SARLAT

Friday, November 3rd, 2000 On the road North to France

On the road by 8 am. Weather is very overcast but the sun is also shinning! Makes for a very dramatic sky! Crossed the boarder back into France at 9:35 am. No rain yet but very cold outside. As we headed north towards Carcassonne we had a beautiful rainbow. I said that it predicted sunshine and Jim said "yes, but it also takes rain to make a rainbow!"

The high winds were pushing our little Fiat. There were a few sprinkles as we left the autoroute and started our quest for the day. We decided to try to find the little town where we'd purchased the crooked bottle of wine on our trip down the Canal du Midi last year. Jim was sure that he'd remember it. He, Dave and Shari had ridden the bikes into the town for supplies. We found the town (Jim is sure) but not the grocery store and couldn't find the winery with the silver storage tanks. Did find the church. Actually went to the canal and crossed over it several times. Looked really great! After over an hour we gave up as the stores would be closing for lunch and even if we found it we wouldn't be able to get inside! On to Toulouse! [We actually found it on a trip in 2002...I'd brought maps with me! And we purchased several bottles to take home for our friends who were with us in 1999....not nearly as good as we remembered!]

Had a few problems with the roads around Toulouse and ended up back on the divided highway for a while. Back on the autoroute and then when that ended, the country roads. Saw one car with a broken fender and the truck that they’d collided with! It was mostly two lane roads, twisting and turning constantly. But we arrived at Sarlat before 4 pm. Just as we unloaded the car the rain started to come down in torrents!

The town is an absolutely charming ancient storybook village. Our hotel is a very old private home converted and added on to for centuries! The walls are about two feet thick on the outside. We're on the third floor but there is a very small elevator! The TV has about five French channels, no English! There is a telephone in the room. Bath has a shower. The room has radiator heating. (Tossa de Mar didn't have any heat in the rooms as they close in the winter.) Comfortable twin beds. Went over to check out the Laundromat (right across the street) and met a couple from Sacramento who are in town with an Elder Hostel Group Tour. They are with the same tour guide for the fifth trip. It's three weeks. One week at each of three towns. The guide lives in France but is Chinese and speaks wonderful English. They highly recommended the tours.

Dinner was in the hotel sooooo good! Some great hot d'oeuvre...don't know what, they were just served without our ordering and we were told to eat them! Waiter didn't speak any English but was delightful. When he saw me trying to diagram the folding of the napkin, he brought me one and told me to put it into my "bag"/purse complements of the house. [I still have that napkin!] We each had a salad. My salad had poached eggs in it! Then we each had Casserole with duck, sausage and lots of beans. Then a dessert. Stuffed!!! The specialty of this area is Foie Gras. Duck liver. Also walnuts and truffles. Well, Jim is already asleep. So I'm closing for tonight.

BEST LAID PLANS SOMETIMES GO ASTRAY....

Thursday, November 2nd, 2000 Attempting to do laundry.....

The plan today was to do the laundry. Well, you know about the best laid plans! We

found the local one and it was closed.. .looked like they'd stopped in the middle of

the day as there was laundry piled all over the place! Since it was market day and in

the same area we walked through the market. Mostly clothing. Reminded me of a

swap meet at home. Went back to the hotel and got our maps for Girona.

The weather is overcast and the surf danger sign is out on the beach, but not raining.

We drove to Girona and continued to drive all through the ancient part of the city

looking for the information office and/or parking. Finally found underground

parking in the new part of the city and then walked until we found the information

office. Found the public water closets next to the information. She showed us where

a Laundromat was located but said it would be closed from 1 to 4 pm. Standard

operating time in Spain!! Walked over the ancient stone footbridge which crosses

the Onyar River. This river is nearly dry and divides the city! The city is very hilly.

One needs good walking shoes because parking is almost impossible anywhere

except the underground garages in the new part of the city.

!

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Walked to the Laundromat through the town. It was called the LARO. But as the information said, it was closed between 1 and 4 pm. We could have done our own but it was all connected with a full laundry service. It was already 12:30 so we knew that one wouldn't work either. Oh well, another day for laundry! Walked about ten minutes back to the car and headed back to Tossa de Mar. Ate our lunch in the room. Wine from Italy (purchased in Orvieto), cheese, bread, candy and a can of sardines for Jim. Starting to sprinkle outside.

There was a car bomb explosion in Barcelona last night. Two persons injured.

Today there was a car bombing in West Jerusalem which killed two people. Once

that story broke we didn't hear any more about Barcelona. Not much good news during our call home today either. Read until about 5 pm then walked to the store to purchase more cheese for the car tomorrow, coke and breakfast rolls. Jim treated me to another great Magnum Double bar for an early dessert on the way back to the hotel. Saw a wooden duck we'd like to purchase for our collection at home, but luckily the store was closed for the season!!! Drank two beers before going to dinner. A bottle of wine with dinner of swordfish for Jim and more pizza for myself.

