Accrobranche.

I mentioned that we stayed the weekend at the Gontard’s.  I did not mention that I was in physical pain for the majority of the weekend.  Why you ask?  Because of a little thing called accrobranche.  Accrobranche is…well….take a look at the photos.  I don’t really know how to describe it other than by saying it is death-defying acts performed in the tree tops of France.  Swinging from ropes, walking on hanging planks, wobbling across rope bridges dangling in the middle of the air, balancing your way across a high wire.  Those are just a few of the activities that made my quads, abs, triceps, calves, gluts, nose, and hair follicles ache.  It was fun, but after needing a fork lift to get out of bed the next morning, I am not sure I would do it again!  Bon Ap!

Here's Fanny getting suited up.

Finally! A picture of Brigitte! Note to self: if helmet, harness, and carabiner clips are needed...avoid, avoid, avoid!

What the H$LL have I gotten myself into?!

Clearly taken BEFORE accrobranche began!

This was taken before as well. After...photos simply were not allowed! Absolutely not!

Here is what we were dealing with! They don't really make things easy for you over here. Pretty much...do or die. Literally.

Yea...

One little tidbit that I didn’t mention (and probably shouldn’t) is the fact that I had to be “saved” by the accrobranche patrol.  There was one lovely maneuver where you had to swing (Tarzan-style) through the air and hopefully grab onto a vertical cargo net.  Well.  I made it across the air and attached to the cargo net.  Then, from there, I was expected to use my huge biceps and get up to the plank.  It wasn’t going to happen.  So, I just sat and waited for the patrol to come and hoist me up.  I might have bellowed “HELP!” a couple of times! 

It isn’t the first time (and won’t be the last time) that I have been embarrassed in France!

Homegrown goodness…

Let me clarify…not grown at MY home–that would be a disaster of epic proportions.  The Gontard’s, on the other hand, have quite the green thumbs.  Their garden was amazing.  Their peach tree was amazing.  The produce they sent us home with was amazing (See?  They treated us like their own kids!  I think my bag of peaches was bigger than Jeremy’s!).  Bon Appetit!

GIANT zucchini!

Weekend at the Gontard’s

After our month-long France hiatus, we returned to our home in Paris.  The very next weekend Jeremy was inviting us to his parent’s country home and we jumped all over it (any excuse to get out of the city, right?).  Well, in all honesty, we didn’t jump all over it at first.  You see…his parents don’t speak the most English and we don’t speak the most French (OK, I don’t speak the most French–Daniel does OK (overachiever)).  So, I was nervous to 1) have a complete language barrier for 2 full days and 2) to look like completely ignorant Americans who haven’t even tried to adjust to life in Paris or learn French.  But, Jeremy assured us that it would be great and besides, his mom really wanted me to teach her country line dancing!  OK!  We’re in!  And I was bringing with country music…Dixie Chicks anyone?

We ended up having an AMAZING weekend and it turns out that Jeremy’s parents reminded me 100% of my own.  The hospitality was unbelievable.  The food.  The drink.  The food.  The drink.  The food.  The drink.  Oh, sorry, but we did a LOT of eating and drinking!  In fact, I think Jeremy’s dad, Michel, was hazing me but I can’t be for sure!

Here is what we did during our weekend in la campagne (the countryside).  Many thanks go out to Brigitte and Michel.  We had an unbelievable weekend and can’t wait to visit again!  Thanks for treating us like your own kids and we still haven’t eaten since we left!  Bon Appetit!

Casa de Gontard's

Hello Fanny! Say..."Fromage"!

I think this photo was taken by a guest photographer: FANNY! Well done mon ami!

Jeremy + Daniel = F R I E N D S

Just the beginning of eating, drinking, eating, drinking, eating, drinking and more eating and drinking.

Brigitte put her men to work. Well, actually, it looks like only one of the men is doing the work! Um, Jeremy?

Ah ha! See? I told you...hazing! This was our aperitif right before we started dinner (which ended at 1AM!).

This is what is left after you serve aperitifs, appetizers, salad, main course, fromage, desert, champagne, and digestifs!

I mentioned we were in the country, but I didn't tell you they had sheep! They love Master Michel!

Meet Granny Sheep. She was my favorite.

Not pictured here:  Brigitte.  I am pretty sure she was in the kitchen the whole weekend!  Well, except for when she was learning country line dancing.  She and Fanny are ready to head to the Electric Cowboy!

Bike night!

Boys will be boys.  We all know that and we all know that there is no stopping it.  After a full day of sightseeing and a full evening of eating and drinking Jessie and I were pooped and ready for bed!  The boys?  No, no.  They were ready for a midnight romp across Paris on their bikes!  And so they did.  They visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Le Louvre to name a few.  Jessie and I on the other hand were dreaming of kittens and lollipops!

I don’t know why it was a good idea to ride bikes across Paris at midnight, but they had a good time!  I guess, since they came home safe and without BUI’s, that is all that matters.  Bon Ap!

Incriminating pic #1 of Jason. Watch out for that van!

Incriminating pic #2 of Jason. Don't worry Jason...I know who was taking the photos of you even if he didn't shoot any of himself!

