Last Day in Paris

Last night as we left the restaurant the rain was softly falling, think of Midnight in Paris! This morning however broke bright and sunny, in the high 60's.  Our plan of the day was to take advantage of the Jour de la Patremonie- a day thoughout Europe when all public buildings are open to the public.  It is the day when the people can visit anywhere that is usually closed to them.  We decided to visit the Senat since it was close by and might be interesting.  We got there early before the lines get really long which is good because these places are often jammed, with a wait of several hours.  The first thing that impressed me was the friendlness of the police and guards and the guides.  Everything was well organized, great information in visual and printed form as well as guides happy to explain things. I had expected to find it like a tour of the capitol but it was different:  much more relaxed, pictures allowed, and the Palais de Luxembourg a real palace as you can see from the photo.   We followed a marked path which flowed nicely and in many places opened up so you could wander around.   It took a couple of hours and was really impressive. It was a wonderful way to educate people about the institutions of their country as well as a treat for us foreigners.

After that we walked to a cafe for lunch and spent a couple of hours dining and fantasizing about renting an apartment and living here for a year! We walked to the Seine and it started to shower a bit so we ducked into confectionairie to buy chocolates to take this evening when we dine with Francis and Ingrid and view the new baby in the family.  Fortunately I had bought a baby gift from the Gap before coming! 
It will be our first time dining with them without J & P which will be interesting.  I believe Ingrid and Francis both speak some English so it will be a Franglaise evening.

We are packed and ready to go to the airport at 7 tomorrow morning and I am not excited about the long flight home.  It is always longer mentally on the way home.  Au Revoir, Paris.

Sunny Cannes to Gray Paris

Our last morning in Cannes starts with our usual coissants and coffee on the terrace overlooking the sea.  A bit hurried today since we have a 10 am train to catch for Paris.  Dennis and I are alone since J &  P are staying to winterize the boat and close up the apartment.   We head for the station with one last look at La Coisette ( road along the beach front of Cannes).  We go through the usual mess of not having the ticket machine accept our MasterCard for some reason and have to stand in line to get out tickets.  Fortunately the train in 20 mins late ..... amazing... late. a TGV! Philippe tells us that if a train is an hour late, you can get a coupon for a free ticket.  Ours however, is only half and hour late so no freebee.  

We settle into our seats and the quiet and smooth as well as fast ride begins.   It is a beautiful trip and the changes in scenery are dramatic and typical of the variety of the land in France.  We begin by being just on the edge of the sea.  On one side the train, tracks press against steeply rising mountains which drop right down to the sea.  We are just on the edge and can see the sea churning against the rock outcroppings.  It is like this between Nice and St. Raphael where the land flattens out ever so slightly.  We pass through scrubby pine forests and port towns until we reach Marsailles where the train turns inland into Provence.  First we encounter the dry rugged hills with small isolated houses, small gardens and olive or wine groves.  There are fields of tall brown sunflowers, waiting to be harvested for seeds.Soon the terrain becomes hillier and greener.  After Avignon, the greeness and lushness of the fields are in contrast to the earlier dry scrubby ones.  Finally the fields become larger and are wide expanses both of harvested corn and wheat.  The green fields are dotted with white cows, horses and sheep as well as more defined roads and communities along the way of the TVG.  After about 5 hours we enter Paris.  The contrast of the sunny skies of the South and the gray ones of Paris are notable.  Instead of "gai" Paris, its gray Paris!

Feeling like old pros in getting around Paris we head for the #63 bus out of Gare de Lyon.  After waiting a bit we think we may be at the stop where the line ends, not where it begins so we start walking to check it out only to find the bus is cancelled until 10pm tonight because of a Techno Parade!   So, back to the station, find a metro map and find the way to get home underground.  That takes a while but works well although its a long walk from the RER station to the apartment.  However, we arrive safe and sound, and prepare for one last day in Paris tomorrow.

Trip to Biot

Since we didn't get to Biot yesterday, J & P decided to take us to Biot... a small old village famous for its glasswear.  Again the roads continued to be a challenge, even with GPS.  We felt better about having had had the same trouble when we were here before.  We had thought it was just us but we guess that the French have the same problem figuring out the signs.   A t last we got to the village, squeezed into another microscopic parking garage and found a restaurant under the trees in the town square.  Lunch was pleasant, the day warm and lazy.  We walked around the town (we had been there before but late in a brisk November afternoon when much was closed).

 Biot is a perched village, medieval in history and design.  The old town is high on a hill with steep drops on all sides.  One can understand how these towns resisted invaders.  We wandered around the narrow steep streets and thought how it must have been to live here in earlier times.

 We went to the glass factory and watched the glassblowing and then looked around the museum and store.

