Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Magnolias' Day 13
The remaining four magnolias rise and shine a little earlier for our final full day in Paris. We head to our breakfast café on the Rue Cler and the server recognizes us immediately and knows what we will order. We have already become regulars. After enjoying our breakfast and café au lait, we head to the metro and on to the Louvre with our own personal guide in tow. Patsy previously spent a whole week in Paris by herself doing nothing but going to the Louvre each day. Having studied and prepared in advance of her lone visit, not to mention her Latin, Italian and classics background, she covered every square foot, all 555,000+ of it, and was prepared to give us the Greatest Hits tour. We began with the Winged Victory on the staircase and saw such things as the Mona Lisa, The Wedding Feast at Cana, Venus de Milo, and other works by Michelangelo, Leonardo de Vinci, Caravaggio, Raphael, Jacques-Louis David and too many more to list. We learned about the lives of the artists, their teachers, and students as well as the history and symbolism depicted in the works. How fortunate we were to have Patsy’s knowledge and appreciation of the arts and her willingness to share with us neophytes.
From the Louvre we walked to the famous prestigious street, the Champs-Elysees, and sat at an outdoor café drinking our afternoon vin while taking in the great Arc de Triomphe. Patsy tried to entice us to walk up the 234 steps to the top of the Arc but we decided we had done enough stair climbing to last a lifetime.
We decided to have dinner at La Fregate a restaurant near the Musee d’Orsay where we previously enjoyed the great lunch with escargot. Once again this proved to be a great choice. The food was plentiful and very, very good and of course we enjoyed the vin. We each ordered a different dessert and unanimously voted the chocolate mousse to be the best. This being our last night we decided to forego the metro and had a luxurious Mercedes taxi ride back with a delightful Parisian driver.
Tomorrow being our last day and Patsy having the first flight out, we once again bid our adieus in anticipation of reuniting at home. Patsy is on to Rome in the morning joining another friend who is traveling from home. They will spend a little time in Rome and head on to Sicily for several days. Although leaving the rest of the magnolias her journey continues, but sadly, it is the end of the line for us and with that said we bid our final adieu to you and you and you.
Thank you for interest and letting us share with you our experiences on this wonderful trip and again many thanks to Gina Morris who so wonderfully told our story. A bientÔt!
THE END
NOTE: WE WILL STILL BE POSTING PICTURES TO THE BLOG AND ENHANCING IT SO PLEASE CHECK IT IN THE FUTURE!
Magnolias' Day 12
An early morning rise, well early morning for the magnolias, all but Sara R. The group met ready for the day at 8:45 to grab a quick coffee and pastry to catch the train to Giverny at 10:15. Sara R. still exhausted from the driving and having been to Giverny before elected to stay behind for more of a leisure day. After sleeping in, taking a long hot bath and catching up a bit on things she headed to a cafe on the Rue Cler with wifi and enjoyed coffee, eggs Benedict and then, of course, vin to catch up on the blog postings and enjoy a little people watching all the while. There is hustle and bustle on the street with folks going to the various markets, work, cafes, etc.. Paris and all of France actually is very dog (chien) friendly. People take their dogs everywhere, large and small, to the markets, to see the sites, even to restaurants. I must say even the dogs in France are cultured. Small children accompany their parents on bicycles and scooters. It is quite refreshing and enjoyable to watch.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Magnolias headed to Giverny, the final home of Claude Monet. Our trip to the gare via metro was much smoother. We are in the Parisian groove; however, our weather report was not accurate. We hate to let you Mississipians know we are cold and need sweaters or jackets. The people here are dressed like it's the dead of winter, but it's not THAT cold but definitely chilly. We huddled at the bus stop for the final part of the trip to Giverny, but being Magnolias, we grabbed the first cab that showed up -- a Mercedes, no less.
The gardens are breathtaking and just like the pictures. They are not formal, but are full of colors and textures. You can see why he painted what he did. It is very much worth the trip. We also visited the Impressionists museum there. We were on a tight schedule to catch the next train back to Paris. Not being able to find a taxi quickly, we decided to take the bus back to Giverny. However, it began to rain enough that we took shelter at the visitor/info building and tried to get a cab, but none were to be found. So in the sprinkles we head to the bus and were glad to learn that we would make the 3:00 train, as we needed to get back to Paris to meet our intrepid leader Sara R.
Once we arrived back in Paris, we took the metro to the Bon Marche, a French SAKs department store, to meet Sara R. We sipped water, wine and even a beer in one of the store cafes and snacked on bread and cheese, then shopped a bit and headed to another building for the Bon Marche gourmet food market. What an absolute treat!!! We loaded up on what items we could easily tote and pack but longed for the fresh perishables we had to leave behind.
Unfortunately, another Magnolia leaves us tomorrow as Gina too has wedding festivities to attend. She leaves early for Chicago to join family and attend the rehearsal dinner after such a long flight. She has packed two dresses and sent them with family, one with no room for error and another more flowing number. We are eager to hear which one she chooses! Anyway, we are more selective in our brasserie, café, restaurant choices for our farewell to Gina dinner. We go from one to another before deciding on what we think looks like a good spot. Although you may think all food is good in France and especially Paris, this is not the case. Fortunately it seems we made a good enough choice and enjoyed our meals -- filet of fish, boeuf, tartar de boeuf, duck and snails -- and, of course, the vin. Although, the food is not always wonderful, we have not found that to be the case with the vin, even the cheap stuff is good!
We return to the hotel and bid our farewells to Gina as she will leave before we wake. We will miss her and especially her writing talents. Gina has been the storyteller on this trip and she has done a marvelous job. She has been quite observant and has accurately captured the essence of this journey very cleverly. I, Sara R, will do my best to complete the rest of this tale, but I’m afraid it will not be as interesting and entertaining as it has been thus far.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Magnolias' Day 11
After a good night's sleep, the Magnolias were ready to tackle Paris, but not before coffee au lait. We lost one magnolia, asDebbie had to return to the U.S. to host a bridal luncheon in her home with 2 days to prepare. Let's hope Jeff, Carly and Alex have been preparing in advance of Debbie's return.
So after refueling on coffee and croissants, the remaining five magnolias headed off in the rain (actually just sprinkling) to the musee d'Orsay thinking this was a good thing to do on a rainy day, but, apparently, so did everyone else in Paris. After queuing for a bit and approaching the entrance we learned the museum workers were on strike and our visit would be free, but, unfortunately, the third floor which houses the impressionist paintings was closed. Of course, this was the main exhibit the magnolias wanted to see. Also, there was a special Manet exhibit through July, but the queue was way too long to attempt to view it. Although we missed the bulk of the impressionist paintings, our visit was splendid and very worthwhile, crowds and all.
After our museum visit we headed to a nearby cafe for lunch. We ordered escargot (snails) for the table. Although some were hesitant, we all agreed they were very good, but I must say our method of deploying the snails out of the shells was a replay of Julia Robert's in "Pretty Woman". I 'm sure very amusing to our fellow diners. We each ordered entrees, some of which were a surprise, but nonetheless enjoyable.
After lunch Sara R. bid adieu to the group and headed back to the hotel for a rest. The remaining four Magnolias began a marathon tour of Paris. We saw the Palace of Justice, Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame. Then we headed to Montmartre to meet up with Sara R. Our metro stop choice put us in the hood -- and I do mean the hood!!!! We were approached by men wanting to sell us cigarettes and who knows what else. Had we been 40 years younger we might have been "Taken"!!!
We could not get out of there quick enough, but the problem was we didn't know where to go. So we stepped into the alcove of a "jewelry" shop to check our map. We hadn't been in there 30 seconds until the garage door starting closing us in. Jeanne Marie screamed, we all ducked under and ran as far as we could.
We finally asked directions. BUT when we saw the mountain we had to climb, we would have turned around had Sara R not been waiting for us on the stairs at Sacre Coeur, the cathedral in the Montmarte area. We all agree we should have great butts by the time we get home from the manual stairmasters we have encountered along the way. Our arms may be flying in the wind, but not our butts. Is anyone interested in the Magnolia exercise program?
We visited the cathedral, enjoyed vin in Montmarte and purchased watercolors from starving, well maybe not, artists in the area. We walked down the way for a view of the Moulin Rouge & perhaps the red light district and then on to the Eiffel Tower via the metro while serenaded by an accordion player en route.
What a magnificent sight the Eiffel Tower is at night. It was around 10 PM when we got there and we were fortunate to experience the lighted tower in all its glory. After taking it all in, we headed toward our hotel on foot and stopped in a restaurant along the way for dinner at midnight. Not midnight at the oasis, though the vin was plentiful, but sufficient for midnight.
On another note, our hotel in Paris "Hotel de la Motte Picquet" is a three star rather than a five star but is in a wonderful location near the Eiffel Tower, the A/C blows snowflakes and the staff could not be better. They are most accommodating and we have everything we need around us.
