Auburn, AL July 19, 2020 Partly as therapy to lift my spirits, I have devoted recent space to recollections from other places and earlier days. The last several weeks, I have pilfered a basement box containing notes from a long-ago trip to France. It is pleasant to re-live those wonderful experiences. But their memories make it […]
Manchester, England July 23, 2007 The airline industry has been rough the last several years. After 9/11 Delta has re-trenched, severed employees, cut pay, and entered bankruptcy. But the corner is being turned, and a few perks remain. Among them are the ability to travel the world, often in the premium cabin. Sometimes, in my […]
Tours, France April 23, 2000 Balzac once said that the real Tourangeau will not leave in search of pleasure. From where he lives, he could only lose by any change. With such an endorsement, what better place to spend Easter Sunday? Having heard Mass last night at the Vigil in Blois, we enjoyed a leisurely […]
Atlanta, GA July 14, 2020 This has been a tough year for the Ancien Régime, meaning anything that pertained before Memorial Day. Historic statues have been desecrated, toppled, and destroyed. Names and images of erstwhile heroes are being effaced from buildings, streets, schools, and bases. Names and emblems are falling like autumn leaves from notable sports […]
Blois, France April 23, 2000 Dimanche de pâques After a peaceful pastoral respite of small villages, open space, and fine wine, we returned yesterday to the mischievous world of connivers, scoundrels, chiselers, and crooks. We delved back into politics! Like overstaying our welcome at another’s family reunion, we’re really getting to know the Valois clan […]
Montrichard, France April 20, 2000 After a few days descending the depths of royal exuberance, we decided to come up for air. Today we took a breath, and a break, from palaces and fortresses. Instead, we surveyed the surrounding fields, and sampled their fruits. This is beautiful country…soft, gentle, and rolling. It is watered and […]
Onzain, France April 19, 2000 Châteaux in the Loire are like churches in Italy or dessert on a cruise ship. They are plentiful, spectacular and, eventually, overwhelming. And sometimes all at once. Such was the case today, at the grandest and gaudiest of the great Valois vacation homes. Most prominent places are personified by their […]
Amboise, France April 18, 2000 The picturesque Château d’Amboise rises majestically from a promontory above the Loire and across from L’île d’Or. The strategic merit of the site is obvious, and fortifications have been built here since at least the tenth century. What we see now are the remnants or restorations of its Italianate incarnation […]
Onzain, France April 18, 2000 Light streamed thru the window as if poured from an open faucet. Accompanying it was a cacophony of chirping birds, and a more distant rumbling of farm equipment plying and pruning our extensive terrain. After a long day yesterday, we were happy to sleep in, and to let the sun gently […]
Orléans, France April 17, 2000 The perks of my job are obvious, but nice nonetheless. In January, my wife decided to visit a friend in London. So she checked with her mole at Delta Air Lines, and had him check inventory. “Are seats available on any London flights next weekend?” “Yes”, I replied. “Plenty in […]