My Favorite Places

We have been in France for a few weeks now, and I LOVE it!!! Everything is so old and beautiful. I love secret passageways and rooms, hidden clearings, valleys, alcoves, etc. Since everything is so old, there is bound to be some hidden passageways and such, right? That was exactly right! There turned out to be some hidden chambers, 5 of them actually, used for hiding way down in one of the fields. Our villa was actually built in the 13th century!!! I have 3 favorite places on the property that are pretty cool, if you are into secret alcoves and clearings and stuff.

1. My first favorite place on the property is the first cool place I found. It a little alcove-type clearing next to one of the horse fields. The entrance is covered by a layer of branches and some thorns, but once you get through, its totally open, and it goes about 100 feet, and then there is an exit that is totally open. I go there a lot, and you don't even know it's there!!

2. My second favorite place is one my mum and I discovered on a walk a few days ago, it is a secret field with a natural tree boundary. It is a big field, with one single tree in the center of it. It is going off of a dirt road that leads onto a paved driveway, and it's beautiful.

3. My third favorite place is one my mum and I discovered this morning on a walk. It is another grove of trees and bushes, almost exactly like the 1st one, but this one is next to the river. It is across a field from the 1st hidden clearing, and this one is slightly bigger. This place doesn't have any branches or thorns covering it. But I didn't notice it was there when I was walking with a friend, we went right by it without being aware of it.

These kind of natural hidden places amaze me, and I look to them as a kind of magical place. I have loved stuff like this for a long time, and I do believe in fairies and magic, etc. Just because they have never been proven to be real doesn't mean they aren't real!!!!!

Road to the River

Today my mum and I went to Neuvic for some groceries, and we saw this cute little village on a hill not too far away, so we decided to try and drive to it. We drove in the general direction of the village, just following the road. Then, at the end of a one-car road, it lead straight into a river!!!!!!! There was no warning, it just went straight down and continued in!! We were shocked, but it was kind of cool too!

The River Road

The beautiful Neuvic Chapel

French Crepes

Hey Guys, here is another recipe, and crepes are VERY good!!!! They are thin, delicate pancakes that you can fill with pretty much anything, chocolate, sugar and butter ( My Favorite! ), fresh fruit, etc. I recommend trying it!!!!


Ingredients

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

3 eggs

2 cups of milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted



Directions

1. Sift together flour, sugar, and salt, set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs, and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth, stir in melted butter.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot with your choice of toppings!!!

The Scoop on The French

A lot of you think the French are stuck up, snobby, and mean. That's all a stereotype. All of the French people I have met have been extremely nice. Another thing that is wrong is that people thing many of the French speak English. Most of the French only have very little French, if any! The French ARE very fashionable, with their favorite accessory being the scarf. The kids around my age seem to wear jeans, skirts with tights, and denim jackets. The thing is, they don't seem to care if you wear something different. They will glance at you, but they don't make fun of you or anything. People shouldn't judge the French without actually meeting them first. They are great people too.

5 Places I Have Seen so Far

5 places I have seen so far since I have been in France:

1. Mussidan

2. Bergerac

3. Bordeaux

4. Perigueux

5. Monbazillac            

Here are some facts about each place:

Mussidan is our nearest town and where we go shopping.

Bergerac is a city about a half hour away from us and has the Dordogne River running through it.

Bordeaux is the world's major wine industry capital.

Perigueux has the beautiful St Front Cathedral, which is huge and eye catching, and the first thing you notice when you enter the town.

Monbazillac is famous for its vineyards. 

Gotta See Paris!!!!

I would love to go to Paris while I am here, and see the Eiffel Tower. Paris is about a 6 hour drive from here, and is famous for its fashion. But big cities in Europe have pick pockets, and Paris is bound to have plenty of them, so don't bring your big purse!!!!! Wear a fanny pack around your waist holding only important stuff, money, cellphone, etc. The Parisians motto is "Fluctuat nec mergitur" which means "She is tossed by the waves but never sinks". Paris is known for its romance, and many books and movies are set there. Paris is also the most populated city in France. Paris is headed by an elected mayor. Paris is a beautiful city and I can't wait to visit it.

Lazy Day

Today was a lazy Sunday. Blue and I went down to the tennis courts to play a game of tennis. After we came back, Blue and I took Dylan for a walk down to the playground. Then we lazed around the house, and later we took a walk down to the end of the drive. We stopped by the stables on our way back to see the horses. Tomorrow Blue will be starting school, and I will do some schoolwork at home. Even though we didn't do much, it was still a great day!