Sunday, Apr. 30, 2017--Barcelona
The day started with light rain. Originally, the forecast had been for rain all day, but this morning, it indicated that the sun should come out about noon. I left the room at that time. It was cool and a bit breezy. I started to go to a park rather far away, but then clouds and a bit of drizzle started, so I decided to stay close to my place. I turned around, and the sun was back out before I got here. I took a bench in a neighborhood area and read from my present book.
Almost everywhere I have been here in the city are places I visited when I was here before. The park I was headed toward this morning was one I visited. It's a problem I always have if I return to a city. I recall it too well. It's been okay to be here, but it would have been better to have visited another city where I have never been. Tomorrow, I leave here, and all of the remaining places I visit on this trip will be completely new for me.
While out, I did see an interesting art exhibit entitled Disorder. It has award winning pictures by various photographers showing the problems that the world faces--problems with flooding, problems with refugees, problems with bee colonies dying, etc.
It's time for dinner, so I will go out and find a place to eat nearby. Then I will return and stay inside tonight and read or watch TV.
I'm expecting the train station to be a madhouse tomorrow, since it is the last day of a holiday weekend. Fortunately, I will have a reserved seat on my train. And maybe since it leaves at 12:10, maybe I will be getting out before the madhouse situation becomes really bad.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Beautiful Day for the Park
Saturday, Apr. 29, 2017--Barcelona
The day started with me literally falling out of the bed. The light switch is on the right side of my bed. I set my watch on the left side of the bed (rather than on the right side where I should have had it). I awoke wondering if it was time to get up. The window has a built-in outdoor shutter which I had lowered to keep the light out. I was facing the right and reached over to turn on the light. Then I tried to just reach out to my left to get my watch so I could bring it over under the light. In doing so, I knocked over the bottle of baby oil setting there (which I am using to avoid having my arms and legs get dry and itchy). Fearing that the bottle would leak, I quickly rolled that direction to grab it. In doing so, my mind wasn't registering that this is only a 3/4 bed. My roll took me too far, and I tumbled to the floor with my covers wrapped around my legs. It was a bit too early to get up, but I couldn't get back to sleep after that experience.
The day was sunny and turned warm enough to get rid of my pullover by noon. I wandered through many back streets. Then I decided to head to a park. I started at the Arc de Triomf at the top of the Passeig Lluis Companys, a panhandle park that leads to a larger city park. It was filled with crowds. Just below the arc, a young man was performing wheel gymnastics with a cyr wheel similar to what can be seen in these videos. He was spinning, turning, etc., to the delight of the huge crowd watching.
The rest of the linear park was lined with stalls down the middle selling all kinds of items--jewelry, baby clothes, wines, etc. What I found more interesting is that the side street was lined with about 20 stalls and food trucks selling nothing but vegetarian foods.
The Parc de La Ciutadella, a larger public park, begins at the bottom of the panhandle park. It was filled with people sunbathing, eating, visiting, etc. As soon as I entered, I could hear a band playing and headed that direction. It was a group of young people just having fun playing for the crowds. A sign gave their name as Les Zotres, apparently a French band which sounded very much like the ones I had heard during the Feria in Arles two week ago. Click here for the only video I could find of them. (Note that the other videos of a band with the same name are not the band I saw.)
I got a park bench just a short distance from the band so I could continue to hear them, and there was more entertainment just across from me by Slackline Barcelona, a group of performers woven plastic strips stretched between trees. Click here for a video of a performance by them at the same park and click here for a long list of videos by them.
As I left for another area of the park, I came across a group performing dances in Native American costumes, then a small group of guys practicing body balancing routines, a group of hippie musicians who may have been a religious group (or a commune trying to recruit new members); they had a literature table. It was a great afternoon for enjoying all the sights. Plus, it was interesting to note that I hardly saw anyone looking at a cell phone. Everyone was there enjoying the moment--the warm sun, the entertainment, being outside on a beautiful day, being with friends, etc.
The route back toward my room, took me through parts of the old Gothic Quarter of Barcelona with narrow streets lined with very old buildings. I passed several stag and hen parties dressed in costumes to celebrate the end of freedom before the wedding day--a group of guys dressed as nuns, another dressed as madrigals (and actually singing and playing instruments), a group in Mexican panchoes and sombreros, a group of women dressed in superhero costumes with capes, etc.
It was a great day to explore except for the huge number of large guided tours throughout the city. In those narrow streets, it can be hard to get around a group of 30 people spread out from building to building and barely moving along, but even on La Rambla, the wide walkway in the center of town, tour groups clog up the movement!
The day started with me literally falling out of the bed. The light switch is on the right side of my bed. I set my watch on the left side of the bed (rather than on the right side where I should have had it). I awoke wondering if it was time to get up. The window has a built-in outdoor shutter which I had lowered to keep the light out. I was facing the right and reached over to turn on the light. Then I tried to just reach out to my left to get my watch so I could bring it over under the light. In doing so, I knocked over the bottle of baby oil setting there (which I am using to avoid having my arms and legs get dry and itchy). Fearing that the bottle would leak, I quickly rolled that direction to grab it. In doing so, my mind wasn't registering that this is only a 3/4 bed. My roll took me too far, and I tumbled to the floor with my covers wrapped around my legs. It was a bit too early to get up, but I couldn't get back to sleep after that experience.
The day was sunny and turned warm enough to get rid of my pullover by noon. I wandered through many back streets. Then I decided to head to a park. I started at the Arc de Triomf at the top of the Passeig Lluis Companys, a panhandle park that leads to a larger city park. It was filled with crowds. Just below the arc, a young man was performing wheel gymnastics with a cyr wheel similar to what can be seen in these videos. He was spinning, turning, etc., to the delight of the huge crowd watching.
The rest of the linear park was lined with stalls down the middle selling all kinds of items--jewelry, baby clothes, wines, etc. What I found more interesting is that the side street was lined with about 20 stalls and food trucks selling nothing but vegetarian foods.
The Parc de La Ciutadella, a larger public park, begins at the bottom of the panhandle park. It was filled with people sunbathing, eating, visiting, etc. As soon as I entered, I could hear a band playing and headed that direction. It was a group of young people just having fun playing for the crowds. A sign gave their name as Les Zotres, apparently a French band which sounded very much like the ones I had heard during the Feria in Arles two week ago. Click here for the only video I could find of them. (Note that the other videos of a band with the same name are not the band I saw.)
I got a park bench just a short distance from the band so I could continue to hear them, and there was more entertainment just across from me by Slackline Barcelona, a group of performers woven plastic strips stretched between trees. Click here for a video of a performance by them at the same park and click here for a long list of videos by them.
As I left for another area of the park, I came across a group performing dances in Native American costumes, then a small group of guys practicing body balancing routines, a group of hippie musicians who may have been a religious group (or a commune trying to recruit new members); they had a literature table. It was a great afternoon for enjoying all the sights. Plus, it was interesting to note that I hardly saw anyone looking at a cell phone. Everyone was there enjoying the moment--the warm sun, the entertainment, being outside on a beautiful day, being with friends, etc.
The route back toward my room, took me through parts of the old Gothic Quarter of Barcelona with narrow streets lined with very old buildings. I passed several stag and hen parties dressed in costumes to celebrate the end of freedom before the wedding day--a group of guys dressed as nuns, another dressed as madrigals (and actually singing and playing instruments), a group in Mexican panchoes and sombreros, a group of women dressed in superhero costumes with capes, etc.
It was a great day to explore except for the huge number of large guided tours throughout the city. In those narrow streets, it can be hard to get around a group of 30 people spread out from building to building and barely moving along, but even on La Rambla, the wide walkway in the center of town, tour groups clog up the movement!
Friday, April 28, 2017
Holiday Weekend in Barcelona
Friday, Apr. 28, 2017--Barcelona
The Residencia has a decent breakfast. I was surprised. In both France and Spain, breakfast is generally very light--coffee, juice, and a pastry--for a high price in hotels--8-10 Euros ($9-11 US). Breakfast is included with the price of this place which had a simple, but nice buffet: warm Spanish tortilla (a large, thick pancake-shaped potato and egg concoction that is cut into slices like a pie or quiche), warm sausages and pieces of ham, boiled eggs, cold slices of ham and cheese, jam, butter, bread slices, two kinds of pastries, orange juice, coffee, and fresh pears, apples, and oranges.
Today was my day to tour the Sagrada Familia, the church that has been under construction for over 100 years and was designed by Gaudi. When I was here before, I walked around it on the outside, but there were so many tourists in line for tickets that I didn't even try to get inside. This year, I ordered a ticket online, and I got it for an entrance at 9:15 in hopes that I might beat the large number of group tours that fill the place.
I was lucky. There were people inside, but it wasn't crowded. I was able to listen to my audio guide and take photos without having to worry about being in anyone's way or anyone being in my way. However, by the time I finished the last stop on the audio tour and went back into the church around 10:15, the group tours were arriving. People were EVERYWHERE!! Since I already had my photos, I was mainly walking around looking at details and at nooks I had missed while following the audio guide. Then I headed to the museum that tells about the design and construction of the church. Only one or two groups had made it there so far, so I was lucky again. It was 11:15 by the time I left the church.
I enjoyed seeing the building. It has some outstanding features--the support columns that branch out like trees to hold up the various external towers, the beautiful and large stained glass windows that give it so much colorful light, the external sculptural features, the beautiful external towers, etc. Gaudi died in 1926 with the church barely started. In 1930, Gaudi's workshop with all the plans, models, and photographs was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Therefore, the architects have had little to guide them in carrying out Gaudi's designs. Add to that the fact that labor is much more expensive now than it was then. So it is obvious that the newer portions of the church are in general much simpler in design and construction than they might have been if Gaudi had guided the construction himself. I can see why Ramon, an architect here, wrote to suggest that I tour a home designed by Gaudi called Bellesguard rather than the church.
There are many other buildings designed by Gaudi here, and I have seen most of them on the previous trip and passed by several of them again today as I walked to the church. Here is a website showing some of his more outstanding buildings here in Barcelona.
From the church, I walked to the Sants Train Station. I needed to buy my senior discount card to use in purchasing tickets and to buy my ticket for going to Zaragoza on Monday. Well, this was not a good day to walk across town or to go to the train station! European Labor Day is May 1. Since May 1 is a Monday this year, there is a long holiday weekend which promotes travel. Traffic was heavy on the streets, and drivers were honking when it didn't move. When I got my number at the station for waiting to be called to buy my ticket, they were helping number 116. My number was 253!!! It took an hour of sitting until I could go to the counter. And it went faster than it might have, because a lot of people didn't go to the counter when their numbers were called; apparently they gave up rather than waiting after they saw how far away their number would be before being called.
Fortunately, I got the train I wanted. As I considered the size of the crowds traveling for the weekend (and heard one American couple being told that all trains to their destination were sold out until one this evening), I was afraid the train to Zaragoza might be booked solid with people returning from trips here to Barcelona for the holidays. When I did get my ticket, I was surprised by its price. My train tickets in France were so much cheaper than here. I am taking a 2-hour train trip, and my senior discounted ticket was 34 Euros--about $38 US. All the bus tickets I bought before making the trip were much cheaper, so I may try to use buses the rest of the time rather than trying to take trains. One 9-hour bus trip at the end of my travels was less than the price of this train ticket.
I must have walked at least 7 miles today. But it seemed longer. Intersections here in Barcelona are 8-sided for pedestrians. Pedestrians are forced to go around the corner a ways before they have a crosswalk. So you walk a block, go around the corner, use the crosswalk, go back to the corner on that side of the block, and continue down the street to where you are going. Unfortunately, I didn't really see anything special I had not seen on my previous trip. But I was frequently reminded of the beautiful old buildings that exist here, especially the ones with fancy domes, globes, towers, etc., on them. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find photos of them online; everyone takes photos of the Gaudi buildings to post!
The Residencia has a decent breakfast. I was surprised. In both France and Spain, breakfast is generally very light--coffee, juice, and a pastry--for a high price in hotels--8-10 Euros ($9-11 US). Breakfast is included with the price of this place which had a simple, but nice buffet: warm Spanish tortilla (a large, thick pancake-shaped potato and egg concoction that is cut into slices like a pie or quiche), warm sausages and pieces of ham, boiled eggs, cold slices of ham and cheese, jam, butter, bread slices, two kinds of pastries, orange juice, coffee, and fresh pears, apples, and oranges.
Today was my day to tour the Sagrada Familia, the church that has been under construction for over 100 years and was designed by Gaudi. When I was here before, I walked around it on the outside, but there were so many tourists in line for tickets that I didn't even try to get inside. This year, I ordered a ticket online, and I got it for an entrance at 9:15 in hopes that I might beat the large number of group tours that fill the place.
I was lucky. There were people inside, but it wasn't crowded. I was able to listen to my audio guide and take photos without having to worry about being in anyone's way or anyone being in my way. However, by the time I finished the last stop on the audio tour and went back into the church around 10:15, the group tours were arriving. People were EVERYWHERE!! Since I already had my photos, I was mainly walking around looking at details and at nooks I had missed while following the audio guide. Then I headed to the museum that tells about the design and construction of the church. Only one or two groups had made it there so far, so I was lucky again. It was 11:15 by the time I left the church.
I enjoyed seeing the building. It has some outstanding features--the support columns that branch out like trees to hold up the various external towers, the beautiful and large stained glass windows that give it so much colorful light, the external sculptural features, the beautiful external towers, etc. Gaudi died in 1926 with the church barely started. In 1930, Gaudi's workshop with all the plans, models, and photographs was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Therefore, the architects have had little to guide them in carrying out Gaudi's designs. Add to that the fact that labor is much more expensive now than it was then. So it is obvious that the newer portions of the church are in general much simpler in design and construction than they might have been if Gaudi had guided the construction himself. I can see why Ramon, an architect here, wrote to suggest that I tour a home designed by Gaudi called Bellesguard rather than the church.
