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Published: September 18th 2007
Nice Again
You can,t take a bad photo in Nice.I know that some of you have been missing hearing from us, but we have been out of touch, really, for the last 10 days. I hope this tome will make up for it!
Friday, September 7, 2007 - Today was tidy-up day, both around the apartment and in things we wanted to do and see. We were on the road and off to Eze again, this time with the camera working. So Kevin was able to take all the pictures he wanted of the town, and then we were off to Grasse. Grasse is the center, so the books say, of perfume making in France. I figured that since Kevin was able to partake of the cognac and Armagnac, I should be able to do the same with the perfume. Actually, the tour of the factory-museum was really interesting, from how the essences are extracted from the herbs and flowers, to combining bouquets, under the direction of “Mr. Nose”, who earns 70,000 Euro a MONTH. Mind you, he can’t eat spicy foods, chocolate or coffee, in return for that money. It seems to be a gift that one is born with - you can’t learn to become “a nose”,
as they are called. It’s basically the same job as the guys at the distilleries, but much more sensitive. Anyway, after the tour, we went into the “Sampling Room”, where we both were able to try various essences and colognes. Did you know that 75%!y(MISSING)es, that much - of the cost of perfumes goes to marketing? So, since none of that was involved here, we were able to buy a lot for a little. And it was VERY educational!
Back to the apartment to clean and pack up before leaving bright and early (8:30AM) for - you guessed it - Marseille…
Saturday, September 8, 2007 - Well, what can I say about our third trip to Marseille? Oh, how we love Marseille! You hope for the best and plan for the worst. Or, you expect the worst and then are pleasantly surprised. Or, you expect the worst and it happens. And it did! We arrived into town about 11 AM, plenty of time to get to the stadium, find a parking spot, eat lunch and then the game at 1:45. Yeah, right….To make another horrible Marseille story short, we finally got into the stadium 25 minutes before the
start. After being seated by the usher, she said to us “Bon Match!” I love that - Bon Appetit, Bon Journee, Bon Match! We got to watch the warm-up. And of course, watching Dougie score three tries was wonderful. Not that the rest of the team didn’t do a great job as well….it was really good, and our seats were in the shade, a bonus since we were wearing black and it was about 25 degrees (80 F). If you haven’t heard, the All Blacks destroyed Italy 77-14, I think. Keep it up boys! After finally getting out of Marseille we went to Aix and spent the night at our hosts’ (Estelle and Isabelle) house that we had been in previously. It was wonderful to talk more with them, and made a nice break.
Sunday, September 9, 2007 - We found out it was going to take us about 2.5 - 3 hours to drive to Chatillon near Valence this morning and we had to be there about noon so we were up and out at 9 AM. Now, Chatillon is up near the Alps, east of the Rhone, in an area that can only be described as very
majestic. And pastoral. The house we are in is 500 years old, give or take 100 years, and lots of stone floors and ups and downs. Although the ceilings in the rooms are tall, Kevin and I are in a constant state of “stoop” as people back then were very short and it can be hazardous going through the doors. I have gotten caught once, Kevin is still okay. It’s a great house with lots of very good feelings about it. The house is built amid the ruins of an old castle and is actually four houses that have been converted into one. Chatillon en Diois is a “village medieval” with NARROW streets and great spots. The clock tower is about 100 feet from the house, and goes off every half hour, even through the night, which was a bit of a problem the first night, but it’s amazing how quickly one can get used to it. We barely notice it now. There is no phone, no TV, and the nearest internet is 12 K away, so we are sort of out of touch up here.
Monday, September 10, 2007 - The first thing we needed to do was
to check out the town, so with walking tour in hand off we went. It didn’t take very long - the town only has about 200 people and the medieval part is pretty small. After finding the essential boulangerie and a shop that sells fresh pear juice (YUM!), we headed off in the car to see what we could find. We found the Internet Café - closed Sunday and Monday and open from 2-6 other days - and a really good donjon that is the tallest in France. We also went to a silkworm farm - that was really interesting as well - and an olive oil factory/shop that wasn’t so impressive.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - A rather drab day, the highlight of which was going to the Internet Café. We came home and I made a great beef Bourguignon from scratch. We are eating outside since, although it is cooler than where we have been, it is still warm and we should take advantage of it.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - Our 20th Anniversary and they said it wouldn’t last! We went off to Valence today, a city on the Rhone about 1+ hours away from
A window
This was not our window, however I thought that it made a good photo. Chatillon. We got out of the car to find it COLD, or colder than we have been used to, and a bit windy. So, we walked around a bit and found somewhere to go inside and have lunch. A very good lunch too I might add….The town doesn’t have much style. Most of the architecture looked fairly new, meaning 150-200 years old, which is new compared to what we have been seeing for the past 5 weeks. We came back on the west side of the Rhone, which couldn’t be seen for all the trees, unfortunately. But we have seen it. Kevin thought it would be wider.