AVA GARDNER AND TOSSA DE MAR

Thursday, November 1st, 2000 Tossa de Mar, Spain

After breakfast in the room we left and we walk to church at 9 am. Reached the church and no Mass. Checked the chapel …no Mass. So we’re not sure. However, it’s nearly 10 am and most of the stores are closed. Later in the day we found out that it is a holiday due to the holy day! Weather is nice, sun is shining but it’s cool enough for jackets.

Walked to the beach to check on riding the boat to San Felip…no boat arrived so we got in the car and drove there. A winding and scenic route along the ocean for about twenty three miles. Lots of photo points. Took us about an hour to reach the next town on this road. Found the information place and forgot to ask about public bathrooms. After about half an hour driving about town…it’s a very large town; we didn’t see much that was quaint or charming so we went back to the information and found out that the museum next door had toilets and the museum was free. The museum was about the history of the cork industry that was the main source of income for the Costa Bravo including Tossa de Mar, during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The cork was made by peeling the bark of the cork trees. Made a visit and then headed back towards Tossa de Mar. Along the way we passed lots of vacation areas that appeared to now be closed. Their season is from May to October. One area was full of tiny little box condo’s on the side of the mountain. Another camping area had permanent tent structures dotted along the hillside. All very picturesque and definitely worth a photo or two. Road was now more crowded with bicycle riders and motorcycles, but since we were driving at a very comfortable speed we only had a few close calls!

Back at the hotel, we opened our wine, got out the cheese, bread and apple for lunch on our private patio overlooking the beach. Sun is shining but the wind makes it rather chilly; but there are people actually swimming. One lady looks like she is doing her swimming in her underwear! I shelled another bag of peanuts over lunch. Jim just returned and said it looks like we were wrong, we don’t leave here until Friday so we have an extra day! Not quite sure what we are going to do with all the time; Maybe an actual day of relaxing. We’re so used to going and doing all the time, it’s difficult to just relax!

After lunch we put on our jackets and walked all over the fort. Took a photo of Jim with the bronze statue of Ava Gardner, and one of me also, overlooking the harbor. She stared in a movie called Pandora and the Flying Dutchman that was filmed here in the 1950’s. That movie is credited with the beginning of the tourists coming to Tossa de Mar. Then we walked up the hill to the north side of the beach. Ate dessert along the way…double magnum ice cream bars. Some beautiful condo’s overlooking the bay; they all have stone balconies with tons of plants on them. Really spectacular!

BARCELONA

Tuesday, October 31st, 2000 (Halloween) Tossa de Mar, Spain

Made our own breakfast in the room with coffee and chocolate from the store in Belgium. Plus the rolls purchased last night. Tasted pretty good! In the car and off to Barcelona by 8:30 am. It is raining steady but not heavy. We’re going the coastal route and picking up the autoroute after Blanc. The silver lining to rain is less people and easier parking in Barcelona we’re hoping!

We arrived in Barcelona about 10 am. It had stopped raining before we entered town. The clear weather lasted till we left and then we had some light sprinkles on the way home. Even had some sunshine while we were in Barcelona. The books were right, the traffic is horrible! We found a parking garage near Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and then took a taxi to and from the Cathedral de Barcelona. The taxi was well worth the price!

Gaudi’s Cathedral will be the largest in Europe when completed, has been in process since 1882. It is extreme in style. We were able to go through the Museum which has lots of models of various parts and photo’s at different stages of construction. In the past several years the construction has accelerated and we may see the completion during our lifetime. We went up into the towers to see the views. You can take a lift up one tower and then walk the spiral staircase up another tower. The views are quite spectacular.

The old cathedral is located nearer to the coast and was originally based on the style of the sixth century. The interior was burned during the Spanish wars in 1930’s and so the wood altars are gone and the original structure shows much better. It is very large and has some beautiful altars. There were several of the statute actors outside, one was an angel! Another was a Roman Soldier and the gold lami sphinx which is done all over, and several others. But best, was the black man playing his guitar with very soul inspired Spanish music. Jim bought his CD. Then we found a Bar and bought some beer and light lunch that we really enjoyed.

Caught another taxi and found the parking garage. We were back on the autoroute by 1:30 pm. A fast and very good short visit to Barcelona.

Back to Tossa de Mar for rest, a walk up and around the old fort and a lovely dinner. No sign of Halloween activities here in Spain. BBC TV is showing a plane crash in Taiwan of a Singapore Airplane. There is a typhoon brewing which probably contributed to the crash. Weather looks like more rain tonight but Jim says the weather reports are showing clear tomorrow. We plan to spend the day tomorrow exploring Tossa de Mar after church as it is All Saints Day, an important holiday in Spain. Mass at the local church is at 9 am.

We ate our dinner in the restaurant downstairs that we'd eaten in on Monday. I had pizza and salad again and Jim tried something different. Beef! Walked to the car to get the books and maps since we've just discovered we have two more nights in Spain. Jim found an interesting town outside of Girona which is not too far away. We'll investigate that tomorrow. Washed my hair and Jim is now out for a walk to try to digest his big dinner that he ate tonight. We both need to cut wayyyyy back on the amount of food we're eating but it's hard when it's all sooooo good! I'm watching Star Trek in Spanish right now!

