Daily Journal of Trip to France: French Impressions
October 4-23
Opening Poem
To France
The first leg of the journey,
A Delta flight, Charleston
To New York.
The white scattered clouds
Below reflect off
The sunny blue skies.
One more trip
Across the Pond,
This time to France
For history, wine, and fine food,
Seasoned chateaus,
And country scenes,
Some ancient
And enchanted cities.
A long flight ahead
Through the night.
What new visions await?
What new friends to meet?
What new memories to make?
Anticipation grows, curiosity beckons
Surprise and hope
For photographic delights
To enhance these words.
October 4-23
Opening Poem
To France
The first leg of the journey,
A Delta flight, Charleston
To New York.
The white scattered clouds
Below reflect off
The sunny blue skies.
One more trip
Across the Pond,
This time to France
For history, wine, and fine food,
Seasoned chateaus,
And country scenes,
Some ancient
And enchanted cities.
A long flight ahead
Through the night.
What new visions await?
What new friends to meet?
What new memories to make?
Anticipation grows, curiosity beckons
Surprise and hope
For photographic delights
To enhance these words.
October 4 and 5, Wednesday and Thursday: Paris, Nantes, Angers
This is my fifth trip with OAT Travel. I have been to Portugal and Spain, Northern Ireland, the National Parks of SW United States, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast, and now the central and southern areas of France. Today on the plane flight on the first leg from Charleston to JFK for the Connection to France, I. wrote a little poem as an introduction to this travelogue. At this moment, I am sitting in a quiet corner of JFK beginning this Daily Journal. It is 9 PM. My flight for Paris leaves at 12:30 and I have just finished a bland pizza and Sam Adam’s draft at one of the airport foodie places. Navigating JFK from Terminal 4 to Terminal 1 took some questioning and a very slow shuttle bus ride, but I made it. There are at least three flights before mine at 12:30, but apparently no one was sure that I could make the connection with the vastness of this airport and very few navigational aides. However, here I am with a full stomach and three hours to kill before the long sleepless flight to Paris. I do not arrive in Nantes until 7PM tomorrow night, French time. I guess that will be about 1 PM my time. I left my house at 1:30 on Wednesday and 24 hours later, I arrive in Angers, France. I suspect without much sleeping on the plane or while waiting at the various airports.
The Air France took off from Kennedy on time and we are now an hour and a half into the 6.5 hour flight.I opted for the more expensive economy seats and I think it was a wise move. I am in a place where I will leave the plane quickly and I have plenty of room compared to regular economy. It is not first class, but it is a step up from my usual cheap approach to flying. We had chicken and rice for a 1AM dinner with a small bottle of white wine. I try to close my eyes to get some sleep, but as usual my attempts have failed. We were right on time in Paris with another three hours to kill before my next flight to Nantes.
Charles de Gaulle is a huge airport, but very well set up to lead one on the long walks to your next flight. I had to go through security in another terminal and then a quick border check of my passport. I am sitting in Terminal 2 near Gate F27 where my flight departs. Birds are flying around the glass enclosed terminal as large groups of people wait patently or not for their flights. My Apple Watch battery is depleted and my plug that I bought for France is not working in the airport sockets. I will just wait until I get to my hotel. I still have battery life in my phone and this iPad, so I am still functioning. The Internet is free in all of these airports, so I do have a way to pass the time. I still have about an hour before my flight, assuming it is on time. Going and returning from these trips gets very tedious and the crazy travel hours do not help with my sleep.
Arrival in Angers, France
The plane ride from Paris to Nantes was quick, although there were many people on the trip. It was a 50 minute flight and I thought it strange that so many people were on the plane. As we flew high over France, I was amazed at the landscape. It was quite flat from the air with with a scheme that reminded me of Midwest America. However, an interesting difference were the multitude of hedges that ringed the various property designations below. The Loire River also graced the countryside flowing into the Atlantic in the distance. I tried to capture the essense of the landscape with the photos below.
We landed on time and I retrieved my luggage quickly and met the OAT driver in the lobby of the airport. We had another OAT traveler, Ruth Ann, who he was also meeting and driving to Angers. We thought for the whole car trip that we were in the same group, but found out later that we are in two different OAT trips a day a part in travels.
My hotel is the Hotel de France and like the hotel in Palermo, it is an older structure of the boutique hotel style. My room is small, but comfortable. I have a great view of Angers from the window. After cleaning up a little, I joined our guide Gwen in the little bar housed within the hotel for a beer and some opening chat about the trip. The woman who runs the bakery next door gave us a left over bread loaf from the days baking. We spent about an hour drinking, chomping on the bread, and talking before I retired for some much needed rest in preparation for surprises to come.
October 6, Friday: Angers
The hotels we stay at our OAT trips are special treats. They are often old, refurbished buildings that may still be a hotel from the past, or a building that has found a new purpose. The Hotel de France was built in 1906 and is still in great shape today. The rooms are small, but cozy. The temperature control systems are a blend of old and new. My room has an old fashioned radiator with steam pipes openly displayed in the main area of the room and the bathroom. It is nicely decorated and just has a very comfortable feeling. These selected hotels by OAT also have terrific breakfasts to start the day. This morning, I had scrambled eggs and French style bacon with several cups of coffee and delicious pastries.
Gwen took three of us on a short walk around the hotel vicinity to show us banks for Euros, a variety of bakeries and restaurants, and several local buildings of interest. It was a pleasant walk. I feel lucky that I have captured some of Gwen’s time before the others are here to give me a flavor for this trip. Angers, France is an impressive small city with universities, and a marvelous transportation system of of roads for cars and busses, and trains for travel inside and outside the city.
This afternoon, I took a trip on the metro a couple of stops up the line to a garden park and mall. The stroll in the park resulted in a number of flower shots of various brilliant colors. There were statutes for lions and famous mythical figures throughout the park. People of all ages were enjoying lunch in the park or the the joy of talking to friends, and some were just reading a book or sitting quietly alone. After returning on the Metro, I stopped next door for a couple of beers and worked on editing the flower photos. It was a restful way to spend a mid afternoon, which was topped off by some quiet listening of music on my iPad.
Tonight we have our group meeting to officially begin the trip and to spend some time with Gwen and at our first optional dinner as a group. The formal welcoming dinner is tomorrow night, but I believe all 16 members of the group will join for dinner tonight. There will be more to write about this first day this evening before I turn in, but I have enjoyed this city and this day.
We had our group meeting tonight and Gwen took over 90 minutes to explain everything to us. We listened, took it all in and I was able to complete all the forms required at this time. She makes a concerted effort to anticipate our needs and assure that she is ready for surprises that are inevitable on trips like these.
After the meeting, we rambled over to the Brassiere Gare Restaurant for dinner. There was lots of good conversations and the meal was quite good. I had a pork meet pie type dish that was tender and tasty. I washed it down with a couple of glasses of Pinot Noir. It was a good beginning to this trip as was the whole day described above.
The hotels we stay at our OAT trips are special treats. They are often old, refurbished buildings that may still be a hotel from the past, or a building that has found a new purpose. The Hotel de France was built in 1906 and is still in great shape today. The rooms are small, but cozy. The temperature control systems are a blend of old and new. My room has an old fashioned radiator with steam pipes openly displayed in the main area of the room and the bathroom. It is nicely decorated and just has a very comfortable feeling. These selected hotels by OAT also have terrific breakfasts to start the day. This morning, I had scrambled eggs and French style bacon with several cups of coffee and delicious pastries.
Gwen took three of us on a short walk around the hotel vicinity to show us banks for Euros, a variety of bakeries and restaurants, and several local buildings of interest. It was a pleasant walk. I feel lucky that I have captured some of Gwen’s time before the others are here to give me a flavor for this trip. Angers, France is an impressive small city with universities, and a marvelous transportation system of of roads for cars and busses, and trains for travel inside and outside the city.
This afternoon, I took a trip on the metro a couple of stops up the line to a garden park and mall. The stroll in the park resulted in a number of flower shots of various brilliant colors. There were statutes for lions and famous mythical figures throughout the park. People of all ages were enjoying lunch in the park or the the joy of talking to friends, and some were just reading a book or sitting quietly alone. After returning on the Metro, I stopped next door for a couple of beers and worked on editing the flower photos. It was a restful way to spend a mid afternoon, which was topped off by some quiet listening of music on my iPad.
Tonight we have our group meeting to officially begin the trip and to spend some time with Gwen and at our first optional dinner as a group. The formal welcoming dinner is tomorrow night, but I believe all 16 members of the group will join for dinner tonight. There will be more to write about this first day this evening before I turn in, but I have enjoyed this city and this day.
We had our group meeting tonight and Gwen took over 90 minutes to explain everything to us. We listened, took it all in and I was able to complete all the forms required at this time. She makes a concerted effort to anticipate our needs and assure that she is ready for surprises that are inevitable on trips like these.
After the meeting, we rambled over to the Brassiere Gare Restaurant for dinner. There was lots of good conversations and the meal was quite good. I had a pork meet pie type dish that was tender and tasty. I washed it down with a couple of glasses of Pinot Noir. It was a good beginning to this trip as was the whole day described above.
October 7, Saturday: Angers
This was a a typical day in a city that is prominent on an OAT trip, which included 13000 steps of wandering. Shortly after breakfast, we took a short hike over to a traditional Saturday morning farmers’ market with very fresh fish, meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and packaged goods available for purchase to the local residents. It reminded me both of similar markets you see in many communities in the US once or twice a week, but it also reminded me as I walked pass the vendors selling fish and various cuts of meat and poultry of the markets we visited last March in Sicily. We only spent a short time at the market before we met up with our Tour guide for Angers, Liz, a French woman with fiery red hair who spoke excellent English and had many stories to share about the history of the city while also pointing out various shops and vendors with an emphasis on baked goods and chocolates. We stopped at a Chocolate shop to taste the uniques blue colored chocolates (the blue colored chocolate cover the crispy brittle candy inside) made with all natural ingredients and that paid tribute to the slate quarries that provided so much of the roofing materials in town. Liz then took us on a 90 minute circular walk that included discussions about the ancient architecture, statutory replicas for famous kings and queens for France, and a variety of historical buildings like the post office built in 1939. We stopped at the Cathedral where I intend to go to Mass on Sunday evening, thanks to the help of our trip guide, Gwen. It is under reconstruction from years of war damage and just pure old age.
That brings me to a critical comment that has nothing to do with the quality of Liz’s presentation. After my numerous trips over the past ten years, I have listened to many architectural descriptions of local historical buildings and, frankly, I am bored with it. I expressed this to Gwen and she said she would work with me throughout the trip to indicate where I might miss a walking tour or two to address the boredom, but also to find some places to take it easy and be cognizant of my pacing on this trip. I am hoping that will alleviate some of the medical type issues that I experienced at the end of the trip to Sicily and the Amalfi coast, eight months ago. Time will tell. I may come back to this point later in the journal.
I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon just resting my legs for the rest of the day, working on my photos, and handling my email. At 4:15, we left for our walk to the dock on the Main River where we would have our boat ride prior to dinner. We joined another OAT group for the ride on the old wooden river boat as we explored upstream with Angers and its inhabitants enjoying the peaceful areas of rest on the shore while we heard some of the history of the river and the various bridges old and new that span its width. There were two captains, one who steered the vessel and the other who explained to us in his own language the lore of the river, while Gwen and the other OAT guide translated his words. He was a cheery old soul that seemed to relish is role as presenter. The river joins with another river upstream as we navigated into the more rural areas surrounding Angers, including an Island Nature preserve that is owned by private landowners who graze cattle and other animals during the portion of the year when the island is not under water from higher water levels that usually occur in the winter months. There is one restaurant-bar type place on the island where many locals gather on the weekend taking a primitive ferry set-up across the river. We turned at that point and started back to the docks. During our boat trip, we were entertained by a guitar playing singer who performed familiar American music from the front of the boat. I connected with Ruth Ann who I met on my taxi ride into Angers from Nantes on Thursday and we had a very nice chat about past trips. It was a very pleasant way to spend about 90 minutes on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Angers. It did not hurt that we were served several glasses of Brut to loosen us up and quench our river induced thirsts. Unfortunately, my iPhone camera ran out of battery life in the middle of the trip and I only captured a few photos. I wanted to take pictures of the rural river banks and our singer, but alas was denied the opportunity. However, there are a few photos below that will give you a flavor for the boat, the crew, and traveling colleagues.
Following the boat ride, we walked for ten minutes to our restaurant where we had a delicious three course meal. The original menu, produced by the chef that included an appetizer with mixed reviews. However, the main course of chicken, quail, and potatoes, enhanced with a tasty sauce was wonderful, as was the ice cream based dessert, created by our chef from a famous recipe developed by a famous French chef in Paris. I sat with John and Liz from Verona, Wisconsin. We talked of Madison without boring other members of our group. It was a wonderful way to end a long day in Angers, France. I walked back to the hotel with Gwen. I find her easy to talk to and very accommodating of my requests. She is extremely well organized and in the early parts of the trip is doing a superb job leading us through France.
I did not write in this journal when I returned to the room, but crawled into my comfortable bed for another night’s rest.
This was a a typical day in a city that is prominent on an OAT trip, which included 13000 steps of wandering. Shortly after breakfast, we took a short hike over to a traditional Saturday morning farmers’ market with very fresh fish, meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and packaged goods available for purchase to the local residents. It reminded me both of similar markets you see in many communities in the US once or twice a week, but it also reminded me as I walked pass the vendors selling fish and various cuts of meat and poultry of the markets we visited last March in Sicily. We only spent a short time at the market before we met up with our Tour guide for Angers, Liz, a French woman with fiery red hair who spoke excellent English and had many stories to share about the history of the city while also pointing out various shops and vendors with an emphasis on baked goods and chocolates. We stopped at a Chocolate shop to taste the uniques blue colored chocolates (the blue colored chocolate cover the crispy brittle candy inside) made with all natural ingredients and that paid tribute to the slate quarries that provided so much of the roofing materials in town. Liz then took us on a 90 minute circular walk that included discussions about the ancient architecture, statutory replicas for famous kings and queens for France, and a variety of historical buildings like the post office built in 1939. We stopped at the Cathedral where I intend to go to Mass on Sunday evening, thanks to the help of our trip guide, Gwen. It is under reconstruction from years of war damage and just pure old age.
