Daily prompt: Nosey delights

Tags

beaches, pine trees, postaday2014, scents, smells

From the yeasty warmth of freshly baked bread to the clean, summery haze of lavender flowers, we all have favorite smells we find particularly comforting. What’s yours?

My all time favorite smell in the world and I do not think that there will ever be another smell to replace it comes from France, of course 😉

Imagine pulling up in your car or slowing down your bicycle and pulling into a parking located within a pine tree grove. You either get out of your car or get off you bicycle, you stretch and inhale. You immediately inhale the combined smells of fresh pine, the aroma of sunshine, the faint whiff of ocean air and the clean scent of age old sand. Each note is singular but they marry together into a scent that is exhilarating, intoxicating and pristine. It infuses you with a calm and peace that washes over your body, mind and soul.

I miss that scent so very much; if I could have bottled to tide me over for the months and sometimes years that I am away from France, I would.

Beautiful isn’t it? One of my favorite places in the world, I can’t ever get enough.

Summer in Normandy continues

Tags

beaches, heat, Normandy, postaday2012, Seine river, summer, sun

The countryside of Normandy is lush, green, full of hills, mountains and valleys. The forest is everywhere, surrounding the towns, it plays an important role in the background of the Normandy tapestry, the towns and cities stand out in much sharper contrast against the majesty of all those regal trees. This morning Francoise, the baby girl and I went on a small hike through the forest which led out to the top of a falaises,  a cliff overlooking the Seine river. Any view from up high tends toward the picturesque and this view was no exception. The Seine river runs through Rouen down towards Paris and past meandering through further on in France.

After a few minutes of admiration, hunger started calling and we went back home. Francoise had purchased sausage, breast of duck kebabs and chicken and pepper, onions and tomatoes kebabs, those went on the electric grill and Francoise served them with a tabbouleh salad. Dessert was homemade yogurt and fruit. Once lunch was eaten, the kitchen cleaned up and put away. We stayed inside in the cool until 6:00 when Francoise suggested that we visit Rouen plage before it closed for the season.  Rouen plage means Rouen beach; the city of Rouen, for its residents, creates an urban beach setting along the river complete with sand, playground, a rope bridge climbing structure, a scuba diving tank and two cafe’s. The dock along the river is temporarily closed for a month on the left side and the effort doesn’t go unappreciated. The children were having a blast and all the adults seemed to be enjoying their time at the beach.

I promise that as soon as I get back I am going to post every single picture that I have taken and explain them so that it all makes sense.

So far the weather here has been magnificent, Francoise has, so far, every day mentioned that we are experiencing a rarity in Normandy weather, 3 whole days of cloudless blue skies and 80 degree weather. Tomorrow will be day number 4, I haven’t a clue as to what we are doing but I don’t care. I told both Francoise and Nicholas that I am doing what I cam here for, visiting with them. The rest is all gravy on something great.