Southern France – Lees in France

The last week in Saint Drézéry

July 23, 2023July 28, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

First week of July 2023

Just when we thought our last bucket list items had been checked off did we realize life still had to continue. School work was completed except math for both kids. Bella and Cody were getting their last affections from us amidst packing, cleaning, prepping for our USA return and just living.

Mazie wanted to take Cody to the beach one more time. We attempted but the morning slipped away from us. We headed to a lake nearby, which upon arrival seemed crowded and now has an entrance fee due to the summer season. We finally agreed on heading back to the area we named Degobah, from Star Wars where Yoda trains Luke. We were the only ones exploring the semi dried up pools. It was perfect for the three of us. Everytime we ventured here over the year the landscape was different due to the amount of rain that had fallen in the area. Today the water trickled down its paths. The pools were shallow, cold, and clear but not turquoise. Cody still bounced in and out of the pools loving his best life. When we left we drove past a sunflower field. The Pic Saint Loup completed the background of the picture.

Zach wanted to try a new skate/bike/scooter park that had recently opened. Randy was prepping the house, closing accounts, researching his upcoming last week in France with Cody and Zach. I was heavily into prepping for YoungLives Camp week at Rockbridge YoungLife camp. Mazie and I were leaving a week earlier than we had planned due to camp. The boys were staying and finishing up France by going to see the Tour de France in person.

Mazie, little Julia, and I met up with new friends who were new to Montpellier. Meggan, Nate, Ana and Aiva (plus a dog named Cody, too) were thinking about moving to France back in July 2022. Meggan and I found each other on a FB group about Montpellier. Our long distance friendship grew over the year. It was a blessing to actually meet in person. Meggan and I knew we understood each other without having to verbalize it. Our time together in France was extremely short, however we managed to go to church together, explore the thrift store, purchase a dog toy at the pet store, and see a few sites together.

Rachel, Flavy and I went out for dinner in the La Grande Motte. We had such a beautiful evening.

Saturday Marie, Naomi, and I went for our last adventure to Sommiéres. Jill had mentioned it was one of her favorite places to go for a Saturday Market. Wow, it was really beautiful. there were hundreds of vendors in 3 or 4 rows outside under the canopy of sycamore French trees. The market continued inside the medieval part of town with food, clothing, and more. I enjoyed capturing the picture of Marie with Naomi looking through records.

Church wrapped up for us. I was called up to talk at the end of the service by Chris, my little Julia’s grandfather, who was spurred on by Asha. For payback I had Asha translate my English to French. It was a fun laugh. After service we headed over to a baptism party in Sussargues…AKA Sussagrass to a few of us. This was a good way to celebrate Jake, Emmy, and Abi and to say our goodbyes to all in attendance. The youth group had just returned from a weekend away. While our kids did not attend it was still good to be reminded of faces of people who loved us.

The last night Lez, Marie, Naomi, and Hannah came over for dinner, drinks and dessert. They are amazing friends we acquired while in France. We look forward to see how God will continue this friendship miles apart from each other.

Randy and Zach put Mazie and I on a bus headed to Barcelona. Once in Barcelona, Mazie and I managed a “train system” for walking with 4 under the airplane suitcases, 2 backpacks, and 2 cabin suitcases. We were a sight to see but were prepared for an airport drop off in a few days.

Pic Saint Loup Hike

July 22, 2023July 28, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

Randy’s last bucket list item before leaving Saint Drézéry was to hike Pic Saint Loup. This limestone mountain became a terrain lighthouse for us. Every trip we took we looked for the Pic to give us an estimate of time remaining until we reached home. Below are pictures containing the Pic throughout the year.

Our favorite castle ruins stood adjacent to the Pic. The wine we enjoyed was grown in the Pic Saint Loup region as well. Researching the Pic brought me to the history of its name. “Three vaillant knights, Guiral, Clair and Thieri Loup were in love with the beautiful Bertrade; the one that would marry her was to be designated as the bravest after the saint war. All three came back with high feats, but unfortunately the beautiful Bertrade had died meantime. Feeling hopeless, they all retired to a mountain. Guiral went to mont Saint-Guiral (near Aigoual), Clair to mont Saint-Clair (near Sète), and Loup to Pic Saint-Loup. Each year, on March 19th they lit a fire on top to celebrate her. Saint-Loup is the one of the three that lived the longest.”

Randy and Cody ventured off on their own one morning. The pictures he sent back had familiar vegetation and backdrops. The guys enjoyed their hike.

Provence area of France

July 14, 2023July 12, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

Day 3 June 21

This was a full day of travel and sightseeing. I was super excited because we were going to all new places. Some I had seen 25 years ago and did not mind returning.

