Our exchange family had left us a brochure listing about twenty châteaux in Southern Burgundy, and as we looked at the map, we realized that they were all within an hour's drive of our house. It was hard to choose which one to visit first, but we finally decided to visit Cormatin on Day Five, which is fifteen minutes north of Cluny Abbey (much more on that later).
We had a few minutes to explore the immaculately kept formal gardens (and the moat!) before our guided tour started. The hedge maze was intricate enough that Hope had a hard time finding her way out once the bell rang for our tour. Our tour guide was a young intern with a very entertaining speaking style; the little kids followed along with a binder that contained an English transcription. The 17th-century structure is in very good condition, and the chambers of the Marquis and Marquise--decorated with gold leaf and lapis lazuli--are stunning.
After our tour, we had some ice cream in the former orangery and made our way home.
Before our trip, we'd realized that the Tour de France would be passing close by Prissé on what would be Day Six of our visit, so Patrick and I made plans for him to take the three older kids to the village of Fleurie so that they could see the cyclists race by. We knew it would be a long, hot wait, so I decided to stay home with the younger two. Patrick and the teens got an excellent spot on the village thoroughfare and settled in to wait.
First, the sponsor caravan came by and threw free stuff to the crowd. Patrick and the kids came home with snacks, drinks, frisbees, and other little toys in a little backpack they'd also scored. A couple of hours later, the cyclists came through--and Vincenzio Nibali, the guy with the famous yellow jersey that day, was the one who ended up winning the race. Viva Italia!
In the meantime, I filmed Daniel and Anne giving a tour of our mini-château. It's sixteen minutes long, and it's hilarious (to us, anyway). You'll have to head over to Facebook to see it, since I can't seem to upload it here.
We also played ping pong in the cave and had a picnic under a mulberry tree on the lawn. Bliss.
Since Day Six was pretty mellow, we were up for adventure again on Day Seven. First, we visited the abbey of Cluny, most of which was destroyed right after the French Revolution. (This was unusual; most of France's gorgeous architecture was preserved as part of the national patrimony despite the antagonism toward religion at the time.) What remains is impressive, and amazing virtual reality technology shows visitors what the massive churches must have been like in their heyday. Here's James walking through what was once the ambulatory of one of the churches; you can see remains of the pillars to his right:
Everyone loved everything about Cluny, and Patrick and I were excited, because we'd bought tickets to a concert to be held there the following week. We splurged on lunch at a restaurant, which was leisurely and delicious. Then, because it was so hot, we made for the Caves at Azé in the afternoon. The idea of a fresh, cool tour through a 50-degree grotto running alongside a subterreanean river sounded heavenly--and it was.
Once again, our guide was fantastic--completely immersed in his source material. Prehistoric man lived in the caves, and many skeletons of bears, lions, and other creatures have been excavated from within. The geology, the history--it was all fascinating--and I was once again bursting with pride over my children. Patrick and I translated some of what our guide told us, but mostly, they patiently gleaned what they could from the fast-paced flood of French that washed over them--and then asked questions when it was appropriate.
Every evening was wonderful--a home-cooked dinner; a twilight walk; some Buffy accompanied by chocolate--the routine was extremely satisfying.
The next day, Day Eight, was Saturday, and we went to Switzerland to see Patrick's family for the weekend. We met his cousin, Valérie, at her cute apartment, and then headed to downtown Lausanne to do some exploring. As lovely as Geneva is, I far prefer Lausanne, and would be quite content to live there. Perched on the edge of Lake Geneva, with the stately Alps rising above the other side, Lausanne is small enough to be comfy, but sophisticated enough to remind you that you're very happily in Europe.
We visited the cathedral (including the awesome crypt, which we hadn't seen before), bought chocolate (of course), and found an issue of Vogue Italia for Hope. A friend of ours who is a model was featured in an extensive spread, so we bought it as a souvenir.
In the evening, we all went to the village of Servion, where Patrick's second cousin, Dany, lives with his family. I cannot convey to you how wonderful this evening was. Dany and Yolande are kind and hilarious and generous people. They made a traditional raclette dinner for us with all the scrumptious trimmings, and we ate and talked and laughed in the gorgeous Vaudois twilight for hours. Here's a photo of James and me, with the view from Dany's terrace in the background. Heaven.
Speaking of heaven, the next day (Day Nine), we went to church in Renens with Valérie, her awesome son, Nolan, and Patrick's Aunt Sylvia. What a fabulous ward, with dynamic youth, excellent lessons, and a comforting yet energizing Spirit. After a yummy lunch at Valérie's and a nice visit with Sylvia, we drove to Montreux (yes, we all sang the "Smoke on the Water" riff--several times) so that we could visit the Château de Chillon. I've been there before twice, but it doesn't get old.
We explored the whole thing from dungeon (which boasts Lord Byron's graffiti) to tower.
It was rainy, but the Alps rose majestically through the mist, and I could have looked out over the platinum water forever.
The rain persisted the next day (Day Ten), but we were undaunted. First, we went to visit the Cailler chocolate factory near the village of Gruyères. (I was dying to take the kids to the castle at Gruyères as well, but I didn't want them to burn out on castles too early--plus, with the poor weather, it wouldn't have been at its best. Next time.)
The factory was packed, but we bought tickets for the tour and then lounged around watching the big spenders (those who paid 75 euros) make hand-molded chocolates in the glassed-in lab. (Again: next time, we'll fork out for the atelier du chocolat).
The tour was delightfully heavy on history and atmosphere, but I had hoped for more technique/technology. But at the end, we did get to see chocolates being made--and then, for the grand finale, the tasting room. In which we could stay as long as we liked and eat as much chocolate as we wanted. Shades of Wonka. Cailler makes our very favorite chocolate, Frigor, and let's just say that the Perkins family got its money's worth. Délicieux!
Nicely stuffed, we made our way back to Lausanne to visit the fantastic Olympic Museum. This was definitely the kids' favorite visit: loads of interactive displays, memorabilia, and videos of Olympic highlights--it's easy to spend fascinating hours there. I highly recommend it.
By this time in our trip, Patrick had driven the autoroute to and from France twice, and while the autoroute is efficient, it's not necessarily the most scenic way to go. Patrick, as driver, wanted adventure, so we planned an alternate route back to Prissé. It was pouring rain a lot of the way--through Vallorbe, Pontarlier, and then skirting Lons-le-Saunier back down to Mâcon--and it took us about four hours (instead of two).
Now, I love a good road trip with Patrick at the wheel, but this was the one time our kids mutinied a bit, so we decided to stop for a splurge dinner in Tournus. Hope got adventurous and ordered a pizza with escargots--but I ended up eating most of them along with my hanger steak. Ah, the sacrifices I make for my children. But everyone was happy, and we got back to our lovely mini-château in time for an episode of Buffy.
To be continued! Stay tuned for more châteaux, churches, cheese, and chocolat!