Monday, October 31, 2011

Today Pogo Called the Shots




This is what we did all day. Well, sort of... We had a long morning walk with Pogo, lunch outside, responded to some emails, planned the next leg of our trip, and enjoyed the 75 degree weather.

Stayed tuned.

- Martin & Kate.

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Location:Via delle Grillaie,Greve in Chianti,Italy

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Firenze

Again Pogo woke us up with a 10 minute licking attack, as we've learned, that means he is hungry! After catering to his needs, we enjoyed a quick bite and got ready for a day packed full of Florentine history.
We decided to be adventurous and take the bus into the city. We looked at the schedule online and headed down quickly to catch the next bus. However, we learned that on Sundays there is very limited service... So we trekked back up the hill, hopped in the car, and headed to Florence. Fortunately, metered parking is free and unlimited on Sundays, so we landed a place relatively close to the Ponte Vecchio. Walked into the city center and visited many of the sights. We were impressed by the grandiosity and intricacy of the Duomo.


However, we itching to see Michangelo's David, so we braved the two hour line, and decided it was worth it. Here we also learned that if you want to break a rule in Italy, it is best done during their lunchtime. (Whoops! No pictures allowed.)


Shortly after at 1pm, the security guards were back on full force regulating all the amateur paparazzi.

Enjoyed a pizza and salad at a restaurant in Piazza Della Repubblica.

Walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the Boboli Gardens which gave us a great view of the city.


- Martin & Kate

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Location:Via delle Grillaie,Greve in Chianti,Italy

Casual day of sightseeing in Tuscany

Yesterday, Pogo woke us up promptly at 7am for his breakfast. After our coffee and toast, we headed down through the forested paths to Greve for their weekly market where we purchased a variety of vegetables we will use Tuesday when we prepare lunch and dinner for the Bouchard family. When we got back, Pogo was eager for another walk, so we headed up the trail and were treated to some beautiful views of the valley. Left Pogo to hold the fort down, and we headed to Panzano to eat lunch at MacDario's where the chef offers his interpretation of fast food. We ordered the "MacDario DOC" which was a burger, vegetables, sage and garlic roasted potatoes, Tuscan bread and sparkling water.


All for €10! We were able to eat it all. We also shared a coffee and olive oil torta.

Next we jumped back in the car and drove to Siena where we wandered the streets and saw the sights.





We shared gelato in the piazza where everyone sits on the ground admiring the duomo.

Headed back to the house and on our way, we saw this sign:


Looks like Greve is a twin city with Sonoma!

When we arrived, Pogo was excited us. We thought he wanted to play (which he did for about 3 minutes) but he really just wanted his dinner.

For our dinner, we tested two recipes Corinne shared with us: vichysoisse and chocolate soufflé.





The soup was delicious, but with the soufflé, we learned the hard way that baking soda and baking powder are definitely not the same. Another attempt tonight!

- Martin & Kate

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Location:Via delle Grillaie,Greve in Chianti,Italy

Friday, October 28, 2011

Greve in Chianti

Enjoyed a good night's sleep and woke up to a beautiful Tuscan landscape, which is sprinkled with olive orchards and vineyards. Kay gave us a tour of the property and quick crash course on olive harvesting (as we will be helping the Bouchards with their olive harvest this week).

Then we headed into Greve, which is not more than 5 minutes down the road. There we explored the piazza and helped Kay buy last minute supplies for the harvest.



After the Bouchard family headed to Portugal for the weekend, we walked the grounds with Pogo. Right before going back into the house we caught him red-handed sneaking a snack from the compost pile again!


After Kate reprimanded him, he apologized... And Kate gave in. How could she resist?!


Relaxed for awhile, and later walked back into town to check out an enoteca Kay recommended. There we purchased a card that allowed us to select and try different wines from the area. We sampled over 15 wines and 1 limoncello.

Came back to the house, relaxed some more and made dinner.

- Martin & Kate

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Location:Via delle Grillaie,Greve in Chianti,Italy

Buongiorno Italia!

