Back in the US of A

I was singing this title to the tune of "I'm back in the USSR" in my head. It's good to be home. Tucker was so happy to be home yesterday evening, I really thought he was going to do a little "home sweet home" dance. I have done 5 loads of laundry and now have to pack up our house, find a place to live in Atlanta, start planning my new courses for the school year, and start my teaching assistant job Friday! My timeline for all of this is about three weeks. Yikes. I have my freak-out moments, but while in Europe, I was totally on vacay.

Here are some highlights of what we saw.

• Vernazza, Italy - Hiking Cinque Terre was one of the coolest things I've ever done, even if there were tons of tourists. 

• Several days in Provence, where our favorite village was Lourmourin. The lavender fields were INCREDIBLE. Especially when they were lined up directly beside sunflower fields!!!

Lourmourin, France

Outside of Roussillon, France

Dordogne, France

• THE FOOD. We had the best pesto ever in Vernazza, the best chevre chaud salad (hot goat's cheese) in Lourmourin, and pastries EVERYDAY. Can we say chubby cheeks? 

Chevre Chaud Salad

• We had a wine tour from a specialist while in Cotes du Rhone, and it was so fun and informative! We learned that we like reds from St Emilion, Bordeaux, and Minervois, but NOT from Cotes du Rhone or the Loire Valley. It was interesting to hear about the age-old tradition of wine making and the culture surrounding it. Vineyards covered EVERY square inch of the South of France all the way to the Loire Valley. Beautiful. 

• Seeing the Medieval and Roman ruins throughout the South of France, especially the medieval fortified city of Carcassonne and the old Cathar fortified castle of Peyrepertuse. 

Carcassone, France

Chateau de Peyrepertuse

• Chilling on the beach in Collioure, right on the border of Spain. We swam in the Mediterranean Sea and it was really salty and COLD. We got fried (of course) but it was so relaxing and beautiful. The sparkling sea was on one side, and the medieval fortified city on the other! I was in heaven, even if we did have to look at an old French man in a Speedo THONG and old, topless French women sunbathing. Hilarious and awkward at the same time. 

• The Cribs in the Loire Valley. The castles were amazing, and the countryside was just stunning. The best part was watching the feeding of over 100 French hounds at Chiverny, a chateau where the family still lives on the third floor and leaves the bottom floors and grounds open to the public. After watching the feeding of the hounds, I now understand the expression "chomping at the bit." Also, the gardens at the Chateau of Villandry were phenomenal. I can't get the video upload of the hound feeding to work, but I'll keep working because it's hilarious. 

Chambord Chateau

Villandry gardens

• Hanging out in PARIS for 4 days, my favorite place in the world. AND we got to see friends we haven't seen in 2 years, Anne-Laure and Renaud. Anne-Laure was the tour guide during one of the trips I organized to Europe, and we have been friends ever since. They were wonderful hosts, and we could see the Eiffel Tower from out bedroom window in their apartment. Sweet. 

It was a FABULOUS trip!!! We were tired at times, and some lost luggage made it stressful (as did having to drive in Paris! crazy!). Having an open-ended itinerary made the trip nice in some ways since we could decide to stay longer in some cities (like Collioure) but it made finding hotels stressful. We stayed in a place one night that I'm pretty sure hadn't been cleaned all year, let alone the linens washed. I cried. Total girl moment. BUT overall it was amazing and we had a blast. 

Hope you all are having great summer vacations too!