Thursday, August 15, 2013

Thoughts about France

1.  Fries are no joke.  They really do come with everything. Try ordering a bagel without fries!
2. You cannot get coffee WITH dessert. You order it, and it does not come, but dessert does.  Reminding a waiter is only considered rude because it has already been ordered, and they do know it is in the lineup.  But...finish dessert first, the plate will be cleared and then your Joe arrives.
3. It is impossible to order just salad.  It must be unpatriotic. 
4. Walking around with take-away coffee is NOT French custom. Doesn't happen.
5. Even ugly fields are made beautiful by blankets of poppies. In fact, poppies make everything beautiful.
6. The countryside wherever you travel is covered with vineyards.  Ahh, just imagine a pastoral scene of happy workers with berets pruning vines... AND talking on cell phones with the other hand.
7. What's this about rudeness?  Everyone speaks English and is happy to assist. We found no surly waiters, no impatient shop keepers, and no rude Parisians explaining directions.
8. Road signs often do not exist.  Deal with it by enjoying the charming remote place you can't find your way out of.
9. The expressways have few thru lanes.  Could be an attempt to give families more together time?
10. Most French people do not wear berets.  Only the old ones.
11. Cigarettes are popular at outdoor cafes.  The usual evil eye does not work. If you want to enjoy your food, go inside.
12. A French folktale has a cicada as a character.  Thus, the reason there are thousands of ceramic cicadas crawling over tourist shops throughout France.

We look forward to the next trip of poppy fields, brocantes, french fries with moules, lavender, cicada printed tablecloths, and endless horizons of vineyards.
Nina

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Aix to Nice

June 8 From Aix to Janet and Peter

We packed up and left Aix-en-Provence and headed to the coast directly south where there are some port and fishing villages. We chose Cassis which was less than an hour away. On the highway out of town we saw the mountain Cezanne made famous in his paintings, and in the nearby landscape, interesting outcroppings and cliff formations that also showed up in the art.
Cassis is colorful, with a horseshoe harbor full of boats, both fishing and pleasure vessels. Along the shore are many restaurants, shops and of course ice cream opportunities . Rich chose a restaurant for moules (muscles) and frites (fries). He ordered them with a creamy mustard sauce, I must say was the most delicious sauce I ever tasted. We both enjoyed it not only on the muscles, but fries and especially with the bread.
Another hour to the east and north brought us to Contignac, a town of 1,800 in winter and 3,000 in the summer. It is where our friends Janet Leno and Peter Harold live .
Like so many other little towns in France, it is surrounded by vineyards. Janet lives in town in a house that is probably hundreds of years old, but renovated .  It is roomy and beautiful with white walls, old exposed beams and a touches from their African house. We had our own suite on the lower level. A walk through the town was thoroughly enjoyable. The steep walkways are ancient stone paths that narrowly weave between abandoned ruins and refurbished medieval homes. We   heard stories about some of the town characters and the town lore.  The main thoroughfare is a 3 block wide alley of shops and restaurants with a parallel inner  border of stately Plane trees. At one of the restaurants we enjoyed a dinner outside with organic wine from the Contignac cooperative and shared local dishes of gambas( prawns), duck, and an apple tarte. Janet and Peter know many of the people in town, and many came to say hello. There is a mix of foreigners, folks who stay for the summer months,  tourists, and townspeople, restaurant proprietors and shop owners. At night the cliffs overlooking the town are dramatically lit up, which made for a beautiful walk home the few short blocks.
We called Sarah for her birthday, who at the time was on a boat off the coast of Maui snorkeling.


