May Day, our Anniversary trip to Paris

May Day, the French Labor Day!   And, people are selling little bouquets of Lilly of the Valley, everywhere, on the streets!  In the villages, and in Paris you see people with the flowers in their lapel, or holding little bouquets!  Well, our 25th Anniversary trip to Paris was wonderful!   Paris is everything that everyone raves about!

We headed out on Friday morning via the train to Paris from Avignon.  We had practiced how to get to Avignon train station and where to park so that we would not be in a sweat.  Smooth trip, except we got on the wrong train to Paris.  No problem!  We just got there earlier!  We had to switch trains, and in doing so, we caught an earlier train!   But we did learn how to check to see if it's the right train!

We stayed at the Marriott Champs Élysées. We were in a great location!  We had a view of rooftops, and when you turned to either side you either saw the top of the Eiffel Tower, or Sacre Coeur, in the other direction!  The room was quite large, by Paris standards!  The city was crowded because it was a holiday weekend.  The  French have off May 1st, for Labor day, and May 8th for Armistice day.  Armistice day is a big celebration day all over France.  Their memories are still fresh pertaining to what it was like when they were not free.

We walked up to the Arc de triomphe, and the French eternal flame, about 10 minutes away, in the rain.  The rain didn't bother us a bit!  It is a fabulous memorial!  Later in our trip, when we went to Normandy, we would see pictures of the Arc with the Nazi flag flying from it.  We walked for about an hour all together.  At a cafe on the other side of the boulevard, we ordered the plat de jour...veal blanquette (creamy white sauce), rice, and salad.  A small pitcher of wine, some bread, and voila!  That night, we ordered soup in our room for dinner, and it was so rich, we had a hard time eating it!  Bruce got pea soup, and I got the onion soup.  My soup had so much butter, cream, and cheese on top, that I had to fight to get to the broth beneath! I was afraid if I ate it all, I would die in my sleep, by morning!

When we got back to our room that night, the hotel had sent us their congratulations on our Anniversary, a bottle of champagne, and a chocolate dessert that was yummy!

The beds were luxurious, and service impeccable!  We do recommend the hotel!  However, we probably slipped backwards in using our French!  Everyone spoke English to us!

I am going to write a blog about each day we were in Paris.  This was the first day!

Oh how it has changed! April 30, 2015

When we got to our little village of Saint Quentin la Poterie, March 15th, it was just barely this side of winter!
Now, it is full blown spring!

The fields were brown, and the trees were bare!  They began to plow the fields the first week or so.  A second plowing, and seed was sown, about 3 weeks later.   We have watched the wheat, trees, bushes, flowers and grasses burst forth with a vengeance!  When we started, the grasses on the side of the road were barely 3 inches tall.   Now, some the grasses are waist high!  In about 5 weeks time, everything is green and exploding with life!  Provence is on Steroids!

We continue our walks into town, or just one way if one of us has the car.  We walk together both ways, or, if one of us has driven to town, one of us will walk into town and rendezvous in Uzes.  We drive home together.  We are trying to get into shape to walk in Paris!  Several of our friends in the French newcomers club hike for 3 to 4 hours, on a regular basis.

The wisteria bloom and fragrance has been replaced by the fragrance of jasmine and lilacs!
Poppies cut through the green fields, like a lightning bolt to the eye!  Fields of mustard (or canola?) paint swatches of bright, sunny yellow across the fields!  I now see wild flowers that I have never seen before, and even the smallest flowers stand out to the eye, because everything is green.

Here are more pictures from the ancient path;

Not since we were kids!

Yesterday, we walked the Ancient Path into Uzes...it had rained in the morning, but
the weather promised to be sunny as of, about Noon!  So, off we went, 3 miles through the fields
and stone walls, in the sunshine!   We had lunch, and shopped a bit.  We signed up in
the club for new locals, so that we can take French lessons!...and about 3 o'clock, we
headed for home!

Oh My!  There was ONE big black cloud off to the west!  A bit worrisome, so we made a point
of walking quickly!  My brother Roger has the uncanny ability to read the weather, as a result of
being a boater...his big sister....Not so much!

It started to rain about a mile from home, and down it came!  A Spring storm, gully washer!
All the ditches on the side of the road which are about 3 to 4 feet deep were gushing with
water, within about 5 minutes!  Problem was....there was absolutely NO shelter, and it started to thunder and lightning!  Yikes!  We took shelter about ten minutes after it started to rain, next to a house...a slight overhang, around the corner from the direction of the wind, helped to some extent, but
we were really drenched to the core!...clear through ALL our clothes!...to the skin!

We felt like we were in a romantic movie!  ...except for the 3 or 4 lightning strikes, a bit too close for comfort!  Next time, we stay in town and find a nice cafe!

This one if for Lauren, our lovely daughter-in-law!

Lauren is a graphic artist!  She loves pattern and color!  And, when I walked into our
bathroom upstairs, I saw tile that was something I think she would love!  I asked the man
who owns our house, Moniseur Bouvard, if there was a story behind the tile, and he said yes!

His brother, lived in Algeria, and got them the tile.  It is a fabulous combination of cobalt blue,
and ORANGE!!!  Yes, I've always know that blue and orange go together...but not something
I would have picked!  The tub is a Turkish bath style....I don't think I could live with it,
forever, but I must say, it makes me smile, everyday!

What do you think?

Flowers and Color - What's happening to me?

OK!  I've always loved flowers!..it's literally in my blood!...
I love having flowers in the house, and usually do, in the house in
California!   I have my orchid collection too!

