Travel With Betsy

Well, do you remember the “poo” story from a few days ago? As I said, we have one on every trip, and this time we had two. Again, I won’t go into detail here, but sometime when you are visiting our home and we have had some wine, I’ll fill you in. Maybe we are eating too much…that could definitely be the case. Suffice to say that we decided to hang around Nice today……just in case…..

We cautiously headed out this morning to find some coffee, a croissant and an ATM machine around 11:00. The front desk people directed to the street behind our hotel. Surprise….we have been here for a full week and have never walked on the street behind the hotel. We found the ATM and then a very nice cafe where we could sit out and enjoy our cafe au lait. Very nice!

We decided that the plan for the day would be to wander through Nice again. I would have liked to have viewed the museums today, but they are closed on Tuesday. Too bad! But, there were some shops I wanted to see again and I wanted to get another look at the old town. I really loved the street where the market was on Sunday. The street was very lively….lined with restaurants and cafes. On Sunday there were some people playing music, an accordionist and a small combo playing jazz. Maybe we will find some more music….we’ll see!

Last night when we were heading out to our carb fiesta, we passed a hat store and looked in the window. They had a very nice selection of hats, and I thought it would be fun to go back and look at some of them.

Some of you may know this, but Mike has a collection of Panama hats. I bought him the first one for Christmas many years ago when we were still living in McLean. I wanted a “real” Panama that was hand weaved in the traditional way. I researched on the internet and found a man whose job was shaping the hats. I got in touch with him and he advised me as to how to approach this. As it tuns out, he was one of the few craftsmen in the country who was skilled in shaping hats. Imagine that!

At his direction, I purchased the shell of the hat at a store in Georgetown. Then, I went to his home and viewed the different styles that he could make. In the end, we decided that I should wait to select the shape and style until he could see Mike and make some recommendations. And, so we went on. I bought the shell and gave it to Mike for Christmas and then had it shaped and sized to his head. It was quite an experience for both of us. Now, Mike has 3 Panama hats of varying styles, and we sometimes look for these as we travel so as to add to the collection.

I also now find that I like the hats, too. Mine is a collection of one, that is, until today.

I steered us to the hat store so we could take a look. I tried on several fun hats and then asked the sales person if we could see one of the Panamas in the window for Mike. He tried on the hat, I tried on the same hat in a smaller size and we both tried them again (they are unisex, these Panama hats). In the end, the sales person said if we bought both hats, she would give us a discount. Negotiation…..I love this! So, needless to say, we now have matching hats and got a discount! It made my day…and, I think Mike’s too, although one can never tell with him.

After the hat purchase we walked on to “Vieux Nice” (old Nice) and did some window shopping, had an ice cream and then had some coffee. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon. The weather was sunny and clear with just a little breeze off the sea. This is liven’. By the time we walked back to the hotel, Mike could barely move his feet and needed a nap before we could go to dinner. But, as we were walking to dinner, he was refreshed and complimented me on my insistence that we walk. In his own words, he feels……and looks….better. A revelation! Exercise is good for you!

You may recall from our last trip, that Mike is not really a lover of walking. Usually, there is a negotiation on taking a bus, taxi, or walking. But, not on this trip. He has done great on this trip! Lots of walking and only a little complaining. Not bad! Kudos to Cramer!

We opted for another Italian meal….mostly because it is directly across the street from the hotel. It was really great and a totally different experience from last night. No large plates of carbohydrate. I had the equivalent of a French Cassoulet….only Sicilian. I have never really had a cassoulet, so I suspect that this one was exactly the same as the French. But, it was YUMMY! The highlight, though, was a chocolate, vanilla and pistachio layered Panna Cotta with a tart fruit sauce and Chantilly Cream. What a treat! Again, fat and happy….but, in a good way.

Mike has been taking a business card from each restaurant we try to the man at the front desk in the evening. He has been the most helpful and most friendly of all the desk people. When we came back this evening, he was waiting for our review and a card. He seems surprised that we are enjoying our food experiences. Again, I am surprised that others don’t enjoy this as much as we do. It’s the most important thing, after all! But, I guess we all have our priorities. Ours is definitely food and wine!

Tomorrow, on our last day, we are going to tackle the bus and visit Antibes. I didn’t mention that the French train personnel are on strike today and probably tomorrow. This is common in both France and Italy. There is really no rhyme or reason to it. They just arbitrarily decide that they will strike and so none of the trains run. I’m not sure what they are trying to accomplish. Puzzling…. It’s a good thing that we did our training early in the trip.

Buses tend to put you in touch with the local color, if you know what I mean. It should be a great adventure. I’ll let you know.

I have just eaten the most insane amount of food at an Italian restaurant here in Nice. I am struggling to stay awake….you know how pasta works. Pasta turns to sugar, pops the glucose level in your body and then drops it in about a minute. Thus, lethargy and sleepiness. I’m there. But, I wanted to be sure that you had an update on our activities for today.

I may have mentioned this in a earlier post. Nice is very close to the Italian border. So, there are some things in the city that seem French and some things that seem Italian. This is reflected in the food choices. Last night, we definitely went French…tonight, definitely Italian. We have had a very varied diet while in Nice including our Franco Japonais meal that I told you about a few days ago. By the way, that meal was spectacular too. We had spring rolls, chicken with sesame sauce and a pork dish made in a Japponais style. For dessert, Mike had a lavender rice pudding and I had a ginger creme brûlée. What an interesting mix of cultures. It was delicious.

Because Nice is so close to the Italian border, we decided we would cross into Italy today to check out San Remo, probably the largest city on the Italian Riviera. Honestly, this was not my favorite day. It was expensive to go by train and when we got there, it began to rain. So, we spend a lot of time in a cafe waiting for the rain to stop. We really didn’t see much of what was there. From what I have read, San Remo is a bustling sea front town. I’m guessing that the waterfront area is very similar to that of Nice. We observed that as we looked out of the train windows on our way to and fro. There is also a Casino, which brings in a lot of people from other areas like Monte Carlo does. However, the scale is much smaller. There is also a central town where there is a lot of upscale shopping supported by those who are coming to gamble.

I did manage to make some observations about the town and people (I always do). Here’s what I saw.

There are no traffic lights in San Remo. Each time we crossed the street, we took our lives in our hands. There were the usual markings alerting the drivers that pedestrians may be crossing. However, the cars just kept moving along despite our best efforts to cross. On our last crossing as we watched the cars speed by, Mike looked at me and said, “I am going to be bold and cross now. But, you need to stay right with me. If you don’t, you will get hit and I will leave you behind.” Very harsh….We made it across, but by the skin of our teeth. WOW! I am grateful to be alive!

There were numerous traffic circles where we spent some time watching the Italian drivers chasing each other round and round and round the circles. There was lots of horn blowing and hand gesturing, which was unrecognizable to me. I’m assuming these gestures hold the same weight as profanities or the chin flip that you sometimes see in Italy. Almost witnessed a crash, too. I’m really not sure. But, it was pretty comical! Apparently, there are no rules in the traffic circle.

The Italian trains have a different type of ambiance than the French trains. Neither can even touch the Swiss and German trains in terms of comfort and cleanliness. But, the French trains have the edge over the Italian ones. The seats on the Italian trains were molded out of plastic rather than the cloth covered seats of France. The molded plastic was sending my sciatica and back issue into a tail spin. It was actually easier for me to stand than sit on the seats! Mike expressed his opinion that the seats were probably designed by Quasi Moto. He would be the only one that would be comfortable. Who knows!