So after refueling on coffee and croissants, the remaining five magnolias headed off in the rain (actually just sprinkling) to the musee d'Orsay thinking this was a good thing to do on a rainy day, but, apparently, so did everyone else in Paris. After queuing for a bit and approaching the entrance we learned the museum workers were on strike and our visit would be free, but, unfortunately, the third floor which houses the impressionist paintings was closed. Of course, this was the main exhibit the magnolias wanted to see. Also, there was a special Manet exhibit through July, but the queue was way too long to attempt to view it. Although we missed the bulk of the impressionist paintings, our visit was splendid and very worthwhile, crowds and all.
After our museum visit we headed to a nearby cafe for lunch. We ordered escargot (snails) for the table. Although some were hesitant, we all agreed they were very good, but I must say our method of deploying the snails out of the shells was a replay of Julia Robert's in "Pretty Woman". I 'm sure very amusing to our fellow diners. We each ordered entrees, some of which were a surprise, but nonetheless enjoyable.
After lunch Sara R. bid adieu to the group and headed back to the hotel for a rest. The remaining four Magnolias began a marathon tour of Paris. We saw the Palace of Justice, Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame. Then we headed to Montmartre to meet up with Sara R. Our metro stop choice put us in the hood -- and I do mean the hood!!!! We were approached by men wanting to sell us cigarettes and who knows what else. Had we been 40 years younger we might have been "Taken"!!!
We could not get out of there quick enough, but the problem was we didn't know where to go. So we stepped into the alcove of a "jewelry" shop to check our map. We hadn't been in there 30 seconds until the garage door starting closing us in. Jeanne Marie screamed, we all ducked under and ran as far as we could.
We finally asked directions. BUT when we saw the mountain we had to climb, we would have turned around had Sara R not been waiting for us on the stairs at Sacre Coeur, the cathedral in the Montmarte area. We all agree we should have great butts by the time we get home from the manual stairmasters we have encountered along the way. Our arms may be flying in the wind, but not our butts. Is anyone interested in the Magnolia exercise program?
We visited the cathedral, enjoyed vin in Montmarte and purchased watercolors from starving, well maybe not, artists in the area. We walked down the way for a view of the Moulin Rouge & perhaps the red light district and then on to the Eiffel Tower via the metro while serenaded by an accordion player en route.
What a magnificent sight the Eiffel Tower is at night. It was around 10 PM when we got there and we were fortunate to experience the lighted tower in all its glory. After taking it all in, we headed toward our hotel on foot and stopped in a restaurant along the way for dinner at midnight. Not midnight at the oasis, though the vin was plentiful, but sufficient for midnight.
On another note, our hotel in Paris "Hotel de la Motte Picquet" is a three star rather than a five star but is in a wonderful location near the Eiffel Tower, the A/C blows snowflakes and the staff could not be better. They are most accommodating and we have everything we need around us.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Magnolias' Day 10
What a difference a day -- or a night -- makes. The old saying "You get what you pay for does not apply here"!!!! Nor does Sara R's saying "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." we've decided That 's bullshit!
Debbie and Sara's air-conditioning was broken!!!! And Sarah and Jeanne Marie's didn't work well. The night manager told Debbie and Sara there were no more rooms available. So he brought them a noisy fan and a bucket full of ice and opened their window! What a champ...he was a true rude Frenchman to boot. He told Sarah D their air was working, but it would not produce zeeee snowflakes, in his snotty French accent. Meanwhile, Patsy and Gina were sleeping like babies in their icy cold room. We swear if Sara R. could have gotten hold of a guillotine, she would have said "Off with his head"!!!
Note, Sara R still pulled the covers up tight around her neck so the vampires wouldn't get her. Don't ask. It goes back to childhood.
The next morning after a hot and noisy night, the rod that holds the shower head fell on Sara R. in the bathtub. I guess that was the crowning blow Needless to say, Debbie and Sara R. were not happy campers, which they let the day manager know. She was very nice and comped their room for the night. .
On a good note, the hotel breakfast was amazing. This blog would be waayyy too long if we told you everything they had. Fruits, cheeses, fresh juices, eggs any way, waffles, meats, cereal, breads, sausage....the list goes on and it was beautifully presented.
We didn't have to check out until 12. So we all went our separate ways and toured the walled city, the basilica and shops. Little did we know Sara R. and Debbie were back at the hotel trying to convince the people we had paid in advance. I think the arena and the lions were looking more appealing to them than the guillotine at this point.
Thank heavens for e-mail and iPads!!!! It took a bit of time, but the confirmation for the money transfer was found in Patsy's emails and they could not stop apologizing for doubting us. We don't know who was happier to see us go, them or us. It was a beautiful hotel but not so much on the service!
Off we headed to Avignon to return the rental cars and catch the train to Paris. We got separated at a toll booth. So the Sara car pulled to the side. As the Debbie car pulled through they waved and honked, but a truck pulled between the two cars at that very moment and the Sara car didn't see the Debbie car. Once the Sara car caught up, they once again used the universal language to the Debbie car who returned it double ditto.
Upon arrival at the station, we drove around the mulberry bush, a/k/a roundabout, a few times, before ending up at the station where we dropped off the luggage and four magnolias. Our driver magnolias returned the cars. Oh, what treasures they've been on this trip. The non-drivers can't thank them enough. It is not easy driving here.
Sara reappeared looking for the contract -- she has not had a good day-- but it was nowhere to be found. She handled it like a pro and returned to the station ready for vin. The train left at 6:00 and we all made it on safely.
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Sara "has been came out" on the train ride. The responsibility of driving a car was over and she was letting loose. We were having so much fun until the train stopped and Philippe explained that our stop was indeterminable. Oh, well, more vin. We sent Mary Jane to the bar to get more vin before they ran out. We waited a while, but she appeared with more vin and announced she didn't get food because she didn't think we wanted to mess up our buzz. Never fear, we have our Walmart almonds and Kroger's peanuts. Our Girl Scout training coming in handy.
Well, there we sat talking with Philippe, exchanging ages, info of grandchildren, what he will tell his wife about six magnolias, to which he said he would tell one of two stories. Either he never met us or he met us and we were crazy Americans.
Once the train started again, we began to notice the countryside. Agricultural with livestock. Philippe saw a deer -- bambi was how he translated it -- run across the road. It really is beautiful country. It is still daylight here. Oh, no. We had another hour on the train!!!!
Thank heavens we haven't traveled by train before now. I think we would have been kicked out of the country!!! You just had to be there. That's all we can say. This is for magnolias only.
Things went south when we arrived in Paris. We left the train with multiple bags each headed to the Metro to get to our hotel. Little did we know there was a music festival in the whole city. Evidently, the metro couldn't handle the crowd. After an announcement we couldn't understand, everyone started leaving the platform. So we did too and headed to the taxi line. We are exhausted even trying to relate this. It took almost an hour, two cabs, one of which had a crabby driver to get us to our hotel. We were never so glad to get in bed. Hopefully tomorrow will start better than this one ended.
Debbie and Sara's air-conditioning was broken!!!! And Sarah and Jeanne Marie's didn't work well. The night manager told Debbie and Sara there were no more rooms available. So he brought them a noisy fan and a bucket full of ice and opened their window! What a champ...he was a true rude Frenchman to boot. He told Sarah D their air was working, but it would not produce zeeee snowflakes, in his snotty French accent. Meanwhile, Patsy and Gina were sleeping like babies in their icy cold room. We swear if Sara R. could have gotten hold of a guillotine, she would have said "Off with his head"!!!
Note, Sara R still pulled the covers up tight around her neck so the vampires wouldn't get her. Don't ask. It goes back to childhood.
The next morning after a hot and noisy night, the rod that holds the shower head fell on Sara R. in the bathtub. I guess that was the crowning blow Needless to say, Debbie and Sara R. were not happy campers, which they let the day manager know. She was very nice and comped their room for the night. .
On a good note, the hotel breakfast was amazing. This blog would be waayyy too long if we told you everything they had. Fruits, cheeses, fresh juices, eggs any way, waffles, meats, cereal, breads, sausage....the list goes on and it was beautifully presented.
We didn't have to check out until 12. So we all went our separate ways and toured the walled city, the basilica and shops. Little did we know Sara R. and Debbie were back at the hotel trying to convince the people we had paid in advance. I think the arena and the lions were looking more appealing to them than the guillotine at this point.
Thank heavens for e-mail and iPads!!!! It took a bit of time, but the confirmation for the money transfer was found in Patsy's emails and they could not stop apologizing for doubting us. We don't know who was happier to see us go, them or us. It was a beautiful hotel but not so much on the service!
Off we headed to Avignon to return the rental cars and catch the train to Paris. We got separated at a toll booth. So the Sara car pulled to the side. As the Debbie car pulled through they waved and honked, but a truck pulled between the two cars at that very moment and the Sara car didn't see the Debbie car. Once the Sara car caught up, they once again used the universal language to the Debbie car who returned it double ditto.
