JULY 2, 2014 -Vaison-la-Romaine - Today we ventured back to the beautiful town that we had passed through a couple times this week. Vaison was developed ( I don’t say founded, because of all the pre-Roman artifacts located) by the Romans, and is still an ongoing archeological site. We toured the town with audio guides and walked all over. There were two major sites to view,along with the museum, which had a wonderful tile floor in it. My muse was egging me on to take pics so I could make a quilt. She has been very busy visiting since I have been back in France and the juices are flowing again. Right around lunch we started walking across the river to the medieval city, stopping for lunch at Les Terrasses du Beffroi. It was very hot, ... read more

As I sit here eating my perfectly ripened summer fruits with cream, I am thinking about the sensory overload of today. We came, we saw, we smelled the lavender. We decided to pile off to Sault, the regional capital of the lavender production in the Drome, about 1-½ hours away driving through mountains on windy roads. But the drive was beautiful. As we got higher in altitude, the more lavender we saw. And we would come around a corner, and there it was! And we got out of the car to take pictures and we got hit by the aroma. Wendy picked a couple sprigs for the car and it was still smelling beautiful by the end of the day. First stop was the Sault information office, after a potty break. But I can’t deal with ... read more

Well, it’s all over but the packing…all reservations are made, calendars filled, kilos lost in anticipation of the upcoming trip…we had a couple of hiccups tho, which was to be expected. Just when we thought it was safe to mentally settle into our apartment in the the Marais in Paris, we got a notification that the plumbing had crapped out (...sorry about that….) and we had to find other accomodation….during the busiest week of the year for tourism…..one month out….. Let your fingers do the walking, I always say….I found a hotel by Les Invalides for less than the apartment and booked it immediately. WWW.Booking.com is wonderful as most of the reservations do not require payment until arrival, and free cancellation up until 48 hours before. This was our backup, in case we couldn’t get an ... read more

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012 - On the road bright and early this morning to get to Nohant, the home of George Sand, and spend the night there after a 4+ hour drive. Her home was delightful - for me - but I am familiar with her biography and the house plays such a big part in her life. We were given an English translation of the tour, which was totally in French and lasted over an hour. Unfortunately for Kevin, and me, much was lost in the translation. It was tiresome, and there are many improvements that could be made. I was forced (yeah, right...) to buy the book about the house which I read this afternoon and evening. I might have to write a letter... We were staying in an auberge, a little hotel and ... read more

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012 - Up BRIGHT AND EARLY to drive 3 1/2 hours to Limoges to pick up a friend at the airport for a 3-day visit while we are in the Dordogne. Then we had to drive 1 1/2 hours to our swap in Villebois-Lavalette, near Angouleme. I am in the heart of Eleanor of Aquitaine country! We have found, or our friend has, that there is a very good restaurant in the town we are staying so that is where we headed to dinner. The name of the restaurant is Le Lavalette, and yes, it IS excellent. We were lucky in that we didn't have reservations, and were one of two tables served that evening. I have decided to stop eating so much (quality, not quantity you know...) so I had a lamb ... read more