TRAVELING TO TOSSA DE MAR IN SPAIN....

Monday, October 30th, 2000 On the road to Spain

Up, finished packing and loaded the car before breakfast. On the way out of town we stopped at the post office to mail final postcards. Then on the road for Spain shortly after 9 am. We headed towards Orange to get the A7 to the A9…messed up getting on and ended up going south to Avignon, got off then back on and in the north direction to get to the A9 which will take us all the way to Spain. Finally on the A9 at 10 am. Sun is overcast and we got some light sprinkles but nothing serious. When we realized our wrong turn, I said that we’ve got another “silver lining”; we’ll be going into Avignon (was not in our plans as we’d been there last year). Jim’s response was that we’ve had a lot of these silver linings on this trip!

The sun came out just as we passed over the Canal de Midi! The canal we spent a week on last year! Literally, it couldn’t have timed it better. We had sun for the rest of the day!

Arrived in Spain at 1 pm. Tried to get ATM money at border but could only change some French Francs into Presado’s which are worth about 200 to $1.00. With language change we accidentally got off the autoroute just across the border. Decided the roads looked pretty good so we decided to save toll money and take the local road. Stopped at a store, found an ATM, and purchased a map with more details than the one we had. Road looks great all the way to our destination. Eventually we had to turn towards the coast, go over some mountains and finally arrived at Toss de Mar about 2:45 pm.

Tossa de Mar is a beautiful town on the coast of Spain about an hour north of Barcelona. Our hotel was easy to find and we have a room on the third floor overlooking the beach and fort. Definitely a sea resort. Number of people is light due to the time of year. People are on the beach, but those in shorts look cold as the wind is blowing even though the sun is shinning! Should be a very relaxing place to stay. Plan to drive to Barcelona tomorrow to see several sights and then return to spend the balance of time here in Tossa de Mar. Lots of shops with reasonably priced items. Found our little brown ceramic cheese dishes for about thirty-five cents each. Figure we can fit them into our suitcases as they’re so small. Also house numbers to put on the dock at home. Had a great dinner at Es Congra, fish for Jim and Pizza with salad for myself. All that with a bottle of wine for only 4300 pasada which is less than $30.00. A long walk on the beach and home to watch a little TV. Finally found BBC with some English. Makes the evening go faster. They have a series of programs that keep repeating, very similar to CNN in 1992 when we were in France. When you have no choices you ignore that fact. Tonight they have a story on Route 66 and how it is disappearing. Also, the Gore verses Bush story is big on the news. That and the bombing today in Madrid! Spain is having some internal problems!

But, we’ll be gone by Thursday. Too bad as Thursday is Market Day here in Tossa de Mar. Our room has a telephone that allows me to use MCI and also an elevator! It’s an elegant, old classic hotel with lots of charm! Very clean and the bathroom has a tub! Added plus is that the tub has a shower curtain and a great shower faucet. We even have a mini bar…added our bottle of wine to cool for tomorrow!

While driving to Spain I checked the expenses on postcards to date: Purchased 261 cards for a cost of $109. That’s about 38 cents per card. Mailed 154 cards at a cost of $93.00 which is about 60 cents per card. The balance of the cards are saved as souvenirs for a scrapbook.

ANTIQUE MARKET IN ISLE LA SORGUE

Sunday, October 29th, 2000 Last night in Venasque

Jim said he woke up at 4 am new time and couldn’t get back to sleep. Spent the rest of the night building tables and planning the Provence Party for when we get home. Almost forgot to mention, Jim hits his head regularly on the doorways in this hotel, they are built for people who are about six inches shorter than he is! In six days he has hit the bathroom one at least six times!

Breakfast about 9 am and then off to walk around town before 10:30 am Mass at the local church. Found the grocery store open (it’s only open a few hours every morning) and finally found a postcard with VENASQUE written on the front of the card! Ten Franc each! Generally they are 2 Franc each and lots of times you can find them for 1 Franc. Only got two of them! But Jim found an English newspaper and we got some cheese and cokes for the car today. Also found a book at the Information Shop with the history of Venasque which will make interesting reading tonight. Mass was very nice. Their Girl Scout troop did all the readings, collection, etc. Very nice touch in their uniforms. It is a very small church and was full.