Upon arrival at the station, we drove around the mulberry bush, a/k/a roundabout, a few times, before ending up at the station where we dropped off the luggage and four magnolias. Our driver magnolias returned the cars. Oh, what treasures they've been on this trip. The non-drivers can't thank them enough. It is not easy driving here.
Sara reappeared looking for the contract -- she has not had a good day-- but it was nowhere to be found. She handled it like a pro and returned to the station ready for vin. The train left at 6:00 and we all made it on safely.
Once on our way, we whipped out our wine glasses -- don't all Parisians travel with wine glasses? -- and a hot bottle of ro
se'. Sara R pulled out her trusty wine opener, worked on the bottle a minute before she handed it to Patsy. Did we tell you Patsy has been working out with a trainer? Well, with her Herculean strength, she twisted the wine opener and, voila, it was decapitated -- as in she broke off the top part of the bottle!!!! Completely!!!! But nothing comes between magnolias and their vin. We filled our glasses and even shared a glass with our Parisian seat mate, Philippe, shards and all. He didn't mind the shards of glass, but he didn't like our hot rose'.
Sara "has been came out" on the train ride. The responsibility of driving a car was over and she was letting loose. We were having so much fun until the train stopped and Philippe explained that our stop was indeterminable. Oh, well, more vin. We sent Mary Jane to the bar to get more vin before they ran out. We waited a while, but she appeared with more vin and announced she didn't get food because she didn't think we wanted to mess up our buzz. Never fear, we have our Walmart almonds and Kroger's peanuts. Our Girl Scout training coming in handy.
Well, there we sat talking with Philippe, exchanging ages, info of grandchildren, what he will tell his wife about six magnolias, to which he said he would tell one of two stories. Either he never met us or he met us and we were crazy Americans.
Once the train started again, we began to notice the countryside. Agricultural with livestock. Philippe saw a deer -- bambi was how he translated it -- run across the road. It really is beautiful country. It is still daylight here. Oh, no. We had another hour on the train!!!!
Thank heavens we haven't traveled by train before now. I think we would have been kicked out of the country!!! You just had to be there. That's all we can say. This is for magnolias only.
Things went south when we arrived in Paris. We left the train with multiple bags each headed to the Metro to get to our hotel. Little did we know there was a music festival in the whole city. Evidently, the metro couldn't handle the crowd. After an announcement we couldn't understand, everyone started leaving the platform. So we did too and headed to the taxi line. We are exhausted even trying to relate this. It took almost an hour, two cabs, one of which had a crabby driver to get us to our hotel. We were never so glad to get in bed. Hopefully tomorrow will start better than this one ended.
Magnolias' Day 9
This was the day we bid adieu to Domaine des Clos. Sometime during our stay here our cars shrunk, as our suitcases would no longer fit in the cars as before. Actually, we think Sara R's got wet and was swollen. The old joke "how many people does it take" would be completed with "to pack a car?" The answer is six, and it still wasn't a very good job. BUT we got it all in the two cars and after another lovely breakfast on the patio, we headed to Nimes by way of St. Remy. Yes, that was backtracking a bit, but we had more purchases to make. Sadly, the one shop we went back to shop in was closed today, but never fear, we were successful in making other purchases.
Finally, we were off to Nimes to see the arena, which is a smaller version of the Coliseum in Rome. Before touring, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant, pizzas and salads and -- you know the drill -- vin. The tour explained a day at the arena, which was basically a lot of killing, drinking and eating. We have the drinking and eating part down pat, but so far none of us have wanted to kill one another.
Off we headed to Carcassonne, our castle awaiting. I'm afraid, though, we had a little French road rage on the way. "Sweet, demure", or so we thought, Sara R. spoke sign language with a truck driver. He answered back double ditto. Ah, the universal language.
Somehow the Sara car arrived at the castle first. Upon arrival of the Debbie car, the Sara-car girls were packed like sardines in the tiny car that takes you through the city walls to the castle. Soon Maxime arrived with another chariot and whisked the Debbie girls to the castle also. It's the Hotel de la Cite' a five star Orient Express hotel.
Again, words will not describe this place. We have left the Redneck Riviera and now we're in a storybook, six Magnolia princesses. Our rooms are luxurious with every amenity you can think of. The gardens are breathtaking as well as everywhere you look. We are all giddy with excitement.
The town is just as it was back in medieval times, only now it's filled with charming shops and restaurants and history. We will explore the city tomorrow. Tonight we ate at St. Jean, recommended by the hotel. Cassoulet is the traditional dish here. It's white beans with duck sausage and duck meat and a bit of ham. It's delicious. We all agreed it would be a great winter dish.
Patsy just wanted the cassoulet. So she ordered a la carte, not realizing it could feed a small family.
There was a guy playing the guitar and singing. When he took a break, he went to the tables selling his CD. Sara R wanted one for our French dinner celebration back in the States. We learned he had lived in Cuba for a year. To make a long story short, the conversation led to Patsy and Debbie telling him they taught Latin. He didn't even know that Latin was a language, although he had changed his name from Niko to Marius, a great Roman who spoke Latin. They finally gave up trying to explain it to him. Easy on the eyes, but dumb.
A note about restaurants: All of them have at least two prix fixe menus, differing prices, and it's really the way to go. We have learned to try the local fare. However, we did not try the moules (mussels) in Nimes but wish we had. Another thing about restaurants is each waiter has a credit card reader. So your card never leaves your sight. It's also much quicker. Many stores do the same thing.
After dinner we headed back to our luxurious hotel rooms. We gathered in Gina and Patsy's room to drink a fabulous bottle of wine we bought in Avignon at the Palace of the Popes. Ohhhh, it was sooooo good. We feel like royalty. What are the simple folk doing tonight
Finally, we were off to Nimes to see the arena, which is a smaller version of the Coliseum in Rome. Before touring, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant, pizzas and salads and -- you know the drill -- vin. The tour explained a day at the arena, which was basically a lot of killing, drinking and eating. We have the drinking and eating part down pat, but so far none of us have wanted to kill one another.
Off we headed to Carcassonne, our castle awaiting. I'm afraid, though, we had a little French road rage on the way. "Sweet, demure", or so we thought, Sara R. spoke sign language with a truck driver. He answered back double ditto. Ah, the universal language.
Somehow the Sara car arrived at the castle first. Upon arrival of the Debbie car, the Sara-car girls were packed like sardines in the tiny car that takes you through the city walls to the castle. Soon Maxime arrived with another chariot and whisked the Debbie girls to the castle also. It's the Hotel de la Cite' a five star Orient Express hotel.
Again, words will not describe this place. We have left the Redneck Riviera and now we're in a storybook, six Magnolia princesses. Our rooms are luxurious with every amenity you can think of. The gardens are breathtaking as well as everywhere you look. We are all giddy with excitement.
The town is just as it was back in medieval times, only now it's filled with charming shops and restaurants and history. We will explore the city tomorrow. Tonight we ate at St. Jean, recommended by the hotel. Cassoulet is the traditional dish here. It's white beans with duck sausage and duck meat and a bit of ham. It's delicious. We all agreed it would be a great winter dish.
Patsy just wanted the cassoulet. So she ordered a la carte, not realizing it could feed a small family.
There was a guy playing the guitar and singing. When he took a break, he went to the tables selling his CD. Sara R wanted one for our French dinner celebration back in the States. We learned he had lived in Cuba for a year. To make a long story short, the conversation led to Patsy and Debbie telling him they taught Latin. He didn't even know that Latin was a language, although he had changed his name from Niko to Marius, a great Roman who spoke Latin. They finally gave up trying to explain it to him. Easy on the eyes, but dumb.
A note about restaurants: All of them have at least two prix fixe menus, differing prices, and it's really the way to go. We have learned to try the local fare. However, we did not try the moules (mussels) in Nimes but wish we had. Another thing about restaurants is each waiter has a credit card reader. So your card never leaves your sight. It's also much quicker. Many stores do the same thing.
After dinner we headed back to our luxurious hotel rooms. We gathered in Gina and Patsy's room to drink a fabulous bottle of wine we bought in Avignon at the Palace of the Popes. Ohhhh, it was sooooo good. We feel like royalty. What are the simple folk doing tonight
Magnlas' Day 8
First a word about the manor. David and Sandrine bought this place 14 years ago and restored it. Sandrine was from Beaucaire, the nearest town, moved to Paris, met David and decided to move back here to raise their family. They have three beautiful children, ages 10 to 15. The oldest is learning to drive. Very cute. The children go to school in Nimes, which is about 20 kilometers from their home. Sandrine drives them to Bellegarde, a smaller town to the west, to catch the bus. They get out of school the end of June and have July and August off.
Besides running the hotel, Sandrine makes confite (preserves) from the apricots, nectarines, figs and peaches her sister grows on the family farm. They're sent off to be jarred and then sold here and elsewhere. Each table at breakfast has at least four jars on it with wonderful breads. So we have enjoyed trying all of the flavors.
