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... was buzzing with activity and people gossiping... there were also the biggest mushrooms we've ever seen they were a funny yellow colour and I would be worried they would make you sick... if you've seen the movie INTO THE WILD you will know what I mean.

... chocolate when the rain started again.

Most of the time though there was a break in the rain when we were out and about.

On the way back to Scoobs we met another Campervaning couple and exchanged stories and tips.

Wow, it's all going on here :)

... or husbands, and 30+ great-grand children which brings us to a total of 70-75 people (for the first degree, we also are in touch with our second degree cousins, but we don't see them every year).
My parents and I left Lyon on Friday morning and stopped by Clairvaux to visit my grand-aunt (my grand father's little sister who is a nun). We arrived at my grand-mother's farm right on time for dinner :-) There were just a few cousins who had ...

... out of bags, too many tourists etc. so we decided to head for the hills (or Alps to be more precise), and visit some of the Italian lakes. We found a great little campsite just outside Bellagio on Lake Como. The weather was great and all was well with the world. We took a boat trip around the lake and visited Varenna, the most beautiful town on the lake. On our way back we called into an internet café to look at a weather forecast - not good.. 4 ...

We have made it to the village of Brousse le Chateau. WOW!!!! That is the only word to describe how cool this place is. The "chateau" is actually an old castle on a cliff and the village is built beneath and leading up to it. The castle was built in 1040 and the village bridge (which is still used!) was built in 1366. There is a small mountain river that runs through the center of the village. We are staying beneath the castle in a little inn called Le Relays du Chateau. The ...

... wanted to see the Toulouse Latrec museum in the next day. His graphic style is as fresh today as it was 150 years ago and he's long been one of my favorite artists. The collection was huge and it was well worth the visit. After we had one last look around in the amazing weather which was holding out nicely. We the drove towards Toulouse and on to the Pyrenees, we decided against actually going into Toulouse as the traffic seemed very heavy and we'd had our share of ...

... enormous. Doug was especially taken with the small boxes containing freshly ground herbs and spices. He bought a handful of almonds, served in a twist of paper, and we set out afoot. We first visited the Saint-Sernin Basilica, arriving about noon, but found it closed until 2:00. It is remarkable from the outside, and we also got to see the remnants of a flea market. Doug had seen a much larger flea market here on an earlier visit, and this ...

... which means it lasts for about 4 hours), and speak to some well travelled French guests and get some valued advice for our journey. It was great fun as I got to apply some of my culinary genius, and get a taster for what Asia will be truly like..... i.e. being lost in translation. I did get an unexpected surprise, it turned out I was going to be ...

... I saw were people whom I had previously worked with, so basically a huge work gathering! Oh but it was so much fun! Lately (...more like "still") I had been feeling very isolated from the whole social crowd...the night before I went out to a NYU sponsored Thanksgiving dinner, and I felt ridiculously awkward! I have no idea what is holding me back from connecting with others, I know we don't have that much in common, but I guess it's just a social block I just need to break through!

In the book, this is listed as "one of Europe's best single-artist museums." I thought it was ok, but then I'm not an afficionado of Toulouse-Lautrec. Certainly, I recognized many of the works, and I enjoyed seeing them in person. I was also surprised to see the sheer size of some ...