Family Visits in Arles and Marseille

We reconnected with several parts of Carl’s family: some in Arles and some in Marseille. I will leave it to Carl to fill in the details about all these wonderful relatives. But in summary, we were welcomed so warmly by all of the family groups and had some lovely visits, meals, and local experiences with them.

Ochre Everywhere

Despite an ample supply of fellow tourists in the town of Rousillon, we had an amazing time on the beautifully maintained trails around the village to explore it’s reserves of ochre in the soil, which was mined for its pigment. We felt as if we were somewhere in the American Southwest, and the kids were very hands-on in discovering all the different hues in the earth, from bright yellow to deep reddish sienna to even a blue-ish tint. There was quite a bit of clean up involved afterward, and Willa will have yellow underwear as a souvenir.

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Impossibly pretty Provence

From Avignon, we explored some of the lovely little towns that dot the hills in Provence. Our favorite experience was in Rousillon, which deserves a post all of its own. Pictured here are Gordes, where we stopped briefly for the views and in Willa’s case, the wild blackberries lining some of the hillside. We also went to Menerbes to see the Dora Maar House Residency, where an artist I know from my first years in NY is currently in residence. Picasso bought the house for Dora Maar before subsequently leaving her, as he was wont to do. The house is saturated with the history, art, and furnishings of that era and has a gorgeous garden.

A visit to Arles

We went to Arles to visit Carl’s cousin Isabelle, who he hasn’t seen since he was 18, along with her husband and two daughters, and her mother Odette. We had a great time at their place for dinner. It meant a lot to Isabelle that we were able to reconnect, and the feeling was mutual. Willa and her daughter Nino became fast friends, communicating through a shared love of toys, dressing up, pretend picnics, and Nino’s special make up kit. Lex employed Google Translate to communicate better with Lucy. Check out his major blush when I went inside to take a photo of them.

Occitane>>Provence

We took a quick dip in the Mediterranean at Marseillan before a late afternoon stop in Nimes to see the collusseum, then on by later night to Avignon to settle in for a few days. The very well-preserved colluseum was impressive to some among us.

The next day, we ventured out to experience the massive Palace of Popes in Avignon. Willa’s voluminous, persistent, and histrionic protestations reached a pinnacle and we reversed course after exploring the perimeter. After a rest, we changed tactics and visited a huge and pristine outdoor pool on the other side of the river, which restored the equilibrium for all.

Carcassonne!

We spent the day exploring this incredibly preserved Medieval walled city, both the newer parts and the old streets, the castle and walls, and strange but entertaining recreated jousting tournament. Tomorrow we head East into Provence!

Mountain time

It has been really nice to be settled in one spot for a while, exploring these mist enshrouded mountains dotted with tiny stone villages. We went on a number of beautiful hikes, a sweet ‘pedagogical’ animal farm in our village of Salechan, hung out with the other guests and the hosts of the Inn, and kids played in a ropes course just a few minutes away. We have also been (over)fed extremely well, with elaborate multi course dinners as well as ample breakfasts. Jasper will also be quick to point out there are many lizards around, which might be the highlight of his time here.

Tomorrow we head for Carcassonne.

The wonders of the Pyrenees

We’re having a wonderful time here. The inn where we are staying is lovely. It’s run by a British family, and they serve delicious and ample dinners and breakfasts every day. Our first day, we spent time exploring nearby Saint Bertrand de Comminges, a medieval walled village perched spectacularly on a hillside. There are Roman ruins to be explored, as it was the site of a rather large Roman colony. It has a beautiful Romanesque cloister and cathedral, and it is also a stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The kids enjoyed exploring the quiet streets and the plethora of snails.

In the afternoon, we were lucky to visit the Grottes de Gargas, It contains remnants of paleolithic carvings, paintings, and more hand prints than anywhere else (more than 200), dating from 28,000-22,000 years ago. The caves themselves are captivating, and all of us were fascinated to be in the presence of the paintings.

Yesterday, we took a trip to Lac de Genos-Loudenville. To get there, we drove over some very high peaks that were part of the stages of the Tour de France. Many bikers were braving the ascents, which looked impossibly challenging. The lake town was a paradise of diversions in a sparkling, beautiful setting. The kids adored soaring on assisted trampolines and donning wetsuits to scramble through a floating playground on the lake. In the afternoon, the boys and Carl joined Russell, our Inn’s proprietor, and his 3 sons, to play a game of paintball on a course in town, while Willa and I floated through the pools of a thermal spa facility across the street.

