Milestones - big and not so big!

Our car - not exactly as shown!

Well tonight we said goodbye to the Peugeot that has served us faithfully for the past six months. It has been a great car, not good looking but very functional and it had loads of great features including a glass roof over the whole top of the car (very useful when driving by tall castles!) We have had some great trips in that car and spent a lot of time taking our company around in it. It was really a little big for our village but we were glad of the space when we had company. The size worried me sometimes but Gord loved the challenge: if ever I said "Gord you can't go down that street!" he took that as a challenge that he could not refuse! We leased the car and it only had 20 kms on it when we picked it up, and took it for the maximum time that we were allowed but the time has now run out and we have to let it go. We were allowed to drive twenty thousand kilometres and took it back just shy of that, and miraculously there was not a scratch on it!  (It is not truly a village car without the telltale scars down each side.) We were both sad to see it go and after we signed the paperwork, the agency drove us to catch our flight with our own car and then Gord and I stood and watched them drive off - without us!  It is only a car, what are we going to be like in 10 days when it is time for us to leave our little house

Gord driving up our street - yes it is that narrow!

Tonight we are sitting at the airport waiting for our Ryanair flight to take us to England where we are going for the weekend to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my Aunt Sheila and Uncle Arthur. As a very young girl I took part in the wedding (impossible I know - I am too young) so it is appropriate that we return to honor them as they celebrate this milestone. As there are no direct flights on regular airlines between Marseille and London, we are forced to actually pay full fare for our flight - though with Ryanair full fair is less than a meal in our local cafe. So far the flight is already quite late in leaving, a situation that they failed to notify us of even though we checked the website just moments before leaving the house. It would be more bearable if it was not so late in the evening but at this rate the earliest we will arrive in London is close to 1:00 am (and then still have an hour and a half drive to Sally's house) so I am hoping that it is going to be a very good party!

Th Birds and the Bees

Last fall (when I thought that I would die on the autoroute in the downpour!) my neighbor MJ told me that everything in Provence is extreme, extremely wet, extremely cold, extremely hot etc and I figured that I would fit in as I tend to be a bit extreme myself! Well, the growing season is also extreme. I joked a while ago that I was going to go to the terrace and watch the wisteria grow, well it is almost a reality. Ten days  ago we had hardly any blooms and now we have hundreds, our vines had little new growth and now not only are they covered in leaves but you can also see tiny clusters of grapes growing. It has been so warm this week that we can actually mark the progress in the growth by the day! It is hard to believe that the fruit trees were only in blossom a couple of weeks ago. The almond trees already have almonds and I suspect we will be actually picking cherries soon. Not only is everything bursting in blooms but the insects are arriving too. I was delighted that we did not share our house this year with anything that was crawling, flying or scampering. Well that has changed! The bugs are growing at the same rate as the blooms and they are big! The wisteria is covered with huge black bees, the mosquitoes are the size of daddy long legs, the pink blossoms are covered in hundreds of smaller bees and there are emerald green 'June bugs' that have arrived a couple of months early. When we wake in the morning we are heralded by a symphony of bird songs, we hear the crickets in the evening and the frogs have the loudest and strangest voice of all. Provence is very much alive!

A few weeks ago yellow was the colour of choice and I was enchanted by the fields of yellow daisy-like flowers, the golden wallflowers and more, well now everything is purple: the wisteria, lilac, a purple blossoming tree that I don't know the name of and most glorious of all, dark purple irises are everywhere. I am still hoping that we will see the fields of poppies before we leave but if not, the purple irises are truly majestic, and not a bad second choice!

Mont Blanc and other vistas

After a lovely breakfast outside in front of the chalet, we set off for home. Jeannette and her father have treated us like royalty while we were with them and we will never forget their kindness or the beauty of the places that we have visited. We headed south from Lake Geneva, up a narrow windy mountain road, through a couple of passes, until we came to Chamonix in the French Alps, the site of the first winter olympics. This very popular ski town sits at the base of the spectacular Mont Blanc, also known as La Dame Blanche, the highest mountain in Europe at nearly 16,000ft. The weather was again fabulous with clear blue skies, and the tans of the skiers we saw reflected the effects of this past week of sunshine. We again took a back  road after Chamonix towards Albertville (the site of the 1992 olympics) and went through scenery that really left even me speechless. We quite ran out of adjectives as we watched the different faces of the magnificent mountain, beautiful meadows with their rainbow of spring flowers, mountains streams and waterfalls, fruit trees in blossom and the very vibrant green of fresh growth. We could not have imagined a more perfect day, or season, for traveling through this part of France. We sat and had a picnic lunch in hot sunny weather (about 28 degrees!) with a wonderful mountain view of Mt. Blanc, meadows, wildflowers, little chalets, the odd tractor and of course cows with bells! I could have sat there all day.

