France, Italy and Croatia

Friday May 25, 2018

Jean Brown and I arrived in Bordeaux, France. We got to the airport at 10AM in St Louis compliments of Margaret. We arrived I Bourdeux at 6AM St Louis time. We met up with some of the group and took a bus the hotel. Bordeaux was not pretty, but then we got the town center and yes, yes, yes it's cute. We took a nap when we got here, then went down and met our group. Mostly women and most are nice. I think we will have a good group. Our guide, Sandrine gave us a talk and some good wine.  Then on to dinner. Very cute, very French restaurant - red wine and water to drink, a nice salad, then duck, French fries and some good veggies. chocolate cake rounded off the meal. Then we went for a walk around town.

Sat. May 26, 2018

Bordeaux, France
The day began with breakfast in the hotel - typical European breakfast which I love. Lunch meat for breakfast - what's not to love? Today was "learn the history of Bordeaux" it was good, but couldn't understand half of what our guide said. Great lunch of wine and a chartercuerie tray. Then it was onto a museum - it rained - it pored - I went back to the hotel and a fine nap. Jean forged on with the grouop/ We went out to dinner with Vida, an art professor from NYU who is a member of our group. Jean got a wild hair and bought herself a bottle of wine and proceeded to drink the whole damn thing! I love it when someone out drinks me.

Bordeaux by day

Oh yes - I'm still climbing on horses

This is a fountain that fills up and then disappears

Charteriare done the French way

Monday May 28, 2018

Bordeaux, France

Today we took the bus to Saint Emilion France where a monk with the help of some others build an underground church. So the story goes. Soon after the church was built  the area was hit with the "Black Plague" so the church tought the smart thing to do would be bury the bodies in the underground church - usually burials were in the cemetery near the church - the closer you were buried to the actual church the better chance you had to get through the holy gates - but now the priests wanted to make sure the all of the germs were done to stop the spread of the disease. So this underground church has crypts dug in it. Then little, tiny crypts dug in the walls for the babies - it was pretty cool to see and hear the story. No pictures were allowed so you are going to have go there yourself to get the full experience.

Then we spent the rest of the day walking through the darling village, shopping and eating. We ate in a very old, small restaurant. We were served the French version of Shepards Pie - only with duck! It was quite tasty. Jean and I went shopping and bought more crap that we don't need then out to dinner where we enjoyed a wonderful Beef Wellington while sitting outdoor on the town square. Wonderful food, wonderful wine, people watching in Bordeaux, France  - living the high life is a fun thing to do!

Weds May 30th

Sarlot, France

Today was market day. What a treat that was!!! Some of us on the trip decided to each buy something and then we would have a "pot luck" dinner. Jean and I bought cheese, sausage, strawberries and olives.

Just a little cheese available at the market

Jean enjoying a walk through the market

Next we boarded our trusty bus and headed out to a darling little town where we got a cooking demonstration and then lunch. It was 5 - star all the way. The first course was a poached egg and asparagus surrounded by a creamy mushroom sauce - delish. The second course was phyla dough topped with fore gras and covered in a cherry sauce with potatoes and this crispy noodle with good cheese broiled on top. Dessert was fresh strawberries, strawberry ice cream all covered in the delicious glaze. Wow - Wow - Wow

From these simple ingredients the meal described above was created

The Second Course

The best dessert ever!

After lunch we went to a town called a "Bastide" meaning it's surrounded by a wall for protection against enemies. It was beautiful - did a little shopping - the the cutest pair of gloves and a darling lime green hat to cover my hair which looks like crap day after day.

It's just cute after cute after cute here...

Then we went to another darling village that was built into a hillside - really something to see. We ended the evening in our room surrounded by our new friends having a wonderful pot luck dinner.

Today I went to: The weekly market in Sarlat, France

I was feeling: happy and grateful that I got to experience such a cool thing

I will always remember: the large number of vendors selling wonderful French food.

I was grateful for: Pate - damn it was good.

Someday I'll: come here and stay someplace with a kitchen so I can go to the market and buy stuff and come home and cook it!

Thursday May 31, 

One week under our belts - Jean and I are good travelers together. Today we went to a museum

in Lascaux (pronounced Las-Co) It was Ok - I liked other one better. This one was a mock up of the real one. Then we went to a town and to another museum. I stayed on the bus. One a day is enough for me! Got back to darling Sarlat - kicked back awhile then Jean and I went walking. Surprise of all surprises - Jean found a darling outfit! Next we met the group for dinner - we enjoyed a great salad, pork loin and green brans with a mushroom gravy and lemon meringue pie for dessert. Great dinner at - you guessed a cute restaurant. After dinner some of us went for a walk around town. I hope to come back to this town someday - it is so very country charming.

A stroll through the village

Lots of hills and tiny, little sidewalks 

It is very common to see statues like the one above 

carved into the side of buildings

The lifestyle lends itself to outdoor dining as much as possible

Two weeks in France and this was the one only Childs

menu I saw - hmmm....not a chicken nugget in the country.

I've said it once and I'll say it again - 

this country invented shutters

and just for fun throw a flower box underneath.

This sums up a lot of the food choices in this 

part of France - it is so good!!!

Sat June 2

Finally something I didn't like! We went to another cave - for some reason they make me claustrophobic. They never did before but they do now. Everyone else loved it though - lots of primitive paintings on the walls - yes they are from 35,000 years ago but all they drew was the same animal over and over. Now everyone really seemed to like it thought it was very cool so I guess it's just me. Then on to lunch at a great restaurant in a cute village - great food - the meal started off with spreadable pate on hard bread and prunes baked in puff pastry. Then a seafood cassoulet which was delish!

Weds June 6

Sitting in the airport in Toulouse, France waiting for our flight to Milan, Italy. Across from us in the waiting area are 5 French women. All 75 or older. Five girlfriends heading for Milan. One of the 5 has on tennis shoes, one sandals, two are wearing ballet flats and one patient leather chunky heeled shoes. Four are wearing jeans, one is in capris. All have short, cute haircuts and all are wearing glasses. They are all dressed nice, not overly done but nice. 

The airport appears to be clean - no trash laying around. I think I would like living in a socialized country - People seems to move slower, they seem cleaner somehow and you can tell you are in a country where guns are not allowed. 

Back to the ladies - the oldest of the five had on the tennis hoes. She also has the most stylish haircut and the most stylish light tan suede jacket. I can only imagine succumbing to tennis shoes as a sacrifice. All five have on jewelry, necklace, earrings, bracelets - of the five 3 are skinny, one normal and one chunky. It's fun to observe women - they haven't stopped laughing and talking this whole time. I see no men anywhere in this vast room making any sort of conversation.....