or for the escape of castle occupants when the need called. The little pamphlet guide says that this probably became an execution room in the 16th century. Eww.

This talk of execution brings me to the poem written by Lord Bryon, called The Prisoner of Chillon, which tells the tale of one man's captivity in the dungeon of Chateau Chillon. The castle has inspired other writers and artists from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Victor Hugo and Delacroix to Courbet.

In all, we spent about 3 hours wandering the rooms of the chateau, ending at the top of the keep. The keep, on the center of the island rock, is thought to date back to the 11th century, with the rest of the chateau having evolved around it. It was a neat to place to visit, even in February, with more to offer than I first thought.

Babies!

Before we moved to France, Max and I took a cross cultural training class. The instructor said that as our worlds and our selves were changing in France, we should remember that things would be changing "back home" too. I really began to realize this during our last trip back to the US.

Case in point, baby Colton, my cousin's adorable little boy. I got to meet him for the first time during our visit to Indiana. He's looking like his papa.

Then, during our trip back to Columbus, we stopped by to visit our friends who just had beautiful twin girls!

It took me a minute to really conceptualize that there were indeed two of them; seeing them side by side helped. Amazing.

And then there is this precious baby girl belonging to our friends in Cleveland. So many little ones, in just one year! Things certainly have changed while we've been away. We could not be happier for our friends and family with their new additions and we look forward to seeing more of them soon! (Please don't read anything more into this post than that people).

Christmas, Three Times Over

So, I flew back to Michigan to celebrate Christmas with my family (barely making it through Amsterdam) and Max flew to China for an unavoidable business trip for two and a half weeks. It really was a different kind of Christmas, but a good one none the less. Due to the timing of Max's trip, I was able to spend extra time in the US which actually worked out well, making the trip a lot less stressful than last year's home leave.

I felt lucky to have had the opportunity to spend some quality time with familly and friends over the holidays. Anna and Matt flew in from Maryland and my family and I were able to see them for a little while on Christmas day. (Matt didn't get the memo that he was supposed to wear red that day...keep up buddy).

After Christmas, my family and I took a trip down to Indiana to see my grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I hadn't seen them since before we had moved to France two years ago. It was really great to see everyone and the trip provided a much needed distraction from missing Max.

Then, NOT before I knew it, Max's business trip ended and he flew from China to Michigan after the New Year. We then got to celebrate Christmas a second and third time with him. He slowly adjusted to the 13 hour time change and we were able to spend the rest of our time in the US together visiting with friends and family.

Lots of Snow in Chambery

There has been an unbelievable amount of snow falling in Chambery over the last several days. Some people are saying they've never seen this much snow here in the valley. Usually Chambery only gets a few inches on the ground each winter.

Needless to say, it's made driving difficult. (I already dinged our car during the last snow shower.) I was glad to have been able to drop my sister off at the airport the morning before all this happened, especially since the Lyon and Geneva airports were both closed the day after she left. Whew.

There was enough snow on our back balcony to build a little snow man! I feel very fortunate that I don't have to be anywhere soon and that I can enjoy the weather in such a nice, warm apartment. It is officially winter in my book. Stay safe my fellow Chamberians and all those traveling nearby.

Thanksgiving with Colleen

Voila, my little sister! She flew over for a visit during the Thanksgiving holiday. We had enough time during her stay to take a whirlwind trip to Paris. We took the early train in and headed straight to the Louvre to absorb some culture.

By the time we left the Louvre and did some shopping, the skies began to darken for the evening. We viewed the Eiffel Tower against a backdrop of blue, pink, then purple lighting. "So intense!"

Our last point of interest for the day was Notre Dame cathedral. It was nice and warm inside, a welcome change from the dropping temperatures. We headed back to the train station after that and caught our ride (barely) back to Chambery. I did say it was a whirlwind trip...

The next day, Thanksgiving day, we went up to Lac du Bourget, the largest and deepest lake in France. Yes, the water and the wind were pretty cold so we didn't stay too long. Besides, we had a whole chicken to go cook for dinner! (They don't really have whole turkeys here).

After an afternoon of cooking and baking, dinner was served. It didn't take nearly as long to eat as it did to make but isn't that the way it always goes? It was a different Thanksgiving for us as are most holidays living as an ex-pat, but having Colleen here made it feel very special. Cheers!

C'mon People...

So, the strikes continue throughout France. The people here are very unhappy, to say the least, that president Sarkozy wants to raise the age of retirement from 60 to 62 in order to ease the financial burden on the government. The unions are having none of it.

This was the scene in front of the chateau after a group of kids burned some dumpster bins. This isn't the first fire I've seen this week. I walked by this one while it was going on but by the time I finished up my phone call with Max and headed out again with my camera, the fire was out and the kids were gone. I'm no journalist.

Shortly after that, the protest march started. Here is the beginning of the march, turning the corner and heading down our (small) street.

There was so much noise between the fireworks, music, drumming, singing, shouting, etc. The people chanted "soixante ans, ça suffit", which means "60 years, that's enough"!

I'm baffled by the whole thing. On the day to day level, we're experiencing gas shortages and disruptions in the transit system which has had minor effects on us so far but we are lucky since we get around mostly by foot; other people are not so lucky. On a larger scale, I'm really left wondering if these protesters realize how good they actually have it, compared to other workers around the world..and this coming from an American. I'm not sure that will happen but I hope for a peaceful, acceptable conclusion, soon.