After Albertville, we headed for home with one more diversion to go through another national park, Les Vercours, south west of Grenoble. Here again we were treated to mountains, albeit smaller than the Alps, but also forests and deep gorges and meadows with picturesque farm houses. If Gord had stopped the car for a photo every time I had asked we probably wouldn't have made it home till next week! There were just so many beautiful scenes that we both felt major sensory overload. We especially loved St. Nazaire-en-Royans and were frustrated at being unable to spend more time there, but we had to get home as we have another trip planned for tomorrow!

 Although we have only explored the lower half of this country, the diversity is amazing, from the mountains to the Mediteranean, beautiful historic cities to golden medieval villages. We now have so many places in France that we would love to spend more time exploring, but we feel very fortunate to have been able to see as much as we have. Even with eight months here, the time just goes too quickly. 

From the Lake to the Mountains

Yesterday we spent some time exploring the NE side of Lake Geneva. We started in Ville Neuve and walked all along the lake, past the wonderful and picturesque 13th century Chateau Chillon that sits right on the shore. From there we followed the lake until the other side of Montreux. The flowers that are planted all along the lake are absolutely beautiful and so colorful and varied. We ended up at a lovely picnic spot by the lake and continued to work our way through the 24 Swiss cantons, culinarily speaking! 

After lunch we drove through the vineyards in the Lavaux region. Here the vines are planted on such steep slopes that they need a track for the carts to run up the mountains as it is too steep to climb. The road runs right through the middle of the vineyards and while they look very steep from the car, when we actually got out of the car and walked up some steps through the vineyards we got a real appreciation for the dedication and hard work of these vignerons and of the monks who had cleared the slopes many hundreds of years before. This is such a unique place that it is one of UNESCO's heritage sites.

  

After having spent some time exploring the lake area yesterday, today we headed into the mountains. We went to Aigle and boarded a train that took us up a long valley, high in the mountains to the ski resort of Champery. The weather was glorious and the views from the train were breathtaking on each side. The little chalets, alpine meadows full of wildflowers, blossoming fruit trees, picture perfect brown cows, each with their delightful cow bells and of course the magnificent snow capped mountains, all were perfect. As we got further up the mountain the blossoms lessened but the colorful wild flowers were just as glorious. We cannot imagine a more perfect time to be here as the skiers are gone, the summer tourists have not yet arrived and spring is bursting out all over in all its glory! 

As much as we loved the pretty little town of Champery and its idyllic setting, we were happy to get back to our hosts' chalet and sit quietly in the sunshine, listening to the birds and the bells and waiting for "Heidi" to come knocking at the door looking for "Grandfather"! It really would not be out of place - it is that perfect a setting!

Off to Switzerland

On Sunday morning we left Goult and drove to visit our friend Jeanette in Switzerland. Although she lives in Zurich we met her and her father at their charming holiday chalet in the south of  Switzerland, not far from Lausanne.   The carving above  the door indicates that the chalet was built in 1753. The chalet is absolutely charming in a spectacular setting. Although it is only fifteen minutes up the side of the mountain from a large urban centre, once here, it feels quite remote. Typical Swiss chalets like this one, would often have a place for the animals on the low side at ground level, then the family would live above and there would also be separate hay and storage areas, all under the same roof. The views from the chalet across the valley to the mountains beyond are breathtaking, and the only civilization visible is the little village sitting directly across the valley. Jeannette took us around the chalet and when she showed us our room I nearly cried with ecstasy! Our beds were made up with the most exquisite antique linens, really almost too beautiful to sleep in. We had been given her parents room with a little balcony overlooking the valley. There were lovely plum trees outside in full blossom and from the balcony we could hear the birds and the babbling brook at the foot of the property, and most wonderful of all, the cow bells in the meadow beyond us. 

