France & Italy Trip

Hello friends!  Sorry for the long absence, but I just returned home last week from a month long adventure in France and Italy.  I was hoping to post while over there, but between the unreliable Wi-Fi (Wiff – Ee as they call it there) and our busy schedule, that didn’t happen.  So I’ve got some catching up to do!  With over 1000 photos to sort through, its going to take me a while to get them organized, but here are a few to give you an overview of where we were.  I was inspired daily by the architecture, the colors, the gardens, the landscape, the food, and the people.

 We started our trip on the southern coast of France, flying into Nice and spending five days there.  We explored the surrounding towns, and cheered my sister on as she competed in the IRONMAN Triathlon.

 

 

 

My sister Rowena and her Tri buddy Zach.

From Nice we drove to Cinque Terre, Italy and spent the week exploring the towns along the Italian Riviera…enjoying the villages, swimming and hiking.

 

 Next stop was Lake Annacy, a turquoise blue lake in the French Alps.  We enjoyed the cooler weather in the mountains while hiking, biking and sightseeing.

 

 

 From there we drove four hours to Gordes, in the heart of Provence.  Each day we would head out to a different town, finding hidden gems along the way.
 

After a week in Provence, Ryan and I took the train to Paris, while my daughter, mom and sister flew to Holland.  We spent 2 days in Paris, and were there for “le 14 juillet” (Bastille Day), their national holiday commemorating the beginning of the French Revolution.

I will be posting more photos of our trip in the coming weeks!