The REAL Final Post

This will be the REAL final posting. We hope you've enjoyed our trip. We have! In this final post we may actually repeat some earlier observations, but this is Duane's blog and he'll do as he pleases.
What Duane says here is entirely his opinion, although in most cases, Paula agrees with Duane, That's why we've been married for 45 years!
FRANCE: We still love her (France), but we think we're done with her. With the possible exception of the hapless people at Air France, we love the French People. They do have their idiosyncrasies, but we've found them to be genuine and decent people with a long, complex and spectacular history. They'll be fine. One direct quote that we fell in love with comes from a French woman we met in a brassiere in Aix en Provence. In discussing the work culture of the French people she said, (And I quote) " The French really don't like to work much. They normally start late and slow down early."
EUROPE: We've had a smashing good time traveling around Europe, and there is still plenty to see. However, we think we may stop for awhile and go somewhere else. Perhaps Montana? Maine?
AMERICA: She is still the BEST! As noted here before, we (U.S.A.) should climb down off our "We're Exceptional" high horse and learn a few tricks from others. To be certain, we are an exceptional country, with exceptional people, but we've got to settle down and realize it is not 1960 anymore. Large parts of the world have caught up with us in many ways. Some are now certain we're no longer relevant. Duane had more than one person say, "The American Dream is Over!"
Sorry, Duane got a little heavy there for awhile. He'll stop now. On the lighter side: We do know how to Air Condition a building! We do know for certain that drinking fountains and free public restrooms are essential to a living the good life! We do know how to design a parking garage! Any state that outlaws foie gras should be boycotted. That is just silliness! America has some marvelous wine! We should drink more of it! It is a health food! America should stop apologizing for not having good food. America has great food!! You just have to hunt harder for it and the hunt is good for you. We are ALWAYS glad to return home. It's better here! Sorry Denmark and Finland, 8 months of winter is just TOO Much!

And now for the final post. . . .

Each year we wrap up this blog with a final posting. This year, because of the multiple contests, it takes on a whole new aura of excitement and anticipation. I know you are all waiting with bated breath to find out who the winners are. . . .
Although, in review, there were very strong contestants in the "Couple of the Day" contest the runaway winner was the couple from the "Odd Side" of Paris. He of the iridescent blue suit, hat and scarf and short stature and she, tall, beautiful, statuesque and sporting new Louboutins. Luckily we got a picture of them so you can go back and review!! WINNERS!!!!!
The "T-Shirt of the Day" contest is much more crowded and complex. . . . So complex that we awarded The Win to two equally compelling T-shirts. . . . .
Winner #1 . . . To the young woman with the shoe fetish and the Winning T-Shirt: LIFE is SHORT - BUY the SHOES! . . . . . So elegantly stated and such Sound Advice!!!!
Winner #2 . . . To the thoughtful young woman with a Hopeful approach to life and Winning T-shirt: DON'T LET THE BAD GIRLS HAVE ALL THE FUN! . . . . . One just knows this woman is going to be president of the World Bank some day. Look for her on the cover of the "Economist!"
The only real contestant in the "Curious Person of the Day" was the young man with the black tux with tails with green, yellow and white paint splattered over the entire suit and with the added Powerful Exclamation Point of Turquoise and Pink hair . . . . . and the ever attentive entourage.
Honorable Mention goes to the woman dressed entirely in pink including PINK Hair. She Rocks!!!

Air France has some "Splainin" to do.