There are many other buildings designed by Gaudi here, and I have seen most of them on the previous trip and passed by several of them again today as I walked to the church. Here is a website showing some of his more outstanding buildings here in Barcelona.
From the church, I walked to the Sants Train Station. I needed to buy my senior discount card to use in purchasing tickets and to buy my ticket for going to Zaragoza on Monday. Well, this was not a good day to walk across town or to go to the train station! European Labor Day is May 1. Since May 1 is a Monday this year, there is a long holiday weekend which promotes travel. Traffic was heavy on the streets, and drivers were honking when it didn't move. When I got my number at the station for waiting to be called to buy my ticket, they were helping number 116. My number was 253!!! It took an hour of sitting until I could go to the counter. And it went faster than it might have, because a lot of people didn't go to the counter when their numbers were called; apparently they gave up rather than waiting after they saw how far away their number would be before being called.
Fortunately, I got the train I wanted. As I considered the size of the crowds traveling for the weekend (and heard one American couple being told that all trains to their destination were sold out until one this evening), I was afraid the train to Zaragoza might be booked solid with people returning from trips here to Barcelona for the holidays. When I did get my ticket, I was surprised by its price. My train tickets in France were so much cheaper than here. I am taking a 2-hour train trip, and my senior discounted ticket was 34 Euros--about $38 US. All the bus tickets I bought before making the trip were much cheaper, so I may try to use buses the rest of the time rather than trying to take trains. One 9-hour bus trip at the end of my travels was less than the price of this train ticket.
I must have walked at least 7 miles today. But it seemed longer. Intersections here in Barcelona are 8-sided for pedestrians. Pedestrians are forced to go around the corner a ways before they have a crosswalk. So you walk a block, go around the corner, use the crosswalk, go back to the corner on that side of the block, and continue down the street to where you are going. Unfortunately, I didn't really see anything special I had not seen on my previous trip. But I was frequently reminded of the beautiful old buildings that exist here, especially the ones with fancy domes, globes, towers, etc., on them. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find photos of them online; everyone takes photos of the Gaudi buildings to post!
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Leaving Andorra in the Snow
Thursday, Apr. 27, 2017--Andorra to Barcelona
When I looked out the window this morning, there was a dusty layer of snow on the mountains and the trees, but the streets were wet. That was good to see. I had worried that my bus might not run today if ice or snow accumulated on the roads. As the morning progressed, the snow came down faster, but it still wasn't sticking to the streets.
My bus was at 11:00, and I walked in the snow from 10:00-10:15 getting there. Fortunately, I had found a much shorter route than the one Google Maps had suggested (which was about 1.5 miles long). Mine, about 1/3 of that distance, involved walking through the Parliament Building and taking an elevator down 3 floors to a lower street, going along that street a bit, then taking a path through a park and across the river to the street where the bus station is located. It snowed the whole way, but the snow just tumbled off my hooded rain jacket I was wearing.
When I got there, I asked immediately, "Is it going to be okay for the bus to Barcelona?" The ladies smiled and nodded to indicate it would be fine.
The snow actually increased, getting thicker with bigger flakes, as we left town even though we were heading toward a lower altitude. We were out of Andorra and in Spain within 20 minutes, but the Pyrenees continued for another 1 1/2 hours with us going through some areas with at least 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) of accumulation. The snow on the branches of the fir trees reminded me of my childhood when my mother made artificial snow out of whipped Lux Flakes which we would layer on the tops of the branches with our hands. It would dry to look just like layers of snowfall.
By the time we reached Barcelona at 14:10, there was only rain falling. Fortunately, it was light rain. There is no good public transportation connection between the Barcelona Nord bus station where we stopped and were I am staying at the Residencia d'Investigadors (Residence for Researchers with rooms available for university faculty, staff, or students). I would have had to have walked about half the way anyway, so I just walked the entire distance--maybe a total of 25 minutes. It's times like that when appreciate the GPS on the phone; I had programmed the route into Google Maps and could watch the screen to know when to make each turn.
The room is basic: a 3/4 bed, a desk, a closet, a bathroom, a small TV, and a thermostat for setting the heat level. Breakfast is included in the room price of 71 Euros a night--about $78 U.S. It's in a great location. Everything is within walking distance from here for me. But what is nice is that the small streets in the area are home to lots of immigrants, so there are plenty of small eating establishments in the area. Tonight, I bought Chinese food to go--a stir-fried rice noodle dish similar to Filipino pancit with a portion of almond chicken to go with it.
It's cold outside, so I will stay in the room tonight and read. I will go to bed early, since I have to leave here by 8:15 tomorrow for an appointment I have for entry into a tourist site.
When I looked out the window this morning, there was a dusty layer of snow on the mountains and the trees, but the streets were wet. That was good to see. I had worried that my bus might not run today if ice or snow accumulated on the roads. As the morning progressed, the snow came down faster, but it still wasn't sticking to the streets.
My bus was at 11:00, and I walked in the snow from 10:00-10:15 getting there. Fortunately, I had found a much shorter route than the one Google Maps had suggested (which was about 1.5 miles long). Mine, about 1/3 of that distance, involved walking through the Parliament Building and taking an elevator down 3 floors to a lower street, going along that street a bit, then taking a path through a park and across the river to the street where the bus station is located. It snowed the whole way, but the snow just tumbled off my hooded rain jacket I was wearing.
When I got there, I asked immediately, "Is it going to be okay for the bus to Barcelona?" The ladies smiled and nodded to indicate it would be fine.
The snow actually increased, getting thicker with bigger flakes, as we left town even though we were heading toward a lower altitude. We were out of Andorra and in Spain within 20 minutes, but the Pyrenees continued for another 1 1/2 hours with us going through some areas with at least 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) of accumulation. The snow on the branches of the fir trees reminded me of my childhood when my mother made artificial snow out of whipped Lux Flakes which we would layer on the tops of the branches with our hands. It would dry to look just like layers of snowfall.
By the time we reached Barcelona at 14:10, there was only rain falling. Fortunately, it was light rain. There is no good public transportation connection between the Barcelona Nord bus station where we stopped and were I am staying at the Residencia d'Investigadors (Residence for Researchers with rooms available for university faculty, staff, or students). I would have had to have walked about half the way anyway, so I just walked the entire distance--maybe a total of 25 minutes. It's times like that when appreciate the GPS on the phone; I had programmed the route into Google Maps and could watch the screen to know when to make each turn.
The room is basic: a 3/4 bed, a desk, a closet, a bathroom, a small TV, and a thermostat for setting the heat level. Breakfast is included in the room price of 71 Euros a night--about $78 U.S. It's in a great location. Everything is within walking distance from here for me. But what is nice is that the small streets in the area are home to lots of immigrants, so there are plenty of small eating establishments in the area. Tonight, I bought Chinese food to go--a stir-fried rice noodle dish similar to Filipino pancit with a portion of almond chicken to go with it.
It's cold outside, so I will stay in the room tonight and read. I will go to bed early, since I have to leave here by 8:15 tomorrow for an appointment I have for entry into a tourist site.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Snow Coming Tonight
Wednesday, Apr. 26, 2017--Andorra del Vella
One of the really nice things about this place is its public art. I noticed Botero sculpture in the middle of a traffic circle as we entered the city yesterday. Then I noticed another piece of art in another traffic circle. For the past two days, I have been seeing more public art--at intersections and in courtyards. The works are all by major artists.
Andorra must be a paradise for alcoholics. (Or hell!) With their low taxes, the liquor prices are unbelievably low. I had noticed all the stores yesterday, but today I paid attention to the prices: A liter of J&B Scotch for 8.90 Euros. A liter of 51 Cachaca from Brizil for 6.90 Euros. A liter of Tanqueray Gin for 10.90 Euros or Bombay Sapphire Gin for 11.90 Euros. I bought a liter bottle of Jacare Cachaca for 4.95!!
There have been light showers off and on today. When the sun come out for about 2 hours this afternoon, I decided to go back out. But it started raining again with snow mixed into it. Our forecast for tonight and tomorrow is for snow. I imagine it will be light snow showers, since the rain has been light. Hope it won't create a problem for me going to the bus station tomorrow, since I have to leave for Barcelona.
One of the really nice things about this place is its public art. I noticed Botero sculpture in the middle of a traffic circle as we entered the city yesterday. Then I noticed another piece of art in another traffic circle. For the past two days, I have been seeing more public art--at intersections and in courtyards. The works are all by major artists.
Andorra must be a paradise for alcoholics. (Or hell!) With their low taxes, the liquor prices are unbelievably low. I had noticed all the stores yesterday, but today I paid attention to the prices: A liter of J&B Scotch for 8.90 Euros. A liter of 51 Cachaca from Brizil for 6.90 Euros. A liter of Tanqueray Gin for 10.90 Euros or Bombay Sapphire Gin for 11.90 Euros. I bought a liter bottle of Jacare Cachaca for 4.95!!
There have been light showers off and on today. When the sun come out for about 2 hours this afternoon, I decided to go back out. But it started raining again with snow mixed into it. Our forecast for tonight and tomorrow is for snow. I imagine it will be light snow showers, since the rain has been light. Hope it won't create a problem for me going to the bus station tomorrow, since I have to leave for Barcelona.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Into the Snow Capped Pyrenees
Thursday, Apr. 25, 2017--Toulouse to Andorra la Vella
Worried about getting out of the apartment by 9:30 to be at the bus station at least 30 minutes before departure, I didn't sleep well. I thought I was getting up at 7:30, but I must have looked at my watch wrong. Quiet a bit later, it was almost 8:00, so it must have been 6:30 when I got out of bed. That, however, gave me time to recharge both my camera and my Kindle so they would be available for use without fail for the next several days. It also allowed me plenty of time to use my leftovers to make me two sandwiches--one with cheese which became a late lunch after I arrived here at 14:00 and the other to probably be eaten tomorrow.
It was about 10:00 when I got to the platform at the bus station where my bus was to leave at 10:30. The platform sign showed I was in the right place, but no one else was there. At 10:15, I STILL was the only one there, and I began to worry a bit. But the main schedule board also showed it to be at 10:30 at that platform. At 10:25, a small bus drove down from the upstairs parking area, loaded only me and headed off!
That made me wonder if I were going all the way to Andorra alone. But the bus made a turn toward the airport. It apparently also serves as an airport shuttle to Andorra from the Toulouse airport. There, two woman boarded. But it was just the three of us and the driver for the rest of the way.
Going into the airport, we passed the offices of Airbus, the European company that produces airplanes. And as we pulled around to go to the front of the terminal I could see the huge Airbus factory where the planes are built on the opposite side of the airport runways from the terminal building. I would have enjoyed a tour of the facility, but my timing just wasn't right. They don't give tours on weekends, and it is best to schedule several months in advance. I didn't know the dates I would be in Toulouse until just two months ago.
We passed through village after village heading toward the Pyrenees after turning off the expressway. And we climbed and climbed. I could see the snow capped tops of the highest peaks in the distance, but I didn't know if we would be near them. Well, the border itself between France and Andorra is right at the top with snow all around. Where I am, the capital city of Andorra la Vella is in a long, narrow valley. From the border crossing to here, we passed one ski resort after another. It's beyond the season, but snow still covered the slopes, and the lifts were in place but still.
We arrived right on time, and, unfortunately, so did the rain that was forecast. But I was lucky. I know a Mexican National, Ricardo, who lives here and is now an Andorra citizen, too. He had said he would pick me up at the station and give me a ride to the hotel. There he was waiting when we drove in. He had to get back to work, but he let me off at the front door of the hotel which is the Hotel Pyranees.
I went out exploring. Right across the street from my hotel is the older part of the town with the Old Parliament Building and the New Parliament Building, a couple of old churches, and several other older buildings. Most buildings here have gray stones as their facing.
Most people come here, however, to shop (along with skiing). Andorra has only a 4% Value Added Tax as compared to approximately 23% in other European countries. So there is a very long shopping street lined with clothing sores, electronics stores, liquor stores, perfume stores, tobacco stores, etc. There are far more shops than a place this small could normally support.
I actually had hoped to buy something here myself. I have been reading reviews of the Samsung Chromebook Pro since news of it was released last fall. It was showcased at he big electronics show in Las Vegas in January, and it has gotten rave reviews. It was supposed to be released to the public for sale this month (April, 2017), but there is no news of it yet. A similar one called the Plus has been available for several months, but I want the Pro. I checked at some stores here this afternoon. None of them even know about it. I want one as my travel computer to replace this old one that I bought in China maybe 7 years ago. Guess I will just use this one until I get back to the US, and by then maybe Samsung will have released the Pro so I can get one at home.
I am staying inside tonight. Ricardo will come by to visit a while when he gets off work. I bought a bottle of Bordeaux wine at 40% off and will finish a sandwich I made this morning. I will go to bed early, though. Two days of heavy traveling have made my body tired.
Worried about getting out of the apartment by 9:30 to be at the bus station at least 30 minutes before departure, I didn't sleep well. I thought I was getting up at 7:30, but I must have looked at my watch wrong. Quiet a bit later, it was almost 8:00, so it must have been 6:30 when I got out of bed. That, however, gave me time to recharge both my camera and my Kindle so they would be available for use without fail for the next several days. It also allowed me plenty of time to use my leftovers to make me two sandwiches--one with cheese which became a late lunch after I arrived here at 14:00 and the other to probably be eaten tomorrow.
It was about 10:00 when I got to the platform at the bus station where my bus was to leave at 10:30. The platform sign showed I was in the right place, but no one else was there. At 10:15, I STILL was the only one there, and I began to worry a bit. But the main schedule board also showed it to be at 10:30 at that platform. At 10:25, a small bus drove down from the upstairs parking area, loaded only me and headed off!
