Tag: Travel

Finding Joie in Provence

If Provence was a color, it would be a lush shade of green. On my trip, I saw green everywhere—the green of the olives and the leaves in olive trees, fern green, celadon, the basil that I picked in a garden, sage, mint green, the various shades of green in the fields—green was the color that beckoned me in France. It was on the hillsides of Gordes and Roussillon, in the clothing, in the lovely linen napkins that were a gift from a new friend. I love nature, particularly trees, and I felt like I was immersed in green while I was there.

I recently returned from a couple weeks in Provence and it was an incredible trip. For the first part of my journey, I was with a small group of women, all open to learning more about how to find more joie (joy) in life. Through strolls around villages, shopping in open air markets for antiques, food, art, and other goods, shared meals at the table, and moments of quiet awe and joy, we had the opportunity to learn more about the region, meet people, and consider what joy meant for us. 

From the welcome toast and apero at our villa, to the goodbye dinner on our last night together, the retreat was the right balance of time immersed in various day trips and time spent alone to reflect on what I was experiencing. I learned about the delight of apero, which is a light meal in the late afternoon or before dinner where you take a pause, enjoy a beverage and fare such as olives, nuts, crackers, vegetables, maybe cured meats. The menu is simple; it is really about community and sharing. 

I went to Provence with an open mind; I wanted to be surprised and not locked into any particular outcome. I had been to Nice and knew I loved the region, but I prayed before leaving that I would be open to receive whatever was there for me. We were encouraged to reflect on what we experienced that was meaningful for us while we were there, and also to consider what we might want to take back with us, such as a new practice, an old one reimagined, or a different mindset. 

Each day held a surprise; we spent one morning at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which has the largest antiques market outside of Paris. I saw everything including furniture, copper pots, vintage linens, silverware, plates, clothing, along with fresh vegetables that were displayed like an art installation. Another day, we visited Loumarin where we had a unique cooking experience. The couple who were our hosts graciously provided a menu, detailed recipes, and taught us how to prepare the meal. The table setting alone was exquisite. I loved preparing the meal, but my time in their garden, picking the basil that would be used in our lunch, was meditation for me. I could feel my body shed any stress or concerns that I brought with me; one person said that I was “in the zone.” That kind of peaceful, quiet attention to a simple task is one thing I want to have more of in my life. It gave me not only peace, but joie.

I want to thank Ajiri Aki for her meticulous planning so that we could have such an amazing time. Her vision of what it means to have to a good life is transformative and allows space for people to discern what a good life, one filled with joie, looks like for them. She has written a wonderful book called JOIE: A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life, which is how I first learned more about her. She is on Instagram and Substack and I enjoy her pieces because of her creativity and willingness to share insights on how to enjoy a good life.

For the second part of the trip my husband met me in Aix-en-Provence where we enjoyed strolling Cours Mirabeau, an avenue that was created in the 1650s as a route for carriages. We visited the numerous shops on the side streets, always saying a pleasant “Bonjour” upon entering. This year Aix is celebrating Cezanne 2025 in honor of Paul Cezanne, the French artist, and we were able to visit Bastide du Jas de Bouffan, his family home and garden, for a guided tour that included an explanation of the history of the home and its role in Cezanne’s life. There were more delicious meals in cafes, shopping for gifts to take back home, and winding down in the evening, a glass of rosé for him and something sparkling but no-alcohol for me. And of course, there was chocolate!

These pictures are but a glimpse of the beauty of Provence, but here are some others:

I have always been drawn to France for reasons I no longer try to unravel. I often joke that it is because my people are from Paris, but that’s Paris in Kentucky, so that cannot be the real reason. I think it’s because my experiences there have always been so enlightening and inspiring. I have found the people to be nice and appreciative of my efforts to use their language as best I can. I like the pace of Provence; it’s somewhat slower than Paris. People are clearly engaged with each other, but the volume of conversation and life in general is set at a much lower range than here at home; I like that too. The architecture and the landscape are truly beautiful.

