I can't resist a little P.S. I decided to take the train (RER B) to the airport, instead of the taxi-Air France bus combo, despite the impressive size of my luggage (confession). (A big difference in cost!) It meant a long uphill walk to the train and negotiating flights of stairs, hauling the suitcases on and off the train (which is NOT level with the platform), etc. I just counted and 7 different people came to my assistance, unasked, at different points of the journey. I love the French. They are so aware and so kind and social. Had a lovely conversation with one of my rescuers, a really nice young man from Provence, all the way to the airport station.  
Just ate more food at the buffet next door than I have eaten all month. I had a longing for potatoes and there they were. One more French breakfast tomorrow and then I am truly done.

Bonsoir, mes amis,
I am at a little hotel near the CDG airport, in order to simplify the departure process. It is a bit of a strange world, because there are many many huge hotels like this one all up and down the road. The energy of rootlessness, of things temporary.
It's hard to believe that I am leaving France. It is so perfectly natural to be here. But, at the same time, I feel very full and complete. It has been such a rich 2 months, inside and out, so overflowing with life's best gifts.
I had a little adventure with an unexpected and happy ending. Tuesday, it rained particularly hard, and the wind was strong. I went to the D'Orsay bright and early that morning, thinking it was a perfect day for the museum. When I got there, I saw that many people had had the same thought. I had to stand in line for around 40 minutes of drenching rain, so I broke down and brought an umbrella, something I had been avoiding, because they blow in and out. That night, I stopped at two food stores before heading home, and had an awkward moment with umbrella and purse and vegetable "sac." About two hours after I got home, I saw that my wallet with passport and credit cards had been stolen, I''m assumng during that time when I was fumbling. After a moment of panic about the passport, I went online and looked up how to get a new one. Then, I cancelled the credit cards. Wednesday AM I went to the embassy bright and early (not raining that AM, good walking). I am happy  to report that the embassy makes it extremely easy to get an emergency passport. I was out of there in 2 hours. It did not feel very Anerican, tho, because most of the employees were French. So, a little adventure and then on with my day.
Very early Thursday morning, I got an email from my former landlady in Santa Fe, who had received a call from someone who had found my passport! The phone number she had was incomplete, but, fortunately, he sent me an email as well. We made an appointment to meet later in the day so he could return the wallet, etc. He (Sid) came with his wife and they turned out to be kindred souls. We talked for well over two hours and are going to stay in touch. It turned out that he Googled my name to try and locate me. He found me on Buddha at the Gas Pump (!), which contained my website information, which in turn contained my contact info. Wild! A very happy ending, tho. Two new friends.  
Friday, I returned to a sunny Luxembourg Gardens, home base for me, and in love with every inch of the place. I also wandered through the Mouffetard, a very old part  Paris, with lots of small and charming shops and tons of food shops. Great street musicians as well. And a final visit to Notre Dame. I was goingto go up to Montmartre o Saturday, but it poured on and off all day, and this time the rain was turning cold. I live in such a good place, because I could take short journeys and return home in between. Went back to the Mouffetard for a wonderful lunch and then up to L'Eglise Madeleine. What a force Mary Magdalene was! What a powerful embodiment of the divine feminine! She was the one who really brought Christianity to Europe.
Today, a hard rain in the morning. I moved out of the house only slowly, waiting for the predicted sun, which did come, bright and beautiful. A cold but gorgeous autumn day. I went right back to the Luxembourg Gardens. I love that they are always full of people, engaged with life in their own way. Lots of people doing Tai Chi, meditators sitting on the grass, creating still places in the park, children playing, lots of runners, and then the strollers, like me, and those who just sit and enjoy what is.
Ate a delicious lunch, walked along the river and around the Ile-St.Louis, an area of great peace and beauty in the midst of the busycity. The Seine was looking its very best today, rushing along full of rainwater, reflecting the sky, catching golden leaves. The sky was alive with shifting clouds in a blue sky. The trees glowed in the sunshine. Everyone was out enjoying, which to me is the essence of Paris.
Look for photos in a few days, when I get my  computer out of storage. Bonsoir.

