We enjoyed two weeks in Norway in March and found the country, its people and the geography fascinating. This post provides our overall impression of Norway plus some interesting tidbits. Read about our 1 week Hurtigruten coastal trip from Kirkenes to Bergen (we saw the northern lights off the ship – amazing!) and read about our explorations of Oslo and Bergen to find out more about these colourful cities. Long, […]
We spent a week in Mauroux, a tiny hamlet on the Lot river, in early May and discovered a dozen incredibly beautiful bastides, chateaus and fortified towns in the area. A quick word on the particulars of each: A bastide is a ‘new town’ established in the 13th and 14th centuries as a means for the French to secure parcels of land (before the English did) across France and to […]
We had a little apartment for our wonderful week in Toulouse in the Saint Cyprien district on the gauche side of the Garonne river, which according to the apartment owner used to be a very poor area and is now known as ‘bo-bo’ (bourgeois-bohemium) and a ‘champagne-socialist’ area – I like the connotations of this last phrase and I would be happy to embrace a champagne-socialist society if it means […]