That brings me to a critical comment that has nothing to do with the quality of Liz’s presentation. After my numerous trips over the past ten years, I have listened to many architectural descriptions of local historical buildings and, frankly, I am bored with it. I expressed this to Gwen and she said she would work with me throughout the trip to indicate where I might miss a walking tour or two to address the boredom, but also to find some places to take it easy and be cognizant of my pacing on this trip. I am hoping that will alleviate some of the medical type issues that I experienced at the end of the trip to Sicily and the Amalfi coast, eight months ago. Time will tell. I may come back to this point later in the journal.
I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon just resting my legs for the rest of the day, working on my photos, and handling my email. At 4:15, we left for our walk to the dock on the Main River where we would have our boat ride prior to dinner. We joined another OAT group for the ride on the old wooden river boat as we explored upstream with Angers and its inhabitants enjoying the peaceful areas of rest on the shore while we heard some of the history of the river and the various bridges old and new that span its width. There were two captains, one who steered the vessel and the other who explained to us in his own language the lore of the river, while Gwen and the other OAT guide translated his words. He was a cheery old soul that seemed to relish is role as presenter. The river joins with another river upstream as we navigated into the more rural areas surrounding Angers, including an Island Nature preserve that is owned by private landowners who graze cattle and other animals during the portion of the year when the island is not under water from higher water levels that usually occur in the winter months. There is one restaurant-bar type place on the island where many locals gather on the weekend taking a primitive ferry set-up across the river. We turned at that point and started back to the docks. During our boat trip, we were entertained by a guitar playing singer who performed familiar American music from the front of the boat. I connected with Ruth Ann who I met on my taxi ride into Angers from Nantes on Thursday and we had a very nice chat about past trips. It was a very pleasant way to spend about 90 minutes on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Angers. It did not hurt that we were served several glasses of Brut to loosen us up and quench our river induced thirsts. Unfortunately, my iPhone camera ran out of battery life in the middle of the trip and I only captured a few photos. I wanted to take pictures of the rural river banks and our singer, but alas was denied the opportunity. However, there are a few photos below that will give you a flavor for the boat, the crew, and traveling colleagues.
Following the boat ride, we walked for ten minutes to our restaurant where we had a delicious three course meal. The original menu, produced by the chef that included an appetizer with mixed reviews. However, the main course of chicken, quail, and potatoes, enhanced with a tasty sauce was wonderful, as was the ice cream based dessert, created by our chef from a famous recipe developed by a famous French chef in Paris. I sat with John and Liz from Verona, Wisconsin. We talked of Madison without boring other members of our group. It was a wonderful way to end a long day in Angers, France. I walked back to the hotel with Gwen. I find her easy to talk to and very accommodating of my requests. She is extremely well organized and in the early parts of the trip is doing a superb job leading us through France.
I did not write in this journal when I returned to the room, but crawled into my comfortable bed for another night’s rest.
October 8, Sunday: Angers
We all piled on a bus about 8:30 this morning and rode through the French countryside along the Loire River to our destination at the Chateau de Vellandry, a beautiful Renaissance styled castle that is still owned today by am active homeowner. Our guide was Claire and she, speaking in a French accent very unlike Gwen’s explained much of the history and lifestyle of living in the castle. It had a warm ambiance and was fully finished with furniture, dish ware, and paintings that gave it a much warmer feeling than many castles. The highlight for me on the tour was the opportunity to tour the beautiful gardens of vegetables and flowers that gives great character to the place. I am going to let the photos speak for themselves rather than overwhelming you with words. After our tour, we had a delightful lunch in the onsite restaurant. I was able to talk at some length with Hassoon, Chang, Barry, and Lark. It was a pleasant conversation over a tasty meal with new friends. So the first part of the day was a success.
I was so taken with the Love Garden, that I wrote this little ditty after hearing the legend around the four quadrants.
We all piled on a bus about 8:30 this morning and rode through the French countryside along the Loire River to our destination at the Chateau de Vellandry, a beautiful Renaissance styled castle that is still owned today by am active homeowner. Our guide was Claire and she, speaking in a French accent very unlike Gwen’s explained much of the history and lifestyle of living in the castle. It had a warm ambiance and was fully finished with furniture, dish ware, and paintings that gave it a much warmer feeling than many castles. The highlight for me on the tour was the opportunity to tour the beautiful gardens of vegetables and flowers that gives great character to the place. I am going to let the photos speak for themselves rather than overwhelming you with words. After our tour, we had a delightful lunch in the onsite restaurant. I was able to talk at some length with Hassoon, Chang, Barry, and Lark. It was a pleasant conversation over a tasty meal with new friends. So the first part of the day was a success.
I was so taken with the Love Garden, that I wrote this little ditty after hearing the legend around the four quadrants.
Photo taken at the Gardens of Chateau Villandry in France
Quadrant One: The Heart on Fire
Lady gets her Man
They join their hearts into one
For all time, they hope.
Quadrant Two: The Passion Fire
Passion flows freely
Children often bless their love
The love fire burns.
Quadrant Three: The Doused Fire
Lady takes a lover
Old fire of love burns out
New passions arise.
Quadrant Four: Love Embers Die
Husband kills lover
His passion calls for revenge
Love withers and dies.
Quadrant One: The Heart on Fire
Lady gets her Man
They join their hearts into one
For all time, they hope.
Quadrant Two: The Passion Fire
Passion flows freely
Children often bless their love
The love fire burns.
Quadrant Three: The Doused Fire
Lady takes a lover
Old fire of love burns out
New passions arise.
Quadrant Four: Love Embers Die
Husband kills lover
His passion calls for revenge
Love withers and dies.
After leaving Villandry, we were scheduled to go a game demonstration by four men who have been playing this game for some time. I chose not to go and instead rested for about an hour. Then I went next door to a combination pool hall and pub. I had a beer and watched some soccer. I was planning to attend Mass at the Cathedral about a 15 minute walk from our hotel, but I had two hours to kill before the 6:30 start time.
I walked slowly to the Cathedral, stopping for several minutes at the castle fortress wall that sits high about the Maine River. There was a accomplished jazz performing street musician who was playing the saxophone while people took in the scenery. I had experienced this view yesterday, but it was nice to get another perspective on a Sunday. After 30 minutes or so, I followed the blue walking tour line to the Cathedral. A small choir was rehearsing and I enjoyed listening to their music while sitting quietly in the church. It is an old church that suffered a great deal of damage in the bombing raids of the Second World War. They are just now repairing some of the damage. As I often do on my travels, I lit a candle for my late wife Terry and meditated on that for a few minutes with religious music echoing through the church. Mass was a bit long and everything was in French, so I did not understand much. However, the pace and actions in a Catholic Mass are fairly universal no matter you attend in the world, so I still had some connection to the service. The priest was expressive in his body language, so I am sure he gave an engaging homily. I was surprised how my many people of all ages were in attendance. The church was almost full, which in my experience is unusual these days in Europe. There was also lots of incense, which I do not care for, but the experience was well worth it. I am appreciative of Gwen for doing the research for me.
After Mass, I stopped at a Pizza and Italian Restaurant across from my hotel. There was a slight language barrier, but the owner spoke decent English and I was able to order Bruschetta and a beer with success. After wrapping up this daily writing exercise, I am going to turn in. I have to pack tomorrow morning as we are leaving for our next destination. I have enjoyed the time here in Angers, France. It is friendly and warm city with a wonderful life style to offer its residents and its visitors.
I walked slowly to the Cathedral, stopping for several minutes at the castle fortress wall that sits high about the Maine River. There was a accomplished jazz performing street musician who was playing the saxophone while people took in the scenery. I had experienced this view yesterday, but it was nice to get another perspective on a Sunday. After 30 minutes or so, I followed the blue walking tour line to the Cathedral. A small choir was rehearsing and I enjoyed listening to their music while sitting quietly in the church. It is an old church that suffered a great deal of damage in the bombing raids of the Second World War. They are just now repairing some of the damage. As I often do on my travels, I lit a candle for my late wife Terry and meditated on that for a few minutes with religious music echoing through the church. Mass was a bit long and everything was in French, so I did not understand much. However, the pace and actions in a Catholic Mass are fairly universal no matter you attend in the world, so I still had some connection to the service. The priest was expressive in his body language, so I am sure he gave an engaging homily. I was surprised how my many people of all ages were in attendance. The church was almost full, which in my experience is unusual these days in Europe. There was also lots of incense, which I do not care for, but the experience was well worth it. I am appreciative of Gwen for doing the research for me.
After Mass, I stopped at a Pizza and Italian Restaurant across from my hotel. There was a slight language barrier, but the owner spoke decent English and I was able to order Bruschetta and a beer with success. After wrapping up this daily writing exercise, I am going to turn in. I have to pack tomorrow morning as we are leaving for our next destination. I have enjoyed the time here in Angers, France. It is friendly and warm city with a wonderful life style to offer its residents and its visitors.
October 9, Monday: To Limousine and the Chateau Home Visit
This was a day of bus travel as we left the lovely city of Angers for points a bit south and east. We stopped around 10 AM in a little French village called Mirabeau where we had a pit stop, a chance to buy something to drink and/or a pastry. I did the pit stop, but not the rest. I spent our 30 minutes in this hamlet walking around capturing photos of horses grazing the nearby field, a photo of the village elementary school where a group of students were on a walk about town, and a small venture down a side street to capture moment of a couple out for a walk. We were on our way in 30 minutes, but with a brief encounter with a small French Village in an area called “Forgotten France,” because the powers that be seem to forget that these incredible agricultural areas exist in the rural areas of France.
We stopped for lunch at a town that was the sight of a Nazi massacre at the end of the Second World War. The lunch had a nice menu choice I had the salad with mozzarella and a nice cold lager beer. The dessert was a baked Alaska to die for with a liquor (Cointreau) sauce that gave the dessert an orange spark.
After lunch we experienced a sobering visit to the Museum and Village ruins destroyed in the massacre. I spent the first 20 minutes in the museum listening to some recordings of the history of this tragic event. Close to 650 men, women, and children were massacred by the Nazis on this fateful day. Very few of the Nazi murderers were convicted after the war was over.
I wandered the village ruins, which reminded me a little of the ruins of Pompeii that I saw near Naples, Italy last spring. The Nazis burned the village before they retreated at the end of the war, tried to cover up their atrocities, and now almost 80 years later the village is untouched since that time period lies in honor of the memory for all the people who died there that fateful day in 1944. I bought a book prepared by the families of those killed that I will use to add some more facts to this entry. I have included photos that I took in the museum proper, but also of the destruction that occurred in the village.
Our last adventure of the day was to split up as a group for our evening stay with local people. I was in the Blue section with six of my traveling companions. We were graced with staying at a beautiful 400 year old Chateau, now owned by a coupe who purchased the property 20 years ago and shortly after opened it up to guests for overnight visits. Patrick and Collette entertained us beautifully with the history of the place, some friendly wines, and a delicious meal of a Moroccan style. It was topped off with a delicious pastry filled with ice cream and topped off with French pressed black coffee. We finished our slow and leisurely dinner about 10 PM after sharing many laughs and listening to the stories of the Chateau told by our hosts. There was an interlude in the conversation generated by Bob and Lark about the singer, Jackson Browne, which was responsible for many of the fun loving laughs during the meal. I am sure when I look back on this trip, this will be one of the highlights. It is what makes OAT so special in the travel field. There are photos below to represent this very enjoyable experience on the backroads of France.
This was a day of bus travel as we left the lovely city of Angers for points a bit south and east. We stopped around 10 AM in a little French village called Mirabeau where we had a pit stop, a chance to buy something to drink and/or a pastry. I did the pit stop, but not the rest. I spent our 30 minutes in this hamlet walking around capturing photos of horses grazing the nearby field, a photo of the village elementary school where a group of students were on a walk about town, and a small venture down a side street to capture moment of a couple out for a walk. We were on our way in 30 minutes, but with a brief encounter with a small French Village in an area called “Forgotten France,” because the powers that be seem to forget that these incredible agricultural areas exist in the rural areas of France.
We stopped for lunch at a town that was the sight of a Nazi massacre at the end of the Second World War. The lunch had a nice menu choice I had the salad with mozzarella and a nice cold lager beer. The dessert was a baked Alaska to die for with a liquor (Cointreau) sauce that gave the dessert an orange spark.
After lunch we experienced a sobering visit to the Museum and Village ruins destroyed in the massacre. I spent the first 20 minutes in the museum listening to some recordings of the history of this tragic event. Close to 650 men, women, and children were massacred by the Nazis on this fateful day. Very few of the Nazi murderers were convicted after the war was over.
I wandered the village ruins, which reminded me a little of the ruins of Pompeii that I saw near Naples, Italy last spring. The Nazis burned the village before they retreated at the end of the war, tried to cover up their atrocities, and now almost 80 years later the village is untouched since that time period lies in honor of the memory for all the people who died there that fateful day in 1944. I bought a book prepared by the families of those killed that I will use to add some more facts to this entry. I have included photos that I took in the museum proper, but also of the destruction that occurred in the village.
