A Village by the Sea

Tim and Linda were up at 4 to pack for their departure at 5:15.  They'd scheduled a taxi to pick them up at the end of our street.  Their flight from Nice to Paris left at 7:10, then a 4-hour layover in Paris.  They were flying to L.A. from there, had another 3-hour layover, then landed in Seattle at 9:40 p.m.  Getting through customs took a bit of time, and then the drive from SeaTac to their house was another 1-1/2 hours.  Total travel time for the day, 27 hours. 

Meanwhile, we'd be going to the next town over, Villefranche-sur-Mer, sipping a nice rosé, and looking at the blue, blue sea.  Sorry.  That's not very nice, is it?  But our travel day would come, and we'd have almost as much fun as they.

So we all departed our fun apartment in Nice.  It had been a great place to stay, and an exciting and interesting neighborhood. 

Rick and I had a gap between the checkout from the Nice apartment at 10:30 and the check-in to the next place at 2:00.  The rental office in Nice, Riviera Holiday Homes, let us stash our luggage at their office in between.  We walked around another part of Nice to kill some time, and caught a taxi over to our apartment.

I mentioned earlier that we'd checked out our neighborhood in Villefranche, and we weren't very impressed with it.  We might have even been a little concerned about it.  Though the outside of the building wasn't impressive, we loved our little place!  It was decorated with antiques, which I loved, and the terrace had such an amazing view we couldn't believe it.

We looked out over the bay in Villefranche-sur-Mer, to Cap Ferrat

The apartment was full of wicker and antiques

The kitchen was small but efficient

The town of Villefranche is between Nice and Monaco.  It's a small town, and feels like one.  But there are plenty of tourists in town, and plenty of restaurants.  The harbor is full of big sailboats, and cruise ships will be parked out there every few days.  The old part of town is just a jumble of narrow lanes, most that won't accommodate a car.  There isn't a supermarché or a department store, so we'll be living like the locals and shopping at the specialty shops.

A street in Villefranche

Lots of motorcycles in town

We ate at a sidewalk cafe and had a nice dinner of grilled dorad (a kind of fish caught locally).  The lights from the harbor and Cap Ferrat provided a magical nightlight in our apartment.

Lights from Cap Ferrat illuminate our apartment

Nice is driving us crazy

We checked out of our house in Sablet and headed south to Nice.  Once again, there are so, so, so many more places to see in Provence.  We missed some because of bad weather, but another week would have helped too!

The skies were overcast most of the way, but the clouds were high enough that we could see some of the beautiful and dramatic scenery on the way down.  Rolling green hills, and also high cliffs of rock and chalk.

We stopped at a truck stop for lunch. This time there were only 6 coffee vending machines, but the café

served coffee also.  It's obviously top priority here.

We knew the drive would take 3 hours, and we allowed 4, plus some time to stop and eat.  We were scheduled to check into our apartment at 3 and return the rental car at 4.  We arrived in Nice about  2.  Brunhilda, our GPS, was programmed with the address of our apartment here.  It was in the old part of town - Vieux Nice - and we knew there were streets where we wouldn't be able to drive.  We thought we could get the car as close as possible, unload our luggage, and then park the car at the closest parking lot.  We had some groceries and wine left over from our place in Sablet, so of course we were loaded down with more than just our luggage. We drove around for quite a while, and finally parked in a lot near the border of the old town.  I shouldn't say WE, because Tim was driving the whole time, and Rick was trying to navigate.  It was stressful for both of them, and Linda and I, in the back seat, weren't having much fun either!  The audio on the GPS was turned off, thank goodness, or we would have heard "at the next opportunity, make a u-turn"  about two dozen times!

Parking garage in Nice.  I wish we could add the sound effects!

We got parked, but we didn't really know where the apartment was because our little maps weren't detailed enough.  We were supposed to meet an agent from Nice Pebbles, the rental company, at the apartment.  It would take me too long to relay the convoluted series of events that ensued.  Let's just say we finally phoned the agency, with the help of a very kind (trés gentile) bookstore owner, who spoke almost no English.  The agent, Marie, met us at the parking garage and helped cart our luggage and groceries several blocks to the apartment.  "You knew it was on the top floor, with no lift?"  She asked, laughing.  She's half our age, and got to the top floor with a fraction of the pain we were all feeling!

The building next door.  Our place is even with the top floor

We got directions about everything at the beautiful apartment, and Rick, Tim and I headed out to return the car.  It was also a much longer, and much more involved, drive than we hoped.  There are also lots of one-way streets in Nice, which added to our adventure.  Finally, our business was complete for the day.  We stopped to buy some supplies for dinner, and the chef was so exhausted after our long day that he couldn't come up with his usual amazing fare. He made a simple pasta with sauce, and we also had some canned ravioli(!)  In Nice!  At our feet were dozens of restaurants, but none of us wanted to climb those stairs again.  We all practically collapsed after the long and stressful day.

The funny part was that the GPS had taken us right to the end of the street where the apartment was located.  But, there were police monitoring the narrow street to make sure that cars weren't driving down it.  We had almost made it!