As many of you know, Air France was the primary participant in what will go down in the history of aviation as one of the most bungled events ever. I'll back up a bit for those of you reading this for the first time. . . . . . On Saturday afternoon we left Paris to return to the USA only to turn around after only 3 hours of flying time. That's not nearly enough flying time! The captain said, "We've blown out an engine and must turn around. We probably won't crash and burn, but we might, so we're going home so we can burn up over France." That's not exactly what he said, but that is what we heard. We didn't crash and burn! We landed back at CDG and got off the plane to what we expected to be an Air France Ground crew completely prepared to handle 450 stressed, angry, scared and dehydrated travelers. They weren't! It was as if they first found out we were coming back when we landed. They had NO plans, NO action had been taken to take care of us, NO action had been taken to rebook us on other flights, No action had been taken to find another airplane for us, No plans to get us into hotels for the night. . . . . . In short. . . . . They had NO CLUE as to what to do with us. After over 2 hours they finally started to move some of us through (WE were at the beginning of the line) and found us Hotels near the airport.  This nearly 3 hours after we landed!
We were told to return at 7:00 AM at which time, we were told, they would have new flight reservations all worked out for us. . . . They didn't! When we arrived (actually at 6:00 AM) there was NO ONE there, but what really surprised us was that at 7:00 AM there still was NO ONE there. They finally arrived around 7:30, but had NO reservations, NO plans, NO idea what they were going to do with us. After nearly 3 hours of waiting we (Duane and Paula) finally got a reservation on American Airlines, but had to walk about 3/4 of a mile to get ticketed. We waited in line at the AA reservation desk over an hour until finally getting ticketed and then to passport control and security. We finally arrived at our gate 15 minutes before take off and boarded the wonderful American Airline's 777! We were ecstatic! I expect some of those poor people who actually got in line at 7:00 AM are still waiting for a flight home. We are home and finally slept in our own bed last night! It was heavenly!
I almost forgot to mention. . . . . In Both situations, when we landed and on the next morning Air France did feed us the worst sandwiches ever produced in the entire history of French food. Duane actually took a bite out of one (In desperation) and quickly spit it out. . . . It was THAT Bad!

Stay tuned. . .

We are on our way to Charles Degaulle Airport. Once Duane gets home, changes his T-Shirt, underwear and socks he will post some more late arriving photos, so don't leave just yet. We'll tell you when you can stop reading. There will be last minute observations (Spoiler Alert - There will be potty humor), impressions, feelings and last minute tales, so stay tuned.
This potentially WORLD ALTERING story. . . . . . . Last night at dinner Paula was sharing her thoughts about her meal (Fish and Chips) with our waitress. It was NOT good. They gladly prepared a second plate and declared it perfect. . . . . It wasn't. . . . The waitress shared how the chef used a "Special technique " to deep fry his fish. . . . Paula was NOT impressed. It was still awful. We countered that we had been in France for 7 weeks and had enjoyed wonderful cod fish  in other French restaurants. . . . . . Now, this bit of critical news set off the waitress who quickly and forcefully informed us that the Hotel had many English (British) quests who LOVED  this Fish and Chips! Here's where you should be aware (Scared even) that the Apocalypse could be just around the corner as the French are now, apparently, taking culinary tips from the British! The Horror!!! As for us. . . . We're running for our lives!!!!!!!!!

Don't abandon us just yet

We are in Paris. . .Actually we've been here since last night, but Duane was too worn out to wrestle with the Wi-Fi. We purposely reserved an afternoon flight so we could sleep late and have time to repack. The "Sleeping Late" thing didn't work out so well, but we will now have time to go through our bags and throw stuff away. We expected at least some rainy, misty, nasty, cool, perhaps even cold weather. . . We got NONE of that. Instead it has been unseasonably warm. . . Mostly upper 70s and low 80s. Now, we're not complaining, but we have all these sweaters and coats and scarves and long underwear and bear grease that we've never even used. I guess we'll bring them all back home, but some stuff (Duane's $1.00 Flip-Flops) will get to stay in France! Actually, Duane expects someone in Aix en Provence is already the proud owner of new (Slightly used) flip-flops. We hope he or she enjoys them. They worked well! Duane will definitely keep his Silk underwear because it is just so wonderful! (It is also very warm!)

We're on our way back to Paris

Traveling by TGV is simply one of life's wonderful little treats. Duane thinks it might be a great big treat. Compared to the cattle roundup mentality of flying, this way is far superior. Instead of one door, like in an airplane, there are 2 doors on each and every car . . . Easy in-Easy out! It is clean, Very FAST and on time, every time! And you can see the countryside too! It is going by VERY FAST, but you can see it!

This morning was anti-climatic all around. There just isn't much you can do on your last day. The drive from Aix en Provence to Avignon was punctuated by a side trip to Les Baux, a fun place to visit. Paula managed to rip the bottom out of her "Linens Budget" and we came away with a new table cloth, new napkins and some other miscellaneous linens and cottons and draperies. Paula is thrilled. On to St. Remy for lunch and then to Avignon for the train. 