Back note: As for Joel, our host in Mougins, he owned a laundry in Paris, sold it, bought the villa in Mougins, restored it and now greets guests and serves breakfast. Not a bad life. They have three sons and I believe one is a dentist, but we really didn't get much history.
Also a note about the cars and petro. One car is a Toyota hybrid and had to be filled up yesterday -- 58 euros or about $90!!!!! This equates to about $6 a gallon. $4 doesn't seem so bad anymore. We have driven this car since Monday from Nice to Mougins to Monte Carlo to Mougins to Eze to Mougins to Beaucaire --- well, just say a lot. So we are getting good mileage.
The other car is diesel. It took a Hungarian to show Sara R how to fill it up. Filling up both cars was a true learning experience. We tried the day before, but none of us could figure it out. So if you drive here and are not sure how, pick a station with humans. Even better, pick one with full service. Damsels in distress!!!
Now for our day, we headed to Avignon first. As we said, Hannah and Betty (gps's) have deserted us for this part of the trip. So we are having to rely on the map and our sense of direction, not always a good thing. The two cars got separated. So we decided to just find each other in Avignon.
Avignon has to rivers that meet here, the Rhone and another we can't remember the name of. This is why it became a vital city. The papacy moved here during most of the 14th century. There are 200,000 people that live in Avignon today and 16,000 actually live within the walled city.
We hit the market first where we bought a few things and then visited the Papal Palace. It housed several popes during their residency in Avignon. It was filled with frescos, tapestries and ornate furnishings during that time.
On our walk back to the car, we came upon an orchestra on the plaza. It would have been nice to sit at one of the restaurants, order some vin and enjoy the music, but we all wanted to go to the Pont du Gard. That is an aqueduct built by the Romans and is close to 2000 years old. It had to be restored in the 20th century because over the centuries people scavenged stones to build medieval cities and churches. It is truly amazing the engineering and building skills these people had. It makes you realize not much today is really new; it's just been improved upon.
You can walk across the lower level of the bridge and look at kayakers, swimmers and sunbathers in the river below. On the other side, we of course found a cafe and had vin, our first for the day, as we were heading to Stes Maries-de-la-Mer for a real dinner tonight.
The trip there was again an adventure. With only a small detour and several circles around the roundabouts -- we were told five times at one roundabout and running one stoplight -- we found our way through Nimes and St. Gilles until we finally saw signs to Stes. Maries. Don't ever complain about the highways and byways in America. France could learn a heck of a lot about signage. It's a wing and a prayer to find your way. But we did and it was beautiful. It's an Agricultural area with huge and small farmhouses spread out among the fields. Along the way we saw the white horses that are native to this area. They're black when they are born and turn white after three years. Hey, kinda sounds like our hair color... We also saw white flamingos with a tinge of pink and lots of bulls.
Wwwwweeelll, we all arrived on what we have now agreed is the French Redneck Riviera. We've gone from the ritzy French Riviera to this. But here we are, hungry. So after checking out several restaurants, we settled on one. We all placed our orders and then discovered the fish (mind you, we're on the Mediterranean) was not local. It's from the Atlantic. So bless his heart, everyone started changing their orders. He finally tore up the ticket and started over. When he walked away, Sara R said, "Thank goodness he could speak Anglais," and Patsy said, "And it's a good thing he could speak English."
We were very pleased with our first course, fish soup or salad with goat cheese. And, of course, vin, blanc and rouge. While eating, the waiter came running up and said, "Watch. The horses and bulls will be coming by. It's the Bandito Festival." Little did we know we were in Pamplona for the running of the bulls.
Our main course was fabulous, fish, but bull for Gina -- surprise surprise. We think they used the bull we saw running earlier. For dessert we had one of each. Just suffice it to say it was all very good and we were all miserable. Then we had to drive an hour to get home!!!
It's been a long day and we are all tired. So off to bed we went. We have all got to repack and organize after our purchases. It sure has been nice having cars, but day after tomorrow we will be traveling by train.
Nite nite, y'all.....
Besides running the hotel, Sandrine makes confite (preserves) from the apricots, nectarines, figs and peaches her sister grows on the family farm. They're sent off to be jarred and then sold here and elsewhere. Each table at breakfast has at least four jars on it with wonderful breads. So we have enjoyed trying all of the flavors.
Back note: As for Joel, our host in Mougins, he owned a laundry in Paris, sold it, bought the villa in Mougins, restored it and now greets guests and serves breakfast. Not a bad life. They have three sons and I believe one is a dentist, but we really didn't get much history.
Also a note about the cars and petro. One car is a Toyota hybrid and had to be filled up yesterday -- 58 euros or about $90!!!!! This equates to about $6 a gallon. $4 doesn't seem so bad anymore. We have driven this car since Monday from Nice to Mougins to Monte Carlo to Mougins to Eze to Mougins to Beaucaire --- well, just say a lot. So we are getting good mileage.
The other car is diesel. It took a Hungarian to show Sara R how to fill it up. Filling up both cars was a true learning experience. We tried the day before, but none of us could figure it out. So if you drive here and are not sure how, pick a station with humans. Even better, pick one with full service. Damsels in distress!!!
Now for our day, we headed to Avignon first. As we said, Hannah and Betty (gps's) have deserted us for this part of the trip. So we are having to rely on the map and our sense of direction, not always a good thing. The two cars got separated. So we decided to just find each other in Avignon.
Avignon has to rivers that meet here, the Rhone and another we can't remember the name of. This is why it became a vital city. The papacy moved here during most of the 14th century. There are 200,000 people that live in Avignon today and 16,000 actually live within the walled city.
We hit the market first where we bought a few things and then visited the Papal Palace. It housed several popes during their residency in Avignon. It was filled with frescos, tapestries and ornate furnishings during that time.
On our walk back to the car, we came upon an orchestra on the plaza. It would have been nice to sit at one of the restaurants, order some vin and enjoy the music, but we all wanted to go to the Pont du Gard. That is an aqueduct built by the Romans and is close to 2000 years old. It had to be restored in the 20th century because over the centuries people scavenged stones to build medieval cities and churches. It is truly amazing the engineering and building skills these people had. It makes you realize not much today is really new; it's just been improved upon.
You can walk across the lower level of the bridge and look at kayakers, swimmers and sunbathers in the river below. On the other side, we of course found a cafe and had vin, our first for the day, as we were heading to Stes Maries-de-la-Mer for a real dinner tonight.
The trip there was again an adventure. With only a small detour and several circles around the roundabouts -- we were told five times at one roundabout and running one stoplight -- we found our way through Nimes and St. Gilles until we finally saw signs to Stes. Maries. Don't ever complain about the highways and byways in America. France could learn a heck of a lot about signage. It's a wing and a prayer to find your way. But we did and it was beautiful. It's an Agricultural area with huge and small farmhouses spread out among the fields. Along the way we saw the white horses that are native to this area. They're black when they are born and turn white after three years. Hey, kinda sounds like our hair color... We also saw white flamingos with a tinge of pink and lots of bulls.
Wwwwweeelll, we all arrived on what we have now agreed is the French Redneck Riviera. We've gone from the ritzy French Riviera to this. But here we are, hungry. So after checking out several restaurants, we settled on one. We all placed our orders and then discovered the fish (mind you, we're on the Mediterranean) was not local. It's from the Atlantic. So bless his heart, everyone started changing their orders. He finally tore up the ticket and started over. When he walked away, Sara R said, "Thank goodness he could speak Anglais," and Patsy said, "And it's a good thing he could speak English."
We were very pleased with our first course, fish soup or salad with goat cheese. And, of course, vin, blanc and rouge. While eating, the waiter came running up and said, "Watch. The horses and bulls will be coming by. It's the Bandito Festival." Little did we know we were in Pamplona for the running of the bulls.
Our main course was fabulous, fish, but bull for Gina -- surprise surprise. We think they used the bull we saw running earlier. For dessert we had one of each. Just suffice it to say it was all very good and we were all miserable. Then we had to drive an hour to get home!!!
It's been a long day and we are all tired. So off to bed we went. We have all got to repack and organize after our purchases. It sure has been nice having cars, but day after tomorrow we will be traveling by train.
Nite nite, y'all.....
Magnolias's Day 7
We veered off the beaten path today. Two magnolias went to Glamun, a/k/a, a pile of rocks. We'll let our readers guess which two. The brochure says it's an ancient Roman city that "has been come out". We assume they mean excavated, but call it what you will, our two magnolias enjoyed seeing the triumphal arch, monuments, mausoleum and a miniature Roman town complete with baths, houses, temples, etc.
The rest of the magnolias opted to sleep in, as we all had a cooking class here at 11:00, which has been a highlight of our trip. Marie Theresa is a charming lady who just loves to cook. So she teaches classes for the hotels in the area. She also sings Italian opera in a small ladies' group and invited us to their performance tonight, but we had to regret. So far all of the French people we have met have been so nice and gracious. Her only comments about Americans was why so many are fat and she hates McDonald's. But back to the class...
