Clos Du Vougeot

The nicest vineyard and Grand Crus winery we went to was at Clos Du Vougeot. Deia ran through the vines, played in the gravel, and smelled every single flower...about a hundred times :)

Arbois, The Jura

Deep in the mountains of the Jura, in Franche-Comte, we stayed at Castel Damandre in Arbois. Such a different landscape than all of the vast farmlands we had just driven through. It was hilly and lush. We hiked to this beautiful waterfall right from our hotel! Arbois was the home to Louis Pasteur and seemed like such an interesting choice...being so far away from any bustling city. If we had had more time in the area, we could have gone rafting, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding, and, of course, wine tasting. It's an adventurous part of France that we never knew about until we needed a stop-over place on our way to Switzerland. Ah, what road tripping opens your eyes to.

Chateuneuf

We took a side trip to see the castle at Chateuneuf. On the cliff's edge of a hilltop town, this magical castle stood tall and proud. Deia ran from room to room, looking at the models of the castle in it's various eras and saying nigh-nigh when she saw the beds in every bedroom.

Beaune, Burgundy

From Avallon we drove to Beaune. We arrived in the evening with little time to get settled at our adorable B&B and to get out to eat. So we went to the historic city center with a long list of restaurant recommendations...and a short list of those to absolutely stay away from. After getting denied, with child, at one place (our first true taste of French arrogance), and finding about 10-15 more unsuitable for a little one, we ended up stopping at ALL three awful spots, only to end up with horrible take-out panini's and fries... that we ate in our car! Deia was on my lap in the front seat, happily dipping fries in ketchup, while we laughed hysterically about our botched plans. We we a little underwhelmed with the hospitality in Beaune...people seems slightly less enthused than anywhere else we were. Then again, we're judging on a 24 hour stay. We did enjoy the old hospices. Deia threw coins in the wishing well and jumped in puddles between the cobblestones.

Chateu De Vault De Lugny, Avallon

Everyone should stay in a real Chateu at least once in their lives :) Chateau De Lugny is an entirely restored Chateau from the XIII & XVIII centuries on 100 acres of private grounds, with a trout fishing river and impressive vegetable garden. We especially loved the few resident peacocks, turkeys and house dog. The Chateau was nearly empty, so it was wild to feel like we almost had it to ourselves! We had an 8 course gourmet meal in the original Gothic vaulted ceilings of the former Chateau kitchens. Somehow, Deia lasted the entire dinner and was such a good date! Our walk around the land was breathtaking. The old dungeon and watchtowers were available for exploration and we walked through the gardens to see where all of our dinner food had come from. What a special experience. I really hope that we can recommend this amazing place to another family. It is incredibly family friendly!

Noyers, Burgundy

We discovered Noyers by accident and it was, hands down, our favorite medieval city in Burgundy! Off the beaten track and barely mentioned in the guidebooks, it's easy to miss the farm road that winds to it. Noyers is a storybook town of surreal, half-timbered houses, mini squares and chalky cobblestone streets. It reminded us of a Hollywood back lot, it just couldn't be real! We went to the local market to buy some fruit and walked into the patisserie to grab a couple baguettes. We then sat, alone, in a tiny square and wondered when someone would yell, "cut!" Deia played with local chatte's and ran around smelling flowers on window sills. It was charming and inspiring. Such a happy accident!

What I Love About Deia

...aside from every little thing...i love the way she bounces when she runs, how her curls bounce with every hop, how she wants 2 rounds of kisses at bed time, and how many times she says mommy until i get her out of bed, the way she says "hi" to everyone, the way she says ee-u-laler for see you later, how she gets blissed out when you kiss her back and puckers for kisses on the mouth, how she says mommydaddy when we are all together, the way she is starting to say our morning goodbye mantra and how she waves her little finger to draw hearts in the air, how she knows that mommy's coffee is hot and that my water is usually fizzy, the way she passe's and plie's, how she loves putting on her own shoes and how she thinks her toes always smell peeyu, the sounds her mouth makes when she eats, the way her pinky is in the air when she holds her bottle, how she calls every source of water manu, the way she uses an electric toothbrush, how she pretends to push when she sits on her potty, the way she naps her fingers every time she starts dancing, the way her breath smells when she whispers near your face, the way her eyelashes look when they are wet and stuck together in the pool, the way her face looks after a dunk under the water, the way she says boing whenever she sees a belly button, how she asks for certain songs at bed time, how she lets you know you aren't playing or singing the song she wants, the way she says meow, the way she tells you she wants to put on lipstick and how she rubs makeup brushes on her tummy instead of her face, how she only eats bananas with the peel pulled down and how much she loves to eat the bread she is supposed to feed the ducks at the park, the way she says her friends names, the way she loves Magnus so tenderly, the way she says "ok," the way her little thumb looks when it slides the unlocking bar on an iphone, the way she makes faces in the mirror, the way she likes to hold multiple objects at once, how she loves to dance, how she loves her music class, how she sings while sitting in her little car en route anywhere, the way she wants everyone around her to be happy, how she loves bracelets and barrettes, how she says Corey, how new layers of bangs keep growing in, how she still tries to drink the bathwater, the way she says and does absolutely everything....she amazes me.