After Mass the sun was still shining but the clouds were gathering on the horizon so we took our umbrellas and headed by auto towards Isle La Sorgue. We’ve been there twice to shop but this time we decided to go to the Sunday Market on the island. Stopped on the way at the car wash we’d seen and figured out how to work the vacuum. The inside of the car is very dirty and full of breadcrumbs from so many lunches on the road! Just as we finished the rain began. Drove on into town and people were starting to leave. Found parking and ate our lunch. Sure enough, the rain stopped and we had a lovely walk through the Market. It was a very good “flea market”. Lots of antique furniture, silverware, etc. Jim found Provence Yardage and we purchased two yards each of four different kinds. We started out looking for aprons to wear at the party! Said he’s going to make them! The material is very unique to Provence and will also make some great tablecloths. After about two hours we headed back towards Venasque. Stopped along the road to take a photo of the old concrete road signs that look like they’ve been here for hundred’s of years. They have the new metal signs but someone keeps these old ones in good condition also! Saw some sailplanes in the sky so stopped and watched them for a while. Then we headed towards le Beaucet, another old village near Venasque.

I’m typing this before dinner; Jim just stopped me to look at the sunset. Magnificent colors due to the storm clouds in the area. Took a photo, hope it comes out. He took some great video footage!

Continuing the journal; we drove down a long country road about one lane wide, very difficult to pass on coming cars. But we arrive at le Beaucet, another very old town. Several artists have settled there recently and there is definitely activity. About twenty tourist cars in the area but no buses and no shops. All still very natural and similar to Venasque but smaller. There is still a sizable wall left of the chateau but we were unable to get up to it because of private residences. Great photo material though. Back in the car and home to Venasque by 5 pm. Nice to have some time to relax before dinner. We’re hungry and the fact that it’s already dark outside doesn’t help the stomach. Also, we’re right above the kitchen and the smells are almost too much!

Wonderful dinner! Jim elected to have the highest priced fixed dinner. He was in seventh heaven! He even wrote down his menu:

Wine: Domine de Frondreche (Blanc)

1^st: Callettes: roll of chopped pork & spinach “ala vauilusaiase”

Poivrons: sweet red and green peppers (grated)

Bavarois: tomato flan with basil

2^nd: caille: roast quail w/anchovy sauce of Provence

3^rd: Fromage: goat cheese floated in hot arneif “virtour” (red wine)

4^th: Nougat glace ax ice cream with almond

CARPENTRAS

Saturday, October 28th, 2000 Provence

Slept in a bit and enjoyed a lazy Saturday morning. On the road about 9:30 in the morning we headed for Carpentras, the local large city, and the Internet. There is also a Laundromat there but decided to wait until after Barcelona to do laundry. Spent an hour and a half on the Internet. Had one problem with AOL message regarding billing problems. Things went wacky for a while. Called them later in the day and they said it was probably a Trojan horse looking to attach to my billing information. They said that our account did not show any problems. Tom’s Baptism is set for January 21^st. Neighbors are planning a group party in Newport Beach on Dec. 28^th. Do hope we’ve RSVP’d early enough. Otherwise things looked good.

Afterwards we drove over and checked out the Roman Aqueduct in town. We found another piece of it later in the day at Fontaine de Vancluse. Jim wanted to climb on top but fortunately they had done a good job blocking access and he was unable to get on top of it and had to settle for photos from the ground! About 1 pm we went back to the hotel to put things away and pick up some food for lunch to add to our stop at the grocery store in Carpentras. Then we were on our way by really back, back, back roads to Fontaine de Vancluse. In doing so we found St. Didler, which was another remarkable town that we almost didn’t go to.

Fontaine de Vancluse is a very quaint town famous for it’s waterfalls. Walked about half mile to the Source. At the base of a very high, shear mountainside; the water at the source is absolutely still and then the water races out of it down a set of rapids. Water is green which indicates that there are glaciers somewhere under the mountain that are feeding springs that keep the pond full at the source. Really different! Also, walked through a paper mill located near the base of the rapids. Watched paper being made. Beautiful, but expensive. Then found a shop that was selling Provence yardage! But instead we purchased eight sets of different place mats for a total of sixteen. Then eight napkins for bread baskets. Preparation for our Provence party when we return. Jim found a good buy on perfumed soaps also.

Started home and remembered we were supposed to call my office regarding an offer on one of my listings... opps, we were an hour from the hotel. Jim made good time and we made it back to the hotel just after 5 pm and I managed to reach the office in time. Also called AOL regarding the billing question plus calls to the family.

Cleaned up and had a wonderful dinner in the hotel restaurant. Full house tonight, good thing we made reservations this morning. They were turning people away! I think they must drive here from Carpentras for dinner! Hard to believe that we’ve only got one more night! We have been writing post cards at dinnertime to make the meal last longer! We’ve mailed over one hundred cards to people on the trip. But since it’s my “shopping”, Jim doesn’t mind! Talked to Christoph tonight about the herbs. He said that they go into the countryside every two days and collect their own. There are plenty of herbs growing wild he said. Time to say good night. We changed our clocks in Europe tonight so I’m trying to stay up a little later as we have an extra hour tomorrow.

VISIT TO AIX AND THEN MONT VENTOUX

Friday October 27th, 2000 Provence

Got a late start this morning, headed south about 9:30 am to the autoroute. We’re going shopping for more Cassoulet Soup and some cheese for now! Then on to Aix en Provence, a large city to the south that Paul Cezanne, a famous impressionistic artist, called his home.

