Chateau Andelot, The Anti-Shanghai

From Paris we took a 2 hour train ride into the French countryside to visit our good friends Anne and Michael. Like us, Anne and Michael went abroad around the same time that we did. Unlike us, they chose to live in a quiet, unpolluted and peaceful city, Bourg-en-Bresse, to manage a French chateau and bed & breakfast. The medieval castle you see above? That is their Chateau (!) and it was about as opposite an experience to Shanghai as we could imagine.

The Chateau sat on top of a hill overlooking a picturesque French countryside.

You absolutely cannot help but sigh every morning in happy appreciation when this is the view you wake up to.

Zach found a relic sword which he found appropriate to carry around in a medieval home. The Chateau was built in the 1200's and one of the walls in their garden was originally constructed around 800!

Anne took us to visit the nearby town of Chateau Chalon, where we admired the quintessential French country town. We sampled wines and strolled the quaint streets all the while feeling as if on a movie set and waiting to see Juliette Binoche emerge from a doorway arm in arm with Gerard Depardieu.

Flowers were in full bloom and enhanced by the intricate wrought iron decorating the gardens.
Tiffany rests on a bench in front of a nicely decorated home.
We also stopped into town to enjoy the open plaza and check out the local stores.

And, of course, fuelling up on an espresso stop.
A beautiful vantage point overlooks the valley. Along with the nice bench shaded by the tree, all we needed was a good book, maybe some wine, fresh fruit and baguette...

In Shanghai, pedestrians are never allowed to step onto the grass at public gardens. I suppose it makes sense, since 1.3 billion people tramping all over the lawn would make for a very short-lived lawn. But here at the Chateau, a wide open expanse of grass is too good to resist, and Tiffany flaunted her freedom by prancing back and forth across the Chateau's lawn.
Dinner al fresco at the Chateau. Michael whipped up a delicious cold pasta dish, and we added some meat, cheese and bread, and popped open champagne to celebrate living abroad and the end of our "Big Trip".

Here and below are a few more pictures of the grounds of the Chateau. We had such a great time wandering around the Chateau, exploring the herb garden, and checking out different rooms of the castle.

We can't think of a better way to end our international travels: good food, great friends and gorgeous surroundings. And after spending most of the trip by ourselves, it was a true pleasure to swap stories with Anne and Michael, and compare tales of "Americans living abroad" and the contrasts between crazy Shanghai and classic, French countryside.

Next stop: New York City, US of A!!!!

J'adore Paris!

It's hard to believe that our 3-year international adventure has come to an end. But what better place to end it than in France? We left Shanghai and arrived in Paris, and for the first few days wandered around in a daze and wonderment at both the classic architecture and the proliferation of non-Asians.
We found a great apartment to rent in the heart of St. Germain for only $99/night. And mind you, that's 99 US Dollars, not that naughty Euro which keeps running away from our poor, weakened greenback. Vacationinparis.com is the website, in case you're interested. Just remember, to some extent you do get what you pay for. As you can see above, we didn't have much space (yes that is a bunk above Tiffany). But for our purposes, it was perfect, great location and cheap.
That way we saved more money for one of the true pleasures of Paris -- the food! The exquisite gelato held in Zach's loving hand was carefully crafted into a flower petal form by the scooping artisan. In Paris, if you have a chance to be artistic and beautiful, carpe diem! seize the day! On the flip side, the process of serving wasn't the most efficient and resulted in quite a line stringing out the door. But such is the pace of life in Paris, and it was a welcome change from the frenzy of Shanghai.
Tiffany reunited with her old love, the Nutella crepe. For her, to munch on a fresh, warm crepe while strolling the streets of Paris is a romance that will never fade.
Almost everything in Paris had a certain "Old World", magical feel. Up the street from us we found a band holding court and entertaining an appreciative crowd with a lively jig. Even more amazing was the designated dancer, a 70-ish year old lady (in the green on the left), who whirled and hopped to the music with an enthusiasm and energy of a girl, much to the delight of her audience.
We found her counterpart across town, a smooth-stepping, older gentleman, who swung his partner consistently with panache to the sweet sounds of a jazzy French band.
We found ourselves exclaiming "Ooh, this is sooo cute!" ad nauseum, but really, there were very many things in Paris that were sooo cute, like this window display of an umbrella store.
Here we passed the legendary Moulin Rouge, the famous dance theater and title of one of Zach's favorite musical movies (starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor).
Life imitates art? Tiffany stikes a pose next to a group of sculptures in the Rodin museum garden.
There was plenty of time to muse over our journeys in the classic company of Rodin's masterpiece, The Thinker.
We explored the church, La Madeleine, in awe of its imposing neoclassical architecture.
Paris is littered with parks and we enjoyed exploring them and walking the quiet, tree-lined paths.
A classic town square. The fountain is running, sidewalk cafes are filled with expresso sipping, chain-smoking Parisians, and park benches are filled with pedestrians munching on fresh baguettes. "Je ne sais quoi" was never more relevant...
Inside the museum L'Orangerie, we walked the oval rooms paneled with Monet's famous Water Lilies paintings, which he completed over the course of 25 years of work.
Inside Paris' central garden, the Tuileries.

