Grrr Argh!

Well, we are back in the game! Our furious struggle with all that is French internet has finally come to an end! We won the war and are so unbelievably happy to be back with you folks and bringing you info on our travels! We hope you haven't missed us too much because we sure missed you!

Now where do we begin...

When we last left you we were in the process of moving from our vacation home into our more permanent residence here on rue Mathis in the 19th. We have settled in nicely and have even made friends with the lovely Asian man who runs the laundromat downstairs. His smile has a way of brightening our day! Our neighborhood is an amazing melting pot of so many cultures. It runs along the beautiful canal and has shops and markets galore. On our traveling budget, we have taken a special liking to the Bazaars where you can get anything you need for just a few euros. A few nights ago we went for supper with Jon to the Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese place just downstairs and had a delicious spread of duck, and frogs legs (they really do taste like chicken!)

We have also attended our first brunch. (Thanks Morgen and Joe for the fabulous blueberry pancakes!) It was delicious and the coffee from an actual coffee machine was a beautiful thing! Natalie is still in the process of trying to cat whisper their cat Zora, I think she'll come around eventually!

We have also been spending some time with a delightful British bloke named Jon. He has introduced us to his love of rugby and football and has fit in rather nicely to our crazy little world! We have even corrupted his classy brandy drinking ways and he has formed a new love for all things rum! (Especially good old fashion grog!)

This week VE Day was on Tuesday so we decided to make our first trip out of Paris to Chateau Fontainbleu, 50 km south of the city. We took the double decker train out to the forest and spent a lovely day in the Forest, where we climbed amongst the rocks and leaves. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for walking about and sharing a picnic!

We're right there!

She-Ra Princess of Power
An actual holly tree! Can you find Baxter?
Tree-huggers
So cute!
Glamour shot!
Can we pretend like we're gonna fall into the fountain!

The Chateau itself is beautiful. It was first built by Francis I as royal hunting grounds. Francis first introduced the Renaisance to France after captivity in Italy. It was later used by Napoleon as a replacement for Versaille because the Chateau there had been emptied by that point.

Creepy giant fish in the lake (I'm sure they had human faces!)

Peek-a-boo
Where's Jon and Jacie

Unfortunately the Chateau was closed, but it was nice just to simply walk around the grounds and into Fontainbleu, which is a cute little French town full of shops and cafes. It was here that we enjoyed our first taste of vin chaud (hot wine), and where Jon fell in love with grog, otherwise known as hot rum! Afer a lovely stroll we headed back to the train station. We were running late and made it to the station just in time. The whole scene unfolded in slow motion as the buzzer signifying the departure of the train sounded, Jon was yelling to hold the train and I was running in slow motion from the ticket stop and jumped on just as the train left the station. It was all rather dramatic!

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Solid Gold Dancers at the Chateau!


For those of you who are reading this, thanks for sticking with us. We promise that barring any more run ins with French internet mumbo jumbo, we're back and we look forward to sharing our journey with you!

A bientot!