I Miss Andy Already!

     The saying is true:  "Time flies when you're having fun!".  As I write this, Andy's plane is just passing the coastline of Newfoundland and he still has about 4 hours to go before landing in Denver.  Did you know you can track the path and progress of any flight?  Hélène told me about it and so I decided to do that!  It's pretty cool.  But I miss Andy!!!

Me with Andy (and CoCo) before leaving for Toulouse on Sunday

     I picked him up at the Toulouse airport a 4:30pm last Sunday.  And thus began a week of wonderful adventures which I shall share with you on this blog post.
Monday:  Carcassonne!  It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the cottage on a cold winter's day in the middle of January!  We got there just in time to have lunch - a large hot bowl of cassoulet!  yum!!  The dish is made with white beans, herbs, duck and sausage and is cooked for hours so that all the flavors meld and greet you with a wonderful aroma as well as taste.  And then we wandered the double walled city that dates back to the 800s!  Here are some photos of that visit.

A view of the outer wall from what used to be the drawbridge

Between the two walls

A tiny medieval street

Andy being Andy (there was quite a drop off on the other side!)

Inside the ancient basilica

Joan of Arc appears in most French churches

The basilica inside the walls of Carcassonne

 Tuesday:  We visited some sights closer to home.  The 13th century Chateau de Gramont, the cathedral in Condom and the medieval square in Eauze.  Still a really cold day, but sunny.

The detailed stone work of the choir in the Condom's cathedral

The Condom cathedral

The organ loft of the Condom cathedral

The nave of the Condom cathedral

The 13th century Chateau de Gramont

The beautifully trimmed trees in the smaller garden of the Chateau

The larger courtyard area at the chateau

Wednesday: Biarritz!  Andy and I have been here during the summer when it is super crowded and very warm.  Today was a completely different experience.  Wintry cold with white caps on the Atlantic.  But it still has an amazing beauty about it!

On the beach at Biarritz

A great photo - Andy and the Atlantic

White caps rolling in

Waves and the lighthouse

An impressive coastline here

The port and the cathedral in Biarritz

Andy being Andy - climbed over a locked gate to stand here for a photo

Thursday:  Drove to see the Pyrenees near Argeles-Gazost.  These mountains are so impressive.  Very different from the Rockies, but they certainly have their own beauty.

Snow-capped peaks!

The Donjon des Aigles (Eagle Towers).  Unfortunately they were closed

If you look closely you can see the peak further back and to the left

Friday:  Drove a different way into the Pyrenees and through the tunnel that connects France and Spain.  Lots of snow everwhere!  They had received about 8 inches earlier in the week.  If it hadn't warmed up and melted some we would not have been able to travel this road.  Really impressive to see the mountains up close!  We loved it!

A rocky cliff on the French side of the mountain range

We stopped just before entering the tunnel that goes through the mountain to Spain

One of my favorite photos - the mountains, the sky, and Andy!

The tunnel to Spain

On the Spanish side - we had lunch and did some shopping

Saturday:  We stayed closer to home and visited the lake at Marciac, the tiny villages of Montesquiou, and Bassoues.  And we explored some towers and ruins that we could see on the sides of high hills.  A fun day!

The medieval tower at Bassoues

The lake at Marciac

Exploring the hills

The ancient ruined towers of Monlezun - a casualty of the Hundred Years War

One of dozens of tiny country roads that I have been on

The privately owned castle of Monclar

Another view of the Monclar

And then all of a sudden it was Sunday again!  We spent the morning at the cottage and then around 3 we left to drive to Toulouse where we spent last night.  Andy's flight was at 7:35 this morning so we stayed at the Holiday Inn right by the airport.  We were there by 5:20am and I waited until he was all checked in and left me with a hug before he walked through security.  He sent me a text when he got to London and will let me know when he lands in Denver at 2:30pm Colorado time (10:30pm my time).
     And now I get ready for Jay and Barb Matheson's visit this weekend!  I'll be happy to show them all around the bends in my little corner of France.  Thank you for coming along with us!  Merci!

Andy is Coming! Andy is Coming!

     Did I tell you that Andy is coming? 😃  In fact this time next week we should be back from the airport in Toulouse and enjoying Andy's first supper at the cottage.  What are we having, you ask?  I think we'll have an appetizer of paté on pain d'épice, Boeuf Bourgignon over noodles, assorted cheeses and I'm still deciding on dessert.
     I have fixed a number of main dishes in my slow cooker and then froze them so that it will make it easier and quicker while we're out sightseeing all day long.  We can eat lunch while we're out and then come home to home-cooked meals.  Most are French recipes, but I have a few American dinners planned as well.  We won't go hungry!
     I'm a little worried about the weather.  It has finally turned winter!  Cold temps, heavy frost, and there's snow and freezing rain in the forecast for Andy's visit.  But, just like Colorado, the forecasts seem to change daily, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that Mother Nature will be kind.
     Everything Andy and I want to do means being outside, walking through medieval villages and stone fortresses and a trip to the mountains as well as the Atlantic.  So, I'll just keep on checking that forecast and hope the front moves in another direction.  Here are some photos I took this week of the early morning frost.  So pretty, as long as you don't have to be out in it.