Our last adventure of the day was to split up as a group for our evening stay with local people. I was in the Blue section with six of my traveling companions. We were graced with staying at a beautiful 400 year old Chateau, now owned by a coupe who purchased the property 20 years ago and shortly after opened it up to guests for overnight visits. Patrick and Collette entertained us beautifully with the history of the place, some friendly wines, and a delicious meal of a Moroccan style. It was topped off with a delicious pastry filled with ice cream and topped off with French pressed black coffee. We finished our slow and leisurely dinner about 10 PM after sharing many laughs and listening to the stories of the Chateau told by our hosts. There was an interlude in the conversation generated by Bob and Lark about the singer, Jackson Browne, which was responsible for many of the fun loving laughs during the meal. I am sure when I look back on this trip, this will be one of the highlights. It is what makes OAT so special in the travel field. There are photos below to represent this very enjoyable experience on the backroads of France.
October 10, Tuesday: Travel to Sarlot
We left our delightful Chateau at 8:55 AM on our way to Sarlat. But first we met up with the other half of our group in Limoges for a tour of the porcelain factory in the city. We spent about an hour listening to our guide at the factory explain the process. I took photos to give some sense of what the process was like. The key is to get the molds correct, followed by some trimming of the edges created by the mold with a sharp blade, removing all of the dust on the object, applying the glaze properly and evenly, and then placing the object in a kiln like device to cure it.Then the final glaze is applied, the object fired, and set to await further creation by one of the artisans waiting with various art supplies, followed by the final firing in the kiln. We had an opportunity to look at the various finished pieces in the factory store before leaving. Like all worthwhile. processes, there is a lot of trial and error, outright failures, and new beginnings. The process demands precision and patience. The end product is colorful and useful for many different occasions. Our guide for the factory took her time and answered many questions from the group throughout the tour.
From Limoges, we traveled on to Usearche for our lunch stop. Gwen gave us a brief walking tour of this pretty little town overlooking a river in the glen below. I had the pork luncheon, which was more like a dinner and included mashed potatoes, some vegetables, and a delicious gravy sauce. Dessert was another killer ice cream filled pastry with a caramel topping. It was very tasty, but too much for lunch on a day when the walking was minimal.
We drove through the beautiful French countryside until we arrived in Sarlat, a beautiful little city with lots of antique buildings and places to walk. We are staying at the Grand Hotel in Sarlat for the next three nights. My room is very nice and overlooks the countryside. I am getting use to the idea that some hotels separate the toilet area from the wash and shower bath area. I have a comfortable desk to work at and the Internet is very good here.
At 4 PM, we joined Gwen for a short walking tour of Sarlat. We walked down narrow streets, saw many old structures with sandstone siding and tile roofs. We visited the town church and I lit another candle for Terry. After an hour of walking and hearing a bit about the history of Sarlat, our guide left us and some of our group went to a nearby square for a late afternoon drink. The beer here in France is very good and I continue to choose it along with red and white wines that are always available everywhere we go. After our drink, some of us stopped at a local restaurant where duck was one of the primary items on the menu. I could have chosen a hamburger with duck as part of the patty ingredients, but I chose a traditional beef burger with fries that was very good.
Gwen led us back to the hotel around 8:30 and I fell into bed around 9. This trip continues to reveal the culture of France on a daily basis. I find the people we meet along the way to be helpful and friendly. France has multiple reasons for it beauty. The countryside, the ancient structures, the food, and also the people we are meeting along the way
We left our delightful Chateau at 8:55 AM on our way to Sarlat. But first we met up with the other half of our group in Limoges for a tour of the porcelain factory in the city. We spent about an hour listening to our guide at the factory explain the process. I took photos to give some sense of what the process was like. The key is to get the molds correct, followed by some trimming of the edges created by the mold with a sharp blade, removing all of the dust on the object, applying the glaze properly and evenly, and then placing the object in a kiln like device to cure it.Then the final glaze is applied, the object fired, and set to await further creation by one of the artisans waiting with various art supplies, followed by the final firing in the kiln. We had an opportunity to look at the various finished pieces in the factory store before leaving. Like all worthwhile. processes, there is a lot of trial and error, outright failures, and new beginnings. The process demands precision and patience. The end product is colorful and useful for many different occasions. Our guide for the factory took her time and answered many questions from the group throughout the tour.
From Limoges, we traveled on to Usearche for our lunch stop. Gwen gave us a brief walking tour of this pretty little town overlooking a river in the glen below. I had the pork luncheon, which was more like a dinner and included mashed potatoes, some vegetables, and a delicious gravy sauce. Dessert was another killer ice cream filled pastry with a caramel topping. It was very tasty, but too much for lunch on a day when the walking was minimal.
We drove through the beautiful French countryside until we arrived in Sarlat, a beautiful little city with lots of antique buildings and places to walk. We are staying at the Grand Hotel in Sarlat for the next three nights. My room is very nice and overlooks the countryside. I am getting use to the idea that some hotels separate the toilet area from the wash and shower bath area. I have a comfortable desk to work at and the Internet is very good here.
At 4 PM, we joined Gwen for a short walking tour of Sarlat. We walked down narrow streets, saw many old structures with sandstone siding and tile roofs. We visited the town church and I lit another candle for Terry. After an hour of walking and hearing a bit about the history of Sarlat, our guide left us and some of our group went to a nearby square for a late afternoon drink. The beer here in France is very good and I continue to choose it along with red and white wines that are always available everywhere we go. After our drink, some of us stopped at a local restaurant where duck was one of the primary items on the menu. I could have chosen a hamburger with duck as part of the patty ingredients, but I chose a traditional beef burger with fries that was very good.
Gwen led us back to the hotel around 8:30 and I fell into bed around 9. This trip continues to reveal the culture of France on a daily basis. I find the people we meet along the way to be helpful and friendly. France has multiple reasons for it beauty. The countryside, the ancient structures, the food, and also the people we are meeting along the way
October 11, Wednesday, Shrines and Stained Glass
We left the hotel at 8:30 to travel through the beautiful hilly countryside in this part of France near Sarlat. This was an optional trip that we took to Rocamadour for a good part of the day. Almost everyone chose to go on the trip. We drove along side the Dordogne River, modern homes in small villages, and chateaus positioned high on the cliffs. The first four days in France were in relatively flat terrain, but there was a definite change in the landscape here. We drove about 90 minutes to the pilgrimage shrine dedicated to the Black Madonna, who is considered responsible for many cures, including for women seeking to become pregnant after many unsuccessful attempts. There have been many documented cures over the years.
We begin at the top of the cliff and follow the Way of the Cross down a gradually sloped path with a small gravel stone base. At each bend is one of the 14 Stations of the Cross displayed in carefully constructed grottos. At the base of the Way are a series of chapels, each dedicated in most cases to a particular saint. However, there is also a chapel dedicated to the sport of Rugby with no explanation given. There is the ever present gift shop and beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. The elaborate structures built into the cliffs were breathtaking.
While there, we visited the studio of a local stain glass artist. Chantelle spent the next hour demonstrating her artistic ability in blowing glass, sketching the images for the stained glass object, cutting the glass, placing a border of lead and/or copper between pieces to hold them together, and showing how she spends about a month completing a contract to restore stain glass windows for old churches. She was a painter also and her paintings were done to complement her work in glass. She said here favorite part of the process was the freedom to create. It was an excellent presentation and was an added surprise to the morning’s religious context.
At the very bottom of the shrine, we found our restaurant for lunch and it too was quite good. I had a white fish over a bed of vegetables, including beets, carrots, and mushrooms with some cabbage strips thrown in. My dessert was a walnut cake with whipped cream. Walnuts trees are plentiful in this part of France and the nuts are used in a variety of foods.
Often times on our bus rides we stop for a few minutes for a photo op of the countryside. This trip provided three opportunities for a stop, the view of the shrine area from afar, the castle on the cliff, and the Dordogne River. The day was quite informative and pleasant.
I went for a swim in the hotel pool when we returned for the afternoon rest time. I had the pool to myself and walked the pool for 25 laps. The depth of the pool is the same across the length of 40 by 40 feet. I estimated that I added about 1000 steps to my days walking total. It was also quite a pleasant experience. The water was just the right temperature and having the pool all to myself added to the joy of the swim.
I got ready for the evening dinner at a nearby local restaurant and enjoyed a glass of wine from the hotel bar prior to the short walk for dinner. I had a white fish again for dinner and it was quite good. The desserts here are really something. I had a yogurt dessert with fruit. It was a nice change of pace from the heavier fare I have been eating at the conclusion of the meal.
I was in bed by 9 AM, hoping to have my body recover for more explorations tomorrow.
We left the hotel at 8:30 to travel through the beautiful hilly countryside in this part of France near Sarlat. This was an optional trip that we took to Rocamadour for a good part of the day. Almost everyone chose to go on the trip. We drove along side the Dordogne River, modern homes in small villages, and chateaus positioned high on the cliffs. The first four days in France were in relatively flat terrain, but there was a definite change in the landscape here. We drove about 90 minutes to the pilgrimage shrine dedicated to the Black Madonna, who is considered responsible for many cures, including for women seeking to become pregnant after many unsuccessful attempts. There have been many documented cures over the years.
We begin at the top of the cliff and follow the Way of the Cross down a gradually sloped path with a small gravel stone base. At each bend is one of the 14 Stations of the Cross displayed in carefully constructed grottos. At the base of the Way are a series of chapels, each dedicated in most cases to a particular saint. However, there is also a chapel dedicated to the sport of Rugby with no explanation given. There is the ever present gift shop and beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. The elaborate structures built into the cliffs were breathtaking.
While there, we visited the studio of a local stain glass artist. Chantelle spent the next hour demonstrating her artistic ability in blowing glass, sketching the images for the stained glass object, cutting the glass, placing a border of lead and/or copper between pieces to hold them together, and showing how she spends about a month completing a contract to restore stain glass windows for old churches. She was a painter also and her paintings were done to complement her work in glass. She said here favorite part of the process was the freedom to create. It was an excellent presentation and was an added surprise to the morning’s religious context.
At the very bottom of the shrine, we found our restaurant for lunch and it too was quite good. I had a white fish over a bed of vegetables, including beets, carrots, and mushrooms with some cabbage strips thrown in. My dessert was a walnut cake with whipped cream. Walnuts trees are plentiful in this part of France and the nuts are used in a variety of foods.
Often times on our bus rides we stop for a few minutes for a photo op of the countryside. This trip provided three opportunities for a stop, the view of the shrine area from afar, the castle on the cliff, and the Dordogne River. The day was quite informative and pleasant.
I went for a swim in the hotel pool when we returned for the afternoon rest time. I had the pool to myself and walked the pool for 25 laps. The depth of the pool is the same across the length of 40 by 40 feet. I estimated that I added about 1000 steps to my days walking total. It was also quite a pleasant experience. The water was just the right temperature and having the pool all to myself added to the joy of the swim.
I got ready for the evening dinner at a nearby local restaurant and enjoyed a glass of wine from the hotel bar prior to the short walk for dinner. I had a white fish again for dinner and it was quite good. The desserts here are really something. I had a yogurt dessert with fruit. It was a nice change of pace from the heavier fare I have been eating at the conclusion of the meal.
I was in bed by 9 AM, hoping to have my body recover for more explorations tomorrow.
October 12, Thursday: Caves, Castles, and Foie Gras
We left around 9 AM, for the Lascaux Caves only about 9 miles down the road in this beautiful, scenic, part of France. Our tour was to begin at 9:30. This exhibit is a replica of the original cave found by a boy and his dog in 1940. We had about an hour long tour of the caves with our guide explaining the process of painting and engraving images on the walls and ceilings. It was a very impressive creation as the photos below show. Although most of the images of animals of the time, stags, bulls, and horses, there is one small image of a human like creature, but with the head of a bird, probably a shaman or religious image of some type. We were not allowed to take photos in the cave, but we could shoot workshop images in the Workshop room that we visited after our visit to the caves. Although it is a bit disappointing not to see the actual caves, the reproduction was quite well done. One of my fellow travelers suggested that Disney must have been on site doing the replication.
We traveled back to Salat and exited the bus in the town center near the church market. We wandered through its offerings and went out through the big doors that guard its premises when the market is closed. Gwen served us some bread and a walnut jam with a little sweet aperitif type wine. It was too sweet for me, but I am glad I tried it. Arthur and I enjoyed some ice cream on the walk back to the hotel. It served as are “light” lunch for the day. I actually took a little nap back at the. hotel and rested up for the evening adventure.
We left the hotel around 4 and headed toward the Commanche Castle Ruins built in the Middle Ages and housed the families of five lords. John, the owner, was our guide and he gave us a 30 minute tour of the base of the castle with all of its history and lore. He was a very good guide and generated the enthusiasm in me to take many photos at the ground level and later on at the upper levels of the castle. We were fortunate that our bus driver took us up a bumpy road to the middle level of the castle where we were able to capture close-up photos of some of the castle rooms as well as the surrounding countryside. The photos tell the story better than I can.
Following our journey back in time at the Castle, we drove a short distance to a local farm producer of Foie Gras, a delicacy derived from geese and ducks with fatted livers. They fattened the birds with a force feeding process that creates the fatted livers. It is a process that is seen by many as cruel to the animals. However, our owner guide, Isabelle, told us that their process which is done son small local farm is much more respectful of the animals than the more commercial production processes seen in TV documentaries that criticize how the product is harvested. We had an opportunity to sample several different forms of Foie Gras with a bit of white wine to wash it down. It tasted fine, but not an appetizer of choice for me. Isabelle gave each of us a sample can of Foie Gras to take with us.
We then retired to the very pleasant restaurant on the far side of the house where I enjoyed a meal of roasted duck on the patio with my fellow travelers. The meal was delicious, the evening was pleasantly warm, and the ambiance was conducive to good eating. I apparently got stung by a bee somewhere along the way on my finger, but some requested vinegar took away any discomfort. It was a very pleasant meal with good conversation. We arrived back at the hotel by 8:30, I partially packed my bags for the next phase of our trip, and went to bed.