 June 9  Life in Contignac

We were anxious to see what Sunday was like in Contignac, so after a breakfast which featured delicious Greek yogurt and local honey made with lavender, we again made our way to the center of town. Today was an artisanal fair, and the cafes alongside were busy. Janet has a Dutch friend who has a shop of darling curiosities and we picked up a few items including some small silver pomegranite place card holders. Peter and Rich secured a cafe table and we made it our headquarters for at least an hour over coffee a lait. Janet introduced me to the honey store, and we bought some of the lavender honey we had for breakfast. A few more hellos to neighbors and a few more market stops for lunch ingredients, then we left the very pleasant center and walked home. Janet's house has several patios. We prepared lunch and carried it to what I call the grotto patio, a vine covered former religious cave like area, perfect for staying out of the sun. Not that there was any today.  In fact, the inhabitants of Provence boast that they have sun 360 days a year.  Funny that we have hit four of the five days without sun. There was even a serious downpour this afternoon, through which we all took photos and videos because it was curiously strong.
Janet made some calls to friends and took us for visits. The first was to Cathy and Jean-Claude.  They bought a wreck of a heap and transformed it into a gorgeous bed and breakfast and well appointed home for,themselves worthy of being in Architectural Digest. They tired of the B and B and now just live there with empty apartments. She is an energetic and creative dynamo, and enjoyed showing us the before photos as much as we enjoyed seeing the glamorous results.

 The next stop was the atelier of Janet's best friend, a potter. She is married to an American from LA, and lives above her shop.  We bought two small white glazed cups. Rich had a good time talking to her about different types of clay. One of the neighborhood dogs kept wandering in with a ball in her mouth to play with whoever would succumb. We noticed many other dogs running around loose in the town, as were cats. Many people had dogs on leashes however, and brought them to restaurants where they were well behaved under tables.
Tonight's dinner was at a red checker tablecloth restaurant next to the one from the night before,
The warm pizza smell beckoned and we sat until late enjoying each others stories.

June 10 Nice in Nice

It was so comfortable and natural to be with Janet and Peter. I feel we could have stayed all summer. They have carved out a lovely life for themselves and we feel honored that they shared a slice with us.  Our normal early rising and get up and go energy kicked in and we reluctantly left Contignac by 8 am so we could get the car returned before the French siesta. On the way we saw  signs for Cannes and noted that it was just off the A8, so we decided to take a look see. The film hoohah was over, so we figured the coast was clear. It would have been except for the road construction which made a short exit an annoying traffic problem. Eventually we got through the center of town where the pavilion is for screenings and events, the marina full of spectacular yachts, and the beach area.  We didn't park, but agreed to come back next time by train from Nice to walk around. As we were very close to Cagnes-Sur-Mer where the Renior Museum is, we drove about 10 minutes to check it out.  Unfortunately, it is being renovated this year, and the paintings and artifacts have been moved to another location.
The road along the beach in Nice stretches for a few miles. It is situated parallel to the beaches, along with a wide sidewalk and a two way bike path which makes it perfect for vacation strollers  or bikers. Our hotel,La Perouse, is built into the cliffs, and is at the eastern end of Nice beach.This is our second stay here, and we again enjoy overlooking the very blue Mediterranean and the unique hotel pool with a cliff wall at one end. With our car dropped off " just past McDonalds" (what would we do without that landmark?) we set out walking to find a lunch cafe.  Nice has many vibrant squares and long narrow streets full of stores of interest to tourists  filled with products from the area. On the way back to the hotel we stumbled on a flea market! Of course I sniffed out some French textile samples and did a good job bargaining. This is in an area that is multi purpose.  It is a wide pedestrian corridor and some days it is a vegetable market and others the antiques market. But late afternoon everyday it is cleared out and transformed into multiple blocks of cafes. There might be 50 different proprietors, each with their own decor; tablecloths, chairs, candles or flowers . The menus seem to be similar, although some feature fish specialties and some Nicoise or Italian. A lively musical trio serenaded us with some fun oldies as we shared a ravioli and salad with goat cheese, then took a stroll the full length of the cafe row.
Tomorrow we leave. We decided that of all the travel we have done this year, Nice is at the top of the list as far as interest, culture, and manageability.