After the shopping we drove around Isle Sur La Sorgue which is an island between two rivers with lots of restaurants, shops and a great market on Wednesday mornings. Looks like a good one to come back to for shopping. Famous for the Antique Market on the weekend.

We arrived about noon in Aix and found parking and then the information center. Then we had our first experience with a toilette on the street. Amazingly clean! Put 2 franc in the slot and it opens up. Has paper and everything. When you’re finished you open the door, go outside, the door closes immediately and you push a button. It activates the flushing and the whole inside is washed down…walls and all. After a few minutes the next person in line may operate the door with a coin. Walked down the length of Cours Mirabeau, their famous street lined with Plane Trees, they’re like large umbrellas. Lots of people sitting outside at tables in each little plaza enjoying the sunshine during lunch. We went to see two churches but both were locked up. The fountains and bell towers are great! Saw St. Saliveur and St. Jean De Malte. Also the La Rotonde which is a huge fountain at one end of the Mirabeau. By 2:30 pm we were on our way out of town and headed back north on the autoroute.

Spent the rest of the afternoon driving to Mont Ventoux. It is a mountain that is 1912 meters high and can be seen from all over Provence. The famous Minstrel Winds come down off of this mountain several months each winter. It is also used for the Tour de France bicycle race every few years. We went up the northwestern route, which was very steep. We arrived about 5 pm. After spending some time at the top we went down the east side which is the side the bicycles race up. Near the top we saw a sailplane taking advantage of the wind currents, it was so close we felt like we could reach up and touch it! The colors in the sky were several shades of blue; from baby blue to some deep hues. The clouds were very white and fluffy! The top was extremely cold and windy when we arrived. We were freezing and could hardly stand up. One of the reasons that it is so famous is that the top of the mountain is entirely bare due to the limestone top of the mountain which appears to be year round snow from a distance. There is an observatory and several other government buildings at the top.

On the down side we found the graffiti on the road in support of the bicycle riders during races. Spectators who line the route of the Tour de France each year spent the time waiting by painting their favorite bicycle rider’s name on the street so they can see it on their way up. There was about ten miles of names! The way down was very enjoyable, reading the names and also the beautiful scenery that was in total contrast to the stark façade of the western side of the mountain. The fall colors created a rainbow effect on the countryside; yellows, reds, greens and all shades in between were spectacular! There is a carpet of leaves from the Plane Trees all over the Provence area. Home just before six-thirty, we barely had time to dress for another fabulous dinner at the hotel. The chef we learned is only thirty-five years old and has been with the restaurant for twelve years. Came there right after attending cooking school. Christoph said that he is like one of the family. Another great day. We did more postcards during our dinner. Hard to believe that tomorrow is Saturday already.

My favorite quote for the postcards is: “Hilltop towns, sunny days and long, winding country roads….”

MEANDERING AROUND THE BACK ROADS OF PROVENCE....

Thursday, October 26th, 2000 Off to see more of Provence....

On the road by 9 am, we took the back roads throughout Provence. But first we made a stop in Isle Sur La Sorgue at the Intermarche for some supplies. Scissors and comb to cut Jim’s hair with; socks for me; slippers for Jim in the car for his heel; and cans of Cassoulet Soup to take home for our French party. Took about 45 minutes, but was fun and we always enjoy a stop in European Stores.

Our first stop was Le Vieux Oppede; a medieval town on the hill that has not really been discovered by the chic bouquets. After parking we walked through a lovely park made from a former vineyard….paths up the terraces landscape to the small newer “old” town and then on to the ruins that have yet to be restored. They were working on the upper church while we were there. May become a tourist mecca in the future, but is still in an unspoiled state.

By noon we were in Menerbes, a semi discovered town due to the fact that Peter Mayles lives in this town and wrote “A Year In Provence”. Could be a fun place to spend several hours. But as it was lunch time, most everything was closed so we walked around, took some photos and were on our way within the hour. Then we stopped at Lacoste which was has the dubious claim to fame as the home the Marquis de Sade. We walked about his former castle, which is just a ruin today. Took some photos and went on our way again. Other than an art school, this town definitely has not made the chic map!

Next we went to Bonnieux whose claim to fame is fantastic views of the valley and the infamous Chateau de Lacoste (because of the Marquis de Sade) which we’d already seen. It’s other claim to fame was the fact that it was a Catholic stronghold favored by the Bishops who all had mansions in town. Because of this there was a battle between the Catholics and the Protestants and 3,000 of the 4,000 people were killed. The village never recovered and today the population is still only about 1500 people. The view of the village is great from a distance. We’ve learned that all great looking hill towns from a distance do not always offer much when we get into them!

