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in Europe

A Little Paradise in France

Magnolia trees covered in snow- Tuilerie Garden in ParisWe always enjoy traveling to France, and we found a little piece of paradise on this visit. We may have seen the area we hope to call home…more on that later. This is just an overview of an extraordinary trip. I am still pinching myself. We arrived on a cold, snowy morning. Stepping out of the airport with our driver, we could see our breath…the last time was years ago in Switzerland. The weather got our attention and made for a longer-than-usual drive into Paris. We had a great conversation with our bilingual driver, making time fly by.

We had early check-in at the hotel (YAY) and, after depositing our bags, headed out for brunch and a long walk through the Tuileries Garden in the snow. It was magical. Daffodils and crocuses were covered in snow, and the blooming magnolia trees looked out of place. It reminded me of growing up in the Midwest when a freak snowstorm would cover the flowers and blooming trees. By the next day, the snow had melted, and the sun was out. Although very cold, the weather was glorious. Seriously, the weather was not a concern having the opportunity to visit France twice in five months.

Tuileries Garden

Very cold- my hand looks like it is frozen.

In October, I visited the YSL Musée and wrote about it for The Good Life France Magazine. The Musée invited me back to see the new additions and extended the invitation to hubby. It was brilliant. With over 34,703 items, you could revisit them every quarter. Ray enjoyed it as much as I did. I’ll be sharing more about the Musée later.

 

embroidered gold bolero- YSL Museé

Exquisite! ©Barb Harmon

 

New garments at the YSL Museé- March 2018

Gorgeous designs by a genius ©Barb Harmon

Goosebump alert…we visited the Coco Chanel Suite at the Ritz Paris! This was a fantastic experience, and I will forever be grateful. I don’t want to share too much as an article will be forthcoming.

Living room in the Coco Chanel Suite- Ritz Paris

Living room in The Coco Chanel Suite- Ritz Paris ©Barb Harmon

This three-room suite is to die for. Understated elegance, so Chanel.

After visiting the suite, we were escorted downstairs to the Salon Proust for tea. This is not your average tea. It consists of several courses, and it is all SWEETS! I was in heaven; hubby was in shock.

Tea for two at the Ritz Paris- March 2018

Tea for two at the Ritz Paris with champagne. ©Barb Harmon

Word to the wise—don’t eat before tea at the Ritz. We had a light lunch and ended up with two takeaway boxes of sweets. They were packaged so beautifully. The kind folks at the Ritz presented me with a gorgeous goodie bag after visiting Suite 202. I had to take a photo.

Goodie bag and takeaway boxes from the Ritz Paris

Goodie bag, along with two takeaway boxes. ©Barb Harmon

From Paris, we took the TGV to Montpellier to attend a seminar and visit the area. There is so much history (as in all of France) we fell in love with the region of Occitanie.

La Villa Mont Riant in Montpellier

La Villa Mont Riant in Montpellier, where our seminar was held. Just as beautiful inside.

I could have spent weeks exploring.

Château d'Eau in Montpellier, France

Château d’Eau in Montpellier, France ©Barb Harmon

Château d’Eau was built in 1753 and is part of a gorgeous pedestrian promenade.

Porte du Peyrou in Montpellier

Porte du Peyrou in Montpellier ©Barb Harmon

This triumphal arch was built in 1691. The age is staggering.

Before returning to Paris, we visited Béziers, Pézenas, Marseillan, and Sète. I am smitten with the ‘other South of France.’ So is Ray. You have a bustling city, medieval village, beach town, and the ‘Venice of France’ all within proximity.

 

Market day in Pézenas

Market day in Pézenas ©Barb Harmon

 

Street in Pézenas

Quiet Street in Pézenas ©Barb Harmon

We could live here. Easily.

In Marseillan, home to Noily Prat Vermouth, we had drinks with a Lord and his Lady. It was unexpected, and they were delightful.

 

Lord Simon and is Lady

The Lord and Lady ©Barb Harmon

We could live here. Easily.

Sète, France

Sète, France ©Barb Harmon

Dodging strikes, we returned to Paris for a few more days. While it didn’t snow, we experienced rain, wind, and glorious sunshine. Many of you know we brought my son’s ashes to “his happy place.” He loved France, well…almost everything about it. I’m so thankful we were able to do this for him.

 

Jardin du Palais Royal

Jardin du Palais Royal–cold but beautiful ©Barb Harmon

 

Palais Royal

He loved Palais Royal.

While bittersweet, I know he is jumping for joy in Heaven.

Thank you for visiting!

 

Filed Under: Europe Tagged With: Occitanie, Paris, Ritz Paris, the other South of France, Yves Saint Laurent Museé

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Comments

  1. Laurie says

    April 5, 2018 at 10:08 pm

    Holy moly what fun! Tea at the Ritz Paris, boxes of sweets, CocoChanels suite, the YSL Musée. I would be pinching myself. What a fabulous trip, although bittersweet. I hope this trip has given you comfort and peace. I’m glad you found your special place.

    Reply
    • Barb Harmon says

      April 5, 2018 at 10:24 pm

      Hi Laurie,
      Thank you for visiting and commenting! It’s appreciated! It’s so crazy…what a time we had.
      Knowing my son is where he would have loved to be, I feel an amazing peace. I am so grateful we were able to do that for him.
      I know he is smiling down.
      XX

      Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    April 6, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    Aw…what a wonderful blessing to be able to take your son’s ashes to the place he loved so well! Congratulations on your published magazine article and the amazing trip you enjoyed! I saw a sweet comment today that you had left on my blog back in 2016, and I wanted to come by and visit you and see how you are doing. So happy that all is well with you, my friend. God bless you always. 🙂

    Reply
    • Barb Harmon says

      April 7, 2018 at 2:17 am

      Hi Cheryl,
      Thank you for coming by to visit! It was a blessing for us to bring his ashes to France. It took me a long time to make the decision but I had to listen to that still, small voice. I have total peace now…something that was lacking. Writing this past year has kept me on track…
      God bless you too!
      xx

      Reply
  3. Nancy says

    April 6, 2018 at 9:46 pm

    What a great article, Barb. Wonderful photos too!

    Reply
    • Barb Harmon says

      April 7, 2018 at 2:18 am

      Hi Nancy,

      Thank you for stopping by! We had a marvelous time…still on cloud 9.

      Reply
  4. Becky Van Noy says

    May 13, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    LOVE this article, Barb! The way in which you describe it all makes me almost feel as if I were there! Thank you for sharing, and I’m so happy for you now that you are feeling peace ✌. We miss you on Instagram!

    Much love to you,

    Becky Van Noy

    Reply
    • Barb Harmon says

      May 15, 2019 at 9:04 pm

      Becky!!! Thank you for stopping by (I need to stop by my blog…). I hope all is well.

      Who would have thought when I wrote that post 13 months ago, that we’d be moving to Pezenas the next year? Not me!

      It’s been a hectic few months. The French Consulate approved us for our long-stay visa in early April. We’ve sold our house- we close Friday, and the movers are scheduled for May 28th. I can’t believe it, so, so grateful.

      I thought about you on Mother’s Day. I hope you had a good day. Bittersweet for me. This new norm doesn’t get easier, but we deal.

      I am hoping to post on IG and my blog soon. I miss you too!

      Love and hugs,
      Barb

      Reply

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