Back In Paris After Visiting Toulon in The south of France

Well, I am back in Paris and not a moment too soon. The best part about Toulon was being at Amma’s program there. But it was HUGE…Thousands of people. Amma made the front page of the newspaper there as there were more than 20,000 people who came to receive Her Divine hug (darshan).

“Amma, reunited with the love of Toulon…”  & “ In the arms of a woman… a mental and a spiritual experience”

Anyway, my husband and I actually spent most of our time helping our our spiritual community at the ayurvedic table selling essential oils, flower essences and other wonderful products sold by Amma’s bookstore. I was actually considered a big help because I could speak some French. So I had a lot of practice which I really enjoyed!!

After the end of the 3 day program, Dan & I checked out of our hotel and were very happy to so because the manager was …let’s just say not the most hospitable host… wouldn’t let us leave our bags to spend the day touring in Toulon.

So there we were with all our baggage walking to the main square with 5 hours to kill before our train. We found this wonderful restaurant unbelievably called “The Oasis”…and it truly was. The gentleman owner, Michel,  was so warm and delightful. He and his wife sent over two glasses of champagne with our lunch and I had an extensive conversation with him (in French, of course) about Toulon, politics in the US..etc. He offered to hold our bags in the restaurant so we could walk freely around Toulon, which we did. They were fabulously warm and hospitable. So we made some new friends there.

We found a photographic exhibition that was from a photographer named Jean-Loup Sief from the 60’s & 70’s that was quite interesting.

And I met a delightful painter, Monique Le Chapelain,  who was dressed in a beautiful Spanish dancer’s dress in her gallery.  I just had to speak to her and I really loved her colorful style of painting as well as her personal style. I did end up buying one of her drawings…Couldn’t help supporting a fellow artist.

Some photos of Toulon

More photos of Paris

  Montmartre Street scenes

Place de Concorde at night and the Seine

The Champs Elysee at dusk

The work of an artist who goes by JR who puts photos in public places of the eyes of oppressed women from third world.

My dear friend, Jean-Francois (standing outside of the Louvre)who is working with the Paris Opera Ballet on a production that opens tonight. He used to dance with POB, then became the ballet master at the Geneva Ballet where he lives in Switzerland. This was a special project he was hired to come and stage a piece by Paul McGregor, an American choreographer called “Millepied”- . SO I am getting to go to the opening tonight  at the Paris Opera and to the post party afterwards.  Ooo la la!!!