Shock Your Mum!!

Day 4 - 12 Sep 09:
Today was a travel day from Paris to the Beaujolais Wine Region (near Lyon) and tonight was the “Shock Your Mother” party in “The Cave.” It was also Bec’s 22 Birthday!!!

We were all standing outside waiting to put our luggage on the coach and I’m holding Bec’s contacts in water in glasses from the night before. I go to hand them to Bec and ask her if she knows which one is her Left and Right contact.

“There’s a Left and Right contact?” she says.
“Why yes Bec there is, haha,” we say.

During the drive we had to do introductions to the whole bus. We got to stand up at the front and hold Chachi’s microphone for the introductions. We had to tell an embarrassing story and I told the story of me breaking my nose at work.

In the Beaujolais Wine Region we stayed at a 16th Century Chateau. The Chateau was beautiful!! We got to our room and then had about an hour before we had our wine tasting.

At the wine tasting, we tasted a local red wine that is grown behind the Chateau. We met the owner of the winery and had a glass of wine with him. The wine was very clear and not super deep red.

We had our first Contiki dinner in the dining room at the Chateau. We were served by the ‘Cookies’ of the day.

After dinner we got ready for the shock your mother party. I was a beggar, Bec wore a towel, and Amanda wore a VERY bright yellow shirt and a sign that said, “Dear Mum, I actually do like standing out in a crowd.” Idim (Our Driver) was wearing a black wig and a red dress and Chachi (Our Tour Manager) was wearing a bikini top and skirt…Shock Your Mother indeed!!

We got to the party in ‘The Cave’ (in the basement of the Chateau) and proceeded to have a shot of ‘Eau de Vie” (Water of Life). It tasted like pure alcohol and burned. Eau de Vie is a local drink that is only made in the Beaujolais Wine Region and is made from what’s left after the local wine makers make their wine. It is heavily controlled by the police and it was a treat to have such a local drink. The night was a long one and was fueled by music and alcohol. It was an off night for Idim and Chachi so they could drink and have a good time with us.

Finally went to bed and Bec showed up there as well and told me that she was “going to rest my eyeballs for 4 minutes and then am going to find my camera and thongs.” I was very tired and passed right out.