In thinking about high points, I forgot to mention a remarkable attraction, which we revisited this trip because it was so spectacular four years ago. It is the sound and light show in Baux, just south of St. Remy (Van Gogh territory.) Large openings have been carved into a limestone mountain to form enormous white rooms. The spaces, perhaps with as much room as a  football field ,have been set up with dozens of projectors which show images on all walls at the same time of  different angles or sections of related subjects. The subject matter is always about art, each season a different theme or artist. Previously the entire 45 minute multimedia experience was on Picasso. This year it is about several artists who painted the Mediterranean, including Monet, Signec and Dufy. If you stand in one place you will see at least 15 projections on all different sizes of walls each facing a different direction. It is dark, and there could be hundreds of others walking around these spaces, everyone in awe and enthralled. Music is paired with the projected show for a dynamic combined experience. Because it is a cave, it is cold inside, but this time I knew, so had a proper jacket. Sound and Light show in Baux

Pam, John and the South (West)

June 3

Although we were invited for an early dog walk along the nearby river, we had trouble getting up after such a late night. John walked to buy fresh bread, then the Naylor Band B offered a filling breakfast. Meanwhile they packed a picquet nique lunch for our outing. We hoped in the car and Pam, the driver, skillfully maneuvered around dozens of roundabouts all along the coast through seaside vacation spots, already starting to fill with tourists from all over the world. We headed for the very southwestern corner of France, just west of the bottom of the Pyrenees mountains, the area called Pyrenees Orientates. The mountain tops are snow covered and imposing, and starkly beautiful snugged up near the blue sea. The destination was Collioure, a historic harbor of gaily painted fishing boats, cobbled streets, a giant chateau fortification, and now numerous inviting open air lounges and cafes lined up one beside the other all along the harbor and beaches.  This is a place Matisse lived and in the perfect light experimented with his wild, bright colors (wild beasts) in the early 1900's. Although high season is July and August, the town was busy, as it is one of the more popular destinations.  A seaside coffee stop and a walk through the delightful winding streets ended our visit before heading to a nearby Banyuls. On the beach we had the packed picnic of cheeses, ham, fresh baguette, home-made lemonade and cherries. We watched a man who fished on the edge of the sand and added to a constant supply of caught fish in his bucket much to our amazement.  The sun got too hot, so we drove to find the workshop of Malliol, the French sculptor, supposedly in the next village. After a windy hunt, we found it and parked in a deserted parking lot and hiked the almost half mile entrance. The door was closed and we were 20 minutes too early, forgetting France closes down in the middle of the day for a few hours so people can lunch. We waited while taking silly pictures, then realized after the 4 pm opening time that it was Monday and it was not open at all. Oh well. Back to Banuyls for a drink stop and a view of Malliol copies on the promenade.
Dinner was planned in nearby Perpignan. They selected a restaurant with many typical French offerings and we each enjoyed something different.  Pam wore the charm bracelet I gave her for her 16th birthday.  She has updated it with numerous charms from her travels, including a "lovely" palm plant from her visit to Australia. Imagine her daughter's surprise when she saw the plant! Rich and John supported the local wine industry of Cotes de Roussillon with great enthusiasm.


June 4  Goodbye to Pam, Her Paintings and Picq nique

The time we spent with Pam and John was so precious.  I remember mom told me when she first met her around 1965 that if we knew each other we would be great friends.  How true!
Another breakfast with lots of laughing, and a final goodbye sent us on our way to Sabran and the hotel, Chateau Montchaud. It is just west of the town of Bagnols north of Nimes and the Pont du Gard aqueduct. We had seen the Roman wonder last trip so we did not stop this time. Just as we approached the hotel a huge field of red poppies greeted us, this one a few acres. The hotel is on an eleven acre estate, once the grand home of a silk baron, built in the 1860's. Abandoned for many years, it was purchased and brought into this century by a gentleman who greeted us upon arriving. The rooms are palatial and the common areas, fashioned from a barn, elegant. Tired from driving, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. It was warm enough to eat outside on the patio, and we entered a fanciful area between two ivy and rose covered walls populated by pink, orange and yellow Provence style tablecloths under yellow umbrellas and twinkling lights.




Wednesday, June 5  Two Perfect Towns: Uzes and Orange


Today was a tour day.  We took the advice of our travel agent and found the small town of Uzes, a half hour from the chateau.  Our luck, as Wednesday  is market day.
 