We all loved the apartment and got settled in for our stay of 6 nights.  Our neighborhood is hoppin' all the time.

A street in Vieux Nice

Photo courtesy of VirtualTrip.com

Our kitchen, classy but small

Our balcony looked out over the rooftops

View of the cathedral tower at night

A week in Provence

Today we left the beautiful fortified city of Carcassonne.  After a good breakfast at our B&B we ducked into the cathedral for a look.  It was beautiful, and the stained glass was as amazing as that of Sainte Chapelle in Paris.

Stained glass at the cathedral in Carcassonne

One of two rose windows in the cathedral, dating from the 14th century

Check-out time at the B&B was 10.  When we went back to pick up our bags and leave, the cleaning lady had already been into Tim and Linda's room, and changed the linens and the towels.  It wasn't yet 10 and their bags were still in the room, so that was a little strange.  Maybe we were still in trouble for checking in early the day before.

Our only itinerary item today was to drive from here to the town of Sablet, in Provence, and check into our next rental.  The skies were cloudy, with just a spit of rain now and then. 

We drove on the toll way (Péage) for a good part of the way.  At a truck stop again for lunch, Rick had lasagna, which he said was pretty good, and the rest of us had sandwiches made with baguettes.   Sometimes the fresh pastry selection is huge at these places.  The stop today also had a McDonald's.  I got a café crème from one of the many vending machines, and it was very good.  The cost was less than 2 euros.

We've been buying gas along the way, of course, and the cost has been between 1.35 and 1.50 euros for a liter.  That's 6 euros for an imperial gallon, which converts to about $8 for a little more than a gallon.  Our car uses diesel, and gets great gas mileage.  I wish I had more accurate stats for all you car enthusiasts out there!

As we got closer to the city of Orange, the GPS notified us of a slowdown and re-routed us through the area.  We could see the big backup on the highway and felt bad for the people stuck in it.  We were happy we weren't among them though!

The hill town of Sablet - our home for a week

The drive from Carcassonne to Sablet took a bit over 4 hours, plus a stop for lunch, and we arrived about 3.  Sablet is a small hill town near Vaison la Romaine, in the northern part of Provence.  I found a rental house there after following a blog called Our House In Provence.  The blogger, Michel, is from the Sonoma area of California and visits France 3 or 4 times a year.   Michel and his wife Shirley bought a renovated house and created their dream home in Provence, and luckily they rent it out.  They're part owners of the Bistro des Copains, a great restaurant in Occidental, California, too, so you know they're into great food!  That explains the big, well-appointed kitchen, and the list of good restaurants for miles around!

The gourmet kitchen in the Sablet House

Our terrace off of the kitchen

Michel and Shirley were back in the U.S., but they have a nice local woman who helps facilitate everything for the renters.  There was plenty of info at the house to help us with the workings of the house, and the resources in the area for food.  The added advantage to staying in a house owned by a blogger is that he writes about everything in the area.  With our little laptop computer, and the great wi-fi connection, I could access all of his blog posts over the last few years.  That helped us with some sightseeing and restaurant plans over our week here.

Our first priority was to find groceries for dinner, and food for tomorrow, since it'll be Sunday and we don't know if stores will be open.  We're in a part of France where everything closes for at least two hours in the middle of the day for lunch.  Well, except the restaurants, which stay open until 2 or so to serve lunch, but then close for a few hours before dinner.  Woe be to the hungry traveler who doesn't have the schedule figured out!

We found the boucherie, the boulangerie, and the épicerie, and stocked up on provisions.  Our little tiny village has 2 boulangeries (bakeries), 1 boucherie (butcher) and 2 épiceries (little grocery stores).  For a supermarché we need to venture closer to Vaison la Romaine, a much bigger town.  Have I mentioned that neither milk nor eggs are refrigerated in the stores here?  Well, sometimes they are, but they aren't required to be, I guess.  The milk is ultra-pasteurized, so it's fine sitting on the shelf.  I don't know what the deal is with the eggs, but we find them in the unlikeliest of places - next to the matches, for instance. 

We got settled into the house and Rick fixed a simple chicken dinner.  Linda made a great salad dressing out of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a little cassis flavored dijon mustard.  Plus, Linda and I always make sure to buy a little something sweet for dessert.  We haven't weighed ourselves since we left home!

Church bells ring every hour and every half hour here.  Actually, they ring the hour twice, just a minute or two apart.  Is that just to make sure everyone hears it?  The bells ended at 10, letting everyone know it was time to go to bed.

A sign at the Sablet house  - "Let the good times roll!"



London in the rearview mirror

Today we leave London with promises to return.  It's been a fun visit, and there's so much more to see!

We decided to get to Paris by way of the Eurostar train through the Chunnel.  The train travels at high speeds, and actual time under the channel is only 20 minutes.  Thank goodness.  The whole trip was just 2 hours and 15 minutes.  People go to Paris from London, and to London from Paris, just for the day.

