Author Archives: lx

Vacation Part 2: Spain

For the remaining days of our vacation, we set our sights on a trajectory that started in Bilbao and ended in Madrid (with a midway stop in Burgos). This way we’d get to visit the Basque Country capital city and discover one of its main attractions, the renown Guggenheim Museum (designed by Frank Gehry –Continue reading “Vacation Part 2: Spain”

Vacation Part 1: Going West (in France)

With two weeks of vacation we decided to spend our first week in France and meet up with friends as we made our way from the Var towards Bordeaux and what would ultimately be Spain. We caught up with friends in The Occitanie province which is known for its ancient Roman past, notable cities (amongContinue reading “Vacation Part 1: Going West (in France)”

1 Year Later: Our Provençal Year, Revisited

Returning to France just about a year after our experience of living there concluded, was something we looked forward to quite a bit. The anticipation grew stronger in the final weeks leading up to our departure and although a year may seem like a long time, it went by fairly rapidly. The girls were veryContinue reading “1 Year Later: Our Provençal Year, Revisited”

Closing Out Our Adventure (in Paris)

A year in France would not have been complete without a visit to Paris, the capital city that tends to leave indelible impressions on its visitors. Although Our Provençal Year did commence with a flight to Paris (just about a year ago), we had decided to skip visiting the city and start making our wayContinue reading “Closing Out Our Adventure (in Paris)”

Île de Porquerolles (or as friends call it, isle de pork-roll)

I’ll never forget the first time I had heard about île de Porquerolles from our friends Laetitia and Loïc. It was in 2011 while Brigitte and I were on a tour around the world and spent a few weeks in the south of France. Looking for cool ideas of places to see, L & LContinue reading “Île de Porquerolles (or as friends call it, isle de pork-roll)”

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Our Provençal Weekend – Part 2

The new day brought on new ambitions and we started our morning heading out to the town of Roussillon, to check out its unusual Sentier des Ocres (or Ochre Trail). Unlike the images that come to mind when dreaming of Provence, this area around Roussillon is particularly curious in its geological composition. Iron oxide isContinue reading “Our Provençal Weekend – Part 2”

Our Provençal Weekend – Part 1

My mother came to visit us last Fall and, before returning to the US, asked if she could visit again early summer. She was already planning her next France trip, making up for lost time and travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Provence had always been a highlight for her serving as the backdrop and destinationContinue reading “Our Provençal Weekend – Part 1”