 After a "welcome drink" in the garden. Jeannette said that she would take us for a walk in the mountains but that her father would join us later. We left the tiny hamlet where the chalet is located and started along a mountain path to a neighboring village. Shortly after we had begun, we heard an amazing sound, it was the alpenhorn being played somewhere below. Jeanette got very excited and told us that it was a rare treat to hear this horn anymore but that it used to be played every evening from the mountains villages as a kind of blessing on the day. It is a very difficult instrument to play and as it is over 12 feet long it is not something that is carried around in a pocket.  We followed the sound and before long we came to an alpine meadow full of wildflowers with a stream running through it. There before us stood the 'mountain man' playing the alpenhorn and it was none other than Jeanette's father who had run on ahead of us and set up the horn so that he could welcome us to the mountains 'properly'. It was a very special moment and we felt very honored indeed! 

After a tour of some of the lovely villages on the side of their mountain, just a few minutes away, we headed back for a great Swiss dinner. There are 24 Cantons (similar to Provinces) in Switzerland and our hosts are intending to feed us something from every Canton during our stay, so we will not go hungry. After a delicious dinner it was time to climb into those amazing linen sheets, in the wood paneled room, with the little balcony overlooking a picture perfect setting and have the sleep of our lives..... and just pray that we wouldn't wake up and find that it had all been a delightful dream!   

Too little time!

We have a little over two weeks left before we return to Canada and I don't know how we are going to accomplish all that needs to be done before we go. In the next two weeks we have to:

- learn French

- read all the books we brought which we haven't finished reading

- finish trying all the hikes in our favourite hiking book

- take a trip to Prague and Corsica, both places we had hope to visit but won't

- finish trying out all the cheeses in the cheese aisle

- take one last trip to all our favourite villages, shops and restaurants 

- work on my new business plan... something to do with French linens!

.......but apart from that we are going to take life easy for the remaining days. 

Oh, and we still have two trips to take.... we will keep you posted!

We are already thinking about what we will miss here:

- the wonderful walks in the hills and along the pretty country roads

- the peace and quiet of our little home at the top of the village

- the views

- the amazing food

- the markets (Lydele only will miss these, Gord has had enough to last him for quite a while!)

- having time to notice each new flower and bud, each different insect and bird
- the joy of exploration

- having great visits with friends when we had no agenda but to be together and enjoy Provence 

- the cafes and eating outside 

- the challenge of speaking a new language and the excitement of understanding and being understood
- the time to enjoy being together with no outside pressures

- the extreme luxury of getting up so many days and having absolutely nothing that had to be done

Yes, it has been magnifique!

Le Canal du Midi

There is an amazing network of canals across the South East of France known as the Canal du Midi. It was built between 1667 and 1694 and crosses over from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean through a 360 kms network of canals and has 328 locks, bridges, aqueducts and tunnels etc. It is fascinating to see a canal crossing over a river on a bridge. It is the work of Pierre-Paul Riquet and it is quite marvelous. Although no longer used for transportation, it is a very popular site for pleasure boaters and somewhere I would love to spend time exploring one day. But this is not the time and so we did a road trip of the canal from Carcassonne to Beziers, a weeks worth of boat exploration that we did in five hours by car. The canal is almost completely lined with large 'plain' trees that are now just bursting into life and this provides a wonderful green leafy canopy through which to cruise. There are dozens of pretty villages to explore on the route and they really cater to the visitors with little bakeries and restaurants close to the boat docking areas. All along the side of the canal there is either a road or a towing path and lots of people take bicycles on board so that they can ride along side for a change of pace. The river is teeming with wild life and we saw water rats, ducks, swans and lots of other birds that we could not identify. The banks were lined with wild flowers and the purple irises are particularly beautiful at this time. Yesterday, we saw dozens of boaters, some with obviously a lot more expertise than others. You do not need to have a special license to drive the boats and it really shows, especially going through the locks! There was one boat that provided us with great entertainment as it went through sideways with all occupants madly trying to fend off the shore line and the other boats with a number of boat hooks and one lone man on the shore with a line to the stern that only made matters worse. It may take them two weeks to reach their goal, if they ever do! The route we chose was not marked on any map because the canal is supposed to be seen from the water not the tarmac, however, with a couple of minor mistakes we made it. When we were not driving directly next to the canal we could always see it from a distance because of the constant mass of trees lining the bank of the waterway. We stopped in many of the villages and walked around and had a lovely picnic next to the water. It was far too fast to take it all in but it certainly has inspired us to take the trip sometime. Though judging by the number of boats out already, once again we are reminded that spring is the premium time to be here and not the summer. As we aren't exactly experts on the water, we may decide to go with a couple of more knowledgeable folk so that others are not laughing at us with our boat hooks. 

