Last days in France

Place Concorde

Petit Palais

Pretty Sculpture and you can see it is autumn

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arc D'Triumph

Garden at the Tulleries

Monet's Waterlillies in L'Orangerie

Sue at Tulleries

The Bear's Den

Final days in France – Paris
Monday
Sue and I have been enjoying Paris to maximum. We’ve yet to take the Metro as we have been walking everywhere. Since our hotel is so central to everything (one block from the Seine near Chatellet metro stop) it is pretty easy to do. We’ve put quite a few miles, or should I say kilometers, on our feet.

We wanted to hear some local music so we checked out the web and guidebooks. To our happy surprised we discovered that the best place in all of Paris to hear music is right here in our neighborhood – who knew? We went to a small club, Le Sunside, just a few blocks away. The street it is on has lots of cafes, bars, clubs, and local color. It obviously has a substantial gay contingent – see the pic of Bear’s lair above.

Le Sunside was packed and we managed to get seats two rows back from the stage. I didn’t get the group’s name but it consisted of an awesome piano player, bass player, drums, and an excellent female singer named Melodie. They were really good and did mostly French jazz with quite a few Brazilian style numbers thrown in. The crowd was mainly locals. We stayed for two sets and left at midnight. We hadn’t had a chance to have any dinner so after checking out the fast food possibilities we got French crepes (mushroom and cheese) at a corner stand cooked by Pakistanis. Headed home around 1 am and there were still lots of people on the streets.

Sunday morning it was cloudy and there were very light rain showers. We headed out to walk down the Seine to the Tulleries Jardin. It looked a lot different than it had when I was there in mid-summer. The children’s rides were gone and so was the ferris wheel that MaryAnn Wolcott and I had ridden in terror. Instead the garden was still in full bloom but very quiet with just a few folks strolling about. We sat down in a quiet café in the middle of the garden and had coffee. A man who had been strolling by with some teenagers (his grandchildren?) came over and asked if he could take our picture. We said sure but were somewhat bewildered as to why he would want to. He appeared to be a professional photographer. He took a few pictures of us and left. Perhaps we’ll be on the cover of the Paris Match???

We went to the L’Orangerie museum. We decided that it is probably the very best one in Paris as it is small enough not to be exhausting and contains so many of our favorites – Monet, Renoir, Modigliani, Picasso, etc. The upper gallery is limited to only two large rooms with Monet’s huge canvases of the Giverney waterlillies – so beautiful. Downstairs is made up of the entire collection of an art dealer, Paul Guillaume, whose widow donated it after his death. The collection is amazing. We particularly loved one painter who we weren’t previously familiar with, Chaim Soutine. We decided he was the precursor to abstract art.

After the museum we headed to toward the Champes Elysee and then walked all the way to Arc d’Triumph. It was fun and good sighseeing but we really prefer the neighborhood where we are staying. The Champs Elysee is too houighty touity without anything really all that interesting. We passed up the fancy shops but did buy a few things (warm ones) in the Gap.

Our feet were really tired by the time we headed back to the hotel and we had to stop quite few times to rest our feet. Along the Seine we watched the Batou Mouches loaded with the tourists and also observed the many, apparent, house boats docked along the Quay.
Sunday night we decided we were too tired for a major evening of entertainment or fancy food. We had a simple meal at a little Thai restaurant (a great change from what we’ve been eating). Afterwards we had decided to take in an English language movie at a cinema in the neighborhood – Take Me to the Greek. Getting there wasn’t easy. The theater was in Les Halles Forum. Looked pretty easy on the map and on Sue’s Iphone. However when we got to where it was supposed to be there was no signage for it. We walked all around the large square and all we could were closed shops and a Metro stop. We even stopped and asked a cop who was busy talking on his cell phone. He said just go around to the right. We did – no cinema. Finally in desperation we went down into the Metro. The underground Metro had a huge, very tacky shopping center in side and we did find a movie theater way down at the opposite end from where we had entered. Unfortunately our movie wasn’t playing there. We asked the ticket seller if he knew where our theater was. He said it was inside the same mall. We walked around for awhile and found an art film place – we were pretty sure Take me to the Greek wouldn’t be playing there but asked a staff person anyway. She was very nice and said, “Yes the theater you want is here in the mall. You must go down the corridor to the left all the way to the end and then down, down, down.” We followed her directions and at the end of the mall in the metro went down four levels and there miraculously was a movie theater – like a bomb shelter far underground. We looked for Take Me to the Greek and it wasn’t listed. However, “An American Trip” was listed with the same cast. For some reason they had changed the name.

We sat through the movie and it was bad, bad, very bad. Quite an experience locating the theater followed by the movie itself which was incredibly sick and not even funny.

Our last day (today – Monday) was a Jewish day. We went to the Jewish History Museum in the Marai (very close to where we are staying), to a Jewish deli for matzo ball soup, and then to the Holocaust Memorial. All was very heavy but good – including the soup.

Tonight we are going to have “appertifs” at Marielle’s apartment near Notre Dame. She is Roger and Suzette’s daughter. Afterwards we will have dinner on Isle Saint Louis and then home to bed early as we leave pretty early tomorrow.