But, here, the colors are very vivid...and, I'm changing!  I would NEVER
have put ORANGE and RED together before!...but here....Walla!  The context of
color is different here, and it introduces some interesting combinations!  The orange flowers
would never have stood out as well, without the red!  I bought
rinunculas last week, and put them out on the terrace!  The terrace is Terra Cota
tile, with 4 french tables and orange chairs...and they look perfect!  My brother Jim
(a totally visual and artistic guy) and I had a conversation one time walking around Balboa
Island, during which I asked him what his favorite color is, and his reply was:"I don't
think I have a favorite color....what attracts me is the combination of one color with another,
and how they play off of each other."  I think I am beginning to understand this!

Blues and yellows always have been a favorite together!  For Easter, we had
Peach colored tulips and white freesia (for the fragrance)....here are some of the
other flowers we have had in the house, so far!

These are fresh lilies from the field, that our friends, Regina and Larry brought us when
they came to dinner!  A real treat!   They are still going strong, opening more and more, each day!

This is my kind of place!!!

Here comes the Wisteria!

Boy!  The French have a GREAT sense of color and drama!

First of all, the houses are mostly stone, and masonry on the outside, so most of the time, the color is creamy stucco, or grayish stone...but they make up for the lack of color, with plants and paint!   Shudders are painted a rainbow of colors...french blue, navy blue, lavender, teal, turquoise, brick red, Forest green, and all sorts of in-betweens!

Most houses have gardens, and they seem to bring the colors of the garden into their homes, and it's decor!

We had wisteria at the Cape, but it blooms the first week of June!  We have a procession of bloom that moves across 2 months!   Here, wisteria, tulips, daffodils, forsythia, pansies, bridal wreath, cherry trees, almond trees, apricot trees, ranunculi and poppies all combine for a burst of color, simultaneously!  The French all value having a home with a garden, or a terrace or a place outside to sit, eat, relax and converse!

Color and style culminate in these gardens and terraces!

My favorite blooming plant right now (I know it's fleeting, and I'll love something else even more in a week!)...is the wisteria!!!  Take a look at the spectacular wisteria  here in our town and surroundings!  Some of these are three stories high, and all the way down the lane!  And the fragrance is divine!

Sharing dinner with our friends who live in Uzes!

We are very fortunate to have lovely friends!  Our friends, Larry and Regina, moved to Uzes, and subsequently bought a home here in Uzes.  Three years ago, they introduced us to their lovely friend, Joelle!  We have been fortunate enough to have the help of Larry and Regina, and subsequently, Joelle, in our preparation for our trip!  Larry and Regina have given us great advice on property rentals (we got the house in St. Quentin through them) car rentals, how to ship boxes, get a Visa, a bank account, and a  phone!  All total essentials in this kind of a move!  Joelle, met us at the bank and spoke to the bank Representative in French for us, and assured the bank that we were not bad people!!!  As Regina says, in France, someone must vouch for you!  Anyway, we wanted to have them over to dinner, to thank them for all of their hard work!  Without them, we would never have been able to make the move as smoothly as we did!

So...those of you who know us well, know that we like to share, ...and entertaining in our home is one of the ways that we share the most!  We invest our time and effort, and try to come up with a wonderful dinner!  We invited our friends over to dinner on Sunday, at 1:00!  I think it's traditional for friends/families to gather at this time on Sundays!  It was a good deal of preparation, and a lot of fun for us!...all of us, I think we can safely say!
Here's the menu:
   To start...we went up to the terrace, on the 3rd floor that looks out clear to the town of Uzes, and the castle!  We started our get together with:
Champagne, Foie Gras with green apples as a garnish, sweet little French strawberries, and baguette toasts with olive  tapenade, creamy garlic spread, and a touch of Spanish Jambone (which we know as prosciutto)!
   Then, we came down to the dining room for:
Coquille St. Jacque
Ratatouille
Fresh white asparagus
Fresh Chinese pea pods cooked with fresh ginger
Jasmine rice with parsley and spices
  Followed by A green salad...
   And dessert, and cognac were served on the lower terrace/garden that is off the dining room.  We bought the pastries for dessert!  All Bruce's picks!  Yum!

Well...it was a big hit, and we critique our own food...and both of us have to say it was all very good!

First, I must tell you of the adventure it is to cook here....everything is in Metric measure, and although
the Internet is very helpful in interpreting the differences, YIKES!  On the plane, on the way to Paris, we had juice in a little plastic cup that was 4 Oz...and decided to take it as a measuring cup, of sorts!  (As my friend Regina says....here...you improvise! )  Well, it was a really good decision, because I have used that little measuring cup allot!

We went to the market on Friday, and I cooked a great recipe for ratatouille on Friday...it took more than an afternoon of chopping and baking!  But GREAT flavor!
We bought fresh scallops, as well, to make the Coquille, St. Jacque...and fabulous recipe with shallots, mushrooms, and a cream sauce (with a touch of cognac) that is so good, you could lick your fingers!  Well...we have never bought the entire scallop in the shell before!  Bruce opened them, and cleaned them!! ( my hero!)  and I made a scallop soup base with the broth...and went on from there!  The recipe is delicious!  It's Ina Gartnen's Recipe that can be made ahead of time!  Great for a dinner party!  We used the shells as baking dishes for the Coquille St. Jacque!  Just terrific!

Bruce was a BIG help, as usual!  He helped with the house, and with the dinner!
He is a wonderful host!
If you are interested in the recipes, I'd be glad to pass the links along!

We really enjoyed Larry, Regina, and Joelle's company!  There is far less television, and people here depend on talking and personal experiences for their entertainment!  It was a lovely day for conversation, and friendship!  We all shared our stories, and experiences, and a good time it was!

Sorry we didn't get pictures of our friends, and the dinner!  We were so engrossed in eating and entertaining, that we forgot!!!  so...
Here are some pix of the house, and the downstairs terrace!