On the Road Again - Adventures from an Empty Nest

We decided early in our trip that this would not be a trinket-buying expedition. We had spent too many months cleaning out our basement before we left to want to bring more things into the house, and besides, the campervan isn’t really big enough to cart extra stuff around Europe.  So we are eating – and drinking – our souvenirs instead.   We are in Brittany (or as the French say, Bretagne), the southwest peninsula of France, the home of crêpes and hard cider. As it turns out, we just happened to camp last night in the village where one of the region’s most famous products, Kerisac Cider, is bottled.  We bought five bottles, one of each of the five kinds they make, and we plan to drink them before returning to the US.  Sorry if you were hoping to get a bottle when we get back. We have also bought oranges in Valencia, olive oil in Granada, muesli in Austria, cheese in Switzerland, pasta in Milan, strawberries in Provence, wine in the Côte du R...

France has a great system to support local small agricultural producers.  After paying a fee for the year, you can spend the night in your campervan on any farm in the network for free.  There’s no obligation to buy anything, but many of the farms do offer products – wine, cheese, wool, milk…  It’s a great way to see parts of France we’d never otherwise see, and save a little money, too.  Every third night, we’re spending in a paid campground, so we can get showers, power up our electronics, empty our waste and fill our water tank.   This morning, we woke up on a farm near Audes to the sound of a rooster crowing and bison snorting nearby. Yes, bison.  American bison.  Unfortunately, the farmers – three generations of men, it looked like – were not particularly communicative, and very busy getting a barn built before the rain comes, so we have no idea why they decided to raise bison, but we have seen their product...

I am writing from a rare indoor location – the home of our friends Dominque and Roger Micallef in Lyon. After having lived in Lyon for a year in 2004-5, I am overwhelmed by feelings of familiarity and fondness for this amazing city. If you have not been to Lyon, put it on your bucket list. At the confluence of the Rhône and Saone rivers, it is a city of ancient Roman remains, medieval neighborhoods, immigrant communities, agricultural markets, fine arts, youth culture and universities,  high tech, medical excellence  and fine public transportation. It feels like home to me. We are staying here a few days so I can get a thyroid test ordered by my doctor back home, as well as a cortisone shot in my troublesome knee, and Joe and I - and maybe even Jacob - can get our hair cut.  We've had a particularly social few weeks. We spent a wonderful week with Joe's organizing colleague LeeAnn Hall from Seattle, who was in Europe for a family wedding. ...