Wren's Trip Report: Awesome Amsterdam, Beautiful Brugge, and Fabulous France
Jul 30th, 2005, 05:12 PM
#42
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What a trip! So sorry to hear about DH's are, but it sounds like you all have the right spirit. It is also interesting to hear about not being charged at the hospital. A couple years ago, my father slipped on a step at the Eiffel Tour and tore his rotator cuff. It was his first trip abroad, and so he had no idea what to do. So he went to a pharmacy and bought a sling and suffered for the rest of the trip. He had surgery when he returned home. It sounds like he would have been better off having it taken care of at the time!
Jul 30th, 2005, 07:32 PM
#43
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wren, your trip and report are wonderful; thanks for sharing!
A tip for your husband: take advil <u>before</u> going to phyiscal therapy: I broke my wrist and elbow a few years ago and the therapy was much easier if I pre-medicated (a hot bath and a glass of Scotch was good for afterwards too).
A tip for your husband: take advil <u>before</u> going to phyiscal therapy: I broke my wrist and elbow a few years ago and the therapy was much easier if I pre-medicated (a hot bath and a glass of Scotch was good for afterwards too).
Jul 31st, 2005, 01:44 AM
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If DH comes home cranky after therapy ... you should have the scotch and hot bath ;-) Just kidding of course. You, Mark and Liz ( I feel that I know you well enough to be on a first name basis), are really good sports, and did make lemonade out of your lemons.
We've taken almost the same trip as yours' (except Estelle did not invite us to stay with her), and we felt the same way about Dinan. The first time you stand on the hill and see the river, is breathtaking. Brugge and Dinan are two of our favorite French towns, along with the spectacular Mont Saint Michel.
Thanking you for sharing with us. Your humor came through loud and clear and made it such a fun read.
Nina
We've taken almost the same trip as yours' (except Estelle did not invite us to stay with her), and we felt the same way about Dinan. The first time you stand on the hill and see the river, is breathtaking. Brugge and Dinan are two of our favorite French towns, along with the spectacular Mont Saint Michel.
Thanking you for sharing with us. Your humor came through loud and clear and made it such a fun read.
Nina
Jul 31st, 2005, 01:59 AM
#46
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Wren, this report has been delightful to read. Hope your DH is making progress and will soon be ablet to go again!
BTW though..you must never have been to Pittsburgh, PA if you never saw fries on a sandwich..The Almost FAmous Primanti's in the Strip District has been doing it for years!
http://www.primantibros.com/
BTW though..you must never have been to Pittsburgh, PA if you never saw fries on a sandwich..The Almost FAmous Primanti's in the Strip District has been doing it for years!
http://www.primantibros.com/
Jul 31st, 2005, 06:00 AM
#47
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Jody, you are right. I have never been to Pittsburgh, nor had I heard of the restaurant with the sandwiches! Yikes...french fries and fried eggs too (a heart attack on a plate?!). Our daughter had seen someone eating one of those sandwiches in Nantes and commented, "that looks like something an American would eat!" So when the guy at the festival served DH one that night, it made it extra funny...especially since they called it an American Sandwich!
Jul 31st, 2005, 03:01 PM
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DAY 14 Rest in the Loire Sunday, a day of much needed rest!! We all awoke at a late hour and after breakfast (the brioche from this area is awesome) walked around the property of Estelle's parents, who are our age. Jean-Noel is a landscape architect and genius extraordinaire! We stopped in a greenhouse with melons, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Walking around in the orchards, there are plum, pear, apple, cherry, and peach trees. (a few samples are divine) Hydrangeas, roses, rhododendrons, lavender, and many other flowers I can't grow here in Florida abound. Herbs tucked in a little corner fill the air with fragrance. The grandparents also live on the property and have their own vegetable garden filled with green and red lettuce, string beans, and squash,that we all got to taste. Marvelous! We walked down to their jacuzzi and just relaxed for awhile. Then around 1:30, we were invited to go to a little town for lunch with the whole family. What a treat! Another excellent meal…DD and I had salmon. Mark had a brochette with different assorted sweet peppers and other vegetables. The wine is wonderful---a Saumur Champigny. After eating, we walked off everything with a long walk in the Vendee countryside…ahhh what a life! The rest of the day was total relaxation, just enjoying France and their way of life!
Jul 31st, 2005, 05:47 PM
#52
Thanks for the great trip report. Congratulations on overcoming your husband's injury to have a great vacation.
I know nothing about wine, but since our return from France last week, when you mention Saumur Champigny I envision the vineyards surrounding the fascinating Chateau de Breze with its troglodyte chambers. Ahh.
And Ira's list item about checking to know how to turn on the lights before driving off in your rental car reminds me of my husband's exclamation of, er, surprise, when we entered the first tunnel with its sign, "Allumez votre feu".
The Puy de Fou and La Tessoualle sound wonderful. Did you plan to be in the area for these events or was it serendipty?
I know nothing about wine, but since our return from France last week, when you mention Saumur Champigny I envision the vineyards surrounding the fascinating Chateau de Breze with its troglodyte chambers. Ahh.
And Ira's list item about checking to know how to turn on the lights before driving off in your rental car reminds me of my husband's exclamation of, er, surprise, when we entered the first tunnel with its sign, "Allumez votre feu".