Again, she was precious. We made a vegetable (which are called legumes here and doesn't include beans) quiche we'll call it. It had zucchini, onions, tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella and eggs. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it was so full of flavor. Oh, it had mint we picked from their garden, which is where the zucchini came from and other herbs. We also prepared tomatoes and zucchini stuffed with an eggplant, tomatoes and pork sausage mixture. And THEN we had apricot tart we prepared. Ohhhhhhh, so good. They don't use a lot of sugar, but they make up for that with butter --- burrrrrr as it's pronounced here.
We ended the evening the way we started. We veered from the usual and sat on the portico, formerly part of the stables, once again enjoying visiting and vin. There were no Mosquitos tonight and there was a brisk cool breeze.
Oh, I almost forgot. We visited a vineyard today that is 2000 years old -- more Roman stuff -- but they have excavated the original winery and reconstructed the original wine press. They now produce wine the way they did back then, picking grapes by hand, stomping them with their feet and pressing them with this enormous wine press. It's a very interesting story, but too complicated for this blogger, especially after vin.
Note: Any typos are being blamed on predictive text!!!
Time for these magnolias to go to bed. Plus demain.....that's French for more tomorrow, we think......
The rest of the magnolias opted to sleep in, as we all had a cooking class here at 11:00, which has been a highlight of our trip. Marie Theresa is a charming lady who just loves to cook. So she teaches classes for the hotels in the area. She also sings Italian opera in a small ladies' group and invited us to their performance tonight, but we had to regret. So far all of the French people we have met have been so nice and gracious. Her only comments about Americans was why so many are fat and she hates McDonald's. But back to the class...
Again, she was precious. We made a vegetable (which are called legumes here and doesn't include beans) quiche we'll call it. It had zucchini, onions, tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella and eggs. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it was so full of flavor. Oh, it had mint we picked from their garden, which is where the zucchini came from and other herbs. We also prepared tomatoes and zucchini stuffed with an eggplant, tomatoes and pork sausage mixture. And THEN we had apricot tart we prepared. Ohhhhhhh, so good. They don't use a lot of sugar, but they make up for that with butter --- burrrrrr as it's pronounced here.
While we cooked, Marie T practiced her English and we practiced our French. We have decided that French women look young for so long because you have to use your facial muscles so much to talk. We also have a theme song for the trip. Marie T sang Alouette with us:
But we all decided Patsy's version is much more fitting:
All you eta, think of all you eta.
All you eta, think of all you et.
Think of all the wine you drank
Think of all the cheese you et
Wine you drank, cheese you et.
Oh, oh, all you eta, think of all you eta.....
You get the idea....
We sat down with Maria T, opened a bottle of vin and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. What a wonderful afternoon.
We also learned that in French Jeanne Marie should really be Mary Jane. Who knew!??? So now we have Julie (a/k/a Debbie), Mary Jane (a/k/a Jeanne Marie) and Clepto Patsy (so far she has taken wine glasses from Pompeii and now she's "stealing" fruit from the orchards. What next??!!!). She claims she had accomplices, but the jury's still out on that.
We ended the evening the way we started. We veered from the usual and sat on the portico, formerly part of the stables, once again enjoying visiting and vin. There were no Mosquitos tonight and there was a brisk cool breeze.
Oh, I almost forgot. We visited a vineyard today that is 2000 years old -- more Roman stuff -- but they have excavated the original winery and reconstructed the original wine press. They now produce wine the way they did back then, picking grapes by hand, stomping them with their feet and pressing them with this enormous wine press. It's a very interesting story, but too complicated for this blogger, especially after vin.
Note: Any typos are being blamed on predictive text!!!
Time for these magnolias to go to bed. Plus demain.....that's French for more tomorrow, we think......
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Magnolias' Day 6
Magnolia's Day 6
We are in the groove now. So we agreed to meet for breakfast at 9 ish. Our breakfast table was outside and was set with breads, juice, coffee and fresh apricots and nectarines from their orchard. We kind of missed Joel parading out an assortment of tarts and cakes, but our waistlines need this. They do have an espresso machine, which thrilled the Italophiles in our group, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Delicious!!!!
We arranged our day and headed off for new adventures. First, though, we decided to take advantage of their French laundry. What a treat not to have to do the wash...
Tarascon was our first stop. There is a castle there that is in unbelievable condition. They fought regularly with the people in the castle across the Rhone, but the tale is that a dragon saved the people of Tarascon when they were invaded and the people lived happily ever after. Whatever.... The interesting part is they had bathrooms in all of the bedrooms!!!! Who said these people were medieval?!! We really enjoyed it.
Next we drove east into the Alps to Les Baux. The area is like a patchwork quilt of olive and apricot orchards and grape vineyards until you enter the mountains. There are farmhouses dotting the roads, two-story with red roofs, nestled among the vineyards.
Les Baux is another medieval town established as the family home of the Grimaldi family. They mined bauxite at that time up until the last 20 or 30 years. The town has been restored and is full of retail shops and restaurants, and, yes, we did make purchases.
First, though, we hiked to the very top to the original castle which is mostly ruins, but they have working catapults -- we got to see a demo-- and they have regular displays of battles and weaponry used during medieval times. There were panoramic views of the Alps, vineyards and even the Mediterranean.
We ate a late lunch at a restaurant back down in the village and had crepes, Mediterranean, ratatouille, and roquefort, three unique crepes. Then we had creme brûlée a la lavender and a chocolate pyramid. Fabulous!!!! And of course vin.
We shopped a bit more and headed back to the manor, but first we stopped at an old abbey along the way. It wasn't open, but we hiked up there anyway -- and I do mean hiked. We have renamed Debbie "Julie Andrews" because she encourages us to "Climb Every Mountain." Not only did we trek to the church, the crew headed even further up the mountain and found what may have been an old monastery. Someone was building a bridge out of logs. We don't know why a bridge, but we suspect they're up to no good.
After coming down the mountain, some more gracefully than others, we headed to the supermarket for our late evening feast, cheese, foie gras, sausage, pears, cherries and fabulous wine that blows our minds at how good the cheap stuff is. Oh, if we could only bring it home.
Back at the manor, we're in our sitting room, visiting, recounting the day and planning our day for tomorrow. We will be taking a cooking class here tomorrow morning. Do we have six Julia Childs in the making??!!! Stay tuned.....
We are in the groove now. So we agreed to meet for breakfast at 9 ish. Our breakfast table was outside and was set with breads, juice, coffee and fresh apricots and nectarines from their orchard. We kind of missed Joel parading out an assortment of tarts and cakes, but our waistlines need this. They do have an espresso machine, which thrilled the Italophiles in our group, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Delicious!!!!
We arranged our day and headed off for new adventures. First, though, we decided to take advantage of their French laundry. What a treat not to have to do the wash...
Tarascon was our first stop. There is a castle there that is in unbelievable condition. They fought regularly with the people in the castle across the Rhone, but the tale is that a dragon saved the people of Tarascon when they were invaded and the people lived happily ever after. Whatever.... The interesting part is they had bathrooms in all of the bedrooms!!!! Who said these people were medieval?!! We really enjoyed it.
Next we drove east into the Alps to Les Baux. The area is like a patchwork quilt of olive and apricot orchards and grape vineyards until you enter the mountains. There are farmhouses dotting the roads, two-story with red roofs, nestled among the vineyards.
Les Baux is another medieval town established as the family home of the Grimaldi family. They mined bauxite at that time up until the last 20 or 30 years. The town has been restored and is full of retail shops and restaurants, and, yes, we did make purchases.
First, though, we hiked to the very top to the original castle which is mostly ruins, but they have working catapults -- we got to see a demo-- and they have regular displays of battles and weaponry used during medieval times. There were panoramic views of the Alps, vineyards and even the Mediterranean.
We ate a late lunch at a restaurant back down in the village and had crepes, Mediterranean, ratatouille, and roquefort, three unique crepes. Then we had creme brûlée a la lavender and a chocolate pyramid. Fabulous!!!! And of course vin.
We shopped a bit more and headed back to the manor, but first we stopped at an old abbey along the way. It wasn't open, but we hiked up there anyway -- and I do mean hiked. We have renamed Debbie "Julie Andrews" because she encourages us to "Climb Every Mountain." Not only did we trek to the church, the crew headed even further up the mountain and found what may have been an old monastery. Someone was building a bridge out of logs. We don't know why a bridge, but we suspect they're up to no good.
After coming down the mountain, some more gracefully than others, we headed to the supermarket for our late evening feast, cheese, foie gras, sausage, pears, cherries and fabulous wine that blows our minds at how good the cheap stuff is. Oh, if we could only bring it home.
Back at the manor, we're in our sitting room, visiting, recounting the day and planning our day for tomorrow. We will be taking a cooking class here tomorrow morning. Do we have six Julia Childs in the making??!!! Stay tuned.....
