BARCELONA & CARCASSONNE

Julia and I had a great time in Barcelona -- what a fun city! Some friends told me about an inexpensive bus, so we took a round trip there on the bus from Toulouse. It was fun to see the scenery from the upper level of the bus as we drove. After we arrived and checked in to our hotel, we went out for tapas. They were nice little bites.

The next day we went to Sagrada Familia. What an interesting basilica! I learned about Gaudi and this building that is always under construction.

The only disappointment of visiting the Sagradia was that they closed the tour of the upper areas because of high winds.

We took a bus tour of Barcelona where we could jump on and off to see the interesting sights, such as more by Gaudi: Guell park and one of his buildings.

During Julia's stay in France, we also made it to Carcassonne. I love sharing this medieval city with friends:

PYRÉNÉES: PART DEUX

In September, my friend Julia joined me for some European fun. I met Julia 30 years ago in Southern California when we were pregnant with our first children, and now she lives in Northern California. We will be neighbors once again as I return to California.

One of our first sight-seeing stops was to the Pyrénées, in the charming cities of Saint-Lizier and Saint-Girons.

Eric was our designated driver. I haven't driven much in France, given the narrow lanes and especially our very challenging parking options in Toulouse.

It was a little rainy and overcast so we didn't get a chance to go up into the mountains, but the small cities were charming.

SWITZERLAND

At the end of the summer, we were able to take a weekend in Switzerland because of great prices to Geneva on EasyJet! We rented a car in Geneva and drove to the Bern area to see the LDS Temple.

In Bern, we also enjoyed walking around the cathedral, the river, and a very interesting Einstein museum.

Next, we drove to Lausanne for our hotel and then for a boat ride on Lake Geneva.

Eric and I enjoyed the very beautiful water, mountains, and all of the scenery in Switzerland. What a lovely country!

PYRÉNÉES & MORE OF TOULOUSE

In August, we finally made it to the Pyrénées, the beautiful mountain range in between France and Spain. Several of the books I have read lately tell stories of servicemen shot down in France who crossed these mountains into Spain in order to get to England (and safety) during WWII.

We went to a little village called Luchon.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and there was a parade downtown.

The community was also getting ready for a special "Fleur Fest" with floats made of flowers.

We took a short hike and then rode the gondola to the top of a nearby mountain.

The view from the top was wonderful!

I couldn't get enough of the views.

This would be a fun place to ski in the winter -- we saw some of the snow-making equipment. We would also love to come back to these beautiful mountains to hike or enjoy more of the scenery.

CORDES-SUR-CIEL

Most just call it "Cordes," and it is a beautiful medieval city that seems to reach to the sky. My pictures didn't do this justice, so I copied a professional photo (see credit below!)

Photo by: « Cordes sur ciel vue du Grain de Sel » par Adrien Béron — Travail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cordes_sur_ciel_vue_du_Grain_de_Sel.jpg#/media/File:Cordes_sur_ciel_vue_du_Grain_de_Sel.jpg

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We took "le petit train" around the city, and then we also climbed the steep road to the city.

I couldn't resist the unicorn!

Books about WWI & WWII

It's been an interesting year of reading historical books, especially those set in Europe during the world wars. Last night, I finished yet another audio book about World War II. I've enjoyed each one of these:

World War I: 

• Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson: The story of the sinking of the Lusitania (1915).
• The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein: A memoir written about Northern England on the eve of WWI.

World War II (France):

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
• Avenue of Spies by Alex Kershaw: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: A story of two sisters in France, 1939.
• The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton / Narrated by Jennifer Ikeda: Women reporters try to be the first in Paris to report as the allies free the city.

World War II (England):

• Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner: "Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart."

America (Just before World War II):

• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Other (France/England):

• Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens (This was one of the few English shows on French TV--it was on PBS--so I watched it first and then listened to the novel and remembered how much I like Dickens!).
• A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle: "Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs."

Other interesting books I have read (or listened to) this year:

• Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt (by Eleanor) / Narrated by Tavia Gilbert
• The Climb: The Autobiography by Chris Froome: The memoir from the British winner of the 2013 centenary Tour de France
• Einstein by Walter Isaacson / Narrated by Edward Herrmann
• Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot (The Killing of Historical Figures)
by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
• Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever (The Killing of Historical Figures) by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard