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Newsletter
Fall
2009
Dear fellow travelers:
Another year of travels has come and gone.
It started in early March with a mixed group from
St-Cloud, the Twin Cities and beyond…Not a minute was wasted by this eager
crew, every one kept on walking and learning as Paris tried to shake off Old
Man Winter, and put on its Spring apparel. Mothers & daughters of
all ages; brothers & sisters, best friends came, in two’s or four’s,
singles came as well, and returned home with new friends… We celebrated the
coming of Spring, and returned home refreshed, reenergized, hearts brimming
with pleasant and fun memories of times spent together. Thanks crew for
setting the tone to a fabulous season.
Our end of March crew was filled with active participants:
grandparents, parents and students from the Edina Immersion School were mixed
with other delightful and active travelers from Central MN and the Twin
Cities. What a pleasure everyone was! Together we traipsed all over
Paris & the Loire Valley. We explored castles, rode several
carousels in Paris, watched the local baker as he explained how to make his
crispy artisan baguettes, went on a cruise, and walked until our feet begged
for mercy.
The month of May welcomed our antique-flea market crew.
This little group was ready to experience Paris & country life. The
people of Eastern France’s small towns and villages welcomed us. We
scoured markets, attended Villersexel’s yearly village celebration and attic
cleaning (equivalent of a village garage sale, but with fun antiques
instead), visited a village wash house where locals treated us to wine &
goodies. Our day trips took us where trains don’t go. How can we forget going
to Morteau by the Swiss border to visit the Klaus chocolate factory and a
cheese making coop? Didn’t we look glorious with our smocks and hairnets on,
while Camille shared with passion the secrets of caramel making? A sunny afternoon on Lake Neuchatel in
Switzerland was totally delightful…How many kisses did Kim get on the trip as
she was trading her “sheriff” badges with French and Swiss officers? And let’s not forget our handsome driver:
Frederic, who had eyes only for Theresa…What a sweet, romantic adventure!
October marked, with much regret, the end of the
traveling season with a group that was ready to see and experience everything
that crossed their paths from day break to late at night. This adult
only group walked the sole off their shoes in the streets of Florence, Siena,
San Gimignano, Cinque Terre, Fiesole and Venice…We
laughed often & ate our way through each and every place we visited, ate
too much ice cream and pizza … Adventures abounded with that joyous group: a
gentle walk with Cristina in Siena, water taxis in Venice, strolling through
San Gimignano, hiking along the Mediterranean coast to visit Cinque Terre: a
string of five fishing villages in the hills right on the seashore; savoring bruschetta,
prosciutto, fresh grapes, delicacies and wine at a local vineyard, attending
local markets, and so much more…
Thank you
Franco, Beatrice, Cristina, Barbara, Paola, and so many more who shared your
lovely country with us…through our daily experiences together, our crew
became very close.
We sure miss you all!
A big “thank you” to each and everyone for your warmth,
smiles and willingness to make memories of a lifetime together, we truly had
a lot of wholesome fun. Let’s do it again soon.
Please remember to…
Embrace today with passion and joy, venture to dream
about tomorrow, and hug the ones you love, again & again…because it is
awesome to be alive…
A bientot,
Arlette
Random thoughts to ponder:
1. Benjamin Franklin said: “Traveling is
one way of lengthening life…”
2. Ernest Hemmingway, who fell in love with Paris gives us
these words: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man,
then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris
is a moveable feast.”
3. Since I enjoy walking, and we do plenty of it on our
tours, I would like to quote another walker, Henry David Thoreau: “The
swiftest traveler is he that goes afoot.”
4. Ted Simon, another walker said in Jupiter’s Travels
(1979) “It’s no trick to go around the world these days…but to know it; you
have to smell it and feel it between your toes. There is no other
way…you have to stay on the ground, and swallow the bugs as you go.” I
say…don’t worry about the bugs in France; we probably see one mosquito a week
on our journeys, unlike here in Minnesota…
5. John Steinbeck had another perspective on traveling:
“When I was very young and the urge to be someplace was on me, I was assured
by mature people that maturity would cure the itch…Now that I’m fifty eight
perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked. In other
words, I don’t improve, in further words, once a bum always a bum.”
6. I will end with a quote from King George V, knowing that
all past travelers will relate to this one… ”Always go to the bathroom when you
have a chance.” To which I will add for our newcomers “don’t forget to
have your 60 centimes ready before you go.”
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