I love a set table, using cloth napkins, and nice plates, etc., but after this trip, I want to slow down when it comes to preparing and enjoying my meals. I hope to take more walks, because I walked every day there. Admittedly the weather was gorgeous, but walking seemed to be the most efficient way to get around in the smaller villages, and I savored the walks on narrow streets without cars racing by at 50 miles an hour. The owners in the market stands were patient enough to talk about what they sold, where it came from, and how things were made. I am certain this can happen here at home, maybe it is more about me slowing down enough to inquire. 

When will I return? I don’t have a date yet, but I know that I will go again. The next time I hope to travel with more of my family; they were as entranced by the photos and descriptions as I was by the experience, so they want to come along. I am grateful for this period in life, what I am calling my calm season, because I have the time and resources to travel in a way that I couldn’t for a while. Beauty and joy can be found in the simplest rituals and places, and it need not be expensive. 

With Joy!

Ramona

Quiet Time

I am just back from a week in New Hampshire with family and now I enter the quieter portion of the summer. The weather was great, sunny days with the kind of humidity that seems mild since I grew up in Cincinnati. We baked make-your-own pizzas in the backyard, visited Klemm’s Bakery for pastries, Hayward’s Homemade Ice Cream twice, and drove up to Cape Elizabeth, Maine for seafood and a stop at a nearby lighthouse. Being together was the best part, and I shared photos with those who could not join us. The only hiccups were flight delays, supposedly caused by “fog” in Boston. When I checked with my family in the area and spoke with a woman waiting for her daughter, everyone said there was no fog on a sunny midafternoon that they could see, but I knew the plane would leave when they said it could, so I read while waiting. I’m currently reading “How Beautiful We Were” by Imbolo Mbue, a novel about how a village in Africa is affected by the American oil company that started production and left the people and their land ravaged by illness and neglect. They resist for years, fighting to restore their homeland. I have not finished it, but there are passages so beautifully written that at times I need to put the novel down and just absorb the language and message.

I meant to write about letter writing, which many of us don’t do as much because it has been replaced with the quick text or social media update. I love writing notes and often will send a card with a letter or an article to folks, just to let them know that I am thinking of them. I don’t always get a letter back, but that is not the point for me—I love the slowing down that letter writing requires.

Last week, I did get some sad news—a friend and mentor, Ellen Doyle, OSU, passed away after living with an illness that she had been dealing with for over two years. Ellen often updated her friends, letting us know of her travels, treatments options, and speaking candidly about the gravity of her illness. I was surprised when I got word of her passing, but she had been letting us walk with her all along, preparing us for what she knew could happen.

Ellen wrote a wonderful memoir, “Dear Uncle Stanley”, which shares letters her uncle wrote during her young adulthood; she also wrote to him over those years. She was discerning and coming to understand her call to spiritual life as a sister in a religious community, and he was an older priest, speaking honestly with her about life and its challenges. I appreciated her love of letter writing and how letters are not just welcome in the moment, they also serve as a record of a moment in time. Mbue’s novel also uses letters between those in the village and a friend in the States to move the story along. There are many epistolary novels and memoirs, and I love how a letter can give an intimate portrayal of a person’s mind and heart. Ellen lived a rich and full life, and I know her spirit is at rest. That doesn’t mean I won’t miss her, but I am grateful to have known her for over 50 years.

In this quieter season, I will make a point to send a card or a letter to more people. It is more permanent than a text, even if the recipient does not hold on to it for decades like Ellen did. It is a way of checking in, letting those we care about know we are thinking of them.

This morning in my Pilates session, my trainer asked me if I was retired. I said, “No, not really; I’ll always have a project here and there.” Last week I said yes to an offer to facilitate a panel discussion, and I am in the planning stages for a few other projects that I will share as they are more fully developed. I appreciate this quieter season. I can be still long enough to let the ideas settle, like a butterfly on the coneflowers outside my window. If you are able, carve out some quiet time for yourself, whether it is a few hours or a few weeks. If we get still enough, if we are comfortable with the quiet, we can hear. And if you can hear, you can dream.

