A Day of Rain in Avignon.

— Posted inInspiration, Travel — 3 min read

No one is perfect, and our picking yesterday for our day of rest and relaxation certainly proved the point. Especially since today turned out to be a day of forced rest and relaxation. In the early morning the rain came down, in the morning the rain came down, in the early afternoon the rain came down. Only in the very late afternoon did it stop. Some might say we took the cowards way out and stayed in the apartment. We looked at it that we still had 10 weeks to go on this trip, so why go out if we really didn’t have to.

And the rain came down.

In the late afternoon the rain stopped and we and the other people in Avignon came out.

What is a photo of the local Monoprix without showing one of the items I just had to have. It looked good, had a high price and when I had that first taste I knew I had done very well indeed.

Just a few stores from the Monoprix is this little pizza shop. I’ve stopped here before and the young woman shopkeeper is not only very vivacious, she also speaks very good English and if there are no other customers, likes to chat.

The chorizo pizza she sells i so darned good I seem to always eat some of the slice before I remember to take a photo. As for my wife, she went with the tried and true comfort food of the female of the species. Ice cream and cookies. What makes her happy, makes me happy.

In the early evening the rain was gone and the sun was out.

I finished up the day by streaming my favorite football team, Mount Union, absolutely destroy their opponent, Muskingum College, 59-0. The unbeaten Mount union team had 552 yards in total offense while the unbeaten Muskingum team going into the game was only able to gain 57 yards in total offense. Mount is ranked number 3 in the small school division for a reason. Next Saturday we will be in London attending a West Theater production, but since we both absolutely love the West End Theater shows, I will still be a happy camper.

Several years ago my wife and I saw the West End production of Come From Away and rated it as one of the very best of the hundreds of plays we have seen over the years. We had told our daughter if she ever got the chance, it was a must see. This morning we got a text from her saying she, our son-in-law and their youngest daughter had attend a performance of the touring Broadway production last night and absolutely loved it. If you ever get the opportunity to see Come From Away, it will be something you will always remember. All to often we are inundated with news of Man’s Inhumanity to Man. Come From Away is about Man’s Humanity to Man.

A Day of Rest and Relaxation in Avignon

— Posted inEclectic, Food — 5 min read

After four weeks of travel we decided we owed ourselves a day of doing nothing. Today was that day, so today’s post is simply a little of this and a little of that, but nothing to do with travel.

In a way I have been remiss in describing where are staying while in France as an apartment. I could have used the term flat, but as in the times in the past when we have stayed in France, it would be better to use the term “gite” for our accommodation’s. As for anyone reading my musings that would like to know, our apartment-flat-gite is the upper balcony in this photo.

Not all things are as they appear. The person who checked us in to our gite did not inform us as to where the garbage should be placed once the trash can or bin had reached its full capacity. A later text it was in the basement of our building. In Ferdinand Magellan mode I set off to se what was at the end of the elevator. what appeared in the dim light ( the photo does not do justice to how dark it was) was this door.

Opening the door reveal only darkness, but by feeling around on the wall my hand connected with what felt like a light switch, the French kind, not what an American would expect. A push and a hallway with multiple doors at its end was revealed. Of course I would try the doors that would not open first, but at last the handle of one moved and once again I stared in to a abyss of darkness.

Fumbling around on the wall to my left I located a rotary switch and gave it a twist. The room was illuminated and recycling and garbage bins appeared, but only for a few moments as I was once again plunged into total darkness, the door I enter through having closed in the meantime. More fumbling and the switch was once again located and fully turned this time. Time for a photo, then a hasty escape from this basement dungeon. Those who never travel beyond their on country can never know the “Thrill” one can experience traveling in foreign lands. where even simply things can be totally different.

Another travel experience. maybe to some people operating this washing machine would be simple. My brilliant wife (she really is) had no trouble starting this washing machine, it was turning it off that gave her fits. Her fantastic husband to the rescue. I used my Vivaldi web browser and Duck Duck Go search engine ( no tracking, no way no how, no third party cookies, no ads) to find the manual.

Astute readers would wonder, how did he know what to search for? I took a photo of the this. The manufacturer was IKEA, the model was RENLIG. Up came the English version of the instructions and easy as pie we had had everything we needed to know about operating it.

