Living it up in Paris

After relaxing completely, with beautiful weather in Dijon, we experienced the best wines with a wonderful tour of Burgundy. Torrential rain hit our train trip to Paris, but thankfully dried up by the time we arrived. 

A quick cab ride took us from Gare de Lyon to our hotel in the posh 16th arrondissement (district). St James is an opulent chateau in the heart of Paris, a stones throw from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées. While clearly catering to a very well-heeled crowd, it had a comfortable and familiar feel to it. 

The hotel is incredible. It is a little piece of paradise in a very busy city. And I could not recommend it enough (along with Villa Florentine in Lyon). It is a throw back to the 1800s, yet it is not snobby or uptight. It's clearly the playground of the rich and famous with autographed portraits of movie stars, sports stars, models and politicians hidden in the reception. We wondered whether they might like a signed photo of us to hang on the wall too!

I had organised our room to be a little bit romantic, as I had promised Mel a honeymoon in Paris. To my surprise, the staff had sprinkled rose petals throughout our room and placed a chilled bottle of champagne upon our return at the end of the day. A very nice personal touch. Additionally, each of the rooms is themed; not in a tacky way, but continuing the playfulness. Ours is 'Queen of Scotland visits Africa'. It's fun, although Mel thinks it's a bit of a man cave. 

Last night we ate in the Michelin-starred restaurant. We had an incredible degustation with matched wines. Among the courses was poached cod with Melissa (a French herb) butter sauce. By far the best seafood dish I have ever eaten. Even the dining room was playful. 

Today we enjoyed a walk around the city and bought a few more gifts for the special little people at home. After walking so far, we had a bath in our claw-footed bath, with champagne (what else!), before heading to the library for an aperitif. 

Tonight we plan to have a classic French bistro meal, before returning to reality and giving Ella and Angus great big hugs. We can't wait to see them again!! And a huge thanks to mum and dad for giving us the freedom for a brilliant holiday. (...this may become an annual event...)

Dijon

We really had little idea of what to expect in Dijon. The choice to come here was mostly had because of Mel's love of Burgundy (pinot noir) wines and the relative proximity; being located half-way between Lyon and Paris for our return trip. 

Dijon has been an exciting and relaxing town. Amazing medieval history abounds and the hotel (Hotel Philippe Le Bon) in which we are staying is no exception. It is a 14th century building (mostly gothic) and while the rooms are modern and beautifully decorated, the courtyard is ancient. 

The buildings throughout the town are thoroughly old and intriguing. The architecture is varied but a lot of gothic and Renaissance remains. We have walked up towers to get brilliant views of the city, and even did our first galley visit of the entire trip (Musee de Beaux Arts). 

Today we enjoyed a relaxing picnic in the park with lots of great produce. Cheese, terrine, saucisson, raspberries, cherry tomatoes and bread. Oh, and Champagne. Delicious!!

Dijon is a wonderful place to walk around. And we have been doing a lot of that. We have picked up little gifts here and there for family. No surprises that mustard may feature heavily. 

I finally bought my birthday present, a new leather wallet. Grey leather, so not as colourful as I was originally looking for, however it has a royal blue interior which adds a splash of colour. It was from Longchamp and very French. Thank you to everyone who contributed to it. 

And while we were walking around the city we saw another thing which we think Acey would love...an aeroplane on a carousel. It even raised up and down!!

We have eaten lots of traditional dishes. Tonight Mel had snails and Clinton had eggs poached in red wine sauce. Tomorrow we head south through Burgandy for a wine tour and have lunch in Beaune. The following day we head to Paris for the final stretch. 

The wedding

Yesterday we went to the wedding of Melissa and Yoann, the whole reason for our holiday.

A French wedding is very different to those in Australia because you have a legal town hall ceremony in the suburb you grew up in, followed by the fun wedding. We were lucky enough to be invited to both.

The legal ceremony was held in the town hall of the 5th arrondissement in Lyon, close to where Mel grew up. About 50 friends and family went. It was a short 20 minute ceremony, all in French, where the marriage was formally announced. Although we didn't understand it, it seemed very much like a civil ceremony in Australia.

After the ceremony, there were some photos in the garden of the town hall. On a hot day, it was lovely in the shade.

A group of about 30 of us, including the 12 Australians, drove for an hour to a beautiful village called Loyette for lunch. Sitting outside on the banks of the river, this was beautiful!

After a leisurely lunch, we drove for another 30 minutes to the Chateau where the wedding was to be held. A quick shower and change and we were ready for part 2!

