All posts by June Cotte

I am a Professor of Marketing at Ivey Business School, Western University, in London, ON, Canada.

Jack’s (Last) and Most Sarcastic Blog to Date

June 29, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

So: the last city in Europe. I don’t count Amsterdam because we stayed close to the airport and didn’t see the city. I am currently writing this on a plane listening to Taylor Swift. So that means I’m writing what I want to write even though I promised I’d write about the stuff after Rome to fill in space for a wanting audience. Well I don’t care.

So here’s our two-day trip in Bruges. I think we shouldn’t have gone to Normandy so long; Bruges was far better. My aunt Judy says some people say Bruges is boring and to them I say, “Boo you.” The first day we checked in to a hotel. Wow, really Jack, I did not see that coming, you live so dangerously (sarcastic comment of the day).

The bear in our B&B's lobby — The bear in our B&B’s lobby

The first full day we went to a place called “Historium”. It is an interactive experience telling you a story of Bruges in the 15^th century. Then after the main attraction they added a virtual reality experience. In it you sail to Bruges in a trader ship. The way you had to enter Bruges then was to stop at a large canal and hop on a bunch of small boats to deliver your goods.

Then we went to the market in the center square. There was a huge piece of modern art there. I usual hate modern art! I mean loath, hate, despise. I’m on a level where if I could rule the world I would outlaw modern art and any one who owned it would be sentenced to life in prison. So now that you now my view on modern art I have to say the guy that made this is awesome. It’s this massive glass thing that I don’t understand the meaning of. But the thing that makes it cool is that inside one of the glass panels is actually a one-way mirror. Joe and I went inside. So what we did is that every person that stopped to look at it got a magically knocking sound in his or her head.

The next day we just walked around. We stopped at this brewery that’s been working and run by the same family since 18XX. We ate lunch there. It was pretty good. Then we walked close to canals just exploring. We saw a bunch of swans and ducks. Then we took the train to Brussels to catch a train to Amsterdam. Then we got on a shuttle to the hotel. The next day we got up early to catch a flight back to Toronto. So now I’m writing my blog on a plane.

June's Posts

Paris

June 25, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

This will be one of my last travel-related blogs, as we wrap up our incredible 11 month adventure.

We’ve just spent a week in Paris, living in an apartment in the 14th arrondissement, in the Montparnasse area. Nothing fancy about the neighbourhood, and not many tourist sites. Perfect. Yet we could walk to Luxembourg Gardens and lots of restaurants, and, of course bakeries…

We had a fantastic week, although unseasonably cold weather, and some rain, continued to plague us. We took advantage of the sunny days for long walks though. Although Jack isn’t much of an “art guy,” even he enjoyed the Louvre.

I couldn't stop giggling in front of every Titian picture in the Louvre. — I couldn’t stop giggling in front of every Titian picture in the Louvre.

When we first talked about the European leg of our journey, we asked the boys what they most wanted to see. Joe was quick and clear: I want to see the Eiffel Tower, and that lady painting with the smile. Done and done!

We agree: it's a smirk — We agree: it’s a smirk

We also got to climb the Arc de Triomphe, which offers a small museum inside and great views of the city from the top. And speaking of views, the Tour Montparnasse, near our apartment, offered a great view of the Eiffel Tower, and the city, from the top.

We had a great week. Yes, it was crowded, and yes, it was smoky. But it is such a fantastic city. Jack says Paris is his favourite place so far, and we’ve seen a lot of places! They both loved running along the Seine, touching the Eiffel Tower, and just generally wandering the city.

Joe and Jack are really very homesick, and are counting down the days until we go home. As I write, we’ve just finished a three day visit to Bruges, Belgium and we head to Amsterdam tomorrow, Joe’s 10th birthday. As the kids say “2 more sleeps until we leave for home.”

Jack's Posts

Jack on Normandy

June 22, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

Now I know you are all thinking the same thing; “Jack this delayed blogging was kind of funny the first time but now you’re pushing it”. And yes I am. But to be fair I’m in Paris, so be happy I’m not talking about Paris. Normandy was nice. That’s it, blog is over…………… well there were cats too…

Just kidding here it goes. We drove from Brittany to Caument L’Evente. This beautiful little town wasn’t beautiful. I actually think my parents went out of the way to find the only town in Normandy where every one wants to get rid of tourists (especially Bretons).

There was one bed and breakfast. I’ll give you a hint that’s where we stayed. They were really nice. The lady running the place also had three cats. My favorite was this old one that had one expression. Give me food or die!!!!

Then the second last day I was on Instagram and the cat said, “you will be a pillow”. So I was a cat pillow. It also ran away from Joe; so massive plus there.

The first day we went to Juno beach. The Juno beach exhibit is completely staffed by Canadians. I had honestly forgotten how much I loved Canadians. They are so friendly, and it’s not just because I’m Canadian there were staff everywhere else no one was as friendly as the nice lady from Ontario who gave me candy to say this. After that we went to Omaha. Which is what is what you see in movies. Unless there climbing hills then it’s the rangers. This is because: ‘Merica. Omaha was much bigger with twice as many troops landing there than Juno.