The Italian trains also have a very interesting display of local artwork on board in the way of graffiti. On the way back, we struggled to find a window that we could actually look out of.

I, of course didn’t bring an umbrella with me. When we left the hotel, it was pretty sunny. I figured I was golden. I was wrong. About 45 minutes in to our visit, it started to rain….hard. As soon as it started to rain, some middle eastern men came out of nowhere with collections of umbrellas for sale. Of course, they approached me. I resisted at first. But, as the rain continued, I changed my tune and began to negotiate for the best price. The man that finally made the sale lowered his price from $6.00 Euros to $2.50 Euros. SOLD! I am quite the negotiator. Once I made the purchase, though, they continued to solicit me to buy more umbrellas. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. After some discussion and reassurance that, no, I was not going to buy any more umbrellas, they gave up and walked away. Mike and I had quite a discussion about this. His theory was that they had identified me as a “mark” and figured that I would buy another umbrella for him. Ha! Fooled them!

One other oddity of the day….we happened into a yacht club and had a cup of coffee. I turned and looked behind me and there was a ceramic woman right next to me. (Remember the ceramic girl and ceramic heads from the Negresco Hotel?) She was very elegant…all covered in gold paint. The strange thing about this woman, though, is that she didn’t have a head. Instead, she had a lamp shade where the head should be. I’m still trying to figure out the point of this. Is there some symbolism that I am missing? Don’t know… I’m wondering if the head is hanging on the bathroom door of the Negresco? It’s a troubling thought….

Around 4:00, I had had all the fun I could take and we went back to the train station and headed back. We got back to the hotel around 7:00….and, we were starving as we hadn’t really eaten meal all day. So, the friendly man at the front desk of the hotel gave us a recommendation for a restaurant. Apparently, in this part of France as well as where I was in Provence in January, most of the restaurants are closed on Mondays. Most were closed on Sunday, too. What is it with the French? They must not get hungry on these days.

Anyway, we took the recommendation of the desk clerk and had what I would describe as the biggest bowl of carbohydrates and fat I have ever seen. It was tasty though, which is usually the case with food that is bad for you.

So, here we are. Back a the hotel, fat and happy. I will need to leave you here for today. I need to sleep off the carb hangover. ZZZZZZZzzzzzz………….

Don’t you just love meeting people? It’s one of my favorite things about travel. It doesn’t matter where I go, I always meet interesting…and sometimes not so interesting…people. Ever since my first work-related travel experience, I seem to attract people who just NEED to tell me their stories. Back then, it wasn’t my favorite thing. Tired from work and hearing all the stories (and excuses) from those I worked with, I had little room for any other stories. Now that I travel for fun, though, I just love it. Everyone has a story to tell.

On the first day, we learned the stories of our wine tour guide and our wine tasting buddies. Last evening, we learned about a young couple in the restaurant where we had dinner. We ended up in a very touristy place, which is surprising for us. Hey, it happens. The young woman of the couple was so disappointed in her meal, that she leaned over and told me that we should go somewhere else. “Really”, she said, “this is a horrible place to eat.”

After we established that we were too far in to leave, we had a very pleasant chat. after they left, we met an Egyptian psychiatrist living in the UK, who was attending an international congress on psychiatry. After he analyzed us, we analyzed him. He shared a lot of information about himself and the healthcare system in England. What a mess that is! The government subsidizes all of the healthcare expenses for the citizens, and they are running out of money. The government there is very generous. Some people have never worked, yet receive free healthcare and are given an average of 24,000 pounds for living expenses. WOW! No wonder they are in dire finanacial straights!

After this psychiatris left, two more from the US showed up and talked to us about some very random things. They were also here for the ocngress, but had decided not to attend the sessions. They were there to party! Very fun!

Today, we met a woman in line as we were buying tickets for the train to Monaco. She was from Chicago, but has lived in London for the last three years with her husband and two children. We met the children as well. Very precocious kids. I think they were happy to have some Americans to talk to. Later today, we took one of those hop on hop off tours in Monaco and Mike made friends with the bus driver, which led us to a very nice lunch with the working class locals of Monaco. I just love people!

Our study of people today included a tour through Monaco and a look at the people who live there and visit there. What an interesting mix. There were a fair amount of people there who were just like us…common folks who were taking in the sights. Then, there were the working class citizens that we had lunch with who ran the tours and worked in the concessions. There were also some citizens who were clearly part of the local upper crust social set.

Then, there were the tourists who come to take their chances at the Casino. Some of them come in on their yachts and some of them come in by other means and stay at the five star hotels so they can spend money at the Nonte Carlo Casino and the other high end shops that surround the casino. Mike calls them the “moneyed set”. I don’t know if you have seen the ads for Patek Phillipe watches. This ad is geared to the “moneyed set” and is particuarly troubling to Mike. The ads suggest that the men buy these expensive watches so that they can be passed down through the generations. As Mike says, his Timex watch keeps time just the same as the Patek Phillipe. Why do these people need watches such as these? It’s a mystery, but this is the target group for the Monte Carlo. You get the idea.

The Casino is the most important feature and revenue producer in Monaco. It basically supports those who live in Monaco by subsidizing anything they would pay in taxes. So, the people of Monaco are basically tax free thanks to the Casino and the “moneyed set” who use it. Citizens of Monaco are not allowed, by law, to gamble in the casino. So, they rely on those outsiders who gamble to provide for them. What a deal!

Back in the day, somewhere in the 1800s, the prince of Monaco, who would be about Prince Rainier’s great grandfather, realized that Monaco was broke. Business man that he was, he went about trying to figure out how to create a revenue stream for the country. He knew about a successful German casino, contacted the owner for advice, hired the same architect to develop a casino for Monaco and then created a marketing strategy to bring this “moneyed set” in to gamble. It worked and “voila” Monaco lives as one of the most high profile casinos in the world! A really amazing succcess story when you get right down to it!

The casino is fabulous and very upscale as you might imaging. Only the ritziest of the ritz can even enter the casino. That may not be entirely true, but Mike and I were not allowed to go in because I had a cell phone, he had a camera and I was wearing my neon white gym shoes. Mike did not have a sport jacket with him, which is also a rule for entering. How silly….we may have had some money to spend. But, they don’t care unless you are dressed properly and are unable to take pictures of the dignitaries that are there with their mistresses. Oh well….we saw enough. The campus was like the castle at the Magic Kingdom in Disneyland com[lete with a garden and a play ground for the “moneyed” children. I can honestly say that I have never seen so many well-coiffed people and expensive cars in one place at one time. The only cars we saw were in the ranks of Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes, Ferrarri, etc. Quite something. There was also a large collection of very large yachts at the port. I’m guessing that at least some of those belonged to the gamblers.

Interesting dichotomy to tell you about, though. We had one of the least expensive and best cups of coffee there that we have had on the trip. Go figure!

In addition to the casino, we also viewed the palace and heard the fairy tale story of how Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier, fell in love, married him and became Princess Grace. There are many things in the country that are named for Grace….a very nice tribute. The palace was, as you might guess, palatial. It looked like an old fashioned castle with turrets. There are guards at the doors and a changing of the guard ceremony is conducted daily at noon. We missed this because I had to have 15 minutes more sleep this morning and we got a late start. But, the children we met with their mother this morning had seen it and said it wasn’t as good as the one at Buckingham Palace. That made me feel a litte better.