As a mid trip comment, I want to say that this trip is a very pleasant surprise. The French countryside is varied and quite beautiful, the people have been very friendly and helpful, and the food as been exceptional throughout. I am looking forward to the second half of the tour.
We left around 9 AM, for the Lascaux Caves only about 9 miles down the road in this beautiful, scenic, part of France. Our tour was to begin at 9:30. This exhibit is a replica of the original cave found by a boy and his dog in 1940. We had about an hour long tour of the caves with our guide explaining the process of painting and engraving images on the walls and ceilings. It was a very impressive creation as the photos below show. Although most of the images of animals of the time, stags, bulls, and horses, there is one small image of a human like creature, but with the head of a bird, probably a shaman or religious image of some type. We were not allowed to take photos in the cave, but we could shoot workshop images in the Workshop room that we visited after our visit to the caves. Although it is a bit disappointing not to see the actual caves, the reproduction was quite well done. One of my fellow travelers suggested that Disney must have been on site doing the replication.
We traveled back to Salat and exited the bus in the town center near the church market. We wandered through its offerings and went out through the big doors that guard its premises when the market is closed. Gwen served us some bread and a walnut jam with a little sweet aperitif type wine. It was too sweet for me, but I am glad I tried it. Arthur and I enjoyed some ice cream on the walk back to the hotel. It served as are “light” lunch for the day. I actually took a little nap back at the. hotel and rested up for the evening adventure.
We left the hotel around 4 and headed toward the Commanche Castle Ruins built in the Middle Ages and housed the families of five lords. John, the owner, was our guide and he gave us a 30 minute tour of the base of the castle with all of its history and lore. He was a very good guide and generated the enthusiasm in me to take many photos at the ground level and later on at the upper levels of the castle. We were fortunate that our bus driver took us up a bumpy road to the middle level of the castle where we were able to capture close-up photos of some of the castle rooms as well as the surrounding countryside. The photos tell the story better than I can.
Following our journey back in time at the Castle, we drove a short distance to a local farm producer of Foie Gras, a delicacy derived from geese and ducks with fatted livers. They fattened the birds with a force feeding process that creates the fatted livers. It is a process that is seen by many as cruel to the animals. However, our owner guide, Isabelle, told us that their process which is done son small local farm is much more respectful of the animals than the more commercial production processes seen in TV documentaries that criticize how the product is harvested. We had an opportunity to sample several different forms of Foie Gras with a bit of white wine to wash it down. It tasted fine, but not an appetizer of choice for me. Isabelle gave each of us a sample can of Foie Gras to take with us.
We then retired to the very pleasant restaurant on the far side of the house where I enjoyed a meal of roasted duck on the patio with my fellow travelers. The meal was delicious, the evening was pleasantly warm, and the ambiance was conducive to good eating. I apparently got stung by a bee somewhere along the way on my finger, but some requested vinegar took away any discomfort. It was a very pleasant meal with good conversation. We arrived back at the hotel by 8:30, I partially packed my bags for the next phase of our trip, and went to bed.
As a mid trip comment, I want to say that this trip is a very pleasant surprise. The French countryside is varied and quite beautiful, the people have been very friendly and helpful, and the food as been exceptional throughout. I am looking forward to the second half of the tour.
October 13: Friday: Travel to CarcassoneTravel Day
Travel Haiku
Travel from Sarlat
To Carcassone down South,
Fall colors flourish.
Today was a longer than usual ride on the bus as we transitioned from Sarlat to Carcassone in the the southeast part of France, in sight of the Pyranhees, but not the Mediterranean. I sat in the back of the smaller bus next to the back door that had a great window for shooting photos, but was fogged over for about an hour of the trip. However, once the temperatures equalized, I was able to take some nice photos of the southern French countryside, which was flatter than where we had been, loaded with agricultural fields and eventually vineyards. However, there were rolling hills and valleys from time to time to add interest to the landscape
We arrived in Albi around 10 AM, a town with much history surrounding a heretic group of the Catholic Church known as the Cathars. Gwen gave us a short history, which I will have to research a bit later. We walked down a narrow street of shops and restaurants to the main square that contained the Cathedral. It was a huge structure with the Bishop’s mansion just next door. We toured the the inside of the cathedral and I lit another candle for Terry, the third effort so far on this trip to include her in my thoughts as we traverse this country.
We examined some of the surrounding are, including some exceptional gardens that bordered the river. I took some photos of both the gardens and the Albi skyline of older looking buildings before heading to lunch at a nice restaurant across the street from the gardens. Most of the people had a shrimp dish that looked delicious, but alas, I chose the pork and polenta combination that was quite delicious. The red wine was plentiful and the conversation as lively as ever.
Following lunch, I decided to skip the Toulouse Latrech Museum and walk about the city. I ran into Bob and Arthur having some ice cream and the three of us chatted as they consumed their second dessert of the day. Arthur and I took a slow walk back toward the bus location taking some detours along the way and observing both the shops and the people. We arrived at our destination in plenty of time. Today was Protest Day in France and there was a protest going on near the fountain square that was the landmark for our bus location. I would guess close to 500 people marched down the street, apparently protesting against right wing political issues currently controversial in French Society. The marchers played music and carried flags as they marched peacefully forward. Security guards were placed strategically along the way to ensure a peaceful demonstration. There were a few cherry bomb type fireworks from time to time, but created no panic.
I found this random walk back to the bus to be enjoyable and a nice way to work off a very good lunch. Arthur is easy to converse with and we had some good chats along the way. There was an added benefit to returning to the bus early. Our bus drive was playing his flute outside the bus and gave us a little serenade.
We arrived at our hotel around 5:30 and settled into my room for the next three days. It is a good sized room with a nice view of the river outside my third floor window. We met Gwen for daily meeting and a short vicinity walk at 6:45. After our brief meeting, we walked several blocks to a nice square with a fountain and many restaurants. Gwen gave us a little history of Carcassone and the architecture unique to this area. A group of us settled in for the next two hours at one of the local restaurants on the square. I had a cheeseburger and a couple of lager beers that hit the spot after our long day of travel. Our group carried on with some lively banter that kept us laughing and talking during our very American meal. Only John tried the muscles, which he said were delicious and as we could see were plentiful.
After dinner, we returned back to the hotel and to a welcome time of rest.
Travel Haiku
Travel from Sarlat
To Carcassone down South,
Fall colors flourish.
Today was a longer than usual ride on the bus as we transitioned from Sarlat to Carcassone in the the southeast part of France, in sight of the Pyranhees, but not the Mediterranean. I sat in the back of the smaller bus next to the back door that had a great window for shooting photos, but was fogged over for about an hour of the trip. However, once the temperatures equalized, I was able to take some nice photos of the southern French countryside, which was flatter than where we had been, loaded with agricultural fields and eventually vineyards. However, there were rolling hills and valleys from time to time to add interest to the landscape
We arrived in Albi around 10 AM, a town with much history surrounding a heretic group of the Catholic Church known as the Cathars. Gwen gave us a short history, which I will have to research a bit later. We walked down a narrow street of shops and restaurants to the main square that contained the Cathedral. It was a huge structure with the Bishop’s mansion just next door. We toured the the inside of the cathedral and I lit another candle for Terry, the third effort so far on this trip to include her in my thoughts as we traverse this country.
We examined some of the surrounding are, including some exceptional gardens that bordered the river. I took some photos of both the gardens and the Albi skyline of older looking buildings before heading to lunch at a nice restaurant across the street from the gardens. Most of the people had a shrimp dish that looked delicious, but alas, I chose the pork and polenta combination that was quite delicious. The red wine was plentiful and the conversation as lively as ever.
Following lunch, I decided to skip the Toulouse Latrech Museum and walk about the city. I ran into Bob and Arthur having some ice cream and the three of us chatted as they consumed their second dessert of the day. Arthur and I took a slow walk back toward the bus location taking some detours along the way and observing both the shops and the people. We arrived at our destination in plenty of time. Today was Protest Day in France and there was a protest going on near the fountain square that was the landmark for our bus location. I would guess close to 500 people marched down the street, apparently protesting against right wing political issues currently controversial in French Society. The marchers played music and carried flags as they marched peacefully forward. Security guards were placed strategically along the way to ensure a peaceful demonstration. There were a few cherry bomb type fireworks from time to time, but created no panic.
I found this random walk back to the bus to be enjoyable and a nice way to work off a very good lunch. Arthur is easy to converse with and we had some good chats along the way. There was an added benefit to returning to the bus early. Our bus drive was playing his flute outside the bus and gave us a little serenade.
We arrived at our hotel around 5:30 and settled into my room for the next three days. It is a good sized room with a nice view of the river outside my third floor window. We met Gwen for daily meeting and a short vicinity walk at 6:45. After our brief meeting, we walked several blocks to a nice square with a fountain and many restaurants. Gwen gave us a little history of Carcassone and the architecture unique to this area. A group of us settled in for the next two hours at one of the local restaurants on the square. I had a cheeseburger and a couple of lager beers that hit the spot after our long day of travel. Our group carried on with some lively banter that kept us laughing and talking during our very American meal. Only John tried the muscles, which he said were delicious and as we could see were plentiful.
After dinner, we returned back to the hotel and to a welcome time of rest.
October 14, Saturday: The Citadel
Today was one of the few days on this trip to date where we did not take a bus somewhere. Instead, we visited the Citadel, the local defense castle built centuries ago to protect Carcassone. Some of our traveling companions have a view of the spacious castle at night when it is highlighted with lights. Arthur has one of those privileged views. He shared his photo of the castle with me that you see below. Some of us took a cab up to the castle entrance while others walked the steep incline. It was a wise move for me. We spent about an hour traversing the castle, following the well laid out path of the castle crew. We had the. benefit of an auto guide, which I gave up listening to because it was getting in the way of my taking photos of impressive views from the castle walls. My walking stick was also a distraction. However, it took about an hour, but I made it through. I did not walk the ramparts section of the castle because there were more tricky stairs and this was a place where I could opt out and take it a bit easy. A few of us who did not walk the additional sections went with Gwen to meet the others at their place of exit. Gwen then talked about the Basilica and the Bishop’s home, which now serves as an expensive hotel where we stopped for a drink and and some conversation. It borders the ramparts and and so I felt that at least I came close to the place where I chose not to walk. Castle exploring for me is like a visit to a museum. I could spend hours their reading and listening, but for me, it is just better to keep on moving and shooting photos of what I might want to remember.
We all walked back to the hotel around noon. I opted out of lunch, since it was a time where I could miss one of the three meals a day that has become my regimen. I worry about gaining weight, but the pants are still closing and the belt is at the same notch as when I started, so perhaps I am walking enough—about 9000 steps a day.
I took it easy in the afternoon and washed out a few clothes and hung them on the drying rack in the the bathroom. I am hoping that this minor intervention gets me to the conclusion of the trip without having to do the laundry thing. I bought a glass of wine at the hotel bar and sat in the comfortable lobby and worked on the photos that I took in the morning at the castle. So far, I am doing a good job of keeping up with this journal and editing my photos as the trip commences. I just hit 7000 words on the word processing count, so this is turning into another major travelogue.
I met with Gwen and the rest of our group for an hour long question and answer period about French life as we have seen it on this trip. The group asked Gwen many questions about the culture, the social network structure, business practices, and the French lifestyle.
After our session with Gwen, we walked up the street for dinner that specialized in Cassoulet I opted for the fish pie. Gwen ran into some trouble with the owner over our reservation, but she prevailed and we enjoyed an outdoor dinner on this pleasant October evening in Carcassone. Arthur and stoped a the roof top bar near are hotel of a night cap. Fred, Gloria, and Bob joined us and we spent the next hour conversing. Bob apparently is quite a chef and takes pride in the fact that he cooks every night for Debbie and himself, but has not repeated a recipe for ten years. That fact sort of blew all of us away. He spent a few minutes telling us how he has accomplished this unusual feat.
I was home and in bed by 9 PM. The days are rolling by and I am finding that I really enjoy the contents of the trip, our impressive guide, and my most interesting traveling companions.
Today was one of the few days on this trip to date where we did not take a bus somewhere. Instead, we visited the Citadel, the local defense castle built centuries ago to protect Carcassone. Some of our traveling companions have a view of the spacious castle at night when it is highlighted with lights. Arthur has one of those privileged views. He shared his photo of the castle with me that you see below. Some of us took a cab up to the castle entrance while others walked the steep incline. It was a wise move for me. We spent about an hour traversing the castle, following the well laid out path of the castle crew. We had the. benefit of an auto guide, which I gave up listening to because it was getting in the way of my taking photos of impressive views from the castle walls. My walking stick was also a distraction. However, it took about an hour, but I made it through. I did not walk the ramparts section of the castle because there were more tricky stairs and this was a place where I could opt out and take it a bit easy. A few of us who did not walk the additional sections went with Gwen to meet the others at their place of exit. Gwen then talked about the Basilica and the Bishop’s home, which now serves as an expensive hotel where we stopped for a drink and and some conversation. It borders the ramparts and and so I felt that at least I came close to the place where I chose not to walk. Castle exploring for me is like a visit to a museum. I could spend hours their reading and listening, but for me, it is just better to keep on moving and shooting photos of what I might want to remember.
We all walked back to the hotel around noon. I opted out of lunch, since it was a time where I could miss one of the three meals a day that has become my regimen. I worry about gaining weight, but the pants are still closing and the belt is at the same notch as when I started, so perhaps I am walking enough—about 9000 steps a day.
I took it easy in the afternoon and washed out a few clothes and hung them on the drying rack in the the bathroom. I am hoping that this minor intervention gets me to the conclusion of the trip without having to do the laundry thing. I bought a glass of wine at the hotel bar and sat in the comfortable lobby and worked on the photos that I took in the morning at the castle. So far, I am doing a good job of keeping up with this journal and editing my photos as the trip commences. I just hit 7000 words on the word processing count, so this is turning into another major travelogue.