Back to town tonight for a nice dinner in a nice restaurant.
Thursday, September 13, 2007 - Happy Birthday Roland!) Kevin’s old boss and his wife were coming in from Switzerland for a couple of days so we spent the day getting ready for them. We also went out and took a drive up a wonderful canyon, Gorges de Gats, which the books say is the most famous in France. It really was pretty spectacular. We caught up on email and then picked them up at the bus station tonight.
Friday, Silk Worms
We went to a farm that showed the silk making process. Boy, are these guys hungry..... September 14, 2007 - After going to the local market, where we bought some supplies for dinner, we all piled in the car and took off touring. Again we went up the Gorges as we felt Dick and Joanne needed to see them, and we also went and checked out the Claps. Now, back in the 1400s there was a HUGE landslide causing GIANT boulders to come down the mountain and block the river Drome in two spots, causing a small and large lake. The blocks causing the lakes were later cleared so the river could flow again, but it is pretty spectacular to see. There was a hike you could take, requiring minimum skill and all sorts of pullies, guides etc. We decided to give it a miss, and took pictures of ourselves instead. And then we stopped for an ice cream. We actually did the Claps yesterday, but since we did them twice, I didn’t want to bore you….. We then drove around the countryside, finding small towns that could be walked around. We ended up having dinner in Die (all roads lead to Die - pronounced Dee) at a Moroccan restaurant that Kevin and I had had
lunch in before. Excellent!
Saturday, September 15, 2007 - Again, back in the car and on the back roads. This time we headed off in the direction of how Kevin and I had come in to the valley. We stopped and had lunch at a place called Serres and then started the long, grey-line trip home. We passed through a town that was having - yes - a Pumpkin Fair (Foire de Courges). We have never seen so many different types of pumpkins and squashes. And there were other things for sale. Though we had just had lunch, I had to sample the local sun-dried tomatoes and tapenades. And smell all the lavender products. We carried on up the road, taking wrong turns a couple of times and found wonderful places. That is the fun of doing grey lines on the maps. We came across one town that was nestled in the most incredible rock formations in a canyon, and we would show pictures but they don’t do it justice. And then in one town Kevin decided to chat up the local grape pickers and partake of the local wine that they were drinking. Then we kept running into
these guys. Kevin has decided that he is going to come back next year and pick grapes for a month or so. He says the money is good, and the fringe benefits are okay too. Dinner was at home tonight, as we are starting to clean out the frig.
Sunday, September 16, 2007 - Dick and Joanne left this morning, having to be at the Bus Station in Die at 11:10 AM for the bus. When we got home we spent the day cleaning up since we are leaving tomorrow. We were invited to dinner at the parents of the people who own the house we are staying in. That was a wonderful time. Their house, just down the street, is also 500 years old and full of great antiques, with lots of up and down rooms. These houses are such treasures and really transport you back in time. Although their English was about as limited as our French, we were able to communicate and a good time was had, at least by Kevin and me.
Monday, September 17, 2007 - On the road again! After a quick goodbye to our hosts, we took off for Italy. We
left at 9:30AM, stopped just short of the border for lunch in a wonderful town, again with medieval overtones, and crossed the border shortly after. We knew we had crossed the border - all of a sudden the signs were in Italian. When we got on the Motorway, Kevin put pedal to the medal and we finally stopped in Verona for the night. All the cities we have passed through so far are large and it definitely is different from France. I am trying hard to remember to say “Si” instead of “oui”.
MORE THINGS TO LIKE (AND NOT) ON OUR TRIP -
Everyone is so polite. They always say “Bonjour, pardon, merci.” We should all be so nice.
The bells, the bells, who is it that rings those bells at three and four in the morning. We think that you should get a life….
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jean clément
non-member comment
knight
Is this knight in PONTCHARRA? If the answer is yes, then his name is Le chevalier BAYARD, his nickname is " the knight without fear and reproach" because he won a battle against a big army in 1515 in MARIGNAN Italy. And as he is always alive, he will play for France against NZ for the 1/4 final or final. He his the only chance we have to defeat the all blacks.