Day 1 – We’ve traveled and arrived.

Our highly anticipated travel day has arrived; excitement and anxiety also arrived in abundance. All the planning and preparation will now be tested. Getting to Chablis and into the house will be step one.

It was actually a four part journey to make our way to Chablis. First we traveled from home to Toronto Pearson International Airport; then came our flight from Toronto to Paris. Next, we were transported from Paris CDG Airport to the town of Auxerre, where we picked up our rental vehicle. Finally, the drive to Chablis. Needless to say, it was a lot of traveling.

The day started off with a quick drive over to pick up our friends Michael and Nancy. There was a downpour just before I left to pick them up. We hoped it wouldn’t be an all day rain. We arrived back at our house in no time and just waited for our transport up to Toronto. We booked our ride up with Airports Taxi Transfers and we’ll both use them for our ride home. Our driver arrived right on schedule, we jumped in the van and we were on our way.

The rain that greeted us in the morning had ended, so it was a pleasant drive. Checking the bridges to Canada, we decided to use the Rainbow Bridge to avoid delays. It literally took us less than 5 minutes to cross the border and we had a nice view of Niagara Falls while doing so. The ride went quickly and was uneventful – just a little traffic around the auto plant in Oakville. We arrived at the airport and made our way in.

Since we had arrived without delays, we had to wait for a few minutes before we could check-in and drop off our bags. Once we were able to check in, the process was quick. There was no line at security, which was wonderful. Just a few minutes later and we were heading to the Air Canada Signature lounge.

As we were flying in Business Class, we were able to have a nice dinner and relax before our flight. They have a buffet set up, but also a sit down dinner menu. Everyone had a wonderfull meal. Mine was a ricotta ravioli to start and then a Cornish hen for my entrée, followed by a piece of decadent chocolate cake with delicious maple walnut ice cream. Not a bad way to start off.

Soon after, it was time for our flight. We made our way to the gate and boarded almost immediately. We got ourselves comfortable and hunkered down for the overnight flight. All in all, it was a good flight. We hit a little bit of turbulence, but it was just a little bumpy for a few minutes – nothing that would keep us from dozing off. Before you knew it, we were preparing for landing.

CDG airport was busy, but our flight was the only one to land at the time. We made our way to border control and there was no big line-up. A quick machine scan of the passports, a stop to get our passports stamped and we were on our way to pick up our bags. The process went so fast that we would now had to wait for a short while for our driver. I had figured it would take us a little over an hour; however it only took around 25 minutes. I’m not complaining!

When our driver called to let us know he had arrived, we were in a different location. We located a sign to tell us where we were and he came over to find us. We were using the folks from Daytrip and had a comfortable van for the drive to Auxerre. The ride took just over two hours and along the way we passed through some beautiful scenery and small towns.

When we arrived in Auxerre the timing was perfect. We were able to secure the vehicle right away. I don’t think they get many month-long rentals as the gentleman was surprised as we went over the details. Our vehicle was a Renault Austral SUV Hybrid. The inside is comfortable and roomy and it handles very well. We all got a good laugh when he turned the keys over to me. We loaded up the luggage, hopped in and when I went to start it – there was nothing. I tried a couple times with the same result before having to go back in to ask him about it. That’s when I learned that hybrids don’t make the same noise as a gas engine – how embarrassing!

With my red face fading, we started our drive from Auxerre to Chablis. The drive only took about twenty-five minutes and the roads were not too busy. Driving past various vineyards, we could see the harvest machines and the workers in the fields harvesting the grapes. There were a couple of tractors hauling grapes back to the winery that slowed traffic down for a short distance, but we were excited to see the harvest going on and slower traffic just gave us a better chance to watch.

Once we reached the town of Chablis, it was a quick zig-zag off the main road to get to the house. And then…

With the people waving us down, I drove past the house trying to remember all those geometry equations that I was never really good at. Reapproaching from another angle, my mind was whirling. How to squeeze an SUV through a narrow gated driveway was the question at hand. It took a little teamwork, some hand gestures and more intestinal fortitude than I thought I could muster – but I got in without any dents or scrapes.

We were greeted by the owners – who looked worried for me while I was trying to get through the gate – and they were charming. They showed us around the house, explained a few items, handed us the keys and then bid us adieu. They were heading back to Paris, we were heading inside.

Our first big decision followed, which bedroom did we both want. No drama ensued, we chose the one on the right and they would take the one on the left. We brought the bags up, did some unpacking and then did what we are planning to do the most – relaxed outside for a while. I guess I hadn’t mentioned it, but it was a beautiful sunny day.

Soon it was time for dinner. Tonight we will be eating at Les Trois Bourgeons. We took a slow walk over, checking out some of the other shops along the way. At 7:30 pm they opened and we were ready to go in.

The restaurant is not very large. If I remember correctly, there are only 24 seats. There is only the chef and a server. It has a casual laid-back vibe, delicious food, a good wine list and reasonable prices – what more could you ask for?

Michael and I both started with a duck breast appetizer, then Sue, Nancy and I chose the bouef bourguignon, while Michael went with the trout dish. There was some nice, fresh bread to mop up the sauce and a little wine to complete the meal. The white wine was a chablis from Montmains and the red was a Mercurey. Needless to say, everything was delicious!

Next on our agenda was a good night’s sleep. After washing up for bed it was lights out time. I can’t speak for the others, but I was asleep in a blink. What a great first day!