TRAVEL WITH SERENA--GUEST AUTHOR P.A. (PAM) DEVOE

P.A. De Voe in front of Musée national de Préhistoire, in Les Ezyies-de-Tayac, France 

P.A. (Pam) De Voe is a cultural anthropologist, which accounts for her being an incorrigible magpie for collecting seemingly irrelevant information. Her first cozy mystery, A Tangled Yarn, was published in 2013. She’s written a series of short crime stories set in Ming Dynasty, China, which have been published in ezines and anthologies, and her historical adventure/mystery YA trilogy will be published this year. Learn more about Pam and her writing at her website.

Authors are often asked where their story ideas come from. In honesty, they come from everywhere. My debut cozy mystery, A Tangled Yarn, involved spinning and knitting, two of my hobbies. In 2014 I started writing a series of crime short stories about a magistrate who lived in China’s Ming Dynasty; in 2015 my YA adventure/mystery trilogy, set in 1380 China will come out. The Chinese historical themes come from my particular passion for Chinese history and culture. But ideas come from unexpected places, too, such as traveling experiences.

View of Vézère Valley from town of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac

Recently, my husband and I drove from Paris to Les Ezyies-de-Tayac in southern France’s beautiful Vézère Valley. The area is lined by soaring white cliffs.

We wanted to see the Paleolithic cave art, which has a staggering timeline: 30,000 - 12,000 years ago—a period of at least 18,000 years. Compare the longevity of these cultural traditions to the age of our country, or even the concept of democracy, which goes back to 507 BC Athens, Greece.

St. Cirq cave site outside Les Eyzies-de-Tayac with historic troglodytic houses built into limestone cliffs 

What really captured me, however, was the stunning beauty of the art. I’d seen pictures, of course, but that was nothing compared to actually seeing a polychrome bison on the wall. The obvious sense of perspective was humbling. These prehistoric artists understood how to achieve the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface (sorry, no pictures, we couldn’t take any in the caves) and how to carve realistic figures as three-dimensional sculptures or in base relief.

Bison head, limestone in Musee d’Archeologie Nationale, St. Germain-en-Laye, just outside Paris

I was intrigued by the art and the early modern humans who produced such art. Questions popped into my head: Who were these early people, really? How did they live? What did they believe? How did they pass on information?  So many questions. I wrote down story ideas constantly.

Venus of Brassempouy (AKA Lady with the hood), mammoth ivory,25,000 years ago,

in Musee d’Archeologie Nationale, St Germain-en-Laye, just outside Paris

Did this mean I immediately started writing Paleolithic tales?  No. I am committed to my writing schedule, which means historical Ming Dynasty and contemporary stories right now. However, I have my notes, and I very well may write short stories or a novel based on my trip to Les Eyzies-de-Tayac.

Ideas come from everywhere, including our travel experiences.

A Tangled Yarn

When Shannon McClain and the Purls of Hope visit the alpaca and llama farm of Luke and Selena Barlow, little do they know that the twisted path of the next few days will lead them from their peaceful small town of Apple Grove, Oregon, straight to the brink of disaster.

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TRAVEL WITH SERENA--AUTHOR RAYNE GOLAY ON GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

            

Geneva the Beautiful

Author Rayne E. Golay was born in Helsinki, Finland. She holds a Masters degree in psychology. After moving to Geneva, Switzerland, she worked in a multi-national company as drug and alcohol counselor. She took early retirement to write full time. Her first novel Life is a Foreign Language is about love in the afternoon of life. The Wooden Chair is her second novel. Nowadays, she lives in Southwest Florida, busy marketing, blogging, and editing her third book. Learn more about Rayne at her website.

About half of Leini’s story in The Wooden Chair takes place in Geneva. Thank you for the chance to take a tour of this city, home to me for most of my adult life. I raised my two children there, had a great career. Now when I go back to visit my children, granddaughter and dear friends, it’s as a tourist.

To rent a car in Geneva, is pointless because parking is very limited, expensive and hard to come by. It makes sense to avail myself of the free pass to public transportation most hotels give to their guests. The public transportation network in Geneva is excellent, trams and trolley buses get me to most places I want or need to go. Taxis are also affordable.

