Hello to dear friends and family –
We are so entirely happy with our new home and our “proprietors,” Monique & Dominiqe, & mother Simone. Here’s Ken with Monique & Dominique in front of the little gallery & theatre, Le Ruban Vert, on the street floor of our building, where Simone, in the gallery, signed her novels for an appreciative crowd.
- Ken, Monique & Dominique
This month has been a time of settling in, feeling our attachments grow and deepen, and making plans and travels from the perspective of being residents of France. We’re no longer just passing through, or just arrived. We actually live here. OMG.
That hit home hard when we made a quick trip to Barcelona, Spain to spend a brief time with dear friends Jeanie and Andy who flew in from San Luis Obispo to meet a cruise ship bound for Greece and Italy. We hopped in our car in Aix, traveled across the Camargue, through Arles and Nimes, past Montpellier and Perpignan to find our way to an outstanding B&B in the heart of Barcelona. And it was only five hours door-to-door. Fortunately we arrived on a Saturday afternoon when the streets were quiet, everyone taking a siesta, and we could walk and enjoy the marvelous architecture everywhere. We had been in Barcelona a few years before on a chilly Christmas Eve, but this day was warm and welcoming.
- our room
Here’s our lovely room in the B&B “La Belle Epoque 1904.” Amusingly, as we entered the building, the brass sign on a huge wooden door facing us listed a well-known Traumatologist – What a coincidence!
- Jeanie & Andy
We spent a wonderful evening with Jeanie and Andy, and the next day we drove about 40kmwest to Montserrat, a monestary situated high on a rocky promontory, where we heard the famous boy’s choir sing briefly. Ken was able to capture a moment of the music, but it’s difficult to transmit here.
The ride to the monestary is by tram/train or telepherique/cable car. Either option is not for the faint-of-heart or those with vertigo!
Because we feel so at home now, Karen at school studying french and Ken exploring a new world in France and neighboring countries we are content to pursue our interests freely.
This week Ken took off for a five-day trip to explore the Swiss Alps and surrounding areas. Hopefully he will soon add some more pictures here, but for now I’ll sign off with a stunning view of the Mont Blanc cable car as it ascends. Ken was soon in it, going to the top for a little hike ! He came home safely and SweetPea and I were happy to have our family together again.
- Chamonix cable car