Starting from Aix we started looking for gas stations and looked and looked and looked all the way to the Hertz lot. We never found a gas station. How is that possible? We have noticed this before, but never when we actually needed gazole! We took the hit and turned it in without a fill up. That hurt! Hertz, we believe, is part of a vast conspiracy that allows them to charge double for Gazole. In the entire 10 days we had the car we filled up once. I think we saw only 2 gas stations the entire time. How's that work?

And more about the toilette habits of the French. . . We arrived at the Avignon TGV station for our ride to Paris. There are hundreds (Maybe thousands ) of people here. This is the only TGV Station in the area, so everyone is here! Take a guess how many toilettes there are? . . . . . Give up? . . . . Yes! You are correct! One!!!!!!

And they wanted Duane to pay to pee again. He didn't! That now makes several divisions of the French Police that are searching for Duane! It's going to take more than a tiny girl in a red shirt yelling loudly at Duane in French to make him pay to pee.  He walked right on in and out with a smile on his face. He feels better now! As you know, we LOVE the French, but they do have some very irritating habits! Duane will gladly overpay for Gazole, but .5€ to pee is out of the question! 

I promised a dinner report from last night. . . Duane screwed up . . . He was certain he had made dinner reservations at an Indian Restaurant. He didn't. . . It was another Moraccan Restaurant! But it turns out Moraccan food is very, very good! We had the best seats in the house garden (I'll post pictures when I can) and had a spectacular last night out. Duane had lamb and apricots (Yummy!) Paula had chicken and veggies. Paula loved the veggies. Duane ate the chicken! The restaurant gardens were absolutely gorgeous and we declared it our favorite place of all our venues. Ain't that weird? Glad we saved it until our last night. The train is slowing down! Gotta go!

You're Going to Laugh!

It seems you can have too much of a good thing. . . After nearly 7 weeks of primarily French food, we had Moroccan food for lunch and have made dinner reservations at an Indian restaurant. The French Food Police are out and about and we'll have to sneak out in disguise to have dinner, but Duane just simply can eat NO MORE foie gras! BTW, lunch was outstanding! Dinner report will follow. If you happen to see Duane and Paula it is not us! We're in deep cover to avoid the Police!
We've also noticed. . . . In addition to the belief that the French NEVER go to the restroom unless locked inside their home, they also never get a "Chill." Today, once again, the sun is out, the temps are in the high 70s and the French are wrapped up in scarves, sweaters and the occasional light jacket.   One other observation that just dawned on Duane . . . . There are NO public drinking fountains! NONE! No wonder they don't pee.

Slow Wi-Fi causes poor bloggings

Our Wi-Fi in Aix is SOOOOOO Slow we can't load pictures on the righthand side.  Don't ask why. . . It just is!?!
We Love Everything else about Aix, but Wi-Fi has slowed the photo sharing down. There are no clear cut winners in the Greatest T-Shirt contest, but one stood out for its simplicity and honesty, "LIFE MOVES FAST" . . . Now, as you can tell (If you've been paying attention), this is not a winner, but we do hand out an "Honorable Mention" to this guy who has obviously missed few mornings! The Philosophy is absolutely "Right On!" The message, of course, don't wait too long to LIVE!
Duane saw another T-Shirt that he has seen before: "MY PASSION is FASHION" . . . Duane wonders why it is always (So Far) worn by someone who looks as if they just crawled out of bed and threw on their roommate's discarded bits of last night's clothing. Maybe their roommate is the passionate one?!? Duane will keep researching this, but answers better show up FAST! It is nap time!

The last one is always the best!

Duane frequently gets asked,"What's your favorite Scotch?". . . He always answers the same way, "The Last one was the Best!" It is the same with the Provençal Markets! The Aix market was the best! Separated, as it was, into 4 different sections of town, it provided some closure on each section (Clothes and linens, meats and cheeses, fruits and veggies and junk) before moving on. Once again we accomplished some strategic Christmas shopping so you don't get to know what we bought. (it might be for you!) Here are a few shots:

This is on Cours Mirabeau . . . The clothes and linens and purses and bags and scarves section. 

It goes on forever. If you can't find something to buy here. . . You're not trying hard enough!

We do regret not having a kitchen here as all the fruits and veggies look marvelous!

