where is everyone?

Just got back from visiting the older kid in France.
Had a great time, but man was it freezing over there.
Guess I am turning into a real Floridian. ;-)

Hey Cil!! Thaw out, rest up, and give us some stories !!!!😀

Just got back from visiting the older kid in France.
Had a great time, but man was it freezing over there.
Guess I am turning into a real Floridian. ;-)

do tell! where in France and what did you eat and all that good stuff??

i will think about you while having shrimp pasta, scampi, and whatever else shrimpy i can come up with !

We love those cheese biscuits at RL. :wub:

I have been down with the stomach virus.... My youngest daughter started it!! 😱 Feeling much better now!!! Glad to join the real world again!!!
Have a great Saturday All! 😀

I wondered where you were hiding!!!! glad to have you back! :clap_1:

Just got back from visiting the older kid in France.
Had a great time, but man was it freezing over there.
Guess I am turning into a real Floridian. ;-)

glad your back safe! France? what is your oldest doing there?

Just got in! We had dinner with my Dad and his wife. Now... where is everyone??????

Just got in! We had dinner with my Dad and his wife. Now... where is everyone??????

I'm back...couldn't sleep! How was dinner?

I'm back...couldn't sleep! How was dinner?

Hey! Dinner was great! I got in bed, turned on the olympics, then remembered to wash my face LOL... and for some reason I ended up back on the computer.... :floor: Of course the hubby is sawing logs :funn:

Hey! Dinner was great! I got in bed, turned on the olympics, then remembered to wash my face LOL... and for some reason I ended up back on the computer.... :floor: Of course the hubby is sawing logs :funn:

So was Mr. K...loudly!!! Drat, I missed the Olympics tonight!!!

So was Mr. K...loudly!!! Drat, I missed the Olympics tonight!!!

The Olympics are on right now, channel 5. replay 😀

The Olympics are on right now, channel 5. replay 😀

THANKS...I am on it!!! Sleep tight!

THANKS...I am on it!!! Sleep tight!

You too Girl friend!!

glad your back safe! France? what is your oldest doing there?

He is teaching English to French elementary school teachers. They are on break now, so I took a week to go see him.

He is teaching English to French elementary school teachers. They are on break now, so I took a week to go see him.

Welcome back...tell us more!!!

He is teaching English to French elementary school teachers. They are on break now, so I took a week to go see him.

Cil, you're leaving us hanging here! Where exactly in France, what exactly did you eat, how exactly was the trip, how exactly cute is he?

He is teaching English to French elementary school teachers. They are on break now, so I took a week to go see him.

:scratch: Hmmm.... French chicks eh? :wub:

Cil, you're leaving us hanging here! Where exactly in France, what exactly did you eat, how exactly was the trip, how exactly cute is he?

heehee ;-)
Well, I think he is pretty cute, 6 feet and big blue eyes, even with the beard he did not tell me about.
He is very single and determined to stay that way for some time, but then he is only 22.
I only took a week because I did not want to wear out my welcome with him, plus I frankly did not trust the younger son and husband to keep the household under control for longer than that.

I flew into Toulouse (southwest France) via Amsterdam, then took the train two hours north to my son's little town, Rodez. It is at the foot of Massif Central and a very hilly but it's a very pedestrian-oriented town. The kid has an apartment there with another guy. The teaching English job is perfect for anyone who is single and carefree; they have a great life.

My son met me at the train station and he had a really nice dinner party that night, I met his little international group of friends: France, New Zealand, Scotland and Venezuela were all represented. I spent three days in Rodez, a French couple drove us around to beautiful little villages and we ate lots of good food and drank lots of good wine. I did make it to Najac to see the castle there. (I think I posted about this place before.)
But it was freezing! I even saw a few flakes of snow! Horrors! I was really glad I brought gloves.

Then we took the train south to Toulouse where it was a bit warmer, actually similar to northwest Florida, palm trees etc. We stopped in Albi and were able to see the cathedral but the Toulouse-Lautrec museum was closed.
I loved Toulouse and *highly* recommend it. It is close to both the Med or Atlantic coasts, and only 5 hours from Barcelona. It is called the Pink City because so much of it is constructed of rose-colored brick, it glows in the sun. Again, like Rodez, the old part of Toulouse is very walkable and picturesque. It is a university town and there are lots of young people; it just has a nice energy. Chocolate is very big there, there are chocolatiers on every other corner. Was also able to drop lots of euros at the L'Occitane store.
Wanted to go to the Airbus tour but I heard you don't really get to see the jet (the new Airbus A380) so we didn't go.
We took a day trip to see the fortress at Carcassonne (yes, I do love castles) and it being extremely early and very cold we had this touristy place to ourselves.

A French couple the kid knows used to live in Toulouse and told us the best places for chocolate, dinner etc. The regional specialty, cassoulet, is nice and all, but to be honest, to me it just seemed like beanie-weenie with a bit of duck in it. I liked the foie gras, salads and desserts better.
And the bread.
And the wine. And the cheese! Favorite cheeses were Cantal and Bleu d'Auvergne, favorite wine was Clos Triguedina.
heh
Are you sorry you asked? 🙂
I don't know when I will see the kid again, so it was good to be able to take this trip.

What a fantastic sounding trip. Thanks for the report! Did you take pics or were your hands too cold?

love hearing about the trip to France. thanks for sharing cil!!! sounds like a very good time with some good food and wine. travel is all about the food. and wine...

what a kid you must have - he sounds cute! and what an experience of a lifetime for a young adult... sounds like he's a lucky son of a cil.