By now it was 2 pm and we headed for the larger town of Apt. Didn’t see anything special there except for lots of traffic. We were also desperately looking for a bathroom. No luck so we headed up the road for Saignon. On the way we stopped along the road for a primitive bathroom. But when in the countryside, one must be creative! Arrive in Saignon and found a bathroom! Wouldn’t you know it!! But enjoyed the views, as this was high on the hill. Also visited the cemetery and found beautiful gravestones with lots of ceramic flowers and also silk flowers. There were many individual plaques sitting on top of the slabs; some had photos of the individuals. The graves seem well cared for which was nice to see. The old men in town were playing Boca ball in the Town Square. We watched for a while and they were very accurate when they threw their ball.

On the road again we headed towards Roussillon. There we found some beautiful homes behind locked gates! The ground there is very red clay, known as “red ochre”. It was very valuable and sold since the Roman times all over the world. There are seventeen different shades. William Wylie lived there for a year and wrote the story “A Village in the Vaucluse” about life in a simple village on a day to day basis.

From there we went to Gordes and arrived about 4 pm. It is a wonderful hill town that has lots of tourist life but also great places to visit, restaurants, etc. Would be a great place to spend a few days as a base for seeing Provence. Has a Chateau, churches and most importantly the Village des Bories just outside of town which is made up of restored pre-historic stone huts. The all have vaulted ceilings and no mortar. Almost like large beehives! The style was actually built until the late 1800’s. There are similar style homes in Ireland, Italy and many other countries. It was very interesting to visit. Had to drive down a very narrow road…so happy we didn’t meet any other cars as there was absolutely no way to pass another car! During the high season, you must park and walk a long way to the “village”. We were able to drive almost up to the entry.

It was now after 5 and time to head home. We took the back road and I mean the real back road to Venasque. One area was almost impassable! We came in from the back way and found that there are many newer homes in the town that we’d not seen before. Lots of people must live here full time. Many more than we’d suspected. Up till now we’d thought that the town was nearly deserted! Cleaned up, cut Jim’s hair and took our postcards to dinner with us so we could get them written and ready to mail. Another wonderful five star dinner at the hotel! Took a sample of the flowers used for garnishing the plates…hope to find out what it is when we get home!

Weather has been holding. The sun came out today and we had another wonderful sunny day for our meandering around the back roads of Provence.

EXPLORING ORANGE, PONT DU GARD AND LES BAUX

Wednesday, October 25th, 2000 Venasque in Provence

Heard the cooks talking into the night as they cleaned up their kitchen last night. Their window is just below my bedroom! But it was rather pleasant listening to the French language! Slept in a bit and didn’t have breakfast until 9 am. It was tiny croissants and little individual bowls of strawberry and apricot jams, a small bowl with butter (design pressed into the top) and a bowl of sugar cubes, white and brown sugar for the coffee! Overlooked the valley, a beautiful sight from the dining room that we couldn’t see last night in the dark at dinner. Coffee was some of the best since we left Germany.

On the road to Orange by 10 am. Saw a huge outdoors Roman Theater built in 25 B.C. During the reign of Augustus. It is 350 feet long and 125 feet high. It is still in use today. Louis XIV wanted to move it to Versailles….he said, “It is the finest wall in my kingdom!”. But the people prevailed and it stayed in Orange. Absolutely huge! Orange also had an Arc de Triomphe, which is even older than the theater. It was built to honor Caesar. We left there about Noon and headed towards the Pont du Gard, which is located west of Avignon.

The Pont du Gard is considered one of Europe’s greatest treats; a Roman Aqueduct built before the time of Christ. There is no mortar used, only well cut stones. It was built to solve the missing link in a canal used to bring water to the people of Nimes. We are driving back roads today so we are really seeing the essence of Provence! The small country towns are great! So many fields of flowers and produce! And, of course, acres of vineyards. Outside of Rochefort du Gard we saw a church called Notre Dame de Grace which had a hillside with small chapels each representing the stations of the cross. At the top of the hill were the three life size crosses of Calvery. Very impressive.

Arrived at Les Baux about 3 pm. This is a ghost town that has been resurrected and turned into a chic place for tourists. The ruins of the castle are still there in what is called the “dead town”. At one time the castle was the feudal home of the Grimalde family, the Prince of Monaco’s family. It was charming and had some very good photo shots. But, very touristy! Stayed about an hour and then drove on to St. Remy which has the Insane Asylum that Vincent Van Gogh was put in after he cut his ear off. There are lots of sights that he used for his paintings during the time he lived there. But, there is also a Roman ruin. It is called Glanum. One of the main sites there is a monument that Augustus built to honor his two grandsons that were killed. Their names were Caius and Lucius. The original Greek Colony that was first established here was built six centuries before Christ was born.

We then took the back roads back home to Venasque and arrived about 5:30 pm. Reserved a table at the hotel for dinner and called family to let them know that we're back in France. We heard that Spain had floods this weekend. We’ll need to check the condition before we drive in next Monday.

Had a wonderful dinner. Jim ate Hare Stew and I had beef in spring onions. Both were spectacular! Hard to think about going to another restaurant when this one is so good. The chef is such an artist! We’re hoping to remember some of this so that we can recreate it back in the USA!

