My Trip is Over...

My trip is over...but its memories linger! And I'll continue to share stories here from my month in France. This is a photo that Laury took of Jean-Luc and me as we walked the tow path alongside the Lot River one afternoon. The tow path was carved/blasted out of the cliff before motorized travel made navigating upstream on the Lot feasible. Mules and horses would literally pull boats and barges against the current to places upstream where they would be filled with goods to move downstream to markets. These days the tow path has been taken over by walkers and boaters. While motors make upstream travel do-able, the shallow waters of the Lot prohibit boat travel except through a series of locks.

In this photo that I took, you can see a boat in one of the locks. Its crew will manually turn the big wheels that open the gates...the first to fill the lock with water...then it must be cranked closed. Then the second gate will be cranked open so the boat can motor into the deeper water beyond it. Lots of work for these river enthusiasts!

Laury walking the path. Laury and Jean-Luc from a vantage point above the tow path overlooking the Lot River valley.

My trip home was relatively uneventful. It felt good to sleep in my own bed and I was thrilled to see my Lucie. She, by the way, learned a new trick while I was gone. She attempted to go to school with the Jones kids. She would follow them to the school bus and then hop on herself! The kids had to retrieve her from under the seats. Once they even started down the road before someone noticed she was on the bus...bet the bus driver loved that!

My Last Meal in France

Yes, sadly...it's true :( I ate my last meal in France at McDonald's! I didn't plan it that way, really I didn't. I don't eat at McDonald's in the States, much less in France. But I had checked into my hotel in Toulouse and returned my rental car (another adventure as they had closed the lot and taken down the kiosk where I picked it up a month ago; I didn't have a clue where I was supposed to take it). Car-less, I had to eat within walking distance of my hotel. The two little restaurants I saw on my street were done serving lunch, making McDonald's my only choice. Even in France, though, fast food has a novel twist. There was beer on the menu for one. And look closely at the bottom of this sign...

It says: 'for your health, practice regular physical activity'

Guess that's to make up for the beer and the gazillion calories in every Big Mac....which is what I had, by the way..the Big Mac, not the beer.

When's the last time your server brought your Big Mac to the table and wished you "Bon Appetit"? Now there's a novel twist we could adopt Stateside, I think!!

The Gift of a Day

Those of you out there who know me well will appreciate how out of character the following story is:

This morning I stripped my bed and began packing my suitcase for the drive to Toulouse this afternoon. Laury had invited her friends for mid-morning coffee to say goodbye, and I wanted to get things organized before they arrived. I pulled out my hotel reservation to confirm directions and as I looked at it closely, I noticed that it said I was due to arrive on Monday, Sept. 28th. "OMG! I said to myself, "I've made my reservation for the wrong day!" I frantically dug out my flight information to confirm this and found...much to my surprise...that I don't fly home until Tuesday! I had the dates wrong by a day! Laury and I giggled all morning about my lack of attention to detail and my ability to completely put my planning, organizing, checking and double-checking self on holiday for the past month. The good news is I've been given the gift of another day in the lovely Lot. I have time to thoroughly enjoy the 'gang' at morning coffee, to thoroughly smell Josie's beautiful roses, and to thoroughly soak in another 24 hours of magic! I wasn't ready to leave anyway.

Laury's friends left to right: Patrick, Jean, Greg, Laury, Chrisitiane, and Josie.

Cadrieu

This is my last full day in Cadrieu. Tomorrow afternoon I'll head to Toulouse to stay overnight. I have a 7:30am flight on Monday morning that will bring me back to the States. I took Laury to lunch today at one of her favorite restaurants, La Claux de Blevezet in Toulonjac; in just a little bit we'll go up to Jean's for English tea. I couldn't leave here without sharing some photos of this little village that I've come to love.

The lavoir behind Laury's house....

An old wagon in the ancient barn also behind Laury's house...

The big gates to the Chateau with the ruins from the days of the Revolution...

The church....

The Mairie....