Carcassonne

This entry is for Claire's benefit as I am so sorry that she can't be here in person. She so wanted to come to Carcassonne on her much anticipated but unrealized visit to Provence. So Claire, it was not the same without you so hopefully you can come here one day and see it for yourself.

Today was a lovely sunny day, about 24 degrees and there were crowds of people here already - I can't imagine what it would be like in the summer. We booked last minute into a B and B that is a far cry from the place where we stayed last night! It is not exactly "French", our room is the "African" room and the walls are bright orange, the curtains red and the rest of the decor goes downhill from here. It is spotlessly clean though and very close to the old city but definitely not a "must see"! Dinner was less than spectacular too, so really Claire, you have not missed a thing! You can see the pictures, not have had indigestion from the meal tonight AND you get to sleep in your own bed instead of under the crossed spears and the dancing natives! (The towels with the strip of polyester with the print of the leopards really says it all.) So, in no particular order, because I can't seem to get them into a particular order!! Here is Carcassonne..... (and the rest will have to wait until we get home.) 

PS Bob and Renae are on their way.... should be somewhere over Middle America by now!

Back to Spain again!

Well, this morning we are once again reminded that while communication is readily available and easy, getting home is a different matter. We are sitting in our lovely hotel room right on the beach south of Barcelona with Bob and Renae, hoping that this is the day when they will start the long journey back to their home in Langley. They decided that their best way to get out of Europe was to head south and as the Spanish airports were less badly affected they needed to get here. True to form the French railway has been arranging sporadic strikes so with the unreliabilty of rail travel, the exhorbitant cost of a one way car rental to another country (especially at this time) and the fact that Gord and I had plenty of time due to other friends' cancelled travel plans, it seemed to be the most expedient thing for us to drive them here. It is about a five hour journey by autoroute and we arrived in Castelldefels late yesterday afternoon. We each have a lovely unobstructed view of the Mediterranean off the balcony in our rooms, with an endless sandy beach in each direction. We ate a very elegant, relaxed dinner in the hotel restaurant, and a wonderful buffet breakfast this morning. We have just transported Bob and Renae from the serenity of this lovely place to the craziness of the Barcelona airport and now we just hope and pray that they will make it home sometime before Renae's nephew's wedding on Friday night. The skies look clear, there are airplanes on the ground, there are people expecting to fly and so we are optimistic that they will get away.
Now Gord and I are headed back home but we are going to stop a night in Carcassonne, a fascinating medieval city, about an hour north of the Spanish border,  that we have been wanting to visit for some time. My sister Claire wanted us to delay our visit to Carcassonne until she arrived, but after two serious attempts, her trip has been postponed to next year so we are going to check out the city in her absence and will just have to return with her next year. 

Waiting......

Well, Bob & Renae are still with us and it is a race to see which is more expensive.... the flights home or the amount of shopping that Renae will be able to do before they leave! We are trying to make the best of it but it would be a lot more relaxing for us all if we knew when they would be able to get home and then just enjoy the pleasure of having them here in the meantime. We are continuing to explore new places and try out different wonderful restaurants though Renae complains that it is not only her luggage that is getting heavier by the day! Plans change constantly and we shall just have to take this one day at a time.

We have had a lot of fun going round to some of my favourite shops and my confidence in speaking French is growing all the time. Unfortunately, my confidence is in no way related to my ability and the other day instead of telling the shopkeeper that the piece that he was showing me was too big to go in my suitcase but that I did love it, I actually declared my love to him instead! He looked a little shocked and I couldn't get out of the shop fast enough but this is France, the land of the swarthy Mediterranean male, so I guess this stuff happens every day. 

Renae, my fellow ex-craft-show-ally, was as excited as I was to see the find that I discovered sitting next to the garbage bins yesterday. She knew that I had hit the jackpot when she saw my face, and Gord, sitting next to Renae in the car, knew as well but had the totally opposite reaction. He was very hesitant to open the trunk for me to put in my treasures and would only do so when I had reassured him that they would not be coming back to Canada with us. For there sitting next to the rubbish were two wonderful, heavy, carved wood column capitals. I really am not sure what I am going to do with them but I couldn't just leave them there.... imagine the history and where they have been! They were just waiting for me to pick them up! In the meantime they will be wonderful candle holders and I am sure that I will have a place for them with my Christmas decorating if the volcano continues to spew and we are still stuck here then! So until our very welcome house guests take their leave, we will continue to enjoy lots of laughs, a little shopping, warm sunny days and a lot of very fine dining.... after all, this is Provence in the springtime!