The second ceremony had music, speeches and lots of tears. It was a beautiful ceremony. Some of it was translated, but unfortunately not the speeches. The ceremony was held in the garden of the castle, and was just spectacular.

After the ceremony, we moved around the pool for champagne and canapes. The French certainly don't do things by half. As well as canapes on trays, there were three small bbq set up, cooking prawns, scallops and fois gras to order. Very rich, but delicious!

At about 8.30pm, we were moved on to the official reception in the underground cellars. It was simply amazing! Here we were treated to a 4 course meal, games and dancing! We didn't have dessert until about midnight. Clint and I left at 2am, but some of the other guests, including the bride and groom, continued on, finishing with a swim in the pool at 5am!

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast around the pool and enjoyed relaxing in the gardens. Afterwards, we got a lift back to Lyon.

We have plenty more photos to show, but it was a fantastic day.

The bride and her bridesmaids after a fully clothed swim in the pool!

A suit of armour in the castle, for Acey!

Lyon

Mel and I arrived safely in Lyon by train, jumped in a taxi and went to our hotel in old Lyon. Villa Florentine was a 17th century convent, converted into a hotel. It was absolutely amazing, wonderful service, luxurious atmosphere, and stunning views of the city from our pool and spa perched up high on the hill. 

In Lyon we walked and walked, exploring the city. We met up with the other Australians who were also attending Mel and Yoann's wedding. Together we had a private tour of the Basilica, including access to the roof and towers. 

We then had a massive lunch at Les Halles, the big market in Lyon. Following this, we went to Perouges, a medieval walled city 30 minutes from Lyon. It was a great insight to see how ancient cities are being brought back to life by artists, craftsmen and entrepreneurs. 

The next day, we had a more relaxing day with a picnic in the park and a cruise of the lake on a paddle boat. 

On our final day, the weather was very hot, so we walked along the river, enjoyed ice cream (pumpkin & chestnut, tomato & basil, clementine and rhubarb) and just wandering the shops. 

Trains

Angus - this is a short and special post for you. We are pretty sure Ella will like it too. 

Mummy and daddy have been going on a lot of train trips, and we have been taking photos of the different trains to show you. There are lots of fast trains, even faster than the country trains back in Melbourne. 

Champagne

We have just spent an amazing three days in the Champagne region. We stayed in Epernay, so enjoyed two days here, and then caught the train to Reims to see another area.

The weather was perfect for most of the time. Warm, sunny and perfect for drinking Champagne! It rained on the final afternoon, but by then we were happy to go back to the hotel and snooze!

Like all of France, Epernay is very old and historic with some beautiful buildings and architecture. On our first day, we sat in the sun and enjoyed a glass of Champagne at Janisson Baradon, a small house in the main square. We also went to Mercier, where we caught a train through their 18km of underground caves and cellars. It was certainly interesting. Although we don't really see their Champagne in Australia, they produce a huge amount.

The second day we caught the train to Reims. The 49 minute train ride through vines and small villages was beautiful. Another warm sunny day, we ended walking 36km in total!

This day we visited Taittinger and tried their Brut, Brut Rosè and premium Comte de Champagne. A simply amazing wine!

After a short lunch break at the boulongerie, it was off to Ruinart for a private tasting. The Chateau and grounds were gorgeous. Understated elegance!
Here we toured the underground caves and cellars too, hand dug by the Gallo-Romans. They were amazing. After the tour, we tried a Brut, Brut Rosè, grand cru Brut and Rosè. Fantastic wines again.

On our final day we visited de Castellane and Comtesse Lafond. Both wineries had stunning buildings and de Castellane had a tall tower that we climbed for some amazing views.

Comtesse Lafond was definitely the find of the area. An amazingly beautiful chateau with some fantastic Champagne. They also had some wine from Sancerre and Chablis, which was amazing too. We ended up buying a few bottles to enjoy over the rest of the holiday. Lucky for us, they also have a boutique in Paris, so we can stock up on a few bottles to bring home!

We were definitely looking forward to visiting Champagne and it certainly didn't disappoint.

Paris and the Eiffel Tower

 And finally we arrive in Paris..! It was a very long flight, but in the end we made it here on the right day, only having lost a few daylight hours. 

Mel and I arrived at the hotel, dumped our bags and went out walking, first to the Eiffel Tower, then wandering along the Seine River. Hundreds of people were out having picnics and enjoying the summer. It is still light until late, owing to the aptly titled Romance Daylight Savings Time. 

When we returned home we took this photo of the Eiffel Tower from our balcony, and thought of Ella and Angus. 

Lots of love from us in Paris!! 😀