Anywhere there’s friends

Oh hey. I’ve been meaning to write, but who’s got the time? We’ve been happily and frequently jaunting here, there, and anywhere, as we said we would for this year’s theme of the year. It’s been a great success, but it needs an addendum: here, there, and anywhere there’s friends. Given the choice between seeing new sights and seeing old friends, I’m going to opt for friends every time. And so we are. But seeing old friends in new places is the best of both worlds.

This a just quick recap. I don’t want to forget this whirlwind of good times. We’re off to the Netherlands today, where we will meet up with yet more pals. And may it continue.

We had so many friends passing through Seville while we were there that we would run into each other in the streets, as if it were a small town.

I’m bummed that I don’t have pictures from a surprise meetup with friends in Faro, Portugal. They were traveling from Lisbon to Seville, and we were doing the inverse, and Faro was the intersection. We ate well, palled around, took a tour, and decided Faro was not for us. When I’m confronted with art I don’t care for, I like to ask myself, if I was the kind of person who liked this piece, what about it would appeal to me? I asked myself that of Faro. The answer: cheap drinks. We often overheard people extolling the virtues of how much they could drink, for how little. To each his own. Not my kind of town.

Back home, we had friends who were with us in Seville drop by to see us on their way north.

Once guests departed, we dashed off to Aix-en-Provence to see the David Hockney exhibit. Sometimes art feels like old friends. On our return, I got a message from Carcassonne friends Denise and Patrice saying, what are you doing this weekend? I said, seeing you? That was the right answer.

This one is courtesy of Mark, who likes messing around with photos

Then we met friends of friends of friends from Chicago, who are now our friends. Here they’re helping us carry our antique market finds back to our balcony. We paused to hang out en route. Have chair, will travel?

Back on the road, action shot! Off to Paris to (what else?) see friends. We’re practicing minimalist backpacking for upcoming long and far away travel.

The traditional clinking of the forks with Tish and Joel in our mutually favorite Paris restaurant, JJ Beaumarchais.

Lunch with Ghislaine

Then we grabbed my sister from the airport and brought her back south to the best city in the world, Montpellier, where we introduced her to the home gang. She’s already well acquainted with Xavier and Sylvie, for whom she played Chicago tour guide on their latest US trip.

Paris friends Michael and Mark passed through Montpellier on their way to points beyond.

Then we were off to the Dordogne, whose caves merit their own post. Someday.

The quintessential Dordogne riverside cafe, and friendly cafe cat

And we’re off! Hope to see you somewhere in the world soon!

Cheers,

Maer