I purchased the tickets for the train months in advance, and paid only about $55 U.S. per person.  The price goes up the nearer you get to departure.  I checked to see what the price would be to book a week ahead, and for the same train, same seats, it would cost $181.00 per person.  Same day sales were even higher - $220 for seats.  It's definitely worth booking well in advance.  I think they allowed tickets sales for dates 4 months out.

We cashed in the remaining balance on our Oyster cards at the train station while we waited.
Lunch was purchased on the train, almost always an expensive and not very tasty option.

We took a cab to the apartment we're renting for the next 6 nights in the 7th arrondisement. 

Map courtesy of  PlanetWare.com

The map isn't very clear, but the river cuts through the middle of the city, and the neighborhood is on the lower side - the left bank, and includes the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, Ecole Militaire, and the Rodin museum. 

I found the apartment on vrbo.com.  It met our criteria of two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and two bathrooms aren't necessarily the norm in Europe, so that narrowed our choices considerably.  It's in a mostly residential area, although there seem to be a few foreign embassies and government offices in the neighborhood.  There are police guarding the gates, so we feel super-safe here!  Our place is on the second floor, and decorated in an elaborate french provincial style.  There are murals on the walls, mirrors everywhere, velvet couches and gilt framed paintings.  Luckily the kitchen has all of the appliances we need for cooking, because that's the plan - we'll be eating "in" as much as we can while in Paris.

The first order of business was to secure groceries, including wine, for dinner.  We don't have a big supermarket very near, but we have a few convenience stores, which seem to carry most everything.  There is also a butcher shop (boucherie) and a bakery (boulangerie).   The convenience stores will be open on Sunday, but not the specialty stores, so we bought food with two dinners in mind.

Dinner was chicken, garlic, onion and sausage cooked in a tomato sauce, and served over rice.  Rick loves to cook, so dinners are sometimes more involved on vacation than they are at home.  We're buying inexpensive wines in the neighborhood, mostly from the Cotes du Rhone and Bordeaux regions, and finding that a good wine can be bought here for about $10, sometimes less.  We'll be doing some extensive comparisons over the next few weeks!

After dinner we decided to walk over to the Eiffel Tower.  It was still light, so it should have been an easy hike.  The streets in this neighborhood are not laid out in straight lines.  They seem to bend and wind around at some lunatic traffic engineer's whim.  It took far longer to get to the tower than we thought it would, and it was very dark by the time we got to the park in front of it.  The park lawn was filled with couples, groups of friends or families having picnics or just drinking wine in the nice weather.  At the stroke of 9 the lights of the tower started twinkling, and kept twinkling for 10 minutes.  It was a magical sight.

What do you want?

So back to the beginning, when a France trip was just an idea.  How did we plan the trip, decide on a route, make reservations?

We're lucky to have access to Rick Steves and his company in our local area.  We've used his books before and gone to presentations at his office in Edmonds, Washington, given by people who help write his guide books and guide his tours.  And even if he wasn't a local boy, we like his travel philosophy.  He visits the big cities but also seeks out small towns and stays in small hotels.  We feel like we get to experience the local culture better that way.  He doesn't speak any foreign language fluently, so he knows we can all have a good time wherever he's had a good time.  He espouses affordable travel.  He says the more you spend, the farther away you get from the local folks and culture. 

So we do some reading, watch some travel videos, go to some lectures, and get an idea of what we'd like to see.  Sometimes one little article in a paper or magazine will make me determined to visit a certain place.  This time we decided we wanted to travel in the fall, so we know we'll miss the lavender in bloom in Provence, but we're willing to miss it to avoid the heat of summer in a place that doesn't have much air-conditioning.  Our priorities were Paris, Normandy and Provence.  We decided to fly into London, take the train to Paris, and fly out of Nice at the end of the trip.  We met a few times to determine how we'd hook the regions together, and what we'd like to see in between.  (I've made this sound so businesslike, haven't I?  We actually mostly eat and drink a lot when we get together, but try to have French wine and food, if possible!)  We really like renting houses or apartments.  We like having a home base and being able to cook our own meals if we want to.  It's nice not to have to pack up every day or so and move to another place.  The issue is that we need to stay in one place for several days to do this, so the length of the trip dictates whether this is possible.

By now my head is spinning with ideas from all of the blogs, books, articles and travel shows I've seen.  There's never enough time to see it all!

As for accommodations, we reference Rick Steves' books, online agencies like VRBO, Home Away, Trip Advisor, and anything else we stumble upon while researching a particular area on the web.  We'll report back at the end to let you know about cost, value and location. 

Departure is 4 days away, and I know we have everything we need, but it isn't packed yet!  I find myself compelled to blog, probably as a diversionary tactic.  The pattern is familiar to me.

What a mess!  Like Lucy would say to Charlie Brown "ARGH!"  I hate this part!

I know one of my goals in France will be to use some of the French sentences I've learned recently.  Watch for "Je voudrais diner chez vous."  (I would like to have dinner at YOUR place.), "Malheureusement, je droit partir maintenant."  (Unfortunately, I must leave now.)  and  "Les chiens ne font pas des chats." (The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.)  The last one is a favorite, literally translated as "The dogs do not make some cats."  I can't wait.  
Until next time...