We had some interesting adventures on the way from Derby to Massachusetts. We woke up early the day our flight was scheduled and rode in a shuttle van to the Birmingham airport. Upon reaching the desk to check in for our flight, we realized that we were missing River’s passport. We did [...]
From prehistoric Aquitaine, we headed to the coast to spend a few days relaxing on the beach. We had arranged, last minute, to rent a flat in Gruissan.
We went first to Gruissan Plage, the nearest ocean beach. The sand there was amazingly fine and soft, but the wind was so powerful that it quickly [...]
After leaving Sarlat, we went to visit a cave in Rouffignac in the Perigord district to see the prehistoric paintings. This area of France is home to some of the most interesting cave paintings in the world.
We entered the Rouffignac Cave riding on a small train. This was a fun way to see the cave, [...]
After visiting La Roque-Gageac, we spent the night in Sarlat-la-Caneda. Sarlat has a beautiful town centre, restored to be representative of 14th century France. The streets in the centre are dedictaed to pedestrian walkways, though most of them are too narrow for cars anyway.
We ate a delicious dinner and explored the streets a bit.
This is [...]
After we left Carcassone, we drove northwest past Toulouse to the Dordogne River valley. We’d heard great things about a village called La Roque-Gageac, reputed to be one of the most beautiful villages in France. As we got closer, we drove through rolling hills covered with oak forests, quite a change from the broad valley [...]
Travelling in France was a terrific experience. I found the people to be very almost universally friendly and helpful and patient with my horrendous French. Though I learned a bit in school, I’ve spent a lot more time and energy recently developing my Spanish. Frustratingly, I found myself inserting Spanish vocabulary into [...]
Last week, we went to the Lake District, a charming region in the north-western county of Cumbria. This is surely one of the most beautiful places we’ve been in England. The houses and walls of stone nestled in the rolling hills suggest a slower pace of life where the truly important things in [...]
We spent some time in London last weekend. Here we are crossing the Thames with the Eye in the background.
On the Westminster side of the Thames, we found this statue of Boudica, the queen of Britons who led an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire, and the namesake [...]
Behind the Schweitzer’s house, a network of trails lead up into the hills. We followed one up to a tower with brilliant views of the valley in which Albstadt is nestled.
I was very impressed with the way the kids played together all week. To be sure, it wasn’t always a tea party, but for [...]
Upon arising the next day, we planned an ambitious day of sightseeing. We started at the old medieval town of Meersburg. Located on the north shore of Lake Constance, Meersburg is surrounded by hillside vineyards sloping down to the water. Apparently, on a clear day you can get beautiful views of the [...]