Grapes anyone? These were picked just minutes before showing up at the market!

Getting ready for Halloween! These might be food!

And if you don't like fruits and veggies we have flowers. . . A whole town square full of them!

And, of course, the mandatory cathedral photo. . . This was nice!

And this place just begs to be broken into so you can eat yourself into a sugar coma!

Duane having fun with college girls. . . Paula doesn't always allow this, but it was for a good cause! 

 

Duane has no idea what "The Cause" was, but a pie in the face is always great fun! Here's 2 Euros.

Well actually, it was so much fun, it cost Duane 4 Euros. . . College is expensive! 

And this is just a nice shot of some sparkling red awnings. . . Paula loves these! 

Aix en Provence Rocks

Aix (X) is a College town . . . walking around we thought we were back in Iowa City. There are College students everywhere. What a great place to go to college! There are no stories tonight, but you do get photos. We look for stories all day. Some days we have stories, other days not so much. 

This is one of the stalls in the market. . . Linens Galore!

This is the kind of display that will put a smile on your face!

Nice building on Cours Maribou . . . . 

And another . . . . 

One more look at this magnificent fountain! This thing is huge!

This is one of the church steeples at sunset. They build them this way (Wrought Iron) (Flow through) so the winds can pass right through them. When they built regular solid steeples (Like churches in most places) the Mistral Winds would blow the whole tower over. The Mistrals are powerful winds that last for weeks and weeks in the Spring. They blow things around! Study up, there will be a test when this is over. Paula and Duane have always skipped the Mistrals and for good reason. They ruin everything! 

While you were sleeping. . .

We woke up early this morning to attend the St. Remy Market. Lucky for us we stayed the night in St. Remy! Now, once again, you are asking yourself, "How many markets are required before you get your Market Badge?" . . . Answer. . . "Until Paula says so!" Paula is of the opinion (Duane doesn't disagree) that "More is More" and overdoing it is not an issue. We do love the markets! We visit the market. We buy a few things . . . Christmas presents, but we can't tell who for, and fresh "Herbs de Provence." Now if you are not already using "Herbs de Provence" you should start doing so immediately! Put it in, on and around everything savory that you cook. . . It'll taste so much better! P.S. Don't put it in your hot chocolate. That is just awful! It is also terrible in cake, but put it in everything else except Creme brûlée.
While in St. Remy, we make friends! Some from Boston, Some from California, some from Canada.
Jumping in the Punto, we head for Aix en Provence. This is a lovely drive through the countryside that is dotted with vineyards and Olive groves on both sides of the road. Duane, coming from corn country, (Iowa) notices that growing grapes and Olives looks like a lot more fun that growing corn! And when you compare the final product, Corn Flakes vs. wine and EVOO, there is no contest! Duane wonders why his father (Alvin) never moved to Provence? He is, however, forever grateful that Alvin moved from South Dakota to Iowa, so all is forgiven. Still, raising grapes and Olives looks like a whole lot of F.U.N!
Now we are in our hotel in Aix and for some reason, we can't move. Could it be the bottle of wine we had for lunch, or are we DONE. There is a discussion going on about how long one can stay "Out" before the inclination to sleep in one's own bed becomes overwhelming? Paula is there. Duane wants to catch the Eurostar to London, rent another car, another apartment and visit the British countryside for a month. The lure of fresh Scotch from the Scottish countryside is pretty attractive right now. One can, after all, overdose on wine. Pastis is not all it 's cracked up to be!

The Romans accomplished some amazing things!

Today was Roman History Day at Pont du Gard. . . This magnificent Aquaduct, just outside Avignon, is the biggest, baddest, boldest bridge the Romans ever built, and they built a lot of them! 

Duane will tell you in a minute how far he had to climb to get you this picture, but first you have to see some more pictures. . . We took about a thousand and realized that not a single one really showed how BIG this thing is and what a monumental task it was to build it over 2,000 years ago. 

Here, at least you can see people and get some sense of how giant this thing is. It was a cloudy day :o( so some of the photos don't really show the spectacular coloring of the natural stones.

Here is a close up of one of the columns. Each one of those blocks is roughly the size of Wyoming. 

