There is something strange in this area called ‘ The Mistral Wind’. It is a cold, relentless wind that can gust up to 60 mi/hr usually in the spring & winter. Convinced that it comes in multiples of 3 days, residents of Provence will tell you that the Mistral Wind blows for 3, 6,…
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Today we are officially in Provence! And staying in St. Remy at a romantic hotel: Mas Valentine http://www.mas-valentine.com/. It sounds like a cliché but the light is different in St. Remy and overall Provence- it filters thru the trees, it seems to push the clouds lower to the ground, it casts soft shadows across ancient…
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I’m not sure how we wound up in the village of Cahors, but I think it is because Douglas wanted to see an old bridge [Ed. Actually, an earlier Airbnb host suggested that we visit Cahor, so we went on a ‘flyer’]. The weather still feels like autumn but the drive from Sarlat to Cahors…
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We are running out of time and need to leave the Perigord and make our way to Provence so we had to choose between seeing the Troglodyte Village or Cave Paintings. We went for the Paleolithic cave paintings that are 15k -17k years old. The former Troglodyte Village was like an outdoor wax museum according…
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So I honestly don’t know anything about Black Madonnas other than that I read that there are over 200 in France. I assumed that these statues were simply an ethnically correct representation of the Virgin Mary- who probably had dark skin. One of the oldest Black Madonnas is in Rocamadour, about 45 minutes outside of…
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e are in the land of foie gras, truffles, and walnuts in the perfectly preserved medieval village of Sarlat-la-Caneda, considered one of France’s prettiest villages and one of Europe’s best preserved medieval towns. There are more registered historic sites in this town than anywhere else in Europe. Many historic sites in France were heavily damaged…
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Wine…Gastronomy…Chateaus… welcome to the Loire Valley. With so many amazing castles to choose from and limited time as we make our way to Provence, we decided to narrow our choice to visiting only 2 castles, the most romantic, Chateau de Chenonceau, and the most extravagant, Chateau de Chambord. Chenonceau was designed by 3 different women that…
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Only time will tell if this trip will be coined our ‘Pilgrimage Tour’ but we arrived in the evening and Mont St. Michel looked heavenly lit at night. This gothic abbey sits on top of a 264′ high rock formation at the edge of the sea. It reminded me of the lit Stupas we saw…
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We are growing weary of french bread and cheese and the days are starting to all run together. Plus the weather is windy and cold. Douglas has been wearing the same jeans for over a week! He states the Levi claims that their jeans can be worn for 1 month without washing? WTH? [Ed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/fashion-and-style/10849511/How-often-should-you-wash-your-jeans.html ]…
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After we left the quiet village of Thiverval-Grignon, we drove about 40 minutes to Monet’s Gardens in Giverny. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning and the ticket lines were long. Took about 1 hour to get in but well worth the wait. Claude Monet, sometimes called the Father of Impressionism, liked to paint…
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Chateau Versailles: Weather is still cold & dreary [Ed: the writer is being overly melodramatic and the weather is not bad, just a little cooler than the author would like]. We picked up our leased Peugeot which we will use until mid July. It was quite a ride with our cab driver to the location…
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It is still cold and dreary in Paris so we got a late start taking the metro to The Pompidou. Stopped to pick up foie gras in cans at a small market in this square close to the Pompidou. Soon we will be in the Perigord which is foie gras heaven! There are several levels…
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This morning Douglas ventured out to look for the recommended organic bakery, ‘Alexine’ which is just around the corner from our hotel. We had croissants & palmiers for breakfast every morning. This shop won an award in 2016 best baguette competition in Paris. In Paris, everyone seems to be carrying a baguette and most…
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Day 1: Paris e arrived in the City of Light on a cold, drizzly, dreary day. Where is Spring- it’s May 11th? Checked into our stylish hotel, Terrass, http://www.terrass-hotel.com/ on the hill in the village of Montmartre, picked up a croissant and walked to Sacre-Coeur – Sacred Heart Basilica that looked like a giant white castle…
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