We traveled from sight to sight today on the hop on hop off bus, which was a great way to see the country. It is small, but a little more walking up steep inclines than I could manage. So, we let the bus take us and talk to us about the country. It really was fasciniating and beautiful. The views from the palace and the port were just spectacular and, of course, the stories were terrific.

All in all a great day. I highly recommend that you visit if you get the chance. It was well worth the time.

I would post some pictures of our visit here, but I still can’t figure out how to do it. I should be able to use iCloud to download from my phone. But, I’ll be darned if I can figure it out. So, if you want to see pictures, I will be posting some on Facebook. Check in there from time to time. If we aren’t connected send me an invite and I’ll loop you in.

We are off to dinner now to meet some more people…and to have a French/Japponais meal… I’m guessing there will be few tourists there, as the restaurant is far from the crowds and a bit of an unusual combination.

Bon Appetite!

As I mentioned in my recent email, I am already distracted and have gotten behind on my posts. I’ll catch you all up and try to keep up going forward. Also, this is my third attempt at saving this blog post…technical difficulties. Again, I am amazed at the internet service in established countries. If I were in Panama, I would be able to get right in…anyway, here we go!

We left for Los Angeles early on Tuesday morning to catch our flight to Nice. There are many things we love about San Luis Obispo, but international travel from there is not one of them. We have a small airport, a little bigger than the one in Johnstown, for those of you who are familiar with that, and flights are limited. It is very difficult to find a flight that is convenient and reasonably priced from there. Every now and again, we luck out, but not for this trip. So, we headed out for Los Angeles. Because we are adventurous….and frugal….we opted for the cheapest flight, which took us through Minneapolis and then Amsterdam. Quite a long day for us. It took until today, Friday, for me (and my back) to recover from all of the sitting and then the walking through the airports. But, I am limbered up now and ready to explore the cote d’Azur!

I have to mention this little incident about our movement through airport security because I am always amazed at the sound judgment of our TSA decision makers. You all probably know this, but I, as usual, was not paying attention to the news. Apparently, there are some new TSA rules. As you know, Mike just celebrated a milestone birthday. I still won’t mention which one, but you can probably guess as you are reading this. As we were in line at security, Mike said to me that he was now of age and didn’t need to take his shoes off as he went through security. Mike frequently makes jokes to lighten stressful situations, so I thought he was kidding. I told him he was nuts….everyone takes their shoes off as they go through security. Sure enough, when the TSA agent checked his passport and age, he informed Mike that he didn’t need to take his shoes off to go through security. The new rules say that when you hit the “golden” age you don’t need to take your shoes off. Interesting new benefit of aging….TSP no longer considers that you could be a subversive bringing a bomb or other such bad things through security in your shoes. I would be interested in knowing who the genius was who came up with that little gem and his rationale, although I’m sure I still wouldn’t understand it. We can all think about that one for awhile. HMMM…….Anyway, we made it through security and if Mike was carrying anything in his shoes, it wasn’t discovered. I’m glad. What a hassle!

We arrived in Nice on Wednesday afternoon at about 4:30 and took the bus in to town. We were told that that a taxi would cost us about 55 Euro, so we opted for the bus for 4 Euro. Quite a savings and quite an adventure. We really didn’t know where we were going. So, we engaged the tourist technique of tapping people on the shoulder to see if they spoke English and if they knew where we should get of. By some miracle, I looked out the window and saw a sign pointing to our hotel. What are the chances. So, we got off and moseyed on with our entourage of suitcases. Fun times!

We are staying at a 3 star hotel several blocks from the Promenade Anglais. The Promenade is a very lovely boardwalk-like path that runs along the Mediterranean in Nice. The Brits, who have been the primary visitors to Nice for years, built this to ensure that they would have a place to walk along the water and away from the riffraff. They were successful. No riffraff on the Promenade.

The hotel where we are staying was recommended by Rick Steves and his gang of travel writers. It doesn’t meet our usual level of sophistication, but is very clean and functional. It’s also centrally located between the train station and the Promenade. A good location for what we want to do while we are here. So, we are happy.

One of our rules when jet lag is a factor is that we try to stay awake on the first day until a reasonable bed time. Otherwise, you never get adjusted to the time difference. So, we decided to head out to dinner to kill some time until we went to bed. One of the hotel staff suggested that we go to the bistro at the Hotel Negresco. This is a 5 star hotel that we wanted to look at anyway. We considered staying there. But, at about $500 Euro a pop per night, we decided the 3 star would work just fine. Dinner would be a good compromise.

The hotel has a one star Michelin rated restaurant. But, this was a little more than we wanted to eat….or spend. So, we decided the bistro would be just fine. This was a unique place. The restaurant has a Carousel theme. You know the ones I’m talking about. All the ceramic horses in a circle that move up and down as the Carousel moves to a rinky dink kind of tune. This was the theme. There were ceramic horses that were arranged in the restaurant in a sort of circle in between the outer seating. Our booth, complete with pink velour seats, was fixed between two of the horses. IN fact, I took a picture of Mike and it looked like the horse was sitting on his head. Next to our table was a ceramic girl (who was missing a thumb, by the way) who was cranking a music box. The handle on the crank of the box was a bicycle pedal, which gave us a chuckle. At regular intervals, the girl would start to crank the box and a rinky dink tune would play. The horses would move up and down with the music. Then, the girl and the horses would stop and the regular musical programming would continue.

It reminded us of a hotel and restaurant called the Madonna Inn that is near our home in San Luis Obispo that is on our regular tour route for visitors. The restaurant in the Madonna has a similar theme. It’s not a carousel, but is filled with cherubs, dolls on swings and pink velour seats. It’s quite a site. The Madonna also has a waterfall in the men’s bathroom that serves as the urinal. Mike and I checked out the men’s bathroom of Negresco before we left, just to see. But, there was no waterfall. Just a cutout of a man on the door. He had a ceramic head. The women’s room had that, too….but, with a ceramic head of a woman of course. Those folks love their ceramics.

Anyway, the food was good and the hotel was interesting to look at. The hotel is a little bit above our price point, so I doubt that we would ever stay there. But, it was very nice, and I’m sure the rooms are lovely. One point about the place haunts me, though. You would think that a hotel of this stature could afford to fix the ceramic girl’s thumb. One could get nightmares from that!

We tumbled into bed late on Wednesday leaving a wake up call for 6:30 on Thursday. We were going on a tour of Provencal wine country. Don’t want to miss that!

Much to my surprise, we made it out of bed at the allotted time on Thursday. The wine tour is always a highlight for me. As many of you know, I work part time at a winery in Paso Robles near where we live. So, when I travel, I like to check out the wines that are in the area. You may remember that I did a tour while in Paris and had a great time. I had high hopes for another fun day! I wasn’t disappointed.

We went out with Raphael. Raphael, who looks to be about 12 hears old, owns and operates this small business. He is very knowledgable about wine, wine production and the area and kept us laughing with his anecdotes about the area and the people who live here. We traveled with 2 young women from Ireland and a young couple from Washington, DC. They were a lot of fun! We got a great education on rose wines, which are the principle wine of the area, about 90% of all wines produced. They were quite nice. Apparently, the ticket on the roses is to make them as complex as possible, while keeping them as light in color as possible. This is no small feat, as much of the complexity of the wine comes from the contact with the skin, which gives the wine color. We had some spectacular examples of award winning wines from 4 different vineyards.

