Allez.. Allez..

We have been On the Go every day since we arrived here! No down time to write or blip and of course I am backblipping here! It is now Wednesday April 19 and I have finally some time to blip for April 16! 

This was our first day out to sketch and the destination was Alet Les Bains on the river Aude with its thermal spa, wonderful Abbey ruins, and house of Nostradamus.  My choice of subject was the plane trees in front of one of the abbey walls..why I chose that I do not know - trying to sort out all those gnarly chopped-off branches with the brain fog of jet lag was quite the challenge! Oh well..first time out..at least I put pen to paper..no paint...not yet!  

The perfect way to end the day was having dinner chez Patrice, one of the part-time staff at le Monastère - He is the one who picks us up at the airport and he and his wife Olivia host a family dinner each week at his home on a hill surrounded by vineyards and overlooking the village of Villelongue. (main blip). 
 
This first day was like coming home..everything so familiar..the monastery itself..(we always get the same bedroom) our welcome dinner upon arrival, the staff, the town of Limoux, and the rituals ...like Alet Les Bain and our weekly dinner with Patrice. In these two weeks, we will go to our favourite places and then there will be some new ones too..and we never know where we are going until breakfast. Our host here checks the weather and finds us a place suitable for sketching despite the weather - he knows all the little microclimates, where the wind will not be a problem and also makes sure there are washrooms available! 

The weather today was cold and windy but clear - the rain of Toulouse gone! ! We were off to a good start!