Back from France

(left: the entrance to the Chateaux to Montvillargenne) I am behind in my blogging because of another spring storm in Colorado that prevented me from getting up into the mountains. Instead I stayed home and did my taxes . I also ended up on a week long business trip to northern France from which I have just returned. It is that subject that I will post on over the next week or so.

I was in France for a meeting at the Chateau de Montvillargenne, which is located near the towns of Chantilly and Gouvieux. I rented a car and drove around the area for the weekend before the meeting. It was cold and drizzly most of the time. Spring is late this year and all the greenery was still in hiding, which is a shame because this area is thickly forested and I was looking forwarded to walking in the woods.

The trip was long and exhausting, as international travel always is. I never did get over my jet lag. The hotel was intriguing from the exterior but nondescript on the interior. It is not a place I would recommend as a tourist destination, but it was very convenient as a conference location. The grounds were completely fenced from the surrounding area, so one really did need a car even to pop into town for dinner.

A close up of the entrance. In summer those vines are flushed out with greenery

Over the next few posts, I will describe a few of places I visited. I borrowed a small travel camera from a friend. I think it is starting to fail because most of the photos came out grainy. It was overcast most of the time, so I did have the ISO set to 400, which did not help. I've decided to post the photos and commentary anyway because I just can't help myself. Don't worry though, I have a couple of new trails in the queue this weekend that will hopefully add to my library of Colorado's pleasures.