Chateaus of Loire Valley

Chateau d’Amboise

After the Sunday market, we walked to the Amboise Castle. It was still drizzling and I regretted not bringing my trusty sneakers to Paris . My converse would look way cooler, I'd thought. By the time I climbed to the castle, my converse and the lower half of my jeans were soaked and I was freezing my toes off.

The castle from the outside. (Bottom)

One of the buildings in the castle, possibly a church. The Amboise castle is not very big, to begin with, so it was not really worth a visit. (Bottom)


Views from the castle and it was still drizzling...

Some paintings in the castle.

Stone staircase and my wet jeans...

Lunch time! We ate at this restaurant called Le Lion D'or outside of the town centre that served set lunch at 25 or 29 Euro for a starter and a main. Not a bad deal for the quality of food we had. Starter for me was potato souffle with escargot and little lobster. For him, it was foie gras with sliced pear. For main, I had the veal with asparagus and little lobster and him, salmon with big lobster.

Thing about ordering food in paris is that there is always an element of adventure and surprise as we do not understand the menu and depend heavily on the waiter/waitress' translation, which is not always accurate or reliable. And don't rush the process. Just wait patiently for your food like the other patient and have-lots-of-time-to-waste Parisians. I saw an old couple at a table when we first entered the restaurant to make a reservation at 1pm and left for our B&B to collect our car (so as to park there and then proceed to Chateau de Chenonceau after lunch). They were still there when we finished our lunch and left restaurant at about 2.30pm. Talk about slow food.

Potato souffle with escargot and little lobster

Foie gras with sliced pear

Veal with asparagus and little lobster

Salmon with stuffed lobster - this one elicited the most oomph.

We drove by the 'Pagoda' on the way to Chateau de Chenonceau. It was nothing to shout about but the 10 minute walk amidst the trees and the idle chat with my darling was nice.

Chateau de Chenonceau

This castle is worth the visit - it's huge with many interesting stories (scandalous and bizzare ones) about the kings and queens and other residents.

Again, another one of those 10-minute walk into the castle. But I find walking in Paris and surrounding areas very scenic and pleasant.

A chapel in the castle. Seems like the royalties like to build churches in their own premises and pray in solitude.

One of the rooms.

A boudoir of one of the queens.

When the king died, the queen mourned his death by painting the room black with black drapes and black everything. I couldn't be bothered with the names of the kings and queens but I guess I could find out in the internet if one day I wake up dying to know.

A view of the castle.

The gardener's house? Looks a little too pretty.

A lake outside the castle.

I Love Paris...

It is every girl's dream to go Paris. That's why when my older prince finished his PSLE last year, I told my hubby that I would follow him to London, at long last! and extended our trip to Paris as well. And yes, Paris is truly romantic and London is great for shopping and musicals. We spent 12 days in these 2 lovely cities and I was free as a bird and happy as a lark. I also slept like a baby and ate like a pig.

It reminded us of the Switzerland trip we took 3 years back as we spent quality time with each other with no cares in the world. Although I hate flying, and for 13 dreaded hours, I am happy I went.

However, I wished I had done more research and planned our route better. We landed in London Heathrow at 6am, took a 2-hour Eurostar train to Paris, then hired a car and drove 2.5 hours to Amboise, Loire Valley. So by the time we reached our B&B, it was 6pm. As we were so tired, we couldn't go out for a proper dinner. But Loire Valley is a place near Paris that is worth going. I can't imagine spending 7 days in Paris centre. I need my countryside. I need my space.

Le Vieux Manoir, Amboise, Loire Valley

Our B&B, Le Vieux Manoir in Amboise, Loire Valley is a quiet little town with very little action. As it was not yet tourist season, we were the only guests in the B&B and the host, Gloria, told us she would spoil us and she did. Gloria and Bob are Americans who moved to Paris some 13 years ago to set up a B&B here. The entire manoir is very private and surrounded by lots of greenery and flora - perfect!

The living room and fireplace.

The little black Renault in the middle is our car.

This is a view from the 2nd floor window. (Top)

Views from our 3rd floor bedroom. (Bottom)

The creaking little hallway that led into our room. (Bottom) Very warm and inviting.

The next morning, we took a stroll along the little streets in the neighbourhood before breakfast and breathed in the fresh morning air. It was drizzling a little but it was freaking cold. I was wearing a wool sweater and a wind-breaker plus leather gloves and I could still feel the chill.