My window on the Lot....

Goodbye, Cadrieu! a bientot!!!

The Many Faces of Paris

A beautiful Tiffany lamp from the glass exhibt at the Musee du Luxembourg...

Flowers along rue de Seine...

The Canal St. Martin and its homeless people living on the benches and in the bushes along it....

Luscious treats from Gerard Mulot...

Dead rats from Les Halles strung up in a Right Bank shop window...

One of Paris's stunning blue doors....

Paris...a city of many faces...the good, the bad and the ugly.

A Lazy Day in the Lot

Laury says the weather pattern has changed; it's fall in the Lot. We've had very cool, foggy mornings in the Lot Valley followed by brilliant blue skies and warm afternoons. The trees and underbrush of the causse are changing daily into muted shades of orange, gold and red. This morning, Laury, Jean and I drove to Villefranche to the market. Every market I've been to so far has been a bit different. Jean was looking for candied fruit and spices for her English Christmas cakes, but alas, the spice guys weren't there! We stopped for hot chocolate and a pain chocolat, then drove back home. The afternoon is shaping up to be reading, wine, and enjoying the lovely sun on the terrace. Tonight we've been invited to dinner at Christiane and Jean-Paul's. Laury says to be prepared for massive amounts of food and drink and good times. It's hard to believe I've only a few days left of this wonderful month in France...I could live this life forever!

Luxembourg Gardens

I strolled through the Luxembourg Gardens the morning of the Tiffany glass exhibit. Every time I go to Paris I visit this lovely place; this morning, however, I was suddenly aware at just how feminine this garden feels. The fact that it was built along with the Luxembourg Palace for Marie d'Medici in the early 1600's could be one reason for this. The statuary that rims the central parterre is of some of France's most famous and most lovely women. The Garden is centered by this beautiful statue of Diana, the Huntress.

The detailing in the sculptures is amazing. France's queens and famous women have been well-served by the artisans who crafted them. And I was well-served on my stroll through the Gardens by their beauty and grace.

Lunch with Isabelle

I had lunch with my friend, Isabelle on Saturday. We met about a block from the Porte St. Denis, shown here. Duh...I never even thought to get a photo of Isabelle or the beautiful restaurant where we ate. I can show you the Julien here, but alas, no photo of Isabelle...guess I'll just have to make another trip to Paris, huh? Lunch was yummy, the ambiance of the restaurant felt very Parisian. The neighborhood around the Porte was very lively...full of ethnic peoples and markets. After lunch Isabelle took me on a tour of 'passages' narrow covered streets lined with wonderful shops.

These passages are not particularly easy to find. Even Isabelle had to break open her map book once to make sure we were headed the right way.

We discovered shops for toys, old books, art, miniatures, canes, pipes...anything you can think of...as well as restaurants, chocolate shops, and wine shops.

We ended our tour of passages at the Palais Royale where there was a long line snaking around the courtyard. It was 'patrimony weekend' when many of the buildings in Paris are open free to public admission, Many people were taking advantage of this special weekend to view buildings not usually open for touring. Outside the Palais grounds we came upon one of my favorite Paris sights...street musicians. Isabelle told me that not only do these performing groups need special permits to be able to perform on the street, but that they also have to audition before being allowed to do this. This group of string musicians was playing lovely classical music.

Warning...Illegal Photographs!

Two of the most fascinating places I've visited so far on this remarkable trip are caves. Photos are prohibited and actually with the minimal light available underground, pictures would not be a good idea anyway. However....I couldn't resist snapping a couple of illegal photos as I descended deep, deep into the earth at the Gouffre de Padirac. This is one huge hole in the ground! My sources say there are 455 steps down into the yawning chasm and my knees can attest to each one. Once at the bottom you board a flat-bottomed boat for an eerie trip on an underground waterway. Beautiful cave formations are illuminated and the water is clear, turquoise blue. Yes, I did the tourist thing and bought a photo of our boat and guide!