We also had a very nice lunch in ChateauDouble, which is know for their goat cheese. According to Raphael, one of the common dishes at Easter is young goat. The restaurant happened to have this on the menu, so I tried it. I thought it was great! I’m not thinking about the baby goat that gave its life so I could eat it. I can’t dwell on it. The goat had a cream sauce with morel mushrooms. Mike says the secret to French cooking is the sauce. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t like the goat. He may be right, but it was tasty, no matter what the winning factor was. YUM! For dessert, I had a wedge of the local goat cheese that was drenched in 2 kinds local honey. What a treat! Great meal and very unique. One of the Irish women had escargot for the first time. She did quite well with the instrument that is used to hold the shell while the meat is picked out. I told her I would blog her success. Here’s to the Irish!

When doing these wine tours, I always mention that I work at a winery. Sometimes it gets me a little extra. On my tour out of Paris, I met the mayor of Sancerre because of my affiliation. Not this time, though. I think it just intimidated Raphael. But, he did a great job! In the end, he said it was nice to have someone who knows about wine. Keeps him from telling the group “rubbish” that isn’t true. HA!! Good man.

Again, we stumbled back to the hotel fairly late and went to bed. The jet lag is hard to overcome as you get older. But, we managed.

Today, Friday, we headed on the train to Juan les Pans, a pretty little coastal town on the Mediterranean. One of my friends at the winery who knows the area well sent me on a mission to find the restaurant where he had a great lunch about 15 years ago. We didn’t find it, but it was still a great day.

Tomorrow we are heading to Monaco to meet the prince. I’ll be sure to give him your regards. We are hoping for good weather. Today was beautiful, but Thursday was rainy and cold all day. The weather report is scattered. So, we are hoping for warm and sunny again tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted.

Au revoir!

Betsy

This is my last post on the January mega trip. I meant to post earlier, but frankly, I didn’t want to think of the trip at an end. I had such a great time…. met all kinds of interesting and fun people, saw some extraordinary sites, and ate and drank my way from one side of North America to the other side of France! Why end this adventure?! But, as usual, things…even good ones…..come to an end. And, so it is with my trip. Thus, I waited a week until the dust settled and I was back in some kind of life swing….still trying to figure out what that will be….to write the final post for this trip.

As I mentioned in one of my posts, Mike and I have been traveling together for at least 15 years. The first time we went to Europe, my mother (who has now passed) was beside herself. She told me that everyone she knew who had ever traveled to Europe died there. She was sure that I would be abducted and killed. Could happen…less likely with two people traveling together, but OK. Thankfully, this didn’t deter me from continuing on with the trip. (In those days, I was much less bold than I am now.) But, I really wanted to make sense of her concerns and so thought about this at length. I came up with two things.

First, most of the people she knew who had traveled to Europe did so during World War II. So, I guess that many of the people she knew who had traveled to Europe did die, were possibly abducted or had been hurt in some way. OK. Reasonable, in an off-beat sort of way.

Second, there was an issue of communication. At the time of my first European adventure, there were very few means for quickly communicating with people to let them know you were alive and well. Basically, there were post cards, very expensive phone calls and, later on, phone cards, most of which required you to understand 10 languages in order to decipher the instructions for use. None of these options were cheap, easy or fast. They were definitely not two way. So, I think this was her other concern. How would either of us know if there was important information to share. OK. Reasonable…more so than the World War II theory.

Travel has changed very quickly over the time that I have been traveling. So much so, that it’s almost like someone can be sitting in his own living room and still be on the trip with you! This blog is a fine example. You got all of the low down….and then some…in real time. In some cases, probably more than you wanted to have. But, there it was….for your reading pleasure!

Then, there’s the cell phone and texting. I was able to call Mike (and selected others) whenever I felt like talking. Of course, everyone was waiting for my call with baited breath! HA! But, still, I could call. I also texted a few people from time to time. Not cheap, but with the European phone packages, not too bad.

I could also email, which I did frequently as well. I was able to keep up with my work schedule at the winery and let them know that no, I wasn’t coming back from France to work at the winery in mid-January. I could also keep up with what my friends were doing, the pet sitter, the house sitter. my flights, etc. Not only that, I could make reservations for the wine tour that I could’t decide on at the very last minute in the comfort of my own little hotel room. Amazing!

Then, there’s Facebook. I was posting where I was each day, what I was doing and pictures of the hot spots for all to see. And, people were sending me notes and thumbs up at the exciting things I was doing! What more could you want? Actually…not much.

This was the third solo adventure I have taken for fun! My first adventure was a trip to Italy after attending the wedding of one of Mike’s (and now my) friends in Spain. I was between jobs (seems like that happens to me a lot! YIKES!!). Everyone else had to go back to work….not me. I went on and spent a good 3 weeks in Italy and then came across on a ship from Lisbon to Miami before heading back home. The second adventure was to Norway where I attended a conference and then stayed on for about 2 weeks to view the fjords, which, by the way, are well worth it if you get a chance.

I had a great time all around. But, I have to say that the modern conveniences of communication made this one a lot easier, less stressful and, in some ways, more fun. They almost make foreign travel a “no-brainer”, even if you don’t have a travel companion. Honestly, at times, I thought you all were right there with me having the same experience.

But, with or without the improved means of communication, there is no doubt that travel opens one up to a world that can’t be experienced by sitting in one’s living room watching the antics of the Kardashians. (I’m still not sure who they are and what they have to offer!) So, I hope my tales have inspired you to at least think about doing some travel. If not, I hope you have enjoyed my stories. I had a lot fun writing them. And, honestly, you all kept me company on the journey. I thank you for that!

So, this last trip is at at end. Sad news….boo…… But, the good news is that this end will lead to the beginning of another fun trip! We’re planning one as I write this. After all, once it’s in your blood, the adventure must go on….right?!!

So, stay tuned. I’ll be in touch!

Well, here I am back in the good old USA (in Paris) and eating a hamburger and french fries thanks to those great Marriott boys. I have an early flight out tomorrow morning….7:30 am to be exact, so I booked myself in at the Marriott Charles de Gualle. No surprises, no language barriers, no winding staircases to negotiate with my luggage….HA!! I will need to be up at about 4:00 am to begin my long journey back to the “real” USA. As I mentioned in another post, I signed up for Business Class, thanks to years of traveling for work and accumulating a mass of frequent flyer miles. I will go home in luxury….or at least with wine, some decent food, and most important…leg room! I see a full day of sleeping in my immediate airplane future!

Again, today was another exciting travel day. I told you about my train ticket purchasing encounter with the ticket agent…real communication issues. Despite that, he did a pretty good job. One thing I wasn’t expecting was that I would be taking my fist 45 minute leg on a bus, not a train. As I reviewed my ticket with the hotel staff, we realized that I was on a bus headed to Nimes and then to Charles de Gualle airport from there. This is OK. Hey, after all of my transportation adventures, I KNOW I can figure this out. The only downside is that If the bus is late, I will definitely miss the train. But, there will be a solution….there always is. Turns out, things worked like clockwork again. YIPPEE!! Made the bus, made the train and found the Marriott shuttle at the airport, thanks to the helpful woman at the airport information station. I love these people!….and, they speak English!