This is a market right out of a movie. A town square filled with tents and awnings hovered over fresh meats, vegetables and specialty products from the area. Of course cafes lined the outer perimeter, and on some of the street corners musicians entertained shoppers. There was even a gypsy or two thrown in for color.  On to Orange, our destination for viewing a large, still used Roman amphitheater from the 1st century. It has perfect acoustics and is only one of three left in the world of its kind. We took the audio tour which included educational 3D films. A museum of artifacts and a 1st century arch were also a part of the Orange experience. In the museum there was a section about making "Indian" cloth. Traders had brought back cloth from India, which was wildly popular. the French started to manufacture their own cloth to compete . The complete process was chronicled in interesting wall sized paintings. They used the same kinds of wood blocks I have collected.
We took an early dinner in the town of salad and pizza, keeping with the Roman theme for the day.

June 6  Frogs 

The Chateau Montchad has special guest entertainers that come every June to serenade the guests. Unfortunately the singing sounds like wild honking geese, which is what we thought they were through the first night. We googled "animal sounds heard in Provence in summer" and discovered they were frogs; males croaking so females would find them and visa versa. So, the beautiful formal pond on the lawn below the chateau became an amphitheater. It was hard to get mad, even though the sounds were extremely loud. The owner says it stops in a few weeks after they have found each other!
Back on the road again. Like travel in the US, if you need a reliable rest stop in France, McDonalds are strategically positioned near exits, and they have free wifi (pronounced "wee-fee" Ashamed to say, we found them convenient, and even partook.  All in the spirit of research, however. Did the FRENCH French fries measure up to the US fries? Conclusion: they are the same at McD's.
Today's destination was Aix-en-Provence.  We had been here 4 years ago briefly.  On that visit we had a market experience and cooking lesson with a chef.  He met us in town then we followed him to his family's chateau in the countryside to cook for the day, so we did not get a feel for the town. We were booked into another Relaix and Chateau (chain) hotel. They have all been outstanding, bit this one is even more so.  It was hard to find through twisty narrow streets in the heart of the old section of town , but our trusty Android navigation on the phone got us here. It is in an old building, Italian in design, with a breathtaking balcony for dining outside, a gem of a pool , rose gardens, and beautifully appointed rooms.  I could stay forever. A few blocks away is the atelier of Paul Cezanne, which we enjoyed being in.  we had seen a film about his life, and there we were in the room we had seen. Later we took a leisurely walk into the center of town and back.  Typical of busy French tourist areas, there were many cafes in the numerous plazas and little streets.  We were tired, so after a dip in the pool we had dinner on the balcony. This time we knew about the meals between the meals at fine restaurants and only ordered a main course, which meant we really had many courses anyway.  It was one of the most beautiful dinners I can remember.

June 7  Aix Outdoors

We got a late start because the breakfast on the balcony was so beckoning that we didn't want to move. As all museums and most shops shut down between noon and two pm, all we could do was set out for a walk again. Our stroll was leisurely, and we discovered a new plaza full of outdoor restaurants which we will aim for tonight.  Then we did succumb to another outdoor cafe and it ended up being the perfect spot to listen to an enterprising keyboard and saxophone player. By the time we finished lunch it was 2 pm which was the green light to head out. The chosen museum was the Vaserely Foundation. Beth, we know you would have enjoyed seeing the 25foot recreations of some of his works.
It was such a perfect day, and still being in recovery from the cold and rain of the first two weeks, the decision to spend a couple of hours at the pool wasn't slothful at all. Returning to the outdoor restaurant plaza to our delight we found a Turkish/Lebanese restaurant and enjoyed the usual middle eastern fare we love.  That area was even more crowded than at lunchtime, with pop-up restaurants filling the middle of the plaza. A warm night, hundreds or thousands of people having a good time, and at 10:30 the party was in full swing. Life is good.

