Lack of posts in the last few days has been due to me not being well. Got ill on Tuesday with Renal Colic and Kidney Pains. Rob sorted me out with these tablets from the pharmacist and basically all I did for 3 days was sleep, only waking up to eat. Didn't even make it out the Gite at one point, Carol sent me down food and Rob looked after me. Was feeling a bit better by yesterday afternoon, went back to Champdenier to get more tablets but I haven't been taking them during the day as they put me out [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday was Place Royale/Place De Vosges, the 3rd and the 4th arroundissements, and the Marais and the Jewish neighborood, where M and I had coffee and Tarte Titin in a quaint cafe with a little courtyard along the Place Vosges. We were on our way to the famous Picasso museum. To our great surprise the museum was closed, under rehabilitation, and it will open up sometime in 2012. All the paintings have been loaned out to different museums around the world. in Place de Vosges there is this amazing tea store by the name of Damman Freres...It is such an experience, [View Full Entry]

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When I worked at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, I had a lovely daily commute. I walked across the street to the boulangerie on Boulevard de Port Royal, swallowed some sort of sinfully calorific pastry, and ducked into the metro. After sticking my ticket in the turnstile while attempting not to touch anything with my bare hands, I would elbow my way past the other commuters to the edge of the platform. Once the train arrived, it was always like a game of musical chairs - without the music, and without the good-natured laughter when you lose and instead some greasy-haired [View Full Entry]

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I think I shall start with Strasbourg. Strasbourg is the city furthest to the east in France. Directly east of it is Germany. There is a lot of German influence in Strasbourg because of this reason. Some of the oldest houses in France can be found here, and many of them are traditionally German. I did not go with my host family, but rather, some friends of the family. They were very nice, and we spent the day touring the city with their son Pierre, who goes to the university there. The most beautiful thing I saw was the Cathedral de [View Full Entry]

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On Tuesday we landed near a tin shed in the south of France also known as the Bergerac airport! Mum and dad's friend from college, Lynne picked us up and then drove us to their huge farmouse where we would stay for three nights. When we arrived we were met by her children Zenya, Devlyn and Sebastyn. They showed us around the house (I slept in the loft which was cool) as well as their many barns and sheds. The next morning we went to a nearby village where we got baguettes. In the afternoon we drove to Monflanquin, which was [View Full Entry]

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Not a nice day today, the good weather spell has ended in a torrent of rain!!! Its a very Scottish weather day!!! Had a semi long lie in then just cleaned the Gite while Rob did a bit work. Went up to the main house for lunch, Tattie and leak soup, home made with Garlic Bread, was yum! Tonight I am Trying 'Angels on Horseback' for the first time which is Oysters wrapped in Bacon, no idea if I will like it but I will try it. There's always soup left if i can stomach them!! Rob is still up the [View Full Entry]

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Bonsoir tous! Nous sommes desolees to realize that our time is running away rapidement… Laurel will probably cringe at my fractured french!! She sounds so fluent. We’re quite established now in our little home in Rue Bachelet, Montmartre. I’ve taken over a few of the domestic duties because Laurel is much more attuned to the map reading & planning directions than I.. Every morning I trot down the hill to buy le pain/ & croissants for breakfast. Discovered chocolate with almond croissant. ( Kirsty eat your heart out!) I’ve made a friend of the lady at the Boulange [View Full Entry]

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Happy Halloween everybody :) Watch oot the boogeys don't get you tonight. I'm safe enough, I sleep with a boogey every night anyway!!! [View Full Entry]

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Well, there we were at the end of the our Canal du Midi trip in Carcassonne on Thursday. The boat didn't actually have to be returned until Saturday-which was great because we could live on it while we toured Carcassonne. So, some background (always feel free to skip to the pictures-really, we won't even know!!) If you have a bit of an interest in history in general, or medieval history in particular, Carcassonne has a bit of it all. It has weathered wars, seiges, famine, fortune and whatever else could be thrown at it since about the sixth century BC. It [View Full Entry]

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Extremely cute puppies! We walked by a pet store and there was this really playful puppy in the display window. So adorable. We decided to take a day off from vacationing and just be lazy in Nice. Got a late start, then walked around town doing some shopping. Because it's All Saints' Eve, most stores were closed, except in the tourist areas. Kids were dressed up in Halloween costumes but other than that I think it's more like a memorial day for the adults, visiting graves of ancestors, etc. I just managed to get the bug repellent (really looking forward to [View Full Entry]

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