Blogs from Avignon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 14

Justin’s Travel Journal I have been traveling in Europe the last six months. It was very interesting. I saw many things of historical interest as well as really cool stuff. The food in some countries was good, especially Italy and in other countries like Hungary it was not so great. The best part about my trip was gong to the water parks in different parts of Europe, like Aqua Blvd in Paris and Park Wodny in Krakow. The not so great part about my trips was the long car rides. They seemed like they were every other day and totally boring. Tower of London (June 21-25, 2007) When I went to London I visited the Tower of London. I think it was a great place to go because I learned lots about it. The London ... read more

Hiking Across Provence December 6, 2007 For most of November here in Provence it has been very cold. Even Paris was quite chilly in mid-November, enough to give us pause before going outside. Nothing however chills the bones like the icy Mistrals blowing down from the Alps. The wind is so strong and so cold that many days we just sat around the fire eating bread and cheese enjoying living in France without running around trying to see things. Well, suddenly December came and the winds just dies down , the sun came out and it actually warmed-up. I guess the weather gods just knew people had to get out to prepare for the holidays. With this welcomed change of weather it hit us like a load of bricks that we had limited time in this ... read more

Not What the Pilgrims Had in Mind Today the mistrals are blowing harder than they have in all the weeks we have been in France. As is my habit, I do Will’s lessons in my pajamas and then get ready for the day. Well, today the wind was blowing so hard, Scott had to go outside and collect blown laundry from all around the yard. The wind even managed to unsecure the shutters from the side of the house and they banged against the stone like you wouldn’t believe. Well in the midst of all this the power went out. This included the water pump that pumps the water up to my shower….bummer I was in PJ’s until 4:30!! Well my kids responded to this sudden lose of electricity in an interesting way. Complaining…not surprising…the ... read more

French Immersion November 7, 2007 We have just spent the most meaningful weekend of the last five months. We traveled to a little village just northeast of Gap in the French Alps called Serre Richard. This is where my paternal great-grandfather Victor Audeoud was born. We spent the weekend with the Audeoud family that still lives in Serre Richard. Around 10 years ago, my Uncle Bill, traveled to Serre Richard and located the remaining descendants of his grandfather, Victor. This lovely, energetic woman is Andree Goez, the grandmother of my much loved Parisian cousin Dorothee. Bill and Andree have maintained contact over the last 10 years and she and her husband Herve hosted us to the most fabulous weekend. No one in the US will EVER be able to convince me that the French are not ... read more

Family Secrets November 1, 2007 We just wrapped up two weeks of visits from my mom and sandwiched in between a week with my dad and his wife, Mary. We had a great time. We did lots of shopping, eating and exploring the Provence region. The best part of the last two weeks was just hanging out with family. Justin and Will have missed my dad horribly since leaving in June. He was taking care of them after school the last few years so both him and the kids have been lonely for each other. During this great family time we had lots of talk of France and Italy as my dad’s parents were from those countries. My grandfather, Paul Selmi, was born in Lammari, Italy, which we visited this summer. My grandmother Vicki, while born ... read more