“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince Our time in Lyon was a tale of two parts. We arrived in France’s third largest city by train from … Read More
“Dreams and restless thoughts came flowing to him from the river, from the twinkling stars at night, from the sun’s melting rays.” ~Herman Hesse, Siddhartha Cruising the Rhône was a time of catching moments. An early morning sail-in to Arles, when the river was so still you could almost hear the quiet. A late evening … Read More
“‘Look at those vines,’ he said. ‘Nature is wearing her prettiest clothes.’” ~Peter Mayle, A Year in Provence I couldn’t take my eyes off the hillsides as the ms Emerald sailed into Tain-l’Hermitage. Rows of terraced vines dotted the landscape, cascading at such steep angles they appeared to almost plunge into the river. The scenery had clearly … Read More
The good weather gods were taking a day off, disappearing into a vapor trail of misty rain as we traveled through the Luberon region of France. Herb and I were headed with our group to the village of Roussillon, known for its rich green forests, purple lavender fields and ochre-colored cliffs. The view from my … Read More
“Sur le Pont d’Avignon L’on y danse, l’on y danse Sur le Pont d’Avignon L’on y danse tous en rond.” ~French Nursery Rhyme, 15th century It was the first song I learned in high school French class. The simple, repetitive verse about dancing on the bridge at Avignon was easy to pronounce even before I … Read More
“Starry, starry night Flaming flowers that brightly blaze Swirling clouds in violet haze Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue.” ~Don McLean, Vincent I’m fairly certain that my love for irises began with Vincent van Gogh. I remember being dazzled by a photo of one of his famous Irises paintings in junior high school art class, … Read More
When my friend Bob returned from a Rhône River cruise a few years ago, he’d raved about a tour guide named Francis in the village of Viviers. Not only was she a terrific guide, Bob had written in his review, but she had even invited his group into her home. I revisited Bob’s suggestion while … Read More
“You pronounce it waah, like a baby crying,” our guide Amandine was explaining about Oingt, the village our group would be visiting in the heart of France’s Beaujolais wine region. We were driving about an hour north of Lyon, along scenic country roads that twist through vine-covered hills, passing golden stone buildings and fields of … Read More
“The landscape changes, the people change, our needs change, but the train keeps moving. Life is the train, not the station.” ~Paulo Coelho We must have spent an hour at Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, trying to decide on a packable lunch for our train trip from Paris to Lyon. Each booth seemed more tempting than the … Read More
Only five tickets remained when I booked our “Mysteries of the Palais Garnier” tour six weeks before we traveled to Paris. The 5 p.m. time slot would work well with our itinerary, I thought, but truth be told, it was the word mysteries that really captured my attention: Discover all the secrets of the Paris Opera … Read More