Friends and an afternoon on the Larzac Plateau

While at Lerab Ling, I made 2 new friends and caught up with Jan, an old friend from Sydney
(he is the General Manager of Lerab Ling). Jan and I 'left the building' for a few hours to do some touristy stuff.
The first photo is Muriel from Paris...we did a weekend retreat together on Loving Kindness (Muriel does similar work to me). The second photo is Edgardo from Argentina - I spent time with him and an Aussie called Fay. Edgardo and Fay run the farm and do an awesome job with a huge array of fruit, vegetables and herbs grown using bio-dynamic farming methods. I planted heaps of lettuce and strawberries. I behaved myself: no tangoing in the veggie patch with Edgardo :))
The rest of the photos are taken around the Larzac Plateau (10 minutes drive from Lerab Ling). Larzac is a remote limestone plateau that is from another time and would be one of the most unusual places I have visited.
The plateau is like a stage set for the best school excursion ever - cave men, pre-historic structures, conspiracy theories about how things got there, an ancient Roman road, rustic walking trails, medieval villages, Templar knights, pagan temple ruins, wild herbs in abundance, unexpectedly dramatic geological phenomenon, controversy with proposed but crushed oil drilling ....on it goes. Also, lots of foodie farms (home of Roquefort cheese) and sheep about.... all this with few tourists to jostle with.
The area is doing it tough with the economic crisis ... saw some gorgeous renovated barns for sale at around $150,000 AUS.
Check out the neolithic megalith .....I look pretty weird next to it ... Jan was attempting to simulate me lifting it a-la-Japanese tourist FaceBook shot.
Next is a dolmen. A dolmen is a neolithic tomb (6000-3000BC) which contained artefacts including weapons, tools and bracelets.
Then we wandered on to La Couvertoirade, a very well preserved fortified town. La Couvertoirade was built by the Templar Knights during the 12th and 13th centuries. I spotted an image for a potential book cover, so we went back the next day and took a whole heap of shots-that was such fun!!
Finally ......
out of nowhere on this wild plateau, appeared Cirque de Navacelles (final photo), a HUGE geological cavity carved in and surrounded by windswept mountains.
As you may have noticed, my blue coat is a constant companion - it has been a godsend and comfort .... kept me warm and dry everyday since I left Sydney.

Spring in and around Lerab Ling

A long and bitter winter is winding up, with excited bird chatter and glimpses of spring's new life on display.
The locals encouraged me to savour the glorious sunshine, as it can disappear in the blink of an eye - which it did!
....... frequent flashbacks to misty springtimes in Katoomba - cosy weekends at Vale Street and chatting with Gram in her sunny, pretty garden.

Lerab Ling Retreat: Languedoc, France

Left Paris on April 11 for my next adventure: a 12 day retreat at Lerab Ling.
I was "beside myself" with excitement - the chance to ride the TGV, a VERY fast train (about 560 kms in a bit over 3 hours) from Paris to Montpellier. From Montpellier, I took a local bus into the Languedoc region of south-west France.
The bus meandered through breathtaking countryside, some charming villages and rustic vineyards.
Back to the TGV..... I've included a shot of a doggie catching the train- first class as well! I would sooo love to take Charlie Farley on a train trip!! I am yet to ask a French dog lover/traveller how they deal with peeing and pooing impulses??
Lerab Ling is a special place- it has been a hope to return someday!! I was here in 2000 for a series of teachings with HH Dalai Lama. This little bit of heaven is also home to my teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche.
I've made the lifestyle shift from Paris with no dramas or detox issues .... simple bedroom, vegetarian meals, no wine, very little sugar ...... just happy to look forward to unexpectedly good quality coffee in the morning and occasional access to wi-fi. I'm content with my company and feel calm and at ease through most of the meditation sessions!
Have posted a few shots from the balcony of my room - hugely auspicious view of the temple, pond and escarpment ..... lucky chick :))
...... also a few piccies of moi down at La Source. La Source is a natural spring that provides Lerab Ling with an abundant and healing water supply.
Xxxxxxxxxoooooo

Paris: Shopping and Markets

Aaaaah ....... 12 days in Paris with the indulgence of soooooo much time to wander and appreciate the seductive creativity of countless shops and window displays. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, strolling through a 3 dimensional painting of quintessential Parisian street scenes.
No rushing or crowds. The fun was in the looking, touching and inspiration - no pressure to buy as I don't have the luggage capacity or the dollars to be going on a shopping spree quite yet!!!
My homesickness was eased, thinking of you, my beautiful Sami and how your face would be lighting up with so much to see.
Family and friends, you were in my heart, with a constant longing to physically share these experiences.
A few of the photos are of the Village Saint Paul market (if you haven't heard of it, it's a weekend market in The Marais district) which winds around a maze of lanes, doorways and squares ..... buzzing with quality bric-a-brac, resident ateliers, chic locals and calorific temptations (chocolatiers and pâtisseries en masse).