…Exclaims the 13-year old who is enchanted by everything she’s seen since we arrived yesterday. And anyone who knows Chloe knows she’s rarely enchanted. To quote my teenager:
“London is awesome. I like the way it looks. I like the gardens, the houses. I like the way people speak. I like the names of the streets and places. I like the food. I like the way London feels. I just like everything about London!”
Chloe and I are off to London tomorrow evening, our first vacation as a mother-daughter team. I have been anticipating this moment since our babies were born, hoping that someday I’d be fortunate enough to travel with them one-on-one when they were old enough to enjoy and appreciate it.
After a couple of days in Paris our magnificent vacation has reached its end. My impression of Paris this go-round was definitely colored by the fact that we had just spent the previous 4+ weeks exploring the much less frenetic and incredibly picturesque countryside.
When all is said and done, our most vivid memories of the past week in the Gard region of France can be visually summed up in the photos below. We enjoyed another week of beautiful weather, great sights, outdoor activities galore and yummy food. And after spending almost five weeks of non-stop time together, we are still talking to each other.
Continue reading Memories Formed Among the Ruins and While Kayaking, Too
I promised the kids a break from castles and I have lived up to that promise. In order to avoid more towers and moats and ramparts and winding staircases and royal gardens, we have traveled further back in time. About 2,000 years to be exact. When the Roman Empire extended into Gaul, or what is now current-day France.
Continue reading Romans, Romans Everywhere (and Peeing Kids and Bulls,Too)
I can finally say with a great deal of confidence that we have finished the castle-touring portion of our trip. We’ve seen furnished castles, partially completed castles, enormous castles, tiny castles and castles in ruins. Gallo-Roman castles, medieval castles, Cathar castles, Renaissance castles and strange neo-Gothic castles.
Here’s the deal. If you love medieval art and architecture, or just love really old things, you’d love this trip. If not, you might still love the landscape, the wine and the food. And then, there’s always chocolate. Tons of it, literally. Like in the store below (yes, those are huge slabs of chocolate).
Medieval. Medieval. Medieval. Everywhere we go we are surrounded by very old stuff. I love it. It makes me happy. I’ve dragged my husband and the girls all over the southwest region of France in order to soak in these small pearls of art and architecture and there’s still so much more to see! I am driving them nuts, but it’s worth the insanity to see these beautiful sights.
Continue reading In the Middle of Cathar Country, Heaven on Earth
After two weeks of visiting castles and the sea, we made our way to Toulouse in the southwest of France. Toulouse is the country’s fourth largest city and the center of France’s aeronautic industry. And if you’re an art history lover like me, the region is a treasure trove of medieval masterpieces.
Yesterday afternoon I abandoned Papa and the girls at the beach so I could enjoy part of the afternoon at a café overlooking the sea. Before leaving them to bother their dad and fight with each other, however, I witnessed Chloe and Sophie jump off the harbor pier into the ocean, fervently hoping that (1) they wouldn’t get hurt and (2) we wouldn’t get yelled at for doing it. Fortunately, they both survived and we didn’t get arrested.