My view from the porch - lovely frosted trees

Frost on the lavender plant

Connecting frost crystals

Spikes of frost

     As I prepare for Andy's visit I have been making my lists and revising them as I think of other things to add or delete.  Here's what they look like at this time.

     And, on Friday I have to make a trip to Toulouse (2 days before I go to the airport to pick up Andy - it's an hour and a half drive one way) to the French Immigration Office.  I finally - after sending in the paperwork in September - got a letter from them stating that I have an appointment at 1:30pm on Friday.  The visit will include a medical exam and paying them 250 euros for the privilege of living in their country!  So I have lists for that visit also.  Hope I don't get them mixed up! ha!
     I hope your new year has begun well.  There's always a hope at the beginning of a year - for new adventures, new experiences, better health, better relationships, etc.  I wish that for all of you.  And I shall leave you with a word I found on facebook.  It's apparently an Old English slang word - coddiwomple.  It means "to travel purposefully toward an as-yet-unknown destination."  That's my wish for myself!  In fact I seem to do that a lot here. 😃
     I will not write a blog post while Andy's here, but promise to fill you in all our adventures once he's back in the US.  And before my next visitors appear - Jay and Barb Matheson are coming sometime the week of the 23rd!  Let the new year begin!  And thank you for joining me on my coddiwompling adventures.  Merci!

Thinking Back, Planning Ahead

     Yesterday I went through last year's (that seems odd to say!) day planner in order to transfer all the birthdays and anniversaries into my 2017 day planner.  I always enjoy that task - reading all the lists of things that happened daily throughout the year as I search for birthdays, etc.  Wow!  I was really busy last year!  It exhausted me to read about all the painting, staining, floor refinishing, etc that I did in order to get my house ready to sell.
     It also was a reminder of everything I went through to get ready for my move to France.  I had to go to LA to get my visa, I went to Albuquerque to be interviewed for my Global Pass.  I had to get shots and microchip for CoCo and then go to Denver to the USDA department for her "passport" to enter France. And have all of her paperwork filled out in French and English.  The last few months leading up to the move was really hectic!
     But I also enjoyed reading about all the dinners and lunches and visits with Cindy and trip to Delaware for Darra and Gary's wedding.  And the trip with Renae to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando!  (I'm ready to go again!)  And all the movies with Beth and the fun times with Andy.  All in all it was an amazing year for me.
     And here I am, in my little corner of France celebrating the beginning of a new year.  I feel like I'm living a charmed life.  And I am so very grateful (as I tell you often, but I really do mean it!) that so many of you take the time to let me know that you're thinking of me and following this path on which I am traveling.
     In looking ahead I am thrilled that Andy will be here in less than two weeks and then Beth will be here in about six weeks.  That is what I'm planning for now.  I have my lists started and add to and adjust them daily!  Andy will only be here for eight days so I'm trying to decide what places will be the most fun for us to visit together.  I also have a list of meals which I have begun preparing and freezing so I don't have to be cooking while he's here as we want to be out and about as much as the weather allows.
     So far on my list of places to visit are Carcassonne, Biarritz (both are just a couple of hours from me), the mountain towns of Pau, Lourdes and Argeles-Gazost.  Nearby sights such as Condom, Eauze, Montesquiou and Fources.  He has seen many of the local medieval and Roman sights as he and I were in this area two years ago and tried to see the most important places.  But many are worth a second visit.  We will run out of time long before we run out of places to see.
     As it gets closer to Beth's visit I'll share with you what I have planned for the two of us to see.  I do have plans for March, but will share those with you as we get closer to that month.  Springtime is my favorite time of year and I'm already looking forward to seeing the return of warmth and new growth.
     I'll end this post with some photos of what Andy and I may be seeing when he's here from January 15 - 23.  And as always I thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for joining me on this journey that has brought me to this lovely corner of France in 2017!  Merci!!

Andy with me in Tuscany - September 2015

The Musketeer statue outside the Cathedral in Condom

Fources

The medieval square in Eauze

The medieval gateway into Montesquiou

The waves at Biarritz

The amazing double-walled city of Carassonne