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A 25-day adventure by Olddustyboots.com Read more
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  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Basilica of Fourviere, Lyon

    April 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Lyon was first founded by the Romans high on a hill overlooking the Rhine and Daune rivers. As we climbed the hill in our bus, we passed some Roman ruins and an amphitheater before coming to the Basilica of Fouviere. This church was built after Mary answered the people's prayers to stop the Prussians from conquering them and the church was funded completely by private donations.
    Inside, the building is very decorated even down to the tiles on the floor. Mosaics cover the walls and ceiling, and even the candles are available in multi colours.
    We took a quick turn through the crypt where Mary appears as the black Madonna and then we had to head back to the bus. This was a quick stop, but I'm glad we got to see this beautiful place.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Cathedral Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Lyon

    April 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Late afternoon brought us to the Saint Jean the Baptist Cathedral in Lyon, where I found my familiar Camino scallop shell on the sidewalk. Many pilgrims start their walking their Camino de Santiago in Lyon instead of Saint Jean Pied de Porte where I started.
    The Cathedral is surrounded by narrow streets of cafes and shops selling everything from puppets, to waffles, to crepes and art. These three main streets are built parallel to each other and parallel to the river Saone. In order to access the different streets, small "traboules" or secret passageways were built throughout the old city. There are about 400 of these crossings, but only about 40 are open to the public. These passages became an important tool for the French Resistance during WWII. We walked through one such shortcut to reach the Cathedral.
    Inside the church, the altar was bathed in blue light from stained glass windows and reminded me of some of the Cathedrals on my pilgrimage. Even the rose window brought back thoughts and emotions from my walk.
    How lovely it was to sit a moment in my memories.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Aix-en-Provence

    April 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    This morning we boarded our bus at 8:00 am and headed south to Aix-en-Provence, which is an area known for lavender fields, fields of fresh produce, ratatouille and almonds. It is also famous for being the home of Cezanne, one of the impressionist painters who changed the world with their new techniques in painting.
    Once in town, we walked to the historic center where every square seems to have a fountain. Here we visited the Cathedral which was partly in a romanesque style and partly gothic. I particularly liked one stained glass window depicting Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus traveling by donkey.
    Doug and I bought a lavender soap to take home and then enjoyed a tapas of feta cheese in a light pastry with basil and dried fruits and nuts in honey. Practicing my French, I managed to order Doug a full bodied beer that he enjoyed while I had a Coca Cola zero.
    As we were returning to our host, we saw a bright red vintage motorcycle parked in the square that really got Doug's attention. I looked around and found the owner. Between my rusty French and his patience, I learned that it was an Italian bike from 1936 and that there were only a handful made. It was Italia Gucci. I've always known Doug loves redheads, and maybe I should be worried because he certainly fell in love with this bright red Italian lady!    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Mary Magdalene at St. Baume

    April 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    As we continued on our trip, we passed by the municipality of Plan-d'Aups-Sainte-Baume, which became the sanctuary of Mary Magdalene in France. She traveled here by boat and evangelized the area, and lived out her life in a cave here. She's buried in the Catholic Church here.Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Fragonard perfume factory, Grasse

    April 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    On our way to Juan les Pins, Antibes, we made a stop at the town of Grasse to visit the Fragonard perfume factory. We learned a bit about making fragrances, such as it takes one tonne of flowers to make one litre of essential oil. For more subtle fragrances, it can take up to three and a half tonnes of flowers to make the litre of oil. We also learned that perfume makers have 13 years of schooling before graduation, but then they are called " the nose". Their worktable of essential oils arranged in tiers of scent families are called "pianos" and each fragrance is called a "note".
    This factory makes perfume, l'eau de toilette, soaps and cosmetics, all of which we were introduced to at the end of the tour. We were invited to smell several samples of scents from citrus based, to floral and also musky notes before being encouraged to buy some bottles to bring home.
    Sweet Douglas selected 5 l'eau de toilette scents for the important women in his life as he thought this was a special gift he could share with them from France.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    St. Paul de Vence, the walled city

    April 20, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We traveled about an hour from Juan les Pins to St. Paul de Vence, which is a fortified city high up in the hills on the edge of the Alps. In medieval times, this city was on the border between what was an Italian kingdom and French lands, so it was necessary to be protected. When France helped fight the war that united the kingdoms into the country of Italy, this area was gifted to France in gratitude. But as one shopkeeper said, we're supposed to speak French but even now, we really don't.
    This city has maintained its city walls, and inside it has narrow, winding cobblestone streets and buildings straight out of a Fairytale. We visited the church which was Romanesque and admired the art housed there. We meandered through the streets and shops and bought Doug a knife whose handle was in the shape of a Marc Chagall mermaid and was carved from 500 year old oak beam that used to support the bells of the church.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the city of Art

    April 20, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Saint,-Psul-en-Vence was a haven for artists and in particular, Marc Chagall lived here and is now buried here. Art abounds within these walls and everywhere we looked there were paintings or sculptures to contemplate. Vivid colours popped from the stone buildings and brought this warm spring day to life.
    I'm so glad we got to visit this special place and even one purple iris waited to share its beauty with me. Merci!    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Sur le Pont d'Avignon

    April 21, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This morning I sang "Sur le pont d'Avignon, on l'a dance, on l'a dance. Sur le pont d'Avignon, on l'a dance tous le monde." to Doug as we left our hotel room. After hearing and singing that song for most of my life, I am finally going to see this famous bridge.
    d'Avignon is known as the Pope's town because at one point in history the French Pope moved from Rome to d'Avignon to be safer. This was supposed to be a short term displacement, but it ended up being the home to seven Popes for over 50 years.
    First we crossed the road to stand on the shore of the river and take pictures of what remains of the medieval bridge that used to span two different arms of the river. This was a major crossroads in those times and the bridge was used as a market to trade and buy goods.
    Now only a section of the bridge remains, but I did get to see it!
    There was so much to see in d'Avignon, from souvenir shops filled with lavender soaps and sachets, to linens in all shades and hues.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Palace of the Popes

    April 21, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After a bit of an explanation about d'Avignon, our tour director, Simeon, left us to explore on our own in this walled city. After eating our sandwiches for lunch in the main square, Doug and I walked up to the Palais des Papes, or Popes' palace and took pictures. In front of the entrance was a sculpture of Jesus surrounded with grieving angels and a statue of Mary covered in gold adorned the top of the tower.
    The door was closed to this building, so we walked to the gardens beside the huge palace and enjoyed strolling past the fountains and sculptures of this park. It had a great lookout spot for more bridge pictures and there were toy horse carts or strollers there that have probably entertained children for generations.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comOlddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland

    Avignon

    April 21, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Doug and I returned to the square where we had eaten lunch near the old fashioned merry-go-round and I bought a print of Avignon surrounded by lavender fields in bloom from an artist selling his wares.
    We decided to explore some of the side streets of the old town where many shops, florists, bakeries and cafes were found.
    This is the home of the Gauls, a Celtic people settled in this area in Roman times. In the bookstore, Asterix and Obelix books were seen and even an Asterix statue.    Read more

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