I am now a pro at deciphering the train tickets…found the right compartment, found the right seat and found peace. The first leg of my train ride was so peaceful. Again, it wasn’t crowded and I thought I was in heaven with my own row of seats and leg room. At about the 3rd stop, people started to pour into my compartment….you notice how I am now very possessive of the compartment. It’s mine. Anyway, about 20 very tall young women began to file in, all wearing work out sweats. Most of them spoke English and, of course chatter that I am, I had to ask them what was happening. Turns out they were part of 2 French women’s basketball teams heading for a game in L’Ille. The husband of one of the ladies was from Memphis…small world. I have never…and I mean never…seen such tall women. Some of their heads almost hit the ceiling. WOW! Big girls. It was Interesting, but they filled “my” compartment and I was no longer at peace. So, I buried myself in my book…Anna Karenina.

I started reading this book in Paris. Almost every time I do a solo trip, I pick a classic book to read. Somehow, I escaped this type of reading in my high school and college education. I really can’t believe it. But, we were never required to read the classics. So, I started at a late age. It’s actually better reading them as an older person. I think you have a much better appreciation of the plot and characters. For the most part, what I have found is that they are just really great stories. I have enjoyed my journey through the classics over the last 15 years or so. Anna Karenina, if you don’t know the story, is about happiness, adultery and deception, at least so far. It’s intriguing. It’s also been made into a movie lately, which is one of the reasons I chose it. I’m deciding on whether to see the movie….I’m thinking yes….so far..

I had some time on the train to think about my extensive trip and the things I did. What a diverse group of activities. I had fancy meals. I had cheese and baguettes. I visited museums and historical spots. I saw some beautiful vistas. I walked, and walked and walked, and walked and walked…I saw people selling their wares at markets all across the trip. I saw poverty and wealth…sometimes in the same place. I used every possible means of transportation available to get where I wanted to go. I made friends of all types and of all ages. I became part of a neighborhood. I learned to find the best strengths of the people I encountered in order to make my way and find the best opportunities to connect with the towns and the wonderful things they had to offer.

I have to say that a trip like this makes you stop and think about a lot of things. First, it’s a real confidence booster to be able to figure the whole thing out and come out unscathed. Pretty cool! But, more than that, it’s a way to connect with yourself. I don’t always want to travel alone. But, I do like it. It gives you time to think about what is important to you…what you really want. You are not moving along someone else’s agenda. You are moving along your own…doing things that are important to YOU. I think everyone should have an opportunity to do this now and then. We get so caught up in the day to day, taking care of business and taking care of others, that we lose sight of ourselves sometimes. As Cezanne points out, finding your own perspective is an important part of success.

Tomorrow, I will be back home…I say tomorrow, but it might be Sunday if there’s a glitch of any type. But, I hope that I can keep this perspective I have found on this trip as I move into the next phase of my life…..retirement…semi…. What does that mean exactly? As I get older, I find that it’s important to make the most of my time and feel good about the things I choose to do and consider them important, relevant and meaningful. I think that’s what I’ll shoot for now….one could do worse.

My alarm went off this morning at 6:00 am so that I could be up in time to catch the 7:30 am bus to Aix en Provence. To be honest, I was really tired this morning and almost just turned over and went back to sleep. But, this is my last day in Provence, and I decided I would be very disappointed with myself if I didn’t take full advantage of my time here. I can sleep in a little tomorrow, as I have a later train…..ad I have a very long flight day on Saturday. I booked myself for business class, so sleeping will be easy. (thanks American Airlines frequent flyer program) So, I was up and running at 6:00 am. Do I get an award? I hope so….I would really like one!!!

I would also like to get an award for walking about a thousand miles since I have been gone. For most people, this would be nothing. But, I have a back issue that affects my legs and have not really been able to walk long distances on uneven pavement for quite a long time. But, I’m doing it here….go figure…I guess it’s not as bad as I thought. Otherwise, I would be sitting this one out.

I will say, though, I am getting tired and had to downsize my carry bag today. I decided in Paris that if I was going to do a lot of walking, I would need to have a bag that was bigger than my crossover bag. I love the crossover, but it only holds my wallet, sunglasses (on a good day) and some tissues. This kind of trip required me to carry things like an umbrella, food and random purchases. Thus, I purchased a larger “Longchamps” bag that would hold all of these items. I decided that just because I had a bigger bag, I didn’t need to load it up with heavy items. I would just use it for ease of carrying things as I went. Very rational. It was a good purchase….not cheap….and definitely not the best deal….but, I do like “Longchamps”. Interesting…don’t you think….that I could justify THIS purchase, but not the warm boots. I’ll have to give that one some thought!

This morning before I left for my day, I realized that I had begun to do just what I said I wouldn’t do…load up the “Longchamps” bag. It was getting too heavy to carry, and now my back was bothering me. So, I had to unload some things…..mostly the food items and the 2 liter bottle of water…..OOPS! I figured that Aix would have food and water if I needed some.

Again, I left myself a little wiggle room on the time to meet the bus in the case of any mistakes. These bus trips remind me of my solo time in Italy. I was using the bus system there to go out from Siena. When I went to Asissi, there was only one bus that went there and one bus that came back. If you missed this, you would have to take a very complicated train route back which I didn’t want to do. The bus was supposed to leave Assissi at 4:00 pm. If you have ever used public transportation in Italy you know that they seldom run on time. On the day in question, the bus back to Siena was about 1 hour late. Not knowing the language, I struggled to get information….started to panic a little. I really did’t want to repeat this experience. The buses to Aix were the same as the one to Siena. One bus there 2 buses back and a very complicated train route alternate. Thus, my need for wiggle room. But this morning, things went like clockwork. I boarded the bus for Aix at 7:30 am right on the dot. Great!

I was armed with the information that Alice, my friend from yesterday, gave me on Aix on what to do and see while there. So, when I got there, I had some idea of what I might do. However, as is my custom, my first plan of attack was to seek out the Tourist Information Center for any information they could provide for me. Don’t want to miss anything.

I learned from the helpful person at one of the stations that today was a market day. Markets would be open until about 1:00 pm. I did catch the market in Arles yesterday. But, I have heard that the markets in Aix are the best. So, I was really excited to have this experience! I also learned about a self-guided walking tour that points out the various hot spots of Cezanne, who lived and worked here for a large part of his life. Alice told me about Cezanne’s A’tellier (studio, which was something I knew I wanted to do. So, I developed my plan for the day….spend the morning perusing the markets and spend the afternoon with Cezanne.

There were 3 areas where the markets were set up. The first was on the Mirabeau, the main walking street in Aix. The street itself is lined with poplar trees, whose branches in the summer, I have read, provide a canopy of protection from the sun and are very beautiful. In the winter, they are bare, but still beautiful but in a different sort of way. The trunks and branches are white. I don’t think I have seen something like this before. Gave the street a very wintery, but appealing look. Viewing the street, one can only imagine the scene when the leaves are in full swing. I’m sure it’s spectacular. Today, the bottom parts of the tree trunks were covered with festive red and white polka dotted wrapping. I don’t know what the significance of this is, but I have a feeling it is a left-over from Christmas. Whatever…..I liked it. It was delightful!

