Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Before we left for France, I purchased a micro-sim card for my iPad so I could get online during the trip. Unfortunately the service has been spotty for the past week or so. I never know when I'll be able to get online and it seems to cut off at whim. I've contacted the service company for help and they said I used up all my time last Saturday, which is impossible. So they are investigating the issue and I hope that it's resolved soon, at least before we leave for Paris tomorrow. But I have no idea when this post will be uploaded. (Later note--Now the 3G is working fine, but I still can't post this note. Something is up with the blogging program that I'm using. I apologize for the delay in getting this post uploaded, but technology has been working against me.)

On Saturday, Allen & I drove north a little bit to explore the countryside. We found our way to a winery that is also has an outdoor art exhibit. We hiked around the winery (including going up a rather large hill) and viewed the art, all of it quite large. The scenery was beautiful, though the hike was quite a bit more than I was used to. The art and architecture was very interesting though.

Yesterday (Sunday), we visited the town of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a town surrounded by a moat which has several waterwheels around. It is about an hour north of us here in Aix. Sunday is their big market day. But their market includes antiques, as well as the usual foods and other items. It was a big market that covers most of the old town. We strolled among the booths that people had set up looking at the antiques that we couldn't afford even if we could take them home with us. I did find a copy of Le Petit Prince in French, a book I read in my high school French class. It's a marvelous little tale and I highly recommend it; even the English version.

Marilyn, Allen, & I then went off in search of a place called the Cathedral of Images. It's a video presentation evidently in an old limestone quarry and is near Les Baux, the hilltop village we visited earlier in the week. Unfortunately, the search turned into a wild goose chase. We had trouble finding it at first and when we did find it it turned out to be closed. So no Cathedrale d'Images for us on this trip.

We returned home to have another meal at the tapas restaurant we've come to think of as our home restaurant, which is called, by the way, au Gout du Monde. If you're ever in Aix, be sure to stop by and tell Franck & Helene that we said hi.

This is our last day in Aix. Tomorrow we're piling ourselves and our suitcases into our Fiat Duplo and driving to Paris. We have one night in Paris during which we plan to eat dinner and then we begin the process of hoping we get on a flight to Chicago. Wish us luck. Adieu.

Pictures below:
--Scenery from our drive on Saturday
--Art from the winery walk
--Waterwheel in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Paris--need I write more?

Today was my day in Paris. A day free of going to the airport and standing by to no avail. I began with the usual routine of catching the shuttle bus to the airport and then taking the RER train into downtown. I got off at my usual stop: the Notre Dame-St. Michel stop. The RER is very deep underground, below the metro system, which is of course well below the surface. So wending one's way up from there can be challenging. But I did it and found the light of day. I then proceeded to one of my favorite places on this earth: the Sainte-Chapelle. Sainte-Chapelle was built in the 13th century by the king, Louis, I think it's the 6th. (He's the one who became St. Louis.) The joy of this building is hard to describe. They had figured out how to have stained glass in buildings by this point and, boy, did they ever use it here. Much of the wall space is stained glass, starting at about 10 feet. It so delicate and thin, yet colorful. One way to describe it would be to say it's like being in a brightly colored egg shell. The chapelle isn't very big. To get to it you have to climb up a winding staircase--up,up until the walls burst with their color. I spent about an hour there just sitting and walking around and looking. It remains one of my favorite places to visit. This was my 3rd time there. I then walked past the Louvre, I didn't go in as I didn't have enough time to give it any justice, to the Tuileries Garden, which extends from the Louvre along the Seine. Finally I arrived at the Orangerie, a museum of impressionistic art. The main attraction here is Monet's Waterlilies paintings. I've only seen snippets of them, I learned, because they are massive. They had two oval rooms devoted to them, each room had 4 paintings. Beautiful is all I can say. I wandered around the rest of their exhibits, taking in the Renoirs, Cézannes, and all the others. I skirted La Place de la Concorde and walked up to the Madeleine, an area surrounding a church of the same name. I had an overpriced lunch, and then went into the church. Some would find it beautiful though I thought it was a little drear. Maybe it's the contrast to the Sainte-Chapelle, but it felt grey and somewhat oppressive in there. I strolled along the Seine to return to the RER station that I had come to know so well. It was a fairly long walk, but it had warmed up a little by then (it felt terribly chilly when I was out earlier) so I didn't mind too much. After all the walking and standing, I was glad to get a seat on the train. Now it's time for dinner so I'll close this chapter. Adieu.

The saga continues...

