Have you ever sat and dreamed of the places you would like to visit? Have you ever put those places on your bucket list? I have and I'm sure many of you have too. One of my dream destinations was Thailand I could visualise the golden Buddhist temples, but I never made it there. Another place that I wanted to see was Tuscany, I was totally fascinated with the architecture of the rosy red brick buildings, and I was also very tempted because when I lived in California I had a friend who travelled to Italy on business regularly. They used to bring back clothes for friends, and I was luckily one of them. I have wanted to go there ever since, alas I haven't been there yet, but I hope I will within the next one or two years.
In the meantime I will be writing here about the places that I have seen, even if they were a long time ago, and the places that I would now like to see. There are some that I could possibly see this summer, right here in France, I haven't seen them yet but have flyers from tourist offices and have I made a list of the places I want to go and explore. I will take photos, I will write about them, and you will read about them here. If there are any places that you would like me to write about, please write to me at the address on this page or contact me on Facebook Messenger: Stephanie Hunt Crowley. Text or voice call. Have a great week.
Stephanie Hunt Crowley
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It was raining mud – from Africa!
I was driving to a small town in the Correze last year when I noticed a very weird, strange sky. It was pink - like a washed out brick colour and it just sat there, not moving. It was a cloud, if I looked to my left through my driver’s window I could see clear sky so I knew that it was cloud that was sitting overhead, and I was wondering where did it come from and what was it? When I arrived at my destination my windshield was covered in spots! I wanted to know what was causing this. I knew it was not dry or dry matter, it was wet. I looked above me and I realised it was actually particulate matter that was coming out of the cloud! After my meeting and on my way home, I followed the cloud all the way. What was it, what had happened? I discovered that it was sand from the Sahara! It really does show us that the world is just one globe. Weather isn't something that just lives above your head, weather moves around the globe. Climate is what we experience where we live, and it varies from oner season to the next. I was driving along the road in the French countryside - and I was being rained on by mud from the Sahara!
© Stephanie Hunt Crowley July 24 2022
. My first visit to France was when I was 19. I only went there for a day, and took the train from London to Paris accompanied by a four month old Afghan Hound puppy by the name of Tiki. I met the new owners of Tiki at the Gare du Nord and M. le Dr Clement said we would go to lunch. We headed towards the station Hotel, and having been brought up in England I was expecting something .... er .. similar to what one would have found operated by British Railways! I was wrong.
We entered the dining room that reminded me of a high class hotel, with white tablecloths and uniformed waiters. Dr Clement went ahead to order a sumptuous meal with a bottle of wine that glowed ruby red and tasted ...well, I had never tasted anything like it before. At the end of the meal I thanked him profusely, and he looked at me and raised his eyebrow and said "But one must eat!"
This may seem like a very simple story but I was a very naïve 19 year old, and it was an experience that stayed with me and added to the allure of La France. Many years and many trips later, I have now made France my home.
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© 2022