Friday, Sept 4, Mike (my husband) and I leave for 3 weeks in France. I've completed 8 weeks of "adult education" in the French language. I have been insured by my two teachers that any French speaker will be able to understand me when I say, "I don't speak French; do you speak English." But since one was Lebanese and the other French Canadian I have my reservations.
We are traveling 2 of the 3 weeks with old friends from Maryland, George and Carolyn Stamps. We fly to Paris on Sept 4th, arriving around 7 am on the 5th. We leave the next morning by local train to the town of Migenes, France on the Yonne River. It is in Burgundy, the region of Chablis. We will be chartering a canal boat until Sept 16, dropping it off in the village of Chatel Censoir down the Yonne river and Nivernais Canal. George and Carolyn will head back to Paris but we are renting a car and driving to Provence. We will spend the first night in the nearby village of Chablis checking out a few "caves" (wine tasting rooms). Then on the Provence, with a mid day stop in Lyon. We will be based in Avignon until Tuesday, Sept 22 when we take the high speed train, the TGV, back to Paris. Half a day more to see something in Paris before we fly home on Wed morning, Sept 23rd. Both days in Paris we will be staying at the Hotel Montpensier, just a block and half from the Louvre.
We have a million things to do. Mike is dealing with the yard and house prep. Fortunately he has finished working on a client's boat that has consumed much of his time. I have a show hanging at local art center that needs to come down the day before we leave and one of the paintings has to be sent to the Kentucky Watercolor Society for their annual exhibit that same day. I was just asked to do a demo at the Florida Watercolor Society Trade Show two days after we return. It's one of those where you need 3 versions in different stages, plus the finished painting. All that has to be done before we go.
We are traveling 2 of the 3 weeks with old friends from Maryland, George and Carolyn Stamps. We fly to Paris on Sept 4th, arriving around 7 am on the 5th. We leave the next morning by local train to the town of Migenes, France on the Yonne River. It is in Burgundy, the region of Chablis. We will be chartering a canal boat until Sept 16, dropping it off in the village of Chatel Censoir down the Yonne river and Nivernais Canal. George and Carolyn will head back to Paris but we are renting a car and driving to Provence. We will spend the first night in the nearby village of Chablis checking out a few "caves" (wine tasting rooms). Then on the Provence, with a mid day stop in Lyon. We will be based in Avignon until Tuesday, Sept 22 when we take the high speed train, the TGV, back to Paris. Half a day more to see something in Paris before we fly home on Wed morning, Sept 23rd. Both days in Paris we will be staying at the Hotel Montpensier, just a block and half from the Louvre.
We have a million things to do. Mike is dealing with the yard and house prep. Fortunately he has finished working on a client's boat that has consumed much of his time. I have a show hanging at local art center that needs to come down the day before we leave and one of the paintings has to be sent to the Kentucky Watercolor Society for their annual exhibit that same day. I was just asked to do a demo at the Florida Watercolor Society Trade Show two days after we return. It's one of those where you need 3 versions in different stages, plus the finished painting. All that has to be done before we go.
