Hanging out in Monmarte....very cool!

Kyle and Andrea are due in Paris in a few days...so Linda and I are setting up shop in one of the best places on the planet....

Thanks To Franck and Nadia for setting us up in the apartment of her sister Layla's for  a couple of weeks ....

This is not just any apartment but one in Montmarte! Home of where all the artist hang  out, fantastic neighborhood cafe's and restaurants, Sacre Coeur,  the Moulin Rouge....

AND THE NEWEST BRANCH OFFICE OF INSURANCE CONSULTANTS  INTERNATIONAL!

We get our hiking workout in everyday....stairs abound getting from one street to the other, and we climb  5 flights of stairs to get to the apartment...working the "glutes"....can you say "buns of steel"?

Paris is a place to fall in love....Linda and her new boy friend!! These Frenchman work these American women!

Cafe's....on every corner....

Fromage (Cheese)....incredible selections....

Fresh Seafood....

And of course....Linda's "Kryptonite"....pastries at the local patisserie....

Before we headed to the airport....we stopped and hit Paris for what it is known for....fashion!!!
This is Printemps! Big Bucks, latest trends....this is us!!!

Linda is really thinking of a way to ditch me so she can really shop....

Presentation is not just for food....these folks are masters at it....even I wanted to shop!

Might have to buy these for the Palmer Lake Hiking Club!

Chic!

Enough for now...got to go pick up Kyle and Andrea....coming off of a flight sitting in 1st Class...not sure what kind of attitude to expect but I am pretty sure they will be pumped for Paris!

DINNER ON THE MEDITERRANEAN!

If it seems that our trip is centered around food...didn't take a brain child to figure that out. From what we have observed .... Food is a central part .... of the lifestyle here, the social time, and even entertainment ... and when we look at the prices what they pay....a large part of their budget! But the bread is fresh, the vegetables are perfectly ripe, and the presentation of how it is served....is very inviting and intentionally displayed!

Our last night in Marseilles we drove down the coast line....another shot of Notre Dame le Gard from east of the city....

Check out the building...can't imagine anything but a sheep herder could have lived there.

Numerous folks would walk down and strip to there skivvies and jump on the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean....

Place is gorgeous!!

Aperitif's before dinner along with some Irish Beer!

Little fishing village .... several restaurants.... a destination for the locals

An Extraordinary Evening!

This picture came out blurry but it was a fantastic atmosphere for a great meal!

The 3 musketeers of Marseille!

Linda loves her French Dinners!!!

And her French Wine!!!

DINNER AT FRANCOISE'S--AFTER ROMAN RUINS

Afternoon in Arles...small city where Vincent Van Gogh painted over 150 canvases...Roman ruins...and some great cafe's...
I am getting my veggies in....
Salads are incredible....not sure why...maybe its because we are setting next to a 2500 year old Roman Coliseum...
The gardens inside the sanatorium where Van Gogh was committed after lopping off his ear lobe...

The city of Arles had numerous Roman ruins and influences...

The coliseum was hosting a bull fight later in the week...

A Roman amphitheater still be used for concerts, etc.

After sightseeing....on to the country house of Christian and Francoise's for dinner...

Outdoor dining...lasted easily 2-3 hours....definitely an event!

Outdoor cooking...perfect!

This is the real stuff....un-pasteurized, fresh,....full of cholesterol!

Pork Tenderloin fillets marinated in olive oil and a cajun seasoning...probably their version of Tony Cachere's!

Never saw a woman get so excited about cheese or as the French would call it "fromage"...

And last but not least....cake from the local chocolatier!!!

The Lady is in Heaven....Family and good food!

2nd Cousin --Tomas...now 6 years old!

1st Cousins Odeil and Karin

Aunts Francois and Ella

Uncles's Gerald and Christian

Not complete, but most of the South of France relatives all in one place....a Great Evening!

Marseille, Little Villages and TOPLESS BEACHES!!! Post#2

One of the things Linda loves to do is to take a drive out to the neighboring villages...Gerald was our chauffeur....Linda got her convertible...off we go....

Linda is pretty uptight about this....

Didn't have my Nikon and zoom lens for this shot but up on the hillside is a typical village we enjoy visiting...shops, cafe's, cobblestone streets....

As you can see I am getting uptight too...

Quiet little town...narrow streets...perfect for strolling and little shops to stop in at...

Great picture of the Valley below....

Pictures don't do the views justice...

Linda and her Aunt Ella....summertime in France!!

Linda wanted this address marker for her mother....I told her she couldn't take it....

I wanted this little wiener dog door knocker for my neighbor's Christy and John....Linda told me I couldn't take it either...

Everything grows in the South of France....great climate for this sort of thing...

Saw these 2 little girls and kept chasing them for 1/2 block....they would never turn around...so I took the pic and left...didn't want to appear I was stalking...

This little town was pretty neat...had a stretch of nice shaded patio cafe's where we had lunch....

Back in Marseille, Linda wanted a picture next to this statue....I wonder why? She wanted me to take a picture of the front...but I flatly refused...

These people standing in front of the fountain....are us!

Snapped this pic a nano-second too soon...if I would have waited I could have gotten the hood of the car in the picture...

Thought about taking the ICI company yacht out for a spin...Linda reminded me of the Belize sailing incident...so we didn't...

On the way back home we hit the coast for cold drink and to check out the European beach scene...the Cote d'Azure on the French Riviera.

The waters of the Mediterranean are crystal blue...very inviting!
Beaches are crowded....allot of roasting flesh!

Okay we are now getting to the good part....

TOPLESS BEACHES!!! Linda told me they were here and I didn't have far to look....Yowsaaaa!!!

Here is a little something for everybody....unless your offended by nudity, if so you might want to skip this section....

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A Little "Eye Candy for the Men"!!!!

A little "eye candy for the ladies!"...didn't want you to feel left out....

Check back tomorrow....Heading to Avignon, Arles and to the countryside villa of Linda's Aunt Francois for dinner tonight!!