Wow! It's already Thursday. I guess I have fallen down on the blog job for a few days. Due to the weather (lots of rain), the last few days have been filled with museums. Tried a few new ones,  historically oriented, and I cannot, alas, recommend them (except for the Pantheon, which is a wonderful structure, built according to the laws of sacred geometry.) Quite a bit of info (more than I wanted) on the horrors of the French Revolution, for one thing. But they did lead me to new neighborhoods, which I thoroughly enjoyed exploring. And the art museums, well, I could go on visiting them forever. Just finished my 2nd very long visit to the D'Orsay, where I discovered all kinds of new rooms. One special reward was a whole room full of Odillon Redon, a painter who surely had celestial dreams. I idolized him in high school, and suddenly a whole room of his glowing, visionary, infinitely gentle and brilliantly colored work. Also several rooms designed with art nouveau walls, carvings, furniture, blown glass, etc. All so light and flowing and graceful. If I ever had a house and freedom to decorate it, it would be art nouveau for me!    
Have been doing huge amounts of walking, having discovered that most of the places I love are not all that far away. Have gotten caught in pouring rain a couple of times, but today, patches of glorious sunshine. Paris has such exquisite parks and I am deeply enjoying the onset of autumn. The tree trunks are dark with rain, the leaves golden. Soft, warm winds. Some hardy flowers hanging in here and there. Trees, I think, are my favorite creatures on the planet and I feel so deeply nourished by the huge and ancient deciduous trees everywhere. I am filled with such a deep sense of beauty and perfection here, over and over again.  

Walking walking walking! And in the company of thousands of Parisians and tourists. Everyone out walking and chattering and enjoying the day, no matter the weather. I don't always get where I think I am going, due to a sense of direction which is dependably 180 degrees off, but I get somewhere wonderful and enjoy every step along the way. Today was gorgeous, a break from the rain and a nearly perfect autumn day. Walked along the river in the morning, then up to Montmartre in the afternoon. I completed the walking tour of Montmartre described in my guidebook ( a good one!) and wandered into what felt to me like the most beautiful streets in all of Paris, maybe in the whole world. I took a zillion photos, hoping to capture all that beauty and perfection. Steep, narrow, winding (always)  cobblestone streets. Trees, a vineyard, ivy-covered walls, gardens still full of flowers (after the long, warm autumn), artists' studios, walled-in pieces of heaven, French doors and balconies with flower pots, views over the whole city and magical light. No wonder the artists congregated in Montmartre. It was like stepping out of a dream and finding it had become reality. And what a great life those artists had, painting all day and eating, drinking and laughing with friends deep into the night. Sounds might good to me! The walk ended on Rue d'Abbesses, with, I think, a record-breaking number of cafes. Definitely a place to re-explore.
Tomorrow. . .museums. . .cos it will be raining raining raining.

Bonjour,
My last day near Anduze was a perfect autumn day. Sunny and cool and as crisp as it gets in that region. I just wanted to walk and walk among the trees, so I went to a place famous to the area (called the Bambooserie) --a bamboo forest. Stunning! Many different facets, but my favorites were a thick grove or forest of bamboo and a large zen garden. The landscaping was so soft, based around a meandering stream and an undulating pond. Japanese maples in their fall redness, a bridge, the deep peace and gentleness of the land. What a great farewell gift from the land--and the landscape designers. I had never been around so much bamboo. There are many varieties--my favorites were those with golden trunks. The trees are very tall, and grow thick and close together. Many trees from one, like the aspens.
Today, our trip to Paris. Relatively smooth considering the ridiculous size of our suitcases. I do love trains. So soothing. But it felt strange to leave. We said farewell to our guardian peaks as they had taken such good care of us.
Now, in Paris, I am so happy just to be here. I somehow feel more like myself here than anywhere else I have ever been, tho I would be hard put to expand verbally on that. My apartment is my dream of a garret, on the 7th floor, looking out over the rooftops of Paris and Notre Dame. On a clear day, one can see all the way to Sacre Coeur. Much rain in the forecast, but I know I will still walk and walk and walk! And then there is the famous bakery only next door. Long lines of people out the door of this boulangerie. I know I will give them my share of business!  

Today, the weather has finally turned. . .temps only in the low sixties. It has been unseasonably balmy until now. Yesterday, the sun came out and it was 74 degrees, so we went back to the lovely small city of Uzes. Something special about the place. Coral once contemplated living there. It was such a beautiful day and I was filled with a deep sense of perfection and beauty, wherever I looked. I took about a zillion photos, because I wanted to capture all that wonder. Everything is still as green as mid-summer, thick green, tho some trees have lost their leaves and the blow tantalizingly on the warm breeze. The trees are so old, so enormous, so full.
Chestnut trees are ubiquitous, something we now miss in N. America, which makes them especially wonderful to me. Everyone gathers chestnuts. They are in the forest, underfoot on the trails and sidewalks, everywhere. It is the season of roasted chestnuts, peeled and preserved chestnuts, chestnut soups, chestnut pates, chestnut everything. They are sweet and delicious and I am thoroughly enjoying my share.  
So much of what one needs for food grows wildly and abundantly here, including, herbs. It is a rich land. Today, beginning the packing and cleaning process as we leave early on Thursday. It will feel a little strange to leave, as it has been a both a home base and home. But not a good place to stay when the air turns cold. 400-year-old thick stone walls, very cold.