I met with Gwen and the rest of our group for an hour long question and answer period about French life as we have seen it on this trip. The group asked Gwen many questions about the culture, the social network structure, business practices, and the French lifestyle.
After our session with Gwen, we walked up the street for dinner that specialized in Cassoulet I opted for the fish pie. Gwen ran into some trouble with the owner over our reservation, but she prevailed and we enjoyed an outdoor dinner on this pleasant October evening in Carcassone. Arthur and stoped a the roof top bar near are hotel of a night cap. Fred, Gloria, and Bob joined us and we spent the next hour conversing. Bob apparently is quite a chef and takes pride in the fact that he cooks every night for Debbie and himself, but has not repeated a recipe for ten years. That fact sort of blew all of us away. He spent a few minutes telling us how he has accomplished this unusual feat.
I was home and in bed by 9 PM. The days are rolling by and I am finding that I really enjoy the contents of the trip, our impressive guide, and my most interesting traveling companions.
October 15, Sunday: Vineyard and St. Vincent’s
It was a quiet Sunday morning as we boarded our coach for the short ride to the vineyard we would spend the morning and early afternoon. The streets of Carcassone were empty on this seventh day of the week as the inhabitants of the city were resting quietly. We arrive at l' Aiuiral Vinyard around 10 where we met the owners. The husband. Rudolphe, is sort of the spokesperson for the business, but the wife, Benedict is the professional wine maker and truly the expert. The husband gave us a bit of history of the is seventh generation family owned farm and then took us on a tour of the vineyard, explaining the age. of the vines (since 2008), the planting, nuturing and harvesting systems, the role of the wind in keeping the vines dry and much, much, more. Our group is an inquisitive one and asked many questions about the growing of the grapes, the seasonal challenges, and the labor force necessary to carry all of this out. They also had an intern, Gabriel, working with them and assisting in all aspects of the winery.
After our tour of the vines, we sat in the winery where the vats are and listened to a presentation by the husband about the process producing the white, rose, and four red wines from the small vineyard. Benedict spoke in French and Gwen translated the explanation of how to recognize taste in the various wines. We tried several diffenent mixes of water and flavor to help sensitize our taste buds for the tasting to come. This was probably the best part of a very engaging presentation by the couple. It truly prepared us to better understand the subtlety of tastes in the six different wines that we tasted. There was one white, one rose, but four reds of a different vintage that we tried. I actually liked the first red the best. It was lighter in color and taste. It reminded me of Pinot Noir, which I like as my favorite red. The second wine was the one that was wine in process that they demonstrated for us with explanation of the process. It was darker in color and richer in taste. You could feel the tannins in your mouth after this wine. The third wine was the Tradition vintage that was dark and heavy, a good wine with heavy meats. And the fourth was the Prestige, the top of the line and the most expensive. Again, it was dark in color and very rich in taste. I have had the vintage process explained to me many times on other trips, but this was by far the most informative and engaging prestentation I have ever heard.
The day at the vineyard was not over. We all gathered around a long table just outside of the winery walls and enjoyed one of the most unusual and enjoyable lunches I have had on this trip. We began with a salad that was presented in a family style. We started with a choice of white or rose wine. Then we were served a liver pate that was delicious and was spreadable on never ending flow of French bread that was delicious. This was served with our choice of red wine. We then selected a particular type of tomato from a local market that we enjoyed as the next stage of the meal. And finally the dessert, the last stage of a meal that lasted for well over 90 minutes with leisurely conversation over glasses of red wine. The owners and the intern sat with us at the table and we had a delightful chat.
At the end we were each given one of the reds from the first three vintages, not the more expensive fourth. What a nice send off gift from a family that shared its expertise with us in a warm and friendly manner. For me, this was a highlight of our trip to France.
When I returned to the hotel, I worked on the photos that I took in the morning. At 5 PM, I walked about a half mile to St. Vincent’s Church for the 6 PM Mass. The old gothic style church is in stages of renovation, but it had beautiful stained glass windows and an organ that produced beautiful sounds that echoed throughout the church. The church was about half filled, mostly with older people, but not entirely. I enjoyed the altar server duo of a girl about 7 or 8 years old serving along side of her brothers who was probably around 13. She could not stand still at the altar, while her brother stood solidly beside her and occasionally nudged her as to where to go next. However, she knew her role and it was fun to watch her. I, of course, understand nothing that is said at these Masses, but like last week, the Mass is a uniform ritual wherever you go.
After Mass, I joined our traveling group for dinner at Brasserie #4, a few blocks from the church and on the way back to the hotel. I had scallops and a beer that went down quite easily. This was the end of a very perfect day in Carcassone. Tomorrow, we take the fast train to Lyon. That should be interesting.
It was a quiet Sunday morning as we boarded our coach for the short ride to the vineyard we would spend the morning and early afternoon. The streets of Carcassone were empty on this seventh day of the week as the inhabitants of the city were resting quietly. We arrive at l' Aiuiral Vinyard around 10 where we met the owners. The husband. Rudolphe, is sort of the spokesperson for the business, but the wife, Benedict is the professional wine maker and truly the expert. The husband gave us a bit of history of the is seventh generation family owned farm and then took us on a tour of the vineyard, explaining the age. of the vines (since 2008), the planting, nuturing and harvesting systems, the role of the wind in keeping the vines dry and much, much, more. Our group is an inquisitive one and asked many questions about the growing of the grapes, the seasonal challenges, and the labor force necessary to carry all of this out. They also had an intern, Gabriel, working with them and assisting in all aspects of the winery.
After our tour of the vines, we sat in the winery where the vats are and listened to a presentation by the husband about the process producing the white, rose, and four red wines from the small vineyard. Benedict spoke in French and Gwen translated the explanation of how to recognize taste in the various wines. We tried several diffenent mixes of water and flavor to help sensitize our taste buds for the tasting to come. This was probably the best part of a very engaging presentation by the couple. It truly prepared us to better understand the subtlety of tastes in the six different wines that we tasted. There was one white, one rose, but four reds of a different vintage that we tried. I actually liked the first red the best. It was lighter in color and taste. It reminded me of Pinot Noir, which I like as my favorite red. The second wine was the one that was wine in process that they demonstrated for us with explanation of the process. It was darker in color and richer in taste. You could feel the tannins in your mouth after this wine. The third wine was the Tradition vintage that was dark and heavy, a good wine with heavy meats. And the fourth was the Prestige, the top of the line and the most expensive. Again, it was dark in color and very rich in taste. I have had the vintage process explained to me many times on other trips, but this was by far the most informative and engaging prestentation I have ever heard.
The day at the vineyard was not over. We all gathered around a long table just outside of the winery walls and enjoyed one of the most unusual and enjoyable lunches I have had on this trip. We began with a salad that was presented in a family style. We started with a choice of white or rose wine. Then we were served a liver pate that was delicious and was spreadable on never ending flow of French bread that was delicious. This was served with our choice of red wine. We then selected a particular type of tomato from a local market that we enjoyed as the next stage of the meal. And finally the dessert, the last stage of a meal that lasted for well over 90 minutes with leisurely conversation over glasses of red wine. The owners and the intern sat with us at the table and we had a delightful chat.
At the end we were each given one of the reds from the first three vintages, not the more expensive fourth. What a nice send off gift from a family that shared its expertise with us in a warm and friendly manner. For me, this was a highlight of our trip to France.
When I returned to the hotel, I worked on the photos that I took in the morning. At 5 PM, I walked about a half mile to St. Vincent’s Church for the 6 PM Mass. The old gothic style church is in stages of renovation, but it had beautiful stained glass windows and an organ that produced beautiful sounds that echoed throughout the church. The church was about half filled, mostly with older people, but not entirely. I enjoyed the altar server duo of a girl about 7 or 8 years old serving along side of her brothers who was probably around 13. She could not stand still at the altar, while her brother stood solidly beside her and occasionally nudged her as to where to go next. However, she knew her role and it was fun to watch her. I, of course, understand nothing that is said at these Masses, but like last week, the Mass is a uniform ritual wherever you go.
After Mass, I joined our traveling group for dinner at Brasserie #4, a few blocks from the church and on the way back to the hotel. I had scallops and a beer that went down quite easily. This was the end of a very perfect day in Carcassone. Tomorrow, we take the fast train to Lyon. That should be interesting.
October 16, Monday: To Lyon by Fast Train
We were off to an early start today. We said goodby to Carcassonne, arrived by coach at the train station and and we boarded the train around 8:30 AM. I was lucky and got a seat by the window, so I was able to see the rich French countryside with great clarity one more time. I did attempt to take some photos out of the windows of the quickly moving train, but only with a little success. I was able to continue to edit my photos and I wrote this little descriptive poem below:
Train to Lyon
Today is for travel
The train our transport
To Lyon for three days
From Carcassonne
South going North
For a short time
The Mediterranean is in sight
The French countryside
Is mostly flat here
Accept near the sea
Next to me, a man and his dog
He quietly working
The dog even more quiet.
I try to take some photos
Through the window of the train
But the train moves too fast
And the scenes blur
It is a cloudy day
The sun only a suggestion
Behind the grayness
There are French style homes
In these country villages
Nothing fancy, except
For an infrequent
Old Stone Structure
Or a new design of substance
Horses graze in the fields
Farmers work the land
Vineyards are common
Along the way
The train will speed up
Later on, around Nimes
As we speed toward Lyon,
The tracks on this part of the run
Engineered for faster travel
But still we are 70-80 mph.
I wonder if I can ride the
Train in the United States
For hours on end
While pondering great thoughts
On my iPad
And working future photos
To “perfection.”
This is a nice trial run
On a speedy French train
Through the heart of the county
In France, a country
I now know a little better.
The poem gives you a picture of how I experienced the fast train from Carcassonne to Lyon. I never moved from my seat. The gentleman beside me worked his computer and tended to his well behaved dog, lying by his side in the aisle. It was a nice contrast to the buses that have carried us most of the way on this trip.
We followed Gwen through the streets of Lyon to our place for lunch where I had a John Derry fish dish with lots of vegetables. My dessert was a deliciously prepared French toast offering with whipped cream. We had wine as our usual accompaniment. We had arrived in Lyon, the home of Gwen, where some of her family still reside and a place she is most proud to show off.
After lunch we got on a very large bus and took a panoramic view of the city, stopping a couple of times to take photos of murals beautifully painted on building walls. I took some photos of the walls and some others out the window of the bus with some success. We arrived at our hotel, the Grand Hotel, and retired for a short time to our rooms. My room is on the small side, without any real view, but it is comfortable. The bathroom is new and sparkling and main room has all of the necessities, with a sort of boutique style to boot.
I sat in the beautiful lounge area, sipped an amber beer, and worked on my the photos I had just taken. I like the amount of time we have to ourselves on this trip. It has allowed for me to keep up with my writing and my photography as the method for documenting this trip to France.
At 6 PM, we met with Gwen for our daily briefing and for a walk through the city. She showed us some more important buildings, the city council, the opera house, and other examples of local architecture. Around 7, she released us to spend the evening in Lyon on our own. Arthur, Carley and I decided to visit restaurant ally where Gwen had directed us to go.. We found this nice little place, sat inside. All three of us ordered lasagna and it was delicious and just right for our evening meal. The beer I ordered help the very hot pasta to melt in my mouth. We walked back to the hotel and after a few glitches, we found it. I talked briefly in the lounge to Pat, a member of another OAT group staying at the hotel. She is a well traveled OAT lover and told me of some of her adventures. I retired to my room around 9 for my first attempt at sleeping in Lyon.
We were off to an early start today. We said goodby to Carcassonne, arrived by coach at the train station and and we boarded the train around 8:30 AM. I was lucky and got a seat by the window, so I was able to see the rich French countryside with great clarity one more time. I did attempt to take some photos out of the windows of the quickly moving train, but only with a little success. I was able to continue to edit my photos and I wrote this little descriptive poem below:
Train to Lyon
Today is for travel
The train our transport
To Lyon for three days
From Carcassonne
South going North
For a short time
The Mediterranean is in sight
The French countryside
Is mostly flat here
Accept near the sea
Next to me, a man and his dog
He quietly working
The dog even more quiet.
I try to take some photos
Through the window of the train
But the train moves too fast
And the scenes blur
It is a cloudy day
The sun only a suggestion
Behind the grayness
There are French style homes
In these country villages
Nothing fancy, except
For an infrequent
Old Stone Structure
Or a new design of substance
Horses graze in the fields
Farmers work the land
Vineyards are common
Along the way
The train will speed up
Later on, around Nimes
As we speed toward Lyon,
The tracks on this part of the run
Engineered for faster travel
But still we are 70-80 mph.
I wonder if I can ride the
Train in the United States
For hours on end
While pondering great thoughts
On my iPad
And working future photos
To “perfection.”
This is a nice trial run
On a speedy French train
Through the heart of the county
In France, a country
I now know a little better.
The poem gives you a picture of how I experienced the fast train from Carcassonne to Lyon. I never moved from my seat. The gentleman beside me worked his computer and tended to his well behaved dog, lying by his side in the aisle. It was a nice contrast to the buses that have carried us most of the way on this trip.
We followed Gwen through the streets of Lyon to our place for lunch where I had a John Derry fish dish with lots of vegetables. My dessert was a deliciously prepared French toast offering with whipped cream. We had wine as our usual accompaniment. We had arrived in Lyon, the home of Gwen, where some of her family still reside and a place she is most proud to show off.
After lunch we got on a very large bus and took a panoramic view of the city, stopping a couple of times to take photos of murals beautifully painted on building walls. I took some photos of the walls and some others out the window of the bus with some success. We arrived at our hotel, the Grand Hotel, and retired for a short time to our rooms. My room is on the small side, without any real view, but it is comfortable. The bathroom is new and sparkling and main room has all of the necessities, with a sort of boutique style to boot.
