David Ferré and Kathy Childs Website

Greetings from Dave and Kathy. We're heading back to Europe for the entire month of July 2013. Follow our blog to see what we're up to. If for some reason you need to contact us while we're away (other than the usual email contact of david@davidandkathy.com), then Click Here.

June - July, 2013

Sun
June 30

We left Denver exactly on time for Paris, via Iceland, on Icelandair. After 7 hours of flying time, we changed airplanes in Keflavik, Iceland, then another 3 hours arriving Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport in Paris at 1pm on July 1st.

Mon
July 1

We are now (at last) able to enjoy our home exchange with our host family, Stéphane and Perrine. They have been in our Colorado home since January 2013 but due to French visa problems, we had to leave Europe in December 2012 and return to the USA, instead of taking over their apartment. The apartment is on the 3rd floor (2nd floor in France) and is the balcony almost exactly in the center of the image.

Tues
July 2

Our apartment is directly adjacent to the spacious Parc Forestier National de Sevran, which is bordered by the Canal de l'Ourcq. This allows for an unlimited choice of picturesque morning walks but today we just did an overview. We visited "our" RER train station (Vert-Galent) and then the outdoor market next door. Our event of the day was some detailed food shopping in the Picard food store (pix). They sell only frozen food. Cool!

Wed
July 3

Adventure day today and the weather was perfect: rain and cold. (After 6 months in Arizona and New Mexico, we loved it.) Our final destination was the village of La Ferté-Milon, which is the source of the Canal de l'Ourcq, the 69 mile long canal that passes near our home in Vaujours and ends in Paris. But we had a stop first, in Lizy-sur-Ourcq and the garden store, Gamm Vert (pix). Lizy, also on the canal, had a lovely park with dozens of animals made out of sticks. Continuing on through country road lined with flowers, we arrived in La Ferté. This village is most famous as the birthplace of the dramatist and poet, Jean Racine, but it has an unfinished chateau (said to be haunted) and in the shadow of the chateau, the Restaurant des Ruines. We did a lovely walk past the undershot water wheel on the River Ourcq, and through narrow cobblestone streets (pix). It is our favorite things to do - drive through small villages in the beautiful French countryside. And we noted a lot of For Sale signs, but we said, "non."

Thurs
July 4
(no
fireworks)

Luxembourg Gardens in the Paris 6th was our destination today. After buying ham sandwiches, we went to the gardens for a picnic (pix) (art video). We noted two thinkers [image] during our stroll, which ended back on Boulevard Saint-Michel and Brasserie Le Luco [image] for an excellent café au lait (recommended). Next, we "toured" Paris on bus 38, then home to Vert-Galant, only to find a large market set up [image]. Great day!

Fri
July 5

Marche d'Aligre (pix) is some times called "The City's Last Great Daily Market" [read]. On our arrival, we enjoyed a couple of café au laits at a local place [image] and at a fraction of what we paid yesterday. But, then, this is not trendy Paris. Place d'Aligre has all manner of food seller plus a mini flea market as well. Our purchases of cheese [video] and pâté de campagne, plus a fresh baguette, made for a nice dinner back home, all washed down with a 2007 red wine from Château Labégorce. Viva la France!

Sat
July 6

In the early 1900s, artists Émile Gallé, Louis Majorelle and Victor Prouvé in Nancy, France founded the École de Nancy, giving Art Nouveau a new influence. We went to Nancy today to the École de Nancy museum. The building and everything down to the last thing in it is in the Art Nouveau style (pix). We continued on to Strasbourg for the night, dining at the Vino Strada Stub for dinner. Our apartment was on a pedestrian street and our GPS put us in circles. We parked and Kathy magically found it.

Sun
July 7

Strasbourg makes a wonderful impression! A lovely Old Town that never suffered war damage, with two large squares, Kléber Square and Gutenberg Square. Our apartment was on a side street close to both squares, and to the impressive cathedral. We started the day with breakfast at a café, then bought tram tickets to see Strasbourg on various tram routes. On one route, we found a car show [video].