In the car and on the road by 6:45am. Having left before the sun woke up, we had an amazing view heading up to Mont Blanc.











Drove through the Mont Blanc tunnel - impressively long. On the other side, we crossed into Italy. Left the Alps behind and shortly thereafter, we arrived in Milan for a quick bite and some incredible window shopping. After an hour, we were back on the road. Eventually decided to ditch the highway and make our way to Tuscany on tiny, windy country roads.





These led us to Florence where we had an amazing view overlooking the city.





Arrived at the Bouchard residence around 6pm and enjoyed dinner with Kay and Joe.

This weekend while the Bouchards are in Portugal, we will be watching Pogo.





We have already caught him sneaking a snack (or two) from the compost pile.

- Martin & Kate

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Location:Via delle Grillaie,Greve in Chianti,Italy

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Journée de détente

Today we slept in. Had a morning cup of Colombian coffee, bundled up and headed down to the local boulangerie. We shared a croissant and a pain au chocolat on the dock overlooking the lake.


After we did a little grocery shopping and headed back up the hill to the apartment. We relaxed, planned and packed for the next leg of our trip.

Now we are sitting by the lake writing this. The sky is crystal clear and the sun is warm. (Martin is in a polo shirt.) A perfect day outside.






Tomorrow we drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy, stopping in Milan for lunch and reaching the Bouchard's olive orchard near Florence in the evening. We will be there for a little over a week helping them with the olive harvest.

A tout a l'heure!

Fino a domani. Non parliamo una parola di italiano

- Martin & Kate

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Location:Talloires, France

Switzerland in a Day

Yesterday we travelled to Geneva, which is about 45 minutes from Talloires. Our first hour in Geneva was spent window shopping at Cartier, Hermes, Chanel, Bulgari, Longines, etc where Kate hopes Martin will bring her to actually shop on their next trip. Then we wandered through the old part of town, very beautiful and also merits another, longer visit. Headed to Starbucks to use the Internet, as we know our blog updates are essential to your daily routine. There were learned the hard way about the exchange rate and verified our previous conception that Switzerland is expensive. We were happy to pay almost 8 Swiss Francs for a grande vanilla latte, assuming that it would be similar to the cost we pay stateside in American dollars. Unfortunately for us, this was not the case... After checking our credit card statement, the two vanilla lattes, scone and muffin ran us over $24. We have decided that MacDonald's is the better option for wifi, as a delicious McFlurry is only 2€.

After getting our full value's worth of the "free" Internet, we hopped in the car and began our travels around the north side of Lake Geneva. We originally thought it would be quaint Swiss towns perched on the mountainside with vineyards occasionally; however, it was mostly flat, agricultural lands with rather average towns... Nothing to write home about. We decided it was necessary to get our fix of adorable Switzerland. So headed an hour past the lake, up into the Alps through endless switchbacks and one and a half lane roads to Gstaad and Villars-sur-Ollon. We were too stubborn to change Euros into Swiss Francs, so we slight difficultly in Gstaad trying to find non-metered parking. On top of the currency issue, we don't speak a word of German. Eventually we parked in what we assumed was a "customers only" parking for 30 minutes at a bank. We walked around the ritzy streets lined with nice shops.


On our way out of town, we noticed rather odd contrast - three car dealerships: Porsche, Bentley, and Land Rover placed next to a dairy farm.

We headed to Villars (per Corinne's suggestion) and walked around the town which was surrounded by stunning, snowcapped mountains.

Unfortunately, by the time we made it back to the lake, it was dark, so we couldn't see everything on the French side. Made it back to our apartment around 8:30pm and enjoyed a homemade omelet.

- Martin & Kate

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Location:Geneva, Switzerland

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

3,720ft

The rooster went off at 6:30am yesterday morning. It was pitch black outside, and we contemplated sleeping for another hour but managed to pull ourselves out of bed. Ate a good breakfast, packed our lunch and headed out. Beautiful 20 minute drive to the trailhead where we watched the sun creep up and start to illuminate the snowcapped peaks.