A pleasant surprise find - almond and chocolate croissant in a little boulangerie that opens at 730am. Many bakeries in Paris open this early but they close in the afternoon about 3pm.


The Amboise bridge and river.

The Amboise chateau is on the right.

A small street near our B&B. (Top)

The Breakfast

Breakfast at the Le Vieux Manoir was an event in itself . Our first meal of the day was at the greenhouse facing the garden, so we were shielded from the cold but still enjoyed the outdoors. The breakfast spread was the usual European fare but very chic: hot chocolate or tea or coffee, selection of breads, jams, cheese, yoghurt, fruits and fruit juice.

The breads are so nice - soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. The cheese and jams were sheer delight. (Bottom)

The hot chocolate and strawberries.

On the 2nd day at le Vieux Manoir, I was feeling a little flu-y and requested for the homegrown peppermint tea. But I couldn't miss out on the bittersweet and rich hot chocolate.

The rasberry tart was truly tart and natural.

This is the best yoghurt I have ever tasted in my entire life. It's vanilla flavour and sold in glass bottles. We took the bottles home as souvenirs and to remind ourselves that there is such a thing as yummy yoghurt in this world.

After breakfast, I explored the garden and surrounds and took pictures of the little things that made me smile.

This is a cherry blossom tree. Who knew we could get to see this in Paris?

The Sunday Market

We had a rabbit leg and a sausage in this stall where roasted potatoes were cooked in the meat fats dripping from above and sold by the trays.

Uncooked sausages - didn't look appetising at all.

My Resignation...

My Resignation...

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again. I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them. I want to lie under a big oak tree & run a lemonade stand with friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset. I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So....here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, because...

"Tag! You're it !"

Author Unknown

Patience

Margart Thatcher, United Kingdom's first woman PM, once said, 'I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.' That pretty much sums up how I live my life in motion, but not necessarily how I want to continue moving forward.

I try to analyse a recent very ugly confrontation with a road bully and came to an obvious conclusion on the cause of it. This is how it went: The green arrow appeared. I horned at the guy in front, who was obviously in la la land. He didn't move, so I horned again. He moved but the arrow was blinking. Then in an obvious attempt to p***ed me off further, he blocked my path. I horned some more. The middle finger emerged from his car window. In the next traffic junction, I practically flew out of my car and assaulted the guy's window, which he closed after his very rude gesture and which he stubbornly (or cowardly) refused to open. He relented when the knocks became violent. This is how the conversation went:

Me: Why you have the guts to show me the middle finger but have no guts to open the window?
Guy: Why you horn at me?
Me: Because the light turned green and you are not moving, so I am reminding you to move.
Guy: But why must remind? (This question sounded incredibly stupid at that time and infuriated me further. Meanwhile, the cars behind us were horning as the light had turned green.)
Me: Because you are a blur f***!!!

Then I stormed off, expecting more touble from the guy but he drove very slowly and at a distance behind me. When I told my hubby and my father in law about this incident, they said that the guy was probably in shock - a woman had got off her car to confront him. And we all concluded that he is a coward who bullies the weak.

On hind sight, I think it was impatience that got this whole thing started. I was impatient that he reacted so slowly to traffic conditions and he was angry that I was impatient. Although it seems I am perfectly justified, I don't feel proud of my actions. The vulgar language was unnecessary even though my impatience was tested to the limit. I am not a confrontational person. I am not even a social person - I won't speak unless I have to. Socialisation and confrontation are 2 big stressors for me, yet I'm faced with these on a daily basis. I tell people that I will do pretty well living in a cave where I can focus on breathing and relaxing and being patient. Well, maybe I will be OK for a couple of weeks or so. I still need to be with loved ones and go shopping but I'm sure a period of solitude will do me a world of good.

It's a battlefield out there!

As a parent, I make it a point to teach good values to my princes. Values such as honesty, respect, loyalty and love for family and friends and to do what is right, in God's eyes. I'm lucky that the princes are generally receptive to their mom's advice and guidance. They also have good influences from Sunday school and other positive mentors. Of course, like their mom, they are no saints. They have their moments but generally they have pretty good inbuilt moral compasses.

It is, therefore, utterly frustrating and sad when you groom a couple of good kids only to see them get slaughtered when they step into the world. What's a mother to do? Teach them to continue to be nice or fight back? For me, there is no way I will make nice when the person's behaviour is obviously of ill-intent, so I would be a hypocrite to teach my princes to do what I would not do. In very extreme situations, I passed them my own dose of wisdom - First, a gentlemen. Then a jerk. (A chinese proverb) Give the other party the benefit of the doubt first but when proven to be evil and unrepentent, you have the permission to return the favour.

