Okay, this is the first time we ever had friends come to dinner – in a CANOE!
Another wonderful thing about living the coastal life. 🙂
Join me for one last look at our trip to Italy and France, as I share some more of my Paris photos. Ah, quelle belle ville!
Over the previous winter, my sister and I and our spouses had planned this Italy/France trip to end on a high note. Now tell me, how better to end it than with a visit to Paris in June?
I considered it an interesting fact that this beautiful city had been originally nicknamed the “City of Light” because it was a center of education and ideas during the Age of Enlightenment, but later earned the name when Paris began lighting the Champs-Elysees with lamps.
With so much to see and do, my camera had kicked into overdrive, so this section of my travelog will have to be shown in two blog posts. I hope you enjoy them. For the best viewing experience, click each one for a closer look.
One of our larger excursions was an afternoon at the Musee du Louvre. The Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world, and a historic monument because of its beginnings as a fortress. As it is also one of the biggest art museums worldwide, these pictures as a representation don’t even scratch the surface of what waits inside its walls.
June 8th was World Oceans Day. World Oceans Day has been unofficially celebrated on June 8th since 1992 when Canada proposed the idea at the Earth Summit in Rio, and was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2008. The official website is worldoceansday.org.
Here is my contribution to a weekly travel theme challenge created by wheresmybackpack.wordpress.com. Because I live by the Atlantic Ocean here in Canada, I thought I would share some pics from last year when my daughter and her family visited, and had fun on our sandy seashores.
My husband, who works at home, usually tries to take the weekend off to get some much-deserved rest to recharge his batteries. So Saturday morning he put his drafting and design work aside, and got outdoors.
First, he cleaned out the shed, put aside some renovation debris, and straightened up some of the things we have stored out there. Then, using the wheelbarrow, he moved said debris out on the point near the water’s edge, requiring several trips, and built a huge bonfire.
After the fire died down, my sweetie then built a little step-ramp to the shed door for wheeling out the barbecue and lawnmower. When that was finished, he tuned up the lawnmower and proceeded to cut the grass on our property. All of this relaxation had worked up his appetite, so he came inside and made himself a sandwich. But hey, that grass wasn’t done yet, so out he went again to finish up.
When the lawn was done, my husband took out our zero gravity chairs and set them up on the deck. Then he wheeled out the barbecue and put that on the deck. Because it hadn’t been used since last fall, he had to clean off the grill. Perfect! We would have our burgers barbecued tonight, I thought, my mouth watering. So my honey made our delicious dinner.
And that was Saturday.
This morning, my husband made his specialty scrambled eggs for the two of us, the ideal fuel for his second day of leisure. Time to get to it! First, he took out the recyclables, fed and watered the cats, and changed the kitty litter. Then he went upstairs and put up some wood trim around our shower.
Well, that was all he needed to do around the house, for now. So he went back to his office this afternoon, not to do drafting, but to put some time in on his favorite hobby, his pen and ink art.
It’s always nice to see my husband enjoying a weekend off. ♥
Our group of four left Italy by train, eager to begin the next leg of our adventure in a new country. Beautiful France awaited! Our first destination was Cannes on the French Riviera, and it didn’t disappoint. Warm, sunny weather, beautiful sandy beaches, exceptional shopping venues, and cuisine par excellence epitomized a delightful tourist experience. The Cannes Film Festival was over for the year, hence we saw no celebrities. But I hope my photos give you some idea of why I recommend Cannes as a preferred vacation spot.
temperatures in the 30’s (celsius) most days we were there
Coming soon: Paris..
We said goodbye to half of our group whose time had come to fly home, as well as “ciao” to Tuscany, then the four of us rode by train to northern Italy. Nestled by Lake Maggiore in the foothills of the Italian Alps, the pretty little town of Stresa was a welcome sight. We checked into a B & B, our home for the next few days.
During our week-long stay at the Tuscan villa, we took a couple of day trips to nearby centres of interest. I have no words to describe the incredible feelings I experienced visiting Siena and Florence. It comes as no surprise that these cities were named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Siena is a must-see if you want to experience a historical throwback to medieval times. Famous for all of its culture and art, it is particularly known for the Palio, a traditional horse race that takes place in the Piazza del Campo twice a year.
And of course, Florence, the capital city of Tuscany, was unforgettable. The birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, it is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world due to its artistic and architectural heritage.
Here are some of my favourite shots of the two cities.
Coming soon: the northern Italian town of Stresa…
After four fun-filled days of sightseeing, food and nightlife, our group of eight said “arrivederci” to Rome, and in our rental cars, headed out into the Italian countryside. Next destination: our villa in Tuscany for a full week!
We had some day trips planned for later in the week, but first we chose to relax for a while in our beautiful surroundings.
How quickly the months fly by! I can hardly believe that it will be a year, at the end of May, since we embarked on our biggest trip yet, to experience for ourselves the lovely countries of Italy and France. To pay homage to this rapidly approaching anniversary, I though I would share some photos from our amazing trip, beginning with Rome, the first destination on our itinerary. We flew into the Italian capital on May 30th, a warm sunny day, and an ideal start to our adventure…
Related post:
Roma, a poem by Jennifer Kelland Perry
http://wp.me/s25GJp-roma
Coming soon: Tuscany…
Jennifer's Journal 