 

Stowaways…

I mentioned earlier that we took the train to Monet’s Garden.  What I didn’t mention earlier was the fact that we did not have any seats on the train.  You see…here in France…it just doesn’t matter.  No seat?  No problem.  We sat on the floor of the train in case you were wondering.  Oh, and our tickets were not even for this train.  They were for the later train but they told us we could go ahead and board.  Again…no problem.  Where in the world am I living?!

Bon Ap!

Jason hadn't quite found his way to the floor. Give him about 5 more minutes and he found it!

Someone remind me in the future...when taking photos with Jessie...get a step stool. Seriously.

 

Rain on their Parade?

First day in Paris for Jessie and Jason and what does the weather decide to do?  Rain.  What a bummer.  At least, what a bummer for most people.  Jessie is probably the most prepared person I have ever met (and I LOVE it).  Out of her magic Mary Poppins’ bag pops 2 ponchos and the day was saved!  Later, we used the ponchos to protect our bums from the wet park benches–brilliant!

Hmmmm….I wonder why the boys were walking so far in front of us?  Bon Ap!

I believe we look a little like flying nuns....

COMPLETE COINCIDENCE! This elderly woman was crossing the street right in front of the flying nuns and the boys couldn't resist a photo. Thanks so much for documenting this...!

 

 

A fine time with the Vines…

June and July were busy months for the Barnetts.  The last week of June:  Susan and Tommy came to visit.  The first week in July:  we headed to Ireland.  The second week in July:  Jessie and Jason Vines came to visit.  And THAT is exactly what I am going to post about.

College friends, Jessie and Jason Vines came to visit.  Before the visit, I would say they were a lot closer to Daniel since all 3 of them went to school together.  After the visit…I would say I am part of the gang.  Heck…you have no choice but to become close with a few hundred square feet, one toilet, and one open-aired shower!  Yeah, we are pretty much besties now!

We had such a good visit with J&J!  It turns out that they are our “couple doppelganger”.  It was crazy just how similar Jessie and Daniel were (both born on July 1st) and how similar Jason and I were (both December babies).  WEIRD–I never gave much credit to that whole “what’s your sign” business, but there might be a little something there?!

Here are some of the very important highlights from the Vines’ trip to Paris.  Fine times with the Vines…Bon Ap!

First stop...Le Louvre. Believe it or not...my first time to take a photo in front of the pyramid!

Second stop (in one day)...Versailles. Look what good tourists they are being! If you are wondering...I was sitting on a bench at this point.

Meet Jessie. She is wonderful and I am VERY jealous of those cheek bones. I am not sure if I even have cheek bones?!

And now...meet the Vines. Jason and Jessie. Super troopers. We managed to cover Le Louvre AND Versailles in ONE day. Who does that?! Only couples with cool sunglasses straps like Jason. Right Jessie?!

Not pictured here, but we even headed to Sacre Couer and Montmarte on the same day!  Can you tell they were killing a lot of birds with one stone on this particular day?

The next day, we all headed to Monet's Garden. No time for grass to grow under their feet!

Cosmic twins here...

Bro-ski's (I feel like a complete moron that word even could be typed by me!)

Jessie is one of my short friends. I guess she had stunted growth as a child?

We even had time to stop and smell the flowers on this day!

Dear Paris, EAT more bacon!

The blog title “Dear Paris, Eat more Bacon” pretty much sums it up…

Here is one of the many signs (in English) that was posted in the diner. I couldn't have said it better than this Julie did!

 

One thing we sure have been missing is a big, American-style breakfast.  That is…until now.  We found a lovely little place called Breakfast In America..B.I.A.  It is owned and operated by a fellow American and we tried it out for the first time on Sunday.  It did NOT disappoint!  When we walked in the door, the gal spoke perfect English to us.  We knew that had to be a good sign.  Menus were in English.  Signs were in English.  The waitresses spoke perfect English.  Basically…AMAZING!  I don’t think it would have mattered if the food was horrible because the rest of the experience was so good.  But, in the end, the food was so good and cheap too!

Blueberry pancakes...devine!

Daniel of course went for the 2 x 2 x 2!

And!  To top it all off, we found our dining destination for Thanksgiving!  We are gathering up all of the Americans and heading over there on Thanksgiving night.  I personally hope they serve burgers, fries, and milkshakes but I will settle for turkey and dressing!

BON AP!

 

 

 

Tailgating in Paris…

I still have a lot of catching up to do on the blog, but in the meantime, here is a little taste of our weekend.

We decided to stay in Paris and tailgate for the Razorback game…Paris style!  First, we dressed in our red and whites, packed a picnic and headed over to the park.  Then, when it was just about time to Call those Hogs…Daniel headed over to Pizza Hut and got pizza.  I made a Jell-o cheesecake and got the French beer ready.  Then, at game time (6PM over here), we were able to stream the game live.  Many thanks go out to ESPN for letting us watch Arkansas beat Texas A&M.  It turned out to be a pretty good tailgate and a pretty good day!  Bon Ap!

Sporting our Hog colors...

Wine was our tailgating beverage of choice. Even though we were pretending to be back in Arkansas, you can only pretend so hard!

Daniel loves his alma mater!

It was...delicious!

And so was our final course! Go Hogs!