Stop 1

Pont De Gard located north of Nimes. This triple decker aqueduct has stood the test of time.

We skipped rocks and wadded in the river on both sides of the structure. We walked along the pedestrian bridge admiring the details. All of us found something to be happy about at this stop.

Stop 2

Our next stop was Carrières de Lumières, near Les Baux-de-Provence. Christina, Stephen, and I were trying to figure out how to experience Van Gogh without the kids complaining. This stop hit the spot on so many levels. We arrived just in time to watch great masterpieces of art come to life on screen projected on the walls of a cave. The two main artists featured wereVincent Van Gogh

and Piet Mondrian.Secretly this was on my French bucket list.

The venue was absolutely unique and amazing. We walked around while the movie was playing, finding different angles to watch. The air was cool and welcoming. Cam, Mazie, and Kellen even enjoyed the show. We grabbed French sandwiches to go and continued on to our journey through Aix en Provence.

Stop 3

Our drive to the next stop reminded me and Mazie of our time in Greece. The landscape was less green, very hilly, and speckled with big cream colored rocks. This was the hottest stop of our day. The sun was bright and beating down on us. We walked through ancient Greek/Roman architecture Site Archéologique de Glanum near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

I joked there was no need to go to Greece after visiting here. In this location we were allowed to walk among the ruins, touching whatever we wanted, very different than in Athens.

The beating sun and parched mouths drove us to end our journey here quicker than expected. We spent 16 Euros on 8 bottles of water and were thankful.

Stop 4

Touring a Roman coliseum was our last adventure for the day. Mazie and I had been in a coliseum in Nimes so we decided to visit another one nearby, in Arlés. The short drive there allowed our bodies to cool and rest. The traffic, directions and parking aspects in Arlés were crazy. We came in between the end of a work day and the beginning of a Wednesday night downtown festival! Finally, after round and round the town, we landed in a parking spot that was not in a last minute tow-zone. The coliseum was tucked in a fun little part of town with narrow streets and old French decor.

Again the kids enjoyed being here, wondering about gladiators and bull fights.

We wandered through town square seeing the famous café that inspired one of Van Gogh’s famous paintings. After a long day, well behaved kids, and still a drive home we opted for ice cream to help with the walk back to the car. What a fun day for all of us!

These are a Few of Our Favorite Things…So Long Farewell

July 5, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

Exploring the village market, bike pump track, boulangerie and charming side streets.

Visiting Château Puech-Haut for wine tasting with Emma.

Experiencing La Guinguette du Massillan between Teyran and Jacou. and aqueduct climbing in Castries finished our grand tour of the area.

Regretfully they tell us (cuckoo)
But firmly they compel us (cuckoo)
To say goodbye (cuckoo)
To you

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu Uncle Greg and Aunt Sarah!

These are a Few of Our Favorite Things to do near Saint Drézéry

July 5, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

Hiking to the ruined castle rarely gets old for us. Today we watched glider planes being pulled to the sky and released. We heard real cuckoo cuckoo birds. Greg and Sarah described what they envisioned the castle looked like back in the 1100’s, including wooden floors, doors, gates, and more.

Visiting a winery, we chose La Roque today. The kids made paper airplanes. While the adults were tasting wine the kids were having flying competitions.

Walking through the vineyards beside our neighborhood.

Chilling on the covered back porch with the sun, a hammock, a pool, and a breeze made a great day!

Marseille with Rebecca & Family

June 18, 2023June 22, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

Later this week, Tuesday June 6, 2023, I took a train to Marseille to meet up with dear friends for a few hours. I have never explored this city and its ports.

Our first adventure was meeting up with each other. After the train I took the metro (in the wrong direction) while Rebecca and her family were holding on for dear life in a fast moving taxi on narrow streets.

The second adventure was using a public FREE porta-a-potty. Wish I had thought to take a picture! It was very spacious, contained a sink, locking door, and self cleaned after each use. Well Well Well…We individually were stuck locked inside at some point. Unfortunately when Rebecca was locked inside the self cleaning mode decided to start. She described the scene inside as water gushing out of a nozzle all over the floor and toilet. She leaped back to the wall standing on tiptoes to avoid getting her shoes soaked. The bathroom was speaking clearly in French about the process, which neither of us understood. She was yelling from inside. I was yelling from outside counting down the rinse cycle I found on the panel of the port-a-potty. Zero came, the door opened and Rebecca and I had the biggest laugh together.

Our third adventure was visiting La Major Cathedral. The temperature was cool on the inside. Mosaic floors with wooden benches beckoned us down the center aisle.

Our fourth adventure came about as we saw a strike parade near the Old Port area. Sure enough it was Tuesday, which in France is the most common strike day. A highlight was us actually “breaking the picket line” to cross the street to get to ice cream.