Hit the trail by 8:20am. First we walked up through steep cow pastures, passing a functioning Alpine farm.



After about an hour, we reached the first set of rocky switchbacks. Took them slowly while we got accustomed to the altitude and the brisk morning air. The path flattened out and became easier while we traversed above the first set of granite cliffs. We reached the top of a small pass that revealed a beautiful grassy bowl where the Tournette Refuge was located. While investigating the supply cable that looked as though it hadn't been updated since 1920, Martin heard some trotting and glanced over to spot a mother ibex and her calf just 150 yards away. Made our way across the bowl where we hit our first snow patches. Trekked up loose, rocky terrain and started to traverse above the second set of granite cliffs. At that altitude, some parts of the trail were frozen mud and others dusted by snow.


Once we reached the edge of the mountain and started the final switchback towards the summit, we peered down the side which was a sheer, flat granite face straight down, one of the most impressive walls either of us had seen. The trail became more difficult to follow but luckily there were some painted arrows on granite rocks and a few of the rises were equipped with chains to help you pull yourself up. At one of the last chains, we contemplated turning back because the 6 foot climb was icy but with our incredible mountaineer skills, we found a way up. Followed the path until it was covered in deeper icy snow and we could tell it was too risky without the proper equipment to continue to the highest point on the mountain.


Instead we found a steep, grassy face that led us up to a closer summit. There were enjoyed lunch, huddled close together since it was fairly cold and windy, all the while taking in the view. From there we could see the Mont Blanc Mountain Range, the Thones Valley and the Aravis Mountains which included three different countries.








After about 20 minutes, the cold got the best of us, and we headed back down. We encountered a few more hikers heading up, all of whom were much better equipped than us. We once again spotted the ibex and her calf about a thousand feet above where we last saw them and we became instantly jealous of their agility through the rocky terrain.

Reached the car about six hours after we had started and headed back to Talloires where we were hoping to enjoy an ice cream in the sun; however, we were sorely disappointed as everything (including the grocery store) was closed. Then we realized it was Monday and the French don't believe in working on Mondays (or Sundays) so we have discovered. Instead, we agreed on bread with honey and a can of Orangina we have been carting around.

Amazing views today but impossible to capture the sheer scope on a camera.


- Martin & Kate.

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Location:Cour de Saint-Pierre,Geneva,Switzerland

Sunday, October 23, 2011

A Loss, A Detour & Heavy Traffic

Today we woke up early to go watch the final of the Rugby World Cup, where France took on the All Blacks from New Zealand. We both like the way NZ plays, but we had to root for France... of course. We watched the first half of the game at a small outdoor cafe, while enjoying a cup of chocolat chaud et un cafe au lait. After hearing bigger crowds elsewhere, we decided to move to a more roudy establishment. On the streets, many people had painted faces, large flags, and extravagant hats. We finally found a more lively crowd in front of a pub, where we enjoyed the rest of the game... But unfortunately France lost 7-8.





After we strolled the local marché and purchased saucisson, fromage, baguettes, et oeufs. Then we set out on a short hike to the top of a pass.






Martin felt it was absolutely necessary to get a better view (than the one above) so he took a detour and dragged Kate up an extra 200m only to discover that the "clearing" he had seen was unreachable.

Once back in the car, driving through the first village, we encounter some traffic... Please see below.





Tomorrow we are planning on an all day hike to the top of the highest peak on Lake Annecy which should give us a panoramic view of the Mont Blanc range. Stay tuned!

- Martin & Kate.

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Location:Talloires, France

Talloires, Annency, and a hike

On our first full day in Talloires, we went to the office of tourism and the post office. Then we headed to the end of the lake to wander through the old part of Annecy, which is built around beautiful canals that are lined with picturesque shops and restaurants. We discovered a tiny boulangerie tucked in a corner of one of the cobblestone streets, where we bought a baguette for our dinner and couldn't resist an almond croissant (which we later enjoyed in the sun on the bank of Lake Annecy).

