This will be the second to last post to showcase some of the
reasons I love France (I could do a whole month or more on the amazing people
who make France shine for me). Bittersweet to end this A to Z challenge this
year because I’ve spent the last month revisiting placesand people I haven’t seen for a few years
now. Nostalgia and also, surprisingly, a feeling of wonder and awe that I’ve
been so lucky to have seen so much, done so much and met so many people who
have made France a giant wonderland for me. Talk about a theme park! This is
one I’d visit anytime. So, sharing one last blast through before we hit Z. Come
and see France through my eyes…
Salad gésier, gizzard salad
Making crepes at a village fete...
The church in Marsas
Door knockers all over France are unique and usually interesting. I could do a blog just on French door knockers!
A door and rose vine in St. Bertrand de Comminge.
Le drapeau Midi-Pyrenees, The regional flag for Languedoc.
A lovely planter at the entrance to an inn
Lining one of the streets in St. Bertrand de Comminge
Lovely building in the Pyrenees
Finding gargoyles in the strangest places.
The larger of the two churches at St. Bertrand de Comminge
A decorative red door in the Gers
Lunch at my mother in laws house, chicken, vegies, potatoes with bread, cheese and wine
A misty day in the Gers
A tiny car that was so cute I had to have a photo, not to mention the Celtic medallion on the hood.
One of those houses you know you could live in, in the Gers
A friend's welcoming doorway into their home.
My husband taking a moment to relax at my parents in laws.
On the Canal du Midi...
I did this once upon a time! Yep, biked the whole way...
Peniches, barges, along the canal.
A chateau seen from afar in between Toulouse and Bordeaux
A "vide grenier" meaning emptying the attic, is a French version of a yard sale or "Marche au puce, a flea market
A restored barn and house in St. Michel
Heading back into Toulouse
Need I say this is Paris?
Didn't think so!
At the air show, Salon du Bourget we saw the A380 fly...
The view from where we were staying
One of the many different "fountains" in Paris
A pedestrian bridge with style
Pres. F. Mitterrand's Library, yes, both buildings with a garden in between on the lower level Built to resemble two open books facing each other.
All over Paris one finds the old and the new "ensemble" together.
One of the newer "Metro" stations, looking like something out of a Sci-Fi movie
Waiting for the metro in another part of Paris
Sunset over Toulouse with the Pyrenees in the distance
At the "marche" in Cornebarrieu, getting a paella. What a choice!
My favorite, CHEESE, in all shapes, kinds and colors!
Cornebarrieu's police car... Isn't it cute?
The view from the bedroom my husband grew up in, in Blagnac
Christmas decorations in Blagnac
La Place Capitole in Toulouse with the Christmas market in full swing and the decorations exciting everyone.
Cornebarrieu France, is where my parents-in-law (beau-parents in French) live and where I love to wander whenever we visit. I've met many a soul doing the same on the myriad paths and walks that twist about like a maze through the older parts of the town. A small town, it's growing very fast and some of the "village" feeling is starting to liquidate, but the charm is still there if one looks for it. One day we were invited to tour the old chateau (a manoir is a smaller chateau) that sits atop the hill overlooking the town and surrounding countryside. I've always looked up to see it from down below and now had the chance to not only walk through the grounds and view the chateau up close and personal, but to go inside as well. You now get to see what a "smaller" historical chateau/Manoir looks like. My photos don't do the house the justice it deserves, but the grandeur of the place still comes through... http://www.cornebarrieu.com/la_mairie.html
Old image of the Chateau in Cornebarrieu
Approching the chateau from the side entrance
View from the front, down on the grounds used for festivals
The side entrance with open door
A view of the front from the outdoor staircase
The side entrance door
A strange architectural feature so one doesn't lose the view out the window.
The rooms all open onto one another in this part of the house.
Archways and doors, tile flooring. All has been restored.
Out the bathroom window on the second floor
Picturesque "french door"
The hallway on the second floor
Notice the doorknob in the middle of the door
The grand stair outside in front of the chateau
A view of the surrounding area
The inner staircase from the third floor
The light blue painted shutters against the red brick are typical of this region
A view overlooking the church and its bell tower
The pump house
These shutters are white on the inside, blue on the outside
This type of brick/stone work is very typical of this area
Daffodils were in bloom when we were there, everywhere!
