Provence to Paris to Switzerland

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Yes, we’re still working on our blog. These photos are from France, in the Time Before the Pandemic, with no social distancing requirements, and restaurants and stores were still open. It was fun to work on the blog, reminiscing over our travels from a better time, planning for when we can safely travel again.

Our last blog ended in Provence; this continues with our drive from Provence to Paris, a few days in Paris, then our drive to Switzerland. We stayed at a BnB on our way to Paris; it was a beautiful setting, with wonderful food.

We haven’t gone up to the top of the Eiffel Tower in several years, but I love to sit at the park surrounding the Tower and have a picnic, people-watch, and ponder (and yes, you can drink alcohol in public in France, so you can bring a bottle of wine or some beer). I also love to take photos of the details of La Tour; so ornate, and so beautiful. This was also before the fire at Notre Dame, so the spire was still in place (the spire was only added in 1859). I usually try to get my hair cut while in Paris; the coiffeur may not understand what I want, but it’s usually a fun experience, and, worst case scenario, I know that it’ll grow back (although I’ve never been disappointed with the results). I also love to check out the bouquinistes (booksellers) along the Seine. Paris is a great people-watching city, and a great city for walking, to see all the beautiful sights. When it's time to put your feet up, we like to take a ride on the Seine in a bateaux mouche; it's a great way to see the city from a different angle. Another good pondering (or resting) place is the Tuileries, near the Louvre. One afternoon I pulled up one of the many chairs and whiled away the afternoon basking in the sunshine, listening to Edith Piaf on my phone, while watching kids play with their remote-controlled boats in the pond.

The scenery in France is beautiful - the winding back roads (again, the curvier the road, the better), and the charming villages. Houses in France are built differently, depending on the area - Provence has many stone houses with brightly colored shutters. There are also half-timbered houses, even in Paris, some dating back as much as 600 years.

Our next blog will be about Hawai’i, where we’ve been for the last year.

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