If you have been following this blog, you may be wondering where I am. The answer is that I am still in Paris. I've tried three days in a row to get on the flight back to San Franocisco, all to no avail. So here I am, sitting in a hotel room a few kilometers from the Charles de Gaulle airport. Actually, I'm in the village of Le Mesnil-Amelot. I haven't actually seen the village yet, but I plan on taking a walk later in the day. The past two days, I traveled into Paris for dinner. To do so, I have to catch the shuttle bus which arrives at the hotel every 35 minutes. I take it to the airport and then go to the RER station which is a suburban train system here. Then after a 30-45 minute ride, I arrive in Paris, right near Notre Dame Cathedral. My first night here I had little energy and didn't feel like doing much so I basically just walked around a little and then found a cafe to have dinner in. Yesterday I had much more energy and felt much better so I spent more time. I wandered into Notre Dame where they were in the midst of having a service--evening vespers perhaps. I'm not certain because it was all in French and I don't understand it well enough to catch exactly what was going on. When I thought the service was over (even though it really wasn't) I wandered around the cathedral a bit marveling that people have been worshipping in that same building for centuries. It boggled the mind. And I've made a decision regarding my travel home: I've purchased a last minute ticket for Sunday. So I'll be flying on a legitimate ticket via Lufthansa Airline meaning I've given up on the stand by method of travel for now. And that also means I have another day in Paris to play, which is exactly what I plan to do. As wrote in a previous post,there are worse places to be stranded. Adieu.

Stranded...in Paris

I haven't been able to get the last post to updload so this will be a little out of order. Check back later to see what we did over the weekend. Hopefully that one will post at some point...maybe when I get home. Speaking of getting home...as you can tell from subject line of this post, I am in Paris. Well, technically, I'm several miles outside of Paris at a hotel near Charles de Gaulle Airport. Allen & Marilyn left this morning, as planned, but when they called Allen and me to the desk, they said they only had one seat. So he took it since he's supposed to be at his job tomorrow. So they are winging their way across the Atlantic as I write while I sit here in my hotel room. Of all the places to be stranded, I suppose Paris doesn't rate high on the sympathy scale. Yesterday, (Monday) we drove up from Aix to Paris. It was about an eight to nine hour drive. Allen and I took turns and we made good time crossing the country. It was a fun way to get here. We saw a lot of the countryside and enjoyed each other's company. We arrived in Paris, at the airport,at about 3 p.m. We returned our car (and were glad to be rid of it!) and then took the train into the city. Once there we stopped in a cafe, since that is what one does in Paris! We then found our way to a favorite restaurant, the Brasserie Balzar. It's there that their house wine comes from the Chateau de Brague, an old family business. This morning was a rush to get over to the airport from our hotel which we did in good time. Later, when the boarding was called, is when I learned that iw would remain behind and the others would go. As I already wrote, if you're going to be stranded somewhere for a day, try to make it somewhere like Paris, because I'm about to go downtown again for dinner (okay, I admit it--I took a nap this afternoon) and see what fun I can have. Wish me luck with my flight tomorrow...I don't know how long this stranded thing can go on. Adieu.

Nice Nice

Okay, so the title to this blog has probably been done before. But you're probably not reading this for the titles...at least I hope not.

As you probably have surmised, we did drive to Nice yesterday. Allen, Marilyn, & I drove to Nice which is not far from Monaco and the Italian border. While driving there,we crossed a river called la Brague. I exclaimed that we drove over my roots! I don't know where my name originated but it's becoming clearer that it is a French name.

Nice is a decent sized town (about 350,000) right on the Mediterranean. We arrived there about 11 a.m. and had quite a time finding parking. But eventually we found a garage and did a little exploring by foot.

We found some seats just above the beach facing the sea. It was very relaxing to just sit and watch the waves. There were a few braves souls on the beach though it was overcast and a little breezy. None of the nude or topless sunbathing going on which the French Rivière is famous for. We ate lunch at a nearby restaurant where I had some of the best calamari I've ever eaten!

We then set off for the Matisse museum. Matisse was from Nice and they had a very good collection or his work. After the museum, we set off for a town named Vence, northwest of Nice. In Vence, Matisse designed a chapel for the Dominican nuns. Unfortunately, the chapel was closed so we couldn't visit it but we did see it from afar. We also wandered around the town a bit, stopping for a snack and then discovered the old town where we strolled the narrow streets.

Today (Saturday), Allen & I drove north a little bit. We were aiming to just wander around the Luberon, the hills to the north of us. Instead, as we drove, we found a winery that has an outdoor art exhibit. At Domaine La Coste, they have invested in major works of art and architecture by well-known and well-respected artists and architects. To view the art, one has to walk a path around and above the vineyards. The walk is well worth it though.

We drove a little further north for a late lunch and then decided to call it a day and drove home for naps, something we're very good at. That was after stopping for eclairs as a snack. (How can you come to France and not have an eclair?) Adieu.

Photos below:
--The flower market in Aix
--Along the Mediterranean in Nice
--The beach in Nice
--In the narrow streets of Vence

Around Aix

It's early morning--I can't sleep for some reason. So I'm up before everyone else in the quiet of the morning. And first an apology: I haven't been able to get online for over 24 hours. Thus there are two posts here in quick succession. Hopefully, my 3G provider will figure out soon what is going on and fix whatever the problem is.

