Vacance

As I mentioned last month, having a seasonal business allows us some good vacation time and no matter where we go or what we do it is really the light at the end of the tunnel every year. This year we went to France and for those of you who know us well know Steve and I are total Francophiles. Any chance we get, we go! This year we walked in Burgundy for 5 days and then rented an apartment in Paris for a week. It was fabulous. I would highly recommend both itineraries. The walk was on a route called the  Voie Verte  and it is a black-topped lane that replaced old railroad tracks. We rambled through farmland, pastures full of Charlois munching the greenest grass I've seen in a while and of course centuries old vineyards. The views of small villages perched on hills with a castle or church steeple peeking out were truly magnificent. We back-packed from town to town and drank local wine and kir and ate regional specialties like Bouef Bourguignon, Ouefs Meurette, Coc au Vin and Gougeres. In a somewhat work related event we visited the Chateau Cormatin and its formal gardens. The Chateau was built in the 17th century, fell into disrepair and was rescued and returned to its former glory in 1980. Formal gardens are really a thing of beauty. Just the control over nature is inspiring. Two-foot tall espaliered apples, rows of rounded lavender, squared hedges, pollarded trees, perfect rows of everything and of course Boxwood trimmed into various shapes.
Here are a few photos of the garden and if you get inspired, we will have Boxwood for sale next spring!

Paris was great! The food, the museums, the architecture, the Metro, the people and our little apartment was the perfect respite after a long day. We found this American based rental company Vacation in Paris through Judy Williams and are forever in her debt. The prices are in dollars so you don't have to worry about the fluctuating Euro, they mailed us the key before we left, there were no hidden fees, and the apartment was clean and about the same cost as a hotel room while being much larger and last but not least we had this killer view!

Hope you enjoyed this quick trip to France...we sure did!