Wine time. My wife of more that a half century, Linda, (it means lovely or beautiful in Spanish and she truly is) loves chickens which means chickens are also very important to me. Our first day in Avignon I was looking for a wine for me when I saw this bottle. I bought one. Since then I have bought four more with even more to be bought. The wine is Récolte which i have subsequently learned means simply “harvest”. I count it as a wonderful “stumble upon” as I written about before. Interestingly enough it is exported to the US and is a value priced wine.

Linda’s favorite wine! She loves Riesling which is about as far away from growing up on a small farm in the hills of Appalachia in Southeastern Ohio, USA as one could ever imagine.

i had no idea what Moelleux wine was when I bought it. I was looking for something different in a white wine than what I was drinking. This wasn’t it., but it proved to be another wine that my wife really liked. So many times we have heard people from America criticize what they experienced in other countries because it was different that what they were used to in America. Why travel if not to experience different things?

A shortcut that turned out not to be a shortcut. But it was rather interesting trying to determine how to get to where I was trying to go to.

Where I was trying to get to. The local Monoprix grocery store. Coming down the steps this is what greets you. Maybe this is why I never leave the store without several bottles of wine in my shoulder bag? May each of your days be filled with as much enjoyment as Linda and mine are. LIFE is short, live it to its fullest.

Avignon, France – Rhone River Walk

— Posted inTravel — 5 min read

September 22, 2022 Another gorgeous day in Provence. Today we walked past the Rampart Wall to the banks of the Rhone, strolling along its banks to Pont St. Benezet. Because we can spend so much time traveling, we do not have to rush from one place or attraction to another each day. Instead we spend our time really savoring where we are and what we are doing. There are tourist and travelers. We think of ourselves as travelers. In our former life we were tourists, Those days had us leaving on vacation at noon on a Friday, driving a 1,000 miles by the afternoon of the next day, Staying in one location for the week doing hub and spoke day trips while racking up at least another 1,000 miles, then driving back home the same way we drove to our destination. Now those days are only distant memories of another life as we travel and experience, not rush and see as in the past

Why we so much enjoy staying in apartments rather than hotels. Breakfast our way rather than their way.

In only one hotel during our years of traveling outside of the US have we had a hotel where we could eat breakfast on the patio. It was the most unique hotel we have ever stayed at, ever, ever. Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg, Germany was the place and it unique in all the world. If you ever get the chance, you MUST stay there, even if for just one night because everything is not as one expects it to be. Really, Really.

Someone on our family loves the fact the apartment has a clothes washing machine.

My wife would never let the fact there is only a washing machine and no clothes dryer stop her.

The river boats on the Rhone are beyond huge.

The stern of the MS Amakristina.

Ship Specifications:

  • Built: 2017
  • Built in: Netherlands
  • Length: 443 feet
  • Width: 38 feet
  • Crew: 51
  • Staterooms: 78
  • Suites: 4
  • Registry: Switzerland

Busses lined up to take the river boat passengers on their day trips.

River boats double parked.

Originally built in the 1200’s only 4 of the original 22 arches remain standing of the Pont St. Benezet. It was named after the patron Saint of bridge builders, St Benezet who Jesus commanded he build a bridge across the Rhone at this spot according to the Catholic Church mythology.

Palace of the Popes is here somewhere. The dichotomy of the history of the Catholic Church between the Catholic version and the non-Catholic version is eye opening.

4.3 kilometers of Ramparts still remain.

We chose not to walk out on the remaining section of the bridge, it being more tourist trap than anything else.

Walking into the old city near the bridge we spied this innocuous sign.

It lead us down to one of those places we have over the years called “Stumble Upons”. Places you would never expect to find, but thru shear luck discover.

My oceanic salad. As much seafood as lettuce. That is contrast to the US where it would be mounds of lettuce with a few bits of seafood. Of course it was three times more expensive than the one in the US would have been. On the other hand it was ten times better that the one in the US would have been. It doesn’t take a math genius to determine which was the have better meal, both in taste and in value. In the US we are so used to garbage food we think it is normal.

Please, everyone, take a chance, you never know what you will stumble upon.

It was so good they won’t even have to wash my plate.

As if to further add credence to how special this little hidden spot was, as we were eating the Le Petite Train can down the narrow street beside our table.

Homemade Crème Brule for my wife with Calvados and Tiramisu with Marc de Provence for me made for one of the most delicious meals we have had on our trip. The Calvados was as good as any we have experienced in our travels in Normandy. When I ordered the Marc de Provence I only knew it was a specialty of the region. It took a couple of sips to realize how complex it was, but from then on it was a true treat to the palate. All of our best experiences in our many years of travelling outside the US have been when we took a chance on something or someplace we knew nothing about. To those that only experience the top five Trip Advisor restaurants, etc., our experience venturing off the path of the travel lemmings is so much better and you have no clue as to what is really out there to be experienced.