In the afternoon, we headed out on a 2.5 hour hike to a waterfall hidden in the forest. The trail had some incredible views... Just see below:







On our way down, we took a "shortcut" (in Parke's honor) which led us down a steep, slippery trail. Martin, being as wise as he always is, decided it was necessary to use a walking stick for support (after he had seen all the elderly women carrying them... Mind you, there's were metal). He tried to convince Kate of his new stick's durability, but she was much too sure-footed, and also warned him that he seemed more off balance than without it. He felt otherwise. About two minutes after he picked it up, he actually needed the support of the small, frail branch which immediately snapped in two pieces and Martin slipped right on his butt. After a laugh between the two of us, he ditched the walking stick idea and was forced to listen to Kate boast about her incredible mountain wisdom.

We made it back to the apartment around 6:30pm and enjoyed a glass of wine watching the sun set behind the mountains.


This morning we woke up to fog huddled close to the lake and the mountains towering above.


- Martin & Kate

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Location:Chemin de la Fruitière,Sévrier,France

Saturday, October 22, 2011

And the Exploring Begins...

Packed up the car in the morning. Everything fit including 42 bottles of wine and 2 magnums.












We set the GPS to avoid toll roads and headed out on our way. Following small roads, we drove through some beautiful French countryside.






We stopped along the lake of Aix-des-Bains for lunch where we enjoyed a baguette, cheese and a plain yogurt mixed with jam (a new found delicious snack).

We reached Talloires around 4:30pm and checked into our petit apartment overlooking Lake Annecy, which is surrounded by mountains (some even snowcapped).

















(Ladder or stairs? We still are trying to figure it out.)

We walked around the town, fairly empty, minus the small overweight Jack Russell that managed to open his house front door and chase us all the while barking. Later we saw him being walked by his owner who changed the positioning of his collar from around his neck to around his tummy.

Together we made dinner at our apartment that included soup, salad, radishes and Chapoutier wine.

Grace, this is for you!












- Martin & Kate.

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Location:Annecy-le-Vieux,France

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

4 Cities, 1.5 Bridges and Many Roman Structures

Yesterday, we had a day jammed with Provencal history. We spent it touring the southern region by first driving two hours down A7 to Arles. We enjoyed a crepe and coffee outside a Roman amphitheater that we later managed to sneak into without paying (unbeknownst to us!). 



Cute town, but Corinne had mapped out an extensive itinerary for us that we were trying to keep, so we didn't stay long. Back into the car and off to Les Baux, an adorable town situated on a hilltop overlooking the valley below. Before arriving though, we stumbled upon two beautiful sights - the first was an ancient Roman aqueduct that drew no tourists except us and some French hikers, and the second was a beautiful windmill above the town of Fontvieille (which we also couldn't help driving through). 




Once we made it to Les Baux, we ditched our car (as they aren't allowed in the village) and headed up on foot through the cobblestone streets lined with adorable stone storefronts, restaurants and apartments. We stopped in numerous shops to scope out the best lavender soap and enjoy the Provencal home decorations. 








We ate tomato, mozzarella and basil paninis paired with an Orangina for lunch on the wall that once protected the city. After spending a few hours wandering the streets, we hopped back in the car and headed to Le Pont du Gard. Absolutely stunning, and we were incredibly impressed to learn that it was constructed in 5AD. 




Our next stop was Avignon, where we lay on the grass across the river from Le Pont d'Avignon. 



Kate tried to teach Martin the famous song, but he didn't fully catch on, so after many attempts, we decided it was time to scope out the town and perhaps enjoy some local wine (and ice cream). We managed to find the Pope's castle (a "must do" for Corinne) and the gardens behind it. 


After our historical walk around the square (where we also learned Avignon was the first area to be settle in France during prehistoric times), we stopped for beverages and ice cream in a small, quiet square before heading home. 

Made it back just in time for another delicious dinner made by Corinne. We continue to dread our departure date from the Pouthier residence for many reasons, not the least of which is our concern for our future meals, as Corinne cooks better than most restaurants, every single night. 

We start our nomadic lifestyle this Friday when we head to Talloires on the shore of Lac d'Annecy in the French Alps.