The hotel where I usually stay is right in the heart of city center, a spitting distance from L’Horloge Fleurie, The Flower Clock, and the lake. People call it Lake Geneva, but in fact it’s real name is Lac Léman. It’s bordered in the north by the Jura mountain range, in the south by the Salève and France. To the north is Lausanne.

My day as a tourist starts with a renversé (coffee with hot milk) and a croissant at one of the many cafés on the main street. The one I prefer is Café Martel on Rue du Marché with a variety of canapés and quiches. If I hang out at Café Martel long enough, sooner or later one or two of my friends will drop by; it’s the “in” place, any time of the day.

One street closer to the lake, on Rue du Rhone, is a panoply of the world’s luxury stores, but that will have to wait for a rainy day. Today is warm, the sun is shining, and Geneva is a city made for strolling. There are numerous lush parks with a variety of old trees. Among my favorites is Parque des Eaux Vives, a walking distance from Café Martel. I like to stroll along the quay, admire the beautiful sail boats bobbing on the waters. My sauntering takes me to the nearby Rose Park with it’s display of innumerable varieties of roses. Every June, one rose is voted the rose of the year. In fact, this tradition inspired the scene in my novel LIFE IS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, in which Michael, my male protagonist, enters his specimen rose in a contest and goes on to win the highest nomination, Rose of Roses.

If I head back the way I came, I hop on the ferry to head over to the right bank, passage paid by my free pass. Here are some of the most luxurious hotels imaginable. I keep repeating the word “luxury,” but that’s Geneva, home of luxury. On the left bank are the luxury homes of the affluent and celebrities; on the right bank are the luxury hotels; in the city center, you have the luxury shops. On this tour of my home town, however, my next goal is the United Nations (UN), Le Palais des Nations. It’s situated in the beautiful Ariana Park with trees over a hundred years old. The city of Geneva makes the Ariana Park available to the UN for as long as UN exists. Whenever I had guests from out of town, I took them to the UN for a one hour guided tour. I have something of a weak spot for the UN and it’s history.

My stomach is growling so it must be time for lunch. The taxi drops me at Hotel Kempinski. The lift on the façade of the building affords me a splendid panoramic view of the lake, the Jet d’Eau fountain and the Mont Blanc. In the restaurant on the top floor, I ignore the proffered menu. A visit to Geneva wouldn’t be the real deal without Filets de Perches et Pomme Frittes, a local delicacy. And a glass of an open white wine, any local white will do as they usually are reliable to be palatable. No dessert for me, only an espresso.

Replete, on the quay, I wander in the direction of the Mont Blanc bridge. Weather allowing, it’s about a half hour’s brisk walk to Globus, the downtown department store. Everything in Geneva is pricy, but the wonderful perfumes, Guerlin my favorite among them, the shoes, handbags, the jewelry, in fact, everything in the store is eye candy, and that’s free. Underground, accessible by an escalator, is the most irresistible, must tempting, mouthwatering, generous display of cheeses. You can have the cakes and the ice creams and the cookies, I’ll take cheese any time. The cheese master behind the counter, shaves off a sliver of Gruyere, which melts in my mouth. He points at this cheese and that, extols their virtues, maturity, provenance. Unable to resist, I buy a piece of Tomme de Savoie, a cave-aged mild but flavorful cheese from across the border in Savoie, France. It will go well with crackers and Caesar’s Bride, a flavored tea I prefer with an afternoon snack.

This is just a quick view of Geneva, as much as I can cram into one day. For the evening, my husband joins me at Café du Centre, close by the hotel. I order moules marinieres, mussels cooked in white wine with chopped shallots, garlic and parsley with baguette to dunk. My husband has raclettes, melted Raclette cheese over boiled potatoes with pickles and pearl onions.

My plan for tomorrow is a day long tour of the lake by boat. When the weather is sunny, the wind not too stiff, it’s a wonderful way of seeing some of the little towns bordering the lake; Nyon, Rolle, Morge, then over to the French side to Evian and Hermance. The thing that strikes me at every stop, is the profusion of flowers; pansies, begonias, azaleas in window and balcony boxes, in planters on the streets and all along the quay. Wherever I turn, I’m met with pristine cleanliness and an explosion of colors.

The places I still want to visit is one of the outdoor fresh markets with great produce arranged to please the eye; the flea market where, if I’m lucky, I can get a pleasing painting, Bavaria crystal objects, all at bargain prices.