All we knew when we ordered.

deserted old town.

Whenever I see something like this I want to explore.

To explore and discover to to LIve. I don’t know what it was, but at least I saw it. How many people only exist and never Live?

Sète, France to Avignon, France

— Posted inTravel — 3 min read

September 21, 2022 Today we traveled by jam packed train from Sète to Avignon, a trip that took 1.5 hours. SNCF doing their usual, cancelled the train that was to be scheduled one hour behind the one we were going to travel on. That meant there would be two trains worth of passengers traveling on out train. It is unreal how incompetent the management of SNCF has been over the years we have traveled in France.

The 25 minute walk from our apartment to the train station was easy compared to the crowds that clogged the sidewalks when we arrived on Saturday.

We will miss the beautiful blues of Sète.

From jam packed Gare on Saturday to nearly deserted Gare on Wednesday morning.

Not many people when we arrived a half hour before the train was scheduled, but shortly that would change.

We Americans have no clue as to to horrible toil of deaths that occurred during WWI and WWII.

Our train is at the top of the list.

Passenger train screams through the station never stopping.

A freight train comes roaring through the station.

Freight trains in each direction roar through the station.

And another freight train comes flying through the station.

Two train’s passengers packed into one train. Look through the door and just as I was standing in this car you people standing in the cars in the distance.

As so often happens, a young person gave up their seat so my wife could sit down. It turned out the other three people were from London and she had a great time chatting with them during the 1 1/2 hour trip.

At the second stop of the trip many of the passengers disembarked, so I was able to get seat across the aisle with a place to set our luggage.

In the US trains are pulled by diesel electric locomotives. Here the locomotives get their power from overhead wires.

A gallery of our apartment in Avignon. It is huge and very well located and only cost Euro 117 a night. We don’t have a car, but it also included secured underground parking. Being used to living in the small spaces of our two RV’s and the 12 ft x24 ft coach house, we find ourselves going into the wrong room at times. We haven’t had multiple rooms since 2006. The weather here is perfect and we are really enjoying spending time on the balcony.

The large private green space gives off a quiet peaceful sense to where we are.

Toasting our good fortune to be able to experience Life as we do.

Happy wife, Happy Life.

Built in the 1300’s the old defensive wall of the city is only a few meters from the entrance to our building. And it was only 4 days ago that we found and rented this apartment after two other places had cancelled on us. We are finding Airbnb to be much better than VRBO that we have normally used. And the apartment in Sète was only listed on Booking. While the transportation side hasn’t always worked out the way we wanted, the living quarters side has been beyond our expectations.

Sète, France – Day 3

— Posted inTravel — 2 min read

September 20, 2022 Another gorgeous day on the Mediterranean coast. We just can’t get over how the Mediterranean is, so today we ventured out on it, taking one of the tourist cruise boats.

Each morning I walk down the street a short distance to by each of us a freshly baked Pain au Chocolat. This morning the shopkeeper recognized me when I stopped in, As for the delectable morning treats, they may be the best we have ever had during our various times in France.

Interestingly enough, we have yet to buy a baguette while in Sète.

Sometimes you just want to step back from all the butter and sauces of those fabulous French restaurant meals and have something simple.

So we put the kitchen in our apartment to good use and had a simple meal with plenty of vegetables sans sauce.

Someone photo bombed my selfie I took aboard the boat.

I think sometimes Capt. Jeff need this sign on our Canal boat, lol.

Hard at work.

Could it be called triple cleaning?

A large jellyfish near the boat.

A harbor cruise boat.

Where there is water there are fishermen.

The shore was rocky.

The water is so intensely blue.

Cemetery.

The farther from the harbor break wall we traveled, the choppier the water became.

Too far away to tell the state of dress or undress.

One of several ships we could see farther out on the water.

The first fishing boat of the afternoon returning to port with its catch.

Maybe a beacon ship?

The second ship to return to port with its cath. All the narration on the boat was in French but sometimes we could get a sense of what was being said.

The arrows show the building our apartment is in and the alleyway we take to get down to the promenade along the canal.

Our boat, and with that our last full day in Sète (which is pronounced ‘set” comes to a close.