Rosy Roussillon

(Pronounced – rue see yon)

“You can fall in love at first sight with a place as well as a person.” – Alec Waugh

*I loved all the colors as soon as we walked through the town.*

*A bit of light reading for you to learn about the area.*

*Just look at this!!! Who wouldn’t fall in love with this place?*

*Well, here’s another explanation — you can be the judge!* 😉

*Striking contrast between the ochre and green trees.*

*Everyone was fascinated and in awe while walking along the trails.*

*A bit more reading – interesting stuff.*

…*because this is the very same arch. I just shot it from two different directions.*

Pretty Provence

“Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.” – Albert Einstein

We went to several small towns in Provence and I honestly don’t know where every one of these pics are from. I’ll do my best though – this was taken in Arles – lots of Paella cooking in the squares here 😋

*LUMA Arles building – designed by Frank Gehry was quite dramatic. It opened in June 2021*

*I loved this duel slide that’s in the lobby. Yes, we did see people using it!!*

*We took a side trip to Nimes – beautiful town* *with this ancient watch tower.*

*Of course, we had to go to the top for nice views of the city.*

*Nimes – gorgeous walkway, leading to Jardins de la Fontaine (Gardens of the Fountain).*

*1st century Nimes Arena is among the best preserved in the world.*

*Constantly trying to preserve these ancient structures. Here is a good example of before and after restoration.*

*Old church in Arles that’s been converted to a tapas bar. A little strange but I guess it’s a great way to save these little used buildings.*

*Vincent Van Gogh spent some time painting in Arles.*

*Here’s a perfect example of the genius of his work.*

*Entryway to the B & B where we stayed* *for a couple of nights in Arles – no hot water there, so not a great memory* 😂

*Les Baux* – *castle ruins that we took a side trip to see.*

*Kind of fun to climb around and to see the views.*

*A catapult demonstration* *going on below. Fun, when it’s not the real thing!*

*Very typical scene – almost every town & village had a lane like this as we drove in. Just beautiful!*

*Visited Isle-sur-la-Sorge — called the “Venice of Provence”. At its peak this town had 70 waterwheels and in the 1800s it competed with Avignon as Provence’s cloth dyeing and textile center.*

*Today only nine mossy waterwheels remain.*

*Our room in St Rémy had some low ceilings to say the least.*

*Tiny, almost deserted village we walked through.*

*I found this of interest but not positive where we were.*

*Greek salad – Provence style – so incredibly good! Who knew that fruit would work?*

Perusing Provence

“The best education you will ever get is traveling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences.” – unknown

The first town we went to in Provence was Orange – think (oh – rahnzh) you may think you can pronounce it but you really MUST have a French accent. But I digress – this place is known for its grand Roman arch.

*Arc de Triomphe – This 60 foot tall arch is in the center of a pleasant traffic circle.* *Technically the only real Roman arches of triumph are in Rome’s Forum, built to commemorate various emperors’ victories. But THIS arch was the model for those in Rome.*
*It was erected in about AD 19.*

*Pont du Gard – In the first century AD, the Romans built a 30 mile aqueduct that ran to Nimes, one of ancient Europe’s largest cities.*

*While most of it ran on or below the ground, at Pont du Gard the aqueduct spans a canyon on a massive bridge over the Gardon River—one of the most remarkable surviving Roman ruins anywhere.*

The aqueduct supported a small canal that dropped one inch for every 350 feet, supplying the city of Nimes with nine million gallons of water per day (about 100 gallons per second). Whew, a lot to process so I needed to cool my feet in the river!

This was our home for the next three nights. The owners, whom I regretfully did not think to photograph, were Dominic and Dominique.We affectionately referred to them as the Doms! Lovely place and lovely people.

*Beautiful courtyard for breakfast each morning!*

Orange’s ancient theatre is the best preserved in existence, and the only such theatre in Europe with its (awesome) acoustic wall still standing. Built in the first century AD, the huge theatre celebrated the glory of the empire and cemented Rome’s presence in Provence. Strolling along the outside of its massive wall is an impressive experience today – *imagine how it must have intimidated visitors 2,000 years ago. Today the people in Orange still enjoy this venue – it holds 10,000 citizens.*

…with its Palace of the Popes. For nearly 100 years (1309- 1403) Avignon was home to seven popes. Who knew that popes lived in France back in the day? I liked this pic because you can also see the kitchen garden.

