Paris, France

Paris was just 2-3 hours from the farm. We stopped there first and stayed 2 nights at a darling hotel called Grande Hotel Magenta. The photo above is the view from our window. It had a tiny little elevator that would make the bravest soul feel a bit nervous. Ana and Niki practiced their French by asking for the room key in French at the clerk's insistence. (He was a teacher.)

We saw the Opera House, which was on Niki's "must do" list, and the Eiffel Tower, of course. Musée du Louvre was on my list, and we got to see some amazing art, including the famous Venus de Milo, and the Mona Lisa. In the crowd in front of this spectacular painting, the guards ushered us around to the front, inside some ropes, when they saw we had a small child. There I was, face-to-face with her. It was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined, and the whole experience moved me to tears.

Joey was adorable to watch in the marble sculpture gallery. He looked at the written description for each piece (of course he can't read that well, especially not French) and then he stood back to view the art like a real pro.

The girls seemed fascinated too. Ana especially liked a piece that was set on a quilted mattress, made completely of marble. She could not get over the fact that it was stone because it looked so soft and inviting. I loved this gallery also, and I was amazed at this beautiful art and talent from so many years ago.

I talked to the girls about how Michel Angelo used to sneak the cadavers out of the morgue so he could study the inner anatomy of humans - how the muscles looked and worked underneath the skin - so he could create more life-like images. My mind escaped to one of my favorite books of all time, by Irving Stone, called The Agony and the Ecstasy, about Michel Angelo's life. Someday I must get to Italy to see his famous works.

We stuck to more simple places to eat here, because of the kids, and because we always seemed to be a little "off" the normal eating schedule, rushing for a place to eat because we were all starving. We tried a Greek place, where Ana had lamb, and one day we had pizza in a great little Italian joint.

Joey and Niki each chose small Eiffel Tower figurines as souvenirs. I bought small silver charm versions for the girls and me to put on our charm bracelets. They weren't so easy to find. Joey loved his tower, and he played with it quite a lot.

Training the Horses

Guy trains the horses at his farm for equestrian theatre shows. He puts everything to music and creates elaborate costumes and themes for each set. Two of the girls who ride for him came to the farm one day for an afternoon of light training. Valerie and Julie came and groomed the horses; within minutes they looked like different animals, with braided manes and tails - they changed their attitude along with their appearance and became proud performers. The girls gave us a lovely show, and when they were finished, they helped Niki and Joey take a spin too.











Here is a video clip of one of their sets. I could just imagine it with the girls in brightly colored, long, flowing gowns...




Joey said he did not want to ride a horse, but Guy spoke with him privately for a few minutes, and he was ready to go after that. He didn't seem afraid at all, even after Paso, the white horse, stepped on the outside of Joey's sneaker before the ride, and Joey couldn't move his foot!

Julie and Valerie were excellent guides, and Valerie even took Paso up to a gallop a couple of times for Niki. She had a blast.

The Castle

Guy has a good friend named Guy Damiens, who is a former IT professional, but is now pursuing his woodworking talents. He lives at the farm of an old castle, which is being renovated by the owners. Guy needed to help him deliver some furniture he had made for a client, so the we all went along to hang out around the castle and take photos.




Across from the castle was a beautiful area of huge trees which provided a green canopy across the road and made some interesting patterns in the sky with their unusual branches.