Springtime at Le Chateau de la Rochepot

We decided to take a short day trip to a nearby castle while John was in Lyon (his talk went very well, by the way, and he enjoyed meeting with some of his European counterparts and talking shop. He did get caught up in some more train strike dramas (possibly a different strike altogether, but he eventually made it home), and he certainly didn't fall in love with Lyon, a city of nearly a half million to the south of us. If anything, he returned a bigger fan of Beaune than ever before).

So while he was hard at work, Kathy and Alex and the kids and I all headed to the Le Chateau de la Rochepot, about 10 kilometers south of Beaune. It dates back to the 13th century, and although much of it was torn down after the Revolution in 1789 (many of the stones were used to build houses in the village), the Carnot family restored this rocky-topped chateau in the 19th century.

These things (old castles, monasteries, churches, moats, dungeons, convents, cobbled streets, etc) *still* take our breath away (young and old).

We had to walk across a real drawbridge to get to the door, and it said to knock three times. Then we waited... and wondered who would answer. A very nice young French woman did, as a matter of fact... although one who (I found out later) lived in Hannah, Alberta, for two months last year to practice her English!

We got to wander through a few of the rooms, and then waited for a guided tour (with English notes for non-French speakers). I was worried Kate and Liv wouldn't do well during the tour, but they loved it. I think they are beginning to understand quite a bit of spoken French, even if they still aren't using much French themselves.

Jack's comprehension is just great. As if I needed proof -- after we left the tour, I started to ask the guide a question about something she had said. Jack answered me (fairly accurately) before she could!  Pas mal, n'est pas?

Editor's note (after adding pictures): Jack was clearly the most photogenic today. I have so many great shots of him, and not as many of Kate and Liv. I think it speaks to just how much this (not-so-) little boy loves castles (ask him about the guard room and its many magnificent weapons if you want to get some good stories) -- and how the girls were a bit tired, too (Liv's meltdown when it came time to leave -- she did NOT want to leave -- was proof of that, I suppose).