I sat in the beautiful lounge area, sipped an amber beer, and worked on my the photos I had just taken. I like the amount of time we have to ourselves on this trip. It has allowed for me to keep up with my writing and my photography as the method for documenting this trip to France.
At 6 PM, we met with Gwen for our daily briefing and for a walk through the city. She showed us some more important buildings, the city council, the opera house, and other examples of local architecture. Around 7, she released us to spend the evening in Lyon on our own. Arthur, Carley and I decided to visit restaurant ally where Gwen had directed us to go.. We found this nice little place, sat inside. All three of us ordered lasagna and it was delicious and just right for our evening meal. The beer I ordered help the very hot pasta to melt in my mouth. We walked back to the hotel and after a few glitches, we found it. I talked briefly in the lounge to Pat, a member of another OAT group staying at the hotel. She is a well traveled OAT lover and told me of some of her adventures. I retired to my room around 9 for my first attempt at sleeping in Lyon.
October 17, Tuesday: Day 2 in Lyon
Returning to a larger city like Lyon means more walking around and less travel on a coach into the countryside or other points. Today we walked about 8500 steps. We had a visit to a restaurant that catered to the 10 AM meals to the silk workers who normally eat at this time of the morning.. They work from dawn to dusk producing products that would earn them money per piece. Around mid-morning, they would need a good meal to take them through their days work. They could not cook in their apartments because the smells emanating from the cooking food would penetrate the silk products they were working on.
They eat various forms of pork and drink a combination of Kiel and red wine. We replicated that meal yesterday, while our city guide, Rachel, explained the whole process. She also guided us through the old city and some of the the various narrow cobblestone roads that define the old city. We went by shops and heard about the old Jewish area that dates back hundreds of years with old structures for living and working. They would build passage ways connecting streets that provided a kind of secret passage through the old city. The people could hide in the passages of the old city during the occupation of the Nazis in WWII. We stopped at a shop where the owner explained how they take the basic silk process and through the use of screens and colors, create beautiful scarves, wall hangings, etc. The owner demonstrated how to tie a variety of knots for tying both square and long scarves around the neck as a decorative accessory of dress. We enjoyed some delicious chocolates as she gave her presentation. We also had an opportunity to touch and feel the silk products she was using in her demonstration. Later on, members of our group would see the looms that create the silk foundation pieces. I chose not to walk those steps, but walked back to the hotel with John for some needed rest in the mid afternoon.
However, before that hotel walk occurred we took the funicular car to the top of the hill where the basilica resides to visit it, but also to view the surrounding countryside and city from on high. I will let the photos below tell a little of that story. I paid a brief visit to the Basilica before walking with the group to the ancient ruins of a Roman theater high above the city. The seating areas of the theater have been restored for current use of concerts and plays. It reminded me of the theater ruins we saw in Sicily that also sat high above the city with incredible views. We were lucky to ride up the hill to see all of this, but thanks to my walking stick, I was able to walk down numerous steps to the other rail vehicle that would take us back to the bottom of the hill.
It was at this point that I had walked by share for the day and decided to accumulate a another 2000 or so steps walking back to the hotel with John. It took us about an 30 minutes to make the walk. After a visit to my room, I took my iPad to the lounge to begin editing the days photos and to enjoy a cold beer. As we near the latter part of this trip my legs and feet have accumulated a lot of wear and tear and from here on in, I should try to make some judgements about what walks to eliminate.
I rested for about 30 minutes before meeting the group for our daily briefing. We joined with the other OAT group in the hotel for a some wine and crackers as we did our daily briefing with Gwen.
Arthur, Flora, and I joined Gwen for a short walk to the Fusion Crepe restaurant that only we four were willing to try. We were the explorers along with Gwen who never tried this restaurant. I am not a fan of the strong taste of the buckwheat crepe, but I did enjoy my selection made with salmon, goat cheese, and a cream sauce. The others tried different crepes so that we could share our discoveries with the rest of the group. We ordered two of the special dessert crepes with ice cream, figs, nuts and Carmel sauce and shared with each other. It was a nice light leisurely meal that I think all of us enjoyed as an experimental adventure. We were back in the hotel around 8:45. I sat for awhile in the lounge, just relaxing. When I went to my room, I worked for a few minutes on my photos, turned off the light, and sought sleep to restore my aching feet for another day of walking this interesting city of Lyon.
Returning to a larger city like Lyon means more walking around and less travel on a coach into the countryside or other points. Today we walked about 8500 steps. We had a visit to a restaurant that catered to the 10 AM meals to the silk workers who normally eat at this time of the morning.. They work from dawn to dusk producing products that would earn them money per piece. Around mid-morning, they would need a good meal to take them through their days work. They could not cook in their apartments because the smells emanating from the cooking food would penetrate the silk products they were working on.
They eat various forms of pork and drink a combination of Kiel and red wine. We replicated that meal yesterday, while our city guide, Rachel, explained the whole process. She also guided us through the old city and some of the the various narrow cobblestone roads that define the old city. We went by shops and heard about the old Jewish area that dates back hundreds of years with old structures for living and working. They would build passage ways connecting streets that provided a kind of secret passage through the old city. The people could hide in the passages of the old city during the occupation of the Nazis in WWII. We stopped at a shop where the owner explained how they take the basic silk process and through the use of screens and colors, create beautiful scarves, wall hangings, etc. The owner demonstrated how to tie a variety of knots for tying both square and long scarves around the neck as a decorative accessory of dress. We enjoyed some delicious chocolates as she gave her presentation. We also had an opportunity to touch and feel the silk products she was using in her demonstration. Later on, members of our group would see the looms that create the silk foundation pieces. I chose not to walk those steps, but walked back to the hotel with John for some needed rest in the mid afternoon.
However, before that hotel walk occurred we took the funicular car to the top of the hill where the basilica resides to visit it, but also to view the surrounding countryside and city from on high. I will let the photos below tell a little of that story. I paid a brief visit to the Basilica before walking with the group to the ancient ruins of a Roman theater high above the city. The seating areas of the theater have been restored for current use of concerts and plays. It reminded me of the theater ruins we saw in Sicily that also sat high above the city with incredible views. We were lucky to ride up the hill to see all of this, but thanks to my walking stick, I was able to walk down numerous steps to the other rail vehicle that would take us back to the bottom of the hill.
It was at this point that I had walked by share for the day and decided to accumulate a another 2000 or so steps walking back to the hotel with John. It took us about an 30 minutes to make the walk. After a visit to my room, I took my iPad to the lounge to begin editing the days photos and to enjoy a cold beer. As we near the latter part of this trip my legs and feet have accumulated a lot of wear and tear and from here on in, I should try to make some judgements about what walks to eliminate.
I rested for about 30 minutes before meeting the group for our daily briefing. We joined with the other OAT group in the hotel for a some wine and crackers as we did our daily briefing with Gwen.
Arthur, Flora, and I joined Gwen for a short walk to the Fusion Crepe restaurant that only we four were willing to try. We were the explorers along with Gwen who never tried this restaurant. I am not a fan of the strong taste of the buckwheat crepe, but I did enjoy my selection made with salmon, goat cheese, and a cream sauce. The others tried different crepes so that we could share our discoveries with the rest of the group. We ordered two of the special dessert crepes with ice cream, figs, nuts and Carmel sauce and shared with each other. It was a nice light leisurely meal that I think all of us enjoyed as an experimental adventure. We were back in the hotel around 8:45. I sat for awhile in the lounge, just relaxing. When I went to my room, I worked for a few minutes on my photos, turned off the light, and sought sleep to restore my aching feet for another day of walking this interesting city of Lyon.
October 18, Wednesday, The French Resistance
Today, we had a guided tour by a guide who was carrying her 3 month old baby in a front loaded harness. The baby was fine and only cried a couple of times. The guide did a good job of managing the little person on her shoulders and the information she was imparting to us about the resistance. I am not going to share the details of her tour, but she showed us parts of Lyon that were important for secret communications and gatherings. She talked of the leaders of the French, Marshal Petain a WWI hero who collaborated with the Nazis thinking he could avoid war. Petain was the head of the Vichy regime during the war and was equally vicious in trying to capture and punish the Resistant leaders as the the Germans.
The Resistance developed an underground newspaper to keep the loyal French informed. Lyon was in the center of Vichy controlled territory, so there was much at risk. Our guide talked of the some the resistance heroes and put emphasis on on the role of Charles de Gaulle as a leader the loyal French could admire and follow in these difficult and personally dangerous times. She talked of the Jewish community in Lyon and its sufferings. It was about an hour and twenty minute talk as we wandered the streets of Lyon not too far from our hotel.
After the tour, Arthur and I went to lunch at a place that served excellent cheeseburgers along with a nice cold beer. For the first time on our trip we had to deal with some light rain. Our weather may not be the best for the two days left on our OAT tour.
I took it easy in the afternoon and we all went out for a group dinner at restaurant a short distance from our hotel. The walking is beginning to take its toll on me, but I am looking forward to my extra two days in Paris when I will be on my own. I had a fish risotto dinner with white wine and a waffle and ice cream dessert. We walked back to the hotel in the drizzling rain and I spent a few minutes talking to Gwen about the day. I really did very little of substance today, so this entry is much shorter than the previous entries.
Today, we had a guided tour by a guide who was carrying her 3 month old baby in a front loaded harness. The baby was fine and only cried a couple of times. The guide did a good job of managing the little person on her shoulders and the information she was imparting to us about the resistance. I am not going to share the details of her tour, but she showed us parts of Lyon that were important for secret communications and gatherings. She talked of the leaders of the French, Marshal Petain a WWI hero who collaborated with the Nazis thinking he could avoid war. Petain was the head of the Vichy regime during the war and was equally vicious in trying to capture and punish the Resistant leaders as the the Germans.
The Resistance developed an underground newspaper to keep the loyal French informed. Lyon was in the center of Vichy controlled territory, so there was much at risk. Our guide talked of the some the resistance heroes and put emphasis on on the role of Charles de Gaulle as a leader the loyal French could admire and follow in these difficult and personally dangerous times. She talked of the Jewish community in Lyon and its sufferings. It was about an hour and twenty minute talk as we wandered the streets of Lyon not too far from our hotel.
After the tour, Arthur and I went to lunch at a place that served excellent cheeseburgers along with a nice cold beer. For the first time on our trip we had to deal with some light rain. Our weather may not be the best for the two days left on our OAT tour.
I took it easy in the afternoon and we all went out for a group dinner at restaurant a short distance from our hotel. The walking is beginning to take its toll on me, but I am looking forward to my extra two days in Paris when I will be on my own. I had a fish risotto dinner with white wine and a waffle and ice cream dessert. We walked back to the hotel in the drizzling rain and I spent a few minutes talking to Gwen about the day. I really did very little of substance today, so this entry is much shorter than the previous entries.
October 19, Thursday, To Paris on a “Very Slow” Fast Train
Today’s train ride is not going well, so I thought I would write about it as it is happening. We were an hour late leaving the station due to an unidentified bag left on the train that had to be be checked out. We are now three stops up the line to Paris and we are stalled again due to some faulty lights that have stopped us cold for an untold amount of time. It is pouring rain outside and we are stuck in here for the time being. All seems calm, but this day is getting off to a horrible start.
We are back on our way, but still a long way from Paris. We made good time to Paris, once we got going again. However, we had another delay as we entered Paris because we had to wait for a track to be free. We finally made it in over two hours behind schedule. Our leader Gwen then had to improvise the rest of the afternoon. We had to eat at the station quickly. I chose not to. We then rode the metro for a couple of stops as Gwen did a masterful job of guiding all 16 of us on and off the Metro. The majority of the group went for a walk, but five of us chose not to the circular walk they were going to take. Instead Flora, Arthur, and I sat at a local cafe and had some refreshments as the others did the 45 minute walk around.
We then walked some more through the city toward the Seine River we would catch the water Taxi to our hotel. It was another 30 minute wait for our taxi to arrive at the landing near one of the islands on the Seine. Gwen then gave an audio tour of what we were seeing on the shoreline. I captured some of it with my photos. We went by the Louvre and landed at the Eiffel Tower where we got off the boat to walk another third of a mile to our hotel. You can see the Eiffel Tower from our hotel, but not from my room on the 11th floor. I was exhausted when we got to my room at 6:30, but I quickly unpacked for my four night stay and went down to the Lobby to decide what to do for dinner.
After listening to Gwen’s recommendations, Fred, Gloria, John, Liz, Chang, Hasoon, and I decided to walk another few hundred steps for a dinner at a restaurant several blocks from the hotel. We sat at a corner table and enjoyed a meal, quickly served by our English speaking waiter who explained the French menu in great detail. I had a beer and veal. It was very good and so was the conversation. This was my lightest day of food consumption. Cereal for breakfast, a small roll and a beer for lunch, and then dinner with no dessert. I am beginning to prepare for my re-entry into the real world on Monday. I was back in my room just short of 9 PM and went to bed.
This was one of those days where the virtue of patience was greatly required. The train through us way off schedule. Gwen had to adjust and so did we. When the French Fast Train speeds down the track, everything is fine. However, the glitches of moving into the largest and most popular city in France required me to exhibit patience and for the most part I did, absent a few attempts at humor about the Fast, Slow Train to Paris. The next three days should be interesting, one last day with my tour group, and two days on my own. I will probably not go museum hopping, but rather just enjoy people watching in Paris.
Today’s train ride is not going well, so I thought I would write about it as it is happening. We were an hour late leaving the station due to an unidentified bag left on the train that had to be be checked out. We are now three stops up the line to Paris and we are stalled again due to some faulty lights that have stopped us cold for an untold amount of time. It is pouring rain outside and we are stuck in here for the time being. All seems calm, but this day is getting off to a horrible start.
