Packing for this trip has been the same as many other trips we've taken with Skip trying to get by with fewer and fewer pieces of luggage and me, well let's just say I always want to have enough room going to accommodate the items that I anticipate buying while we are there. For this trip I bought a new suitcase, and a larger one at that. Now that airlines are charging for EVERYTHING I decided that a larger bag would be better than the two medium sized bags I usually travel with. For the most part our bags are now packed.
We've gotten the house ready for our dog/house sitter who always comes when we travel. Carolyn is a lovely lady who cares for our dogs, Sally and Sophie, while we are gone. It also gives us some peace of mind having someone staying in our house while we are gone. Our favorite time of year to travel is in September and October, but that's the peak of hurricane season. The last few years when we've traveled during the fall it's just been an extra hassle worrying about the weather while we are gone. Carolyn is very dependable and has lots of experience with keeping dogs, even older dogs like Sally.
We are really looking forward to this trip and will be celebrating a couple of events... like our 45th wedding anniversary and Skip's 70th birthday. To celebrate our anniversary will be dining at the chef's table at La Palme d'Or in Cannes.
We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary there as well. As a matter of fact EVERY time we have gone to France we make it a point to go there. We love Cannes and have many wonderful memories of past visits there, and especially one visit with Della and Lowell when we stayed at the Hotel Splendid. This time will stay at the Hotel Martinez.
We also will spend some time in Peillon, a perched village above Nice. That's where we met our favorite sculptor, Gabrielle Mariani. We have quite a few of pieces that we have collected through the years.
We also have one bronze piece from a student of Mr. Mariani's, Jean-Louis Landraud. Mr. Landraud has become renown on his own and has pieces prominently displayed in Le Chantecler in Nice and La Palme d'Or in Cannes. His works are MUCH more expensive than what we paid for them over a decade ago, but his style remains unmistakeable. Sadly, Mr. Mariani retired a few years ago so we won't be seeing him on this trip. His student, Mr. Landraud, is now very famous and one doesn't just "drop in" to his studio in Nice like we did when Mr. Mariani and he were working in Peillon.
While in Peillon we will stay at the Auberge de la Madone, a real favorite or ours. Our first night in France will be spent there, and although we will be tired we will be wide awake anticipating a wonderful meal from a marvelous chef. The first time I ever had Pintade (Guinea Fowl) was here and I would be so happy to see it on the menu while we are there this time. It was the first I ever had as well as the best I ever had. Anytime I see Pintade on a menu I try it and inevitably compare it to what is served at the Auberge de la Madone. Here's a link to the Auberge that has some beautiful pictures of the village of Peillon:
We will be staying in Bormes-les-Mimosas for two weeks and although it is a small village we never get tired of it. We look forward to patronizing a number of long-standing establishments that never seem to change or lose their appeal. Bormes is a beautiful hillside village that is absolutely enchanting. We love everything about it and wish we could share it with all of our friends.
While staying in Bormes, we will travel to the nearby village Pierrefeu-du-Var to visit our good friends, Vivette and Rene Terras. Rene is our wonderful potter friend. If you have been to our house you no doubt have seen many of Rene's pieces of pottery. I collect pottery and Rene's pottery is among my favorite pieces. He will be retiring soon, so this may be the last time that I have to add to my collection and that makes me very sad. We will have dinner with Rene and Vivette at their house to share an authentic Provencal meal and then they will join us at our house in Bormes for an American meal. It will be great fun and we are really looking forward to catching up with them.
So, very soon we will be landing in France. We never get tired of visiting there. And before EVERY visit I lament the fact that my French is so poor... how I would love to be able to speak the language. I always say I'm going to learn it before returning for our next visit, but so far I haven't. I still try to speak the language and the French seem to appreciate my efforts. But it's such a shame how I mangle such a beautiful language.
Raleigh...Atlanta...Paris...Nice...Cannes...Bormes here we come!
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