Friday, June 17, 2011
Magnolia's Day 5
After another magnificent breakfast which included a puff pastry with mushrooms, peppers and olives, sautéed bananas somewhat like bananas foster, and apple strudel, plus the regulars, we said au revoir to Joel, Fetish and our villa and headed north to Beaucaire. BTW, Joel's wife, Sonia, prepared all of the food, but was too shy come meet us.
Our plan was to go to Aix for a quick tour which turned into an hour and 45 minutes stuck in traffic. We learned more than halfway into it that there was a gas leak in the old town center and we couldn't go there. Oh, well, if that's the worst we do, we'll be in great shape. We are having a devil of a time with these toll booths. After trying four credit cards and lots of honking, we finally got a human to take cash and headed north on the A8 for St. Remy.
We arrived in St. Remy ready for a delicious midafternoon lunch, indulging in exquisite salads. We ordered the petit salad thinking it would be small, but these would rival Olive Garden's bottomless salad bowl. Nicoise, salmon, pancetta, etc. Pictures will follow. What happened to the days when we took pictures of good-looking men? Now it's food and flowers sprinkled with discussions of comfortable shoes and long-term care. Of course the meal included vin.
After a sufficiency we explored St. Remy. St. Remy is where Van Gogh checked himself into the psychiatric hospital after he cut his ear off. They say he cut his ear off and sent it to his girlfriend because she said he never listened to her. He sent it to her and said, "I can hear you now." Guys, now you now how to make your wife/girlfriend happy.
While Debbie and Patsy drank in the culture -- as in art, not wine --the rest of us went shopping. That won't surprise our families, I'm sure. Linen clothing is prominent as well as table and bath linens, soaps, lavender in all forms, items made of olive wood and woven market baskets. A few purchases were made with a possibility of returning for more things on our wish list.
Now it was time to find our accommodations for the next four nights. We struck out for Beaucaire and had to trust our own instincts as Helpful Hannah and Bitching Betty found this area too mundane to keep in their memory banks. After stinking paper mills and rusty old factories, thanks to Debbie and Sara -- and a bit of luck -- both cars arrived safely to the Domaine des Clos.
We drove past apricot and olive orchards to reach a French manor like you'd imagine. It has a courtyard in the middle, a path lined with cypress, lavender and oleander leading to a beautiful pool bound by an olive orchard. We are looking forward to exploring the area tomorrow. Note, the mosquito is the state bird. They can carry away a small child. Patsy swears she saw one child flying through the air in the mouth of a mosquito, but we wonder if she had her own stash of vin.
Our rooms are upstairs with a small kitchen and sitting room that we have now taken over, much like our portico in Mougins. We gathered there deciding whether to go out or not and the wine -- and tiredness -- won. We pooled our almonds and trial mix and airplane peanuts for a tasty meal and early night before we explore the region. As a note, it doesn't get dark until after 9 here. So you really lose track of time.
a' bientot......Y'all.
P.S. Internet connection is intermittent. Pictures will be posted when possible!
Our plan was to go to Aix for a quick tour which turned into an hour and 45 minutes stuck in traffic. We learned more than halfway into it that there was a gas leak in the old town center and we couldn't go there. Oh, well, if that's the worst we do, we'll be in great shape. We are having a devil of a time with these toll booths. After trying four credit cards and lots of honking, we finally got a human to take cash and headed north on the A8 for St. Remy.
We arrived in St. Remy ready for a delicious midafternoon lunch, indulging in exquisite salads. We ordered the petit salad thinking it would be small, but these would rival Olive Garden's bottomless salad bowl. Nicoise, salmon, pancetta, etc. Pictures will follow. What happened to the days when we took pictures of good-looking men? Now it's food and flowers sprinkled with discussions of comfortable shoes and long-term care. Of course the meal included vin.
After a sufficiency we explored St. Remy. St. Remy is where Van Gogh checked himself into the psychiatric hospital after he cut his ear off. They say he cut his ear off and sent it to his girlfriend because she said he never listened to her. He sent it to her and said, "I can hear you now." Guys, now you now how to make your wife/girlfriend happy.
While Debbie and Patsy drank in the culture -- as in art, not wine --the rest of us went shopping. That won't surprise our families, I'm sure. Linen clothing is prominent as well as table and bath linens, soaps, lavender in all forms, items made of olive wood and woven market baskets. A few purchases were made with a possibility of returning for more things on our wish list.
Now it was time to find our accommodations for the next four nights. We struck out for Beaucaire and had to trust our own instincts as Helpful Hannah and Bitching Betty found this area too mundane to keep in their memory banks. After stinking paper mills and rusty old factories, thanks to Debbie and Sara -- and a bit of luck -- both cars arrived safely to the Domaine des Clos.
We drove past apricot and olive orchards to reach a French manor like you'd imagine. It has a courtyard in the middle, a path lined with cypress, lavender and oleander leading to a beautiful pool bound by an olive orchard. We are looking forward to exploring the area tomorrow. Note, the mosquito is the state bird. They can carry away a small child. Patsy swears she saw one child flying through the air in the mouth of a mosquito, but we wonder if she had her own stash of vin.
Our rooms are upstairs with a small kitchen and sitting room that we have now taken over, much like our portico in Mougins. We gathered there deciding whether to go out or not and the wine -- and tiredness -- won. We pooled our almonds and trial mix and airplane peanuts for a tasty meal and early night before we explore the region. As a note, it doesn't get dark until after 9 here. So you really lose track of time.
a' bientot......Y'all.
P.S. Internet connection is intermittent. Pictures will be posted when possible!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Magnolia's Day 4
Breakfast this morning was all of the usual plus lots of fresh fruit, grapefruit, watermelon, delicious baked apples, a fruit tart, quiche Lorraine. We enjoyed visiting with our villa friends. OurBelgian friends are leaving today. The wife is seven months pregnant and looks like a million dollars. She had on a tight black dress today with a belt under her baby bump. We all decided we could do that look; it just wouldn't be a baby bump!!! Especially after all this food....
With our day planned, we were off earlier than normal, 10 instead of 11, headed for the walled city of Mougins. By the way, we love Mougins. It seems to be a well-kept secret. The old city has a new museum that juxtaposes classical with modern art -- Greek, Roman and Egyptian ancient artifacts with paintings or sculptures from Dali, Andy Warhol, Chagall and Picasso and many more. It is a well-thought-out exhibit with interactive kiosks sprinkled throughout the museum.
We left the museum and toured the old city, looking in shops along the way, There is a jewelry artist with unique pieces and many things we wanted, but we didn't buy yet, not knowing what lies ahead -- except Sara R. who practiced some retail therapy. Picasso lived here 12 years before he died. So copies of his work are very prevalent. We "toured" the city more than we intended, as we couldn't quite get our bearings. This is true of all of France we've seen thus far -- they don't believe any two roads should meet up more than once. If you miss a turn, you must turned around and go back. Return to Go and don't collect $200!
Next we headed to Eze. It is said to have to the most breathtaking views and that is an understatement!!! It's an old village perched on the top of a mountain right at the edge of the sea. Pictures won't do it justice. We followed the walking tour and ended up at Chateau Eza. We had tapas at the restaurant -- and vin -- living the life of the rich and famous, if only for a moment. Asparagus soup, arugula salad with shaved parmigiano reggiano, crabmeat with watercress coulee and linguine with basil pesto. And, of course, vin. Gina almost ordered a 25 euro glass of champagne, which actually wasn't much more than the house wine. But we WERE paying for the view.
While there, we met a couple who were renewing their wedding vows after 30 years of marriage. They live in San Diego, but are from Dallas. Small world. They had two attendants -- we think the mother and maybe her boyfriend or maybe just friends. They had a harp player that played maybe four songs after the wedding. Mind you, someone had to carry that harp up a mountain!! For four songs!!! But it was a nice touch. If you want a destination wedding, this is a great place....
We left to finish our tour -- and hoped our car was there when we got back down. We forgot to get a parking ticket for one of them (one was given to us by the person vacating his spot) and that is a big no-no anywhere you park. But first we trekked back up the mountain to the highest point. The paths are cobblestone with twists and turns. It would be interesting to know the thought process behind only curves instead of a few straight lines. After taking in all that Eze had to offer, we clomped down the mountain to our cars. It was there with no ticket!! We are living right.
We got supplies for another evening on the portico and headed back to our villa in Mougins. We enjoyed our last evening on the portico, as we leave for Beaucaire tomorrow. Off to more new adventures. But we will leave Mougins taking with us lots of wonderful memories and leaving behind many empty wine bottles in return.....salut, y'all.
With our day planned, we were off earlier than normal, 10 instead of 11, headed for the walled city of Mougins. By the way, we love Mougins. It seems to be a well-kept secret. The old city has a new museum that juxtaposes classical with modern art -- Greek, Roman and Egyptian ancient artifacts with paintings or sculptures from Dali, Andy Warhol, Chagall and Picasso and many more. It is a well-thought-out exhibit with interactive kiosks sprinkled throughout the museum.
