Chateau Le Bouis

Sasha found Chateau Le Bouis online a couple years ago and has always wanted to visit. When we set our route for this trip it became obvious that we would be in the area and, therefore we had to book a room! The chateau is a 300 year old domaine consisting of multiple vineyards, a small production facility, six nicely furnished rooms for rent, an on site wine caveau, and a fantastic restaurant.

The view from our room which overlooked the restaraunt and caveau.

Sasha enjoying a glass of house rose with dinner. Vineyards in the background.

More of the eating area- notice the sign!

I have never tried fresh caught sea snails- made me think of the locals on Jost Van Dyke who eat whelks (they've got the right idea)!!

Our evening entertainment. Oliver and Alexander were traveling musicians/ artists/ comedians who quickly decided they liked us and so spent most of the evening at our table . This photo was taken just after they found out that Sasha was a boat captain. Alexander launched into a whole long sketch with his little captain hat!

Breakfast was included with the room and served on the front porch of the hotel building. It was good food with another gorgeous setting.

Yes. We bought a little wine!

Had to get a photo with the sign! Sasha tried to hard to get a discount because of his name, everyone was amused and couldn't believe the coincidence- but no discounts were given.

To see more photos from Chateau Le Bouis click here.

Nice, Roquebrune, and Italy

As our friend Jay knows, Sasha and I may be in the market for a boat. Well, Sasha found just the one for us! It's a cozy little thing :)

Water falls in Nice.

The little Medieval town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

This is a seriously old city.

Home made pasta with traditional Sicilian sauces.

Looking out from the Piazza in Roquebrune.

Tara was renamed Sophie by her new friend and taught about making pasta.

YEAH!!

Sasha got a latte in Latte.

Paris to Beaune

We are going to make a real effort to use our SPOT as we travel so be sure to use the link on the side bar to see where we are!

The flight from Moscow to Paris took about 4 hours. We landed around 11am, rented a car, booted up the Gramin and got under way. The drive from Pairs to Beaune took about 3.5 hrs with one little rest stop along the way to change out drivers. Our car is a manual so it's tons of fun to drive at 130km/hr on the auto route! We arrived in Beaune around 5:00 and found our hotel with little trouble.

Our hotel is in a little side town called Savigny-les-beaune. The majority of the local population tend the vineyards surrounding the town and sell their harvest to the wine producers of the Beaune Region.

We stopped in a local Cave and visited with a wine exporter. He buys wine from the producers and exports most of his stock directly to NYC! Small world. He filled us in on a few regional secrets and history of the local vines.

Sasha outside the local chateau.

We stopped along the road out of town and (without touching the grapes) took a few pictures with the main attraction.

This is only what would fit into one frame. It takes a lot of vines to produce world class Burgundy!

Coming from Indiana, I've seen my fair share of farm equipment but this is a while different game out here.

Moscow Churches

Even though religion was banned under Soviet rule, its importance has not been lost. There are many historical churches that have undergone extensive renovations, including ones on our family's former estate of Troitse-Lykovskoye just outside of Moscow.

First, we visited two beautiful churches near Putin's house.

Then, we visited Troitse-Lykovskoye.

Through the entrance gates of the property the newer church is visible.

Father Stephan is in charge of everything, from church services and mass, to overseeing reconstruction of churches, to tending the goats, rabbis, geese, and fish on the local farm, and new construction on the property including a "soup kitchen" as well as additional housing and a school. Below, he shows us one of the many fish growing in his ponds near the Mosvka river.

The restoration of the older church is ongoing.

The interior is fantastic! Several new bells were cast.

Here is Father Stephan releasing the fish back into the pond!

Moscow Food

As I was informed, the supermarkets did not always look like this. Back in Soviet times the stores were empty of food and full of lines. People waited a long time for a loaf of bread or can of food. Not to say that there were no stores like this, you just had to hold a certain rank to be granted access.

Looking back I wish I'd taken more pictures of the plates in restaurants. I tried to stick to typically Russian food when ordering and was never disappointed! The food was awesome every meal. Starters were usually a mix of cold salads, cured meat, pickled vegetables, and meat pies. Entrees included seafood, wild game, and your typical chicken and steak options. I was impressed with the quantity of food coming from within Russia-- considering that the country covers eleven time zones you can find almost everything locally.

Pushkin Cafe was our favorite mid-day stop, for obvious reasons!

The last pic is from Nina's family's estate which was given to the church. Father Stephan has a whole gaggle of geese and I can easily picture them one day ending up on the table!!

Russia Photos

Yesterday, we met up with a dear friend and wandered the streets of Moscow, through parks and past churches, visiting art galleries and parties.

We blazed through golden tunnels to cross below giant boulevards.

The sun did not set until after 10PM!!

Sunset over Red Square.

The following day, we consulted our map...

And found a boat to take us down the Moscow River.

Past the same church (and of course past Red Square!)

I found another boat that took me nowhere.

Sailtrue in Russia!

What visit to Moscow is complete without a trip to Red Square?

In Russia, everything is bigger.


Interior of The Cathedral of Intercession of Theotokos on the Moat, aka St. Basil's.


Changing of the guard at the Eternal Flame


Family Bouis (and Tara) by the Moscow River.

From Russia With Love!

Gone... On Vacation!

Russia bound on July 5: Moscow from the 7-13th; and then backpacking through Spain and France to visit family and friends until July 27. Then NYC for a week and my mom's birthday, then back to the midwest for most of August.