I haven’t had much time to blog lately as I’ve been doing some much needed work on my apartment in Paris and gearing up for my two-week trip to Tuscany with my mom, grandmother and our dear friend Judy. Today I bought a fabulous Michelin map of Toscana, Umbria, San Marino, Marche, Lazio and Abruzzo (no. 563 in the Italy regional maps series). I lurv Michelin maps. I looked at 5 or 6 maps from various publishers and there is just no comparison in terms of legibility, aesthetics and what the French charmingly call «convivialité» which despite appearances actually means user-friendliness (in this context).
This is our third year in a row to make a big European excursion with this group. We started back in 2004, renting a house on the border of Provence/Languedoc Roussillon. That was by far the best rental house I’ve ever found and I would have willingly gone back there every year for the rest of my life if the owner hadn’t sold it that same summer (he offered to sell to me since we got along swimmingly, but sadly it was way, way, way out of my budget).
This is our third year in a row to make a big European excursion with this group. We started back in 2004, renting a house on the border of Provence/Languedoc Roussillon. That was by far the best rental house I’ve ever found and I would have willingly gone back there every year for the rest of my life if the owner hadn’t sold it that same summer (he offered to sell to me since we got along swimmingly, but sadly it was way, way, way out of my budget).
That summer there were 6 of us (my Aunt Lee and another family friend, Jane, shared the enormous 6-bedroom, 4-bath house with us, and we enjoyed drop-in weekend visits from my pals Emmanuelle and Cyndi, and my cousin Dion.) The pool and gardens were gorgeous, and of course we were well situated to roam around and see the sights (very close to the Pont du Gard, Avignon, Arles, Nîmes, etc.)
Last year, Judy, my mom and my grandmother (who is my dad’s mom, btw, and is 92!! a walking advertisement for eating right and getting plenty of exercise with a daily dose of chocolate for good measure…) and I met up in Bilbao, Spain and went on to San Sebastian before heading down to follow the Santiago de Compostela trail. After our pilgrimage, we then headed up to the coast and gradually made our way back to Bilbao. The northwest of Spain is a food-lover’s and tourist-hater’s paradise. We ate fabulously for scandalously little money, gaped at the stunning scenery, slept soundly in the lovely and spotlessly clean accommodations we found quite easily, and basically spent 2 weeks congratulating ourselves on having discovered this gem of a destination that
only the Spaniards seem to know about (until I just now ruined it by telling you).
Last year, Judy, my mom and my grandmother (who is my dad’s mom, btw, and is 92!! a walking advertisement for eating right and getting plenty of exercise with a daily dose of chocolate for good measure…) and I met up in Bilbao, Spain and went on to San Sebastian before heading down to follow the Santiago de Compostela trail. After our pilgrimage, we then headed up to the coast and gradually made our way back to Bilbao. The northwest of Spain is a food-lover’s and tourist-hater’s paradise. We ate fabulously for scandalously little money, gaped at the stunning scenery, slept soundly in the lovely and spotlessly clean accommodations we found quite easily, and basically spent 2 weeks congratulating ourselves on having discovered this gem of a destination that
only the Spaniards seem to know about (until I just now ruined it by telling you).We have great expectations for this year’s journey. We have rented a villa again this time, with a pool, between Florence and Lucca, near Montecatini Terme. I’m looking forward to hearty red wines, soave whites, fruity olive oil, and plenty of sunshine, as the Paris canicule is long gone, having been replaced by late-October-like rain and chilly gray skies. The villa actually has internet access, so stay tuned for a posting direct from la Bella Italia.
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