We left the museum and toured the old city, looking in shops along the way, There is a jewelry artist with unique pieces and many things we wanted, but we didn't buy yet, not knowing what lies ahead -- except Sara R. who practiced some retail therapy. Picasso lived here 12 years before he died. So copies of his work are very prevalent. We "toured" the city more than we intended, as we couldn't quite get our bearings. This is true of all of France we've seen thus far -- they don't believe any two roads should meet up more than once. If you miss a turn, you must turned around and go back. Return to Go and don't collect $200!
Next we headed to Eze. It is said to have to the most breathtaking views and that is an understatement!!! It's an old village perched on the top of a mountain right at the edge of the sea. Pictures won't do it justice. We followed the walking tour and ended up at Chateau Eza. We had tapas at the restaurant -- and vin -- living the life of the rich and famous, if only for a moment. Asparagus soup, arugula salad with shaved parmigiano reggiano, crabmeat with watercress coulee and linguine with basil pesto. And, of course, vin. Gina almost ordered a 25 euro glass of champagne, which actually wasn't much more than the house wine. But we WERE paying for the view.
While there, we met a couple who were renewing their wedding vows after 30 years of marriage. They live in San Diego, but are from Dallas. Small world. They had two attendants -- we think the mother and maybe her boyfriend or maybe just friends. They had a harp player that played maybe four songs after the wedding. Mind you, someone had to carry that harp up a mountain!! For four songs!!! But it was a nice touch. If you want a destination wedding, this is a great place....
We left to finish our tour -- and hoped our car was there when we got back down. We forgot to get a parking ticket for one of them (one was given to us by the person vacating his spot) and that is a big no-no anywhere you park. But first we trekked back up the mountain to the highest point. The paths are cobblestone with twists and turns. It would be interesting to know the thought process behind only curves instead of a few straight lines. After taking in all that Eze had to offer, we clomped down the mountain to our cars. It was there with no ticket!! We are living right.
We got supplies for another evening on the portico and headed back to our villa in Mougins. We enjoyed our last evening on the portico, as we leave for Beaucaire tomorrow. Off to more new adventures. But we will leave Mougins taking with us lots of wonderful memories and leaving behind many empty wine bottles in return.....salut, y'all.
Magnolia's Day 3
Debbie and Patsy got to enjoy their first breakfast this morning and know now it is a gastronomic marathon. Today's fare included, besides the usual, tomato tart, cheesecake (not the dessert, more of a pound cake) with a raspberry coulee. Once again, we had had a sufficiency.
Today was Monte Carlo and Monaco. The roads remind us of a toy where you put a marble in the top and it had different routes it can take to get to the bottom, no two times being the same. The towns are built into the side of the mountains overlooking the cool blue Mediterranean. Fortunately, they live in a modern world and have elevators to take you from the highest point, down through the mountain all the way to the harbor. They have negative floor numbers here. For example, we parked on minus 3 at the train station and it goes all the way to minus 14!
Everything is very clean there, from the train station to the long walkways that wind you through the mountain to the streets and parks. Oh, and the flowers everywhere are lush and vibrant colors, impatiens, bougainvillea, lavender, rosemary and many we don't know the name. It is crowded, mostly with tourists during the day I would imagine. The Grand Casino is ornate and fronted by a beautiful fountain. We learned that no residents can gamble at the casinos, but we don't know the reason yet.
The harbor is full of gorgeous yachts. Workers around the harbor were in the process of disassembling bleachers for spectators of the Grand Prix and are now preparing for the wedding of Prince Albert. We went to the cathedral where Prince Ranier and Princess Grace are buried and we suppose where Prince Albert will be married.
The palace is very plain from the outside. It is surrounded by cannons to this day, but hopefully they won't need to use them. It is very ornate inside. The steps leading to the courtyard are carved from one piece of marble. Amazing. The palace is definitely a place you want to see if you visit Monaco.
Ready for a break from walking, we found a cafe where a wedding reception was going on, middle of the day on a Tuesday. We made up a few stories about the older groom and younger bride, but we'll never know the true story. Did they have a fabulous yacht waiting to whisk them away?
More importantly, we had a four-cheese pizza with artichoke hearts and capers on a crust so thin you could practically see through it. YUM!! It was so good we had to order another one. Of course, vin was involved.
On our walk back to the car, we took the bateau bus to the other side of the harbor -- you know, planes, trains, automobiles and BOATS. We mustn't miss a mode of transportation. After many walkways, escalators and elevators, we finally reached our cars, which brings us to a note on driving.
First, Sara R. and Debbie are skilled drivers in France. We have gotten everywhere we wanted to safely, despite motorcyclists with death wishes and crazy car and truck drivers. They do love to honk their horns, though. And toll booths, there is one every ten miles and the price is different each time!!! We are constantly digging for change.
We made it back to the villa with a minor misstep, but it led us to a convenience store -- yes, like a gas station -- where we got wonderful cheese, salami and bread for our evening meal -- and, of course, plenty of vin. We sat on our portico recounting the day and laughing, soaking in this wonderful place and friendships. Bon nuit.
Today was Monte Carlo and Monaco. The roads remind us of a toy where you put a marble in the top and it had different routes it can take to get to the bottom, no two times being the same. The towns are built into the side of the mountains overlooking the cool blue Mediterranean. Fortunately, they live in a modern world and have elevators to take you from the highest point, down through the mountain all the way to the harbor. They have negative floor numbers here. For example, we parked on minus 3 at the train station and it goes all the way to minus 14!
Everything is very clean there, from the train station to the long walkways that wind you through the mountain to the streets and parks. Oh, and the flowers everywhere are lush and vibrant colors, impatiens, bougainvillea, lavender, rosemary and many we don't know the name. It is crowded, mostly with tourists during the day I would imagine. The Grand Casino is ornate and fronted by a beautiful fountain. We learned that no residents can gamble at the casinos, but we don't know the reason yet.
The harbor is full of gorgeous yachts. Workers around the harbor were in the process of disassembling bleachers for spectators of the Grand Prix and are now preparing for the wedding of Prince Albert. We went to the cathedral where Prince Ranier and Princess Grace are buried and we suppose where Prince Albert will be married.
The palace is very plain from the outside. It is surrounded by cannons to this day, but hopefully they won't need to use them. It is very ornate inside. The steps leading to the courtyard are carved from one piece of marble. Amazing. The palace is definitely a place you want to see if you visit Monaco.
Ready for a break from walking, we found a cafe where a wedding reception was going on, middle of the day on a Tuesday. We made up a few stories about the older groom and younger bride, but we'll never know the true story. Did they have a fabulous yacht waiting to whisk them away?
More importantly, we had a four-cheese pizza with artichoke hearts and capers on a crust so thin you could practically see through it. YUM!! It was so good we had to order another one. Of course, vin was involved.
On our walk back to the car, we took the bateau bus to the other side of the harbor -- you know, planes, trains, automobiles and BOATS. We mustn't miss a mode of transportation. After many walkways, escalators and elevators, we finally reached our cars, which brings us to a note on driving.
First, Sara R. and Debbie are skilled drivers in France. We have gotten everywhere we wanted to safely, despite motorcyclists with death wishes and crazy car and truck drivers. They do love to honk their horns, though. And toll booths, there is one every ten miles and the price is different each time!!! We are constantly digging for change.
We made it back to the villa with a minor misstep, but it led us to a convenience store -- yes, like a gas station -- where we got wonderful cheese, salami and bread for our evening meal -- and, of course, plenty of vin. We sat on our portico recounting the day and laughing, soaking in this wonderful place and friendships. Bon nuit.
Magnolia's Day 2
We had been told by Joel that breakfast is at 9 and you can't miss it or your room will cost double. Trust me, you wouldn't want to miss it. The table by the pool was beautifully set and had croissants he made fresh this morning, jams, dried dates, apricots, figs, fresh fruit bowl and sliced pineapple and melons, coffee, breads, fresh orange juice, cheeses, meats, a veritable feast. But, no, that was only the beginning!!!!!
Next he appeared with a mushroom puff pastry. Then a pear breakfast cake that words won't describe. Then a chocolate and hazelnut cake. Then he offered to make us any egg dish we desired, but we declined, to his chagrin.
Needless to say, it was a two-hour feast. Our friends from California were there, as was the couple from Belgium. Oh, let's not forget Fetish, the dog, a precious mutt that is camera shy, but is always around,
After an elegant sufficiency, we headed out for the day. We ended up in Antibes. It is an on old town on the Mediterranean with a LOT of gorgeous yachts, lots of shops, farmer's market with olives, vegetables, cheeses, etc. One beach we saw is full of people but rocky, another is sandy. We have seen a few topless sunbathers, but really not like we expected. The people have been very nice and try to muddle through our Southern French - southern America, that is.