Again, at the market they were selling everything you can imagine. I didn’t see mattresses, however, and I was glad…doesn’t seem to fit for some reason. And, honestly, the laughing jags that the sight of this produces are a little embarrassing. There WAS one booth that was selling hair removal products for women, though. I found this to be quite strange….not as bad as the mattresses…but odd. Who would buy this type of product at one of these markets?!! I wonder how they make a living at this!! I also saw….you guessed it….warm winter boots in a couple of the stalls. They were 15 Euros and were very fashionable. If only there had been a market in Paris last week, I would have bought a pair. I could justify 15 Euros for warm and dry feet. I could have thrown the boots away at the end of the week for that price. Oh well……

After the market, I did some of the Cezanne walk. As I mentioned, I had heard about the A’tellier (studio) of Cezanne and wanted to be sure I saw that. It was a point on the walk, so I made sure I left some time for this. The walk took me to parts of the city I would have never visited otherwise…would’t have known about them, as they were out of the main part of the city for the most part. The city reminds me of a tiny Paris. It has lots of cafes, shopping and historical sites to see. Just like in Paris, when you get outside of the main tourist section, the old buildings and winding streets create a sense of peace. I really loved it.

The highlight of the Cezanne walk, though, was the studio. I walked what seemed like 100 mlles through the city and up a very steep hill that went on forever to get to this place. About halfway up the hill, I thought I would expire. My back hurt and my leg was numb. But, I persisted. I’m glad I did.

The studio itself is very plain. It houses the relics of the everyday items that Cezanne used as models in his works. There was a video running that showed the paintings, and I could actually find the objects in the room. And, because it is the off season, no one was there and I basically had a private, guided tour. It was fun! The guide was very engaging…another friend for the road.

But, the best thing of the tour was the 10-15 minute film clip that played before I went into the studio. It was all about perspective. I don’t know how much you all know about Cezanne. I didn’t know anything before I saw this, except that I had seen some of his art as I have traveled here and there. He was an interesting man. There were several things about that gave me pause.

He based his work on the play of light on the objects he was using. He used the same objects in several of his paintings, but they looked different because of the way the light hit them and his interpretation of that. The light influenced the color of the objects, which was his guide in forming the shape of the objects. He didn’t do what the conventional artists at the time were doing which was creating the object and filling in the color. He used the color as a guide and created the object based on the play of light on the on the object and the color. He essentially “pulled” the shape of the object out of the color. I found this fascinating.

He also considered that he was not a very successful artist, which was based primarily on the fact that he did not follow the artistic mores of the time. He was creating his own style, which was not necessarily what sold paintings or brought acclaim. He didn’t care. He continued to create art that was in keeping with what moved him whether it followed the rules or not….not easy, as most of us probably know. He was a trend setter and was developing a new style of art….and he knew it…and he kept going despite any criticism. How many of would have the confidence and tenacity to do this? Not many, I think…

The movie at the beginning of the tour summed it up with a discussion on perspective, the gist of which came from Cezanne himself. He viewed it as very important to find his perspective, even if it was different from that of others. There is perspective in the tactical parts of painting, but there is also perspective in the philosophy of the work. Finding one’s own perspective on the philosophy is critical to success.

This, I thought, was about the most perfect way for me to end the day….and, my trip. (This is my last day here, Tomorrow and the next day are for travel.) After all, didn’t I come here to find my own perspective….on life and all of the things that encompass it? I think so.

This day has given me pause to stop and ponder. I am reminded of an excerpt from the work of another famous “artist”….Shakespeare. “To thine own self be true.” Isn’t this what Cezanne was really saying? Food for thought……

I was up early again today so that I could make my way to Aix en Provence….really excited because this is the favorite of the French people I have met. It’s also the favorite of Alix, our revered house and cat sitter, who did a rotation there while in college. It comes highly recommended.

I was up and out early, 7:30 am, so that I could get my coffee and croissant before catching the bus at 8:40. It’s been awhile since did any kind of even minimally complicated public transportation in Europe on my own, so I left myself plenty of time in case I made a mistake. (I know it’s hard to believe, but even I have been known to err on occasion.) At about 8:00, I headed out.

I knew about where the bus station was, so I headed in that general direction and hoped for the best. When I got there, I had to locate the right stop for the bus I needed to take. Of course, I didn’t see the number that I needed. I asked a young guy at one of the stops to see if he knew anything. He didn’t. But, I have to say that he came to tell me after I walked away that he had asked some other people and then directed me to what he thought was the correct spot. Again, I have to say that I am bowled over by the kindness of strangers. This was a very kind gesture. But, still, I didn’t see the number that I needed. That’s whenI looked up and saw the office for the bus system. DUHHHH…..So, tail between my legs, I went in.

As is my custom now, I use the French greeting “bonjour” and then “Parlez vous Anglais”?. (Do you speak English?) This usually gets me a “Un petit per.” (a little bit). Not this time, the woman at the ticket counter broke into fluent english….with a southern accent, if you can believe THAT! I of course asked her where she was from. She is originally from Atlanta and has been living in Provence for 30 years. She met her, now, husband while working at a hotel in St. Remy, fell in love and got married. She has been here ever since….a true love story. You gotta love a great story! I think she (Alice) was very excited to talk to an American. So, we chatted on for awhile, my favorite thing. It was early..she wasn’t busy….what else is there to do?! I am making lots of friends on this trip! Fun times!

After Alice reviewed the schedule, we realized that the bus I was trying to meet only operates on the weekend and holidays. (I’m very disappointed in the nice young man at the front desk of my hotel…leading me astray….shame on him.) There was another bus leaving at 12:30, but I really didn’t think this would allow me enough time to look at the city. So, I decided to bag Aix for today and try for tomorrow instead. This will, again, be an early day, as the bus I REALLY need to take leaves at 7:30 am. But, I’m a trooper!!

So, I said to Alice, “Alice, I have clearly missed the Aix trip for today. What would you suggest I do for the day?”. She was all too happy to help me consider some options. I asked about Les Baux en Provence….there is no public transportation to Les Baux. I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in renting a car and maneuvering through traffic by myself. As you can see, I am very independent, but I draw the line at this. There are just too many variables.

Then, I asked her about St. Remy. She was very taken with this idea. She lives in a small town near there and said that I really should visit her town. There is a nice bistrot there where I can eat. I should tell them that she sent me and they would take good care of me. After my issues with meals in Arles, this was very appealing. But, no public transportation. She and I decided together that this would probably be too complicated. I’ll have to catch this next time.

I landed on St. Remy. Alice’s station started to get busy, and I didn’t want to bother her, so I thanked her and started to go on my way. As I was leaving, she called out “Come back later. I want to tell you some places to visit in St Remy and Aix.”. Sounds good. Tips from a local. What luck!

The bus to St. Remy didn’t leave until 11:30 am. I was now 9:00 am. What am I going to do in Arles for the next 2.5 hours? I wasn’t looking forward to it. I like it here, but really it’s worth about a day and that’s it….it’s a small area and it’s off season…not much action as far as I can tell. So, I decided to go back to the hotel and reconnoiter a bit.

I really didn’t have time to go to a museum or another monument in Arles, and some of them were closed. But,there were some vistas in Arles that I missed on my first day here, so I decided that I would head to this area until the bus leaves. Maybe there would be a good picture taking opportunity. I headed out.

The vistas were near the train station. I have now been here about 3 days and am getting to know the town pretty well. I have been to the train station, so this would be a stress-free way to start the day. No map reading, no question asking and answering, no french to decipher…As I walked, I was thinking about all of my adventures, what I would do next, etc. Then, I looked up, and what did I find, but a market. I had heard about the markets in Provence, but hadn’t seen one. I made a detour and started looking at the goods for sale.