Stuck in Provence

As you may have gathered we have had lots of visitors over the past few months and especially over the past few warmer weeks but we have never had anyone who wanted to stay this much. Bob and Renae left Canada during a looming British Airways strike and safely made it to England but told the agent that while they were anxious to get out of Canada before the strike, they did not care what was arranged while they were away to prevent them from returning back at the end of their vacation. Well, Bob's wish was granted, not in the form of a strike but rather in the 'act of God' with the massive volcanic eruption in Iceland. After listening to the various forms of news that we can get on the internet, it looks as though a long sabbatical might be in order. To our shock, both Air France and British Airways sent emails last night saying that due to the volcano they were canceling all flights, and dumping all reservations and basically 'you are on your own - good luck'. It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out. We are currently looking into the option of buying a rowboat! We were very happy for our friends Bruce and Carol that they made it home just hours before the volcano blew as this place would have felt very small with six of us, and I think that Bruce would have been looking into flying his own plane to get back to see the grandchildren. Sadly our friends Fraser and Michele are stuck on the other side of the world and will not be able to get here to see us this time.  We were very disappointed that we could not have them here to show them the things that we know that they would love (I had a lot of 'favorites' lined up especially for Michele!) We feel so badly that I think that this will necessitate our return here next spring for an extended time so that we will be able to host them properly! We are not yet worried about our return to Vancouver. After all, what could be worse than being 'stuck' in Provence?!?!

In the meantime we are going to make the most of being here together. Last night we went for dinner in a charming little restaurant that we had passed by many times over the winter. It is in an old farmhouse, down a lane, just off the main road at the bottom of our hill. It looks like nothing interesting on the outside, just a small sign on the road, but while it was shut in the winter I had noticed an increasing number of cars outside the place lately and so we decided to try it. It is called Le Fiacre, (we think that means some kind of a wagon) and seemed to be run by a mother/father/daughter team. We are not sure who was cooking but everything was just delicious. They have two rooms with 4 tables in one room and about 7 in the other, and the place was packed last night. We did not hear another word of English spoken, always a good sign when we are in a place enjoyed by the French and not tourists. The walls are rough stone and about two feet thick and they have a lovely outdoor terrace for summer evenings or long lunches. As usual, we lingered over our  meal and were surprised to see that more than three hours had passed before we headed home, very content and excited to find a new gem so close to 'home'.

Really (really) Enjoying Provence!

Over the past few months, my beloved husband and others who have visited, have not infrequently accused me of being rather too enthusiastic! After the long, cold, winter I now tend to go on and on a bit about, amongst other joys, the lovely yellow meadow flowers (or "weeds" as my detractors like to call them), the fields of billowing blossoms ("they are just trees you know"), the linens ("they are just old bed sheets and tablecloths"), the food - no I have not exaggerated here. The other day poor Bruce nearly ran the car off the road as Carol decided to do "a Lydele" and enthuse wildly about the flowers and Bruce thought that she was having a heart attack. I also casually mentioned the sight of half a dozen red poppies growing by the side of the road (and I was told that we might not see the poppies before we left) and I was accused by my traveling companions of being as excited as if a giant red tsunami was wildly approaching. Lucky for them all that after the outcry from the car, I decided that I would not mention the absolutely gorgeous cascades of purple wisteria around the next corner.

Right now we are enjoying the company of our good friends Bob & Renae. They froze in England so Renae had to buy a new winter coat, but she is now enjoying the sunshine in Provence so much that she has to buy tablecloths and scarves (try having to explain that to a husband!) One of the most fun aspects of their visit is that Renae is perhaps even more enthusiastic about life here than me. I have taken her to some of my favourite little shops (trust me, I have many!) and I have had to stop her from running to the post office to enquire about the price of shipping boxes back to Canada. I constantly have to hand her kleenex to wipe the drool off her chin or to take her discretely by the elbow and usher her out the door as she notices yet another item that she just loves and I know that she cannot get home. I even had to take her to a favorite linen shop to buy a lovely quilted bag (my solution for the shipping problem) to take home some of her treasures. As for the food, I have dissuaded her from taking home jars of aioli, lemon mayonnaise, bernaise sauce, bottles of wine, pate......... but could not persuade her to leave the pink peppercorns and Herbs de Provence.  (Apparently it was a big mistake to only buy two sacristans at our bakery the other day thereby necessitating the need to return the same day for two more!) She has often bemoaned, with me, that many of these wonderful items are not available in Canada..... perhaps this is where future employment may lie! (We were told that you could get these lovely jacquard tablecloths in Toronto but that the mark up was six times the retail price in France which made our sale price purchases such a bargain that she may need to go back!) 

