Postcard From France: As Far As The Eye Can See

You may have gathered by now, dear Reader, that my little French village is no more than a cluster of houses above a slightly bigger village, which in turn has a church, a schoolhouse and a bakery. 

Shopping, therefore, involves a trip down the mountain into a nearby town, a forty-five minute drive. Since my husband and I needed to stock up on provisions we drove into town yesterday. In addition, my husband needed some molding, insulation and light switches from Gedimat, the equivalent of Home Depot, in order to commence this summer's projects. I, on the other hand, took the opportunity to stop by a nursery to buy more plants for my perennial (and perennially neglected) garden.

Though the curves down the mountain are sometimes hard to take, the drive is always spectacular. It leads past the most incredible landscapes and vistas, through romantic little villages, castles partly hidden behind century-old trees and fields of sunflowers, which are now in full bloom. On the horizon, the Auvergne's famous chain of volcanos can be seen on a clear day.

And above it all, there is the big sky, which I miss seeing so much in New York City.
Beauty, as far as the eye can see.

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Postcard From France: Gathering Linden Blossoms

My husband way up on the ladder, pruning the linden tree

My father collecting the spent linden blossoms

Drying linden blossoms to be used for tea.

How do I spend my days here in France? Well, dear Reader, when I am not at the market, cooking or visiting with my neighbors, my husband and I work. Yes, it is vacation time, but this little stone house from 1866 needs lots of attention. Since the weather has been splendid here, we are taking care of the outside jobs now, postponing those inside the house for a rainy day. So, I have been happily digging and planting in my garden, which is in dire need of attention after a year of neglect.

The linden tree, which my mother planted in the middle of the courtyard in 1975, the year we moved to the United States, needs a trim annually. Balancing high on a ladder, my husband cuts away some lower branches or those which hang too close to the clay tiled roof.

Linden trees have beautiful blossoms which smell wonderfully, but I have never seen ours when it is flowering in late June. The spent blossoms make a wonderful tea, so a few days ago, we sat around the table outside and picked them off the cut branches.

They are now drying in the house.

So you see, dear Reader, though I am in the middle of the country in the smallest of villages, I am not bored. There is always something to occupy me.

*What is it I hear about loud booms being heard in Carroll Gardens? I just got an email from the 76th Precinct telling me about it. That is troubling, but relieved that those loud noises are not gunshots.

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Postcard From France: Sun Setting Over The Fields

The view from my bedroom window, just as the sky turned from blue, to pink, to orange with the setting sun. It only truly becomes dark here after 10 Pm in the summer.

Often, we sit outside under our linden tree until the stars come out.

It has been pleasantly cool but sunny here, though they are predicting more heat in the coming days. I heard that it is brutally hot in New York. How are you dealing with the heat wave back home, dear Reader?

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Postcard From France: Food Shopping At The Ambert Market

Food shopping is one of my greatest pleasures here in France, particularly when it is market day in Ambert, a very old and beautiful little town nearby, and I can walk past the stalls and get inspired by the offerings . Here at the Ambert market, one can find not only amazing vegetables and fruit, but also every sort of bread, mushrooms, cheeses, sausages and hams imaginable.

If you are in the market for a few chickens or ducks to add to your coop, this is definitely the place. However, clothe shopping may be better done someplace else, unless of course, you are in the market for a new housecoat.

Needless to say, dear Reader, I came home with way more food than we can consume, but how could I resist, I ask you?

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Pardon Me For Asking In France: Back In My Little Village

Dear Reader,

Do you remember that magical feeling from your childhood, when Christmas or summer vacation had finally arrived after counting down the days? I still have that feeling once a year, when I can return to my little village in France.
After all the anticipation, after all the travel preparation, I am finally here, and as happy as I can be.

Let me explain to you why this place has such a place in my heart. Since 1971, my parents have owned a stone farmhouse right in the center of France, four hours south of Paris. Every year since, they spent a few summer weeks there. That is until 2003. That is the year when my mother became gravely ill en route to this, her favorite place on earth. She never saw her beloved house again. Four months and five operations later, she passed away in a French hospital. She was unconscious for most of those long months. One of the last sentences she whispered to my father was: " Take me to my house and I promise you, I will get better in a few days." After she had passed, my father, sister and I scattered her ashes under her beloved linden tree in the courtyard of the house.
Since then, my little family has made the trip to France every year determined to keep the place for future generations. We have started to make the place our own while keeping "Oma's" spirit alive. I think she would have been proud of us. And happy that we are keeping her memory alive for her grand-children.
The house is in one of the most beautiful areas of France, one that has not yet been discovered by too many tourists, though the Dutch seem to have developed quite an affection for it. The area is called the Auvergne. Yes, the Bleu D'Auvergne, Michelin tires as well as Volvic water come from there.
It is a rugged, volcanic area that is so lush that it resembles Ireland, except with better food and more spectacular mountains. The landscape is breathtaking. Curvy roads wind their way through beautiful valleys. They lead through small century old villages with beautiful stone houses, and right out again through fields of wheat and sunflowers. It is a magical place.

I will continue to blog from there, posting about my summer life in the remotest of French villages. So keep on checking in. Pardon Me For Asking will just have a French flavor for a few weeks. And don't think for a minute that I will be forgetting about Carroll Gardens. You can be assured that I will keep an eye on my favorite Brooklyn neighborhood. I may be far from the hood, but I have internet. So I will be watching and blogging with a wineglass in my hand.
And please feel free to email me and to share the neighborhood gossip!

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Pardon Me For Asking In London

Flying Over Ireland

Dear Readers,

I meant to give sign of life sooner, but I did not have internet for a few days, while I was in transit.

My husband and I flew to Dublin this last Saturday and immediately continued on to London, where we spent three wonderful days. I had never been, so the days were spent doing the typical tourist things, even taking one of the hop-on-hop-off double-decker buses, which I always make fun of when I see them driving down Atlantic Avenue.

We also walked from one end of London to the other. We visited the British Museum, the Tower Of London and a few pubs, ate fish and chips and stopped to have Indian Food, which was more to my taste.

In short, it was wonderful and I realized very quickly that three days just was not enough time in London by any means. So I will make sure to return.

Above are some of the photos I took there. I hope you will take a quick look at them.

PS: Any news from Brooklyn? Please keep me in the loop by sending me a quick email.

Cheers, Katia

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On The Way To My Sweet Little French Village

Dear Readers,

Like every year at this time, I am heading to my sweet little village in the heart of the Auvergne region of France. I would love to share my adventures with all of my Brooklyn friends, so won't you come along?

I am flying through Dublin to London, where I will be spending a few days. I will be in France by Thursday. I cannot tell you how excited I am to return to my family's old stone house and to the garden I tended so carefully last year. I promise I will start blogging as soon as I am unpacked and get the internet set up.

So check in again soon. In the meantime, here are some highlights of last summer's Pardon Me For Asking's French Adventure.

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