Off to an early start for our trip up to Strausburg. 6 am wake up call. Not easy after our late mornings. 7:30, we are all ready. The car is packed with our overnight bags, maps, and reading material for the next adventure. All of the shutters on our beautiful country home are closed. Kids are in the car, the key is in the ignition, and I am walking out to lock the front door.
Rachel surprised me by getting out of the car and approaching me with a look that I could not quite make out. "Mommy?" "Yes Rachel?" (I was sure she was coming back to get another snack for the car) "Ummm. We are not supposed to be going today. We are supposed to go tomorrow." Silence. Pondering. Quickly running my mind over the calendar that I was at one time more or less married to, but realizing that I have not looked at it for almost a week. Let's see. Think quick. Yesterday was Rachel's birthday. The 21st. That's right. OK. I am getting it back. That would make today the 22nd. OMS! (Oh my stars!) We are not due in Strausburg until the 23rd!
At this point, we all burst out laughing! No way! Well, at least we figured it out sooner rather than later! We left all of the bags in the car and decided instead to head out to Autun, where there was a farmer's market today! How great to get an early start!
In Autun, we bought all of the fixings for a home made soup. With a huge storm brewing, it just felt like the thing to do! While there, we fell upon a beautiful cathedral built in 1114. We also learned that there were 2000 year old Roman ruins! How many times do you get to see that?
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| Cathedral Saint-Jean - Autun |
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| Doors to Cathedral |
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| 2000 year old Gate to city - 1 of 4 |
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| Roman Ampitheatre |
From there, we took what turned out to be one of the most beautiful drives we have ever taken to get to Beaune. We were surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills. White cows, of course, sheep and horses. I cannot find the words to describe how beautiful this drive was. I felt a little bit like we were driving through a medieval storybook. Unbelievable. Ahhhhh.
In Beaune we were not disappointed by the Hotel Dieu. (The hospital) It was fascinating. The tiles on the roof are a trademark of this area. The process that they use to color them last for 300 years. They were last re-done in 1901. Soren and I especially liked seeing the actual tools that they used for "bleeding out" patients. Rachel loved the Baroque tapestries and the paintings in the room for the wealthy patients. Jeff and Makenna seemed to enjoy it all.
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| Hotel Dieu - Beaune |
While there, we were hit with the storm. Thunder, lightening and a downpour of rain. We only had one umbrella, so we got quite wet and ducked into a sandwich shop for awhile while the storm lightened up.
Then, we were headed back home. After our homemade soup (which turned out awesome) and a walk down the country road, the kids were exhausted. They are all tucked in now, and ready for the real deal tomorrow! Bonne nuit mes amis! We leave you with the sunset view from Rachel's room.
From there, we took what turned out to be one of the most beautiful drives we have ever taken to get to Beaune. We were surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills. White cows, of course, sheep and horses. I cannot find the words to describe how beautiful this drive was. I felt a little bit like we were driving through a medieval storybook. Unbelievable. Ahhhhh.
In Beaune we were not disappointed by the Hotel Dieu. (The hospital) It was fascinating. The tiles on the roof are a trademark of this area. The process that they use to color them last for 300 years. They were last re-done in 1901. Soren and I especially liked seeing the actual tools that they used for "bleeding out" patients. Rachel loved the Baroque tapestries and the paintings in the room for the wealthy patients. Jeff and Makenna seemed to enjoy it all.
Mon Dieu, what adventures. I have Reid here today, love the boy, but transformers!!!! He never stops talking about them. He got a new one "Shockwave" and he has told me everything about him for the past 2 hours. Hey Soren, I saw the new release for Star Wars. We did not see any real ones yet, just on line. reid says he and i will look for them after I get off the blog. Have fun tomotrrow.
ReplyDeleteMom, Nana, Sandi
Well, I just wrote a comment, but it is lost, I think. I will try again. The soup sounds good, but no bread, or cheese? Well, at least you did not have to pack the car for your trip this morning!! LOL The drive you took yesterday must have been wonderful. Hope your trip today was great. You are seeing so many great things, makes me want to pack my bags and go also. Looking forward to more pictures.
ReplyDeleteLove, Grami and Papaw
Just trying to catch up with all your posts. Your journey sounds fabulous. I am so jealous at all that you have seen and done. The photos are so beautiful and tell us an amazing story about your adventure. Reading your blog today has given me some peace. Needless to say it has been a hectic day and still doing stuff at school. I need a vacation myself.
ReplyDeleteRachel happy belated Bday! You are so lucky to be able to celebrate in another country. What a great memory for you! Your accommodations are incredible. I will be sure to share the message you wrote about Hide and seek. The boys will be bummed but maybe they will be more motivated to be adventuresome like all of you.
Looking forward to reading more and see your photos! Thanks for sharing.