Back to Paris

Sister from Cologne

Nuns by our hotel - small world!

Me at Hotel Sully

Sue at Place du Voges

We got to Paris around 1 pm yesterday (Friday). Took a taxi to our hotel, went in and YIKES – we hated it. It was in a great location – right by the Chattalet Metro stop a couple of blocks from the Seine. The problem was that it was tiny, tiny, tiny – lobby, the smallest elevator I have ever seen, and even a tiny circular staircase. We got to our intended room and it was like a dungeon/closet. Sue is a bit claustrophic and it practically put her in a panic. We tried to get some alternative at that hotel – a two bed room, a second room??? Nothing. We got on Sue’s Iphone and my cell and started calling all other hotels in the area. We were somewhat at a disadvantage due to having Angel with us. NO CHIENS (DOGS) we were told repeatedly. Finally one hotel had a room and took dogs – Grand Hotel de Champagne – just a couple of blocks away. We checked it out and it was PERFECT!!! It even had two rooms – so we splurged and took them. We are so happy here. It is in an ideal location, the rooms are lovely, the staff couldn’t be nicer. I will definitely stay here on future trips.

We spent last evening walking around the Left Bank – it was teeming with local pretty people and tourists. Our hotel is right across from St. Michel – we are on the right bank.

Today we walked the Marai – loved it. Had snack lunch takeout in the Jewish quarter. Yum Yum – chopped chicken liver, herring mouse, latke, and dill pickles.

On our return to our hotel we saw a crowd gathered around people in white hats with many points. We got closer – the Nuns of Perpetual indulgence. We talked with a very, very nice one who was visiting from Cologne, Germany. He explained that the others are “all the Parisian Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” He asked that we send their good wishes to the San Francisco chapter. We will!!

Final days in Abeilhan

Goodbye dear Abeilhan - see you next summer.

Sue and I in Minerve

Bicycling on Canal du Midi

Sue and Angel at Lac Salugu - it was cold!

Sue and I returned to Abeilhan on September 5th. I was recovering from a very nasty cold/flu that hit me just as I arrived in Barcelona. Unfortunately I “gave” it to Sue and it hit her just as we were returning to Abeilhan. I found my camera upon my return – it had been in the rear compartment of my suitcase so I had it with me the whole time we were in Barcelona. Too bad I missed out on taking pictures of that beautiful city. I’ll just have to go back.

Returning to Abeilhan was wonderful but the weather definitely had changed to autumn. Too cold to go to the beach to swim. Besides Sue wasn’t feeling up to it due to having the flu. We managed to have a good time anyway – drove to Lake Salugu which I wanted to see. The water level was low and it was definitely winter-like there.

One day we drove to Minerve and saw the “dolman” again. We went to Pezenas several times. I took her to Sete and to Cap d’Agde to see my favorite beach. All the way around it felt like summer was over and it was time to head back to the USA. My last day in Abeilhan we took a (longer than planned on) walk from Abeilhan to Espondeilhan to Pouzolles. It didn’t look that far on the map but it took quite a long time and it gave me a blister on my foot. It was beautiful walking along the road besides the vineyards and interesting to watch the grape harvest underway. However, it was pretty unnerving having huge farm equipment and trucks zipping by us at high speeds on the narrow road. We decided to try and hitch a ride home to Abeilhan from Pouzolles and did so successfully. A very nice Scottish fellow stopped and picked us up. We had a nice chat with him and when he dropped us off he said, “I’ve done my good deed for the day.” Question: Were we like a boyscout helping two old ladies across the street?

I picked up Sharon and Mel at the Montpellier Airport (my house exchange partners). We spent a nice evening with them and Mel drove us to the Bezier train station the next morning.

More local photos

Where oysters come from

The most delicious oysters in the world

Canal in Sete

pictures from Abeilhan environs

The reds will be harvested soon.

Kitchen at Chateau Cassan

Abbey at Cassan

Barcelona without a camera

I met Sue Levinson here last Wednesday.

Hopefully my camera is in the car at the Beziers train station. I wasn’t able to take any pictures in Barcelona but I have many imprinted in my brain. Such a beautiful city – Gaudi (and other architects of the day and into presents time) obviously had the freedom to be able to create freeldly using all their imagination. The result is amazing. The old, old medieval buildings and narrow alleys that create an endless labyrinth which trapped us every day, the “whimsy” gloriously odd shapes and colors of the Gaudi buildings, to be followed by modern day Barcelona architects that clearly embraces form over function. The result is a fascinating mix of artistic design and unencumbered creativity that includes the old and new equally into a single city.

This is a city of art and design that goes beyond just the architecture. Once you leave the touristy/tacky shops of the Rambla area, there are shops and galleries with beautiful clothing, interior design, sculpture, jewelry, paintings, etc. The general style is eclectic – not necessarily the most expensive or trendy. This is really what we found in the area called La Riberia. Another area that is vsoesy upscale and famous is Eixample and the stores there are the more familiar and exorbitantly expensive ones such as Cartier, Hermes, etc. We really preferred La Riberia.

