Living in France as a vegetarian

I've been asked how I did eating in France as a vegetarian and I found it quite a challenge. First thoughts when going to France is, "I could live on bread, cheese & wine"! Nice idea, but it gets old fast. I still love all those things, but need more. I have discovered that Pizza is a universal language - no matter where you go, they have pizza and it is spelled the same way so no doubt you know what you are getting. Consequently, I ate many marguerita pizzas. With my limited French, I do know most of the French words for meat items, plus I can say, "je suis vegetarienne". They did have fabulous farmer's markets in France and if I had the proper cooking utensils, I could have made some healthy meals. Like everything else in life, we learn as we go so I will be more prepared next time.

My Best Day in Paris!!!

O.K. You're thinking did I go to the Louvre, climb the Eiffel Tower, or fall in love with some amazing Frenchman. Hell no, I went to Roland Garros to see the French Open Tennis Tournament! This is one of those days to be remembered forever! Many many steps involved in the process - like getting an eticket & then finding an Internet cafe to print it. Then figuring out which metro trains get there & then which way to walk after leaving the train. I could only get a grounds ticket, which meant not sitting in the big three stadiums, but waiting in line for one that might have some good matches and it did! What was so cool was feeling as though I was at the United Nations and meeting people from all over this great world. Communicating & becoming friends when you can't even find a common language. There were moments when I would just pinch myself & say, "I'm at the French Open". I've been watching this tournament for years - you can ask Kim, since last year I dragged her to a bar (well I didn't really have to drag her), just to watch Nadal play Federer in the French Open! So, if you are a tennis fan, I would put this on your list of things not to miss. I would come back to Paris just to go to Roland Garros!

Paris in the springtime!

On Saturday, May 26, I arrived in Paris via train from Annecy for the final leg of my French experience. One of the best things about traveling alone is that each step along the way is a new challenge and it is fun and exciting too when you figure it out. The other great thing is that total strangers reach out to give a helping hand! I'm standing on the street in front of Gare de Lyon (train station) & a French couple heard me say something in English & the husband knows a little English so wanted to help me find my bus. They did & I was so grateful. Truly, it is all about the people you meet along the way! Each day in Paris is a new adventure - I start out with an idea of where I'd like to go and then just wander and hope I can find my way home. This will continue as long as my feet hold up. Oh what I wouldn't give for a tub of ice to stick my feet in. I'm fine as long as it stays sunny because I know I'm heading in the right direction only based on the sun. Some of the things I've noticed living in France these last two months - French people are much quieter than Americans, even on their cell phones. Also, more patient & polite. Just something to think about. The advice I was given when asking where to go in France to try to learn the language was not to go to Paris because too many English speakers here was spot on! Oh, and one last thing for today, when you come to Paris PLEASE do not go to Starbucks! There are many wonderful cafes here to get your coffee and have the French experience. One not to miss is Cafes Verlet on rue Saint-Honore, in the 2nd arrondissement - definitely worth the effort. Oooh la la! It is great fun to be in this amazing city!

Annecy encore!

Sometimes you have to leave a place to know how much you liked it. So, I left Annecy for Avignon, which I didn't like except for the charming young man at the front desk of my hotel. Then off to Aix en Provence, which does have some charm and Paul Cezanne had to be on to something! It was better than Avignon. Then off to Montpellier, which the travel books like to say has an over abundance of young people and you think, well that's Ok 'cause I like young people. Then you arrive and feel like you were dropped in the middle of the biggest college town in the world. If it hadn't been for finding the very best Italian restaurant in France, it would have been a disaster. So I had two nights in this great restaurant with two of the cutest French waiters, which made for fun evenings! Then I ended my Montpellier experience by being there as they won their very first ligue 1 futbol (soccer) championship! It was fabulous to see! But, all of this travel made me realize I needed to return to Annecy. Found lodging, caught the train & am now spending my last five days before heading to Paris, in Annecy! I was so happy to return even though it was cool & rainy when I got here. This has been wonderful and I will be working hard to figure out how to return in 2013.

