Vroom Droom Adventures

  It was an unexpected and wonderful gift to have a week of sunshine in Portugal after weeks of winter fog in France. Herman had already planned to visit his folks in Monte Gordo in the Algarve region of Portugal; I was resigned to staying in Auty to watch over the chateau and VinVin the cat. Three days before Herman's flight, a friend of the chateau owner came by for coffee and offered to stay so I could join Herman. It was a last minute flurry of activity and we were able to book an additional flight for me to go along! Our flight took us from Toulouse to Lisbon. Amazingly, we did not even need to get a Covid test. The vaccination card was enough to travel. It was exciting to figure out the subway into Lisbon and find our hotel right near Rossi Square. The following day we walked all over Lisbon and took a 5 hour bus to Monte Gordo where we met Herman's parents. It was a fun surprise because we had not let them know I was coming along.    Enjoying fresh squeezed orange juice

 Rambles and Hikes around Saint Antonin - January/February 2022 Despite continued cold weather in the end of January, we got out for several nice hikes. We have joined two local walking groups (one meets monthly and the other weekly). These organized walks give us the opportunity to discover new trails, practice speaking french and meet new people. There are over 20 walks called "Petite Randonnes" or PR's near to Saint Antonin (pop. 1,800) which is less than 30 minutes drive from Auty. Herman and I have made a goal to hike or run all of these trails before we leave this area for Italy in mid-May. Saint Antonin is a lovely medieval village situated in a gorge on the Aveyron River. If you get the chance to watch the WWII film about a Scottish Special Operations Executive called Charlotte Gray (2001), based on a novel by Sebastian Faulkes (1999). This was filmed in and around Saint Antonin and many of the locals were extras during the filming. View from above Saint Antonin