They have a massive graveyard of over nine thousand troops buried there.

A portion of the American Cemetery, Normandy

The last day we went to Bayeux. They have a massive tapestry that’s 70 meters long. It had to wrap a corner of a massive hall. It was made in medieval times right after William the Conquerer took over England. Some history buffs may say: “but Jack he was originally William the Bastard”. And I say to you, yes (it is my favorite name for him, but oh well) but this is after he took over England making, him the Conquerer. Then we went to a WWII museum that took a look at the strategy of the taking of France from Nazi Germany and the equipment. They had tanks!!!

Then we left for Paris, the city of single 13 year olds and pizza (there is no truer love).

June's Posts

Brittany

June 17, 2015 June Cotte 2 Comments

Dan and I have travelled through a lot of France, but we’ve really fallen for Brittany (and we didn’t really see the main “tourist” sites). If people outside of France know Brittany, it may be for Brest or the St. Malo area. We stayed in southern Brittany, and toured around the coastal areas and the gorgeous old villages. The area has an interesting history, and is simply beautiful.

Our hosts told us some spots to explore, which meant we ended up hiking a trail that priests used to hide out during the French Revolution (the hidey hole is still there in the forest), and exploring a fort occupied by Germans in the Second World War. The fort now houses two museums, one on the French East India Company, and one on Maritime history.

Fort at L'Orient, occupied by Germany in WWII — Fort at L’Orient, occupied by Germany in WWII

The villages along the sea felt very Celtic, and the road signs in the area are in both French and Breton, which looks like Welsh to us. It was an intriguing area, and we would love to come back. Three nights just isn’t enough time to explore it all.

Our visit to the area was certainly enhanced by our B&B experience. We stayed at a place called Talvern, and our host Patrick first had a career as a chef in Paris before buying and renovating one of the outbuildings of a castle. We ate each night at his table d’hôte, and had incredible food and wine. Local food and cider, excellent wine…. maybe that’s why we loved it so much!

Here are some other assorted pictures from Brittany. It was hard to pick favourites, as there were so many gorgeous ones!

Joe and I pose in front of the "heart rock" on the Quiberon peninsula — Joe and I pose in front of the “heart rock” on the Quiberon peninsula

Jack's photo of Joe - Jack is starting to take some excellent shots. — Jack’s photo of Joe – Jack is starting to take some excellent shots.

June's Posts

So many Chateaux!

June 12, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

Lately it has been far more difficult to find time to post blogs. We’ve been extensively sightseeing, and I’ve also been working on manuscripts. So I’ve completely missed reporting on our time in both Austria and Germany. To sum up: wonderful.

Now we’ve moved on to France. We picked up a car in Munich, and drove it here. We will have the car for two weeks, as we explore the Loire Valley (last week), Brittany (where we are currently) and Normany (our next stop). I thoroughly enjoyed legally driving very, very fast, particularly in Germany…

The picture above is the town of Langeais, on the Loire River. We spent a week based there and exploring the area. We explored Cheverny, Chamborg, Clos du Luce, and other wonderful castles and chateaux. It is hard to choose just a few pictures, as there are so many beautiful places here.

Jack was in his historical glory, and we realized just how much he knows, as he taught us facts we didn’t know about some of the locations we visited. While visiting one of the oldest castles in the area, which has been turned into sort of an medieval interactive location, Jack and Joe got to try on chain mail, see a trebuchet fire a water ball at the castle, and learn sword fighting techniques. (Actually, I think Jack used some of his karate skills, which surprised and winded the sword instructor…)

One of my favourite places in this area, although it is hard to choose, was Clos du Luce, where Leonardo da Vinci lived for the last few years of his life. They have turned the park behind the chateau into a working demonstration area for many of his inventions/machines. The kids really enjoyed trying them out, and it’s a beautiful park as well.

Dan and I enjoyed the best meal of our lives in Langeais on my birthday. We just turned our choices for food and wine pairings to the chef. Escargot risotto with peas, goose, chicken live pate… five courses of delicious!

We are in Brittany now. Although only a few hours away, it’s a very different vibe here, and not only because it has turned rainy and cool. The seaside/marina feeling is very different. More on that in the next post…

Joe's Posts

Our Room in Fussen

June 1, 2015 June Cotte 1 Comment

We are in Fussen, Germany. Our room is a good room.

Chillin' in the living room! — Chillin’ in the living room!

We have great bird sounds, a cool balcony chandelier plus a neat balcony, kitchen, and sofa ben, a big bed, a radio TV, nice paintings.

This is a little town with hills all over, good pizza nearby and two castles nearby. And don’t forget that a cool fair is nearby with a luge slide like on the Great Wall of China: super cool.

There are also fake cars where you put money in so it goes, right? No, not any more. All you have to do is to put one foot on the car and use the other for pushing and a hand for steering. If you wanted to buy it, it would only be…

1,000,000 dollars!

