The Voice of East Bay Living

Exploring life outside my front door, I recently stepped into the elegance of Lyon, France- a city that has rivaled Paris for centuries both in terms of its culture and culinary skills. Why not visit Lyon?

"It is sad to grow old but nice to ripen"- Brigette Bardot The floors floors in the beautiful chateau where  I am staying were beginning to look a little sad.  On top of that, there was a fire in the house caused by an electric wire so the walls of some of the rooms had to be repainted. Gerard and Monique decided to close their bed and breakfast for several months, and like many homeowners, roll up their sleeves, remove the hundreds of items from the cabinets and shelves and get to work. Besides painting, the 150 year old hardwood floors which had never been touched got a facelift. The process was tedious - workers did not show up- it cost more than planned,and the complete disorder of the rooms was indeed - pas plaisant ( not fun) . Ah- but the result was fantastic - -all new, all fresh and like a young woman ready for the ball, the doors swung open and the bed and breakfast danced with a fresh and ripe appearance. Oo-la-la- it is showtime.

"deep in their root,all flowers keep the light ."--Roethe Being a lover of nature  and Ikebana student, I always travel with my cutting scissors and accessories.  Having fond memories of an abundance of hortensias (hydrangea in English) filling the gardens of Le Guet de la Roche, I brought along powdered alum and gold Japanese ribbon. Flower tip-  if  you dip the ends of the flowers in alum they will last longer. The gold ribbon adds an elegant touch.  My French family loves to display my arrangements in various corners of their lovely chateau.

After being up for twenty four hours and not knowing if it was day or night, I pulled myself together with red lipstick, a splash of chanel # 5 and piled into the family Volkswagen for dinner in the country. Chez Roger is one of those special restaurants  à la compagne that scarcely  exist anymore. In the old days, every village had a small restaurant,family run with simple recipes, tasty plates, and reasonable prices. Sadly, many those restaurants have been replaced with McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and other fast food (a term that has been added to the French vocabulary) chains. The owner of Chez Roger, Roger, took time to be with us and is excited that his newly opened restaurant will prosper.  I wish him,Bonne chance- please no McDonald's in our lovely French countryside.

After buying train tickets on line, printed copy in hand I raced thru the dense traffic in Paris to the train station - I gave the cab driver an extra 10 Euros to get me their on time - vite.. Vite.. At the station I gave up the idea of buying water, sandwich and bathroom stop in favor of plowing thru the crowd, finding train car 11, and heroically stashing my heavy bags on the train - I do not have the reputation for traveling lightly - not in my vocabulary. Whew!,, I just made it on time -- all aboard - off to Limoges..

After the usual mad dash to pack for France and amidst warnings of terrorists, bomb threats, security checks I managed to sit next to Christophe on the plane - a handsome Frenchman with tremendous positive energy .We talked all night about the world, the importance of generosity and passing out love whenever possible. He showed me pictures of camping trips with his sons - french people love to camp out in the most primitive of situations - he said it started when the French government gave paid vacations so everyone went camping. He made the 10 hour flight pass very quickly.  And maybe I will try camping in the French countryside with the gypsies.

While on holiday in Limoges, France, I had the opportunity to learn some interesting details about buying a home in France... My french family's 3-story 18th Century home Newly constructed home in urban area One huge difference is that when you sell a house in France, you take everything inside the house that is not attached (including all the light fixtures). What remains are simply the electric cords hanging from the ceiling. The French believe that buyers have their own taste and style and therefore want to make their choices In all of the interior fixtures of the home . Prices of newly constructed homes are increasing. More people want the ease of everything new and not worrying if something breaks down in the home. You can also get better interest rates when you build or buy a newly built home. There are also those who really like the very old homes and chateaus, which of course are in need of a lot of restoration. The interest rates for purchasing these older ...

My French brother and I meet the village mayor of St.Yrieux-Sous-Aixe Watch other videos from my trip on  my YouTube channel .

Farmer's Market at Saint Junien Farmer's Market at Saint Junien - local honey Watch other videos from my trip on  my YouTube channel .

Château Rochechouart  Music in Rochechouart Watch other videos from my trip on  my YouTube channel .

History in Limoges, France - 12th Century Roman Church History in Limoges, France - Memorial History in Limoges, France - typical French house and barn Beauty in Limoges, France - 300 year old Oak tree Interview with my French sister, Monique Cabin Watch other videos from my trip on my YouTube channel .