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

November – Writing and a Road Trip

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The short story is coming along, at least the first draft of it. I am enjoying the process; this form is so different from the nonfiction I usually write and I am not quite sure of how the story will end. I think I know the ending but have to figure out how to get there, or if it is even the right way to finish the story. I’ll keep working on it, I have a little over two weeks to get it done.

I took a couple of days away from writing to visit a friend and we took a road trip to Amish country. We had a filling lunch, looked at Christmas decorations, and made a special trip to pick up the region’s best apple cider. At the market in Sugarcreek, the workers were sorting apples and filling bushels in an adjacent room. The aroma of different types of apples was enticing, but since I cannot eat fresh apples I had to make do with just enjoying the smell, watching the apples rumble and roll through the line,  and observing the cheerful chatter of the workers. Here are a two photos from that trip. I love day trips like this—they can be both relaxing and inspiring, and new story ideas often take root after some restful time away.

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Do you have a favorite day trip destination?

 

Travel, poetry, and place

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art artistic blank page book

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s been a full summer and August was heavy with travel, a weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival, and a trip to Bremerton and Seattle, WA. I had not been to Rhode Island or Washington state before, so they were fun firsts. I’ll write more about Bremerton and Bainbridge in a future post.

Last week, I went to hear Tracy K. Smith, US Poet Laureate, read and give a talk at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. I have always been impressed by this small college, which has invited so many amazing women over the years. It was at Saint Mary’s that I first saw actress Cicely Tyson, and I can still remember her entrance on the stage, she wore winter white and was positively regal.

Ms. Smith won the Pulitzer Prize and I am a fan of her memoir Ordinary Light but have come to enjoy her poetry too. She spoke about understanding poetry, writing it, and also considers poetry a form of activism. She spoke about the “impossible resilience of black people despite attempts to annihilate us,” and many in the auditorium seemed to understand how these are challenging times. I love how poetry can convey a feeling or emotion or experience with its use of rhythm and imagery, and Smith left us feeling that poetry should not be inaccessible, it is for everyone.

I love summer but I am going to embrace the fall weather that is only a week or so away. On my nightstand is the book Poets on Place by W.T. Pfefferle, and I want to read it to learn how poetry and other writing can be used to express the heart of a place.

Until the next time…

May- early mornings, writing, and ritual

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Montpelier bridge

May has been a whirl of activity but let’s start with the 30-day challenge I began in April. My goal was to wake up every day, at 5:18 am, for 30 days. I missed a couple of days, primarily because after the second weekend I asked myself, “Why are you getting up this early on the weekend?” I modified the challenge and did not set an alarm on Saturdays and Sundays; however, even without an alarm, after about four days I found myself naturally stirring around 5:15 am.

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Rising early set me up for the next goal for May. I had been accepted for the Vermont College of Fine Arts Novel Retreat, which took place May 15-21. This experience was positive and affirming for me as a writer because I was able to accomplish a few goals I established for the retreat:

  • Spend hours a day writing, starting a new (and lengthy) project that I want to write,

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Exploring Nice-In Pictures

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My last post was about my trip to France to explore Nice and I wrote that I would share photos a bit later. I won’t show all of them; that is too much like having to sit and sift through a photo album of 100 poorly shot pictures of places and people you cannot make out. But here are some of my favorites—among them are the views from rooftops, of the sea, hills, and mountains, a sign in a bistro, and the balconies that I mentioned last time.

Enjoy!

French Lessons – Exploring Nice

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There are places I have been drawn to and France has always been one of those places. I studied Latin in high school for three years and then switched to French because I wanted to learn a language that was spoken on a daily basis, not just in church or classrooms. In college, when friends departed for other countries in study abroad programs, I realized that immersion might be the best way to experience a different language and culture.

I was fascinated by Josephine Baker for a time, and admired her taking leave of the states and forging a career and life abroad. James Baldwin, a brilliant and prescient writer, also made his home in France. And the fact that my family had roots in Paris, although it was Paris, Kentucky, was a source of amusement for me. It had been over 20 years since my last trip to France and this year I decided that it was time to return. Continue reading →