Onto The South of France


Paris and Near Bordeaux

May 22  New York to Paris
   The Mike and Joan, Nina and Rich Glorious Adventure

We arrived in Paris early this morning, and took a harrowing cab ride to our hotel on the left Bank, the Victoria Palace Hotel.  It is charmingly Victorian in decor, with surprisingly large,bright rooms. The traffic was quite heavy, and in between the press of cars and trucks, motorcycles and bikers wove in and out of impossibly tight spaces on the narrow streets. Nearby at the Luxenbourg Gardens we saw a spectacular show of Chagall paintings and then in the neighborhood enjoyed a typical French Bistro lunch. Mike and Joan were as tired as we were so we all napped for a few hours before hitting the streets again.  We found our way to the metro and went two stops to St Germain des Pres, an area full of tourists and charming little places to eat and drink. After a meal at one of them, Mike and Joan took the metro home, but Rich and I walked for about an hour to see some street life. We saw the Seine, Notre Dame, and little streets with picturesque restaurants. Tired and happy we look forward to a day of museums tomorrow.

May 23   We Closed d'Orsay (sorry Wolski)

Our hotel seems to be in an out of the way neighborhood, but We discovered numerous shortcuts after studying the map and  confronting the crazy diagonal streets. The metro stop is Montparnesse. We realized that we are in walking distance of many of the main attractions, so today we set out on foot to conquer small and large museums alike. Rich found museums for two sculptors he is fond of: Maillol and Zadkine. Zadkine was born in Vitebsk, Russia, as was Chagall. They were friends.  He was trained as a cabinet maker, but learned to carve wood. I kept thinking about Grandpa Neubauer from the same area, the same age, and the same profession. But I'll bet Zadkine didn't make beautiful checkerboards.
After a bistro lunch of onion soup, of course  one of the obligatory foods, we set out, again on foot for the spectacular Museum  d'Orsay. It used to be a railroad station, and as a sculpture and painting exhibition space it is dazzling with its high skylight ceilings. Hard to believe, but we were there for 6 hours.  Every room had some famous, recognizable piece of art.  They were heavy with favorites from Monet, Van Gogh and Gaugain.  In Milwaukee one closes Wolskis.  We closed d'Orsay! A brisk walk back felt good, even though it has been cold and rainy. Actually, today we had sleet and hail. Is it spring anywhere?


May 24  Edelman Cousin

We started the day with a visit to an Edelman cousin,  Monique Sidalsky, we recently learned about. She is a sculptor and has a atelier where she teaches and works.  A short cab ride took the four of us to her street which is in the Rue Mofftard area, where Hemmingway and James Joyce once lived. She is in her 70's. As a 2 year old, she was given to farmers to be hidden with siblings away from Paris. Her parents hid in another place, and also survived, but after the war she did not know her parents . The grandparents refused to leave the city, and were eventually sent to perish in the camps. Her life was very interesting. She married and moved to Israel to start a kibbutz with 70 other French citizens.  In two years they left, lived in New Caledonia (near Australia ). Where her husband worked in the nickel business. Eventually she left with two daughters and later divorced.  Returning to Paris, she has been an art therapist and working artist. One daughter married a religious man and lives near Jerusalem, the other daughter lives in Paris and works for a company where she travels the world. Both have children. Monique led us to the bus stop to get us to our next destination, but it was near a small market, so,of course we walked around where I picked up a red striped French sailor shirt.  We decided to walk to the Pompadieu Museum, a few miles away, but as the rain stopped temporarily, we started out.  What is so wonderful about almost all of the streets in every neighborhood so far is the population of numerous small bookstores. Many seem to have a subject focus. The windows are so inviting, but what is saving us from being loaded down with books is the fact that they are usually in French. In fact, the streets are mostly devoid of chain stores, so the shops are much more interesting.
Our walk took us past Notre Dame Cathedral.  As there was a short line, we entered and took a look at the Rose window from the inside. Joan and Mike went later in the day and the line wound around the corner.  It started to pour, and was chilly, so we walked quickly and arrived at the museum in a few minutes.  It is quite distinctive with its tubes and glass structure contrasting with the typical Paris architecture surrounding it.  The collection is vast in modern and contemporary art. After 3 hours we set out for the Louvre, about a half hour walk through Les Halles neighborhood.

