Paris to Chambly Equestrian Center

So it was mentioned briefly that we got hungry and when we get hungry we, like many of you, wevget grumpy. We unfortunately couldn't find anywhere to eat and we were going through small towns, oh and it was apparently a holiday, so stores weren't open. Holidays, Europeans like them a whole lot more than Americans and as a result, they let their people have those days off from work. How crazy is that?! 

About those lodgings... 

Something I cannot express enough is gratitude. We met some very generious people on this trip and by far the most generous was Mark in London. Along with so many wonderful things, he set us up with a place to pitch out tents on the way out of Paris...at an equestrian center, on a very old Chateau's plot of land. Horses. Did I tell you I am a lover of horses? Tis true. I was raised on horses. 

Once we actually got out of Paris, the ride was pretty uneventful. If uneventful was getting backwards escaping that city, breaking another spoke(me), getting a bit of rain, some mud, and some serious hungertation snaps at each other. But it was a short ride, only about 50km, and when we arrived at our lodgings for the night I just pee'd with sheer squealing little girls delight. The proprietors of the equestrian center didn't think pitching are tents was good enough, so he set us up above one of the stables-above horses-to sleep. He also got one of his employees to drive us to a store for food supplies, as we were very low and the nearest one was another 15km away. Ok, the barn, a lot of you would probably not enjoy the thought of sleeping above smelly horses in a drafty barn with the smell of old leather tack in the next room, but I however, was giddy. 

But first, some photos of the day's ride:

another old church. 

Awesome, right? Honestly, it I laughed What's a little mud at this point? We'd been through hail on this trip already.

and then...our lodgings. SQUEAL:

Our digs for the night, on the second floor

Our view

More view...

During the stay we got to explore the grounds and see a herd of ponies running in the fields. I cannot make this shit up. There was even a small lake or big pond, take your pick, and a little "secret garden" area with old urns, a wall fountain with natural water spout, and a whole lot of creepy over grown plants.

this handsome warm blood jumper is my new boyfriend. 

The chateau

It came with it's own church

At sunset

creepy pond, or lake, take your pick.

We unfortunately didn't get any photos of the grown over fountain/grotto that we discovered due to it being too dark by that point. The next morning we had to hustle out...