That made me wonder if I were going all the way to Andorra alone. But the bus made a turn toward the airport. It apparently also serves as an airport shuttle to Andorra from the Toulouse airport. There, two woman boarded. But it was just the three of us and the driver for the rest of the way.
Going into the airport, we passed the offices of Airbus, the European company that produces airplanes. And as we pulled around to go to the front of the terminal I could see the huge Airbus factory where the planes are built on the opposite side of the airport runways from the terminal building. I would have enjoyed a tour of the facility, but my timing just wasn't right. They don't give tours on weekends, and it is best to schedule several months in advance. I didn't know the dates I would be in Toulouse until just two months ago.
We passed through village after village heading toward the Pyrenees after turning off the expressway. And we climbed and climbed. I could see the snow capped tops of the highest peaks in the distance, but I didn't know if we would be near them. Well, the border itself between France and Andorra is right at the top with snow all around. Where I am, the capital city of Andorra la Vella is in a long, narrow valley. From the border crossing to here, we passed one ski resort after another. It's beyond the season, but snow still covered the slopes, and the lifts were in place but still.
We arrived right on time, and, unfortunately, so did the rain that was forecast. But I was lucky. I know a Mexican National, Ricardo, who lives here and is now an Andorra citizen, too. He had said he would pick me up at the station and give me a ride to the hotel. There he was waiting when we drove in. He had to get back to work, but he let me off at the front door of the hotel which is the Hotel Pyranees.
I went out exploring. Right across the street from my hotel is the older part of the town with the Old Parliament Building and the New Parliament Building, a couple of old churches, and several other older buildings. Most buildings here have gray stones as their facing.
Most people come here, however, to shop (along with skiing). Andorra has only a 4% Value Added Tax as compared to approximately 23% in other European countries. So there is a very long shopping street lined with clothing sores, electronics stores, liquor stores, perfume stores, tobacco stores, etc. There are far more shops than a place this small could normally support.
I actually had hoped to buy something here myself. I have been reading reviews of the Samsung Chromebook Pro since news of it was released last fall. It was showcased at he big electronics show in Las Vegas in January, and it has gotten rave reviews. It was supposed to be released to the public for sale this month (April, 2017), but there is no news of it yet. A similar one called the Plus has been available for several months, but I want the Pro. I checked at some stores here this afternoon. None of them even know about it. I want one as my travel computer to replace this old one that I bought in China maybe 7 years ago. Guess I will just use this one until I get back to the US, and by then maybe Samsung will have released the Pro so I can get one at home.
I am staying inside tonight. Ricardo will come by to visit a while when he gets off work. I bought a bottle of Bordeaux wine at 40% off and will finish a sandwich I made this morning. I will go to bed early, though. Two days of heavy traveling have made my body tired.
Monday, April 24, 2017
Day Trip to Albi
Monday, Apr. 24, 2017--Toulouse-Albi-Toulouse
I manged to do it, but a day trip to Albi is not something I would recommend anyone try if they do not have a car. My guidebooks had recommended it telling that there were 18 trains a day that take an hour and that there were buses every 3 hours. Well that's not true anymore. There are no scheduled buses anymore. And the trains do not go to Albi; one has to take a train to a nearby town and switch to a bus for the last 20 minutes or so of getting there. And the other problem with trying to take a day trip to Albi is that the museums, churches, etc., close from noon to 14:00. It's hard to get there before it is almost time for things to close!
I took the 9:15 train/bus and arrived in Albi at 10:45. I rushed to the center of town, took a quick look at the Cathedral Ste-Cecile which looks a lot like a fortress on the outside but has a lot of ornate aspects to its inner decorations. And it has one of the most fantastic looking organs I have ever seen--from 1734 with 3500 pipes and placed above a fresco of the Last Judgment.
From there, I went next door to the Palais de la Berbie, the former home of the archbishops before the Pope's Palace was built in Avignon. It now houses the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum--the largest collection of art (more than 1000 pieces) by this native of Albi. The man at the ticket counter said it takes 1 hour 15 minutes to see the museum, and it was already 11:00. But he added that the ticket is good for all day. What stress that puts on a person, though, especially since the last two daytime bus/train combinations leave Albe at 15:00 and 15:50!! Anyway, I bought a ticket. I mostly ignored the palace so I could enjoy and concentrate on the art. It was a good selection of his works and was displaced nicely. It began with his earliest works which were not realistic and not as abstract or flamboyant as his later works. They were grouped so you could see his skill at painting animals of various kinds, trees of various kinds, faces of various kinds, etc. The exhibits covered the entire history of his works from the local paintings he made of a boy from Albi to his paintings of portraits of wealthy people, to his paintings of prostitutes and women who performed on stages, to his posters to advertise products and entertainment venues. Fortunately, there were laminated posters in each gallery to read about aspects of selected paintings. I took my time to read those to try to learn more, and I finished with the last gallery of his works at 11:55 when they were asking people to leave the museum. That meant, however, that I skipped the 2-3 galleries the museum includes of paintings by other artists. (Click here to see lots of photos of artworks by Toulouse-Lautrec that includes many that are not in this museum.)
During the 2-hour break, I wandered the streets of Albi seeing the many old buildings. It is like old Toulouse, except is is a smaller town and has a far higher percentage of half-timbered buildings still standing. The guidebook had suggested a hike along the river there, so I walked 20 minutes out along a path following a tributary and then turned back taking 20 minutes to return.
Just as everything was reopening at 14:00, I saw the Cloitre St-Salvi, a cloister attached to a church which didn't open at 14:00 as their sign said they would. It was a nice courtyard with nice beds of multiple types of blooming flowers. Then I returned by the Palais du Berbie to see its outdoor formal gardens which I had glanced through a window.
It was hot and I was tired. I decided I would rather take the 15:00 bus/train back to the city than take a chance on the 15:50 which might be crowded as the last one before sometime in the evening. Still, I wasn't back at my apartment until just before 17:00. That was a long outing to see so little.
_________
I finished reading my current book Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson today. I checked it out on my Kindle only because it won the National Book Award a couple of years ago, and I usually find that award winners are well written. I didn't even know it wasn't a novel when I started reading it. As I started the second story and could figure out how it related to the first, I realized it was a collection of stories instead of a novel. It story was good. They cover an amazing range of settings and topics. All seem to revolve around difficulties in life. I think it is a well written book, and I appreciated each story. I gave it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Note: The Kindle is so good for my long trips, and checking the books out through the library is so easy no matter where I am and totally free as a member of the San Antonio Public Library. I used to buy and pack 12-15 books in my luggage for a trip. It made the luggage so heavy and cost so much. Now I just check out a new book every time I finish a title and all I carry is my Kindle Paperwhite. Before leaving San Antonio, I did a search of books that have won prizes or been shortlisted for prizes during the past few years to see which ones were available for checkout, so having that list with me keeps me from having to waste time searching while traveling. I just go to the next title down on my list and check it out if it is still available. If not, I keep going down the list until I find one available. I can always go back up the list at a later time, since those that were available before can still become available again when all copies are no longer already checked out. (Most people read popular books anyway rather than prize winning and nominated books, so it's not so hard for me to find a book on my list available.)
I manged to do it, but a day trip to Albi is not something I would recommend anyone try if they do not have a car. My guidebooks had recommended it telling that there were 18 trains a day that take an hour and that there were buses every 3 hours. Well that's not true anymore. There are no scheduled buses anymore. And the trains do not go to Albi; one has to take a train to a nearby town and switch to a bus for the last 20 minutes or so of getting there. And the other problem with trying to take a day trip to Albi is that the museums, churches, etc., close from noon to 14:00. It's hard to get there before it is almost time for things to close!
I took the 9:15 train/bus and arrived in Albi at 10:45. I rushed to the center of town, took a quick look at the Cathedral Ste-Cecile which looks a lot like a fortress on the outside but has a lot of ornate aspects to its inner decorations. And it has one of the most fantastic looking organs I have ever seen--from 1734 with 3500 pipes and placed above a fresco of the Last Judgment.
From there, I went next door to the Palais de la Berbie, the former home of the archbishops before the Pope's Palace was built in Avignon. It now houses the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum--the largest collection of art (more than 1000 pieces) by this native of Albi. The man at the ticket counter said it takes 1 hour 15 minutes to see the museum, and it was already 11:00. But he added that the ticket is good for all day. What stress that puts on a person, though, especially since the last two daytime bus/train combinations leave Albe at 15:00 and 15:50!! Anyway, I bought a ticket. I mostly ignored the palace so I could enjoy and concentrate on the art. It was a good selection of his works and was displaced nicely. It began with his earliest works which were not realistic and not as abstract or flamboyant as his later works. They were grouped so you could see his skill at painting animals of various kinds, trees of various kinds, faces of various kinds, etc. The exhibits covered the entire history of his works from the local paintings he made of a boy from Albi to his paintings of portraits of wealthy people, to his paintings of prostitutes and women who performed on stages, to his posters to advertise products and entertainment venues. Fortunately, there were laminated posters in each gallery to read about aspects of selected paintings. I took my time to read those to try to learn more, and I finished with the last gallery of his works at 11:55 when they were asking people to leave the museum. That meant, however, that I skipped the 2-3 galleries the museum includes of paintings by other artists. (Click here to see lots of photos of artworks by Toulouse-Lautrec that includes many that are not in this museum.)
During the 2-hour break, I wandered the streets of Albi seeing the many old buildings. It is like old Toulouse, except is is a smaller town and has a far higher percentage of half-timbered buildings still standing. The guidebook had suggested a hike along the river there, so I walked 20 minutes out along a path following a tributary and then turned back taking 20 minutes to return.
Just as everything was reopening at 14:00, I saw the Cloitre St-Salvi, a cloister attached to a church which didn't open at 14:00 as their sign said they would. It was a nice courtyard with nice beds of multiple types of blooming flowers. Then I returned by the Palais du Berbie to see its outdoor formal gardens which I had glanced through a window.
It was hot and I was tired. I decided I would rather take the 15:00 bus/train back to the city than take a chance on the 15:50 which might be crowded as the last one before sometime in the evening. Still, I wasn't back at my apartment until just before 17:00. That was a long outing to see so little.
_________
I finished reading my current book Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson today. I checked it out on my Kindle only because it won the National Book Award a couple of years ago, and I usually find that award winners are well written. I didn't even know it wasn't a novel when I started reading it. As I started the second story and could figure out how it related to the first, I realized it was a collection of stories instead of a novel. It story was good. They cover an amazing range of settings and topics. All seem to revolve around difficulties in life. I think it is a well written book, and I appreciated each story. I gave it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Note: The Kindle is so good for my long trips, and checking the books out through the library is so easy no matter where I am and totally free as a member of the San Antonio Public Library. I used to buy and pack 12-15 books in my luggage for a trip. It made the luggage so heavy and cost so much. Now I just check out a new book every time I finish a title and all I carry is my Kindle Paperwhite. Before leaving San Antonio, I did a search of books that have won prizes or been shortlisted for prizes during the past few years to see which ones were available for checkout, so having that list with me keeps me from having to waste time searching while traveling. I just go to the next title down on my list and check it out if it is still available. If not, I keep going down the list until I find one available. I can always go back up the list at a later time, since those that were available before can still become available again when all copies are no longer already checked out. (Most people read popular books anyway rather than prize winning and nominated books, so it's not so hard for me to find a book on my list available.)
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Church-Going Sunday
Sunday, Apr. 23, 2017--Toulouse
Many places are closed on Sundays in France, so today was a day to visit lots of churches. But the first church was the best: Marché Victor Hugo--the church for gourmands which is the large indoor market of Toulouse. It is only about 3 blocks from where I am living, and it was alive when I arrived there about 9:30. The first thing I encountered upon entering was a bakery with stacks of rustic breads with thick, crunchy crusts like I used to buy regularly in Copenhagen. But every vendor had wonderful items--dried hams, all kinds of seafood, wonderful cheeses, beautiful duck breasts, etc., with all of it set out in beautiful, artistic displays. After wandering the aisles twice just looking at the food items, I wandered two more times watching the people--both the vendors and the customers: Watching life! You can "see" the personalities of everyone.
Observation on Trip: Speaking of personalities, I have not encountered any Frenchmen with bad attitudes on this trip. I've observed multiple times in Paris that people will get mad, fuss at each other, and then walk away with it apparently over since they had vented their frustrations. And the French have an international reputation (maybe not deserved) of being rude, but I have not observed that either. Maybe the fact that this is southern France makes a difference--warmer climate areas tend to be more friendly and to accept a slower, simpler pace of life. People at the market waited in line for their turns, they laughed and interacted meaningfully with the vendors, and were just generally enjoying a morning of shopping at the market.
Leaving the market, I stopped at another church of pastries. This time it was Pillon where I got a chocolate croissant which was labeled as "chocoline." As soon as I said the word, the young lady helping me started speaking in English. She seemed impressed that I already had the right about of change in coins ready for her.
Observation on Trip: Lots more people in southern France speak English than I expected. I'm constantly amazed at how many people I meet speak at least some limited English, and it isn't just young people. I'm guessing the EU has had a big part in this, since the same currency is used throughout most of it and the borders are open for easy travel. Traveling to Spain, the U.K., Germany, Greece, and elsewhere has probably meant having to learn a bit of English as a form of common communication.
The next church stop was the church of politics--The Town Hall of Toulouse where people were entering to vote in the national elections to see if they will choose the far right candidate Madame Le Pen or someone more moderate. Today is the first stage of the elections; the top two candidates will then run against each other in a runoff election on May 7. Le Pen is expected to be in the top two this round, but most people are hoping she will not win in the end since she represents isolationism--no immigration, withdrawal from the EU, etc. There was a steady stream of voters entering the building. I just joined them because I wanted to see the Grand Stairwell with its paintings and ceiling mural. Like I had gone as an observer in Copenhagen when I accompanied Arne to vote for the formation of the European Union out of the old European Community, whole families were arriving at the polls including their children too young to vote yet.