We have a couple more days in the area for hiking and other outdoor activities before heading to Carcassonne.

A zig through Bordeaux and a zag into the Pyrenees

There was a ton of squabbling, whining, and grumpiness on our two very long car rides in the last couple of days, particularly the one from the Loire through to Bordeaux, which was lenghtened several hours due to traffic. We made it to our charming, orderly, and tiny cottage for the night and fit in an evening dinner and morning city excursion with Carl’s Carnegie colleague Noelle, along with her husband and daughter Alice.

Bordeaux is quite spectacular and grand, and we had a nice little tour of it by mini electric train. There also is a very fun antique carousel in the center of town which Willa and Alice enjoyed very much.

Now we are settled into the inn where we are staying, which is really a rehabbed Chateau in a tiny town nestled into the mountains. The place is run by a British family and we are sure to be spoiled by their delicious dinners prepared in-house. Despite the fact that this place has a pool, the presence of 3 bunnies and a guinea pig is even more exciting to Willa, which is saying a lot. So long as the weather holds out, this area offers incredible opportunities for outdoor adventures. This is our longest stop on our road trip, coming none too soon as we are all a little sick of the constant relocations.

Castles, bikes, canoes, and Leonardo...but mostly the pool

Willa barely survived our trip to see the Chateau du Clos Luce, which boasts Leonardo’s final residence, recreations of his rooms, and exhibits about his endless inventions. Granted, it was pretty hot and sunny. But also, the idyllic pool at our Gite has been the only place Willa is really interested in spending time.

We’ve been staying at a converted carriage house on a small farm surrounded by vineyards. There are a couple of big shepherd dogs, a couple horses, and some chickens around. The family lent us bikes from which we could explore the wooded paths that lead to Amboise, Chenanceau, and surroundings. The boys and I also took a canoe trip right underneath the castle, which was a great time. We all agree that Chenanceau is the prettiest of all.

Chambord is Bananas

We all agreed that Chambord is so over-the-top it’s kinda great. We especially enjoyed exploring the never ending turrets on the rooftop, and the double helix stairwell in the middle, supposedly influenced by the late Leonardo. Francois I built the thing over the course of his entire reign of 30 years, yet only spent a total of 42 days there. Bananas.

We arrived in the tiny town of Dierre this evening at an AirBnB that is out of a fairy tale. We’re staying in a small stone carriage house next to the farmhouse of our hosts, who have a small farm here. There are a couple of beautiful horses, some chickens, a pair of fluffy shepherd dogs, and vineyards. Much to Willa’s delight, there is also a small pool. We’ll be exploring the area the next couple of days by bike and by boat.

Muzy and surrounds

We spent several relaxed days in the tiny town of Muzy at the country house of Carl’s cousin Stephane, and his wife Eve. Carl became close to Stephane decades ago when first visiting France as a young man, and we’ve stayed close over the years, attending their wedding during our own honeymoon, visiting them in Paris, in the States where they lived for a time, and hosting their younger son Anatole for visits during some recent summers.

On the way out of Paris we visited a Chateau that is also a zoo, where we spent a delightful if hot afternoon. In Muzy we spent lazy evenings eating late dinner outside by their pool while light remained in the sky until well past 10. We also went on a trip to Chartres with Eve, Anatole, and two of his friends. We feel lucky to have a connection to this part of Carl’s family, and for their amazing hospitality.

Paris mostly for Parisians

We had a relaxed, unhurried time as you can have with three jet-lagged kids in Paris. The kids ate their weight in pastry, and we enjoyed several visits to the charming open market in Bastille, where we were staying. Paris is not yet again flooded with tourists, leaving the place alive with locals, yet also much quieter than we have ever seen. We had successful visits to both the D’Orsay and the Louvre. The kids hunted for the paintings represented in the postcards we had them pick out first, and all of them found works they felt connected to and interested in. Other highlights of our four days included haircuts for the kids in a little salon, a walk on the Coulee Verte (the original Highline), a stop at Deyrolle — an incredible shop full of antiquated taxidermy, several visits with Carl’s family, and many trips to the local playgrounds, where Willa quickly befriended other little girls no matter their origin or langauge.

We took off Sunday the 18th to Carl’s cousin Stephane’s country home in Muzy, an hour West of Paris in the Norman countryside.