Yesterday was a quieter day: we stayed close to home and spent time in Aix again. First we dropped off Pam, Bob, & Stan at TGV station. They are in Paris overnight for a visit.

Then Allen and I tried to trade In our behemoth car for something a little more compact. We originally reserved a compact from our car rental place (Europcar) and were given, as I mentioned in a previous post, this larger Fiat Duplo, which drives tank-like. On Monday, when we went in to report the damage to our car, we asked about trading for a smaller car in the compact size. The woman there said she didn't have any at that time but if we came back later in the week they would have a compact. Well, we stopped at the rental place yesterday and found out that our car is considered a compact. This after we had just spent about $100 to fill up the gas tank, something I don't expect a compact to do. The upshot: we still have our Duplo which which we're rolling around the French countryside.

I do have good news to report on the pants front though, if you read my post of a few days ago. As you might remember I needed to replace one of the pairs of pants that I packed. I couldn't find anything approaching my size in stores though. But at a the market in St. Remy there was a man selling clothing who had my size! So I was able, after all, to increase my wardrobe by one pair of pants, which even fit.

We visited a museum yesterday, the Musée Granet, which is a nice collection here in Aix. They showed the full gamut from modern to classical art. Included in their collection were several Cézannes. Cézanne came from and lived in Aix. He painted many versions of Mount Sainte Victoire, which is on the outskirts of Aix. It was a very pleasurable way to spend some time, roaming among the art.

Last night, Marilyn, Allen, & I went to a new restaurant which came highly recommend by a previous tenant of the villa we're staying in. (There is a book here that has been added to over the years that is an accumulation of information by previous tenants and the owner.) There's a good reason it's highly recommended: it was delicious and the staff was very fun and engaging. It's called Pasta Cosy and as their name indicates they emphasize serving pasta. I had a gnocchi dish with crayfish, Allen had ravioli like I've never seen or tasted before, and Marilyn had their signature dish, the Pasta Cosy. The staff and owner were fun; they wouldn't down with you and talk about the dishes and were generally very much a part of the experience. If you're ever in Aix, search it out and try it; we recommend it.

Today our plans are to head to Nice, which is on the Mediterranean about two hours (we think) away. Maybe by the time we get home the Internet will be working again.
Adieu.

Old, older, oldest

It's been a busy day. We've just finished dinner and are relaxing; Allen, Marilyn, & Stan are starting a game of Scrabble. Pam & Bob are out to dinner so it's a quiet evening after our day of adventure. But first I have to catch you up with what we did yesterday.

We started out on Tuesday heading to Avignon, the papal city for 80 years in the 14th century. After a somewhat manic search for parking, which was successful, we started to walk the city. Avignon became the seat of the Papacy when Pope Clement V moved it when Rome became so dangerous and difficult in 1305. Over the course of their time there, they built and added onto some rather large edifices. In fact, the Palace of the Popes is the largest gothic structure in Europe,

We didn't go into the Palace, instead opting for motorized train ride around the old part of the city, which took us around the old part of the city. Of course our ride included a view of the Pont d'Avignon,famous in song. The bridge, known as the Pont St-Benezet, was originally built in 1177, first as a narrow thoroughfare for foot traffic & horseback riders. The bridge was restored in the 15th century, spanning the Rhone River with 22 arches. In the middle of the 17th century, a flood destroyed the bridge, leaving only the four arches that remain today.

We drove home and relaxed a bit, then Pam, Bob, Allen, & I went out and enjoyed dinner at what's become our favorite restaurant in Aix, the tapas restaurant that we "discovered." Then home to bed and some rest.

Today brought about a new day of adventure. Allen, Marilyn, Stan, & I started out driving to the medieval town of Les Baux. But we got sidetracked along the way and ended up in the town of St. Remy. And it happened to be market day! So we did some shopping and then enjoyed lunch.

Just outside of St. Remy is a well-preserved Roman town called Glanum. It was first settled by the Gauls in the 6th to 3rd century B.C. Then the Greeks came in and expanded the town. Finally the Romans built their city on top of the original city. All of us were expecting a brief stop to see some old ruins. But we were surprised to find a large town of ruins with a very good interpretive program in signs that included English even. It was really interesting to walk about the ruins knowing that 2,000 years ago this was a active, bustling city. The city was abandoned in 260 A.D. because of invasion and has sat for 17 centuries undisturbed until discovered in the early 20th century.

We then did continue our drive to Les Baux, a mideaval town clinging to the top of a mountain in the Alpilles, the mountains of central Provence. The village grew because of its easily defensible position until, in 1632, a more powerful ruler grew tired of the rebellious town and had the ramparts and castle destroyed. Today about 200 people live in the village, perched high above Provence.

Now we've had a good meal at home and are looking forward to what may lie ahead. Adieu.

Pictures below:
--The end of the Palace of Popes
--Glanum
--Les Baux