Nevada's autumn colors

Red berries frame the sky on an autumn day at Rancho
San Rafael Regional Park in Reno, Nev.

Important family matters enticed us back to Northern Nevada this fall. We stayed twice as long as usual, allowing us to see the leaves change from green to gold, and our politicians change from red to blue.

With the promise of writing in more detail soon, here are some visual highlights of autumn in Nevada.

Although it's been years since it's been our home, Reno is still home
to our most precious loved ones.

Mount Rose can be seen through the trees at Galena Creek Park.

A fisherman passes time at a Galena Creek Park pond.

On this mid-October day, the leaves are beginning
to change at Galena Creek Park in Reno, Nev.

A few days later, the autumn colors are radiant at Wilbur May
Arboretum in Rancho San Rafael Regional Park in Reno, Nev. 

This bench in Rancho San Rafael Regional Park in Reno, Nev.,
offers a colorful place to rest.

As any former band parent knows, no autumn weekend is complete
without a marching band competition. Here Galena High School Band
takes the field at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Discover Cahuzac's hidden frescoes

This post originally appeared on the Places& Faces blog for The Local Buzz.

Architectural gems such as this pediment can be seen in the village of Cahuzac. 

One weekend each September, Europe celebrates Journées du Patrimoine — Heritage Days. In France, around 17,000 sites and monuments invite guests to visit, learn about and celebrate French history. Since many of these sites offer free admission, special tours or are open only during Heritage weekend, we make it a point to visit as many sites as we can. This year, we stopped by a small village and received a huge dose of history.

A tower stands among the remains of the château in Cahuzac.

Cahuzac is a tiny village just a few kilometers from our home in the Lot-et-Garonne. Just off D1 between Lauzun and Castillonnes, we've passed by the turnoff to the village many times but have been here only once before. There are no shops or restaurants, and the hilly route has discouraged me from biking here. However, the chance for a guided tour during Journées du Patrimoine provides a good excuse for a proper visit.

Although plain from the outside, Église Saint-Martin de
Cahuzac contains some surprises.

Our visit starts in the church, Église Saint-Martin de Cahuzac, where we meet a charming woman who tells us (in nice, slow French) a bit of Cahuzac's history and points out what has been hidden beneath the plastered walls of the church's interior. Amazingly well-preserved frescoes have been discovered and are being revealed bit by bit with careful chiseling. She speculates that all the walls may have these pictures behind the white plaster. It will take time — and money — to uncover all the frescoes.

Vivid frescoes have been discovered on the walls of Église Saint-Martin de Cahuzac.

There may be many more frescoes such as this behind the
white plaster walls of Église Saint-Martin de Cahuzac.

After we explore the church, we are introduced to another guide, a Cahuzac native who now lives in Lyon. She takes us on a walk, and as she points out various flora, she shares with us the history of her hometown.

We circle around the old château that was built around 1259. The area surrounding the castle was once a hunting ground and a source of income for the distinguished families who lived in the area. The village was also notable for its farming and its fairs. On the eve of the French Revolution, a judge, a prosecutor, the castle's captain of the guard, two notaries, a curate, a school master, a surgeon and various artisans all lived here.

An ancient toilet protrudes from a wall of the château in Cahuzac. 

Woodpeckers have created holes in this log alongside the château in Cahuzac.

During the Hundred Years War, the barons who resided in Cahuzac were on the English side, while the consuls who lived in the nearby town of Castillonnes were vassals of the King of France. Castillonnes was burned down by the English in 1346, retaken by the French in 1369, and lost again to the British soldiers mustered at Cahuzac in 1374. Some say, although it is doubtful, that tunnels linked the two villages around this time.

Cahuzac was again involved in the back and forth between two sides — this time between Catholics and Protestants — during the Wars of Religion.

Cahuzac in the Lot-in-Garonne is a surprisingly pretty little village.

Although the village is rather secluded, L'Ancien Couvent, a chambre d'hôte in one of Cahuzac's old convents, attracts visitors and wedding parties.

L'Ancien Couvent is a chambre d'hôte housed in one of Cahuzac's old convents.

Villages such as Cahuzac can be found throughout this area of France, and I am reminded that one need not wait until Journées du Patrimoine to detour from usual routes and discover these hidden gems.

Jet contrails provide a dramatic background to the château
tower in Cahuzac.

'Hamilton' provides excuse to go to London

So much is written about London that I demur at the task of writing a detailed, well-informed post about England's capital. Our recent trip is Ken's first and, since my only other trip to London was around 40 years ago, I am also a novice.

We came upon St. Pancras Old Church on our way to Camden.

When friends ask us about our trip, the first question is, "How was the weather?"  We spend six days in London, most of them sunny, with a wet weekend in the middle. It is also windy, so our umbrellas are of little use. On gray days we visit museums and go to the movies.

For some unknown reason, there's an orange lion in Trafalgar Square. 

By the time we reach Buckingham Palace on our London Tour,
we'll rest wherever we can find a spot to sit.

We receive an orientation to the city by taking an excellent six-hour walking tour from Strawberry Tours. Our guide, JJ, is a London native and an aspiring actor. (We'll be watching for him in the new season of "Call the Midwife" this winter.)

Our visit to London starts with an all-day walking tour, led by JJ of Strawberry Tours.

The windows had to be covered on this London skyscraper
after a car melted from the sun's reflection.

Marigolds pop near Fleet Street in London.

The dragon marks the boundary of the City of London.

It doesn't take us long to figure out that some of the main attractions — Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Tower of London, the Shard — are expensive, and we just can't justify spending around 75 USD for the two of us to visit these popular sites. However, London has some amazing free museums, and we visit three of them: the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Gallery.

