What better way to celebrate our first night in our gorgeous chateau than with a surprise french party?  Before leaving Australia, I had ordered berets online for our group as well as red, white and blue streamers and balloons to make sure the chateau looked suitably French (and perhaps even a little tacky!) for our first night.

While most of our group were at the local supermarche picking up supplies, myself and one of the others in the know stayed back and frantically started blowing up balloons to deck the chateau in red, white and blue.  I had bought a hand pump for the balloons, thinking that would be far quicker and easier than blowing up the balloons by mouth but I didn’t reckon on my friends balloon blowing prowess!  By the time I’d tied a knot in the end of one, she already had 2 more blown up and ready to go.  Not only that, but with a few flicks of her wrist, she’d strung several balloons together in a knot – a true balloon wrangler!!

As the others arrived back from the shops, they were greeted at the door with the song “Parlez vous Francais” blaring, presented with a beret and subjected to having a moustache painted on their faces.   Pardonez moi to any French people out there who may be offended by this outrageous stereotype, but as I also come from a country that is often outrageously stereotyped, I figure I can be forgiven!

Needless to say we had a tres bon night full of delicious local wine and cheese, bad dancing, worse singing and even a spot of break dancing.   What a great way to break in the Chateau and start our week!