June's Posts

Crowded, stressful Venice

May 31, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

Our hotel, Hotel Marconi, foot of the Rialto Bridge

Venice was a challenge. No other way to put it. I had fond memories of Venice from my last trip. However, that was in 1988, before mass tourism. It was crowded then, in the heart of the summer. This time, we were there “pre-season” and yet it was one of the most crowded places we’ve been (and we’ve been to some crowded places this past year). The water “buses” that I recall offering cheap and relaxing rides down the canal have become jam-packed, pushing and shoving matches. St. Mark’s Square, one of the world’s most beautiful man-made sights, is now filled with hawkers, aggressively approaching everyone with junk to sell, and throwing pigeon food in women’s hair so the pigeons land on them… sigh. It wasn’t a great visit, for any of us, frankly. It’s still gorgeous, it’s still very unusual, but it’s a challenge to visit. Watching out for the kids in crowds, and on and off boats, was stressful.

Now to the positives: when we did turn down little side streets, off the beaten track (sometimes intentionally, sometimes when we took the wrong boat) we relaxed a little. It seemed then the sun would come out even warmer, we could sit and enjoy some gelato, and just soak up the atmosphere. Here are some of my favorite images from this intriguing place.

Jack's Posts

Salzburg Austria

May 31, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

Salzburg takes forever to get to from Venice by train. Not really, it was only 9 hours but it seemed like forever because I was stuck in a train car with my family.

9 hours in a little glass box... — 9 hours in a little glass box…

Now I know what you’re thinking; Jack you dumb bum you haven’t even written about Rome, let alone Italy. Well Italy is going to be long and I’m feeling really uninventive on the sarcastic line area today. So for now you’re going to have to deal with me talking about Austria, not Italy. Austria is one of the most historical places in Europe. From the Sound of Music to the Turks almost taking Vienna time and time again saying “this is for the crusades you jerks!” it is a lovely place to stay if you like churches, castles and classic musical movies.

The first day we went to this massive castle that was built in 1496 and had many improvements since then. It was never captured by force but was high up on a hill not really able to defend the town. That’s because it’s just supposed to intimidate the enemy. The only reason it was taken was when Napoleon showed up they just gave it to him.

The next day we went to the convent that Maria the main character in the Sound of Music stayed. That same day we went to the cemetery that they based the end scene set off. I know what you’re thinking: wow Crim/Cotte family so inventive. We also took a walk along the river and saw where Mozart grew up.

That same day we went to the Schloss Mirabell Palace. That has the fountain that they filmed the Sound of Music Do-Ray-Me song. Are you starting to see a pattern yet?

Do: a deer, a female deer... — Do: a deer, a female deer…

Then it was off to Fussen, Germany where we are currently.

June's Posts

Corniglia, Italy

May 25, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

This week we had far too short a stay in the Cinque Terre area of Italy. We spent a couple of nights in Corniglia, on the western coast of Italy. We absolutely loved it, and would have loved to stay longer, but that is what happens when you are trying to stay spontaneous in the summer…

The area is full of beautiful hiking trails, and we had a gorgeous apartment, with a beautiful view you can see here.

There are gorgeous hikes throughout, and although it was cool, it made me happy to get out a do a nice strenuous hike.

And although our time in Corniglia was too short, we still had time to smell the cacti!

Jack's Posts

Athens

May 21, 2015 June Cotte Leave a comment

The family is now in Siena, Italy. So of course I’m going to talk to you about Athens the capital of Greece. The last day in London we went back to Heathrow to fly to Athens. We took a taxi to our hotel in Athens. The hotel was great depending on whose point of view it is. I’ll tell you it was great. Joe, on the other hand, will tell you it’s crap. His bed was right beside the door and on the way to the bathroom for the oldies.

The first day there we went to the Parthenon (the Acropolis for all the haters looking to correct me). Then we went to a nice dinner with lots of cats! Joe was in heaven he just stared at them imagining cuddling with them.

PIC_0063 — The Parthenon, at the Acropolis

P1060390 — Hadrian’s Gate, built by the Roman Hadrian (of course).

The second day we just walked around the city looking at Parliament, Hadrian’s Gate and all the many ruins in the city of Athens. The same day we went to the Acropolis Museum. Fun fact: Athens supported Mark Anthony and Cleopatra in the Roman civil war.

The third day we went to the hill across from the Acropolis. Are you starting to see a pattern yet? We went to the place where they think the Greece politicians kept Socrates. They also built a statue to the Roman emperor Augustus (they guy that won the Roman civil war, you see why they built it now).

There are a lot of cats I mean a lot you can’t go a day in Athens with out seeing at least five cats. We saw lots more than five a day but for the sake of the doubters I’ll scale it back to a believe able scale. Then we went to the port, got our ferry tickets and took a trip to Naxos.

	June Cotte on Portugal
	Laurie Andrews on Portugal
	Stephanie on Portugal
	Aahna Yadav on Dubrovnik
	June Cotte on A Semester at Sea Field Class

June, Dan, and Joe go travelling

All posts by June Cotte

Jack’s (Last) and Most Sarcastic Blog to Date

Paris

Jack on Normandy

Brittany

So many Chateaux!

Our Room in Fussen

Crowded, stressful Venice

Salzburg Austria

Corniglia, Italy

Athens

June's chronicle of Semester at Sea 2022