europe 2018

This summer Gary and I visited Europe again. We spent time in three countries. We started off in London just for a couple days. Then we went to Italy and stayed in Peschici, drove through a national forest up a mountain to Monte Sant' Angelo, and ended our time staying in a medieval manor estate/hotel in Fasano. Then we flew to Paris and stayed there a few days before returning to Toronto.

Highlights of our trip included the easy trip from the Scranton airport with absolutely no one in the security line, laughing and driving through the night to catch our flight to London from Boston, meals at the Landmark in London, hearing the ocean at night at Hotel Marcavallo, the quirky front desk guy who kept saying "cool-a," being served a lovely pasta meal by a mother-daughter team at a tiny restaurant a walk from our hotel, driving through the incredible forest, people thinking we were French, finding homemade breadsticks in a tiny Italian town, the amazing hotel in Fasano - Masserina Salamina, meals at this hotel and picnics on the deck, meeting all sorts of nice people including a family from the US, falafels at Le Marias in Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower, finding one of our favorite restaurants in Paris, Rue Cler dinners, meeting our "adopted" son in the airport - we helped him fly to Toronto from Paris. And of course, gelato.

birthday celebration

For my big 5-0 we were in France. We took a train to Amma's ashram in Pontgouin. Gary had arranged with the people there for us to visit. First we got a guided tour of the beautiful grounds, where we saw the bread house, the bee house, the extensive vegetable gardens, many fruit trees, composting toilets, a library, a seed bank, a barn filled with every tool imaginable. We attended a meditation session, had lunch with the residents, they surprised me with some cakes and parfaits. After lunch I wanted to do some seva (service) so I worked in the gardens, weeding. It was a perfect day. I loved every minute of it.

first day in chartres

After a long travel day we flew into France and ended up in this small charming medieval town called Chartres. Wow. What a place. We could walk everywhere we wanted to go. That night after dinner we saw this amazing light show projected onto the cathedral. It was incredible.