It's hard for us to stay at home, especially that we now have our own little home in Bonnieux that we really enjoy. I'm on the faculty of our state university (a nine-month role), so although I do have long breaks, don't have totally flexibility about the timing of our time in Europe. As many know, we spend much of my long summer break leading our small group tours in Provence and other places.
Anyway, we're looking forward to our next trip to France, now less than eight weeks away. Charley and I will fly over on December 4, arrive on December 5. (My classes will be over, but I'll finish my grading and administrative work in France.) From CDG airport, we'll take the TGV to Lyon and will arrive there in the late morning. We'll be in Lyon overnight on Friday and then will take the TGV one hour south to Avignon late Friday afternoon. Our airline, trains, and hotel are all booked.
I'm looking forward to our two days/one night in Lyon. I've just been to Lyon once, for three nights, and with our daughter Kelly... not Charley. I loved it and have really wanted him to see it too. Two days is not enough, BUT we will be there for the first night of the Fête des Lumières, a big festival of lights that takes over the city for four nights each year the first weekend of December. There are over 70 lighting installations around the city. So we'll check it out, enjoy a few great meals, and maybe this will be an annual event for us. I booked our hotel about a month ago, and there weren't many rooms available in the historic center still available. (In the future I will definitely book earlier.)
We'll be in Bonnieux from December 6 until December 16, the first six nights on our own. Charley and I will take a week of private French lessons (three hours each morning) at the Language in Provence school in St. Saturnin-les-Apt, a neighboring village. We did this last December, and it was a great experience for us and a good way to get ourselves up and going and doing something meaningful. The rest of each day we'll visit with friends, enjoy good meals, work on projects at our place, go on a hike if the weather is good, do some shopping... and I guess grade papers. Our daughter Kelly will arrive by train from Paris on Friday evening. She's going to spend a few days in Paris on her own before coming down. (Last fall she spent her school term in Paris on a study-abroad program through her university.)
Friends from Knoxville (one of my best friends and her daughter who have traveled with us before) will join us on Sunday, December 14. My friend visited with us when we lived in Provence, but this is her daughter's first time. We've rented a friend's little house in the village for them.
Our big adventure-- all five of us-- will be a six day/five night trip to Morocco, December 16-21. It's just two hours direct flight from Marseille to Marrakesh on Air France. We'll leave in the morning on Tuesday and fly back in the late afternoon on Sunday. I've been working with a small travel company Journey Beyond Travel, owned by an American man who first went to Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer. He's put together a custom, private trip for us (guide/drivers, accommodations, activities). We'll have two nights in Marrakesh, two nights in the Atlas mountains (including some hiking), and one night in Essaouira on the coast. This is just intended to be a "taste" of Morocco as a Christmas present to ourselves, and then we can go back another time for a longer stay. The four women in our group all went to Turkey together three years ago and I feel sure we will like it... but the "taste" may be enough for Charley.
Then we'll go back to our place Bonnieux for six nights, including Christmas, flying back to the USA on December 27. I love Christmas in Provence... not as commercial as the US and with special festivals and markets to enjoy. The season is mostly about family, friends, traditions, and good food. We'll put up a little tree and we have a Christmas crèche with santons. We'll try to observe some of the traditions and of course enjoy all the wonderful food.
So that's what we're planning... the major pieces are in place and other than a few dinner reservations, we'll just let the rest evolve. This will be our 5th December in Provence and we really do like being there then.
Kathy
Anyway, we're looking forward to our next trip to France, now less than eight weeks away. Charley and I will fly over on December 4, arrive on December 5. (My classes will be over, but I'll finish my grading and administrative work in France.) From CDG airport, we'll take the TGV to Lyon and will arrive there in the late morning. We'll be in Lyon overnight on Friday and then will take the TGV one hour south to Avignon late Friday afternoon. Our airline, trains, and hotel are all booked.
I'm looking forward to our two days/one night in Lyon. I've just been to Lyon once, for three nights, and with our daughter Kelly... not Charley. I loved it and have really wanted him to see it too. Two days is not enough, BUT we will be there for the first night of the Fête des Lumières, a big festival of lights that takes over the city for four nights each year the first weekend of December. There are over 70 lighting installations around the city. So we'll check it out, enjoy a few great meals, and maybe this will be an annual event for us. I booked our hotel about a month ago, and there weren't many rooms available in the historic center still available. (In the future I will definitely book earlier.)
We'll be in Bonnieux from December 6 until December 16, the first six nights on our own. Charley and I will take a week of private French lessons (three hours each morning) at the Language in Provence school in St. Saturnin-les-Apt, a neighboring village. We did this last December, and it was a great experience for us and a good way to get ourselves up and going and doing something meaningful. The rest of each day we'll visit with friends, enjoy good meals, work on projects at our place, go on a hike if the weather is good, do some shopping... and I guess grade papers. Our daughter Kelly will arrive by train from Paris on Friday evening. She's going to spend a few days in Paris on her own before coming down. (Last fall she spent her school term in Paris on a study-abroad program through her university.)
Friends from Knoxville (one of my best friends and her daughter who have traveled with us before) will join us on Sunday, December 14. My friend visited with us when we lived in Provence, but this is her daughter's first time. We've rented a friend's little house in the village for them.
Our big adventure-- all five of us-- will be a six day/five night trip to Morocco, December 16-21. It's just two hours direct flight from Marseille to Marrakesh on Air France. We'll leave in the morning on Tuesday and fly back in the late afternoon on Sunday. I've been working with a small travel company Journey Beyond Travel, owned by an American man who first went to Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer. He's put together a custom, private trip for us (guide/drivers, accommodations, activities). We'll have two nights in Marrakesh, two nights in the Atlas mountains (including some hiking), and one night in Essaouira on the coast. This is just intended to be a "taste" of Morocco as a Christmas present to ourselves, and then we can go back another time for a longer stay. The four women in our group all went to Turkey together three years ago and I feel sure we will like it... but the "taste" may be enough for Charley.
Then we'll go back to our place Bonnieux for six nights, including Christmas, flying back to the USA on December 27. I love Christmas in Provence... not as commercial as the US and with special festivals and markets to enjoy. The season is mostly about family, friends, traditions, and good food. We'll put up a little tree and we have a Christmas crèche with santons. We'll try to observe some of the traditions and of course enjoy all the wonderful food.
So that's what we're planning... the major pieces are in place and other than a few dinner reservations, we'll just let the rest evolve. This will be our 5th December in Provence and we really do like being there then.
Kathy