The History lesson here is, of course, that the Romans had a lot of science and engineering things figured out (Concrete and The Arch) a LONG, LONG time ago. Very little mortar, if any was used in the construction of this Aquaduct. They just stacked them all Very, VERY carefully and there they are today. There are no mortar joints . . . They just fit them together that carefully . . . All things are possible with a few smart people and enough slaves. Not that I'm saying that's a good way to get things done, just that it works. Ever wonder what happen in the dark ages when someone lost all this knowledge? 

This dandy old Olive tree is dated back to the 900s . . . 908 A.D., if my memory serves me right. Duane has no idea how someone knows when this tree was planted, but someone wrote it down and someone found that note! How's that for digging for scraps!

The museum here is really astounding (No Pictures allowed.) It tells the complete history of, not only this Aquaduct, but the entire water system in the Roman Empire. Now you know I'm not going to tell you about all that (Aren't you glad?!?) you can look it up yourself. That's exactly why Google was invented!

This is going to be short

This will be short . . . Paula is already snoring on the bed beside me and snoozeville is calling. We looked all over today for interesting things, buildings, couples, events, people, T-Shirts, sites, sights, and spectacles, but found none that made the short list for awards. As mentioned previously, this was a day for meeting up with great Old friends and to celebrate 30+ years of friendship by meeting in Avignon. What a kick! Tomorrow we go to St. Remy for Market Day! I can hear you asking yourself, " Didn't they just go to Market Days in Nyons and L'Isle sur la Sorgue?" . . . Sure! Absolutely! But one can never go to too many French Markets. Duane doesn't know why that's true, but it is!

Old friends!

Today was dedicated to Old Friends. I'll not post pictures as you have no idea who they are or why they're important. We had lunch in Avignon with one set of friends and met another later in the day for a lovely Pastis. It was great fun! We had not seen each other for about 25 years, so just finding each other was a trick! Note from Duane. . . If you have old friends- - - Hang on to them!

Now on to things you care about. . . . the Pope's House in Avignon! We didn't go inside as we were inside several years ago, but here's what it looks like from the outside:

From the front we waltzed around to the side gardens to get a closer look at a few things. 

Here is the famous Avignon bridge. We can't remember why it is famous, but trust me, it is!

These are the rock steps I climbed to get the very best picture for you. There is nowhere I won't go. Yes, that is Paula at the bottom. 

Whoops! There she is again. Once this trip is over Duane will have a hard time recognizing Paula without a camera in front of her face.

Here's the shot I promised you. And here is what she looks like from the ground.

Now you know just how far Duane climbed to get that previous picture. Duane has calves of steel!

 

People are boring down here!

I know you've been wondering whatever happened to the "T-Shirt of the Day" and the "Couple of the Day". . . Well, people just got predictable, boring or stopped trying. No winners anywhere. We are straining our necks to find contestants, but they are all dull. The closest we had to a T-Shirt contestant was the youngish woman on the train platform in Lyon wearing (And not too proudly, Duane reports) a T-Shirt proclaiming rather shyly "I Should Have Had Another" . . . The mystery involved here is intriguing, but still no winner. The options for "Another What?"  are endless, however, and Duane awards her an "Honorable Mention"
Couples have been even more evasive as we've entered Provence. Perhaps people are just too mellowed out down here to even compete. The oddest observance, at least to Duane, is the prevalence of younger women with older men. That, and of course, the #4 guy with the #8 Girlfriend. What's up with that? Now Duane has to nap!

Market Day!

As previously reported, on market day all the vendors just move in and overtake the little towns. L'isle sur la Sorgue is even more so as they add in about 30 - 40 antique vendors. Pictures just never capture this event so we'll just throw up random pictures of fruits and vegetables.

Veggies are a big part of the market and one really wishes for a huge refrigerator to take some home. 

Fromage (Cheese) is also a big seller, along with the various meat products.

Mostly this is pork sausage with different flavors, sizes and intensities. All of them are scrumptious! 

A few of these Little babies and you'll be spiced up for a week!

But the rotisserie chickens are the real heroes of the day. The aromas are intoxicating!

And just to chill everyone out. . . . Radishes!

