WOW! It's nearly the end of March 2026

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Many things have happened since the last posting of

S & J's Big Adventures

Welcome to Residence le France

We've now been in Pau for 2 1/2 months.
Since the last blog here is what has happened:

• We settled in on the 2nd floor of Residence le France and fell into our routine of Pau

• We started the process of registering our long term visa

• I started a watercolor (zoom) class

• Robin and Scott came for a week's visit, living 2 blocks away from us

• Registered for residency, successfully, so we can yearly renew the visa for the next five (5) years

• Started looking for a more permanent residence

• As luck would have it, we heard about another apartment on the 1st floor (twice the size of the one we were in.) With references from our landlords, we were able to secure the apartment.

• It's been about two weeks of waiting for the place to be cleared and cleaned; we signed a lease agreement on March 11 and moved stuff, bought a new bed and rearranged furniture before actually sleeping in the new/old apartment.

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Before...

 

After...

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Living space...

Living room & Dining room

Painting on hallway wall...
La Jolla Cove by Christie Dimon
(Housewarming gift)

We've been in this new/old apartment for a week now. 

Every day brings new things to do and buy to make it our own.  

We feel so lucky to be able to live in this spacious apartment that was once part of the Hotel de France, Pau, France, where royalty, government officials, celebrities and the wealthy resided in the 1800's.  In the 1970's, the Hotel was converted into apartments and public office space. We are in the south wing of the hotel building.

The 95 year old woman who lived in this apartment has been the original occupant/owner since 1975 (or so.) We "inherited" much of her furniture and kitchen with all it's acrutriments; we only had to purchase a bed.  There is one WC, 2 bathrooms (showers, one with a washer/dryer), a bedroom, living room and another large room that I am using as a studio/office space with space enough to put a futon couch (or "hide-a-bed") and chairs as another sitting room and/or guest bedroom.  Lots of closet space and cupboards for our clothes and storage are in the entryway and hallways. 

There still is a lot of cleaning and repairing to do to make it clean and presentable enough for John A. Berteaux, PhD and myself, but it is a beautiful apartment and I think we will enjoy it for as long as we can.

 

First Floor View
on a cloudy day in the Pyrenees

Since the last blog posting...

it's been a short yet long 4 months...

• We were in Sierra Madre for 3 months starting in October 2025.

Autumn on Grove Street, Sierra Madre, California

• Saw friends and family

Taylor, Susie, Daniel, Anthony, Fabian & John

Joshua Tree with Yayoi and Dave

• Traveled East with the Ancients Mariners to see Candace

Paula, Susie, Candace, Melinda & Christine
at the Duke University Club

• I went to New York to see Cynthia before leaving for Pau in January.

Watched Cynthia ice skate in The PARK
Wollman Rink

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• On January 15, we've come back to Pau with a long-stay visa (as long as 5 years)

Back to this view at
Le Residence de France

Street level view of the Funicular
and the Pic du Midi

It's the first week of February and we feel like we never left.  

More in the next few weeks.

It’s the end of September…

 

It is now the end of our 12 months in Pau.

Six more days here in Pau, then we are on the plane to LAX.

A few highlights of the last weeks here in the South of France at the foothills of the Pyrenees.

The highlight of the month was the arrival of Anthony, who stayed for a full week.

A couple of hiccups in the flight(s) and he arrives 12 hours later than expected.

He arrives in Pau.

Happiness is Anthony💗

The bus ride from the Airport to Pau

Blue doors to Anthony’s abode

Behind the blue doors

He gets settled and then we have something to eat.

First meal in Pau
At Maison Constanti

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Next day we walk to Beaumont Park

Palais Beaumont

Checking out the pond(s) as we walk around the park

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He knows where we are!

The obligatory funicular ride

Now for another kind of ride…

In the elevator

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Lunch at Le Garage

With Nicola and Peter

Fish and chips

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Anthony found this “breakfast” place

 

We go on a long walk along the river

On the way home
Anthony and Grandpa

We have dinner at the Crepe place

Yum

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Making himself at home 

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Anthony leaves and Melinda and Steve arrive from the train Station

Back in the apartment

Dinner at Le Rumeur

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A walk around the Chateau and the Chateau Park

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Walking from the Ronceveaux

We have breakfast then take long walk to the Japanese Garden in Trespoey

 

We take the bus to the Musee de Beaux Arts

Robert Doisneau
Charming and alarmingly
entertaining photography 

An evening in, we have fromage, charcuterie and conversation

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Our last evening, we have dinner at Le Dauphin

 

So ends our company 

It was really fun.

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The last Friday of each month, there’s music and food at

Le Halles

We go with Peter and Nicola.

We finally have some oysters at the oyster bar.

 

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We met some people because Nicola has invited us to go with them

 to pot lucks and apero with friends. It will be much more fun to come back

 with more friends and acquaintances.

We will be applying for a renewable residency visa.  We have already secured this present apartment for January to March of 2026. So we know we will be returning whether or not we get the visa we want.

We just have a few more days to enjoy this apartment, the weather, the friends/neighbors here in Pau. 

I intend to make the most of it.

Au Revoir

For now…