After that, the REAL business of visiting true churches began. I visited Eglise Notre Dame de la Daurade which was having mass at the time. The church has a wonderful organ from 1864 that has pipes in two parts and was being played regularly throughout the service, so I just sat and enjoyed the music.
Leaving there, I explored the Daurade area which is along the Garonne River and is among the oldest parts of Toulouse. My guidebook explains that the reason there is such a large old town in Toulouse is because it wasn't bombed during WWII. Therefore, all those blocks of half-timbered buildings from hundreds of years ago and brick buildings from the 1200s through the 1800s are one of the best representations of Old Europe that exist today.
Within the area, the next stop was the Convent des Jacobins. It is both a church and a convent, although regular services are no longer held in the church. It houses some old, original paintings, and it is one of the few churches with painted walls in southern France. (Most churches I have seen have gray walls, but there is a repeated print pattern on the walls of this church.) Most interesting about this church, however, is its palm-tree style columns and ceiling. A central row of seven columns with each branching out like fronds of a palm tree to created a vaulted ceiling are beautiful to see with the very last one being a great example of the skill of craftsmen in those times (about 1300) because the vaulted branching goes into a multi-sided end of the church.
Near there was one of the university areas of the city. Toulouse is one of the largest university cities in Europe. Just one, the Toulouse School of Economics has 120,000 students!! As I went to my next stop, I saw some of the students looking a bit sleepy at 11:30 in the morning as they walked probably toward a place where they planned to eat breakfast.
I still had two churches to visit. One was Eglise St-Pierre des Cuisines. It has a beautiful interior with a nice choir and organ. But the second and last was Basilique St.-Sernin, the primary church of the city. It's the world's largest Romanesque church and is the primary tourist attraction in the city. Unfortunately, the most interesting part of the church must be viewed from a far distance--the ceiling of the apse which has gilded frescoes. I think I will appreciate it more when I look at close-up photos of it than I could in person.
From there, I returned home to remove my pullover, to drink some cola, and to rest a bit before heading out again. Almost all the days start with cool temperatures and end up with warm afternoons, so a pullover is needed until about noon and then short sleeves are fine until it gets dark.
Around 14:00, I headed out again. As I do in many cities on Sundays with good weather, I headed to the main park in the city--the Grand Rond/Jardin Royal (two adjacent sections that are really one park. People were scattered on the lawns everywhere enjoying the nice weather and enjoying being with their friends and/or family members.
From there, I followed the path along the Canal du Midi, a canal that covers 240 km (about 150 miles) across southern France (including Carcassonne where I also walked along it) and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I used that as my route to the bus and train station to check train schedules for the day trip I have planned for tomorrow and to make sure where my bus will be leaving on Tuesday as I depart Toulouse and France.
Before returning to the room, I went to a nearby kebab shop. It's been two weeks since I had one, and it just sounded good to me. I got a chicken one with spicy sauce and with fries for an early dinner.
Many places are closed on Sundays in France, so today was a day to visit lots of churches. But the first church was the best: Marché Victor Hugo--the church for gourmands which is the large indoor market of Toulouse. It is only about 3 blocks from where I am living, and it was alive when I arrived there about 9:30. The first thing I encountered upon entering was a bakery with stacks of rustic breads with thick, crunchy crusts like I used to buy regularly in Copenhagen. But every vendor had wonderful items--dried hams, all kinds of seafood, wonderful cheeses, beautiful duck breasts, etc., with all of it set out in beautiful, artistic displays. After wandering the aisles twice just looking at the food items, I wandered two more times watching the people--both the vendors and the customers: Watching life! You can "see" the personalities of everyone.
Observation on Trip: Speaking of personalities, I have not encountered any Frenchmen with bad attitudes on this trip. I've observed multiple times in Paris that people will get mad, fuss at each other, and then walk away with it apparently over since they had vented their frustrations. And the French have an international reputation (maybe not deserved) of being rude, but I have not observed that either. Maybe the fact that this is southern France makes a difference--warmer climate areas tend to be more friendly and to accept a slower, simpler pace of life. People at the market waited in line for their turns, they laughed and interacted meaningfully with the vendors, and were just generally enjoying a morning of shopping at the market.
Leaving the market, I stopped at another church of pastries. This time it was Pillon where I got a chocolate croissant which was labeled as "chocoline." As soon as I said the word, the young lady helping me started speaking in English. She seemed impressed that I already had the right about of change in coins ready for her.
Observation on Trip: Lots more people in southern France speak English than I expected. I'm constantly amazed at how many people I meet speak at least some limited English, and it isn't just young people. I'm guessing the EU has had a big part in this, since the same currency is used throughout most of it and the borders are open for easy travel. Traveling to Spain, the U.K., Germany, Greece, and elsewhere has probably meant having to learn a bit of English as a form of common communication.
The next church stop was the church of politics--The Town Hall of Toulouse where people were entering to vote in the national elections to see if they will choose the far right candidate Madame Le Pen or someone more moderate. Today is the first stage of the elections; the top two candidates will then run against each other in a runoff election on May 7. Le Pen is expected to be in the top two this round, but most people are hoping she will not win in the end since she represents isolationism--no immigration, withdrawal from the EU, etc. There was a steady stream of voters entering the building. I just joined them because I wanted to see the Grand Stairwell with its paintings and ceiling mural. Like I had gone as an observer in Copenhagen when I accompanied Arne to vote for the formation of the European Union out of the old European Community, whole families were arriving at the polls including their children too young to vote yet.
After that, the REAL business of visiting true churches began. I visited Eglise Notre Dame de la Daurade which was having mass at the time. The church has a wonderful organ from 1864 that has pipes in two parts and was being played regularly throughout the service, so I just sat and enjoyed the music.
Leaving there, I explored the Daurade area which is along the Garonne River and is among the oldest parts of Toulouse. My guidebook explains that the reason there is such a large old town in Toulouse is because it wasn't bombed during WWII. Therefore, all those blocks of half-timbered buildings from hundreds of years ago and brick buildings from the 1200s through the 1800s are one of the best representations of Old Europe that exist today.
Within the area, the next stop was the Convent des Jacobins. It is both a church and a convent, although regular services are no longer held in the church. It houses some old, original paintings, and it is one of the few churches with painted walls in southern France. (Most churches I have seen have gray walls, but there is a repeated print pattern on the walls of this church.) Most interesting about this church, however, is its palm-tree style columns and ceiling. A central row of seven columns with each branching out like fronds of a palm tree to created a vaulted ceiling are beautiful to see with the very last one being a great example of the skill of craftsmen in those times (about 1300) because the vaulted branching goes into a multi-sided end of the church.
Near there was one of the university areas of the city. Toulouse is one of the largest university cities in Europe. Just one, the Toulouse School of Economics has 120,000 students!! As I went to my next stop, I saw some of the students looking a bit sleepy at 11:30 in the morning as they walked probably toward a place where they planned to eat breakfast.
I still had two churches to visit. One was Eglise St-Pierre des Cuisines. It has a beautiful interior with a nice choir and organ. But the second and last was Basilique St.-Sernin, the primary church of the city. It's the world's largest Romanesque church and is the primary tourist attraction in the city. Unfortunately, the most interesting part of the church must be viewed from a far distance--the ceiling of the apse which has gilded frescoes. I think I will appreciate it more when I look at close-up photos of it than I could in person.
From there, I returned home to remove my pullover, to drink some cola, and to rest a bit before heading out again. Almost all the days start with cool temperatures and end up with warm afternoons, so a pullover is needed until about noon and then short sleeves are fine until it gets dark.
Around 14:00, I headed out again. As I do in many cities on Sundays with good weather, I headed to the main park in the city--the Grand Rond/Jardin Royal (two adjacent sections that are really one park. People were scattered on the lawns everywhere enjoying the nice weather and enjoying being with their friends and/or family members.
From there, I followed the path along the Canal du Midi, a canal that covers 240 km (about 150 miles) across southern France (including Carcassonne where I also walked along it) and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I used that as my route to the bus and train station to check train schedules for the day trip I have planned for tomorrow and to make sure where my bus will be leaving on Tuesday as I depart Toulouse and France.
Before returning to the room, I went to a nearby kebab shop. It's been two weeks since I had one, and it just sounded good to me. I got a chicken one with spicy sauce and with fries for an early dinner.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Onward to the Last Stop in France
Saturday, Apr. 22, 2017--Carcassone to Toulouse
Saturday is market day in Carcassone. I had read it was a great market worth visiting, so I made a note on my plans to see it before leaving town. As I went out of the apartment to walk to the main square where the market is held, there were lots of people on the sidewalks--both coming from town and going to town with almost all of them rolling a wheeled frame with a large shopping bag attached.
The market was fantastic. How I wish we had a similar market in San Antonio. The Pearl Market looks like a simple weakling in comparison. The vegetable vendors had both white and green asparagus, truffles, two kinds of artichokes, and all kinds of other vegies. The seafood vendors had maybe 10 kinds of muscles/oysters. The sausage makers had lots of beautiful salamis and dried meets. The flower vendors had lilacs, tulips, roses, lilies, etc., including even some already out lavender. The bakers had wonderful, heavy rustic breads with thick, crunchy crusts--the kind I have hoped to be able to buy in San Antonio since moving there but have never been able to find. The pastry vendors had beautiful pies, cakes, croissants, etc. I wandered taking photo after photo, then I wandered more just watching the crowds as they shopped.
My train was at 11:29. When they announced the track number at 11:05, I headed that way. Immediately, I looked at the screen to see the location of my car--Number 14. The imagine showed 13, 15, 16, but no 14. I returned to the information counter in the station. The lady said just to get onto car 13 or 15 and show the agent my ticket to get a seat elsewhere. Well, I have taken three trains in France so far without ever seeing an agent on the trian. Today was no difference. Groups of us, all with seat assignments in Car 14 stood the whole way to Toulouse even though we supposedly had reserved seats! No one came to help us. No one official was ever in sight. The people inside the terminal didn't respond to my request of whether they could rebook me with a seat in another car. NOT a way to run a railroad. This was my 4th trip. None had hassles. #1 was canceled and I had to take a train an hour later. #2 arrived late and was so full that I had to stand like a packed sardine all the way and arrived an hour late. #3 ran on time, but a man was in my reserved seat and didn't offer to move; therefore, I sat in the seat beside him. And this was #4--on time but no car to provide me with my reserved seat.
But my problems didn't end there. I had been worried for 2 days. I wrote Alexandre, the owner of my reserved apartment in Toulouse yesterday morning telling him that I would arrive at 12:16 if the train was ontime and would walk directly to the apartment. I didn't hear back from him until late in the afternoon. Essentially, he gave me a number of his girlfriend and told me to call her when I arrived at the station and she would meet me at the apartment; otherwise, he said, I would be waiting at the apartment forever with no one to meet me. Well, my phone doesn't work in Europe except via WiFi, and it does not allow me to call European numbers. I wrote him back in the late afternoon telling him beyond the fact I couldn't call his girl friend with my phone: 1) I WOULD be on the train and would be at the apartment about 15 minutes after it arrives. 2) That the train service has a real-time website for checking to see if trains are on-time and what time they are expected that his girlfriend could check to know whether I was delayed and to judge when I would be at the apartment.
I never heard back from him last night. And there was no message by the time I left the apartment this morning. When I arrived at the station, their WiFi does not allow calls or texting which I could have used to try to reach the owner. I asked for help, and a very nice male employee took me to a service office and dialed the number of the girlfriend. I got a RECORDING. I left a message that I was here and was headed to the apartment. I got to the apartment and rang the bell, but there was no answer. An employee of a cafe across the streetlet me use their WiFi to text the owner to ask him to tell his girlfriend that I was here. I got no response. After about 30 minutes, I called a number I have for AIRBNB. (You can't find a number on their website, so I have saved this for years.) After a long wait, someone came on the line and I was reporting that I had encountered problems communicating with the owner for two days, that I had arrived, that I had called the number he gave me and got an answering machine, and that no one was here. We went through all the authentification the needed to make sure I was who I said I was. Just at the end of that when they would have started helping me to contact the owner with a number they had, the girlfriend showed up across the street. What a relief, but what a frustration in the meantime!!
AIRBNB tends to favor those offering rental units over those renting units. They allow their listers of units to cancel at any time without a penalty. But renters cannot cancel after a given date based on 3 categories that units can be listed under--flexible, moderate, or strict--and most units are now listed under moderate or strict. As I said above, they do not have phone numbers on their website for you to call. They only have an on-line type-back-and-forth way to communicate with them about a problem. These are big weaknesses in their offerings. It cases clients trying to rent through them a big disadvantage and leads to burn-out. If they aren't careful, over time they will find they have more listings than they can fill because of customers having problems with units they have rented--either being canceled too late to make alternative plans or having problems in their contacts with owners. Last year, I had an owner in Bratislava try a bait and switch on me--not wanting to cancel the reservation herself, but wanting me to move to a less appealing apartment both in terms of looks and location. This year, I had an great apartment I had rented in Seville canceled--probably because the owner got an offer from someone wanting to stay more days than I had booked to stay. And today I joined the club of those dealing with the possibility that they had arrived and there was no one to meet them and let them into the apartment.
The apartment I have rented here in Toulouse is really quite nice. It's basic, but it has a very nice big glass door that opens with a wrought iron railing to provide an "inside" balcony. It has a large-screen TV. The kitchen is well equipped even though it is inside what we would call a wide closet in the US. It has a nice desk for typing and good WiFi. And it is cheap at about $42 per night total.