Today is Market Day

The Sunday Market in L'Isle sur la Sorgue is reputed to be the best in all the land. Today Paula will be the final judge on that particular topic. This market, supposedly, is also an antique market at which Paula intends to make major purchases that will load down her already overstuffed bag. She is already talking about buying another bag. Today could just be the event that tips the scale on that. Duane just hopes they all clear out in time so he can have lunch in peace. These things, as reported earlier, tend to take over whole towns and Duane worries that their presence will interfere with his dining. There are more pigeons to eat! Stay tuned. We'll be back right after the market.

Paula went to Dinner

Paula went to dinner, or to be more accurate, Paula went with Duane. Tonight was Duane's turn to pick the restaurant. Actually it has been his turn several times this week. Tonight was the best (For Duane) . . . Paula had a miserable time. 

Here you see Paula's Sea bass surrounded, as it were, by some other things. She hated it all!

Here is Duane's Pigeon Pie. . . Yes, folks there is a complete pigeon in that puff pastry. Duane Loved every bite. 

This tasty morsel, served on it's own bed of salad is the pigeon leg. Oh My! Duane loved it!

This is when it got "Crazy Yummy, Scrumptious" on this plate is chocolate 5 Ways! Each more incredible than the next. Paula started to pay attention about here and wished she had eaten dessert first? She was noticeably gleeful after just the second pile of goodness. By the end  she was in heaven! Paula may never order a main course again and just go straight for dessert!

I know, I know it doesn't look like much on that giant black plate, but Man-O-Man, this was something to cry for. The longish thing on the upper right is a pear thingee! Too wonderful to describe. The thingamajig on top that looks like a weed from the garden is actually a burnt candy tray with itty-bitty, tiny, tiny scoops of ice cream stacked along the top! Wow! Duane wept with joy! And the little brown thing in the middle of the plate is a chocolate morsel that had Duane begging for mercy! By time they brought us our "Going Away Treat" (more chocolate and a strawberry macaroon) both Duane and Paula were sobbing uncontrollably. 

Peter Mayle Country

For those of you who have read Peter's books know, the Luberon is a very special place in France. If you have not read his books, you should, if you want to know more about this part of the world. Otherwise, Duane will give you a very short version. The Luberon is a nifty, hilly (Almost Mountainous) section of southern France. There is some history here, but most of it is just good people raising some grapes and making wine. Recently, primarily because of Peter, the whole place has a new lease on life by way of tourism and all the other Mayle wannabes. Anyone who doesn't want a house in the South of France can stop reading now. 

Each one of the little towns has jumped on the bandwagon and opened B&Bs, Brasseries, coffee shops, boulangeries, charcuteries and cute, little hotels. The place is jumping! But for Duane, the real thrill is driving through the countryside admiring the diligence of the grape growers and farmers that inhabit this beautiful country. The roads are like all of the others; narrow, curvy, scary and death defying. Taken at great speed they become absolutely terrifying, but Duane doesn't do that anymore. Paula said, "No!"

Here is Lacoste, home of your funny little alligator golf Shirt. It clings for life off this rocky stump of a hill and celebrates life on a daily basis!

Here it is again from behind the grapes-a-growing. Yes, there are grapes everywhere. 

Pictures like this just don't translate well, but trust us, it is beautiful!

Duane has lost his MoJo. . .

I will post pictures, but story telling may be beyond me tonight. Essentially we went to Avignon, reserved a room for Monday night, drove to L'isle sur la Sorgue, got a room for the next 3 days and said, "That's enough for one day. We had dinner. Here are some pics. . . 

To coin a phrase, "It is good to be Pope!" You'll have to read your history to learn more, but this must have been a mighty fancy house. Avignon was a dandy place to hang out while Rome was sorting herself out. It's no Vatican City, but it is a nifty little bit of architecture. 

This little number is across the street . . .  We actually got lost here today and couldn't find our car. We are not ready for the "Home" just yet, but we've got to do a better job of parking our car! 

I case you were wondering. . . This is what wine looks like while still on the vine. Even now it looks yummy! We sampled some and can verify that these magnificent people know what they're doing.

Here is the spectacular hill town of Gordes. . . It is a "Hang on the Side of a Hill" sort of place that has some interesting history. Again, I'll not tell you what it is, but it is good! We are enjoying being back in Provence. Duane, in particular, is thrilled as there are some restaurants here that are so good you'll cry throughout the dinner. Duane plans to eat at all of them! Gotta get some sleep to build up my tolerance for foie gras!