Travel With Betsy

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!!

Yesterday, I boarded the TGV train at Gare de Lyon and headed to Arles in Provence. The French pronounce the “r” in Arles unlike us Americans…I’m really having a hard time pronouncing this in a French sort of way…and the French are having a hard time understanding me.

When I got my ticket for the TGV, I decided that I would try for first class passage. However, the price was really just too much…you know, the deal is important. The first class ticket was about $100 more. As when considering the warm boots, I just couldn’t justify the extra money. When I got to the train station yesterday, I checked the price again…maybe there was a special deal. Nope, same price. So, I decided on second class. How bad could it be? As it turns out, it was pretty darn good.

I have ridden trains in Europe for at least 10 years as we have traveled through and have even been in the lead in the last years on deciphering the tickets, etc. However, as with speaking French, when you don’t use it you lose it and somehow when you are alone, things are different. My expertise got me to the right seat, but the wrong compartment….UGHHH. I had my luggage in the rack, my coat off and began making friends with my seat mate and was having a great time! Then, the man who was really supposed to be in my seat approached me and, asked me to move. My seat mate spoke English, so I handed her my ticket so that she could help me understand all of this. She confirmed that I was in the wrong compartment. My seat was 2 sections back. OK…no big deal. She handed me my ticket and I gathered up my things and moved on.

When I got to the right place, someone was in my seat…go figure! It was a man who was traveling with his wife and baby. Cute baby, by the way. It really loved me…..staring and laughing as I talked to it. Cute. Anyway, the man spoke English and said that he would move. The train wasn’t crowded, so I said I would be happy to go to an empty seat so that he and his family would be more comfortable. There were lots of empty seats. He was grateful. I was grateful, too. It was one of those seats that has 2 seats facing each other with a table in between. I hate those seats. There is never enough room for my legs and my luggage. So, when the train began to move, I did, too.

The TGV is the fast way to travel by train in Europe. The scheduled time for the trip was about 3 and 1/2 hours from Paris, which is at the top of France to Arles, which is at the bottom…pretty remarkable. I was looking out the window and enjoying myself when I realized that the conductor would be around soon to look at my ticket. So, I got my ticket out in preparation for the review. As I looked at my ticket, I was taken aback. This was not my ticket. Oh no! What was I going to do, and where was my ticket?! I was sure that someone had exchanged it with mine as I was moving to my new compartment. Horrible person! Then, I thought, why would someone do that? That makes no sense. Maybe I had somehow picked up the ticket of the family with the baby. Nope!

So, now I’m starting to panic a little. The conductor is coming….how will I explain this? Maybe I will have to buy another ticket….geez… I have to say that my experience at my last job really helped me to stay calm and think this through. Each day, there was some kind of crisis to deal with…really, much worse than this one…and I managed to solve each problem as it came fairy effectively. So, I thought about the ticket situation and decided that I had picked up the ticket of the woman in the first compartment. I looked at the ticket. It was for the first compartment and what would have been her seat. So, I decided I would go back and ask her about this. She was sleeping, and I hated to wake her. But I really needed to get my ticket back. So, I tapped her on the foot. She looked up and said, “You’re back.” “Yes”, I said. “I think we have mixed up our tickets.” When we looked we realized that there had been a mixup. We were both relieved to have our tickets back, and I spent the next 30 minutes or so berating myself for not paying closer attention. I could be one of those people of ancient times who, in order to be better people, flogged themselves with chains and as a result were made saints. HMMM sainthood…no, not in the cards for me. After sufficient self-punishment, I got into the train ride and had a wonderful time.

I disembarked the train, got a taxi and arrived at my hotel at about 4:00. The hotel is very cute. Certainly not as upscale as the one in Paris, but it is about one third of the price. I have to say, though, that it’s not bad. It’s done in the provencal style it seems to be very clean…very important. I think the bathroom is better than the one in Paris. My room looks out onto an interior courtyard that is really pretty, even in the winter. I decide that I can be very happy here for the next 5 nights.

My last comment on this day is that I arrived here on a Sunday without having had much to eat….just a baguette and some cheese. So, I was a little hungry. Does no one in Arles eat on Sunday?! There were very few reataurants open. Even those recommended by the hotel were not open. I walked from place to place only to be disappointed. I ended up near the Tourist Information center at a small bistrot. There were about 5 people in there besides me. It’s hard to believe that in all of Arles, there were only 5 people that needed to have a decent dinner. In the end, it wasn’t bad. I’m grateful for that, too.