The finishing touch on Zach's finely crafted photo of a grouping of garden flowers: the unexpected insertion of a Tiffany head.
One of the unique metro signs marking an entrance to Paris' underground labyrinth of public transportation. Again, no opportunity for artistic expression left un-utilized.
Another outpouring-of-cute moment. Fuel efficient? Yes. Tiffany-sized? No.
An impressive lineup of cannons outside Les Invalides (the Army hospital and museum) with the Eiffel Tower looming in the background.
Even the windows are on guard duty at Les Invalides.
Sometimes jet lag can work to your advantage. We had the city all to ourselves and were able to enjoy the dawn light breaking the horizon and slowly spilling out over the River Seine.
Lest we forget our roots, Tiffany spotted a museum advertising the display of the Terracotta warriors of China.

After wearing our soles thin on the cobblestone streets of the City of Light, we understood why France is the number one tourist destination in the world. Delicious food, timeless art and immaculate gardens combine in the perfect recipe for romantic culture and nostalgic appreciation of European living at its finest.

3 Years Later, Ciao Ciao Shanghai!

After wrapping up their dusty stint as Mongolian nomads, Tiffany and Zach eagerly returned to China for one last, relaxing visit to their favorite beach resort and to say farewell to the Motherland. The Hilton in Sanya has been one of their favorite get-a-ways during their time in China, and it was fitting that they celebrated their third anniversary there, as they had also celebrated their first anniversary there. It is a picturesque resort. The cool, aquamarine waters of the vast pool system that run throughout just beg you to jump in, and sweet scents of colorful, tropical flowers draw your eyes as well as tickle your nose as you walk around the grounds.

Zach cleaned up for the anniversary celebration with a long soak in the room's giant bathtub.

Then it was a romantic night of room service dining and duty-free pink champagne. Tiff and Zach came to grips with the astounding realization that 3 years had passed since getting married in Chicago that fateful day. And the evening was spent laughing and rehashing all the adventures of the 3 years since.

The time in Sanya passed quickly, as Tiff and Zach made sure to enjoy all of China's best offerings, like great massages, perfectly legal Cuban cigars, and a brand of drug-store ginger ale called Watson's that is hands-down the best ginger ale they ever drank.

After one last, long stroll down the pristine beach, satisfied and stuffed with non-Mongolian food, they headed up to Shanghai to say their final farewells:

Farewell Shanghai, with your towering, modern skyscrapers and your eager-to-be-pale Chinese toting sun umbrellas!

Farewell Shanghai, with your massive modern art constructions, laden with complex symbolism that no one understands but with which everyone is suitably impressed anyway!

Farewell Shanghai Centre co-workers and friends, who blessed Tiffany with their kindness and helpfulness, and kept her sane in the midst of working for a crazed management ruled by the idiosyncratic and the inane!

Ah, farewell Shanghai, for all of your practical nature and belief in air-dried laundry!
Farewell, Shanghai, and your odd sense of advertising pets with terrifying, Godzilla-like gerbil pictures!
Farewell, old home, Top of City (not "Top of THE City", mind you), where Tiff and Zach found comfort and solace and a place in China that they readily called "home"!
Farewell amusing English translations accompanied by equally amusing images!
And, finally, as they headed to the airport for the last time, farewell Credit Suisse van, who drove Zach all around Shanghai and completely spoiled him, and farewell Xiao Xu, the van's faithful driver, who eagerly arrived to escort them, not caring, or more likely not realizing, that Zach was no longer an employee!

Farewell Shanghai! Farewell China! Farewell!