Postcards from Europe, #4

Carcassonne is not too far from Montpellier, and I do wonder what it looks like now compared to a few decades ago, when I visited it with my group of study-abroad students from UNC. I remember that we had a picnic and did not eat at a restaurant, but we did drink wine. I also recall that my fear of heights kicked in as we toured it.

While Mademoiselle was touring Carcassonne, I was appearing at the Decatur Book Festival. She’s been such a great cheerleader for me this fall, as I go here and there to book signings and festival/writers’ conference panels! Something I never dreamed I’d ever do the day I spent in Carcassonne.

“Bonjour!

On Sunday we visited Carcassonne, a medieval fortress that has been completely restored and maintained in its original state. For lunch we went to this fantastic restaurant where we had cassoulet, a specialty of the Languedoc region, and plenty of wine (of course). After, we toured the castle and the cathedral and visited all of the touristy shops! So glad you had fun at the Decatur Book Festival!

Love,

Mademoiselle

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November 13, 2015 0

Postcards from Europe, #3

This carte postale is hands down my favorite one so far. Nîmes is a town right next to Montpellier, and when I was the age of Mademoiselle, my coloc (roommate, and apartment mate) and I visited it one day toward the end of our year in France. However (and don’t tell Mademoiselle this), to get there, we “fait du stop” (hitch-hiked). But that’s another story.

We saw the Arena (L’Arène) too, but we didn’t get to tour it. I’m sure we looked in the guidebook before we went, but we didn’t see as much as Mademoiselle and her friends saw. Wish we had!

“Bonjour!

We went on our first solo trip to Nîmes for the day, “une ville avec un accent,” and saw almost all of the sights on the other side of the card! La Tour Magne, Le Temple de Diane, La Maison Carrée, L’Arène, Le Jardin de la Fontaine, and the Cathédrale St-Castor. Nîmes is a beautiful small town with fantastic Roman architecture (apparently it was the largest city in Gaul/France during the Roman Empire). We did not get to see the Pont du Gard (bottom right) but it was such a fun trip! Hope all is well!

Love,

Mademoiselle

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November 10, 2015 0

Pizza and a Movie: A Royal Affair

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Anchovies
Poblano Peppers
Spinach

Movie:

A Royal Affair*

*You’ll notice the movie this time wasn’t one currently out in the theaters. That’s because my husband and I had planned to go see The Martian (and still do), but because it was playing at 7:00 – a bit early for us, after going down to the Corner Pizza first – we decided to go home instead, and watch A Royal Affair on Netflix.

I had seen it before, one time when he was out of town, but I love movies about any kind of royalty (and the affair part makes it juicy). Both my husband and I like foreign films, and since our daughter (who’s studying in France) recently visited Copenhagen (and saw the Amalienborg Palace), we thought it would be interesting.

It was.

The movie came out in 2012, and it’s based on a true story. The actress who portrays Caroline Mathilde, Alicia Vikander, starred in Man from Uncle (U.N.C.L.E.) this year, and she did a great job. Turns out, royalty has problems, too.

The pizza we chose was three shades of green (sort of). At my insistance, my husband picked all the toppings, and these are what he chose.

I guess he was in a salty, spicy, and healthy mood.

November 9, 2015 0

List Post: novembre 2015

After a very busy October, it’s time for vacances (vacation)!

Soon I’ll be visiting a dear friend (and my college roommate in France), who lives in Sarasota, Florida. I hear it’s still very warm there…
Shortly after, Thanksgiving will be here. My son who lives in New York will be home for the holiday!
Book news: I’ve begun writing Book 5, another suspense novel set in Atlanta. This time, I already have a great title.
Two more trips are coming up in December, but in between, I’ll be writing.

November 7, 2015

Postcards from Europe, #2

With the exception of Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Carcassonne, France, all of Mademoiselle’s many travel destinations so far have been different from mine when I spent a year abroad in France. Her first excursion was to Collioure.

Mademoiselle and I have similar tastes in art, and she is much more knowledgeable than me about history. And we both adore the beach!

Quelle jolie carte postale, n’est-ce pas?

“Bonjour!

This is from our excursion to Collioure, a medieval port town that’s known for its art scene. Apparently painters like Picasso and Matisse lived there at one point and painted the scenery. Also visited the castle that was once controlled by the Visigoths, the Spanish, and the Huguenots at some point or other, and then laid on the beach (far right).

Love you,

Mademoiselle

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November 6, 2015 0

Postcards from Europe, #1

My daughter (I’ll call her Mademoiselle, but if you’ve read ALL THE ABOVE, you know her name), is a junior in college, and is spending this semester studying in the south of France. She’s living in the same city I did (Montpellier), when I did the same (as a student at the same university*) for a year. Like me, she’s somewhat of a chronicler, and since August, she’s been sending me postcards (cartes postales) via la poste (snail mail).

Just as I’ve been doing with “Pizza and a Movie” posts, and as I’m starting to do with “Wine with Wendy on Wednesdays,” I’m going to do a series of posts sharing her postcards sent from Europe. Notice that she uses the French way for dates (day/month/year):

Voici la première carte postale:

“Bonjour à tous!

Today I visited the Château de Flaugergues, a small summer home built in 1696 by a member of the French Royal Court! Today it has sprawling gardens and the family that lives there makes wine (the rosé is the best) and it’s only 15 minutes away by train! I hope everything is good at home and I love you all!

Love,

Mademoiselle

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Of course, she’s been in touch with me and her father by telephone, text, email, and even the odd photo on snapchat or instagram. But her postcards seem more special, and they kind of link her time in France with mine.

*The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

November 4, 2015 1