May 20, 2023

It was a busy day today. I woke up feeling recovered from my horror of a travel day. Victoria and Helene joined me for breakfast here at the hotel. Afterwards, Sofia had a vet appointment, so I wandered around my neighborhood and did a little shopping. The ladies prepared lunch at Victoria’s apartment later, more walking, a nap in my room, followed by champagne time. We ate dinner at a beautiful old restaurant and now I’m back at the hotel with the air conditioner on high. It’s humid and warmer than I’m used to, so I have the red face going on! I’m having such a great time though! Lots of photos for you!

May 18-19, 2023

I’ll tell you this, traveling is not for sissies!  I think I’m possibly past the point of comfortably doing international travel. Yesterday, I barely made my connection in Salt Lake City; I was one of the last people to board, and my suitcase checked in at fifteen minutes before departure. That’s cutting it a little close for me! I think because I was so freaked out, I couldn’t sleep. We arrived in Paris at 8:30am Friday morning. It’s a huge airport and it took a good hour to get through passport control, and collect my bag. The train station was a long walk after that!  I got the shakes dragging my bag and going up and down stairs. The train to Lyon was so peaceful; I fell asleep for half of the two-hour ride. But the important thing is that I’m here in my cute little hotel room in Lyon!  Victoria and Helene will be over shortly and I suspect it’ll be an early dinner for me. Zzzzzz. 

Coming into Paris this morning. 

My connecting flight took off at 3:10. 

The toilet at the airport:


My room in Lyon:

This is how you look when you’ve got the travel crazies!

Isadora is happy to be here!

Victoria and Helene!  I brought Helene (my French sister) a roll of American toilet paper!


View from my hotel room window. The architecture is beautiful here!

More tomorrow!  I think after a good night’s sleep, I’ll be ready to roll!

May 17, 2023

Tomorrow at noon, I’m finally heading to France. My bag is pretty much packed, and Bitsy is giving me the evil eye. She’ll be well taken care of while I’m gone though, as she loves Teresa, her sitter. They’ll have fun!

I’m taking some White Lily self-rising flour to make a few biscuits for my French friends while there.

My plan is to post here each evening. France is eight later than Montana (I’m on Mountain Standard Time), so most of you in the US will be able to see something in the afternoon. I’ll also be putting a few photos on Facebook and Instagram as I go. Thanks for coming along!  First stop will be Lyon, on Friday. 🇫🇷

Day 5 Road Trip

After five days on the road and 1,146 miles covered, I’m back home. What a great trip!  Today was a shopping day. Billings to Bozeman, where we discovered lots of fun shops!

First stop was Altitude Gallery, and it was packed with all kinds of stunning yet affordable art. 

Next was La Châtelaine Chocolat Co.  Its owner trained in Paris, and I’d read about the shop somewhere (who knows!), so I had to check it out. Every bit as good as I’d imagined. 

The final stop was Paper & Grace. I love cards and all sorts of paper goods, and I’ve been following this shop on Instagram for quite some time. What a beauty!

The drive from Bozeman to Kalispell was not hard on the eyes at all. As we got closer, the snow capped Mission Mountains appeared like magic

And before I knew it, Bitsy was reunited with her mama! Thanks so much for coming along. 

Day 4 Road Trip

I spent some time walking around Cody this morning, enjoying some perfect weather. I’m positive it’ll look like a different place in another few weeks when tourists visiting Yellowstone begin to arrive for the summer, but for now it was nice and quiet. 

After Cody, we drove south about thirty miles to the tiny town (300 people) of Meeteetsee, Wyoming. There’s a cowboy there who’s made chocolates and bakery items for twenty years, and after reading about him, I wanted to check out his shop. Well, it surpassed all expectations! He’s spent time in Paris, and you can tell. 

We then drove to Billings, for our last night on the road. The Northern Hotel in downtown Billings also exceeded expectations!

Off to Bozeman in the morning for a little shopping, and then we’re headed home!

More later.