I went out in the afternoon to explore the city. Toulouse has been a large city for a long time. The older section of town with roads established by the Romans and buildings that include many that are half-timbered is much larger than the old section of Lyon. Instead of being a few blocks along 2-3 streets, it covers probably 100 blocks for more. I just wandered enjoying the warm day, the uniqueness (after over two weeks of stone buildings) of red brick buildings, and watching the crowds. I went through the main square known as Place Capitole. I saw Pont Neuf, the only old bridge remaining across the river here. I passed Les Augustins which used to be a monastery but is now a museum. I saw Hotel d'Assezat, one of the old mansions of the city that is also now a museum. But what was interesting is the many, many blocks of old buildings on narrow streets that are filled with fancy shops. I stopped at one (Patisserie Conte on Rue Croix-Baragnon which was lined with designer shops) and got an almond croissant for a snack. UMMMM!
I've stayed inside this evening. I ate food I already had for dinner and had it with a glass of wine from a bottle I bought this afternoon when exploring my neighborhood which seems to be a former workers' quarter and is now an immigrants quarter with Indians, Turks, etc.
Saturday is market day in Carcassone. I had read it was a great market worth visiting, so I made a note on my plans to see it before leaving town. As I went out of the apartment to walk to the main square where the market is held, there were lots of people on the sidewalks--both coming from town and going to town with almost all of them rolling a wheeled frame with a large shopping bag attached.
The market was fantastic. How I wish we had a similar market in San Antonio. The Pearl Market looks like a simple weakling in comparison. The vegetable vendors had both white and green asparagus, truffles, two kinds of artichokes, and all kinds of other vegies. The seafood vendors had maybe 10 kinds of muscles/oysters. The sausage makers had lots of beautiful salamis and dried meets. The flower vendors had lilacs, tulips, roses, lilies, etc., including even some already out lavender. The bakers had wonderful, heavy rustic breads with thick, crunchy crusts--the kind I have hoped to be able to buy in San Antonio since moving there but have never been able to find. The pastry vendors had beautiful pies, cakes, croissants, etc. I wandered taking photo after photo, then I wandered more just watching the crowds as they shopped.
My train was at 11:29. When they announced the track number at 11:05, I headed that way. Immediately, I looked at the screen to see the location of my car--Number 14. The imagine showed 13, 15, 16, but no 14. I returned to the information counter in the station. The lady said just to get onto car 13 or 15 and show the agent my ticket to get a seat elsewhere. Well, I have taken three trains in France so far without ever seeing an agent on the trian. Today was no difference. Groups of us, all with seat assignments in Car 14 stood the whole way to Toulouse even though we supposedly had reserved seats! No one came to help us. No one official was ever in sight. The people inside the terminal didn't respond to my request of whether they could rebook me with a seat in another car. NOT a way to run a railroad. This was my 4th trip. None had hassles. #1 was canceled and I had to take a train an hour later. #2 arrived late and was so full that I had to stand like a packed sardine all the way and arrived an hour late. #3 ran on time, but a man was in my reserved seat and didn't offer to move; therefore, I sat in the seat beside him. And this was #4--on time but no car to provide me with my reserved seat.
But my problems didn't end there. I had been worried for 2 days. I wrote Alexandre, the owner of my reserved apartment in Toulouse yesterday morning telling him that I would arrive at 12:16 if the train was ontime and would walk directly to the apartment. I didn't hear back from him until late in the afternoon. Essentially, he gave me a number of his girlfriend and told me to call her when I arrived at the station and she would meet me at the apartment; otherwise, he said, I would be waiting at the apartment forever with no one to meet me. Well, my phone doesn't work in Europe except via WiFi, and it does not allow me to call European numbers. I wrote him back in the late afternoon telling him beyond the fact I couldn't call his girl friend with my phone: 1) I WOULD be on the train and would be at the apartment about 15 minutes after it arrives. 2) That the train service has a real-time website for checking to see if trains are on-time and what time they are expected that his girlfriend could check to know whether I was delayed and to judge when I would be at the apartment.
I never heard back from him last night. And there was no message by the time I left the apartment this morning. When I arrived at the station, their WiFi does not allow calls or texting which I could have used to try to reach the owner. I asked for help, and a very nice male employee took me to a service office and dialed the number of the girlfriend. I got a RECORDING. I left a message that I was here and was headed to the apartment. I got to the apartment and rang the bell, but there was no answer. An employee of a cafe across the streetlet me use their WiFi to text the owner to ask him to tell his girlfriend that I was here. I got no response. After about 30 minutes, I called a number I have for AIRBNB. (You can't find a number on their website, so I have saved this for years.) After a long wait, someone came on the line and I was reporting that I had encountered problems communicating with the owner for two days, that I had arrived, that I had called the number he gave me and got an answering machine, and that no one was here. We went through all the authentification the needed to make sure I was who I said I was. Just at the end of that when they would have started helping me to contact the owner with a number they had, the girlfriend showed up across the street. What a relief, but what a frustration in the meantime!!
AIRBNB tends to favor those offering rental units over those renting units. They allow their listers of units to cancel at any time without a penalty. But renters cannot cancel after a given date based on 3 categories that units can be listed under--flexible, moderate, or strict--and most units are now listed under moderate or strict. As I said above, they do not have phone numbers on their website for you to call. They only have an on-line type-back-and-forth way to communicate with them about a problem. These are big weaknesses in their offerings. It cases clients trying to rent through them a big disadvantage and leads to burn-out. If they aren't careful, over time they will find they have more listings than they can fill because of customers having problems with units they have rented--either being canceled too late to make alternative plans or having problems in their contacts with owners. Last year, I had an owner in Bratislava try a bait and switch on me--not wanting to cancel the reservation herself, but wanting me to move to a less appealing apartment both in terms of looks and location. This year, I had an great apartment I had rented in Seville canceled--probably because the owner got an offer from someone wanting to stay more days than I had booked to stay. And today I joined the club of those dealing with the possibility that they had arrived and there was no one to meet them and let them into the apartment.
The apartment I have rented here in Toulouse is really quite nice. It's basic, but it has a very nice big glass door that opens with a wrought iron railing to provide an "inside" balcony. It has a large-screen TV. The kitchen is well equipped even though it is inside what we would call a wide closet in the US. It has a nice desk for typing and good WiFi. And it is cheap at about $42 per night total.
I went out in the afternoon to explore the city. Toulouse has been a large city for a long time. The older section of town with roads established by the Romans and buildings that include many that are half-timbered is much larger than the old section of Lyon. Instead of being a few blocks along 2-3 streets, it covers probably 100 blocks for more. I just wandered enjoying the warm day, the uniqueness (after over two weeks of stone buildings) of red brick buildings, and watching the crowds. I went through the main square known as Place Capitole. I saw Pont Neuf, the only old bridge remaining across the river here. I passed Les Augustins which used to be a monastery but is now a museum. I saw Hotel d'Assezat, one of the old mansions of the city that is also now a museum. But what was interesting is the many, many blocks of old buildings on narrow streets that are filled with fancy shops. I stopped at one (Patisserie Conte on Rue Croix-Baragnon which was lined with designer shops) and got an almond croissant for a snack. UMMMM!
I've stayed inside this evening. I ate food I already had for dinner and had it with a glass of wine from a bottle I bought this afternoon when exploring my neighborhood which seems to be a former workers' quarter and is now an immigrants quarter with Indians, Turks, etc.
Friday, April 21, 2017
Old and "New" Carcassonne
Friday, Apr. 21, 2017--Carcassonne, France
There are really two Carcassonnes. The one that brings the tourists, the one where there have been settlements since 6000 B.C. and became a fortified town over 2000 years ago is called the Cité de Carcassonne. The "new" one which has existed "only" since the Middle Ages (but after the Crusades) is called Ville Basse (lower city). My apartment is in a very old building in Ville Basse. It is about a 20 minute walk from here to the Cité de Carcassonne where I went today.
The Cité de Carcassonne is famous for several reasons. It is a World Heritage Site, it is said to be the setting for the famous tale Puss in Boots, and parts of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves were filmed here. It is a strikingly exotic and beautiful hilltop fortress town with its turrets and castellated walls. Inside, it's narrow cobblestoned streets twist and wind with old stone and half-timbered buildings along each one. And the Basilique St-Nazaire inside is a huge church with unbelievably tall and beautiful stain-glassed windows that made me wonder how the building held itself up without collapsing and crushing them.
I had hoped to wander back streets away from tourist restaurants and shops while there, but few are left--maybe 3 short ones. The whole interior is a mainly one restaurant after another with an occasional "museum" (a torture museum is popular), sweets, or souvenir shop. People don't usually stay overnight here like I am; they come on a day trip from elsewhere or stop for 2-3 hours while traveling through this area, so the Cité caters to here-for-a-short-time guests. Originally, I had intended to go back tonight to get a feel for what it is like at a quieter time, but I think all the restaurants will be open and there will be no areas to give me that feeling.
It has been nice, however, staying in the Ville Basse. It, like other places I have stopped, has narrow streets, old houses, and lots of history. One of my favorite spots is Place Carnot, the main central square in the city. It is lined by trees and filled with sidewalk tables where people sit and visit. Around it are the typical businesses that a city needs. Unfortunately, however, there isn't a lot more to Carcassonne. Much like Arles, in contrast to the other places I have stopped, there are many empty storefronts in town and there is little modern development occurring on the edges of town.
I had thought I might try to eat out to enjoy the local specialty of Cassoulet tonight, but I still have too much food from yesterday that would be hard to carry with me tomorrow when I leave. Instead, I will dine on the patio eating the rest of the smoked fish, pasta salad, and beer. Here are links to recipes for it in case anyone reading this wants to perfect the dish so you can serve it to me when I return home!
There are really two Carcassonnes. The one that brings the tourists, the one where there have been settlements since 6000 B.C. and became a fortified town over 2000 years ago is called the Cité de Carcassonne. The "new" one which has existed "only" since the Middle Ages (but after the Crusades) is called Ville Basse (lower city). My apartment is in a very old building in Ville Basse. It is about a 20 minute walk from here to the Cité de Carcassonne where I went today.
The Cité de Carcassonne is famous for several reasons. It is a World Heritage Site, it is said to be the setting for the famous tale Puss in Boots, and parts of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves were filmed here. It is a strikingly exotic and beautiful hilltop fortress town with its turrets and castellated walls. Inside, it's narrow cobblestoned streets twist and wind with old stone and half-timbered buildings along each one. And the Basilique St-Nazaire inside is a huge church with unbelievably tall and beautiful stain-glassed windows that made me wonder how the building held itself up without collapsing and crushing them.
I had hoped to wander back streets away from tourist restaurants and shops while there, but few are left--maybe 3 short ones. The whole interior is a mainly one restaurant after another with an occasional "museum" (a torture museum is popular), sweets, or souvenir shop. People don't usually stay overnight here like I am; they come on a day trip from elsewhere or stop for 2-3 hours while traveling through this area, so the Cité caters to here-for-a-short-time guests. Originally, I had intended to go back tonight to get a feel for what it is like at a quieter time, but I think all the restaurants will be open and there will be no areas to give me that feeling.
It has been nice, however, staying in the Ville Basse. It, like other places I have stopped, has narrow streets, old houses, and lots of history. One of my favorite spots is Place Carnot, the main central square in the city. It is lined by trees and filled with sidewalk tables where people sit and visit. Around it are the typical businesses that a city needs. Unfortunately, however, there isn't a lot more to Carcassonne. Much like Arles, in contrast to the other places I have stopped, there are many empty storefronts in town and there is little modern development occurring on the edges of town.
I had thought I might try to eat out to enjoy the local specialty of Cassoulet tonight, but I still have too much food from yesterday that would be hard to carry with me tomorrow when I leave. Instead, I will dine on the patio eating the rest of the smoked fish, pasta salad, and beer. Here are links to recipes for it in case anyone reading this wants to perfect the dish so you can serve it to me when I return home!
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Carcassonne
Thursday, Apr. 20, 2017--Montpellier to Carcassone
The train ran on time today for a change. It was a TGV, the French fast trains, although it wasn't one of their super fast ones. About half of the trip was along the Mediterranean coast, then we turned inland. This is the Midi-Pyrenees region of France, and I could see the snow-topped Pyrenees as we made our way here.
The apartment wasn't ready when I arrived. Instead, I went to Patrice's apartment to leave my bag. He said he would bring it with him to the apartment when he came to clean it for me. That meant I had a little over 2 1/2 hours to wander.
My first stop was the tourist office where I found a brochure for a concert tonight and got a map. Then I headed to the ticket office to get a ticket for the concert. After that, I just wandered up and down some of the streets and bought me a chocolate croissant to eat as a snack.
Patrice was ready for me when I arrived at the apartment I have rented here. It's the nicest apartment so far on this trip. It is roomy, bright, modern, and has a wonderful private patio in back.
My phone worked when I hooked it up to the WiFi here. I guess I was right about the throttling of the service at the other place after my first night there. Maybe they place a limit on data that can be downloaded here. Plus, in general people here do not have Internet as fast as most of us do in America or as fast as they have in Denmark. I've tested it everywhere. Most connections (3 of them) have been at 10 Mbps speed or less. Two have been at 20 Mbps which is what ATT and Time Warner office as their slowest speed. Since three of the apartments have been ones that are the primary homes of the persons renting them out, I guess they just live with those slow speeds.
Grocery shopping was on the agenda after getting into the apartment. I found some really good looking peppered smoked fish fillets (like the first picture in the link and all the others that look like it). I bought a package of 3. And I bought a marinated pasta salad to have with them. To go with that, I bought two Kronenbourg French beers (one 1664 and one Blonde Intense), since I have tried the wine but not the beers here yet. I also got some eggs, potatoes, and onions for making eggs with hash browns for breakfast.
The concert is right across the street from my apartment. It doesn't start until 20:30. I ate dinner but skipped the beer, since I didn't want to have to worry about needing to go to the bathroom while there. I'll have it when I come home. I made a mistake and went over there at 7:15 thinking it was already 8:15. I came back to write up this entry. I'll save posting it until I am back and have written about the music.
