Avignon, France

Dear Family and Friends,

After spending a few days in Nice, Chuck and I took the train to Avignon, France.

Chuck did a fantastic job of securing us an apartment for our stay.  It was located right in the middle of the old historical section of the city.

Here are a few photos I made during our walks around the historic part of town.

A close up view of the ornate clock tower.

 We visited the market.

Beautiful gates leading into the grounds of the museum.

Chuck waiting for coffee one morning.

The view of the pedestrian only street taken from our apartment window.

A lovely city.  I will share about the two biggest tourist attractions in other posts.

Love,
Nancy

FOTO FRIDAY - 10/04/13

Dear Family and Friends,

Today's Foto Friday is a photo I took of Chuck somewhere in Austria.  We drove from Munich, Germany to Salzburg, Austria.  From there we went through the Austrian Alps to northern Italy.  It was on that trip that we took a train from Salzburg to Prague, Czech Republic.

I love this picture because it is totally Chuck.  Such a relaxed soul.

Life is good!

Love,
Nancy

Moto Museum

Dear Family and Friends,

While we were touring around in Entrevaux....the medieval village, the sign below stopped Chuck in his tracks.  We had scooters when we lived in the U.S., and Chuck has a scooter here in Ecuador. Chuck is still taken by them.  If you love motos this is the post for you, if not, sorry.

 Here is Chuck reading the poster outside.

We went inside and were told that the admission price was whatever we wanted to donate.  Chuck made a donation and we  enjoyed the biggest collection of antique motorcycles and scooters we have ever seen.  We were told that they were all were drivable.

This first picture is of a Harley Davidson from 1917.  Built in the U.S. (1903 - today)

The bike below is a early moped.  A Whizzer from 1947 (made in the U.S. from 1939 - 2009)

This is the first floor of the exhibit.  Upstairs they had just as many.  Motos below and scooters above.

A Nimbus - 1955.  The Nimbus was produced in Denmark (1919 - 1960).

This 1952 Royal Enfield was produced in Britain (1911-1954), produced in India (1956 - today)

1950 Scoto Scooter-bike (looks like more bike than scooter.)  Manufactured in Levallois, France (1950-52)

This 1951 Terrot scooter made in France.  They were produced from 1951 until 1961.

Love,
Nancy

Entrevaux, France - a Medieval Village

Dear Family and Friends,

After we visited Annot, we took the train to Entrevaux which is only 15km away.   

Located across the river Vas, this medieval walled village was a great experience for us.

Entrevaux was founded in the 11th century.  You enter through the draw bridge that crosses the river.  You have the feeling that you are on a movie set, but this is real.  Notice the citadel on the mountain behind the city.  We did not walk up.

Little public squares have shopping and restaurants.  This one even had a old water fountain.

The village is a maze of narrow alleways, and densely packed dwellings.

Another restaurant we wandered into.

The olive groves were so picturesque.  This picture looks like it could have been taken in Italy.

Chuck checking out one of the gun ports in the village wall.

People live there.  Imagine living in a 800 year old house.

Entrevaux cathedral from the 1600's

Notice the cute angel face with dimples over the door.

The interior was magnificent.

As we were making our way through the narrow streets, Chuck spotted a museum that was a must do.

Next I will share with you about this most unlikely museum in such an old venue.

Love,
Nancy

Annot.....why not???? Annot, France

Dear Family and Friends,

While in Nice, Chuck and I took a day trip on the train, Chemins de Fer de Provence.  This train runs into the mountains behind Nice to some small quaint towns.

 Here is a picture of our train.

We got off the train at the town of Annot which is about two hours from Nice.  This is the view of the town from the train station.

We walked into town.  The weather was fabulous. 

When we got into town we discovered their outdoor market.  Here is a cheese vendor.  The cheese looked sooooo good. We didn't buy any because we have no way to keep it until we return to Cuenca.

The city is small and has a special charm.  

The town folks were out greeting each other and shopping at the market.

We had coffee outside at this cafe and just soaked up the ambiance.

As we sat drinking our coffee, Chuck said "We gotta come back here."  I reminded him that he had said the same thing about three other places we visited.  He said only for a week, not a month.  He picked out the hotel we could stay in.  It is just a little 15 room hotel.  I told him I would photograph it so he could remember the name.  So here it is Chuck.  When do we come back? 

Here is the small train station.  

Love the old water tower for back in the days of steam trains.  Actually, I think one still runs here on Sundays.

We only spent a couple of hours in Annot because we had one other place to visit before returning to Nice.  I will tell you about that town later.

Here is Chuck waiting for the train.

Love,
Nancy