These markets sell everything….cheese, sausages, vegetables, candy, bread, pastries, clothing, spices, knives, guns, mattresses….yes, MATTRESSES! The sight of this was enough to send me into one of the those laughing jags…you know, I explained this in the blog I wrote when Mike and I drove cross-country to California….. where you can’t stop, can’t breath, and can’t remember why you are laughing! MATTRESSES…REALLY!!??

You will be glad to know that I did not buy a mattress. How would I get this home? But, I did buy more cheese (for a rainy day…in case I can’t find dinner again) and some olives with garlic. I love these (j t’aime….see, my french is getting better!). Mike and I have a great story of traveling in Germany and absolutely loading up on the garlic olives and pickled garlic. Mike’s daughter, Sarah, who was traveling with us came to our door to say that she could smell the garlic…and the bad gas it caused us…..out of our open window and into hers. YIKES! I really want to have some right now, but I don’t want to stink up my room. I could, though. There are benefits to traveling alone! But, for now, I will exercise control! For now!

You will also be interested to know that one of the vendors saw me taking pictures of all the fun stands and wanted to know if I wanted his picture. Someone would get a picture of the 2 of us, but I would need to kiss him on the cheek. I don’t think so….smart ass…..

Anyway, the whole market experience was a delightful surprise!

I did make it back to talk to talk further with Alice. She gave me some very good ideas about what to see and do in St. Remy and especially Aix.

I also made it to St. Remy, which I enjoyed. It is a very small town…smaller than Arles. I did a lot of walking and bought some very expensive chocolate that is just outstanding, YUMMY!!! I will enjoy it with my cheese, wine and garlic olives.

In the last hour I was there, I was taking some pictures of the town, and a French man (with very bad teeth, I have to say) approached and asked it I was French. I of course answered with my usual “Je parle un petit Francais.” (I only speak a little bit of French.) He said “Ahhhh, Americain”,,,and directed me to sone interesting things to look at and photograph. One more friend for the road!

Speaking of friends, I had an email from my wine tasting buddies in Paris. Their words, not mine, “We have single-handedly put a major dent in the wine consumption in Paris and have lived to tell about it.” They were on another wine tasting tour as they were writing the email….imagine! Fun times!

I am hoping for better food tonight. As I walked through town, I noticed that things were starting to get a little more lively. I guess things start to rock and roll on Wednesdays. We’ll see.

I haven’t tried the Rhone wine that I bought yesterday yet……might have to bring that one home, that is, if I feel like carrying it in my suitcase on the train. HMMMMM But, I can only drink so much, and I am still working on the Pinot from Paris. What can I say….So much wine, so little time.

So, I will leave you with this little french tidbit….Vive les vins et les amis….. (Long live wine and friends!….at least I think that’s what this means!) So long for now!

I am still thinking about my YUMMY and fun meal experience last night…..YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY…..

I was up early thibs morning…6:30 to be exact. After my YUMMY meal last night (one more time that I can say YUMMY!) and before I went to bed, I got my train and bus schedules out for review, so that I could decide on my plan of attack for today. The train schedule to Avingnon did not seem complete to me. There were only a few trains listed on the schedule that were leaving from Arles, when my tour book said there were trains about every half hour. But, I knew I could get a train for Avignon at 8:40 and also a bus to Aix en Provence at about the same time. So, I went to bed and decided that I would figure it out in the morning over coffee and a croissant. Again, YUMMY! (one more time for YUMMY….there I said it again. HA!)

It was an early morning, as I didn’t sleep well. I haven’t slept that well here in France. I never really get adjusted to the time change coming in this direction. At about 10:00 pm, I am so sleepy that I can’t keep my eyes open. So, I turn the light out and close my eyes. At 2:30 I am usually still awake. YiKES! I need to go home soon so that I can get a good night’s sleep. Oh well.

As Mike and I have traveled quite a bit, we are pretty good at understanding how to maximize the expertise of the people at the hotel and their knowledge of the area. So, this morning, I sought out the aid of the nice young man at the front desk, who now knows me well because I have so many flipping questions….very nice guy. Anyway, after some review, he and I decided that I could go to the train station and be fairly confident that I would get a train to Avignon in a very short amount of time, no matter what. Thus, my plan for the day.

Avignon is a bigger than Arles, but still pretty small as compared to places like Paris So, getting around was a cinch. I stopped at the very helpful Tourist Information Center when I got off the train, and picked up a map of the city and some touring tips. I was given a pass that would allow me to get a discount on museums after the first one visited, which was very exciting and in keeping with the “getting the best deal” philosophy. I was very happy.

Avignon is a very old “walled” city. Amazingly enough, the whole wall around the city is in tact. I have been to a lot of these old cities, but have never encountered one that has the ancient wall still surrounding the place…at least, I don’t remember it. I spent a fair amount of time wandering the old maze-like streets. The weather was absolutely phenomenal today, so I could spend a lot of time outside walking and enjoying the sunshine.

My first monument visit was to the Saint-Benezet Bridge because it was one of the cheaper sites that I wanted to see. I figured I would go for the discounted rate on one of the heavier hitters. Turned out to be a good plan.

The bridge was built during the 12th century, destroyed and rebuilt in the early 1200s. It was the first link between Rome and France across the Rhone River. I use the term “link” lightly. I learned today that Avignon was the center of the Roman Papacy…so, this is really the link…not so much geographically. Although, geography did play a part at that time. But, more about that later. The building of the bridge was spearheaded by Saint Benezet, who told everyone that God came down and instructed him to build a bridge here. Most people thought he was “touched”..you know….”nuts”. He probably was, but as it turns out, he was able to raise enough money to make this happen. The bridge became a major route for trade and pilgrims and helped France to gain a stronghold. What I do know is that the view from the bridge is one of the most beautiful scenes I have viewed on the trip. The tour book said this is the most moving sight in Avignon. I am inclined to agree.

The view of the Rhone from the bridge includes a path on either side that is lined with trees. The backdrop to this is the city of Avignon. Just gorgeous. Check out the pictures on my Facebook page.

My next stop was at a patissier (bakery) for a bite to eat. I had some kind of puff pastry sandwich that was filled with….you guessed it….cheese. I also had a pain raisin, which is my favorite of all the French pastry desserts. YUMMY! This tasty meal was under 5 Euros.

I also visited the Palais de Papes….quite an impressive structure. You all probably know this…I wasn’t paying attention in world history class, but, at one point, there were 2 centers for the church, Rome and Avignon. There were a total of 6 Popes who ran the church from here over time. So, here’s the “link” to Rome I talked about above. Avignon and Rome were connected through the church and the papacy. Later on, the church created one center in Rome. But, not until this vast palace was built on the backs of the towns people. As I listened to the audio guide, I was struck by the influence and power of the church at this time. Maybe it’s still like that…I’m not involved too much in religion. But, I doubt it is anything like this. This was really a big business enterprise. The Palais employed hundreds of people to do the tasks in the building and to count and protect all of the money that was collected for the church. Of course, only CERTAIN people could have access to the money and they had it hidden away. Sounds like my last job.

