France - Paris!

From Southern France, we took the train across the countryside to Paris. Starting in Toulon... We passed through the Provence region and saw castles, rolling farmland, and random Roman aqueducts. Gorgeous, but hard to get a picture of! We arrived in Paris in the evening. Who doesn't love the Paris train station!?Paris lights up like the very best Christmas tree of all! Here was the view from Cathy’s flat in Paris… Not necessarily in order, here are some of my favorite moments in Paris...
The Musée d'Orsay was hosting an anniversary celebration for the museum with an Impressionist exhibit and I had to buy my ticket beforehand to get in - it was crowded!

But mostly, I just wandered... In Saint Germain des Pres I took the classic "I'm in France" photo! I had to swing by Shakespeare and Company! I threw Stan off this bridge in the shadow of Notre Dame! I think he’d like that! 😊 But I was surrounded by a bunch of Italian teenagers who thought it was funny to spit off the bridge. They were shocked when I actually threw something off it! They said (in Italian), “What was that!?” I said, “Mi esposo!” and quickly left. HA! The best thing about my trip was connecting with my "French family." I was an exchange student in my late teens and we have all stayed in touch now for 38 years! (Ask me how I feel about study abroad - DO IT!!!) Here I am with my “French parents” Monique and Claude who drove in from their country house just outside Blois. We were having champaigne in Patrice’s apartment (across the street from Saint Chapelle), as you do… Cathy and her boyfriend Patrice… they are so cute together! Me and Cathy… French sisters! Dinner was oysters and whelks… I'd never had whelks before. They're a bit hard to look at, but dang are they delicious! The Paris flea market… I've done all the touristy things in Paris, so wanted to do something quirky. When I was an exchange student as a teenager, we went to the flea market, where I purchased a leather jacket that I adored (but that smelled awful). I had it for years. It was time to go back. And truly, it was just as fun! Treasures are everywhere!
It's so big you simply can't see it all in a day. So, refreshments were required. I went shopping on Le Rue de Sèvres - a very upscale street in Paris. Stan once bought me a scarf in Hermès because he had to go on a business trip to Paris and I wasn't able to tag along (and I was not happy about that!). So I had to see it. OMG. From there, I went to Le Grand Marché where they were featuring works by Jean Jullien, pulled together by Sarah Andelman, all through the museum. Forget the shopping, this was my favorite part!




But my favorite part about being in Paris was just that... being in Paris. I enjoyed lunches and teas and treats and just sitting and people watching... Cheating… I ate a crepe with Nutella and bananas – sooooo good!! OMG! Lunch... I had tea here and drew my tea with a watercolor kit I picked up at the Impressionists show at the Musee D’Orsay…
There are so many charming cafes, it's hard to choose! I took a walk through a park near Cathy's flat and came across this charming sculpture of a crow handing a round of brie to a fox. It was a tribute to the storyteller Jean de La Fontaine.
My last morning in Paris, Claude and I went to a café for breakfast. (Well, he had an espresso.)There, I cheated with my one chocolate croissant. Just as good as I remembered! There was a road race taking place outside Cathy's apartment. So, I was repacking my suitcase to the cherished sound of "Allez! Allez! Allez!" You can't really see them in this photo, but we were able monitor the race's progress from the terrace. Cathy made sure I took a jar of her homemade olive tepanade, made from olives she grew on her trees in St. Tropez! This stuff is pure gold - the best I've ever had - nectar of the gods! I wish I could have fit more in my suitcase! Cathy and Patrice got me to the airport and made sure I was safely heading in the direction before giving me great big hugs good-bye. I already miss them! Meanwhile, in the airport, I broke down and had a very American lunch before heading to Italy! It was so good to connect with my French family again. I hadn't seen them since Stan and I were heading to Scotland in 2015 and stayed in the apartment in Blois! Too, too long. With any luck, this will become a more regular trip. I can't wait another decade to head back!

France - St. Tropez

Okay, time to get out your small violins to play in pity of my horrible life... Kidding. Grand indulgences lie ahead...
     I knew at a young age that I wanted to experience the world, so I chose to be an exchange student in college. A French student came to stay with us one summer, and then I went to stay with her and her family the next summer. We've been close evr since and I've stayed with them numerous times and visa versa. That was 38 years ago! I call them my "French family." Claude and Monique, my French parents live just outside Blois, which is about 1.5 hours west of Paris. Cathy, my French sister, lives in Paris, but has a small apartment just outside St. Tropez on La Côte d'Azur. Her boyfriend, Patrice, also has a condo there, as does her brother, Marc, my "French brother."
     About a year ago, Cathy sent me a photo of the Meditteranean and said, "come"!
     This month I was heading to Bologna for the Children's Book Fair and it only made sense to take some vacation time on the front side since it only cost a little extra to take the short flight between Paris and Bologna, and I had a free place to stay...
     We visited an olive festival, a vineyard, a beach, a garden, and some fabulous restaurants. Here are some pics!
      That’s the Mediterranean in the distance in this one…from my balcony at Patrice’s condo in St. Tropez… St. Tropez…
A restaurant we ate in… Brad Pitt’s love child… Me and Cathy… The gorgeous Meditteranean…

Farmers Market - Scottish Style

We found our new farmers market! And how spoiled are we that we have several to choose from? We know. It's a 15 minute walk from our flat to the Stockbridge Farmers Market. It's the closest we've experienced to the Blois Farmers Market. There are more vendors, it's crowded with local folks, and its a lovely destination if you want to pick up things for a few days or just have lunch. Here's the eye candy:
I can't do the gluten, but dang, I can drool...


If you ever wondered about Scotch Eggs, this is what they look like. Also not gluten free although I feel my resistance faltering...


Course, there are restaurants throughout the area that we also want to visit.Choices, choices and only one stomach to hold them all! It's a good thing we don't have a car - we have to walk all this off!
     And then there's the excuses not to walk at all... Last night we ate at Pickles - a little underground dive which only serves wine, cheese and preserved meats - and why not, when they do that so well? This is within stumbling distance from our flat... We didn't feel like cooking, but didn't want a huge dinner. "A charcuterie tray would be nice," we thought. Um, YUM!