VENASQUE, FRANCE

Tuesday, October 24th, 2000 Road trip back into France....

Woke up about 6 am, still too early for breakfast. Jim dressed and walked the 240 some steps up and down to the water to see if they were putting any boats in the water. No luck! But good exercise. Weather is clear but cold. Had breakfast, checked out and walked up to the car by 8:24 am. They’ve predicted that we’ll have some rain possibly within the next two days. But then the weather people are not always right! Made it back to the autostrassa by 9 am and headed towards Genoa. We arrived about ten after ten and accidentally got in the wrong lane….made a side trip to Genoa. Took us about twenty minutes to get turned around and back on the Autostrassa. But, the good side is we got to see a little bit of Genoa. Saw a very old wooden sailing ship at a dock. Lots of new and old buildings. Big City!

Hit the French boarder by 12:30 pm. By that time we managed to spend all but 2300 Lire which is about $1.00, on diesel, toll fees and food! Always a challenge to estimate how much you’ll need at the end of each country. Could have actually paid the final toll at the boarder in Lire but we didn’t have enough! Paid our fee in French Franc left over from earlier in the trip. On the boarders they will use money from either country!

Saw an Automobile Museum on the Autoroute just outside of Canne. Took a break there and Jim enjoyed the museum for half an hour and I relaxed in the car and coffee shop! I did my second stint of driving after the museum for about half an hour. Always happy to turn the wheel back to Jim. These European drivers are crazy…especially when one has not driven much recently!

Arrived in Avignon about 4 pm and the short drive on to Venasque only took about another half-hour. We checked into our hotel, Les Remparts, with no problems. No TV nor elevators but lots of charm and amviousance. We’re on the fourth floor over the restaurant and can smell the delicious aromas floating up the stairwell! We’ve made reservations for dinner at 7 pm. Spent some time and reshuffled the luggage. Brought everything in, as we’ll be here for five days and six nights. Dressed for dinner and walked through the town. It’s very small and easy to walk about and see everything.

Dinner was a gourmet’s delight! The chef is a master and an artist! Great meal! Jim is fast asleep in his separate bedroom. Our room is divided with a small double bed in each room. The bathroom is in my room. We met a delightful couple at the table next to us. Overheard their conversation about planning a canal trip on the Midi next year. Couldn’t help but share our experience last fall with them. We’re sending them information when we get home. Arnold and Lynn are from Virginia Beach on the East Coast. They just came from a few days in a private farmhouse. Seem to travel regularly. About our age. He has just retired and they plan to travel even more.

VISITING VERNAZZA BY TRAIN....

Monday, October 23rd, 2000 Manarola, Italy

Slept in till 9:00 am. Ate breakfast in hotel and caught the 10:15 train to Vernazza. While waiting for the train to arrive we chatted further with two single people from our hotel. One gentleman was from Florida and on his second trip to Europe. Probably early 30’s and single; computer programmer. Girl was from Australia and spoke excellent English. We have her e-mail. Her parents are Italian and she has lots of relatives here. This is her third trip. She is doing a three-month trip. Her boyfriend is from Boston and after spending a month with him in Argentina they will be in Boston with his family for Christmas. One wonders sometimes who is paying the bills when they are so young! She’s probably in her late twenty's early thirties.

Train finally arrived about twenty minutes behind schedule, which is not unusual. Made it to Vernazza very rapidly. You get off in the middle of a tunnel; Jim had forgotten and didn’t want to get off! Thankfully, I had read the book a day ago and knew! Get off the train in the middle of the tunnel and walk towards the light! Instructions from Rick Steves. Found the Blue Marlin again and did two loads of wash. Met some great people who were part of a Rick Steve’s tour of Italy that is currently in town. One couple was in the Army and stationed in Germany. They joined the tour in Milan. He is a surgeon specializing in Oral Reconstructive Surgery. He worked on half dozen of the injured seaman from the Cole; a Navy ship that was sabotaged just a few weeks ago near Iraq. We all shared travel notes!

The Blue Marlin also has a computer set up for people to use right in the bar next to the Laundromat . So I went next door while Jim watched the laundry and signed on. Cleaned out the mailbox and read a few letters. Only wrote one to family. There were two people waiting in line to use the computer. Public computers are far and few between. One interesting letter was from Michele about the christening of their new boat! Funny story. Always fun to hear from people. Jim went to the store to get some fruit and toast for lunch and also to the post office for fourteen stamps to mail a postcard to each of the grandchildren. I’m busy writing them!

Finished the laundry and headed towards the train. While I was doing laundry Jim did manage to take a short train trip to the last town and back. Then he stayed on the train when we reached Manarola and went on to see the first town. He got back about 3 PM. I was busy taking photos out the window of the little truck hauling rocks and dirt up our street and didn't hear Jim knock…he was a wee bit upset but I heard his voice as he talked to the owner trying to get another set of keys.