*Les Halles –* *or market. In 1970, the town’s open air market was replaced by this modern one (more efficient, with a parking garage overhead, hoping to compete with supermarkets in the suburbs).*

*We stepped inside for a sensual experience of organic breads, olives, and a festival of mold cheeses.*

*The market’s jungle-like hydroponic green entrance wall reflects the changes of seasons and helps mitigate its otherwise stark exterior.*

I found this carousel to be quite interesting. I’ve never seen one with two levels. Twice the fun!

*The squares in Provence were often lined with the most wonderful Plane trees.*

*The trees are quite ancient and very much respected and protected. I love the way this café built their table around the tree!*

*Makes me wonder just how many people have climbed these stairs over the centuries…*🤔

*There he is! Once in awhile I take control of the camera* 😉

Parcels of Paris

“People travel because it teaches them things they could learn no other way.” – Lance Morrow

*After our time in Volendam we hopped a bus to the metro and over to Amsterdam Central train station. From there we took the train into Paris.*

*Checking in to our home for the next three nights.*

*We love this hotel because it’s very close to the Place Monge metro stop.*

*Of course, we had to go see the Eiffel Tower. This is an obligatory pic when talking about Paris. As you know the Olympics took place here this summer so the Tower was appropriately “dressed”.*

*We stayed there until it got dark to see it lit and in all it’s glory!*

*Okay, we’ve all moved at one point in our life and we know it’s a miserable job. But check out this process in Paris.*

*Narrow homes & several stories up add a whole* *new dimension for this move.*

*We walked over to a bike shop to rent bikes and I spotted this encouraging sign hanging on the wall there.*

*So, the plan was to ONLY ride along the River Seine – right Murph*?

*Yup, next thing I know we’re up on the street and riding along side the traffic!*

*We did go through this cool bike*/*pedestrian tunnel though.*

*It really was a kick to ride along the Seine with views like this!*

*Just can’t get away from the Eiffel Tower!* ☺️ *Nice piece of Lego art.*

*We biked up to Notre Dame to check out the progress after the horrific fire in 2019. I have to say they are really moving along and plan to open this December.*

*My absolute favorite site at Notre Dame though was a huge exhibit, around the base of the Cathedral that is entirely dedicated to all of the people who have and are working to restore it.*

*The lighting was very tough for Murph* *to get very clear pictures. But I still wanted to include a few.*

*These photographs gave credit to* *engineers and architects but also to the stone masons, crane operators and scaffold builders. They applauded approximately 500 workers, no matter their status – and I loved that!*

*Ok, we were back on our bikes. It was a warm day and I spotted a mister. I could not resist cooling off and making a new friend at the same time!*

*Is it just me or do you think this is pretty cute, too?*

*Saw this sign in the Metro* *advertising the movie “Inside Out” – or at least that’s what it’s called in English…*🤷🏾‍♀️

*By the time we arrived in Paris the Olympics were over BUT not the Paralympics.*

I guess I was in a hurry because I took such a quick shot of this pic that it turned out blurry. But this poster tells the story of just one of the many athletes that competed this year in the Paralympics. This child, Yana, 13 years old had both of her legs blown off **TWO** years ago in the war in Ukraine and she’s running this year!!! I can’t even wrap my mind around that.

*Luxembourg Gardens were absolutely gorgeous.*

https://videopress.com/v/wkheCCaW?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

While walking around the city we stopped to listen to these street performers – so reminiscent of when our kids (and more recently, our neighbor Madi) were in the marching band. Very cute ☺️

*Another “must see” – Sacre Coeur at the top of Montmartre.*

*But I loved this vignette – a teen guitar student playing for his instructor at a small park – oblivious to all of the tourists on the Monte.*

*Okay we need to think bigger. Check out this 1890’s, seven story shopping mall in Paris, complete with a roof top terrace for all to enjoy the view.*

*The domed ceiling is dramatic and beautiful.*

*A closer look at the detail of the dome.*

*And, French food IS so tasty – Murph’s pigeon – what now?*

Views of Volendam

“Travel is not a reward for working, it’s education for living.” – Anthony Bourdain

*Brittany heading back to NY and we are empty nesters once again.*

*After saying our goodbyes we headed out. From Schiphol airport* *we took a train, a metro and a bus to Volendam.* *Entire journey was about 50 minutes. Gotta love their transportation here* ‼️

*It’s a beautiful harbor town on the Markermeer Sea.*

*Nice place to walk around. The large white building on the right is where we rented bikes.*

*Lots of tourists are drawn to this town.*

*A favorite dish in this region is kibbeling* – *or cod.*

*Along with kibbeling people in this part of Holland love their eels! Ummm, no thank you!*

While biking around the countryside, I spotted this sign. Does it mean “hello”? or “welcome” to the neighborhood? On closer inspection I spotted a school (upper left corner) – then I got it – slow down, kids in the area!