We stayed in the Gothic quarter right across from the old Cathedral. Our hotel was new, very chic, clean, and convenient. Much nicer that the old place I stayed in last Fall in the same area.

We’ve had a great time here. A few of our experiences…….

1. Took the “walk” through the Eixample quarter that was in our guidebook. This took us past many of the best Gaudi buildings and ones by other architects who’d been influenced by hedim. We went into the Casa Battlo which is one of his best. Getting inside is essential in order to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the place. Beautiful colored glass in sea shapes in shades of pink and blue, blue and white tile chip mosaics forming the outside upper patio. Most rooms, windows, walls, have no right angles and their “lines” form waves of movement for the eye.
2. Visited the building and grounds of the University of Barcelona. We strolled through the beautiful enclosed garden where a number of students sat quietly reading in the shade of tropical trees beside pools with coy fish swimming. There were lots of feral cats hanging out there. Angel got thrown out of there (as she often has on this trip when we take her to churches, gardens, parks.
3. Sat in lots of sidewalk cafes , sipping cava (Spanish champagne) or café and watched “the world go by.” Ate way to many tapas and got very tired of them.
4. Appreciated many of the street entertainers including:
a. A very handsome dark young man who played the guitar like an angel. Sue bought a CD from him. He had recorded accompaniment on his boom box. Funny thing though, when he stopped playing to talk to a pretty girl he sounded almost as good as when he wasn’t actually playing himself.
b. A group of young men playing a variety of instruments, some quite unusual, with crazy rhythm in a style we’d never heard before.
c. A very pretty young blond playing the cello in a quiet space by the cathedral.
d. The elderly male opera singer that I heard last Fall who has a following of equally old local folks who sit on the steps and sing as his chorus as he goes through many famous arias (think the well known operatic drinking song).

5. Some of the street entertainers we didn’t appreciate so much:
a. Two guys producing huge bubbles with short rods and string. You kind of had to see it to understand it.
b. An entertainment duo that consisted of a really bad singer, singing really bad songs and a juggler juggling huge knifes that he kept dropping.
6. Something that was in a class by itself took place on Saturday evening in the square in front of the Cathedral. There was a large crowd of mostly elderly Catalans dancing their unique circle dance accompanied by a Catalan band (which you have to her to believe and its not exactly easy on the ears). The dance consists of a limited number of steps (four to the right, four to the left, and then kind of jump a few times).
7. Found a “budding artist” on the street. Young fellow from Argentina. He showed us his artwork which was somewhat bizarre but rather interesting. Suckers that we are we each bought an “original”. The ones we purchased were tamer than some such as “Venus rising from a toilet”.

Our last day we took the local train down the Coast to the town of Sitges (only 30 minutes away). It was pretty little seaside town with a beautiful sandy beach. We rented two chaise lounges and an umbrella and spent the afternoon enjoying the sun, the breeze, the view, and above all swimming in the beautiful Mediterranean.

We spent our last evening in Barcelona strolling through our favorite district, the Ribera, looking for the perfect bar, restaurant, and place to hear live music.

Update upon arrival at Abeilhan – found my camera in my luggage.

No Camera

Unfortunately I seem to have either lost or misplaced my camera. It is probably in the car at the train station in Beziers. So here I am in Barcelona with no camera. I will try to post now & then but won't be so interesting with no pictures. Sorry.

A Change of Seasons

Wednesday, September 1 enroute to Barcelona by train. I am on my way to meet my friend, Sue Levinson, in Barcelona. I left Patrice at the station in Beziers as she on her way back to Paris. Angel is snuggling in my lap and the southern France landscape is whizzing by the window.

Sue and I will have several days in Barcelona and then come back to Abeilhan for a few days before we go back to Paris and then home to San Francisco. I can’t believe my summer in France is coming to an end. In some ways it seems like it has gone by so very quickly and I don’t want it to end. In other ways it seems like it was such a long time ago that I left foggy San Francisco for sunny southern France. I’ve definitely gotten used to life here and will really miss it though I’ll be back before very long.

Four days ago something happened. Suddenly there was a new chill in the air in the morning and almost immediately some of the leaves on the grape began to change color. This change seemed to bring about vigorous activity among the farmers in ours, and surrounding, villages. We saw them suddenly working on their grape harvesting equipment. In some cases, like Roger’s, mechanical problems were found that had to be fixed immediately. Clearly they had observed signs that the time for harvest and crush was here and time was of the essence.

I was somewhat surprised. At the winery dinner at Les Trinites, and my subsequent visit there, we were told that a late harvest is expected as the winter had been prolonged and the summer heat late arriving. Obviously something had changed. I had noticed over the last few weeks that the red grapes had begun hanging heavily on the vines but the suddenness of the move to harvest took me by surprise.

We started hearing truck and heavy farm equipment in front of our house all night long. In the daytime we could see equipment and workers in the vineyards. They have been picking the white grapes and we see full truck bins of them being crushed into the wineries. There are also remnants of these grapes in the streets. The harvest of the red ones has not yet begun. I am sure that by the time Sue and I come back to Abeilhan the crush of the reds will be in full operation and the smell of red wine will perfume the air. What magic.