In early afternoon, we were joined by our German "family" (pix) who drove many hours to make our meeting. Karl and Dagmar are parents to Uli, and then her Spanish husband Tonio, and children Sofia and Pablo. They speak in a mixture of German and Spanish but English for us. We had a lovely walk to the Petite France area of Strasbourg (pix) where we overloaded on ice cream and enjoyed the perfect weather.

With the German family returning home, we had a rest and then Dave met his friend Andy and his girlfriend Charlotte (pix) for a "true" walking tour of Strasbourg - that is - where the locals hang out. Andy and Dave worked together last year at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and Charlotte was full of surprises including her Master's Degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kathy then joined us for a spectacular dinner at Chez Yvonne.

Mon
July 8

A side trip today to see Dave's friend, Michael, in Eriskirch, Germany. We had a choice of routes but chose the "road less traveled" into the Black Forest, following the River Kinzig and passing castles such as the Ortenberg Castle (pix). Eventually the elevation changed and soon enough we were high above Lake Constance with panoramic views the wine towns such as Meersburg, all on a sunny day; a total delight.

Arriving at the home of Michael and Araya, his lovely wife, a native of Thailand, had prepared a beautiful Thai lunch for us (pix). They are leaving soon for a year in Thailand, indeed, we made this visit because Michael will not be able to join us next week in Bregenz, Austria, to hear the music of André Tchaikowsky. After lunch, we returned on the same route back to Strasbourg with dinner at La Table de l'Ill. It was a great day.

Tues
July 9

Another side trip today, on the way back to Paris, to a place very special to Kathy; a monument to her father, Everett Childs, who survived a World War 2 airplane crash just outside of Nubécourt (pix) [detail]. His monument [video] is next to St. Martin's church, a church from the year 1540. Inside the church is another monument, set in the floor, to Georges Frédéric du Hautoy, who was the Lord of Nubécourt-Bulainville in the 1600s [image]. Nubécourt exudes a kind of peace with the Aire River [image] passing through this picturesque town.

Wed
July 10

It's not Sarlat, it's not Rocamadour, but the medieval city of Provins, just outside of Paris, has plenty to offer. First a picnic [image], which we enjoyed next to the Grand Hotel Dieu (from the year 1157). This was on rue Saint-Thibault, which is a long haul up a steep street to the castle on top. We were exhausted but to the rescue, a petite train [video] that gave us a restful tour. Next was a crepe from Mammy Gateaux (pix is from our table).

Thurs
July 11

Rue Montorgueil was the destination today for our La Cuisine Paris food tour (pix). We were escorted by Sophie to areas in and around rue Montorgueil, where the history of various food types was discussed, and then in consultation with the tour group (six of us), purchases were made (cheese, meat, bread, baba au rhum). These purchases were brought back to a charming barrel-roof dining area at the La Cuisine Paris kitchens, and consumed with a perfectly paired white wine. [Movie]

Fri
July 12

We pushed off for Strasbourg today, our 2nd visit. On one of the walls in town, we found this idea: an old LP record turned into art (pix). But before we left Vaujours, we had to make sure our bird friends had something to eat while we're gone [movie]. Because it's Bastille Day weekend, and we know traffic can be bad (ask David's brother about this), we decided to make the driving trip to Bregenz, Austria in two days instead of one. Dinner at l'Agneau.

Sat
July 13

We pushed off from Strasbourg to Bregenz, Austria, following the same route as July 8th, but stopped in the lovely town of Haslach for a flea market [image]. Then, just an hour short of Bregenz, we met Dave's architect friend Jürgen for a fab lunch at the Höchsten restaurant, along with Jürgen's lovely daughter and his partner, Gina (pix). Jürgen is one of the better known "green" architects in Germany. His own home is a marvel of invention and art.

