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Bonjour Lyon — Oct 6

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Historic Presqu'île

Historic Presqu’île

Artelit is the awesome hotel where we are staying in Lyon and by European standards, it is very spacious. So I am sitting here in comfort, writing about yesterday, our first day in Lyon.

We woke up in Paris yesterday, our last morning in the Marias and it was dumping cats and dogs. Quickly, we scrapped the idea of going out for a last wandering around the hood. We took our time packing our stuff. The day before, we went to a health food store and got some kombucha to take along for the next handful of days. I was prepared to be away from kombucha for all this time, but not thrilled about it. So when Dan brought me a kombucha upon my arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport, I read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Lyon
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Vieux Lyon & Croix-Rousse — Oct 7

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Lyon Is Peppered with Statues

Lyon Is Peppered with Statues

Artelit is a sweet place, and I am glad we found this gem. I smile whenever I turn around, or try to lay my head on something and knock into some piece of art.

We started the day with 20 minutes of yoga. It was difficult to do yoga in Paris, because the size of the apartment was smaller than my bedroom at home (as if a kitchen and bathroom were put into my bedroom). We both agreed afterwards that we felt centered and glad we did it.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Lyon
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Fourvière & Paul Bocuse — Oct 8

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
The View from the Basilica

The View from the Basilica

I am in Provence now, dedicating a quiet evening to blogging. It’s quite peaceful and welcoming and cozy. And I am determined to not fall behind, or at least catch up when I fall behind, before I fall even further behind. OK – enough of this, let’s go back a couple days to Lyon, to Thursday the 8th.

Enjoying the spaciousness of Artelit, we did some more yoga in the morning. I prefer to do yoga in a class, when someone tells me what to do. But I know enough about yoga and enough about my body, that I can create a routine that works for me. And the investment of time is well worth the effort, seriously.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Lyon
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Market & Silk Atelier — Oct 9

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
An Example of Frederic's Artistic Flair

An Example of Frederic’s Artistic Flair

Lyon has been wonderful, and knowing it was our last day in this city, we had a few must dos to complete our time here and a few would like to dos, if we could squeeze them in.

First thing, I did a power walk up the 500 steps to the Basilique. This time, the church was full of Chinese and American tourists, who had come in droves. The proof, the five behemoth of tourist buses outside. I was happy that by the luck of the draw, yesterday, when we spent more time there, it was relatively quiet.read more…

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Dinner at Maison Pic — Oct 9

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Anne-Sophie Has Her Own Style That Sets Her Apart

Anne-Sophie Has Her Own Style That Sets Her Apart

Dan and I already think the world of Anne-Sophie. I had discovered her in Patricia Well’s book, The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris. There is a line in it, about the pea shoots tasting like she had just picked them off the vine and this struck me, in addition to that she is a no nonsense woman. Plus we had the pleasure of dining at La Dame de Pic last year in Paris. The experience was stellar, so much so, we have both (mostly Dan though), kept our eyes out in the media for her name, just to see what she has to say and what others have to say about her. She’s very classy and elegant, but in such an understated way – it feels totallyread more…

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Lesson at SCOOK — Oct 10

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
French Pastries Are Almost Too Pretty to Eat

French Pastries Are Almost Too Pretty to Eat

Even though we didn’t go to bed until 2am, we set our alarms for 7:30am, because we wanted to have some time to enjoy the Maison Pic while awake. Its understated elegance is as charming as charming gets.

Neither of us were really hungry, but Dan didn’t want to pass up the chance to see what Anne-Sophie could offer for petite déjeuner (breakfast). It was served in the salon. There was a spread of breads and pastries and we sat down and a moment later, a friendly woman came to greet us and see what else she could bring us. I ordered some hot tea. She brought us each aread more…

Posted in Europe, France, Lyon
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Bonjour Provence — A Day Around Gordes

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque

Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque

Here I sit, on a rainy evening in Gordes, very happy to be cozy inside and listening to the rain fall outside.

Yesterday was a brilliantly sunny day. I actually got to wear a summer dress that I got at a second hand store at home with Provence in mind. But first, we started the day with a power walk close to home. It led past some very beautiful and expensive looking estates with well cared for gardens. There was a stone brick fence that ran along the road for miles. It went between many properties and made me wonder if it was private or public, who knows? We found a little pathread more…

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Exploring Haute Provence — Oct 12

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Looking for Shelter in Rainy Folcalquier

Looking for Shelter in Rainy Folcalquier

A rainy evening in Provence. I am sure after a hot and dry summer, the earth is just soaking up all the rain right now and rejoicing. Back at home in Oregon, it has been in the 80’s and simply not letting summer go. If I wasn’t in France, I’d be a tad envious now.

Today was the day we were originally planning on going to Parc du Verdon (which would have been at least a two hour drive each way. It was timed so we could hit the Monday market in the town of Folcalquier en route. Well, we decided to go ahead with exploring the towns in that part of the Luberon, asread more…

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Bonjour Arles — Oct 13

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Hidden Paths Adorn Provencal Hilltop Villages

Hidden Paths Adorn Provencal Hilltop Villages

I am sitting at Calendal, a cute little hotel in Arles, a modest sized town in Provence, only miles from the Mediterranean Sea.

We woke up in Gordes and not that it mattered much, because we were checking out anyway, but there was no electricity in our home. It didn’t even make sense to call Aileen, plus, she said we must check out by 10am, so she can clean the home right away, so soon enough, she shall discover what’s up. Out of sheer curiosity, I wonder when it will be working again.read more…

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Discovering West Camargue — Oct 14

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
The Camargue, on the Mediterranean

The Camargue, on the Mediterranean

Calendal remains an endearing place to call home for a few days – close to the action, yet quiet enough, to simply sit and comfortably reflect about my days.

We started off our day heading downstairs to the spa. The hotel receptionist led us outside and downstairs into the special area. And right away learned something interesting. In Europe, hot pools are not allowed to get very warm, for reasons of conserving energy. I love the mission but I will also say I would have loved to submerge myself in water warmer than 80 degrees. read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Provence
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