Stephen:
This isn't our first trip since Covid, but it is the first back to France. The main impetus was to see Isabelle whose husband Jean died last January at the age of ninerty-one. The three of us decided that we should visit her at her country home in Cézac. We are then going to extend the trip by seeing some friends that live between Cézac and the Cevennes which is a rugged part of Southern France. We will stay there a week before returning our rental car at the TGV Station at Avignon and taking the fast train back to Paris where we will stay for a week. A fight home on August fifth will end the trip.
We will be staying in hotels this time rather than AirBnBs. I think we are planning to be out and about.
Dawn:
Between the apparently endless covid pandemic and Putin's outrageous war in Ukraine, I wasn't thinking about going to Europe this summer. However, when we finally connected with Isabelle via Facetime after several unanswered emails and texts, and heard of the sad loss of her dear husband, and our dear friend, we just wanted to spend some time with her. We don't usually go to Europa during the height of the tourist season, but we just want to be there with Isabelle, back in her place in la France Profonde. If youÕve read our travelogue over the years, you are already acquainted with her lovely old stone farmhouse in le Lot. For me, it's almost like going home, having an emotional, even spiritual connection to being in France. It always reminds me of my mother who was born in Paris and spoke French as her first language. So especially at this stage of our lives, I say Putin and covid be damned. We are going!