There’s so much to see and experience in this city. This is but a glimpse of Geneva the beautiful.

The Wooden Chair

winner of the Florida Writers Royal Palm Award

Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Leini suffers both physical and emotional abuse from her mother, Mira. Years later, married to a wonderful man, Bill, a mother herself, Leini is determined to break the pattern of abuse. With pain, she struggles through past hurts, to grow into a nurturing and loving parent and wife, a successful professional. Her victory is complete when she is able to forgive Mira.

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TRAVEL WITH ANASTASIA AND LOIS--AIX-EN-PROVENCE

La Rotonde Fountain, Aix-en-Provence

Today, we’re taking you to Aix-en-Provence, one of the stops on author Lois Winston's (and my) recent trip to the Mediterranean. Stop back over the next several Thursdays to read about other stops on her(our) trip.

One of the main boulevards of Aix-en-Provence, this one featured artwork
of local school children.

Saint-Sauveur Cathedral

Aix-en-Provence was the capital of Provence from the 12th century to the French Revolution. It’s a university town famous for its music and literature as well as being the birthplace of artist Paul Cezanne. The places and landscapes he painted are evident in the town and its nearby countryside.

Mont Sainte Victoire by Paul Cezanne

architectural detail of Saint-Sauveur Cathedral

After Paris and Versailles, Aix-en-Provence has the largest collection of Baroque architecture in France, as well as architecture preserved from other centuries. 

sculpture inside Saint-Sauveur Cathedral

Saint-Sauveur Cathedral, for example, features every architectural style from the 5th to the 17th centuries because those cathedrals took forever to build. Amazingly, much of this fabulous architecture has survived two world wars. 

TRAVEL WITH SERENA -- GUEST TRAVEL WRITER STACIA FRIEDMAN

Travel editor Serena Brower is on assignment, so I’ve invited a guest to blog for her today. Stacia Friedman is a travel writer who contributes regularly to TheCityTraveler.com, StaciaSleptHere.blogspot.com and regional and national magazines. Stacia’s is also a buddy fiction author who has written a travel mystery. Sauced in Armagnac, set in southwest France, is currently making the rounds of publishers. The novel’s protagonist, Fedora Wolf, is a travel writer with a weakness for French pastry (and men) and a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time. You can read more about Stacia at www.StaciaFriedman.com. -- AP

"Merci beaucoup" to Anastasia for inviting me to contribute a travel article to the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog!

Fitting an armoire into the overhead rack of a plane is not a rational thought. But it was one I contemplated as I drooled over the treasures of the outdoor Antique Market in Annecy, France when I was there in June. Medieval weapons, Louis XVI furniture, Art Deco perfume bottles, Jazz Age flasks, bisque dolls with human hair and dishes that Josephine must’ve thrown at Napoleon. Everywhere I looked, there was another collectible screaming for my attention and VISA card. (Ah, so that’s what naughty French postcards really looked like!)

The Annecy Antique Market is located in the picturesque, older part of town where canals thread their way under romantic bridges and swans glide in search of croissant crumbs. Think Venice with a French accent. I paused on a bridge to admire landscape paintings from another era. Further up, where the canal flows into Lake Annecy, the largest, purest lake in all of Europe, artists displayed contemporary watercolors of local scenes for tourists wanting to take home the magic.  I tried to breath it all in. The lure of satin opera gloves from the Belle Epoch. The delicious aroma of fresh baguettes wafting from the boulangeries. Gypsy musicians playing for spare change. Begonias blooming in window boxes of brightly painted houses. And in the distance, para-gliders sailing like birds of Paradise through the clouds from snow-capped mountain peaks.

Aware of the limitations of my carry-on bag, I passed on the armoire and consoled myself with a fresh almond croissant and café au lait. But I’ll be back. With a truck.

If you go, Annecy is located in the Rhone Alps, a half-hour drive from the Geneva Airport. The Antique Market is held on the last Saturday of the month.

Ah…something to dream about if I ever win the lottery. If I ever have an extra dollar to buy a lottery ticket, that is. Thanks so much for stopping by, Stacia. The Annecy Antique Market sounds like a must-stop for anyone traveling to Geneva.

So dear readers, what do you think? Will you be adding Annecy to your vacation wish list? Let's hear from you. Our Book Club Friday guest author is giving away a book this week. Post a comment to be entered in the drawing. -- AP