Our houseboat with Spence (by the green door). Once you entered, our apartment was to the left, another to the right.Our little kitchenette and door to the bathroom.Our window and seating area. Ducks were frequent visitors, swimming by and climbing up to sun themselves on the side rails.Our comfy bed and armoire. Not fancy but fabulous and exactly what we needed.
Spence lived in Germany for a few years while in the Army and knew of these charming little towns and medieval-like villages. I fell in love with the flower boxes in seemingly every window. One day everything was shrouded in fog making it seem as though we’d been transported back in time, just magical and romantic. The food was exceptional – schnitzel, spaetzle and the beer! I only wish we could have stayed a bit longer.
Arriving in Italy, we had no destination in mind. It was a Sunday evening around 6:00 p.m. and we needed a hotel when we came upon the charming coastal town of Lerici. Lerici is a town and commune in the province of La Spezia in Liguria, part of the Italian Riviera. After stopping at a small trattoria, Spence engaged the owner to ask for a recommendation. The gentleman was so kind and called the Hotel Doria arranging a room for us. Now to find it….we drove up the narrow streets, climbing ever higher. At last we found it and what a spectacular view, overlooking the harbor. There was a concert in town which we enjoyed from our balcony. Sunday nights the restaurant is closed but the man who checked us in brought us a lovely tray of meat, cheese and bread with a bottle of Chianti. It was a balmy night, so memorable. Here are my best of the best photos:
During our European trip, we stopped for a tour at Mercier Champagne Cellars. It was fascinating. Here’s a few facts:
Mercier is a Champagne producer based in the Épernay region of Champagne. The house, founded in 1858, produces both vintage and non-vintage cuvée. Mercier owned the original rights to the name Dom Pérignon but gave the brand to Moët et Chandon in 1927. Today the house is under the umbrella of the LVMH group and is the number one selling brand of Champagne in the domestic French market. (source Wikipedia)
Inside the dome at Mercier Champagne Cellars A model of the 1889 Champagne cask pulled by 24 oxen to the World’s Fair in Paris France. The actual cask from that 1889 World’s Fair After riding down in an elevator to the subterranean champagne cellars, you take the tour on a little red train, passing hallways filled with champagne. Chalk carvings inside the champagne caves also help regulate temperature and humidity
Stopped off for a cold adult beverage and this was our view over the French Countryside Cold adult beverage A little French cat in the woodpile
Saint-Germain-Du-Bois
The statue of Saint-Germain-Du-Bois, the patron saint of children killed during the war
Sofie Fleurs (flower shop)
A fabulous bistro where we had the most amazing lunch
Escargot
A lovely salad topped with two soft poached eggs – magnifique!
Charming
Lovely garden
A French kitten in the garden
Red wine for me, a beer for Spence
When we saw this, Spence stopped the car and I ran over and laid on the ground to take this photo. Still lying on the ground – a personal favorite A storm rolling in, a black baby grand piano in front of a mansion. Just a typical French thing, oui?
A few years back, I was lucky enough to take the most amazing trip to Europe with Spence. It was one of those “bucket list” trips for me. Not Spence’s first trip there, he was in charge of making decisions about how I should experience it – and he did not disappoint. It truly was the trip of a lifetime and I long to return there, frequently (and wistfully) scrolling through some of the 2000+ pictures I took. It occurred to me that I’ve only featured a few of them in the blog to date. Here are some of my favorites……encompassing scenes from Switzerland and a French Farmer’s Market.
I hope you enjoy them – stay tuned for more favorite photos from this trip in future posts….