An amazing trip

Another one. How can I top this one? This is the question after each trip. So far I have been able to do it. I have a lot to work with. We live in an incredible world. I haven't even touch the tip of the iceberg. I love to plan my own itineraries. How else could one be able to incorporate Sicily with Provence and throw in 2 & 1/2 days in Paris? The contrast could not be greater- Sicily, wild and wacky; France, serene and graceful; Paris, romantic and historical. I love them all.

We, sort of, criss crossed Sicily, our second trip this year, going to places we didn't on our first trip, flying into Catania, going to Palermo and to the far west to Trapani and the mysterious and ancient village of Erice, high above Trapani. Then we took the train back to Catania, this was an all day affair, taking us from Trapani to Palermo, across the Northern coast of Sicily to Messina passing through Milazzo, changing trains again at Messina for a train to Catania. We arrived late in Catania, our hotel had already sold our room (the last one) but told us we didn't have a reservation (which we did). They referred us to another hotel. We left Catania at 6.30 am for Paris with a stopover and a change of planes at Malpensa airport, Milan. We didn't stop in Paris but took the TGV from Charles de Gaulle airport and in 2 hours we were eating gourmet food in Lyon, the gastronomical capital of France. After a day trip to Annecy (near Geneva, Switzerland) we left and went to Avignon. We visited an amazing range of little villages in Provence, some perched high on hilltops, others with historical castles- most of them I've only read about and seen in books like 'The most beautiful villages of Provence'.

Then it was another TGV from Avignon to Paris. This was my third visit to Avignon and my fifth to Paris, all visits were just as magical. We walked, we took lots of trains, planes, we ate our way through our trip. It was expensive but then what is money for if not to buy experiences. Buy experiences was what we did. It will take me a good while to digest this trip. Over the next few months I will post details of this trip. We took some great pictures. Between Sophie and me, we must have some 2,000 photos. We were eager to squeeze as much out of this trip as we possibly can and we did. Three weeks on the road with no downtime, we got up and kept going every morning even though we were tired and exhausted and the weather was not cooperative. Now we need a vacation to get over that vacation. It's back to work, to make more money to take another trip.

I spent hours looking through all the pictures. I love them all- the highlights, my personal favorite are the trips to Villa Palagonia in the Bagheria suburb of Palermo, Sicily and the red village of Roussillon en Provence.

Stay tuned to this blog, you won't be disappointed.

Pictures are of,

The ochre hills of Roussillon, Provence

Tour Eiffel

Fishermen mending nets in Trapani, Sicily

The wacky villa Palagonia, Bagheria, Sicily

Arancino breakfast on first day in Catania, Sicily

Pelting rain in ancient village of Erice

Pont du gard, Provence

The wild landscape of Sicily