We are back on our way, but still a long way from Paris. We made good time to Paris, once we got going again. However, we had another delay as we entered Paris because we had to wait for a track to be free. We finally made it in over two hours behind schedule. Our leader Gwen then had to improvise the rest of the afternoon. We had to eat at the station quickly. I chose not to. We then rode the metro for a couple of stops as Gwen did a masterful job of guiding all 16 of us on and off the Metro. The majority of the group went for a walk, but five of us chose not to the circular walk they were going to take. Instead Flora, Arthur, and I sat at a local cafe and had some refreshments as the others did the 45 minute walk around.
We then walked some more through the city toward the Seine River we would catch the water Taxi to our hotel. It was another 30 minute wait for our taxi to arrive at the landing near one of the islands on the Seine. Gwen then gave an audio tour of what we were seeing on the shoreline. I captured some of it with my photos. We went by the Louvre and landed at the Eiffel Tower where we got off the boat to walk another third of a mile to our hotel. You can see the Eiffel Tower from our hotel, but not from my room on the 11th floor. I was exhausted when we got to my room at 6:30, but I quickly unpacked for my four night stay and went down to the Lobby to decide what to do for dinner.
After listening to Gwen’s recommendations, Fred, Gloria, John, Liz, Chang, Hasoon, and I decided to walk another few hundred steps for a dinner at a restaurant several blocks from the hotel. We sat at a corner table and enjoyed a meal, quickly served by our English speaking waiter who explained the French menu in great detail. I had a beer and veal. It was very good and so was the conversation. This was my lightest day of food consumption. Cereal for breakfast, a small roll and a beer for lunch, and then dinner with no dessert. I am beginning to prepare for my re-entry into the real world on Monday. I was back in my room just short of 9 PM and went to bed.
This was one of those days where the virtue of patience was greatly required. The train through us way off schedule. Gwen had to adjust and so did we. When the French Fast Train speeds down the track, everything is fine. However, the glitches of moving into the largest and most popular city in France required me to exhibit patience and for the most part I did, absent a few attempts at humor about the Fast, Slow Train to Paris. The next three days should be interesting, one last day with my tour group, and two days on my own. I will probably not go museum hopping, but rather just enjoy people watching in Paris.
October 20, Friday: A Visit to The Montmartre District
On my first of three full days in Paris, I went with Gwen and the group on the subway some distance to the district of Montmartre where another basilica sits on a hill overlooking Paris. We had no trouble navigating the subway system, except a few of us got off on the wrong side and we lost sight of Gwen. With a little navigation we rejoined the group and caught the next subway for our tour of the district. Gwen led us over cobblestones to the base of the hill in Montmartre where most of the group climbed the numerous stairs to the top. I chose to take the funicular along with John, Carley, and Arthur. We all arrived at the top, we riders shortly after the climbers. Gwen then took us to the Basilica where the fences were covered with double locks by couples in love. This practice is illegal, and the police remove them regularly, but it takes little time to replace them with many more. There are lots of people in love in Paris.
I went inside the Basilica for just a short while and unfortunately my photo of the altar did not turn out so well, but after seeing so many churches, this failure to capture the inside was not important. However, the views of Paris from the crest of the hill where the Basilica sits were breathtaking. After spending about 20 minutes at the church, Gwen led us on a tour of the buildings in the areas. We also visited a market square where street artists would paint your portrait for a price. I walked around the square and captured a few moments of life in this active market place. We then continued our tour beginning to head down the steep hill but more gradually than the uphill climb. We passed residential areas, gardens, an occasional mansion or two until we got to the bottom. Some of the group split up to take the metro to the Van Gogh Museum, but several us followed Gwen toward the famous Moulin Rouge Burlesque. We were now in the part of the city loaded with sex shops, which sort of surprised me. It reminded me of the way Times Square in New York used to be in the 80s before it was cleaned up. What upset me a little was this section was along a beautiful boulevard park where families could walk if the commercial environment were more acceptable. I took a few photos of the famous Burlesque House where Toulouse Lautrec hung out.
We caught the Metro back to the hotel where Arthur, Gwen, and I stopped for lunch at a restaurant near the hotel. I had a hamburger for third time in France and again, I enjoyed the French rendition of American “cuisine” with a beer. The beer in France is quite cold and quite good.
I returned to the hotel, worked on my photos for awhile and then went out again in the rainy and sunny weather afternoon, caught the water taxi and just cruised through the 9 stops that the boat navigates over a period of an hour and three quarters. I was able to get some photos out of the clear windows of the boat as it skimmed along the waters of the Seine. I got a better view of the Louvre and of the Notre Dame reconstruction project than I had to date. It was a nice way to see a good deal of the Paris architecture while relaxing on the boat.
At 5:15, we all met in the breakfast room of the hotel for a final drink on the tour. Gwen gave a wonderful synopsis of our trip and thanked us for being a good group. We returned the thanks for her leadership and then we all went to a local restaurant for our final dinner as a tour group. It was a pleasant meal with lots of conversation. Franklin and I got into some friendly conversations about authoritarian governments versus democratic ones and the relationship to education. We returned to the hotel. I had a Jameson on the rocks in the lounge before retiring. I had walked 5.12 miles on this Friday and I was tired.
On my first of three full days in Paris, I went with Gwen and the group on the subway some distance to the district of Montmartre where another basilica sits on a hill overlooking Paris. We had no trouble navigating the subway system, except a few of us got off on the wrong side and we lost sight of Gwen. With a little navigation we rejoined the group and caught the next subway for our tour of the district. Gwen led us over cobblestones to the base of the hill in Montmartre where most of the group climbed the numerous stairs to the top. I chose to take the funicular along with John, Carley, and Arthur. We all arrived at the top, we riders shortly after the climbers. Gwen then took us to the Basilica where the fences were covered with double locks by couples in love. This practice is illegal, and the police remove them regularly, but it takes little time to replace them with many more. There are lots of people in love in Paris.
I went inside the Basilica for just a short while and unfortunately my photo of the altar did not turn out so well, but after seeing so many churches, this failure to capture the inside was not important. However, the views of Paris from the crest of the hill where the Basilica sits were breathtaking. After spending about 20 minutes at the church, Gwen led us on a tour of the buildings in the areas. We also visited a market square where street artists would paint your portrait for a price. I walked around the square and captured a few moments of life in this active market place. We then continued our tour beginning to head down the steep hill but more gradually than the uphill climb. We passed residential areas, gardens, an occasional mansion or two until we got to the bottom. Some of the group split up to take the metro to the Van Gogh Museum, but several us followed Gwen toward the famous Moulin Rouge Burlesque. We were now in the part of the city loaded with sex shops, which sort of surprised me. It reminded me of the way Times Square in New York used to be in the 80s before it was cleaned up. What upset me a little was this section was along a beautiful boulevard park where families could walk if the commercial environment were more acceptable. I took a few photos of the famous Burlesque House where Toulouse Lautrec hung out.
We caught the Metro back to the hotel where Arthur, Gwen, and I stopped for lunch at a restaurant near the hotel. I had a hamburger for third time in France and again, I enjoyed the French rendition of American “cuisine” with a beer. The beer in France is quite cold and quite good.
I returned to the hotel, worked on my photos for awhile and then went out again in the rainy and sunny weather afternoon, caught the water taxi and just cruised through the 9 stops that the boat navigates over a period of an hour and three quarters. I was able to get some photos out of the clear windows of the boat as it skimmed along the waters of the Seine. I got a better view of the Louvre and of the Notre Dame reconstruction project than I had to date. It was a nice way to see a good deal of the Paris architecture while relaxing on the boat.
At 5:15, we all met in the breakfast room of the hotel for a final drink on the tour. Gwen gave a wonderful synopsis of our trip and thanked us for being a good group. We returned the thanks for her leadership and then we all went to a local restaurant for our final dinner as a tour group. It was a pleasant meal with lots of conversation. Franklin and I got into some friendly conversations about authoritarian governments versus democratic ones and the relationship to education. We returned to the hotel. I had a Jameson on the rocks in the lounge before retiring. I had walked 5.12 miles on this Friday and I was tired.
October 21, Saturday: First Day Alone in Paris
Well, I said goodbye to most of my traveling group after breakfast this morning. I then was faced with what to do for the first day on my own in Paris. I decided to get back on the water taxi and go to two stops. The first was at Notre Dame where there is a shopping area that includes a very interesting book store called Shakespeare at Home. I was not sure where to look for the store, but Gwen gave me a rough idea and after a few minutes of wandering, I found it. It is a store built in house with lots of rooms of books, all with section titles clearly marked. After waiting in a slow moving line to enter the store for about 20 minutes, I had my opportunity to walk through the store. I was not allowed to take photos inside the store, but I have a few photos of the outside look. They have hard cover books, but it was largely a paperback collection of books in English, so I knew it was affordable. After wandering in the store for 20 or 30 minutes, I found a book by Leonard Cohen in the poetry section and book by spiritual guru, Thich Nhat Hanh. I wanted to buy some books for Gina’s kids, but they were in French and I did not know what they would like.
After the book store, I got back on the boat and rode to another stop where there were a number of of stores as part of a shopping market. I bought a gift of cheese knifes for Lou and a necklace and earrings for Gina. The woman in the little jewelry shop designed the pieces that I bought for Gina. The other stores just had a selection of nice gifts that were non-touristy. So, I got back on the boat and arrived back at the hotel around 4 PM. I sat in the bar and had a beer.
Around 6:3o, I went to a small Italian restaurant several blocks from the hotel. I was one of three people in the place prior to the usual 7 PM eating time in Paris. I ordered a red wine and lasagna. The pasta was very good and just the right amount. I have to start pairing back on my food intake for when I return home and walk less. I did over 10000 steps today when all was said and done.
When I returned to the hotel, I brought my bottle of wine from the vineyard in Carcassonne to the bartender to uncork the bottle. He did. I noticed a woman from the other OAT trip we encountered over the past three weeks sitting alone in the bar and I asked to join her. She said fine. Her name is Tricia. We spent the next hour drinking from my bottle of red and talking about our lives to date. Her current job is a part time ESL teacher for immigrants and she finds it very rewarding. She lives in Denver and this was her first OAT trip. She is staying six extra days in Paris. I asked her her if she would like to join me for dinner Sunday night and she said yes. Perhaps, I will have some company on my last night in Paris. I called it a night around 9 PM.
Well, I said goodbye to most of my traveling group after breakfast this morning. I then was faced with what to do for the first day on my own in Paris. I decided to get back on the water taxi and go to two stops. The first was at Notre Dame where there is a shopping area that includes a very interesting book store called Shakespeare at Home. I was not sure where to look for the store, but Gwen gave me a rough idea and after a few minutes of wandering, I found it. It is a store built in house with lots of rooms of books, all with section titles clearly marked. After waiting in a slow moving line to enter the store for about 20 minutes, I had my opportunity to walk through the store. I was not allowed to take photos inside the store, but I have a few photos of the outside look. They have hard cover books, but it was largely a paperback collection of books in English, so I knew it was affordable. After wandering in the store for 20 or 30 minutes, I found a book by Leonard Cohen in the poetry section and book by spiritual guru, Thich Nhat Hanh. I wanted to buy some books for Gina’s kids, but they were in French and I did not know what they would like.
After the book store, I got back on the boat and rode to another stop where there were a number of of stores as part of a shopping market. I bought a gift of cheese knifes for Lou and a necklace and earrings for Gina. The woman in the little jewelry shop designed the pieces that I bought for Gina. The other stores just had a selection of nice gifts that were non-touristy. So, I got back on the boat and arrived back at the hotel around 4 PM. I sat in the bar and had a beer.
Around 6:3o, I went to a small Italian restaurant several blocks from the hotel. I was one of three people in the place prior to the usual 7 PM eating time in Paris. I ordered a red wine and lasagna. The pasta was very good and just the right amount. I have to start pairing back on my food intake for when I return home and walk less. I did over 10000 steps today when all was said and done.
When I returned to the hotel, I brought my bottle of wine from the vineyard in Carcassonne to the bartender to uncork the bottle. He did. I noticed a woman from the other OAT trip we encountered over the past three weeks sitting alone in the bar and I asked to join her. She said fine. Her name is Tricia. We spent the next hour drinking from my bottle of red and talking about our lives to date. Her current job is a part time ESL teacher for immigrants and she finds it very rewarding. She lives in Denver and this was her first OAT trip. She is staying six extra days in Paris. I asked her her if she would like to join me for dinner Sunday night and she said yes. Perhaps, I will have some company on my last night in Paris. I called it a night around 9 PM.
October 22, Sunday: Last Day in Paris
I started off today with a visit to St. Leon’s Church for Mass about a mile long walk from the hotel. Thanks to good directions from Gwen and my evolving sense of getting to know this small slice of Paris, it was an easy walk. This is a smaller, more local parish than the other churches that I have attended while here in France, but the Church was about half full at the 9 AM hour. I lit another candle for Terry. That makes six in France, far surpassing lit candles in other countries that I have visited.
This was my last full day in Paris and I decided to take it easy. I still put 8000 plus steps on the walk-a-meter, but my walk included a subway ride to the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Green Line #6. It was more crowded on a late Sunday morning than I anticipated, but I navigated the Metro well. Even though everything is in French, there are enough visual cues to lead an American like me in the right direction. I took some photos of the Arc and then walked around looking for a shop to buy gifts for Gina’s kids, but I was not sure of their sizes and decided to leave that task until I was at the airport on Monday. I did find a Starbucks and bought a Pike blend coffee and a cookie. I took some photos of the place to show Susie back at my Starbucks in Mt. Pleasant.
