The world from my window today

The world from my home office window, today at 8:30 am

The world from my home office window, today at 10:30 am

A certain fascination with train travel

I dropped someone off at the Rodez train station today.

Despite its modest proportions, I think the Gare de Rodez has quite a bit of charm to it.

But then again, I admit to a certain fascination with train travel.

I wish I did more of it.

A favorite building in Rodez

This is one of my favorite buildings in Rodez. I like to call it our little Pyramide du Louvre.

I'm not sure if it is still being lit up in the evening like it was at the time I took this photo, though.

Rodez view and grey cars

Today, I spent hours at the Conservatoire de Musique de l'Aveyron, Antenne de Rodez rehearsing for an upcoming orchestra concert.

I didn't take any pictures, but this evening went back through my photo archives and looked for some views taken from this building.

I think I have some better shots, but this one shows the well-known Café de la Paix, where one of my daughters has spent many hours.

It also demonstrates something I have noticed the past few years: there used to be a preponderance of white cars in France, but lately the trend seems to be to grey.

Happy New (York) Year!

In 2011, every member of my immediate family went to New York City -- except me.

Boo-hoo-hoo.

In 2012, I have found myself admitting on a regular basis that I, as one of Aveyron's few American residents, have NEVER EVER been there...whereas both of my daughters, as well as my husband have. Did in 2011. Whatever.

The 2011 NYC frenzy spread through my family like a virus.

First my eldest daughter started to plan a trip there with her boyfriend for August 2011.

Then they invited my husband to join them for a week.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I was NOT invited. But I would have had to give up precious time with my family in Olympia to go...so I didn't go. Haven't been. Whatever.

As a result, through a connection my eldest daughter made, my youngest daughter found a great internship there, which she carried out in December. So now she's been there too. Went in 2011. Whatever.

All of this explains our family New Year's greeting...which, despite the oh-so-American theme, has very little to do with me.

Boo-hoo-hoo.

Budapest 2: The food! The wine!

It's a pity I'm not in the food blogging mode anymore, because Budapest would have given great inspiration for some culinary posts.

I didn't even take many notes about the wonderful dishes I tasted and the excellent wine I sipped, but in my short time in the city, I can definitely say that dining out at incredibly reasonable prices is one of Budapest's major attractions.

On the second evening of my stay, the Erasmus conference organizers treated us to a top-class meal at Speiz, a lovely restaurant in the historic Castle Hill district.

The event was billed as a "Wine Dinner," and this restaurant was sure the right place for that:



I wasn't aware that Hungary offers a rich variety of wines, and I may have to consider mail-ordering some because I definitely left the country wanting to learn more about them.

In general, savoring Hungarian cuisine was one of the highlights of my stay.

Budapest 1

So, with no further ado, a little update on some of the excitement in my life.

I went to an Erasmus contact seminar in Budapest from November 30-December 4th. Actually, the conference ended on the 2nd, but I worked things out to get a bit of time in the city on my own over the weekend. I figure I won't be in Budapest every day.

First impressions? To me, Budapest was more sprawling and grandiose than I had expected.

(I hate to say that I didn't do much research before I left, or else I would have known that Budapest was sprawling and grandiose.)

There may be more to come on this subject.