Day One - France

Bonsoir!

As I always say, traveling isn't for sissies. I left DFW on Thursday evening...my 5:50 p.m. flight was over an hour late taking off, but other than that, it was uneventful. I managed to sleep about four hours before the flight attendants starting serving breakfast. We landed in Madrid a little after 11 a.m., where I had a four hour layover before flying on to Toulouse. Isadora devoured a jambon sandwich while we were waiting.

Toulouse is known as the "pink city," and as you land, it's easy to see why.

My friends, Nancy and John, flew in from Seattle via Amsterdam, arriving a few hours before me. We were happy to meet up at the hotel, and walk a little around the city center before having an early dinner. The first night is always the worst for me when it comes to jet lag, but a good night's sleep, and I'll be good to go in the morning.

So, on that note, I'm signing off and sleeping in a real bed tonight. We pick up our rental car in the morning, and drive about ninety minutes north to a house we have rented in the little village of Saint Cirq-Lapopie.