The Louvre is overwhelming in size and holdings. We entered quickly using our 4 day museum pass, and arrived in the bottom of the wondrous glass triangle .  We decided to attack the big three: winged victory, Venus de Milo, and Mona Lisa before pursuing other galleries.  The crowds! The most fun is standing back and observing everyone taking photos and videos of Mona Lisa. It is not that different from a mash of paparattzi around a movie star.  After fighting our way to the three with a side trip in the Greek galleries, it was close to closing time at 9, so we started our walk home, which took about 45 minutes.
As an aside yesterday, in the same plaza as the Musee d'Orsay is the building of The Legion of Honor of the Order of Chevalier! We went in to see if there was a plaque or book where we could see Dad's name.  They didn't  have such things in the museum there, but said they could do research to produce the documentation.  Since we have it already, we declined.

May 24  Arc de Triumph 68 Years Later

Walking near our hotel, we spied tents being set up the other day, which we learned was an antique book market for the weekend.  So, this morning we made it our first order of business. It was lovely. Remember the scenes in the movie Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant in the Paris stamp market? It had the same feel.  Charming stalls with all sorts of curiosities, leather bound, historical, children's antique books, old prints and fascinating old magazines.  Bruce would have enjoyed this. Rich hit the jackpot in finding quite a few exhibition catalogs of some French sculptors and other artists he likes. In the middle of our prowling it began to pour, so the browsers stood under the tents huddling to keep dry while being forced to take more pointed looks at the materials for sale.  We pulled out our trusty umbrellas and sauntered through the aisles like it was state fair before the cows got up, mostly all to ourselves .
Two metro lines took us to the Eiffel tower. Rich is not fond of heights so we didn't attempt a climb or the elevators, but enjoyed the structure from below. There is a major remodel in process, to add a new glassed in viewing area with handicapped access about a quarter of the way up. While the grounds were somewhat messy, we enjoyed people watching the thousands from all over the world. We crossed The Seine and walked toward the large buildings on a hill directly facing the tower, where there were many people milling around protest groups, Hyde Park style. One group was against Monsanto for genetically engineering crops, another against the rigged elections in Iran. We heard what we thought might be an American choral group singing pop songs to find it was young French teens belting them out in English.
A long walk took us to the Arc de Trimphe. Other than the fact it is a necessary visit by any tourist in Paris to make a pilgrimage to the tower and the arc, I had a very special reason. A few weeks ago while looking through an envelope of Dad's photos, I found one I had never seen before. It is a photo of a group of American soldiers posed in front of an arch. My mission was to confirm if it was the famous Paris landmark and if so to stand where Dad had stood. Rich was helpful in helping to figure out the angles based on the sculptural reliefs, and eventually did find the right side and the exact location! Unfortunately, today there was some kind of military drill, and the inner circle was blocked off, so we had to stand outside the chains around the outermost circle.  I had a copy of the photo with me and while holding it up to compare, a man next to us asked what we were doing. He lives in San Diego and works for the Kohler Company. We told him the story  and he helped pinpoint the background and took our photo. A few tears later we left for a walk down the Champs d Elysées and a metro to the hotel.
We haven't spent much time with Mike and Joan as they have been catching up with old friends and colleagues and we chose to see the sites instead, but we all had dinner tonight at a small neighborhood restaurant . One of the side dishes we all shared was an unforgettable curry fettuccine that I would love to try to make.
We need to rest up because tomorrow is the famous "puse" flea market .


May 26  Flea Market!