It has been such fun for me to have a fellow enthuser and Bob and Gord have thoroughly enjoyed their time together too (reading, napping in the car, and trying to navigate a straight line while listening to the outbursts of happiness when seeing another positively charming vignette). 

Today we are going to Avignon, to Ginette & Marcel's, my "favourite cafe". Listen carefully, you may just hear the shrieks of joy from where you are!

Our Anniversary

Yesterday we woke to another glorious day with the sun streaming through the open shutters and the warmth already filling the room. It was our anniversary and we were going to spend it in some of our favourite places. Every Sunday there is an antique market in a very pretty little town near us, L'Isle sur la Sorgue. It is a town bisected by a river (La Sorgue) and several canals and has still some twenty water wheels. The antique market is famous and while I have no intentions (well not too serious ones anyway) of picking up any antiques, I find it quite fascinating to look at many of the items and imagine some of the stories and people behind them. There is everything from books, linens, old farm implements, dishes, postcards, buttons, old school maps and more. As well as the weekly antique market there is also a huge regular market with all the usual stalls. Yesterday was particularly fun because our good friends Bob and Renae had arrived on Saturday afternoon and we had the pleasure of introducing them to Provencal market shopping. Renae was suitably impressed and before too long she had sensory overload. It was great fun to have someone along who was maybe even more excited than me by all she saw! There are dozens of little restaurants with tables along the river and we chose one of these to enjoy a leisurely lunch. We had a wonderful time sitting in the sunshine, watching the ducks play on the river beside our table and watching the fashionable French stroll by. Gord and I have been waiting all through the cold winter for such a lovely warm lunch in this very spot and it finally happened.

After lunch we went to nearby Fontaine de Vaucluse for a stroll up the hill to the source of the Sorgue river, an amazingly prolific spring in a cave. It is a lovely walk but one that is very popular with French families on a Sunday and yesterday it was just swamped with visitors. While we enjoyed it we decided that from now on we could come back mid-week when it was a little quieter and we could enjoy the river without having to peer through the crowds. We headed back to our little home where we enjoyed a fresh tomato and camembert tart, wonderful asparagus that we had picked up at the market in the morning and creme brulee. It was a perfect ending to a glorious day.

Another lovely day

Taking it slowly

One of the best aspects of life here is the pace that we keep that seems to be totally in keeping with the French way of doing things. I had read before I came here that the French spend more time eating and sleeping than any other nation, not a totally horrible concept. Food is sacred here and it is to be enjoyed s-l-o-w-l-y. I read of one sister who chastised her little sister for not being "French" because she was eating her meal too fast. Even the school children are given a two hour lunch break, the lunch menus for the month are posted on the school bulletin boards and notices are sent home with the children each month with suggested dinners to balance out the lunches that are served that day! When we make a reservation for dinner it is assumed that we will have the table for the whole evening and not only is the meal served in a very leisurely fashion but the bill will never be brought to the table until it is asked for. Last night we were taken out for dinner to a lovely restaurant near us. We sat down for dinner at 7:30 and did not leave the table until close to 11:00 and we were certainly not the last people in the restaurant. Eating slowly allows a full appreciation for the meal and gives time to digest each course before the next one arrives. It is usually so beautifully served that to wolf it down without appreciating the artistry would be heinous. A proper meal will always have a cheese course after the main course and before the dessert is served to "aid the digestion". Charles de Gaulle was said to ask how anyone could govern a country that had 148 kinds of cheese to choose from but I think he greatly underestimated the total of cheeses availiable in the markets here. At dinner last night we were only offered about 20 different choices, some are now familiar favorites but we came across a delicious one that we had not tried before and made sure to get the name of it so that we could pick it up on our next expedition to the cheese aisle in our local supermarket.

Today we had company for lunch and even managed to squeeze six in around our little table, the largest group that I have cooked for this year - quite a change from home! We sat down to lunch just before one and got up from the table at four. It was a proper French lunch (of course complete with the requisite cheese course) so it required that time be taken for each course. This suited me just fine because we have so few dishes and cutlery that I had to wash up each course in order to have utensils to use for the next dish! A real French lunch will also be served with two choices of wine (always a rose and usually a red, less frequently a white) and two choices of water, still or with bubbles, and always four courses. We have been the delighted recipients at enough lunches now to know what is involved but it is still a lot of work. These lunches are wonderful reminders of the Sunday lunches that both Gord and I grew up with, with a table surrounded with family and friends.