I have to say that about halfway through the tour, I was ready to leave, thinking about the power of man over man in those days through the church. What happened to benevolence and piety? But, then, as I continued on, I also realized that major the church had a large part to play in the development of at least art and music. That made me feel a little bit better. It’s kind of like having a war. We don’t like it, but look at the advancements it brings….kind of a double edged sword. Anyway, the building was interesting and the story even more so.

The Palais is surrounded by a park, which is free to enter. This was outstanding. The views from there were incredible and the fountains, alcoves, ponds and seating invited you to linger. I took a seat at the pond among the ducks and pigeons and contemplated life for a good long time.

At about 4:30, I headed back to the train station to come back to the hotel. I almost made it without buying something, but alas, I got side-tracked…..by a wine store. Hard to believe! This area is the center of the Rhone wine region. The grapes are the same varietal as those we grow and make into wine where we live in California. I really wanted a bottle of a good Rhone blend to drink in my room on my last days here. So, I made this purchase. I will be critiquing it in my next blog post.

My last thought for today is this. One of the downsides to traveling in touristy areas in the off season is definitely the lack of open restaurants. I went out again tonight, only to find that the recommended (actually almost all) of the restaurants were closed. AGAIN. I went to 3 places before I decided to to back to one of those cafes I passed yesterday. My YUMMY restaurant was also closed. I had the equivalent of a pizza (4 different types of cheese) and came back to my room.

I did, however, have a meeting of the minds with one small customer of the restaurant. There was one other couple there with me, who had a 2 year old little boy. He was really cute…and, he really liked me. (I seem to have this effect on little kids.) He joined me at my table and we chatted together…me in English and he in French and we were both very happy. His father spoke some English and did some translation. As it turns out, he was hoping for a “bon bon”. Sadly, I had to disappoint. He was OK with this and as I was getting ready to leave he extended his hand and we shook on it. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

Don’t you find that the most remarkable things happen when you least expect them? I had an incredible dinner experience this evening that I really wasn’t expecting. It makes me appreciate the kindness of strangers.

As it turns out, Monday is not a good night for eating out in Arles, either. As is my custom when traveling alone, I stopped this morning at the Tourist Information Center to get the lay of the land here in Arles. My plan was to explore Arles today and then branch out in the next days to look at the other towns in Provence. So, I gathered all of my information from the very helpful woman a the Tourist Information Center. She was really great….spent a lot of time with me to review all of the points of interest in the area, transportation options, etc. My last question for her was about where to eat while here in town. She gave me some ideas and marked them on my trusty map. This is great. Maybe tonight I will have a good meal.

So, when I got ready to go to dinner this evening, I got out my map and decided where I would go. One of the streets had 2 recommended restaurants. So, I decided to give this a whirl. If one was closed, the other would surely be open. I headed out. I got to the one restaurant and then the other. Both were closed. So, I headed in the direction of another recommendation that was close to where I ate last night. Closed. What is it with the people in Arles? Really…..do they not eat?! I was close to the Jules Cesar Hotel, where I had originally planned to stay and whose restaurant got very good reviews in my Frommer guide book. So, I thought, their restaurant must be open. They are a hotel with guests that need to eat. Nope. Closed. In frustration, I asked the woman at the desk whether there was anything open anywhere. She directed me to a place called E’Crin. It was near my hotel….YAY!

I started of in the direction of the restaurant. I walked a little further than I thought I should and passed 2 cafes on the way and considered just going there. But, I really wanted a little more, as I had my usual baguette and cheese today and little else. Finally, I looked ahead of me and saw some lights at a doorway and decided this must be the place. When I went in, there were 2 tables of people already there…..a good sign for decent food…….people!

I must look and act like I am French because a lot of people try to communicate with me via French, which as we discussed, doesn’t really get anyone anywhere at all. But, in this restaurant, the waitress only spoke French…not English. So, once we established that I didn’t know much French, we were off and running. Then, a very nice couple at the next table asked if I needed help. Actually, I could understand the menu, but not much else. When they start to talk fast, I start to get lost. So, I accepted the couple’s gracious offer of help. They had limited English, but directed me into a really wonderful meal, and we all had a good time and a couple of laughs on the way. The menu was on a large chalkboard that was brought to each table when it was time to order. The woman of the couple actually sat next to me and explained what each menu item was. So very nice.

As I was waiting for my order to come, the place began to fill it’s 6 tables, and I watched the waitress as she interacted with the patrons. There was a French family, 3 sets of couples including the one that had helped me, a Spanish family that also didn’t know any French and me. The waitress went out of her way to help the Spanish family understand the menu. They were trying to understand the word “tarte”, which I think is universal in any language. But, OK, maybe not. In an effort to help, the waitress got her iPhone and looked for a translation on the internet so they would understand. I’ve never seen anyone go to this length to provide excellent customer service. Ritz Carlton stand back! Her interactions with the French family were equally as outstanding. I felt as if I were in my own home town having a casual dinner. How fortunate that I stumbled into this terrific place. The waitress knew all of the people except for me and the Spanish family. I realized that this was kind of a neighborhood place, and I was one of the neighbors. Love it!

When I first visited France I was told that the people were rude and didn’t like Americans. I have never had this experience and certainly didn’t have it here. I think people treat you as you treat them. What is the saying?…you get what you give…something like that. Anyway, I think if you are nice to people, they will be nice back…even the French.

For $20.50 Euro I had a grilled eggplant and Chevre cheese salad that was to die for. My main course was a poached chicken breast which would have been somewhat nondescript had it not been for the sauce of butter (of course) and Provencal spices. The vegetables were the star of the show….carrots, zucchini and tomatoes in a butter thyyme sauce. When it came time to order the dessert, I asked the waitress what she preferred. She asked if I liked chocolate, and so the decision was made. I had a most delicious warm chocolate lava cake with a mint chantilly cream. how many times can I say YUMMY before I get home? YUMMY! I would have never chosen this if she hadn’t suggested it. I left there fat and happy, just like after the meal at Benoit. Incredible.

The earlier part of my day was also pretty amazing. The woman at the Tourist Information Center convinced me to purchase a pass that would get me into 5 hot spots here in Arles. I made to 4. But, the pass is good for a month. I may make one more before I leave.

The most memorable of the places I visited was Les Alyscamps. These are the ruins of a Roman, and later Christian, cemetery. It is also one of the places that Van Gogh found inspirational and memorialized it in some of his work. It was very peaceful and lovely, even in the winter.

I also visited 2 arenas that originated in Roman times. Both are being renovated at this time. The largest arena is still used for bullfighting in the spring and summer months. The other is really more of a ruin and is no longer used. In it’s day, it was not used for bullfighting, but for things like circuses and lighter activities. I found both of these sights to be very interesting and enlightening. I didn’t realize the influence of the Romans on this area, although it does make sense. There are lots of examples of this all throughout the town. Before I leave, I hope to visit the museum here in town that explains more about the history and early influencers. I also visited the catacombs underneath the town hall, which I wasn’t as crazy about. It was dark and I found it difficult to walk between my vision issues and my back issues. I also had a fleeting thought about getting lost in the maze and never being found. How silly…but, it was just a fleeting thought…….

Tomorrow I plan to venture out to Avignon or Aix en Provence. Depends on how early I can get up. The weather is supposed to be really good through the end of the week. I felt like I was in a heat wave today after coming from Paris. I think it was about 50 degrees here. The temperatures are supposed to increase again in the next few days. I see lots of walking in my immediate future….YIPPEE!!