I navigated the subway one last time in Paris back to the hotel. By early afternoon, Paris is a busy place with people sitting at cafe tables, drinking a beverage, and enjoying their day of rest. When I arrived back at the hotel, I was informed on my phone that my plane for tomorrow at 8:30 AM had been canceled. I experienced a momentary bit of panic, but contacted Gwen for advice. Within a half hour, my flights had been rescheduled through Atlanta rather New York. I am supposed to arrive in Charleston around 7:30 tomorrow night, if all goes well with flight schedules. I felt better, except that I no longer have an aisle seat. Perhaps, I can change it at the airport. I am not happy about having a middle seat. Flying home from these trips continues to be a pain.
At 6:30, I met Tricia in the Lobby of the hotel for our walk to dinner a couple of blocks from the hotel. We continued our talk from the conversation we had in the bar the previous night. This was her first trip with OAT, so we discussed the OAT operation a bit and I told her about several of the trips that I liked. She has booked several day tours with guides of Paris and seems happy with how she has chose to spend her extra time in Paris. We share a career choice of education and some other common interests. We discussed my Website a bit and she even looked at it on her phone. I most likely will never see her again, but she was gracious enough to help me fill a few hours of my last two days in Paris. I wish her safe travels back to Denver.
My stomach is beginning to rebel against French food and it is time for me to head home tomorrow. I have enjoyed France, particularly the contracts of city and countryside, the food, and the people.It is unlikely that I will return to this country in the future, but it was well worth the trip to see as much of it as I have. I have set a walking pace on par with my trip to Sicily last March. I hope the exercise has kept my weight in check from all of the great meals that I have had. I will enjoy posting my daily journey, now approaching 13,000 words to my sight in the next month or so.
I started off today with a visit to St. Leon’s Church for Mass about a mile long walk from the hotel. Thanks to good directions from Gwen and my evolving sense of getting to know this small slice of Paris, it was an easy walk. This is a smaller, more local parish than the other churches that I have attended while here in France, but the Church was about half full at the 9 AM hour. I lit another candle for Terry. That makes six in France, far surpassing lit candles in other countries that I have visited.
This was my last full day in Paris and I decided to take it easy. I still put 8000 plus steps on the walk-a-meter, but my walk included a subway ride to the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Green Line #6. It was more crowded on a late Sunday morning than I anticipated, but I navigated the Metro well. Even though everything is in French, there are enough visual cues to lead an American like me in the right direction. I took some photos of the Arc and then walked around looking for a shop to buy gifts for Gina’s kids, but I was not sure of their sizes and decided to leave that task until I was at the airport on Monday. I did find a Starbucks and bought a Pike blend coffee and a cookie. I took some photos of the place to show Susie back at my Starbucks in Mt. Pleasant.
I navigated the subway one last time in Paris back to the hotel. By early afternoon, Paris is a busy place with people sitting at cafe tables, drinking a beverage, and enjoying their day of rest. When I arrived back at the hotel, I was informed on my phone that my plane for tomorrow at 8:30 AM had been canceled. I experienced a momentary bit of panic, but contacted Gwen for advice. Within a half hour, my flights had been rescheduled through Atlanta rather New York. I am supposed to arrive in Charleston around 7:30 tomorrow night, if all goes well with flight schedules. I felt better, except that I no longer have an aisle seat. Perhaps, I can change it at the airport. I am not happy about having a middle seat. Flying home from these trips continues to be a pain.
At 6:30, I met Tricia in the Lobby of the hotel for our walk to dinner a couple of blocks from the hotel. We continued our talk from the conversation we had in the bar the previous night. This was her first trip with OAT, so we discussed the OAT operation a bit and I told her about several of the trips that I liked. She has booked several day tours with guides of Paris and seems happy with how she has chose to spend her extra time in Paris. We share a career choice of education and some other common interests. We discussed my Website a bit and she even looked at it on her phone. I most likely will never see her again, but she was gracious enough to help me fill a few hours of my last two days in Paris. I wish her safe travels back to Denver.
My stomach is beginning to rebel against French food and it is time for me to head home tomorrow. I have enjoyed France, particularly the contracts of city and countryside, the food, and the people.It is unlikely that I will return to this country in the future, but it was well worth the trip to see as much of it as I have. I have set a walking pace on par with my trip to Sicily last March. I hope the exercise has kept my weight in check from all of the great meals that I have had. I will enjoy posting my daily journey, now approaching 13,000 words to my sight in the next month or so.
October 23, Monday: Going Home
I plan to add a little poem written on the plane into this final entry on my trip to France. I found the experience quite worthwhile. Gwen, our guide was exceptional. She anticipated all of our needs and was always one or two steps ahead even when the scheduled plan blew up. Her energy and preplanning skills made most of our transitions very smooth, even with unanticipated surprises. When the train was delayed for two hours from Lyon to Paris, she adjusted well and we hardly missed a beat. Her kind disposition was an added plus on this trip. It was always a pleasure to engage her in conversations. She was open about her life and her joy of leading tours for OAT.
What did I like about France? More than I thought I would at the beginning of the trip. There was variety on this trip, but French food, wine, and culture were always the main focus. The couple who owned the Chateau where we stayed for one night and the couple who shared the the food and wine of the vineyard they own on a Sunday afternoon in Carcassonne were two of many highlights for me. Riding a fast train when it went fast was fun. You can make good time on the train if there are no glitches.
We had a good group to travel with. There were many different personalities , but we all seemed to get along. Arthur was the oldest and real traveling trooper. Bob had a special talent for hanging back and watching for stragglers in the group, including me. Hasoon, wife of Dr. Chang, a fellow alumni of the UW, asked really good questions in our conversations. Carley and I had some spirited conversations about Education. Barry is just a good guy with lots of interests. Franklin and Jisili were troopers even though Jisili was a bit of a slow walker like me. John and Liz were from Verona, Wisconsin, so we had much to talk about. Fred and Gloria were a hoot. Fred’s interest in everything kept Gloria and all the rest of us on our toes. Those not mentioned were all in when it came to the harmony in the group and that made the trip very special for me.
I probably could have spent my time more wisely in Paris, but I was tired from the miles of walking on cobblestones and climbing some hills and stairs. Fortunately, I could ride alternative transportation to the tops of the hills where we captured beautiful views of the cities and countryside below. Riding the On/Off Boat on the Seine was a good way to travel and catch the places of interest along the way. My subway to the Arc de Triomphe on the subway on Sunday worked out well. Gwen had given us a little training on the Paris Metro System and it was most helpful.
The plane ride from Paris, though long, was quite smooth. We landed on time. In addition to doing a little writing on the plane, I listened to music on the Air France Entertainment system. I also killed a couple of hour by watching a Disney move called “Jungle Cruise,” which was a comedy, action adventure that was kind of fun to watch. The script was unbelievable, the actors were OK, and the story itself lacked lots of credibility, but it was entertaining.
The line for the Passport check was long, but moved quickly. I passed through easily, recovered by checked luggage and breezed through customs. I took the shuttle train to the A section where my flight to Charleston was scheduled. I arrived in plenty of time, stopped and had a beer, checked the NFL scores from the weekend, saw that the Packers lost again, and waited for my flight. It took off almost on time for the short flight to Charleston.
My flight to Charleston was quick and uneventful. I arrived on time, picked up my baggage quickly, caught a taxi, and was home by 10 PM. This was a much better scenario than my difficult return from Sicily back in March. With no more international trips planned, I now have to decide whether to vacation only on the domestic front. I need to take a little time and settle back into my routine.
I plan to add a little poem written on the plane into this final entry on my trip to France. I found the experience quite worthwhile. Gwen, our guide was exceptional. She anticipated all of our needs and was always one or two steps ahead even when the scheduled plan blew up. Her energy and preplanning skills made most of our transitions very smooth, even with unanticipated surprises. When the train was delayed for two hours from Lyon to Paris, she adjusted well and we hardly missed a beat. Her kind disposition was an added plus on this trip. It was always a pleasure to engage her in conversations. She was open about her life and her joy of leading tours for OAT.
What did I like about France? More than I thought I would at the beginning of the trip. There was variety on this trip, but French food, wine, and culture were always the main focus. The couple who owned the Chateau where we stayed for one night and the couple who shared the the food and wine of the vineyard they own on a Sunday afternoon in Carcassonne were two of many highlights for me. Riding a fast train when it went fast was fun. You can make good time on the train if there are no glitches.
We had a good group to travel with. There were many different personalities , but we all seemed to get along. Arthur was the oldest and real traveling trooper. Bob had a special talent for hanging back and watching for stragglers in the group, including me. Hasoon, wife of Dr. Chang, a fellow alumni of the UW, asked really good questions in our conversations. Carley and I had some spirited conversations about Education. Barry is just a good guy with lots of interests. Franklin and Jisili were troopers even though Jisili was a bit of a slow walker like me. John and Liz were from Verona, Wisconsin, so we had much to talk about. Fred and Gloria were a hoot. Fred’s interest in everything kept Gloria and all the rest of us on our toes. Those not mentioned were all in when it came to the harmony in the group and that made the trip very special for me.
I probably could have spent my time more wisely in Paris, but I was tired from the miles of walking on cobblestones and climbing some hills and stairs. Fortunately, I could ride alternative transportation to the tops of the hills where we captured beautiful views of the cities and countryside below. Riding the On/Off Boat on the Seine was a good way to travel and catch the places of interest along the way. My subway to the Arc de Triomphe on the subway on Sunday worked out well. Gwen had given us a little training on the Paris Metro System and it was most helpful.
The plane ride from Paris, though long, was quite smooth. We landed on time. In addition to doing a little writing on the plane, I listened to music on the Air France Entertainment system. I also killed a couple of hour by watching a Disney move called “Jungle Cruise,” which was a comedy, action adventure that was kind of fun to watch. The script was unbelievable, the actors were OK, and the story itself lacked lots of credibility, but it was entertaining.
The line for the Passport check was long, but moved quickly. I passed through easily, recovered by checked luggage and breezed through customs. I took the shuttle train to the A section where my flight to Charleston was scheduled. I arrived in plenty of time, stopped and had a beer, checked the NFL scores from the weekend, saw that the Packers lost again, and waited for my flight. It took off almost on time for the short flight to Charleston.
My flight to Charleston was quick and uneventful. I arrived on time, picked up my baggage quickly, caught a taxi, and was home by 10 PM. This was a much better scenario than my difficult return from Sicily back in March. With no more international trips planned, I now have to decide whether to vacation only on the domestic front. I need to take a little time and settle back into my routine.
The Ride Home
Jay Voss, Oct 23. 2023
One more long plane ride
To get me back
Across the Atlantic.
A stop in Atlanta
And then on to Charleston;
I am in a middle seat,
Not by choice,
But Air France canceled my flight,
Just another version of getting bumped.
I had the aisle on the first flight
But lost it in the second.
However, premium economy
Is a better ride,
Wider seats, nice options
For passing the time.
I had a meal of duck,
Mash potatoes and vegetables,
Not bad as airplane meals go.
The glass of red helped a lot.
The flight is half over,
I have been listening to music
On Air France earphones.
Enya, Ed Sheeran, Sting and friends
Have made the ride a little easier.
Even watched a corny Disney Movie
About a mystery tree in the jungle
The jokes were hokey,
The acting on the weak side,
But I was entertained
For a couple of hours.
Just took a walk down the aisle
To the facilities and to stretch my legs.
Now I am back in my cushy seat
Writing this length ditty,
Letting the words flow as they come.
The last stanza will come later
On the short flight to Charleston.
That is if I can get to the gate.
I wait in line for the passport check,
The line moves quickly,
No hold-ups here.
My luggage appears.
Quickly, I clear customs,
Baggage rechecked,
Take the Shuttle to Section A
And Gate 32.
With an hour to kill,
I sit and drink a beer and relax.
My plane leaves on time,
Atlanta to Charleston in 42 minutes.
Will my luggage be there?
Can I get a Taxi home?
Stress still imposes itself,
But the plane flight is quick,
We land right on time.
Easy, short flight to Charleston,
Baggage pickup is a breeze
Taxi just waiting for me
I arrive home at 10:01
No stress, no more angst,
Just tired and glad to be home.
I wish all my travels went so well.
Jay Voss, Oct 23. 2023
One more long plane ride
To get me back
Across the Atlantic.
A stop in Atlanta
And then on to Charleston;
I am in a middle seat,
Not by choice,
But Air France canceled my flight,
Just another version of getting bumped.
I had the aisle on the first flight
But lost it in the second.
However, premium economy
Is a better ride,
Wider seats, nice options
For passing the time.
I had a meal of duck,
Mash potatoes and vegetables,
Not bad as airplane meals go.
The glass of red helped a lot.
The flight is half over,
I have been listening to music
On Air France earphones.
Enya, Ed Sheeran, Sting and friends
Have made the ride a little easier.
Even watched a corny Disney Movie
About a mystery tree in the jungle
The jokes were hokey,
The acting on the weak side,
But I was entertained
For a couple of hours.
Just took a walk down the aisle
To the facilities and to stretch my legs.
Now I am back in my cushy seat
Writing this length ditty,
Letting the words flow as they come.
The last stanza will come later
On the short flight to Charleston.
That is if I can get to the gate.
I wait in line for the passport check,
The line moves quickly,
No hold-ups here.
My luggage appears.
Quickly, I clear customs,
Baggage rechecked,
Take the Shuttle to Section A
And Gate 32.
With an hour to kill,
I sit and drink a beer and relax.
My plane leaves on time,
Atlanta to Charleston in 42 minutes.
Will my luggage be there?
Can I get a Taxi home?
Stress still imposes itself,
But the plane flight is quick,
We land right on time.
Easy, short flight to Charleston,
Baggage pickup is a breeze
Taxi just waiting for me
I arrive home at 10:01
No stress, no more angst,
Just tired and glad to be home.
I wish all my travels went so well.
