Spring Fever in France

By far the best time to visit France? Right about now. Sunshine-filled days are complemented by cool breezes and cloudless blue skies. The parks in Limoges are packed with petanque-playing gentlemen, families checking out the duck ponds, and couples basking au soleil.

The French have it right. Spring is a time to be outside and celebrate the flowers and thawed (at long last) temperatures. It seems the entire month of May is one long holiday. And if you play it right, you can plan all sorts of four-day weekends. See, this year the first of May (the fête du travail) and the 8th of May (the férié celebrating the end of WWII) happen to fall on Tuesday. So most folks are living it up with back-to-back four day weekends, what's called les ponts de Mai. (The "bridge" being the extra day between the weekend and the holiday.)

Blue wildflowers are blossoming recklessly across the patio. In fact, the flowers are everywhere. Check out the pic. Over the Easter weekend, Manu and I biked the voie verte in the Deux-Sèvres (a new bike path along the ancient railway line connecting Bressuire and Parthenay) to Damien's farm. Pictured at right: the proud, young farmer checking out his herd (and the newly-purchased Limousine bull).