Now we are sitting at a beach cafe, Royal Cafe', enjoying a glass or two of vin, people watching and visiting, dipping our toes in the French Rivera. There's a young girl -- by our standards -- here selling bikinis. She'll approach a table with females and talk them into trying the suit on in the restaurant bathroom. We keep sitting here wondering when she's going to approach us, but we may have to leave before she does. She probably just hasn't had time. We've only been here an hour or so. Alas, we had to leave before she made it to our table, but we were eager to meet our other two magnolias.
We stopped by the boulangerie for wine and bread and were waiting for them on the portico. Joel announced their arrival and greeted them with a warm welcome. We sat on the portico until 8:30, catching up on tales from Italy. Then we went to dinner at Le Clos St Basile which was in walking distance. It's an old manor and all of the rooms had doors that opened up completely so you felt you were dining outside. They had unique lamps by or on each table and white cloths.
Our waiter was precious. He looked 17, but was 27 and enjoyed giving us a hard time. He sang Tea for Two, insisted in a snobby French way that Gina couldn't have dessert because she didn't clean her plate and took every opportunity to laugh at or with us. The meal was delicious -- Vichyssoise with truffle oil, salad with foie gras, strawberries, shaved truffles, spinach and parsley. The main course was white fish on pink beans with an unbelievable sauce of herbs and lemon. That was followed by millefort, somewhat like a Napolean. Then they brought an orange aspic with a rose petal and tiny little pound cakes. Needless to say, we needed the walk home!!!! We picked lavender on our way back to put under our pillows.
Note: The safe alarm was silent tonight. So Gina and Sara R had a good night's sleep.
Next he appeared with a mushroom puff pastry. Then a pear breakfast cake that words won't describe. Then a chocolate and hazelnut cake. Then he offered to make us any egg dish we desired, but we declined, to his chagrin.
Needless to say, it was a two-hour feast. Our friends from California were there, as was the couple from Belgium. Oh, let's not forget Fetish, the dog, a precious mutt that is camera shy, but is always around,
After an elegant sufficiency, we headed out for the day. We ended up in Antibes. It is an on old town on the Mediterranean with a LOT of gorgeous yachts, lots of shops, farmer's market with olives, vegetables, cheeses, etc. One beach we saw is full of people but rocky, another is sandy. We have seen a few topless sunbathers, but really not like we expected. The people have been very nice and try to muddle through our Southern French - southern America, that is.
Now we are sitting at a beach cafe, Royal Cafe', enjoying a glass or two of vin, people watching and visiting, dipping our toes in the French Rivera. There's a young girl -- by our standards -- here selling bikinis. She'll approach a table with females and talk them into trying the suit on in the restaurant bathroom. We keep sitting here wondering when she's going to approach us, but we may have to leave before she does. She probably just hasn't had time. We've only been here an hour or so. Alas, we had to leave before she made it to our table, but we were eager to meet our other two magnolias.
We stopped by the boulangerie for wine and bread and were waiting for them on the portico. Joel announced their arrival and greeted them with a warm welcome. We sat on the portico until 8:30, catching up on tales from Italy. Then we went to dinner at Le Clos St Basile which was in walking distance. It's an old manor and all of the rooms had doors that opened up completely so you felt you were dining outside. They had unique lamps by or on each table and white cloths.
Our waiter was precious. He looked 17, but was 27 and enjoyed giving us a hard time. He sang Tea for Two, insisted in a snobby French way that Gina couldn't have dessert because she didn't clean her plate and took every opportunity to laugh at or with us. The meal was delicious -- Vichyssoise with truffle oil, salad with foie gras, strawberries, shaved truffles, spinach and parsley. The main course was white fish on pink beans with an unbelievable sauce of herbs and lemon. That was followed by millefort, somewhat like a Napolean. Then they brought an orange aspic with a rose petal and tiny little pound cakes. Needless to say, we needed the walk home!!!! We picked lavender on our way back to put under our pillows.
Note: The safe alarm was silent tonight. So Gina and Sara R had a good night's sleep.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Day 1 / June 12, 2011
Magnolia log 6-12:
Four magnolias arrived safely in Nice today and began our adventures. We headed to St. Paul de Vence, but took the scenic route, a/k/a got lost. But that's always fun. After winding through the curves and turns on narrow roads and asking directions from a lovely French lady headed to her community garden with her shovel in hand, she guided us to the hysterical -- I mean historical medieval city. Lunch was divine. Tartare, fruits del mar and aspereges and, of course, plenty of vin. We must say van, not ven. So French. The town is full of shops with usual French cadeaus, but we fought the impulse to buy everything we liked, knowing there is much more to see.
We finally set out to find l'hotel Le Mas Le Mougins. While Gina and Sarah D are napping in the back, Sara and Jeanne Marie are following our trusty garmin friend Bitching Betty -- and we do mean bitching. She had to "recalculate" a few times -- driving up and down the same road six times when we finally admitted we were hopelessly lost and called the hotel to ask for directions. Joel, the proprietor, gave up on our French and used a guy from Belgium to translate for him. He finally said he'd come get us. Well----we were half a block from the entrance. But in our defense, the name at the entrance was Chambres d'hotel, which means hotel rooms. Go figure. Why put the name of the hotel on the entrance? That would make it too easy.
We fell in love on sight. It's the villa you dream of. The entrance is open- air with Confederate jasmine blooming profusely. The scent was intoxicating -- or was it the rose'? Well, before that....the B&B has five guest rooms with verandas, beautifully tiled baths, provencal furniture and tiled floors, so airy and fresh. All of the rooms open onto the pool which has teak lounges and an outdoor kitchen. Enough of the decor.
Having been up for almost 30 hours, basically, we decided to skip dinner and have wine on the portico; however, the wine shops are closed on Sunday. Are we in France!!!??? Not to worry, Joel took pity on us and showed up with chilled Rose', which seems to be the wine of choice here, and four beautiful crystal glasses. So there we perched, visiting with Joel and meeting our new friends from California.
Mike, the dad, joined us and filled us in on their family history. Their daughter is the modern-day Under the Tuscan Sun. After a divorce, she moved to Italy, met a younger Italian, married him and now is a trip planner. They live on the Italian Riviera. Her husband is Luigi and is really very nice (translated - a hunk!!!) Really, the whole family is delightful and was a pleasure to meet.
After finishing our wine we all turned in for a restful night. Sara and Gina's, however, was a bit disturbed by an intermittent beep which they finally figured out was the in-room safe. (Joel has hopefully remedied that problem)
P.S. Pictures will follow.
Four magnolias arrived safely in Nice today and began our adventures. We headed to St. Paul de Vence, but took the scenic route, a/k/a got lost. But that's always fun. After winding through the curves and turns on narrow roads and asking directions from a lovely French lady headed to her community garden with her shovel in hand, she guided us to the hysterical -- I mean historical medieval city. Lunch was divine. Tartare, fruits del mar and aspereges and, of course, plenty of vin. We must say van, not ven. So French. The town is full of shops with usual French cadeaus, but we fought the impulse to buy everything we liked, knowing there is much more to see.
We finally set out to find l'hotel Le Mas Le Mougins. While Gina and Sarah D are napping in the back, Sara and Jeanne Marie are following our trusty garmin friend Bitching Betty -- and we do mean bitching. She had to "recalculate" a few times -- driving up and down the same road six times when we finally admitted we were hopelessly lost and called the hotel to ask for directions. Joel, the proprietor, gave up on our French and used a guy from Belgium to translate for him. He finally said he'd come get us. Well----we were half a block from the entrance. But in our defense, the name at the entrance was Chambres d'hotel, which means hotel rooms. Go figure. Why put the name of the hotel on the entrance? That would make it too easy.
We fell in love on sight. It's the villa you dream of. The entrance is open- air with Confederate jasmine blooming profusely. The scent was intoxicating -- or was it the rose'? Well, before that....the B&B has five guest rooms with verandas, beautifully tiled baths, provencal furniture and tiled floors, so airy and fresh. All of the rooms open onto the pool which has teak lounges and an outdoor kitchen. Enough of the decor.
Having been up for almost 30 hours, basically, we decided to skip dinner and have wine on the portico; however, the wine shops are closed on Sunday. Are we in France!!!??? Not to worry, Joel took pity on us and showed up with chilled Rose', which seems to be the wine of choice here, and four beautiful crystal glasses. So there we perched, visiting with Joel and meeting our new friends from California.
Mike, the dad, joined us and filled us in on their family history. Their daughter is the modern-day Under the Tuscan Sun. After a divorce, she moved to Italy, met a younger Italian, married him and now is a trip planner. They live on the Italian Riviera. Her husband is Luigi and is really very nice (translated - a hunk!!!) Really, the whole family is delightful and was a pleasure to meet.
After finishing our wine we all turned in for a restful night. Sara and Gina's, however, was a bit disturbed by an intermittent beep which they finally figured out was the in-room safe. (Joel has hopefully remedied that problem)
P.S. Pictures will follow.
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