The Puy de Fou and La Tessoualle sound wonderful. Did you plan to be in the area for these events or was it serendipty?
Aug 1st, 2005, 04:30 AM
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Nikki, yes, we had planned all along to be there at that time (we didn't know about the "beerfest"
because we had been invited to go with the family to Puy du Fou...in fact, it was our Christmas present from them!
because we had been invited to go with the family to Puy du Fou...in fact, it was our Christmas present from them!
Aug 4th, 2005, 04:27 PM
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Ya caught me!
DAY 15 Liz Leaves—Quick Tour of Angers Today Liz and Estelle return to Paris so we took them to the train in Angers in the early afternoon. We did not have much time to look around, but we took a quick tour of the center of town and of the castle fortress.
At the train station after beaucoup de thank-yous, good-byes, and lots of hugs, the girls were off to Paris.
Marie-Helene decided to take the scenic route home so we could see the cute towns and vineyards of the area. She stopped in a little town where we spotted a “degustation” sign, and we went into a tasting room to sample their wines. Their red, white, and rose were all great, so we left with some of each! My, it is great having a friend who not only knows the language and exactly where to go, but will drive us there and let us sample wine!!
We rested for awhile before dinner, then we all went into Cholet to a restaurant that specializes in food from the Perigord. It also happens to be owned by a relative of the family. (They have a huge family and we met relatives everywhere!) We ordered an aperitif a la maison…then we each order from the Menu, DH and Jean-Noel had an starter of foie gras, and DH even orders a duck main course…poor canards! Everything we ate that night was wonderful! My peach melba dessert was so refreshing!
We all had a great time on our last night together. Tomorrow…off to Poitiers…
DAY 15 Liz Leaves—Quick Tour of Angers Today Liz and Estelle return to Paris so we took them to the train in Angers in the early afternoon. We did not have much time to look around, but we took a quick tour of the center of town and of the castle fortress.
At the train station after beaucoup de thank-yous, good-byes, and lots of hugs, the girls were off to Paris.
Marie-Helene decided to take the scenic route home so we could see the cute towns and vineyards of the area. She stopped in a little town where we spotted a “degustation” sign, and we went into a tasting room to sample their wines. Their red, white, and rose were all great, so we left with some of each! My, it is great having a friend who not only knows the language and exactly where to go, but will drive us there and let us sample wine!!
We rested for awhile before dinner, then we all went into Cholet to a restaurant that specializes in food from the Perigord. It also happens to be owned by a relative of the family. (They have a huge family and we met relatives everywhere!) We ordered an aperitif a la maison…then we each order from the Menu, DH and Jean-Noel had an starter of foie gras, and DH even orders a duck main course…poor canards! Everything we ate that night was wonderful! My peach melba dessert was so refreshing!
We all had a great time on our last night together. Tomorrow…off to Poitiers…
Aug 4th, 2005, 11:02 PM
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I say forget the Advil before therapy and bring on the Percocet! DH sounds like he was a good sport under the circumstances...and on the bright side it could have been an ankle/leg like my poor DH, recently. And sympathies to you (they can get a little crotchety when in pain, can't they?)
Wonderful report; you've visited so many of our favorite places...waiting with bated breath for the remainder!
Wonderful report; you've visited so many of our favorite places...waiting with bated breath for the remainder!
Aug 5th, 2005, 12:43 AM
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Wren, wath a wonderful trip report. Hope DH will recover completely.
2 comments: the baguette with a burger and fries exists in Belgium as well and it's called a 'mitraillette' for some reason (mitraillette means machine gun, perhaps they call it like that because it 'shoots' calories at high speed into your mouth
). Personally I think it's one of the most disgusting things there are, but especially male students seem to be quite fond of it during or after a night out.
As for the insurance, I was acompanying my mother's American cousin and his wife on a day trip to Paris from Belgium, when the wife got hit by a motorcycle in front of La Samaritaine. The 'pompiers' took her to hospital, she had a head concussion and a twisted ankle, and didn't have to pay for anything either. Perhaps because it was the fault of the motorcycle so the hospital knew his insurance would pay, and in your case they knew Benno's insurance would cover it?
2 comments: the baguette with a burger and fries exists in Belgium as well and it's called a 'mitraillette' for some reason (mitraillette means machine gun, perhaps they call it like that because it 'shoots' calories at high speed into your mouth
). Personally I think it's one of the most disgusting things there are, but especially male students seem to be quite fond of it during or after a night out.As for the insurance, I was acompanying my mother's American cousin and his wife on a day trip to Paris from Belgium, when the wife got hit by a motorcycle in front of La Samaritaine. The 'pompiers' took her to hospital, she had a head concussion and a twisted ankle, and didn't have to pay for anything either. Perhaps because it was the fault of the motorcycle so the hospital knew his insurance would pay, and in your case they knew Benno's insurance would cover it?
Aug 5th, 2005, 05:11 AM
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I really enjoyed your report. What a great trip. Sorry about your husband.
He did a great job of going forward. I can be very whiny at home but my love for travel keeps me moving when I'm gone.
Thanks.
He did a great job of going forward. I can be very whiny at home but my love for travel keeps me moving when I'm gone.
Thanks.
