This has been all over the Internets lately, so why not here too? Very cute.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
More Dordogne and Provence
The beautiful Dordogne River
Hot air ballons above the Dordogne
Near the caves where prehistoric drawings were found at the beginning of the 20th century
Foie gras and truffle shop in Sarlat
On a walk in the Dordogne
Me, Mark, and Kathleen on a 2 and a half hour walk during which we ended up in the middle of a wild boar hunt. We never saw any boars, but we heard lots of gunshots and dogs baying
A beautiful house we came across during our walk. We decided we could easily live in France!
I petted the horses and got quite a shock - the fence was electrified!
Pastoral France
Our home base in Provence - about 6 km outside of Gordes
One day while in Provence, we took a cooking class from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It was on this beautiful property owned by the descendant of a French viscount and his partner, the latter of whom gave the cooking class. The place was actually occupied by the Nazis during WWII, but they took pretty good care of it.
After preparing our meal, we dined al fresco under the plane tree in the warm sun
The reflecting pool
The servants quarters
Hot air ballons above the Dordogne
Near the caves where prehistoric drawings were found at the beginning of the 20th century
Foie gras and truffle shop in Sarlat
On a walk in the Dordogne
Me, Mark, and Kathleen on a 2 and a half hour walk during which we ended up in the middle of a wild boar hunt. We never saw any boars, but we heard lots of gunshots and dogs baying
A beautiful house we came across during our walk. We decided we could easily live in France!
I petted the horses and got quite a shock - the fence was electrified!
Pastoral France
Our home base in Provence - about 6 km outside of Gordes
One day while in Provence, we took a cooking class from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It was on this beautiful property owned by the descendant of a French viscount and his partner, the latter of whom gave the cooking class. The place was actually occupied by the Nazis during WWII, but they took pretty good care of it.
After preparing our meal, we dined al fresco under the plane tree in the warm sun
The reflecting pool
The servants quarters
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sarlat and the Dordogne
So after 2 nights in Bordeaux, we rented a car and drove to the Dordogne, which is sort of in the middle of France. We stayed three nights in Sarlat, which is where the film Chocolat (with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) was shot. It is a dapper little town dripping with charm and beauty. We basically had an apartment there as well, though it was connected with a hotel. We had a huge second-floor terrace where we soaked up the sun and ambiance over a bottle or two of wine. One night, we cooked a big vegetable stew and ate al fresco on the terrace.
This was one the way from Bordeaux to Sarlat at a quaint little town where we stopped to have lunch, Mouleydier
Mouleydier
Sarlat
Our private terrace
A river in the Dordogne
A sweet little town called Saint-Geniès
Market in Saint-Geniès - Terrific cheese!
Nightime in Sarlat - we were lucky enough to be there during European Heritage Days (September 18 & 19). This night the entire old town was lined with candels and there were numerous outdoor shows and exhibits. Serendipity!
Shot of the church across from our terrace.
A well-trodden road in Sarlat
This was one the way from Bordeaux to Sarlat at a quaint little town where we stopped to have lunch, Mouleydier
Mouleydier
Sarlat
Our private terrace
A river in the Dordogne
A sweet little town called Saint-Geniès
Market in Saint-Geniès - Terrific cheese!
Nightime in Sarlat - we were lucky enough to be there during European Heritage Days (September 18 & 19). This night the entire old town was lined with candels and there were numerous outdoor shows and exhibits. Serendipity!
Shot of the church across from our terrace.
A well-trodden road in Sarlat
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Bordeaux and Wine Country
After 4 nights in the City of Lights, we got very early in the morning and caught a TGV (train de grande vitesse) to the beautiful city of Bordeaux. It was about a 4 hour trip. The original apartment we had rented in Bordeaux was unavailable owing to pluming problems, but the owner recommended another to us and it worked out fine. It was in the middle of Old Bordeaux and was beautifully decorated, quiet, and spacious. We were well pleased:
Our second day Bordeaux, we hired a guide, Frédéric, who drove us around to various wine estates where we enjoyed several excellent tastings. Lunch was good too!
Moi et Frédéric
The lovely Kathleen, Brad's sister
One of the beautiful estates we visited
A vineyard - harvest would take place about a week later.
You know what's in there! These rooms smells sooo good! the oak from the barrels combined with the yeast and the wine... Intoxicating just the smell!
Dude let us sample a very young Bordeaux - it was excellent!
Our second day Bordeaux, we hired a guide, Frédéric, who drove us around to various wine estates where we enjoyed several excellent tastings. Lunch was good too!
Moi et Frédéric
The lovely Kathleen, Brad's sister
One of the beautiful estates we visited
A vineyard - harvest would take place about a week later.
You know what's in there! These rooms smells sooo good! the oak from the barrels combined with the yeast and the wine... Intoxicating just the smell!
Dude let us sample a very young Bordeaux - it was excellent!
Friday, October 08, 2010
More Paris
Ahh... Life is good. After a relaxing picnic in the Palace Park
Notre Dame de Paris
The Metro - a very convenient way to get around
Great way to spend a warm September day - the a park!
La Tour Eiffel and the sparking Seine
The Arc de Triomphe
The kitchen at the tiny but very good Cafe dei Cioppi
Notre Dame de Paris
The Metro - a very convenient way to get around
Great way to spend a warm September day - the a park!
La Tour Eiffel and the sparking Seine
The Arc de Triomphe
The kitchen at the tiny but very good Cafe dei Cioppi
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Paris
Hey all... We returned from France on Sunday (got back very early Sunday morning, as in 2:00 a.m.) We had an amazing time across the pond. Paris is a delighful and very chic city and probably tops my list of favourite cities right now. We spent 4 nights there before heading to Bordeaux for 2 nights, then Sarlat in the Dordogne region for 3 nights, and lastly in Provence for 4 nights. We went with Brad's sister and brother-in-law. I'll be telling you all about it in the days ahead, but here are a few pics to get started:
View from the Eiffel Tower. We climbed up and down all the stairs to the second level (as high as you can go on foot, which is the equivalent of a 41-storey building). We went in the morning. Apparently the same day we were there, in the afternoon, they evacuated the Tower because of a terror threat. We knew nothing about that while we were in France.
Brad's sis with a cute waiter from the restaurant just below the apartment we rented in Paris. He was a great guy and was actually the person who took us to the apartment and gave us the key. We ate at that restaurant the first night because we were too tired to go any farther, and it was so close and he was so cute! He's Italian, not French, and we never did get his name - next time!
Along the embankment of the Seine.
Usually, I'm not nearly as grumpy as I look!
One of the main squares in Paris
View from the Eiffel Tower. We climbed up and down all the stairs to the second level (as high as you can go on foot, which is the equivalent of a 41-storey building). We went in the morning. Apparently the same day we were there, in the afternoon, they evacuated the Tower because of a terror threat. We knew nothing about that while we were in France.
Brad's sis with a cute waiter from the restaurant just below the apartment we rented in Paris. He was a great guy and was actually the person who took us to the apartment and gave us the key. We ate at that restaurant the first night because we were too tired to go any farther, and it was so close and he was so cute! He's Italian, not French, and we never did get his name - next time!
Along the embankment of the Seine.
Usually, I'm not nearly as grumpy as I look!
One of the main squares in Paris
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