Ken makes the acquaintance of a resident at the British Museum in London.

We barely scratch the surface of the enormous British Museum in London.

The courtyard at the Victoria & Albert offers us a breather during our
visit to the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design.

I am confused at National Gallery (I should have sprung for an audio guide),
but despite getting lost, the architecture and art here are amazing.

We stick close to London proper, although one of our best days is a visit to Greenwich via a ferry, after a long walk on the South Bank of the Thames.

I take advantage of an open door and pop in for a peek of the
stage at Shakespeare's Globe on London's South Bank.

Ken is happy to pose for a picture with the Tower of London as a backdrop.

Ship figureheads are on display at the National Maritime
Museum in Greenwich.

The Queen's House in Greenwich is a formal royal residence designed by
Inigo Jones. It contains an impressive collection of of paintings.  

But by far the highlight of our trip is "Hamilton." I scored tickets about six months ahead of time, and the musical became the reason we finally decided to go to London. Bargain fares on Ryan Air from Bergerac to Stansted, and a lovely room at a reasonable price in Walthamstow, complete our plans. Oh, and if you go, buy your Oyster Visitors Card in advance. It saves a bundle on transportation.

Our last evening in London is spent at the Victoria Palace
seeing 'Hamilton' where I try not to sing along too loudly. 

Here are a few other "bits and bobs."

• Fish & chips: Ken tries them; I pass
• Scones with clotted cream: Divine!
• Thai and Chinese food: Yes! Yes!
• Double-decker buses: provide a good chance to rest while traveling at a snail's pace
• Camden Market: I think we're too old for this scene
• Street performers: Hell yes! and don't forget to toss a few quids in the hat

A street performer at Covent Garden performs a 'How'd he do that?' trick.

A puppeteer makes Michael Jackson dance at Trafalgar Square.

I'm guessing these might be Harry Potter fans at King's Cross station in London.

We walk through St. James's Park during our London tour.

Descended from pelicans brought to London hundreds of years ago,
and inbred-to-boot, these residents of London's St. James's Park
have been known to eat pigeons.

Window dressers are at work at Harrods in London.

A statue of Abraham Lincoln stands in Parliament Square
in London.

This statue of Sir John Betjiman, famous poet and railroad
enthusiast, is located at St. Pancras station in London.

'The Meeting Place' statue at London's St. Pancras station
depicts the romance of travel. 

Don't miss the details at the base of 'The Meeting Place' statue
in St. Pancras station in London.

London's Camden Street may be happening, but makes us feel stodgy. 

And as Uncle Walter used to say, this one is just to prove
I was there.

Stroll among abbey ruins in the Entre-deux-Mers

This post originally appeared on the Places & Faces blog for The Local Buzz.

Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gironde. 

In a meadow dotted with majestic trees stands the ruins of Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure. That this vast Benedictine abbey from the 12th century is standing at all is kind of remarkable. This French national monument is located in the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers region, 25 kilometers east of Bordeaux. My visit to the abbey is a highlight of a recent two-day bike trip with friends along the Roger Lapébie bike path. (More about that at the end of this post.)

Arches and capitals topped with biblical depictions are notable features of Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure. 

Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure is named for the big forest — Silva Major —  which dominated the surrounding landscape at the time of its construction. The abbey was a powerful priory in its heyday, but was reduced to a "grandiose ruin" and stone quarry following the French Revolution, according to the La Sauve website. The abbey served as a teacher training college until it was obtained by the state in 1960. In 1998 it became a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site under the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

The plaza in front of Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure contains majestic old trees and sweeping views.

We arrive in La Sauve shortly after 10 a.m. on a weekday, so we have the abbey practically to ourselves. We purchase our tickets (6 euros) in the gift shop, and receive sturdy spiral-bound guides in English. We are free to explore and take photos at our leisure.

The nave of Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure once stood just inside this portal.

Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure is an open-air landmark, so keep an eye on the weather forecast when planning a visit. There are just a few stairs, and the site can be enjoyed by those with limited mobility. Set upon 3 hectares, there's plenty of space on the grounds for children to run around.

The chapter house at Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure was where the monks assembled to make important decisions and confess their faults.

Consecration disks featuring apostles were installed at Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure to commemorate the abbey's completion in 1231.

The church was built in the shape of a Latin Cross. We enter through the nave and find six consecration medallions. There originally were a dozen such stone circles, each featuring an apostle. The medallions were installed in commemoration of the completion of the church in 1231. As we wander through the ruins, we marvel at the various vaults and pillars topped with biblical scenes carved in stone.

Biblical scenes are carved into the pillars and capitals at Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure.

A major restoration project is underway at Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure. 

We aren't able to get a close look at portions of the monastic buildings, cloister and bell tower due to renovation work, but watching the artisans toil atop the network of scaffolding is fascinating in itself.

An artisan stands on a tall scaffold at Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure.

The bell tower of Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure can be seen through arches at Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure.

After we have explored the ruins, we check out Musée Lapidaire — the stone museum. If we had more time, we would also visit the Maison des vins de l'Entre-deux-Mers for a bit of wine-growing knowledge and une dégustation, but the next leg of our journey along piste cyclable Roger Lapébie awaits.

Musée Lapidaire at Abbaye de La Sauve-Majeure offers visitors a closeup look at the stone carvings.

Roger Lapébie was the winner of the 1937 Tour de France. The smooth paved path named in his honor runs along a former railway line, passing through vineyards and forests. A notable stop along the route is Créon — well-known among cyclists for the burgers served up at La Barakavelo — our last stop before turning homeward.

The village of La Sauve invites visitors to explore the ruins of its Romanesque abbey.