Well the dishes are done, the house put back together and after last night and lunch today a really long hike is on order for tomorrow. But for now I need to go up to the terrace and sit and watch the wisteria grow...... ah, the frenetic pace of life here in Provence!

An unfulfilled wish

Today I thought that I had hit the jackpot! This morning we went into Apt, the closest city to us, to see if we could buy a duvet cover for Bruce and Carol who are visiting with us from Calgary. We parked next to the river along which there are some wonderful houses that would have been quite magnificent a few years ago but which are starting to show their age. I pointed out my favourite to Bruce (pictured above) and told him that that was my dream house and would love to have an endless supply of money to restore it and he highly complemented me on my simple tastes! We set off into town for the hunt as I reluctantly had to take our guests to all my favourite linen stores. Now while I have seen a seemingly endless supply of quilts (boutis), cushions, tablecloths and curtains, I had never come across a duvet cover. It seemed to be a simple thing to look for in the land of linens but apparently not. It appears that while it is definitely in vogue to buy boutis, 'housse de couettes' are just not done. One disgruntled shop owner when asked suggested with more than a hint of disgust, that we go look in the supermarket! (I think that we are in trouble with the French because we seem to be having a lot more attitude trouble since Gord left his French chapeau in Spain and has had to resort to a very Canadian, Lululemon baseball hat.)

Anyway, despite the hostile attitude we found a lovely set (I am quite envious) and started back to our car. When we walked past my 'favourite' house there was a boy of about eight holding a piece of paper that said, "speak to me about visiting the house" in French of course but still I could not believe my eyes. When I asked him why he just shrugged and indicated the front gate. I started to open it and he said, "Oh no, ring the bell", which I dutifully did. I waited for about five minutes until a woman in her early thirties, complete with rubber gloves, arrived reluctantly at the front gate, followed somewhat sheepishly by the said eight year old. I asked her if it was alright to come in and visit the house to which she replied negatively. I apologised but told her that the boy had had a sign saying that we were welcome but I understood that it may have been a mistake. At this point a large man appeared on the doorstep and now the budding entrepreneur was caught between the two angry householders who I am afraid thought that the whole situation was not as amusing as I did. I was hardly surprised but disappointed anyway as I thought that my recently spoken wish had in fact been granted. Ah well, I shall just have to continuing enjoying the outside and only dream of what the interior may look like. Perhaps if I had got in I could have suggested a lovely housse de couette!

Joys of life in France

(A shop window with a few of my favourite things....)

We arrived back from Spain tonight and although we had a wonderful time we are very happy to be back in our little home. As the time is far too fast approaching when we must leave here we are treasuring every minute, and already I can feel myself so sad as I think of that day in May when we must say goodbye to Goult and to our life here. Although we miss our family and friends, especially our kids, we will be very sad for this amazing time in our lives to come to an end. I really do love all things French, as my daughter accuses me of, but it is so much more than that. The simplicity of our lives and our living situation has been (I hope) life changing. What has been really wonderful is the richness of the time that Gord and I have spent together that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. We have so many stored memories and while we hope to have many, many more to experience, we will never forget, or stop being grateful for this time. At the end of this week we will celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary (the day we made the smartest decision ever!!) and what better gift could there be than the gift of this time for, and with, each other.

Another extraordinary blessing has been to have real quality time with the friends that have come to visit. It is a privilege to have guests to come to stay with us and for us not to have to accommodate a normal working life as well. Instead the whole focus is on the friends and making it the best holiday possible for those who have come so far. This is easy to do when we don't have the pressure of other responsibilities and we have had some wonderful visits, and two of three yet to come. We have loved showing people around this corner of Provence, (even if they don't go quite as nuts as me over Ginette and Marcel - my favourite cafe!) sometimes I think that they think we are crazy to have done this, sometimes brave and sometimes envious ... all of them are just!

We feel a certain kind of pride for having lived here through the winter and are now being blessed by spring bursting out all over. Never before have we been so aware of the changes around us because never before have we had the time outside to enjoy it. It is so lovely to see life returning to the villages, shops opening up, families enjoying the outdoor restaurants and cafes, the old men playing boules on the square and the ubiquitous laundry actually drying on the lines and not merely being a good wind indicator. We are hoping to return here next year for a holiday but will not brave another Provence winter but wait until the spring has firmly taken hold. It seems as if this place has firmly taken hold of our hearts.

