The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Relaxing and Recharging

       Two weeks ago I went on a writing retreat to Conception, Missouri. The setting was Conception Abbey. Beautiful grounds, some sharp "editors" who gave great feedback, and no distractions. (No television, limited internet, and sketchy cell phone service.)

       The peace I felt reminded me of the tranquility that France brings me. It is a country that's lured me three times so far. I plan on returning someday with my daughter and granddaughter.

        Here are some pictures I took on my most recent trip, which was several years ago.

They say that if you can ski in the Pyrenees, you can
ski anywhere...Needless to say, due to my gawkiness, I
did not ski on any of my trips to France.
 

Architecture that is four or five or six centuries old is wonderful to explore. When I was in France,
I had to explore the possibility of going topless on the beach. Did I keep my swimsuit top on, or did
I embrace their customs with gusto and go sans top? You will have to buy Not Your Mother's Book...On Travel,
by the Publishing Syndicate, to find out...
 
 
This is a shop in the Basque region, an area that spans both France
and Spain. They have a distinctive culture--this shop, for example,
has strings of dried peppers hanging on the front exterior wall.
 
 
Okay, I know this is not indicative of what the scenery is like in France,
but it was one of the coolest sand sculptures I've ever seen.
 Everyone needs some time periods when they can relax and slow things down. Quiet times are especially needed if you're an artist (or a parent of young children, or if you have a stressful job or if...well, we all need serenity--NOW).
 
What do you do to relax? Or, where do you go (either mentally or physically)?
 
 
 

21 comments:

  1. I like to listen to music or read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fireblossom--How in the world do you find time to listen to music or read, with the poems you write every day? It's amazing!

      Delete
  2. Thank you for stopping by. I catch your comments from time to time on other blogs, but don't recall stopping by. Must have been zipping away to a place to relax. Believe it or not, that's reading through blogs and thinking of other folk's lives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne--I too find it relaxing to read the blogs of my writing friends.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  3. What lovely photos. I'm so happy you had a relaxing vacation and returned recharged.

    A trip to our place in the country usually recharges me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna--I'm so glad you have a weekend place to go to on a regular basis. And I think you should check out Conception Abbey. I am sure you would enjoy a weekend there...

      Delete
  4. The mountain view is beautiful, but the sand sculpture scares me more than the thought of you going topless on a French beach.

    A better question for me would be, "What do you do when you're NOT relaxing?" Because so far, nobody has been able to figure that out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Val--Yes, you should be afraid. You should be very afraid. When Sioux unleashes the sisters, it's a terrifying event...

      Delete
  5. Thank you for sharing these pics of France. Last December I had the pleasure of making friends with a chamber violinist from Paris. I would love to visit someday.

    I am curious as to where Conception MO is. I'll have to look it up. I live in SE MO. Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Happy Writing! Angela

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Angela--Southern France is my favorite part of the world. And since I already left you a three-volume long comment about Conception Abbey ;) I'll just say this: I hope you go on a writing retreat somewhere sometime soon...

      And thanks for becoming a follower, Angela. I love your goals on your sidebar.

      Delete
  6. Hey Sioux! I remember the first time I met you at Saturday Writers and I think you may have mentioned then about visiting France. (If it wasn't then, it was soon after!) I'm always so interested to hear about others' travels....and especially us "regular" people...not celebrities or millionaires! I feel very fortunate that I lived in Germany two different times during my first marriage...(is it Jennifer H. that refers to those as "practice" marriages?!) I hope you get to go back soon and stay as long as you wish! Now, to answer your question: To relax, I like to sit on our deck and either read, or just listen and think. And mentally....I dream of vacationing in a swiss chalet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Becky--My son took a trip across Europe playing trumpet, and his favorite country was Switzerland. He loved the "cozy little villages."

      Delete
  7. I love to fish / meditate. Or, read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mama Zen--Fishing? Really? Wow, that is something I haven't done since I was a kid. Your comment brought back a flood of memories. Thanks.

      Delete
  8. A writing retreat sounds FABULOUS! It's been far too long since I've had a girl's weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SSSM--Yes, we women AND we writers need to stick together and have fun together on a regular basis.

      Delete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Sioux...thank you for stopping by my blog today. Looks like we know many of the same boogers! I love Paris. We took my daughter there for her 16th birthday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Terri--You're quite welcome. I'm jealous. I've only seen Paris from the inside of the airport. Southern France, however, I've seen a lot, and I love it.

      Delete
  11. How nice that you got to relax at the retreat and go to France more than once. Your pictures are wonderful.

    Kathy M.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy--Thanks. However, my photos pale next to yours. YOU are an artist with a camera.

      Delete

Thanks for your comments. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by...