Returning to Cannes, we again took many wrong turns but at last arrived.  Before going to the apartment, we stopped for a last late afternoon swim in the warm waters of the Mediterrean.  What a lovely way to end a visit to Cannes.

day in Monte Carlo

Palace of Monaco

Today we are talking about going to the distant town of Menton and possibly the closer town of Biot. After alot of back and forth we started our trip by going to the A8 toward Nice and further east, still not knowing where we were going. The A8 in this area is an engineering feat, with long bridges spanning steep and deep ravines with long uphill and downhill grades punctuated with over some 20 long curving tunnels. Just after Nice P & J decided to drop into Monaco. Drop in is the operative word as we decended some 3000 feet on steep narrow curvy roads until we reached the Principality. Rising steeply from the sea there is one high rise next to another. As you might expect there is little room in this worldly rich enclave for parks, roads, sidewalks or more importantly parking. We finally found a parking garage and had to decend to the fourth level below ground in what turned out to be a maze, nothing like you are used to in the US. In addition the parking spaces were about half the size.

Upon entering the street we climbed something like 600 feet up to the Palace Square where we had lunch. The views looking out over the Mediterrian are spectaclar. The Palace is the home of the Gremaldi family as well as in use for official functions and is a real jem, just a little bigger than some or our Greenwich "grand MacMansions". With over 800 years of history the occupants of the Palace have played their part in the rich history of France.



casino

 Finally we got smart and took the bus to the Casino. It looks just like you remember from the James Bond films. The Rolles and Ferraris are parked in front. We walked around the interior but were not able to get into the gaming area because we did not have our passports or for the French their "identity cards", needed to screen out those addicted to gambling. The area around the Casino housed all the places to buy expensive jewelry, watches and clothes.... just the thing after winning or trying to impress someone.

Upon leaving Monte Carlo we missed the turn to return to the A8 and so took the road East to Menton. Remember all roads are narrow and very curvy in this part of the world. But, finally we reach a straight stretch along the beach in Menton. Cindy and I had  drink while P & J went for a swim. After we had an enjoyable dinner looking out over the Mediterrian before returing home exhausted.

Another Beautiful Day in Cannes

I certainly hope you are not having horrible weather when you read this because you will be so jealous!  This morning started slightly misty which seems to be the start of most days but by 10 it is bright, sunny and warm.  We start our day with a swim on a sandy beach, the water is about 80- refreshing and not cold.  After that we meander over to lunch at the club after which we go out for a ride in the boat.  We go to a small island just outside of Cannes, on which there is a small monestery, Abbey de Lerins.  The monks are in silence and have a small but excellent vineyard where they produce some very good wines.  We walk all over the island where there is a fortified fort tower (ruin) as well as a beautiful small church.  After our visit, we boat to another secluded spot where we swim off the boat.  Then it home for dinner and early to bed. 

I find it interesting to find this island of meditation and simplicity just outside the harbor filled with luxurious yachts, one bigger than another.  Cannes and the other towns along the Cote d'Azur are temples to wealth and power; everywhere one looks one sees those who have bigger toys!  I can see that it is easy to fall into the trap of feeling you always have to have more..... even more so than in Greenwich, if that is possible!



monestary ile  de Lerins



Cannes harbor

Tues the 13 September

Today is our first full day in Cannes.....  our morning was spent organizing, then we went to the beach for a swim.  The water was cristal clear and not cold, and the beach was sandy and hot.  We stayed until noon when we went to the yacht club for lunch.   It is a small waterside restaurant where we have often eaten while in Cannes.  Reasonable food, not too pricy and convenient to the apartment.  Lunch lasted the usual 2  to 3 hours after which we came home, showered and rested and read.  About 5, Dennis, J & P went to put the boat in the water at the club.

Naturally this operation was a bit complicated. First we had to take the boat out of the garage, hook the trailor to the car, launch the boat, return the trailor to the garage and then finally go for a boat ride to the shore of the nearby island where the man in the iron masque was in prison. The temperature had cooled and we watched the sunset in the distant hills as we returned. About 3 hours later they returned after successful launching and shopping for dinner. 

Camargue Monday the 12th

　
Yesterday we started our day riding in the Camargue. Dennis and I went on a 2 hour ride through the marshes and along the beaches.

 J & P went to the bird sanctuary. It was a beautiful sunny day, temperature in the high 80’s so it would have been a bit too warm for a ride except we had shore breezes.
After our ride we headed for Cannes- a three hour trip. Arriving in the early evening, we opened up the apartment, ordered in pizza and went to bed early.
Some feelings and impressions: coming to Cannes and to our usual bedroom was both comforting and annoying. I must preface this with the fact that my hip was hurting after the ride so I have not been feeling at my best. The long car ride added to my discomfort so the little things were getting to me more than usual. First, we couldn’t find the linen for the beds and then turning on the lights, I remembered how inadequate the lighting is. Of course I couldn’t find by little book light so I had to settle for the dim lighting in the room. Then I wanted to take a hot bath to ease the hip pain and found that the water was stone cold! It seems that the apartment house water heater is heated during the night (cheaper electricity) so by the next evening all the hot water is used up!  Going to bed was my best solution....