In the Greek Islands talking about France...odd

I really wish I could upload my photos so I could get rid of that awful picture of me.

So, today was my turn to drive in France and I couldn't have been more nervous! What if I crashed it, what if I killed my two best friends? Eek! But I just said to myself, "You drive all the time at home, you're a good driver, you can do this!" And so I did. The fact that I almost side-swiped a parked car is completely irrelevant - the street was very narrow! Point is, I didn't.

It is very bizarre driving on the right hand side. When it came for me to get into the car I walked to the passenger side only to realise, oh that's right, the wheel is on the left-hand side, which means the gears are on the right and the blinker is on the left. Thankfully the brake and accelerator are still the same, otherwise I don't think I could have coped. I'm not that great at distinguishing my left from my right at the best of times, and certainly not under high-pressure situations. Well, the French drive fast. Even if the speed limit says 90, add another 20km/h and you're about there. But, the roads are different there, well maintained and quite straight or the corners aren't as sharp so they can afford to drive super fast. The only thing is overtaking - where you go onto the otherside of the road and have to get back to your side before you have a massive head-on collision. Well, the French play with death when it comes to this. Me... not so much but, I did do it a few times when the moment called for it. Look at me, total risk taker!

So we visited two chateaus today and Leonardo Da Vinci's friend's home that he passed away in. I can't remember the names of the chateaus as I'm in an Internet cafe and all my stuff is back at the hotel, but they were all so beautiful.

The first one we parked at the back entrance and as a result had to walk 1km, then cross a bridge and then walk 1km back to get to the entrance. Once we had passed a bunch of carnies setting up a carnival and thinking we were lost, we saw groups of families wearing crocs and carrying backpacks heading into what looked like a little forest area. Okay, we must be on the right track and huzzah! We were!

The place was so beautiful. To get to the gardens and chateau you had to walk through this large pathway that was boarded by towering, leafy trees that just looked magical. To the left was a maze, which we sung, "We're painting the roses red" in... well Kristi and I did, Lauren attempted to look like she wasn't with us... you can't get away that easy! Then Kristi and I had a race to see who get out of the maze first and naturally, I won.

The gardens that surrounded the chateau were absolutely stunning. The amount of work that must go into them is insane. I'll post pics when I get my laptop back so you can have an idea of what they looked like. Think of the movie Marie Antoinette and you'll have some understanding of what I'm talking about.

Next was Leo's house which was super cool. Lot's of gadgets that he had invented were displayed in the basement and the huge garden. It doesn't even look like a garden, more like a national park - but you're just not allowed to walk on the grass. The other chateau was WAY up the hill, and in 40 degree heat, it did not seem like a enticing prospect... but we did it anyway. Mind over matter. And it was worth it.

Leo's tomb is up there, as is this gorgeous home to... some royal people. I can't remember who. King Henry? I'll have to double check my notes. I really don't pay enough attention.

Well, once we'd had enough and were ready to get the heck out of the heat and back to the comfortable air-conditioning of the car (while I mentally prepared myself for the drive home) we also decided to we needed to cut down on our food spending. So, we stopped off at a supermarket, bought some bread, salami and cheese and that was our dinner. Under 5 euros split between us. Awesome! We are masters or frugal spending!

Then we spent the rest of the night in the bed and breakfast garden playing with the tarot cards Kristi brought. I'm not a believer by any means, I like to think I make and have control over my own destiny, but it's fun.

NEXT DAY

It was Kristi's turn to drive again and this time it was raining. Phew, thank goodness it didn't rain when I was driving. Kristi and I were stupid enough to wear thongs on this lovely rainy day, so when we visited the first chateau our feet got soaked and so muddy. Lovely. The first chateau was insanely huge, like a castle. Very bare inside and smelling like moth balls, but still lovely. After freezing in the cold rain we headed to a little cafe and had some onion soup with bread and cheese. Oh onion soup, how you warmed me on that cold, rainy day.

The next chateau was Chateau de Cheverny which is where some of Tin Tin was based at. Remember him? The teenage detective with the red hair and the little dog, Snowy? How cool is that!! What a thrill! Oh, what a geek I am. But seriously, Tin Tin was one of my favourite cartoons as a kid. I wanted to BE Tin Tin!

After all that excitement it was time to head back for dinner. Went to the cheaper restaurant of the town. Lauren thought she'd be adventurous and try a meal which she had no idea what it was. Meat is all we could figure out. Turned out it was organ meat and it was disgusting! You know what I love about France? You get bread with every dinner, and cheese is part of the service! It's fabulous! We ordered a bottle of red from the region which was delightful, but also made us quite drunk. Luckily, our rooms were only a 2 minute walk.

This night we had to move rooms and I scored my own room. It was nice to have my own room for the night, chill out, go to bed whenever I wanted, watch French TV; though that was killed when I accidentally switched off the TV and couldn't get it to turn on again. Still, nevermind. The point is, I got some 'me' time and was grateful for it, I always need a bit of me time, keeps me sane.

Next blog will be about us driving back to Paris with me driving. Intense day, never want to repeat it. It includes me storming out of the car and into the service station.


Miss you all!

Love Nicole