Today was reserved for the flea market. The site on the Internet claimed that this flea was thought to be the largest in the world with 3,000 vendors. Beth, Obviously they did not get wind of
Brimfield! A metro ride to Clingancourt, then a short walk brought us to the main street, Rue de Rosiers. Not at all what I expected. The flea is a maze of streets with permanent structures, like malls with stalls. Each of the sections has a general focus, such as modern furniture, antique books, French paintings etc. We arranged to meet Joan and Mike's friends, Danielle and Francois Aaron who would show us around. They took us through the furniture alleys first. They have homes in Tangiers, Paris and Switzerland and have bought many things there. Soon we were all separated, Joan hunting for additions to her French pot collection, the Aaron's looking at a chandelier and we took off to check out some artist furniture creations we had spied on the way in. There is a new restaurant designed by Phillip Stark, which has become a busy Sunday brunch
Destination, and being the French Mother's Day as well, we all met at noon to try and avoid the rush, which we did.Danielle ordered first courses for us to sample of fois gras, sausages and pate paired with fresh whole wheat baguelles. Five of us enjoyed pasta with creamy morell sauce. It was exquisite. Lunch entertainment was provided by Danielle, a retired fashion photographer who had tales of recent shoots and travels.  After lunch, Rich and I wandered around a few more alleys but it was so overwhelming that we got tired and headed back to the hotel.  Upon exiting the metro we heard loud commotion. To our surprise, the streets were taken over by a demonstration against gay marriage and against gay adoption. a sea of people stretched  as far up and down the street as far as we could see. CNN estimated 150,000 and the demonstrators reported a million. We were surprised at how many young people took part, many wearing pink or blue t shirts carrying pink and blue flags.
For dinner we were invited to the home of Chantel and Phillip Julien. Chantel is an old pal of Joan's. in the summer of 1963 she was the nanny for Bob and Joan Miller, and Joan Edelman, being the same age befriended her. Philip is from a Paris family, but was raised in Morroco. Chantel was a TWA stewardess for several years. Both had interesting stories.  Chantel's sister, Mire, joined us for dinner and added a sparkle. The evening was lovely, especially because they made sure we sampled foods from the small town they have a family home in towards the south, about a 6 hour drive from Paris.  They know the farmers who made the cheeses and sausages and were very proud to share them with us. Chantel showed us very gracious hospitality by driving us home, which was an hour round trip. Although it was still light at 10 pm, it was at least an hour drive for her.


May 27 To the Country
We were sad to leave Paris because there is so much more on our list to do, but maybe that is a good sign that we will want to come back. Our train left from the Montparnasse station which was a few blocks from the hotel, but we did not want to roll our suitcases through a very busy center, so we took a van. The poor driver. Thanks to our travel agent, we had comfy first class compartment for the four of us for the three hour trip  near Bordeaux, At Libourne we rented a car, a new large Mercedes which we all comfortably can cruise around in. Of course we got lost several times, but as we say with all of us giving Rich advice on where to drive, all together we have at least half a brain. The GPS does not work here for some reason. maybe its too remote? The hotel,www.francebastide.com is a reconstructed 16th century farmhouse, complete with original beams, stone walls, creaky floors and splendid patio views of the surrounding vineyards. It is owned and run by a friend of Mike and Joan, Kiek, originally from the Netherlands, who was married to a lawyer friend in NY. She bought the property in 2000, and spent over 2 years renovating. The bedrooms are roomy and comfortable, and the bathrooms up to date.  The common living room and dining area are inviting and charming.  Kiek took us on a tour  of the  property which includes some cottages and an artists studio. We took an hour walk near the B and B  through vineyards and old stone structures in the neighborhood. For the first night Kiek cooked a delicious dinner for us of sage pasta and Vietnamese salmon and joined us for dinner as we were the only guests at the time.The wine was from her brother's winery nearby, and according to Mike and Rich excellent.

Tuesday, May 28  Pate, Linens and Chocolate

Mike has appointed himself researcher and travel guide. Consulting with Kiek, he selected a place in the region to tour. Sarlat is a small town that possesses the highest concentration of medieval, Renaissance, and 17th century facades of any town in France. Together The buildings form an open air museum. Following the Michelan guide, we walked around the darling town through narrow alleys and arched walkways interspersed with outdoor restaurants and gourmet shops mostly selling the specialty of the area, goose pâté. We found a comfortable restaurant and had the fixed lunch, with of course wine from the region.  A stroke of luck that Joan spied an antique linens shop. On display were antique treasures in lace, linen, embroidery and silk. I drooled over then bought a hand embroidered silk piece that was probably once on a pillow. Yes. It was from around 1850 out of the estate of a Viscount  from which the family was selling off pieces. We bought our dinner at some local shops which consisted of foie gras , onion conserve, cheese, bread, strawberries, wine, and chocolate which we brought home and had in the dining room. On the way home we saw 2  separate rainbows. One of them was a double one, having  additional stripes of yellow and violet under the regular rainbow. Singing songs helped us get home faster, no doubt, even though we again got lost. So,Mom, we must have been over the rainbow!