We sat and talked for a long time in the ice cream store, just like old times.

Finally our last adventure together in Marseille was walking through the city market a couple of blocks away from Old Port. We experienced bright colors of fruits and vegetables, huge amounts of fish and eel.

We said our goodbyes and each of us headed to our next destination. I had to catch a train to Geneva for dinner. With an hour plus before the next train I walked down to the water, found cars worthy of quick photographs and a burger from Five Guys. It has been so long since I have had Five Guys that I ordered a cheeseburger for 17 Francs. It came as a double burger not a single. Hmm, at least 17 Francs made a tad more sense now.

After dinner I took several more trains passing through the village of St. Niklaus. I eventually met up with Randy and the kids in Zermatt around midnight. They had stopped along the way, played disc golf, and enjoyed yummy food on their adventure to Zermatt.

A Week in May

June 3, 2023June 3, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

This might just be our last week of semi-normalcy here in France, even though we do not leave for another 2+ months.

Routines we have become familiar with continue as the week progresses. School work and projects, hair cut for Zach, playing with Julia, trying out new bike/scooter parks, observing differences in France, and sight seeing a new village or two.

Randy headed to Chamonix to meet up with college buddies, Matt and Livingston, for a few days of hiking.

I took the kids for American Mother’s Day ice cream in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. This little medieval village dates back to 804. The houses are nestled together in a small ravine giving way to tight walking passages throughout the village. We could have spent more time here strolling and hiking the mountains.

Calanques

May 16, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

Looking at our calendar we realized there were some areas we wanted to see before leaving. Our timetable was getting tight with school still in progress, visitors coming, and not many weekends free. We headed to the Calanques for a few nights for my birthday trip.

We settled in the town of LaCiotat, a small fishing port east of the Calanques, known for repairing yachts.

At first glance I thought this was a helicopter of some sort

We headed to Cassis, the next town west of us, after breakfast.

Here we took a morning boat ride to see three of the Calanques.

The wind at times was fierce causing waves to crash against the boat. Once in the inlet the wind subsided and the water was clear and turquoise. We actually all enjoyed tossing and turning on the boat ride.

We ventured on a couple of hikes after the boat ride.

We explored the towns and their markets too.

Anyone want ice cream?

May 15, 2023May 21, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

I popped over to Marie’s Wednesday night around French dinner time to see if she wanted to go get ice cream. I told her I found a place open in Sommières. She leaped from the table so excited to come. The kids all wanted to come too but we didn’t let them. We were off to a girls’ night indeed. This year in Europe, Randy and I have discovered Google maps does not list business hours very well, this ended up being the case once we arrived, even though I had tripled checked. The little cobblestone old village was sleeping for sure.

We made the most of it and meandered through the picturesque twists and turns of the old town streets. I especially like house Number 4.

I like to wonder what it rests behind the door of an old French home. The second picture shows an updated version of the market places from the 12th and 13th centuries, during which there was peace and prosperity in France. Tonight we happened upon an elderly gentleman helping his wife out of their vehicle. As he was doing this his front door was opened to his home. Marie encouraged me to go back and take a look inside the opened door and take a photo. I am glad I did.

Marie took us to the hilltop castle for a beautiful sunset. We joked this was the best type of ice cream because it gave us exercise without calories. I still would have preferred to walk it with a cone of ice cream, however I enjoyed my time with just Marie in a quiet French village.

Day 10- April 7

May 10, 2023Michelle LeeLeave a comment

Boulangerie, Beach, Palavas Les Flots, Aqueducts, Wine Tasting,

The 11 pipers piping time is about to come to a close. The feeling of delight having family with us is starting to subside knowing tomorrow is the goodbye day. What can we cram in today? Biking riding multiple places to the boulangerie, bike pump park, through the fields and the vineyards. While this was not the order of the day it still happened. Kids wanted to show Keeler the bike park. Aunt Jan wanted to ride with Mazie and Cody on their daily adventures.

A walk to the boulangerie is always on the list for visitors, followed by a stroll through the village and park.

The beach was high on Josie and Keelers list, especially since it was the Mediterranean Sea. Despite cool temperatures in April the kids still went in and played.

Ice cream and lunch were next on the to do list. I found a new area south of our beach outing and headed there. Wow, what a find! Palavas provided us with restaurants and shops aligning the canal. Our choice of eating establishment was on a dock. It even included the best port-a-potty ever.

The sun warmed up the air and it became the perfect day for exploring on the Med coastline. We even rode a slow skyride getting great views of the harbor, beach and town. Also a fantastic place to be a teen and practice dropping shoes from the skyride..teenagers.