Sun
July 14

Two operas at the 2013 Bregenz Festival; the André Tchaikowsky opera The Merchant of Venice, and the Mozart opera The Magic Flute. It's the stage for the Magic Flute (pix) that defies description. And the demonstration today [movie] gives an idea of the fun to come. We'll get tickets for later during our visit. The rest of the time we explored beautiful Bregenz, all on a sunny day.

Mon
July 15

Today we took the cruse ship "Konstanz," that goes between ports on Lake Constance. Our destination was Lindau Island [movie] [mime], a picturesque ancient city never damaged in any war, and known for its shopping. And shop we did, but also found time to tour a special Joan Miró exhibition [favorite]. Then back to Bregenz on the "Graf Zeppelin" (pix of the Lindau port) before attending the opera, The Magic Flute [image].

Tues
July 16

Today's image is actually from last night, at the Magic Flute performance. Amazing front row seats right in the center. The tickets were given to us by the opera festival office because of Dave's help in the other opera (staged indoors), The Merchant of Venice. Today was an André day with a full dress rehearsal of The Merchant, but still time for dinner at Zum Kornmesser with our friend from London, Eve Harrison. Perfect weather still.

Wed
July 17

Today we met Dave's friend, John O'Brien [image], the librettist for The Merchant of Venice, who had just arrived from Botswana. After lunch with John, and his traveling companions Andy and David [image], we went for a drive finding the small town of Rankweil, Austria and its famous Basilika (pix). Nearby was a building decorated by architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser [image]. Later, Dave's friend Judy Arnold arrived from London [image].

Thurs
July 18

A lovely breakfast with Andy, David, and then John O'Brien and Judy Arnold [image]. Next was a trip up Pfaender mountain, which you can hike in 3 hours or by Phaenderbahn (pix) in 6 minutes. Not a hard choice [image]! We passed over some modern homes that looked pretty neat [image]. Then Kathy was inspired [movie] and finally, in the evening, the world premiere of the opera, The Merchant of Venice, and why we're in Bregenz.

Fri
July 19

Breakfast with friends [image], then we took off for Meersburg, Germany, a town famous for white wines and its Old City [image]. We stopped at Georg Hack Wines, a huge store of over 500 brands of wine [image], We loved their truck design (pix). The truck is a rolling wine store and opens up into a fully stock wine emporium. Lunch was in Old Town at Hotel Jufa, then back home for a rest. Dinner was at the Goldener Hirschen with friends Eve and Gerald.

Sat
July 20

Art shot today (pix) from one of the art displays in and around Bregenz. A full day of André events starting in the morning and continuing well into the evening. Today we registered for the Symposium events (more on this in days to come) then a reading from a play based on a book of letters between André and his Polish girl friend; finally a concert featuring pianist Maciej Grzybowski playing The Inventions [sample].

Sun
July 21

Here's the panel of "experts" for the Tchaikowsky Symposium where we're discussing André's life. From left to right is Martin Anderson publisher (Toccata Press London); Dr. Anastasia Belina-Johnson (Leeds University) author of a new André biography; then Aleksander Laskowski (Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw) giving the Polish view of Andrzej Czajkowski's life. Music all day with the opera again and then chamber music.

Mon
July 22

Last day for the André Tchaikowsky events. We've seen his opera (3 times for Dave), heard solo piano works, piano with voice, a full piano concerto with the Vienna Symphony, string quartets, rehearsals, symposiums, Music and Poetry concerts, and on and ON. We ended up with books, brochures, programs, entry badges, ticket stubs, and so forth (pix). Bregenz is a great vacation spot with lakes, rivers, mountains, restaurants, and vineyards. Recommended!

Tues
July 23

Lovely drive from Bregenz, Austria to Maribor, Slovenia, a trip marked by more than 30 tunnels [video]. Our landlord was waiting for us at our Maribor apartment and it's perfect and in the center of the pedestrian-only Old Town. We even have a small terrace that overlooks the streets below (pix). We relaxed a bit and then walked around until we found the excellent Rozmarin Restaurant and Wine Bar. Slovenia is beautiful!