__________
The concert was interesting. It was two musicians--a young man from France and an older man from Africa. The Frenchman played the cymbalum, a piano-type instrument where one hits the wires with hand-held sticks with prongs on the end--a large hammered dulcimer. The African played an African xylophone-type instrument made of wood, strings and gourds called a balafon chromatique. Click here for videos of the Frenchman playing. Click here for videos of the African playing. Click here, here, here, and here for pieces I heard at the concert tonight when they played together.
Note: It was nice after the concert just to walk across the street and be home!
The train ran on time today for a change. It was a TGV, the French fast trains, although it wasn't one of their super fast ones. About half of the trip was along the Mediterranean coast, then we turned inland. This is the Midi-Pyrenees region of France, and I could see the snow-topped Pyrenees as we made our way here.
The apartment wasn't ready when I arrived. Instead, I went to Patrice's apartment to leave my bag. He said he would bring it with him to the apartment when he came to clean it for me. That meant I had a little over 2 1/2 hours to wander.
My first stop was the tourist office where I found a brochure for a concert tonight and got a map. Then I headed to the ticket office to get a ticket for the concert. After that, I just wandered up and down some of the streets and bought me a chocolate croissant to eat as a snack.
Patrice was ready for me when I arrived at the apartment I have rented here. It's the nicest apartment so far on this trip. It is roomy, bright, modern, and has a wonderful private patio in back.
My phone worked when I hooked it up to the WiFi here. I guess I was right about the throttling of the service at the other place after my first night there. Maybe they place a limit on data that can be downloaded here. Plus, in general people here do not have Internet as fast as most of us do in America or as fast as they have in Denmark. I've tested it everywhere. Most connections (3 of them) have been at 10 Mbps speed or less. Two have been at 20 Mbps which is what ATT and Time Warner office as their slowest speed. Since three of the apartments have been ones that are the primary homes of the persons renting them out, I guess they just live with those slow speeds.
Grocery shopping was on the agenda after getting into the apartment. I found some really good looking peppered smoked fish fillets (like the first picture in the link and all the others that look like it). I bought a package of 3. And I bought a marinated pasta salad to have with them. To go with that, I bought two Kronenbourg French beers (one 1664 and one Blonde Intense), since I have tried the wine but not the beers here yet. I also got some eggs, potatoes, and onions for making eggs with hash browns for breakfast.
The concert is right across the street from my apartment. It doesn't start until 20:30. I ate dinner but skipped the beer, since I didn't want to have to worry about needing to go to the bathroom while there. I'll have it when I come home. I made a mistake and went over there at 7:15 thinking it was already 8:15. I came back to write up this entry. I'll save posting it until I am back and have written about the music.
__________
The concert was interesting. It was two musicians--a young man from France and an older man from Africa. The Frenchman played the cymbalum, a piano-type instrument where one hits the wires with hand-held sticks with prongs on the end--a large hammered dulcimer. The African played an African xylophone-type instrument made of wood, strings and gourds called a balafon chromatique. Click here for videos of the Frenchman playing. Click here for videos of the African playing. Click here, here, here, and here for pieces I heard at the concert tonight when they played together.
Note: It was nice after the concert just to walk across the street and be home!
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Strong, Cold Minstral Winds
Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2017--Montpellier
Wow, we had strong winds this morning. They occur when a cold front is strong enough to push over the Alps and bring north winds to Provence. So Minstral winds here are somewhat the equivalent of what we call a Canadian Norther in Texas. When I went out to explore, it was blowing so hard that fresh tree leaves were swirling around on the ground after having been blown off the trees. I had on my fleece microfiber pullover, and the wind seemed to just go right through it. And it was cold--55 F/13 C, but it felt much colder with the effect of that strong wind. The sun was shining, though, so that helped. And finding a building to block the wind helped a lot more!
The destination was Antigone, a totally new neighborhood built starting in the 1980s and finished out only in recent years. It is lined along a "boulevard" that has no auto traffic. Instead, it has a very wide pedestrian sidewalk and two rows of trees on each side of the walkway. The buildings were designed to be modern, but with features that suggest the period of the early 1900s. They have a very grand look.
The project apparently had three phases with grand archway entrances from one phase to the next. The first phase seems mature with the buildings having been occupied for years and the trees having grown to a nice height. The buildings look like apartment buildings, and almost all of them have sidewalk cafes on the ground floors. There was a farmer's market set up on the edges of the walkway. The second phase looks complete, but the trees are rather young and it looks as if it has not been occupied for long. It seems to have mostly office buildings, and there is a beautiful swim hall that looks a bit out of place because of its modern design rather than being retro like the rest of the development. The third phase seems to be fairly new, but complete with two buildings forming a grand arc facing another tall office building that has lower restaurant buildings on each side. From the signs, I think the buildings with columns forming the arc house government offices--maybe courts. The big glass uilding at the end may also be a government structure, since it had multiple flags on top. In the distance can be seen more modern buildings including a couple under construction right now, but they are out of the bounds of the Antigone development; they are just more growth continuing further eastward.
It's an attractive development. It has large fountains, copies of ancient statues (including one of Winged Victory), and the look of quality design and construction.
From there, I walked back through town just exploring narrow streets again. It's fun how one can walk down a street that is only 12-15 ft (3.5-4.5 meters) wide and pass stores with names such as Hugo Boss, Hermes, etc., then turn an almost dead-end corner and find Brooks Bros.
I've been having trouble with my phone for the past two days. It will not stay connected to WiFi. It connects, then disconnects in 3-4 seconds, then connects again for 3-4 seconds before disconnecting again. This goes on and on and on. If it won't connect to WiFi, it isn't useful here in Europe since I do not have cellular service here. What's frustrating is that it connected fine the first night I was here in Montpellier. I even made several phone calls to the US with it. I have tried everything to fix it--clearned the cache, turned the WiFi off and back on, made sure that Bluetooth was off, turned it on in safe mode to see if the same problem occurred which it did (eliminating any chance that it was an app causing the problem), unplugged and restarted the Internet service, etc.
My only hope now is that maybe the owner of the apartment has an Internet service which throttles usage if there has been too much use within a short period of time. That first night I watched a film on the computer and I made all those calls. Last night, I was watching another film on the computer, and it just stopped saying no connection. I decided to use the phone to make a call to the US, and that's when I realized the problem had developed. I move to another city tomorrow, so it will be a good chance to see if it is a local Internet problem vs. a phone problem. If it proves to be a phone problem, then there will be only one possible last resort--to do a factory reboot which would remove everything I have put on the computer since I got it--photos, apps, contact information, accounts for my travel, etc. I hope I don't have to do that.
Wow, we had strong winds this morning. They occur when a cold front is strong enough to push over the Alps and bring north winds to Provence. So Minstral winds here are somewhat the equivalent of what we call a Canadian Norther in Texas. When I went out to explore, it was blowing so hard that fresh tree leaves were swirling around on the ground after having been blown off the trees. I had on my fleece microfiber pullover, and the wind seemed to just go right through it. And it was cold--55 F/13 C, but it felt much colder with the effect of that strong wind. The sun was shining, though, so that helped. And finding a building to block the wind helped a lot more!
The destination was Antigone, a totally new neighborhood built starting in the 1980s and finished out only in recent years. It is lined along a "boulevard" that has no auto traffic. Instead, it has a very wide pedestrian sidewalk and two rows of trees on each side of the walkway. The buildings were designed to be modern, but with features that suggest the period of the early 1900s. They have a very grand look.
The project apparently had three phases with grand archway entrances from one phase to the next. The first phase seems mature with the buildings having been occupied for years and the trees having grown to a nice height. The buildings look like apartment buildings, and almost all of them have sidewalk cafes on the ground floors. There was a farmer's market set up on the edges of the walkway. The second phase looks complete, but the trees are rather young and it looks as if it has not been occupied for long. It seems to have mostly office buildings, and there is a beautiful swim hall that looks a bit out of place because of its modern design rather than being retro like the rest of the development. The third phase seems to be fairly new, but complete with two buildings forming a grand arc facing another tall office building that has lower restaurant buildings on each side. From the signs, I think the buildings with columns forming the arc house government offices--maybe courts. The big glass uilding at the end may also be a government structure, since it had multiple flags on top. In the distance can be seen more modern buildings including a couple under construction right now, but they are out of the bounds of the Antigone development; they are just more growth continuing further eastward.
It's an attractive development. It has large fountains, copies of ancient statues (including one of Winged Victory), and the look of quality design and construction.
From there, I walked back through town just exploring narrow streets again. It's fun how one can walk down a street that is only 12-15 ft (3.5-4.5 meters) wide and pass stores with names such as Hugo Boss, Hermes, etc., then turn an almost dead-end corner and find Brooks Bros.
I've been having trouble with my phone for the past two days. It will not stay connected to WiFi. It connects, then disconnects in 3-4 seconds, then connects again for 3-4 seconds before disconnecting again. This goes on and on and on. If it won't connect to WiFi, it isn't useful here in Europe since I do not have cellular service here. What's frustrating is that it connected fine the first night I was here in Montpellier. I even made several phone calls to the US with it. I have tried everything to fix it--clearned the cache, turned the WiFi off and back on, made sure that Bluetooth was off, turned it on in safe mode to see if the same problem occurred which it did (eliminating any chance that it was an app causing the problem), unplugged and restarted the Internet service, etc.
My only hope now is that maybe the owner of the apartment has an Internet service which throttles usage if there has been too much use within a short period of time. That first night I watched a film on the computer and I made all those calls. Last night, I was watching another film on the computer, and it just stopped saying no connection. I decided to use the phone to make a call to the US, and that's when I realized the problem had developed. I move to another city tomorrow, so it will be a good chance to see if it is a local Internet problem vs. a phone problem. If it proves to be a phone problem, then there will be only one possible last resort--to do a factory reboot which would remove everything I have put on the computer since I got it--photos, apps, contact information, accounts for my travel, etc. I hope I don't have to do that.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
A City to See Mainly for Its Beauty
Tuesday, April 18, 2017--Montpellier, France
Montpellier doesn't have much in the way of tourist attractions to cause a person to plan a trip to here. There is one museum with great reviews, and a trip into the nearby mountains is a highlight, but mostly it's just a city that is beautiful to see. Therefore, wandering the old narrow streets, coming across the beautiful squares, making a turn because of a glimpse of an interesting structure, etc., are the main reasons to stop here.
In fact, Montpellier wasn't even on the first itinerary for this trip. It was added when I realized I had more time to fill before arriving in Bilbao and needed to either stay a longer time at places I planned to stop and/or needed to add an extra stop. I did both.
Today, I marked the most interesting places to see in the city on a map and headed to them--the Carre Sainte-Anne (a former church filled right now with a very weird art exhibit by Jonathan Meese--see video almost halfway down the page of the link), the Place Royale du Peyrou (with its Arc de Triomphe, its mounted statue of Louis XIV, its monumental-style water tower, and the Saint-Clement aqueduct), the Botanical Gardens (which are suffering some from the lack of recent rainfall), the fortress-like outside of the Cathedral Saint-Pierre (which supposedly has a much less impressive inside that can be seen only if one shows up there right at 15:00 each day), the Eglise et Quartier Saint-Roch (which is a church where some stop on pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela, but isn't at the present since the church is completely closed for interior restoration), and the Place de la Comedie (which is the main square of the city and includes the Comedie Opera House and the statue/fountain Les 3 Graces). But far more intriguing along the way were the narrow streets with their small shops, the glimpses down others, the cleanliness and beauty of the neighborhoods, etc.
It is springtime here in southern France. Fluffs of dandelions are flying in the air constantly. And after visiting the Botanical Gardens, I developed a stuffy nose, teary eyes, and a tickley throat bad enough for me to cough over and over again. I had to head back to my apartment to try to clear it all up.
While at the apartment, I finished reading my current book I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. It's a young adult novel that has gotten good reviews. What I especially liked is it shows how the two main characters' minds think. They are artistically inclined, and their thoughts are nothing like mine would have been at that age. It helped me see how people can vary in the way they react and reason. And it had me laughing aloud several times throughout it. I gave the book about 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
Montpellier doesn't have much in the way of tourist attractions to cause a person to plan a trip to here. There is one museum with great reviews, and a trip into the nearby mountains is a highlight, but mostly it's just a city that is beautiful to see. Therefore, wandering the old narrow streets, coming across the beautiful squares, making a turn because of a glimpse of an interesting structure, etc., are the main reasons to stop here.
In fact, Montpellier wasn't even on the first itinerary for this trip. It was added when I realized I had more time to fill before arriving in Bilbao and needed to either stay a longer time at places I planned to stop and/or needed to add an extra stop. I did both.
Today, I marked the most interesting places to see in the city on a map and headed to them--the Carre Sainte-Anne (a former church filled right now with a very weird art exhibit by Jonathan Meese--see video almost halfway down the page of the link), the Place Royale du Peyrou (with its Arc de Triomphe, its mounted statue of Louis XIV, its monumental-style water tower, and the Saint-Clement aqueduct), the Botanical Gardens (which are suffering some from the lack of recent rainfall), the fortress-like outside of the Cathedral Saint-Pierre (which supposedly has a much less impressive inside that can be seen only if one shows up there right at 15:00 each day), the Eglise et Quartier Saint-Roch (which is a church where some stop on pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela, but isn't at the present since the church is completely closed for interior restoration), and the Place de la Comedie (which is the main square of the city and includes the Comedie Opera House and the statue/fountain Les 3 Graces). But far more intriguing along the way were the narrow streets with their small shops, the glimpses down others, the cleanliness and beauty of the neighborhoods, etc.
