Читать книгу Provence je t'aime - Gordon Bitney - Страница 5

Introduction

We visited Provence to see friends who had recently purchased a stone house in a charming village. The trip was meant to be just a vacation. However we enjoyed ourselves so much that we returned the following year, possibly to get it out of our systems. In fact we found the area even more interesting and beautiful than before. By the third visit we were looking at real estate. Our lives had been planned and we could see well into the future as to what we wanted . . . or so we thought. Provence changed that permanently.

We bought a house even though I was still working and couldn’t be out of the office for more than three to four weeks at a time. That meant my wife took on the challenging task of managing most of the renovations as well as decorating and furnishing the house. Fortunately she had retired and moreover spoke French fluently.

Marie-Hèléne survived it. I took longer and longer vacations and then finally retired as well.

Our lives had been turned upside down, our plans reorganized, and we loved it. We travelled extensively in France and couldn’t wait to get into the car to see another village, Roman ruin, aqueduct or vineyard. Italy and Spain were within an easy day’s drive, and the TGV could get us to Paris in a morning. The wine cellar grew and our tastes broadened. We made an effort to visit every famous restaurant from Léon de Lyon in Lyon to Pic in Valence. Oddly enough it was the small local restaurants with no Michelin stars that most impressed us. It is worth saying that Provence is still growing on us and in our hearts.

Provence je t’aime is a story based on the things we saw and did.

—Gordon Bitney