It was lush and green and cool in the cavern, a welcome respite from the very warm weather outside. The tour was well worth the effort even though it was all in French and I didn't understand a word. Awesome is the same in any language.

The other cave I've visited is Pech Merle. I obeyed all the signs there and didn't take any photos. This is one from Google that shows one of the many horses, bison, aurouchs, woolly mammoths and human figures that line the cave walls. There are also big red and black circles as well as human hands outlined in red pigment. This is one of the few caves with prehistoric paintings that is still open to the public; many are closed except to researchers to protect the fragile pigments. I feel very privileged to have this glimpse into the lives of my ancient ancestors...lives that will always be a mystery.

Paris!

I stepped off the train in the Gare Austerlitz to the buzz of Paris. Throngs of people all rushing to get somewhere smacking right up against equally as many people who were lost, standing looking puzzled, not sure where the heck they were! The streets were clogged with cars, motocycles, and busses. I dodged both bicyclists and rollerbladers as I walked down Blvd. St. Germain. Ah, Paris! Dirty, messy streets, pushy people, bright lights, and the blaring claxons of police cars in hot pursuit. Ah, Paris! Everyone talking on their mobile phones, paying no attention to on-coming traffic...vehicular or pedestrian. Boys in packs; giggling, but stylish girls, tourists studying maps, dogs, street people begging...ah, Paris! Sidewalk cafes were filling up fast inspite of the cool, cloudy weather; art galleries were filled with wine-sipping art lovers; the Carrefour across the street from my hotel was bustling with shoppers eager to get home to fix dinner. As I relished my first sights and sounds of my favorite city, the bells of the Eglise St. Germain-des-Pres began to chime, calling the city to Mass. I slipped in and sat in the back row. The huge vaulted church was still except for the priest singing the liturgy and the congregation answering in song. The bells called and gifted me with twenty minutes of beauty and quiet uninterrupted by the crazy busy city outside the huge wooden doors. I left the church filled with peace. Ah, Paris!

The Grand Opening!

On the night of the vernissage, my two photos hung together on a wall of their own. The table below held a clay piece done by a village man who makes big versions of the little hut for BBQ pits; the basket is a bread basket made in the Aveyron area which is right on the other side of our river, the Lot. The wooden figures on the corner stand were carved by Stewart who sold Laury her house, the Chatette. Other pieces hung around the cave. It was fun to watch Andre explain his hut and how he made it to his friends from the village.

It's amazing how beautiful the stone blends with and highlights the photos.

This is Auguste, one the village elders, with Jean-Pierre. Auguste looked at every piece of art while Jean-Pierre explained them. Both really seemed to enjoy this artisitc adventure as did the rest of the guests.

I Had a Moment....

I had a moment last night at the vernissage...one of those moments that take your breath away. The party was in full swing; Christiane was sitting at Laury's baby grand piano. I suddenly realized that I was deep in the heart of France, this lovely French woman was playing the signature French song, "La Vie en Rose," and there I was...living a dream. It was a magical moment as the melody resonated from the ancient French stone and the hewn wood beams of Laury's house accompanied by laughter and French chatter from the terrace. I am grateful for this opportunity and feel blessed that life is so good!

I'll blog more about the evening's events tomorrow....

Prepping for the Vernissage

Last evening the art was hung. As you can imagine, it's a bit tricky to hang anything from stone. Last year Patrick ( shown in the foreground) put together a system of strong cord stretched taut under the lighting fixtures. With thin, flexible hooks called crochets he can attach the art to the cord. Very ingenious! In fact he calls himself "McGuyver" because of the clever ways he problem-solves! The man in the red sweater is Greg, Laury (in the overalls) and Josey, Patrick's wife are admiring the hanging handiwork. Everything looks beautiful against the old stone; it's amazing how it showcases each piece.

Here's another corner of the cave being completed.

And if you look closely at the photo I took of the window sill, you can see what helped fuel the evening's work....pastis and wine, mais bien sur!