About 4 pm we decided to go to Riomaggiore to the Pharmacy for some more vitamin C tablets and Motrin for Jim’s heel and arm. Walked to the area where the castle used to be first and then down to the train. Thought it would be a nice diversion while we waited for time to go to dinner. It should have only taken us about an hour. No problem going. But, the return trip was something else. Got on the train and when it didn’t stop at Manarola we immediately knew we were in trouble. The trains either stop at all five of the villages or they don’t stop at any of the ones in the middle! Yep! It went all the way to Monterosso Al Mare. Which wasn’t that bad as the space between the towns by train is rather short! But, the wait for a return train was something else. We waited forty-five minutes! The train was nearly a half-hour late so the station was very crowded with tourist and Italians. A fun crowd even though it was inconvenient. Two Italian men started to sing jokes about the train always being late! Never worry about it being early; but it’s often late!

Returned about 7:30 pm and walked straight to the Marina Piccola on the beach for a lovely dinner overlooking the ocean. Jim ate his fill of fish and I enjoyed my spaghetti and salad. The house wine was special as always. We’ve also started to get the sparkling water with gas with our meals in the restaurants; always so tasty and Jim says it helps with digestion?

Walked to the car after dinner. A nice up hill jog to settle the stomach…picked up a few of the bags to take up and picked up the maps to look at tomorrow’s trip back into France. Arrived back at the hotel for the news on TV, computer time for me and showers before heading to bed.

FIVE FISHING VILLAGES - CINQUE TERRE

Sunday, October 22nd, 2000 On the road to Cinque Terre

Wonderful night…very quiet. Woke up about 6:30 am. Ate breakfast and out the door by eight. On our way to Manarola, Italy. One of the five towns that make up the area called Cinque Terre. Located on the Italian Coast near France, they are considered the Italian Riviera. Villages are located on a rugged coast, clinging to the sides of the canyons. The colors of the houses are pink, yellow and white. All very picturesque!

Outside of Lucca, Jim noticed parts of what appear to be an ancient aquaduct?? Wants to ask his friend who was born there about it when we get home.

Arrived in La Spezia about 11:30 am. Stopped along the street and asked a man who was sorting through street discards (furniture and mattresses) if we were headed the right way and he confirmed it plus gave us some further directions. Jim saw an information sign and wanted to stop for more directions. He never found the Information Office but I did find a pay toilet in the park that was clean and working! Left La Spezia and headed up the coast towards Manarola. Found it with no problems. Road was great to here. Arrived about ten to twelve. Had to park outside the town and walk in. We knew this and had prepared by putting what we needed in backpacks. There is a shuttle bus but we never seem to be in the right place to catch it so we’ve walked in and out five times so far!! Found our B&B called Da Baranin near the top of the town. Very nice room with Satellite TV which means CNN! We’re here for two nights. Will save 10,000 Lire by making our own bed tomorrow! We are right next to the church so the bells will be interesting tonight. Double windows so that helps reduce the noise in the room.

Walked about half a block and found Trafforia dal Billy. A great restaurant with tables on the outside patio overlooking the town and the ocean. Had some great conversation with two couples from Rhode Island. One fellow spoke fluent Italian…has family outside of Rome. The other man was originally born in Fullerton, California (our first home was located in Fullerton) and raised in San Fernando Valley. Had moved to Boston for school and stayed on the East Coast. Very nice couples. They were staying in youth hostels most of the time. Saw them later in their bathing suits on the rocks at the waterfront. Martha had cold, grilled vegetables: onions, eggplant and squash. Lots of oil but delicious. Jim had Fruit de Mare….fish! squid, shrimp, olives, cheese, etc. All with bread and white wine. A very good lunch.

Walked down into town and saw the local fisherman cutting up a huge marlin that they’d caught today. They were slicing off huge rounds and selling it as they sliced! Guess they’d be called swordfish steaks! They store their boats right on the streets, every morning they lower them with ropes into the sea! There is no dock. People were sun bathing by lying on the rocks in the harbor. May try this tomorrow if it’s still this warm. After Jim watched a road race for an hour on the television we took the car and headed for Vezzuana…Rick Steves favorite one of the five cities. The road became like the Amalfi Coast! Narrow and twisting as we climbed high into the mountain and around the canyons to the other cities. Then we had to go six miles down the hill to reach the cities on the coastline. Finally arrived and found that we had to hike downhill over half mile to reach the city. But we did it! Wanted to find out if they really did have a Laundromat and internet access per information in Rick’s book. Yes, they do! We’re going back tomorrow morning for both but going by the train. The train runs along the coastline through many, many tunnels. Much shorter time wise and I really don’t want to make the drive again.

Arrived back home just after dark. Was so glad we’d navigated the road before it got too dark. Took the bottle of wine in the car (purchased in Fisole) to the room, purchased a pizza to go and had dinner in our room. Also packed the dirty clothes in the backpacks for tomorrow’s train trip. We’re watching the movie Apollo with Tom Hanks in Italian right now on the television.