Au revoir, but not Goodbye

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I left Lyon in the early morning on the 5th and as always, it was very hard to leave.

An ode to Drome/Ardèche:



I love the narrow streets. (I have never driven a car in France)
I love the farmers’ markets with picturesque fruits and veggies.
I love the smelly, unpasteurized sheep and goat cheeses.
I love the bright green of the mountains, which are covered in flowers even late in the summer.
I love the pervasive history everywhere you go.
I love the regional specialties that can’t be found anywhere else.
I love spending hours over a meal with friends.
I love the fields of lavender and sunflowers, and the hills of olive trees and vineyards.
I love learning new phrases and bits of slang.

But most of all I love the people I met there.

And I hope to go back soon.

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Photos

Fresh French Bread
Boulangeries are not the only place to get delicious bread, all weekly markets have artisanal bread. Yes, breadmaking is an art in France.

Le Marche du Valence
Valence's market is Saturdays and is in a beautiful shady plaza in front of the cathedral.

Top Secret Castle
Actually, it's a rock climbing site named Top Secret, but it's on the way to the Castle of Crussol.

Cornas from Crussol
The village on the left is actually St. Peray, but the one on the right with the large church is Cornas, where Michele Lafuste lives.

Outer Wall Lookout
The castle was built in the 500s but the site has been inhabited since Neanderthal times (according to a sign by the path).

Pastoral Ardeche
This was the first time I saw donkeys with cow bells.

Tain l'Hermitage
This is the footbridge I used to walk across from school in Tournon to visit the Valrhona chocolate factory in Tain.

Couscous
With a little help from an Algerian neighbor I made a Moroccan couscous for the Lafuste family and friends. There were at least fifteen of us but we had plenty of couscous.

Comments

[Bart]

yeah
the couscous looks delicious and perfectly Moroccan!