Burn Out

Long drive to from Saumur back to Paris to drop the rental car (nightmare) and ride the Eurostar to London. Am bedded down for a spoiled nite in a corporate suite. We are staying in Mayfair right near Hyde Park. The ride from the train station past the parliament building, with only a glimpse of Buckingham Palace, is reminiscent of the buildings of Boston (New England, don’t cha know). I have now morphed into a big homesick, grumpy, ungrateful baby. There. I said it. Yes, yes, everything is old, ya got yer castles, and lots and lots of art, ya got yer Kings and Queens. Got it. Where are my kitties?

I haven't watched any TV is several weeks and Dame Shirley Bassey belting out Pink's 'Get this Party Started' in her top of the charts video on Brit TV is a surreal sight, indeed. Gold Fing-ah...

Tomorrow we explore the environs for a day or so...then back to Paris to catch a flight home. Whew!

Garden of Eden

July 23 2007
Today began slowly, with a quiet breakfast downstairs at the chateau, and then making train travel arrangements at the gare. We stopped and bought our hosts Yolaine and Teri an olive tree in downtown Saumur. We stopped at an amazing savonnerie for fresh made soaps, and then on to the Abbey at Fontevraud. Beautiful and having gone under many series of restorations from it’s origins in the 11th century, including a 19th century prison. Beautifully preserved effigies of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart from the early 12th century. Amazing. I use that word a lot.

On our way from the Abbey back to Saumur, there were beautiful rain clouds…we chose a very, very country road, full of grapes and sunflowers (is there anything else to life, really? I don’t think so!). The road took us up and over a high crest of a grape vine covered hill overlooking the rainy sky expanse of the Loire Valley…as if that wasn’t enough, a rainbow emerged bridging the winding river—and shimmered into and out of colorful being. Wow...the valley is just full of apple and pear orchards, wheat and hay fields...giant fig trees everywhere...mushrooms and of course, grapes, grapes, grapes...! The roses are just astonishing, and some rows of grape vines have rose bush finials...other fields are bordered in dreamy rose bushes...the old stone walls of churches and chateaux often have climbing varieties in full bloom, maybe 20 feet tall...flowers and roses everywhere in full splendor.