How Ya Gonna Keep Me Down on the Farm After I’ve Seen Paree?

Where to start? I, like many of you, haven’t traveled in many years. In fact, my last trip out of the country was six years ago, to magical Guatemala. Now, in just a few days, I am going with a friend to Paris and on a boat ride (if the Rhone will allow) through various Provence locations (Lyons, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Roussillon, Camargue, and Avignon). Here is some of what we will do:

Take a pastry-making class at Le Cordon Bleu:

We will also take the high-speed train (TGV) from Paris to Lyon, which is considered the gastronomical capital of France, even more than Paris.

Then, we get on this boat:

We will make some amazing stops, including a meal at a ranch in the Camargue:

And we’re going to get a tour of Jewish Avignon, which is great, but it means we are going to miss getting a tour of the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes). This was a tough choice of excursions.

I plan to update my blog every night with pictures and stories. Since I arrive in Paris on Monday morning, August 15, expect my first post to be Monday night. Try to ignore Audrey Hepburn’s voice in this video (you’ll understand why she was dubbed by Marni Nixon in My Fair Lady).