Milk To Go: Zurich, Switzerland TO Joigny, France

Today we traveled from Switzerland to France today. We woke in plenty of time and then hit “rush/stress” mode about 8:20am. The schedule worked perfectly though – very Swiss – we sat in our seats just as the train started to pull out. Goodbye, for another year, good friend Berner Zurich…

We stopped in Dijon for lunch and then arrived in Joigny, France at 3:15… in a torrential downpour! We called the taxi, I had pre-researched before our arrival (I am so fabulous) and we were told “yes, no problem, we will be there at 5pm.” WHAT?!!! Ummmm… two hours at the no-services, tiny train station that felt like the third world in a waterfall with two children. No, I don’t think so. We called the hotel. “Is there anything you can do to heIp us??” A guest of the hotel offered to come rescue us in his uber clean, stylin’ silver Mercedes. I held one bag in my lap, Peter held one in his lap, the girls obviously did not have car seats and the trunk of the car fit one suitcase. Peter said “Merci” about 10 times during our 2 km trip to the hotel.

So tonight I write staring at a very French scene: beautiful vineyards, old beautiful ramshackle houses staring at me across the canal and a gothic church presiding over us on the hill. It is very French and not touristy one little bit (read: no one speaks English except the lady at the front desk). I am very thankful for my French speaking husband tonight. The evening was difficult: several massive, all body drenching, rain storms, no food until 7pm (restaurants don’t open unitl 7pm in France) and then Sophia fell in the canal. Somehow the evening was magical though. We all laughed and enjoyed each other through it all. Oh yes, of course, we had some wining, we had some boredom (I mean seriously… once we sat down it was 2 hours for our food… with children??? I don’t care what country you are in that is just plain cruel torture), but we somehow had fun.

I love these very authentic experiences. We did not see an amazing old cathedral today, but we sat in an old bar in Burgundy and a very French man with two buttons missing and a tear in his shirt came over and stroked my children’s cheeks and was genuinely happy to see us Americano’s enjoying his town. The restaurant owner was very sympathetic to our drenched, hungry-children-plight… not enough to make us dinner early… but enough to start preparing hot chocolate for the girls before we even ordered it.

It is now about 10:30pm and my girls are still awake. I am looking forward to sleeping in at this great hotel tomorrow. It is not fancy, but it has square footage. Space in Europe. The girls were going crazy when they first entered the room. They went from space to space telling us what went where: “the shoes will go here mommy” and “this is a great spot for our toys.” We have a balcony looking over the canal. It is quiet. It is quaint. I feel very relaxed and peaceful.

Oh and lastly…. I have never had a wine from Burgundy because they are usually totally outside my budget. I walked into a little grocery today and purchased a Burgundy wine for $10! I am gonna have fun here…

~ Lisa
July 5th