A Very Good Friday

Today was a perfect day. We woke up to see the see brilliant blue skies from our private terrace overlooking a royal blue sea, there was a breeze whipping up the waters and already there were sailboats out to take advantage of the winds. I had found a walk in a book and it had all the makings of a perfect hike: a loop so that we would not have to double back, very clear markings so that we had no chance of getting lost, interesting and varied scenery, a couple of steep climbs and descents to get the heart going - just perfect. We packed a picnic and set off for a hike that took us from one of our favourite seaside villages, through the hills and farm country and down into another charming fishing village. We stopped here to refresh ourselves with the most wonderful strong coffee, a treat that we never get while hiking in our remote French hills, and then back up along the rocky coastal "smugglers" paths to the starting village. The walk back was just spectacular as it took us precariously close to the edge of deep rocky inlets, through pine and cork forests, over extensive rocky patches where we used our hands almost as much as our feet, and down steep narrow pathways. Despite bad knees and bandaids on hands and toes, we made it to the end in about five hours and had a very well deserved refreshing drink in a wonderful spot overlooking the glorious blue Mediterranean. The part that I found truly amazing was that I loved every minute of the hike and I kept thinking that I had come a long way when I was MUCH happier hiking for hours than going shopping in Gerona. So to all my wonderful exercise cheerleaders (especially Penny, Alison and Christy) it really has happened. In fact I got to the end of the hike and would have been happy to turn around and go back... well, lets not go too far here.... I could have done it but I was just as happy to go back to the condo and get cleaned up and ready to go out for a wonderful night on the town!

We headed into the closest town to us, Begur, with very clear consciences from all the calories that we had just burned off, to find a place where we could put them all back on again. Begur is a pretty hilltop town with a well preserved fortress overlooking it. As in many of these towns most of the restaurants are gathered on one street so we had plenty of choices in making our selection. The Spanish typically have lunch from 2:00 PM on (all the restaurants are still full at 4:00 PM) and don't even open for dinner until 8:00 PM. We settled down to a five course Spanish feast, complete with complimentary champagne and appetizers. It was rich, wonderful, and very nicely presented with uncharacteristically attentive service. Thankfully, as Begur is definitely a hot tourist spot, the menu was in English so we knew what we were eating and we could enjoy every delicious bite. When we left the restaurant at 10:45, people were still arriving, some with children in tow, and our table was quickly snapped up by a waiting group! We rolled down the hill to our condo, about the time that Bruce and Carol would be well into the second half of their nights sleep, in the still reasonably warm night air, very satisfied with a wonderful day, truly a very Good Friday.

Exploring the Villages

In the last couple of days we have explored some of the lovely beaches on the Costa Brava. Basically the closer we got to Barcelona the tackier and more touristy the beach resorts were, but we found a couple of little villages that I had given up any hope of finding as I had thought that they were a thing of the past, little pebbly coves with wooden fishing boats pulled up onto shore. The Costa Brava means "brave coast" as it is very rocky and there are dozens of little coves only accessible by boats or the bravest hikers. It is not difficult to imagine the rich past where pirates and smuggling abounded. Tourists, and mostly the British at that, have seeped their way into every rocky corner but they have yet to completely pollute some of the tiniest coastal villages. There are also some beautiful homes in the hills that belong to wealthy Barcelonans who weekend up here. All come with the prerequisite security systems, small horses posing as dogs, magnificent pools and manicured gardens, huge fences that only the most intrepid tourist can peek through, (but I did!)

Inland there are dozens of little medieval villages in this area, some in better state of preservation than others, with their honey colored stone, black iron railings, and terra cotta pots full of red geraniums. Our favourite was the quaint town of Pals which judging by the spaces allocated for tour buses would be a nightmare in the summer but was quite delightful at this time of year. Many of the manor homes in this area would have had a tower (as in Italy) as part of their home so that they could retreat into it if the enemy arrived uninvited. Some of these round towers, unlike the square ones in Italy, have survived or been cleverly restored to look quite authentic. A couple of villages still have the surviving walls and most of them have a somewhat rundown romanesque church, though the churches are not nearly as prominent as in the villages in France and England. Although there has been a lot of interest (i.e. money) poured into these villages of late, you still feel that there is a lot of poverty in this land, especially when you consider that this is the wealthiest part of Spain. But after our packed day seeing the highlights of Barcelona, we have enjoyed a quieter couple of days exploring many of the smaller places of interest around where we are staying.