It is springtime here in southern France. Fluffs of dandelions are flying in the air constantly. And after visiting the Botanical Gardens, I developed a stuffy nose, teary eyes, and a tickley throat bad enough for me to cough over and over again. I had to head back to my apartment to try to clear it all up.
While at the apartment, I finished reading my current book I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. It's a young adult novel that has gotten good reviews. What I especially liked is it shows how the two main characters' minds think. They are artistically inclined, and their thoughts are nothing like mine would have been at that age. It helped me see how people can vary in the way they react and reason. And it had me laughing aloud several times throughout it. I gave the book about 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
Monday, April 17, 2017
A Very Short, Very Long Train Ride
Monday, May 17, 2017--Arles to Monpellier, France
Monday seemed to be starting a little more slowly and a bit quieter than the previous days. But by the time I left the apartment at 11:30, two different bands had passed in front playing music. Today is the last day of the Feria.
I knew when I scheduled myself to travel on Easter Monday that it would likely be a big travel day with people returning home from their holidays. I thought, however, that maybe the train systems would add more cars to handle the traffic.
My route was the direct one to Montpellier without having to first go to Avignon and then change trains. It is a local that makes 5 stops between Arles and there--one in the similarly large and important Nimes and 4 in small towns along the way. We were scheduled to leave at 12:41 and to be in Montpellier at 13:46. The distance is 81 km (50 miles).
At the train station in Arles, everyone started going to the platform about 12:30. At 12:33, the train going the opposite direction arrived and left. At 12:41, our train was not in sight. Nor at 12:51 or 13:01. It finally arrived about 25 minutes late. By that time our platform was full of people waiting. As the train eventually pulled into the station, it was obvious it was going to be too small. There were only two long cars with 4 sets of doors--one for each side of each long car. Looking into the windows, I could see that the train was already packed. When the doors opened, only a trickle, if any at all, of those on board got off. I ran to each door. There seemed to be no way to get on.
I knew this was my train and that I would have a man waiting to let me into my apartment at 16:00. I knew there was no other direct train, and I didn't know if there would be another train via Avignon. So I just started pushing my way into a car that had people all the way to the doors inside already. A man to the back raised his hand to offer to take my bag and pointed to the aisle behind him. I passed the bag over the heads of everyone and started pushing my way through. Once in the aisle, the man gave me back my bag and there was just room enough for me to stand with people against me on all sides and with me against the arm of a seat that had a man in it. But I was on!!
Then we waited. And we waited. They made an announcement that we couldn't go because they couldn't get the doors to close without some people leaving the train. On the platform were already probably 100 people who had not been able to get on at all. They brought security to get people off the train who were not far enough inside for the doors to close. Whether they talked them into leaving, threatened them, or pulled them off, I don't know. I couldn't see. It helped that by that time we were already 1 hour late for departure they were making an announcement that if people who didn't get onto our train and those who were willing to leave our train would go to another platform, a train was arriving that would go to Avignon where they could change to another train. That train came and went while we waited. Somehow, they finally got our doors shut, and we left, too.
At each stop, there were more people trying to get onto the train than there were trying to get off. Our doors would close and we would pull off leaving people who had intended to take our train. All of these but one were small stations that had no other choice of directions or routings. Shuffling inside happened each time a few got off and a few got on. Eventually, I found myself beside a Black woman who began talking to me in French. I explained I only speak English, and she spoke beautiful English. We became buddies--her looking out for me and me helping keep watch on her luggage which she had left far ahead of where she was now. Then a French Arab man near us joined us in conversation. He and I helped everyone with their luggage as some would leave and others would come on. Sitting just in front of me was a Muslim family who overhead us and joined into our interaction--mostly with facial expressions or with French to the other two who would translate to me. It turned into a great social experience.
The train finally arrived in Montpellier an hour late, so we must have made up some time between stations. A huge crowd was waiting on the platform there to get on. But a huge crowd of us were getting off there. The narrow platform was a mass of exiting passengers mixed with those waiting to get onto the train. It took a long time to pass through it to the escalator to take me up and over the tracks.
By the time I got out of the station, I had about 1 1/4 hours before I needed to be at the apartment. I walked near it and then sat on a shop window ledge reading until 16:00. Thierry showed up just in time to let me into my apartment here in Montpellier. It's in a very old part of town in the center. The building is made from stones and has a narrow stone circular stairwell inside. Entering the building door and coming up the stairwell is a bit like entering the dark ages. But as with most old buildings in Europe, once you open the door and enter the apartment, it is cozy, bright and comfortable.
Most stores were closed, but I found one supermarket about 1 1/2 blocks away open so that I could buy some bread. I made me a sandwich from some of the ham and the camembert cheese I bought in Arles and stayed inside since everything but a few cafes in the area was closed.
Monday seemed to be starting a little more slowly and a bit quieter than the previous days. But by the time I left the apartment at 11:30, two different bands had passed in front playing music. Today is the last day of the Feria.
I knew when I scheduled myself to travel on Easter Monday that it would likely be a big travel day with people returning home from their holidays. I thought, however, that maybe the train systems would add more cars to handle the traffic.
My route was the direct one to Montpellier without having to first go to Avignon and then change trains. It is a local that makes 5 stops between Arles and there--one in the similarly large and important Nimes and 4 in small towns along the way. We were scheduled to leave at 12:41 and to be in Montpellier at 13:46. The distance is 81 km (50 miles).
At the train station in Arles, everyone started going to the platform about 12:30. At 12:33, the train going the opposite direction arrived and left. At 12:41, our train was not in sight. Nor at 12:51 or 13:01. It finally arrived about 25 minutes late. By that time our platform was full of people waiting. As the train eventually pulled into the station, it was obvious it was going to be too small. There were only two long cars with 4 sets of doors--one for each side of each long car. Looking into the windows, I could see that the train was already packed. When the doors opened, only a trickle, if any at all, of those on board got off. I ran to each door. There seemed to be no way to get on.
I knew this was my train and that I would have a man waiting to let me into my apartment at 16:00. I knew there was no other direct train, and I didn't know if there would be another train via Avignon. So I just started pushing my way into a car that had people all the way to the doors inside already. A man to the back raised his hand to offer to take my bag and pointed to the aisle behind him. I passed the bag over the heads of everyone and started pushing my way through. Once in the aisle, the man gave me back my bag and there was just room enough for me to stand with people against me on all sides and with me against the arm of a seat that had a man in it. But I was on!!
Then we waited. And we waited. They made an announcement that we couldn't go because they couldn't get the doors to close without some people leaving the train. On the platform were already probably 100 people who had not been able to get on at all. They brought security to get people off the train who were not far enough inside for the doors to close. Whether they talked them into leaving, threatened them, or pulled them off, I don't know. I couldn't see. It helped that by that time we were already 1 hour late for departure they were making an announcement that if people who didn't get onto our train and those who were willing to leave our train would go to another platform, a train was arriving that would go to Avignon where they could change to another train. That train came and went while we waited. Somehow, they finally got our doors shut, and we left, too.
At each stop, there were more people trying to get onto the train than there were trying to get off. Our doors would close and we would pull off leaving people who had intended to take our train. All of these but one were small stations that had no other choice of directions or routings. Shuffling inside happened each time a few got off and a few got on. Eventually, I found myself beside a Black woman who began talking to me in French. I explained I only speak English, and she spoke beautiful English. We became buddies--her looking out for me and me helping keep watch on her luggage which she had left far ahead of where she was now. Then a French Arab man near us joined us in conversation. He and I helped everyone with their luggage as some would leave and others would come on. Sitting just in front of me was a Muslim family who overhead us and joined into our interaction--mostly with facial expressions or with French to the other two who would translate to me. It turned into a great social experience.
The train finally arrived in Montpellier an hour late, so we must have made up some time between stations. A huge crowd was waiting on the platform there to get on. But a huge crowd of us were getting off there. The narrow platform was a mass of exiting passengers mixed with those waiting to get onto the train. It took a long time to pass through it to the escalator to take me up and over the tracks.
By the time I got out of the station, I had about 1 1/4 hours before I needed to be at the apartment. I walked near it and then sat on a shop window ledge reading until 16:00. Thierry showed up just in time to let me into my apartment here in Montpellier. It's in a very old part of town in the center. The building is made from stones and has a narrow stone circular stairwell inside. Entering the building door and coming up the stairwell is a bit like entering the dark ages. But as with most old buildings in Europe, once you open the door and enter the apartment, it is cozy, bright and comfortable.
Most stores were closed, but I found one supermarket about 1 1/2 blocks away open so that I could buy some bread. I made me a sandwich from some of the ham and the camembert cheese I bought in Arles and stayed inside since everything but a few cafes in the area was closed.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Easter Sunday in Arles
Sunday, Apr. 16, 2017--Arles, France
If someone comes to Arles for a visit, it should just be a day trip from elsewhere or a one-night stay here UNLESS it is during Feria at Easter or in September. Then, they should plan on at least two days which should include the Saturday of that weekend. It's a great party.
One thing I especially like is that it [the Arles Feria] consists mostly of spontaneous activities which seem so exciting and make it great fun--bands showing up at unexpected times, crowds breaking into songs (including La Marsaeillaise, the French national anthem, this morning), friends meeting unexpectedly in the streets, people wearing celebratory costumes they have made, etc. At home, everything is planned out and occurs more for the purpose of making money more than for having fun. Bands are on stages and at appointed times; there's never another band just down the street or coming the corner that you can chase instead of having a gap of 30 minutes while a new one sets up. Crowds are managed within a confined festival area. Food is served from special booths set up for the event rather than from regular restaurants, cafes, and bars.
I've been thinking of how a looser festival could be handled in San Antonio, and I think I jazz festival would be the way. Not the jazz festivals we currently have confined to Travis Park or Crockett Park, but a downtown jazz festival where Houston Street, Crockett Street, College Street and Travis Street would be blocked off from Alamo Street to the San Antonio River. Why a jazz festival? Because jazz bands are small and can perform in place or while moving. What bands would perform? Invite high school jazz bands, college and university jazz bands, and any private jazz bands that want to participate to come. Let them set up where they want within the defined district and perform. Let them move whenever and wherever they want while performing. Let them use the bridges over the River Walk so that they may pull people off the River Walk up to the streets in downtown as they march away from the bridge playing. Have a couple of stages set up. Let the participating bands take turns getting onto the stages to perform 2-3 songs each for part of the afternoon and then have maybe one scheduled performance by known artists on each stage each evening. Let the businesses within the area set up tables on the streets. Let people drink beer, wine and margaritas on the streets during the festival. Tie the festival to something else that would draw people to town such as a 3-day weekend connected with Spring Break.
Anyway, I really didn't expect the party to get started today until later since it is Easter Sunday. But at 10:00 the tables were being put out as usual, and by 10:30 a band was coming through performing. Since this is mostly a Catholic area, I guess people can go to mass anytime on Saturday night or Easter Sunday--maybe even plan their attendance at mass around when there is nothing more enticing happening with the festival.
One band I forgot to mention yesterday is Les Daltons Labaput. It's one of the bigger bands here. And I also forgot to mention a couple of interesting facts about Banda les Phacocheres: 1) They have a group of wives who follow them and sometimes dance to the tunes as they are played, and 2) They have a member pushing a cart behind them with ice and a Ricard dispenser to serve shots to members of the band.
While out today, I explored another neighborhood of the city--Roquette. It's an old area with very narrow streets and seems to be a sophisticated, artsy part of town. Back in the old town area, several of the bands marched one-after-the-other through Place de la Republique on their way to the Amphitheater about 45 minutes before the bullfights were scheduled to begin. I followed them. Four of them set up on the steps to the Amphitheater and took turns playing 2-3 songs each to entertain the crowds.
I just took a break to go to the window to look out at the action in the crowd. Usually, I can look down and see all the interesting interactions among friends, but this time, I was noticed. Three young men yelled at me. One doffed his hat while bowing and I raised my wine glass in a toast to them. They didn't care I was old and they were young. They were just having fun and recognizing that I am lucky to have my view overlooking all the action.
It's 19:00, and the action will continue again tonight until 04:00 in the morning. Last night, I was able to go asleep about 00:30 with my earplugs and not awaken until after the party had ended. I will need to do so tonight, too, since I have to catch a morning train tomorrow for Montpellier. But before bedtime, I will cook a pasta meal, continue to watch the action, maybe watch a Netflix film, and possibly make one more outing to be among the revelers.
If someone comes to Arles for a visit, it should just be a day trip from elsewhere or a one-night stay here UNLESS it is during Feria at Easter or in September. Then, they should plan on at least two days which should include the Saturday of that weekend. It's a great party.
One thing I especially like is that it [the Arles Feria] consists mostly of spontaneous activities which seem so exciting and make it great fun--bands showing up at unexpected times, crowds breaking into songs (including La Marsaeillaise, the French national anthem, this morning), friends meeting unexpectedly in the streets, people wearing celebratory costumes they have made, etc. At home, everything is planned out and occurs more for the purpose of making money more than for having fun. Bands are on stages and at appointed times; there's never another band just down the street or coming the corner that you can chase instead of having a gap of 30 minutes while a new one sets up. Crowds are managed within a confined festival area. Food is served from special booths set up for the event rather than from regular restaurants, cafes, and bars.
I've been thinking of how a looser festival could be handled in San Antonio, and I think I jazz festival would be the way. Not the jazz festivals we currently have confined to Travis Park or Crockett Park, but a downtown jazz festival where Houston Street, Crockett Street, College Street and Travis Street would be blocked off from Alamo Street to the San Antonio River. Why a jazz festival? Because jazz bands are small and can perform in place or while moving. What bands would perform? Invite high school jazz bands, college and university jazz bands, and any private jazz bands that want to participate to come. Let them set up where they want within the defined district and perform. Let them move whenever and wherever they want while performing. Let them use the bridges over the River Walk so that they may pull people off the River Walk up to the streets in downtown as they march away from the bridge playing. Have a couple of stages set up. Let the participating bands take turns getting onto the stages to perform 2-3 songs each for part of the afternoon and then have maybe one scheduled performance by known artists on each stage each evening. Let the businesses within the area set up tables on the streets. Let people drink beer, wine and margaritas on the streets during the festival. Tie the festival to something else that would draw people to town such as a 3-day weekend connected with Spring Break.