Thanks much to everyone who has given me feedback on these posts. (Elaine, I just found your comments! No one else has figured out how to do it!) It is a labor of love, but still, it is nice to know someone is reading all this!
First, since some of you have asked, here is my current schedule. Back up to Paris on Thursday (the 31st). Then in Paris until Nov. 11, when I return to Santa Fe. In Santa Fe until Nov. 15, when I go to Marin County (CA) to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Staying in Marin until Nov. 29 or 30. Then back to Santa Fe until the CSL Zion Retreat (De. 6-9) where I hope to see some of you. Then, finally, back to Santa Fe to try and find a new home. I must admit I am really looking forward to that possibility.
Back to the present, or at least the last few days. On Friday, Coral and I headed south and west, where we found our long lost friend the sun! Hooray! We drove through a large area along the southern edge of France called the Camargue, a large, flat area of delta and marshland. It is famous for, among other things, French cowboys who raise bulls for the still popular bullfights (we saw a field of bulls in the grassland) and their white horses, one of the most ancient breed of horses around. Flamingoes, too, tho we did not see any, and gypsies, and those Lakota descendants, wherever they are.    
Then we started winding up into the hills of Provence, much greener, but with plant life and trees that sometimes felt like the northern CA coast. Then, a serious up hill climb into the mist covered mountains--more hairpin turns (Coral is doing most of the driving) and fantastic views into the valleys and gorges. Finally, we arrive at the small town of Plan D'Aups, which I think largely exists to support visitors to the nearby grotto (La Baume Ste. Marie), a famous place of pilgrimage for popes, kings and the rest of us, over many centuries.    
We had an amazing lunch (as usual), simple food cooked brilliantly. The waitress brought us a tiny but delicious serving of soup, which Coral told me is called an "amuse bouche." I love that idea.
Then, on the grotto. As we approached, we saw a simple structure, built into the mountain, high above us. Mist moved in an around the peaks. Beautiful and mysterious. We walked through a green field and entered the wonderful woods. We walked a wide, well-maintained path up and up through woods exquisitely autumn, leaves just turning, falling and dancing in the breeze.Deep silence and magic. Our path, called the The King;sWay" was originally constructed for popes and kings to make this pilgrimage. It felt so good just to be hiking in the woods. Then we came to the structure, climbing many stairs to reach the grotto. The story is that Mary Magdalene, whom nearly everyone in France believes came to France after the death of Christ, carrying his teachings here, (many also believe carrying his children here) spent her last years here (some say thirty years) and is buried here. A relic of her remains was found here  (or the finder believed this was hers) and is housed in the "church." Thus it became a famous pilgrimage site.
I use quotes around the word "church," because the main structure is an enormous cave, with a water source. And most of you know how I love caves! It is huge. The Dominicans, 4 of whom live up here, maintain the place and conduct mass, etc., have constructed an altar and pews and put some stairs in to create a "bottom floor." Any number of people could have lived here comfortably. The place is so sacred and silent and beautiful.  I loved it. Wonderful meditation there, and a monk with the sweetest smile and a lovely voice chanting in French. I highly recommend that you put it on your must do list, should you ever come to France. I was so happy there. Peaceful, silent walk down through the woods, listening to the trees whisper and the autumn breeze tell of the winter to come. Then down through the mountains, driving once again on twisting roads through richly wooded country and on to Aix-en-Provence.
This was not my favorite place, tho I enjoyed the sunshine and Coral enjoyed one last shopping spree. I was glad to leave.
Saturday, mid-afternoon, we drove to the coast to Ste. Marie de la Mer, where Mary Magdalene is believed to have landed with Mary Jacobine, Mary Salome. Maximin and, some believe, her children, as well as Sara, an Egyptian servant, honored here as the black madonna, and much beloved by the large gypsy community. The sea air alone was worth the journey. It is a funky, seaside town, dedicated to tourism, with a wonderful beach and fantastic air. There is a finality about reaching the coast, in terms of journeys. An ancient church, too, of course, where Mary Jacobine and Mary Salome are believed to be buried. It doesn't really matter whether these things are true or not. Centuries of people coming to pray has made the places beautiful and sacred. At any rate, I found my own answers to these things when I meditated in the church, and that is good enough for me.
A long drive home. Greeted by rain in Anduze.
Today, was about laundry and domestics and surrendering to the sleepiness in this ancient land.
  
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