Wed
July 24

Last night we had a Šipon white wine from Vino Kupljen so today we decided to visit Vino Kupljen, which turned out to be on the Jeruzalem Šipon wine tour. Arriving in this beautiful area (pix), we found that Vino Kupljen was closed for tasting, as were others, due to a lack of customers. So we went to Vinotheque Svetinjska Klet where you can taste all the wines from the region. After a purchase, lunch at Gostišce Taverna.

Thurs
July 25

Ljubljana made a great impression today (pix). It's a city with canals, a compact Old Town easily navigated, convenient car parking, lots of cafés, coffee shops, plus a helpful Information Center right in the center at the Three Bridges. We took a boat ride [movie] and then lunch, followed by a walking tour [movie]. Somewhat like the wine tour, there were not a lot of tourists and some boat trips had just a single customer.

Fri
July 26

We were given directions to "Il Casale Degli Ulivi" in Italian, that Google Translator messed up, plus it was confusing anyway. We knew the place was in the Tuscana Barga Comune so we went to the Information office in Barga but no English. Still, with a waving of arms and a crude map, we found it. And it's a treasure, with a panoramic view of the town of Barga (pix). Our landlord, Massimo, presented us with items from his garden [image].

Sat
July 27

We did a walking tour of Barga (pix) today [video]. After a coffee, we ventured into the Old Town portion with its narrow streets, small shops, and crowned with a church that has foundation stones from year 950. Then, after honoring the tradition of an afternoon siesta, and a lunch we got at the market, we ventured out again for dinner at Trattoria da Riccardo. We are enjoying "Il Casale Degli Ulivi" [The Hideaway in the Olives]!

Sun
July 28

We took off for Marina di Pisa, a Mediterranean seaside town, with a stop in Pisa (pix) [movie]. Finding no place to park over 8 miles of highway in Marina di Pisa, we drove along the Arno River instead and found "Dai Pescatori di Bocca d'Arno" [image]. It was after the 2pm closing but they served us a lovely tuna lunch anyway. On the way back, a stop at Ponte Della Maddalen [image], a medieval bridge built between 1080-1100.

Mon
July 29

We had a scare this morning as we departed Barga, Italy for Chamonix, France. The GPS said 12 hours and 1000 km, which was excessive on both counts. A check of our GPS options showed we had selected "No Tolls" for our route. After the fix; 5 hours and 600 km. There must have been a 100 tunnels on route, ending with the Mont Blanc tunnel (pix). Toll was $55 one way. We chose to forget the Mont Blanc disaster from 1999. Dinner at the lovely Le Délice in nearby Les Houches.

Tues
July 30

The view from our motel (pix). Mont Blanc itself was in clouds so no pix of the Big Guy. We then drove back to Vaujours/Paris, only to find that Kathy left her Kindle back in Chamonix. Looks like a good time to upgrade to the new Kindle Fire! Just a mention that gas for our car averages about $9 a gallon. A fill-up for our 12-gallon tank is $108. Our car was the single most expensive part of our trip with rental, gas, tolls, and parking.

Wed
July 31

When we take our walks in Vaujours, we always note restaurants that might be interesting. And so we found La Maison du Bonheur (pix), a true French experience with a lovely terrace in the back, and excellent Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai cuisine. No English spoken but our meager French won the day. Then off to the Novotel hotel at the CDG airport for the night. We have an early departure.

Back home to Louisville, Colorado after a year. Our home exchanges in Germany and France were a big success in every possible way. Today's image (pix) is the famous Blue Lagoon in Iceland. We had an unexpected layover of 7 hours so we rented a car and drove around. Reykjavik had a lovely shopping street and is where we had lunch. It was cold, however, just 48 F degrees and everyone wore heavy coats. In August!