Anyway, I really didn't expect the party to get started today until later since it is Easter Sunday. But at 10:00 the tables were being put out as usual, and by 10:30 a band was coming through performing. Since this is mostly a Catholic area, I guess people can go to mass anytime on Saturday night or Easter Sunday--maybe even plan their attendance at mass around when there is nothing more enticing happening with the festival.
One band I forgot to mention yesterday is Les Daltons Labaput. It's one of the bigger bands here. And I also forgot to mention a couple of interesting facts about Banda les Phacocheres: 1) They have a group of wives who follow them and sometimes dance to the tunes as they are played, and 2) They have a member pushing a cart behind them with ice and a Ricard dispenser to serve shots to members of the band.
While out today, I explored another neighborhood of the city--Roquette. It's an old area with very narrow streets and seems to be a sophisticated, artsy part of town. Back in the old town area, several of the bands marched one-after-the-other through Place de la Republique on their way to the Amphitheater about 45 minutes before the bullfights were scheduled to begin. I followed them. Four of them set up on the steps to the Amphitheater and took turns playing 2-3 songs each to entertain the crowds.
I just took a break to go to the window to look out at the action in the crowd. Usually, I can look down and see all the interesting interactions among friends, but this time, I was noticed. Three young men yelled at me. One doffed his hat while bowing and I raised my wine glass in a toast to them. They didn't care I was old and they were young. They were just having fun and recognizing that I am lucky to have my view overlooking all the action.
It's 19:00, and the action will continue again tonight until 04:00 in the morning. Last night, I was able to go asleep about 00:30 with my earplugs and not awaken until after the party had ended. I will need to do so tonight, too, since I have to catch a morning train tomorrow for Montpellier. But before bedtime, I will cook a pasta meal, continue to watch the action, maybe watch a Netflix film, and possibly make one more outing to be among the revelers.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Feria in Full Swing!
Saturday, Apr. 15, 2017--Arles, France
Last night was exciting. At 21:00, fireworks went off for 10 minutes. After that, major concerts began at two of the plazas and crowds were wandering the streets and and crowding into the streets at major bars. Marching-type bands were performing at various locations, including one inside a 3rd floor apartment. I first heard Orchestre LSP Music at Place Voltaire. They were okay, something seemed a bit low-class about them--sleezy costumes and hairstyles on the female dancers, for instance. So I moved to Place de la Republique where Almeras Orchestre (scroll to the bottom of that web page for video or here they are on YouTube) was performing. Neither of these were orchestras; they were pop bands. The latter had female and male lead singers and secondary singers and five dancers (looking much nicer than those of the other band). There were twice as many musicians as the other band had, too. The crowd seemed to know all of their songs and danced and sang along with them.
The action outside my room continued until 4:00 in the morning. I stayed up watching a Turkish film (Sadece Sen) on Netflix and reading my current novel. Finally, I gave up at 3:00 and put in the ear plugs. I was surprised how well they shut out the noise. I was able to go to sleep and stay asleep until 10:00 this morning when the noises of the festival began again.
Today, the festivities have been dialed up to a frenzy. I'm so glad now that I am staying where I am. So much action is taking place just below my windows. I have stayed inside much of the day watching it all. There are street bands roaming the city. One came by and played several songs, then another. While the latter was still here, another came creating a battle-of-the-bands. And it continues with band after band arriving. They are playing festive music. One played "When the Saints Come Marching In." Most are playing songs that are generally associated with Spanish bullfighting along with songs that sound like carnival (as in Rio) music. The bullfighting songs are due to the bullfights taking place as a part of the festival; Arles is the French center for Spanish-style bullfighting. All the bands are small--12-25 members or so. Often, their leaders are in outlandish costumes. One had a red top hat and a red jacket with black tails. Each band has simple uniforms such as matching shirts and hats. One of the bands last night had every member in black and white of their choice--one dressed as a spotted cow! Here are videos of street bands from previous Arles Ferias.
In addition to the loud crowds and the bands, the smells of the foods cooking in huge wok-type pans on the street is wafting up through my windows. There is paella at several places with fresh red and yellow peppers, onions, chicken, shrimp,etc. But I have seen other mixtures in pots as I have toured around the square--one with prunes, chicken, and exotic smelling spices--maybe a North African dish since there are so many people living here from the former French colonies there--and mixtures with meat.
Around 14:30, I decided to explore to see what was happening elsewhere. First, I bought a pastry at Boulangerie Soulier which my guidebook says is the best pastry shop in Arles. Then, at Place de la Republique, each of the street bands was taking turns going to the stage to perform. I couldn't get the names of all of them, but among them were Los Caballeros, Pena Taurine, Pena les Reboussiers, and Banda les Phacocheres.
When that ended, it was almost time for the bullfights, so I made my way over to watch the crowds enter. There were many more people than yesterday--probably enough for a full house today. I listened to some more street music and returned to Place de la Republique where a woman was singing opera areas accompanied by a CD of the music. Eventually I returned to my square, Place du Forum, which is definitely party central for the Feria--the loudest and most crowded area to be found in the city.
For happy hour, I listened to the music and the crowds outside my window while having duck pate on bread with the remains of a bottle of wine (a very small glass full). Then for dinner I had pasta and opened a new bottle of Bordeaux wine. I've decided not to go back out tonight. The Mistrals are blowing. It's the time of the year they occur here. The air is cool and the wind is blowing rather strong. I've closed the shutters and will stay inside the rest of the evening, I think.
Last night was exciting. At 21:00, fireworks went off for 10 minutes. After that, major concerts began at two of the plazas and crowds were wandering the streets and and crowding into the streets at major bars. Marching-type bands were performing at various locations, including one inside a 3rd floor apartment. I first heard Orchestre LSP Music at Place Voltaire. They were okay, something seemed a bit low-class about them--sleezy costumes and hairstyles on the female dancers, for instance. So I moved to Place de la Republique where Almeras Orchestre (scroll to the bottom of that web page for video or here they are on YouTube) was performing. Neither of these were orchestras; they were pop bands. The latter had female and male lead singers and secondary singers and five dancers (looking much nicer than those of the other band). There were twice as many musicians as the other band had, too. The crowd seemed to know all of their songs and danced and sang along with them.
The action outside my room continued until 4:00 in the morning. I stayed up watching a Turkish film (Sadece Sen) on Netflix and reading my current novel. Finally, I gave up at 3:00 and put in the ear plugs. I was surprised how well they shut out the noise. I was able to go to sleep and stay asleep until 10:00 this morning when the noises of the festival began again.
Today, the festivities have been dialed up to a frenzy. I'm so glad now that I am staying where I am. So much action is taking place just below my windows. I have stayed inside much of the day watching it all. There are street bands roaming the city. One came by and played several songs, then another. While the latter was still here, another came creating a battle-of-the-bands. And it continues with band after band arriving. They are playing festive music. One played "When the Saints Come Marching In." Most are playing songs that are generally associated with Spanish bullfighting along with songs that sound like carnival (as in Rio) music. The bullfighting songs are due to the bullfights taking place as a part of the festival; Arles is the French center for Spanish-style bullfighting. All the bands are small--12-25 members or so. Often, their leaders are in outlandish costumes. One had a red top hat and a red jacket with black tails. Each band has simple uniforms such as matching shirts and hats. One of the bands last night had every member in black and white of their choice--one dressed as a spotted cow! Here are videos of street bands from previous Arles Ferias.
In addition to the loud crowds and the bands, the smells of the foods cooking in huge wok-type pans on the street is wafting up through my windows. There is paella at several places with fresh red and yellow peppers, onions, chicken, shrimp,etc. But I have seen other mixtures in pots as I have toured around the square--one with prunes, chicken, and exotic smelling spices--maybe a North African dish since there are so many people living here from the former French colonies there--and mixtures with meat.
Around 14:30, I decided to explore to see what was happening elsewhere. First, I bought a pastry at Boulangerie Soulier which my guidebook says is the best pastry shop in Arles. Then, at Place de la Republique, each of the street bands was taking turns going to the stage to perform. I couldn't get the names of all of them, but among them were Los Caballeros, Pena Taurine, Pena les Reboussiers, and Banda les Phacocheres.
When that ended, it was almost time for the bullfights, so I made my way over to watch the crowds enter. There were many more people than yesterday--probably enough for a full house today. I listened to some more street music and returned to Place de la Republique where a woman was singing opera areas accompanied by a CD of the music. Eventually I returned to my square, Place du Forum, which is definitely party central for the Feria--the loudest and most crowded area to be found in the city.
For happy hour, I listened to the music and the crowds outside my window while having duck pate on bread with the remains of a bottle of wine (a very small glass full). Then for dinner I had pasta and opened a new bottle of Bordeaux wine. I've decided not to go back out tonight. The Mistrals are blowing. It's the time of the year they occur here. The air is cool and the wind is blowing rather strong. I've closed the shutters and will stay inside the rest of the evening, I think.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Yesterday and Today
Thursday and Friday, Apr. 13 & 14, 2017--Arles, France
After posting yesterday's brief entry, I headed to Spar, a nearby discount store similar to Aldi. Not knowing if stores would be open Good Friday and/or Saturday, I was determined NOT to starve over the weekend. If I bought too much and cannot eat it all here, I can take what's left with me to my next stop. I
bought pasta, pasta sauce, duck paté,
dry pork sausage, camembert cheese, ham slices, strawberry preserves,
eggs, potatoes, onions, salt, butter, wine, cola, and bread. I can
make breakfast with all but the pasta and drinks, I can make dinner
with any of it, and I can vary the dinner so that I don’t have the
same thing more than two nights.
With the kitchen stocked, I went out exploring. First, I noticed that two of
the fanciest hotels in town face the same plaza my room faces--Grand Hotel Nord Pinus and Hotel du Forum--so
rich people are going to be just as disturbed as I will by noise in
the Forum (site of the old Roman Forum) each night . By extending my
wandering away from the local neighborhood, I randomly came across several of the major sights in town—the Van Gogh Foundation with its garden, the Roman Amphitheatre (a coliseum which is where the bullfights will occur this weekend), the Roman AntiqueTheatre, and the Place de la Republique (the other major square in town along with Place du Forum where I am living--my apartment being the second row of gray shutters up from the red awning and red umbrellas in the fifth picture shown at the time of printing this).
Arles really is a
small town. I probably shouldn’t have planned to be here 3 days/4
nights. But I can take a day trip or two if I wish to do so—to
Marseille and/or to Aix-en-Provence. I’ll just see how it goes.
There are some concerts related to the Feria that is taking place during my stay, so
I may be happy here enjoying the crowds, the excitement, and theentertainment. They even seem to have a running of the bulls each
day!
Although I didn’t
do much today (Thursday), I’m tired. It’s 21:05, and I’ll probably check
the reliability of my earplugs soon. There’s a lot of talking
outside the room, and I can hear a boom-boom sound from loud music
somewhere on the plaza. But I will shut my shutters, shut my
windows, use the earplugs, and even turn on the a/c if I need to do
so to try to drown out the noise.
Surprise, surprise!! I wrote the above on the computer to save for when I would be able to post it someday in the future. But as I prepared for bed, I noticed what looked like an ethernet plug for a wired connection to the Internet. I carry a telescoping, spring-loaded flat ethernet cord with me that was given to me by my hotel in Hong Kong recently. So I got the cord, pulled both ends to extend it to about 5 feet in length, plugged it into the wall and into the computer, and restarted the computer. Wow!! I got Internet, and it is faster than the Internet I have had on the trip so far. My phone still won't work because it has to be connected via wi-fi, but my computer will.
The connection was so good I decided to try to watch a Netflix film. (My account has been cut off, but it runs through the 17th due to that being my payment date.) Sure enough, it was fast enough that I managed to watch a film to help pass the time. The crowd noises stopped at 30 minutes after midnight as mandated by law for Thursday night--just a few minutes after I finished my film.
____________
Today, (Friday), I slept late--until 10:00. Starting tonight, the bars and restaurants in the square below my room can stay open until 4:00 in the morning each night. I will try to see if my earplugs and maybe the a/c can help me fall asleep, but if not, I will need to sleep until at least 10:00 each morning. It will be almost like changing back to Texas time after having already adjusted to French time!!
I made breakfast in the apartment--fried onions and potatoes together and served with two fried eggs, bread, butter, and jam. That was around noon. I then cleaned up and didn't get out of the apartment until after 14:00. Surprisingly, the stores were all open. I guess I was projecting Danish customs onto the French when I thought everything would be closed on Friday and maybe open only for a few hours on Saturday.
The town is festive. People are everywhere. I wandered the streets looking for other places I had not yet seen before. I found the Thermes de Constantine (the old Roman baths), and the Place Voltaire (another square with entertainment during the Feria). A small band that had been marching on the streets was paused at the latter having a beer break. I passed the Amphitheatre just as the bullfights were beginning. I could hear the traditional anthem (or fanfare), and I could see a large group of women in native costumes entering the arena.
Later, I walked across the river to explore Trinquetaille, a neighborhood my guidebook said was interesting. The business district in Arles is depressed with quite a few empty storefronts. It was worse in Trinquetaille with maybe 1/3 to almost half the storefronts empty. But I did find a very nice Intermarché Supermarket.
Now I am in the apartment. It's 19:30, and I will prepare dinner. Then I will go out around 21:00. There are concerts planned at two of the squares I explored today, so I will help celebrate Feria at one or both of those.
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