I figure teaching them moral values without some defensive skills will be as good as sending a bunch of wagyu grade cows to a cheap slaughter house. And I really hate to see my precious get hurt. I am OK that they get the usual growing pains and challenges but when they give their all and have their hearts smashed into pieces, I ache for them. I cannot always be there for them, I tell them, so they need to learn how to outwit their enemies and take care of themselves and each other. It is a battlefield out there and the fight will not always be fair.

I guess if there is one disadvantage of being parent is that you always worry for your children and you never know, despite your best efforts, if they will turn out alright in the end. I guess like what Hal Runkel, a parenting expert, said in his book, Screamfree Parenting, 'Parents should always do our best but let go of the end result.' Letting your kids walk through fire on their own is an essential part of letting go. And the primary role of a parent is to work yourself out of a job. I'm still working on it...

Childlike

'A society in which adults are estranged from the world of children, and often from their own childhood, tends to hear children's speech only as a foreign language, or as a lie. Children have been treated as congenital fibbers, fakers and fantasisers.'- Beatrix Campbell, British journalist (1947- )

When I was a kid, my impression of mom was someone fun and easy to talk to. But somehow, when I grew into a teen, she also became an adult. A dull and stressed out adult. Recently, my 9 year old prince told me that my life is dull. He made that deduction after asking a series of questions, such as my hobbies, things that make me happy, etc. He is a smart kid and his analysis of his mom is not entirely wrong. I can be too serious at times, I have no hobbies to speak of and I can't remember the last time I had a proper date (er-hem, someone better take note).

I do take on the goofy mom persona once in a while but I guess the stress of living does get to me. After a while, I kind of forgot how to have fun. I become like my mom - dull and often stressed out. To kids, the world is a playground and they can find funny in any situation. Well, at least, my kids are like that. If not for them, I guess I will be even more dull. They remind me not to take life or myself too seriously. They taught me to 'chill-lax' - combination of chill out and relax and apparently a Gen Y term. I know I'm capable of that -when I don't have so many things on my mind. People close to me tell me I think too much while those who do not know me think that I am insensitive and often act on impulse. The woes of the misunderstood!

The last 10 years or so, mom became fun again, cracking jokes at others and herself and meeting up with her friends. I guess she learned to relax after her children reached adulthood. I hope I don't have to wait this long to live a well-lived and happy life. I guess my new year resolution will no longer be to lose 2 kg but to think more childlike and live a little.

We are all damaged goods

One out of four people in this country is mentally imbalanced. Think of your three closest friends and if they seem okay, then you're the one. - Ann Landers

Ever noticed that the beginnning of a hike is always a little hard, then it gets easier and then after a few hours or so, it gets even harder? That's how I feel as I get older and wiser. It doesn't make sense. I'm supposed to get better at this, this thing call life. It's not that I am less competent. Just that as I get older, I realise that people are more complex and things are very grey. Although my capability index gets better, the indicators also shift upwards, so I always feel like my teenage self - unsure of my judgement, feeling like a moron and regreting some of my past actions.

But I know I'm not alone in feeling incompetent in dealing with life's challenges. We all bring along with us baggages from our past and try to blend into the world. In a sense, we are all damaged goods. Imagine we are bikes travelling on a very long bumpy ride. If we are blessed with a good setup, i.e., good parents and values, we are likely to last the distance with little damages but along the way we will still get knocks here and there and lose a wheel or two. Nobody gets away unscathed. When we meet other travellers along the way, we may share some of our sad stories and help one another fix the damages or we may hide our less than glamourous past with a shiny coat of paint. Inside, we are still damaged. If we do not fix the damage, it will get worse as we trudge along and eventually collapse into a heap of despair.

Somebody once said that 'Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our hands.' We can choose to ignore our injuries and lead life wearing a perpetual mask or we can nurture our souls and be kind to ourselves and others. Of course, it helps to have some divine intervention. Fortunately, human beings are capable of resilience. Although we cannot undo the past, we can conquer fears and weaknesses, one at a time and slowly and surely, we can get back on the road - more assured and confident. Perhaps we can even help other damaged goods along the way. The journey may still be harsh and demanding but when we learn to take care of ourselves and others, it will definitely be more bearable.