After dinner we all watched Woody Allen's Annie Hall and laughed heartily.

May 29  Mike the Tour Guide
Today is cold and rainy like most of the days so far in France.  Another route planned by Mike with Rich driving brought us to three small towns to check out.  The first, Issigeac Is unique because of the house constructions scattered in the old town.  Wood was employed in vertical, horizontal and diagonal directions with daub and wattle between bricks to form walls. It makes the buildings look more British.  We walked around looking at the homes, but the town seemed abandoned and we couldn't figure out if it was the weather or the day for things to be closed. The next town was Monpazier.  It is often used in movies, mostly French for a backdrop.  There is a large square, and brick buildings with arches surrounding it. We found a recommended restaurant for lunch, La Bastide. We could just imagine how lively and colorful it would be if it wasn't cold and the sun would be out, which was not the case today. Nearby, Joan and I enjoyed shopping at a store that had tops, scarves and tablecloths in colorful Indian and French fabrics. Again, the Speros shopped for dinner provisions for a repeat of what we did last night. The last town, Castillonnes also seemed to be empty, but we walked to the main square for a look around. And again we got lost  coming home.  The hotel is on the Vin Route. Most of the roads weave in and out of the vineyards and scattered stone homes, and hardly show up on maps.  But we made it, and had another great meal.  Kiek joined us and offered good conversation before we watched part of another Woody Allen movie and turned in.

May 30 Vin and Foie Gras

Our cultural guide Mike directed us to St Emilion, the seat of a distinct wine area close to the border of Bordeaux.  On the way we asked our driver Rich to "break for"brocantes" (brick a brac, or antique shops). Auntie Zi would be proud. We did go into a few and looked at the curiosities. The speros favor a certain rustic French pottery and found some to add to their collection, along with the small white decorated plates which they hang in the bedrooms of their lake house. I gravitate to the linens. It is curious that even the dish towels, most of which are red and white, have cross-stitched initials on them. I would love to pick some up, but would never find my initials nor those of anyone I know, not that it would matter.
St Emilion is a medieval town with a lower district and a steep upper town which  is rampant with wine shops for tasting and shipping. The hike to the top on cobblestone might have been daunting if it had been any wetter, but we managed with the misty drizzle and prayed for sun later which was not to be. The town is very organized and makes it pleasant and easy to put tourists together with wine. Perusing the tours offered in the tourism office landed us with tickets to the one hour vineyard excursion, not for tasting,  but for history and facts about the area. A long lunch at a restaurant with St Emilion wine of course fortified us for the bus tour in the pouring rain. Even through the grey we marveled at the numerous chateaus and their beautiful vineyards as far as one could see. One chateau was more grand than the next. We learned about the four different soils necessary for the various grapes, about the times for trimming, thinning out and the harvesting. I had always wondered why roses were planted along near grapes and found the answer. If there is a fungus, the roses will indicate it first, which alerts the farmer to spray the vines. Other tours were for tasting and viewing catacombs etc but we decided to head down to the lower town and on the way find the linen shop Kiek recommended. Joan and I hit pay dirt! The tablecloths and other linens are hand stamped and painted in Provence and simply beautiful. We each contributed to the French economy happily.
On the way home we stopped at a marche ( supermarket) and picked up a chicken and French bread for our last "piqué nique" (actual sign on the road) at Kiek's. still light at 9pm, we couldn't go to bed, so chuckled our way through the last half of  Woody Allen's "Manhattan.".

May 31

It was hard to say goodbye to Kiek and her lovely hotel. And we were sad to lose our traveling buddies. We dropped Joan and Mike off at the Libourne train station to return to Paris and then NY. The drive to Albi was about 4 hours, including of course the time we took to get lost. Joan and Mike, I got us into trouble all by myself.
What amazes us is that each town is quite different, unlike Italian towns which all have some similarity with a square, church, frescos to see and roman antiquities. The churches here are much more austere, and the art is mostly in the stained glass, not paintings , mosaics and statuary everywhere. Karen, our travel agent booked us into the reserve, a quiet hotel overlooking a river. tonight we ate booked into the restaurant for a quiet dinner and will explore Albi tomorrow.