*Swan family floating by as we crossed a small bridge.*

*Beautiful onions, set out to dry before going into storage or to market*, *perhaps?*

We learned about Henri as we traveled around the Netherlands. In 1974 he began making his famous cheese in Katwoude, Holland. From the beginning he was a pioneer with an eye for interesting new products. In the early eighties this drive to innovate led him to the creation of the first Gouda style cheese made from goat’s milk. I’m planning to look for his label when I get back home 😉

*They even have a statue dedicated to eels!*

*Enough with the eels already – not gonna try ‘em!*

*The* *morning we left town – a bit sad to be leaving*
*the Netherlands* *but the rainbow was a good sign!*

Little Ones of Netherlands

“Traveling is about finding those things you never knew you were looking for.” –unknown

*I love seeing these little ones being transported the “Holland Way”.*

And then, there’s these little ones heading out – children are children all over the world. It makes me realize that all people are pretty much the same – just getting through life the best way possible!

*Irresistible baby goats we encountered on one of our bike rides. So very sweet* ❤️

GOATS‼️‼️‼️ *A few of my followers will get this age old “joke”.*

*At one of the museums in Amsterdam*…
*Maybe a budding artist in the making?*

*I tried to imagine all the little ones that may live here, in the heart of Amsterdam!*

*I liked this frieze that I spotted in Amsterdam. “Advertising” a yarn shop, maybe?*

*Sooo, Brittany spotted this guy along the road as we were biking.”Look, a crawfish!” she exclaimed.*

We all pulled over to check him out. While Murph was taking the photo, the crawfish reared up in defense. Yikes! That worked well for him – we retreated immediately and went on our way – as did he.😂

*Biking back into Hoorn we spotted the tiniest ever baby Koot!*

*It was seriously tiny – it could barely swim through the duckweed! So incredibly sweet* ❤️

A bit of Amsterdam

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. – Mark Twain

*The Rijksmuseum is a “must” visit while in Amsterdam.*

*This is one of the many paintings by Dutch masters – the Milk Maid by Johannes Vermeer.*

*I particularly like this one because it’s a Vermeer painting of his neighborhood in Delft.*

*Fascinating to watch the restoration of The Night Watch by Rembrandt.*

*Of course we also went to the Van Gogh museum.*

*Countless jaunts on trams like this one.*

*The plight of Jewish people is much more evident and “talked about” here. An education for all of us to never forget!*

*In 1975 marijana was legalized* *in Amsterdam* – *this was the 1st shop to sell pot. If you’re looking for one in Amsterdam they are called “coffee shops”.*

*And then there’s this beautiful young lady…*

…with an extremely sad story. We toured the home where she and seven other people hid from the Nazis for two years before they were discovered. One of the people who helped hide the family found Anne’s diary hidden in the wall. The only person to survive the concentration camps of the eight people was her father. After the war he was given her diary and soon after, The Diary of Anne Frank, was published in dozens of languages for all to read – heart wrenching.

*Found this charming café for dinner one night.*

*This is a traditional dish called Stamppot – mashed veg & potatoes – mine was with veg “meatballs”. How did I like it? Glad I tried it but once was enough.* ☺️

*Ventured into the Red Light District but, chose to go during the day to avoid most of the “traffic”.*

*Went for a lovely boat tour on the canal and the Amstel River.*

*Brittany looking so cute amongst these unusual sculptures* 👀

See these steps leading down to the water where a triangle pink stone juts into the canal? This is part of the so-called Homo-monument—a memorial to homosexuals who lost their lives in WWII, and a commemoration of all *those persecuted for their sexuality. The pink triangle design reclaims the symbol that the Nazis used to mark homosexuals.*

*Vondelpark is Amsterdam*’s *playground. A nice place to get away from it all.*

*It’s an expansive park with many paths and water features for everyone to enjoy.*

Food Friendly Holland

“When someone asks what my dream job is. Literally nothing. Who dreams of having a job? My only passion is to travel and eat good food.” – anonymous