Au revoir to Annecy!

Well, I'm sorry for the long lapse in updates. I lost my wifi the first week in Annecy & we couldn't get it resolved. Finally I'm back at it. Of course I am sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Avignon, since that is the only place this hotel provides wifi for their guests. We have a nice little group down here doing emails, etc. Let's go back to Annecy! I really love that town - it is quite an interesting combination of architecture from the original walled old town and now the new apartment & other developments in modern style. This is the perfect city for me with my love of the outdoors & exercise. I've been walk/running around the lake (that is figuratively). Plus just walking up & down the paths to the chateau provide a good workout. As usual, I have found my favorite local hangouts for coffee, lunch, etc. Plus I met a really lovely British couple one day at the grocery store, so I stop by for tea occasionally. Then there are these fabulous buses that make stops at all the towns around the lake, so I do that & explore some other towns, etc. Had a wonderful visit from Greg, Diane, Gavin, Dylan & Kim. It was way too short, but fun seeing them enjoy Annecy like I do. We took a boat ride around the lake, which gave us all a new perspective on everything. The boys seemed to like everything we did, especially swimming in the lake. There are so many fun differences that I notice in life here. The TV stations only come on for specific programming & then they are off. So if you watched tennis one day on channel 14, it doesn't mean that same channel will cover it the next day. And, shows along with most other things, don't run on the hour. Most begin at 20 minutes or 10 minutes before the hour. Great thing is I haven't seen a drug commercial since I've been here. All their food commercials have disclaimers at the bottom of the screen, saying to eat 5 servings of fruit & veggies a day & remember to exercise. You would think that I wrote them! The people in Annecy have been wonderful and very helpful and patient with me trying to speak French. I definitely plan to return some time in the future. But, for now my time is up and I am taking the next two weeks to see what other beautiful sights there are to see. I wasn't planning to come to Avignon, but it just worked out that way. I have been traveling all day, so will give you my take on this town in a few days. I haven't been successful in posting my Annecy photos on my blog, so they are on Facebook.

Bonsoir from France!

Well much has happened since I last updated this blog. Did some amazing hikes in the Tahoe National Forest with my cousin, Bill. Then trained across the country back to Chicago until January when I drove to Florida for the winter. It was wonderful catching up with all my old (and that means "have known a long time") friends. I took a 2-week trip to Costa Rica to visit a friend I met last summer at Omega. Funny how the journey keeps changing with each new adventure.

I returned to Chicago in time to celebrate my grandsons' birthdays (3 and 5). They are growing up so fast, which I'm sure we all realize watching our kids and grandkids.

On April 4, I flew to Paris and took the TGV train to Lyon for my first two days in France. Now I am settled in my little studio apartment in Annecy, France in the French Alps. It is a very beautiful town on Lac d'Annecy with the Alps all around. This is the realization of a dream for me to have the experience of living in France (even if only for two months). I have tried casually learning French for the past few years and now wish I had studied harder. But, that is the idea, to immerse myself in this culture & language and just figure it out.

My only TV stations are French and not many speak English here, so voila! it is up to me. My reading is getting much better. Speaking is still a big challenge for me. I will post some photos on this blog as soon as I figure out how. This is a place not to be missed! Bonne nuit!

Still traveling

After leaving New York, I spent 3-1/2 weeks in Chicago.  It was delightful to have lots of play time with my two grandsons.  They are such a joy and keep me young and age me all at the same time.

During that time I attended my 50th High School reunion, which far exceeded my expectations.  It took place in Birmingham, MI and was a weekend filled with fun activities.  The milestone year helped bring out some who had never attended a reunion before.  It really was a magical weekend and we were all having fun dancing to old music and laughing over old stories from high school. 

To continue my journey I hopped on a plane to San Francisco and continued on to northern California to visit family and friends.