Vienna & Bratislava

Max and I took a trip to Vienna, Austria for a quick 4 day vacation. We'd been planning the trip for a couple of months and the timing worked out well as we seemed to need some time away, especially since Max's work life has gotten a bit more hectic lately. The first place we checked out was the Belvedere Palace (above).

Belvedere Palace was the home of Frenchman and military leader Prince Eugene of Savoy (the same Savoy, I think, as the region we live in now). Currently the palace houses art, most famously that of painter Gustav Klimt, of whom I am a fan. We got to see one of his most notable works, The Kiss, and it was certainly a highlight of the trip.

The food in Vienna was very good. If you are a meat and potatoes person who enjoys a good beer, then you'd be set in Vienna. We had wienerschnitzel, bratwurst, strudel, potato salad, and then some. Yum.

The next morning we headed downtown to see the Hofburg Palace and Imperial Treasury. We learned a lot about the history of the Habsburg monarchy and empire. For six centuries, members of the Habsburg family ruled Austria and many were also rulers of the Holy Roman Empire (which was massive by the way). The assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne, started WWI and ended the Habsburg rule.

Ever wonder what the world's largest emerald looks like? This 2,680-karat emerald is just part of the Habsburg family jewels. The entire collection is just ridiculous. Considered to be the biggest and most important collection of royal jewels and artifacts, the Treasury documents the political and spiritual power of the Holy Roman Emperor.

That afternoon, we went to see Stephansdom (Saint Stephen's Cathedral) in the city's center. It was difficult to see the entire cathedral since much of the exterior is under construction and entrance to the nave cost a fee, which we weren't up for paying. It was still impressive.

Saturday morning we took the hour train ride over to Bratislava, Slovakia. Max's grandfather had come over from what is now Slovakia, so we thought it'd be neat to see a little bit of the

country from which he came. Bratislava reminded us a lot of Tallinn, Estonia, which makes sense since both are recovering from communist rule. Above is the last surviving tower in the city, St. Michael's Gate.

I understand zero Slovak, but here is my rough interpretation of this sign in the bathroom: "Here is your chance to get some toilet paper before entering the stalls. Should you pass up this chance, no other toilet paper will be provided for you. Have a shi**y day."

Throughout the city, there are several cannon balls lodged in the walls of buildings from Napoleons’ siege on Bratislava. This one is located just to the left of the big window on the Old Town Hall.

We hiked up to the Bratislava Castle to see it and to get a view of the town. This once military fortress was transformed into a royal residence for Maria Theresa, the only female ruler in the Habsburg dynasty. She was also the mother of 16 children (the youngest being Marie Antoinette) whom she married off to other royalty to increase the family's power.

This is a view from the castle of the old town and modern Bratislava. It was a very interesting city. It certainly is no Vienna but it definitely had a charm of its own. Travel writer Rick Steves refers to Slovakia as the "West Virginia of Europe", which it maybe, but it was still worth us exploring and we actually spent most of the day there.

Vienna was great. The people were really nice, the food was delicious, and the culture was really interesting; the dish display in the royal apartments was even interesting, that's right dishes. Our tour to Bratislava added a certain flavor that would have been missing had we not gone. With Max's vacation running low, this may be our last trip for a little while but we'll keep you posted.

One-Third Done!

So, its been a little over a year since I started my major undertaking of a cross stitch project. I have just finished the second row! There are six rows total, so I am a third of the way done. Trying to stay excited here. I'm just kidding, I do enjoy it.

Just in case you forgot, since my last update was so long ago, this is what the finished picture should look like, in about two more years. Bonne travail, as my thread lady says.

Pont du Gard

On the way back to Chambery from Cannes, we took a little detour and stopped by Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge in the Provence region. This is the second highest standing Roman structure, the Colosseum in Rome being the first.

Pont du Gard is part of an aqueduct that transported water over 30 miles to the town of Nimes, at a rate of about 100 gallons per second. Most of the aqueduct is on or underground, except at places such at this where a bridge was needed to transverse the gorge. It is another amazing example of Roman ingenuity.

A Day at the Beach

While it was still warm outside, but after the kids went back to school, we took a short, relaxing trip down to the Riviera. We stayed in Cannes, the city known for the Cannes Film Festival which happens here each May. Above is the Palais du Festival where some films are played.

Some (older) celebrities have left there mark here. The date on the lower right hand corner is from 1987.

In the morning we took a ferry from Cannes to Ile Saint Honarat, an island about 4 or 5 miles off shore from the mainland. Here's Max waiting on the rocky shore of the Vieux Port (Old Port) for the ferry.

This is Ile Saint Honorat. It is the smaller of the two islands in the archipelago known as the Lerins Islands. Both islands are still part of Cannes though Ile Saint Honorat is privately owned.

Visiting Ile Saint Honorat is somewhat of a religious experience. There is an abbey, a fortified monastery (above) and seven churches on the island. Some of the churches date back 15 centuries. Here is one of the churches below.

There is a sense of calm and peace here. There are no motorized vehicles on the island, minus a tractor or two used by the monks to tend to the vineyards. There were hardly any people around, so very quickly you feel surrounded by nature.

Here these boats have found the calm waters between Ile Saint Honorat and Ile Sainte-Marguerite.

This is the life! We spent the afternoon on the beautiful sandy beach. The weather could not have been more perfect and it wasn't even crowded. The water was a little cool, but felt pretty fine once we got used to it. It was hard to drag ourselves away.

We had a really great weekend in Cannes and would maybe go back if there weren't so many other places we wanted to visit! We've reached the half way point to our stay here, as far as we know, and I think we're starting to realize how much we still want to see.