A Day in Provence: Priceless

-- Provence, France
Diane Bedrin

At 9 AM sharp our tour guide, Olivier, whose mannerisms reminded us of Roberto Bennini from the film Life is Beautiful, showed up in a mini van ready to conquer Provence.

As we drove first to Casiss one could hear Peter Mayle describing the le mistral (winds), the scent of lavender and olive oil, and we could only imagine what was in store for us. We first went to the port of Casiss, boarded a small boat and motored out to visit three different inlets. Casiss reminded us of La Jolla but everything was below the mountain peaks. It is a boater's paradise and a lovely town built on the limestone from the local quarry. The limestone on the bottom of the Statue of Liberty in NY actually comes from this port city- it is the strongest material in the world made that can hold a monument. After a 20 minute walk about town we drove up to the highest point to overlook the harbor and get an amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea. Awesome and breathtaking and I saw bikers climb this mountain that is higher than the Eiffel Tower. We serpentined down the mountain breathing the scents of olives, pomegranates, apricots and lavender and headed next to Marseille, the second largest city in France. Again we climbed the hills to the top where the Church of Notre Dame was built to guard the city. This cathedral was amazing and we saw incredible mosaics and mobiles as parishoners worshipped silently. The view of Marseille was overwhelming- the port city had three ocean liners and thousands of small crafts in the harbor. A small memorial to the fallen French Jews and others who perished during the holocaust is housed in one part of the still standing fortress near the sea. Next we headed to Les Beaux, a provencal village built inside a fortress with a chateau. We arrived just in time to see a bride and groom walk through the streets with their bridal party! The cobblestone village is perched upon the top of the valley in Provence and the walls are all made of stone. The stores were quaint, the toilets were holes in the ground (yuck is right) but the bakery and restaurants left a fragrant aroma luring one into every nook and cranny. We met an unusual Japanese dog there, too.
Next onto Arles, a village set overlooking the Rhone River where Van Gogh painted his Starry Night. His other famous works, the yellow house and cafe were part of the landscape. Arles still has bullfights in the stadium built centuries ago, but they don't spear the bull like in Spain. This was an interesting town to walk around, we saw their famous amphitheater where opera stars like the late Pavoratti performed in summer concerts. Arles really was an international, diverse town, lots of old narrow streets and interesting artsy buildings built with limestone. We also ran into another bride and groom and their wedding party as they drove through the village honking their horns. We arrived back to the hotel at 6 PM. Olivier was a most knowledgeable guide, quite professional and animated. He spoke with both hands while driving and looking back at us. And we all thought driving with Jerry was challenging. While at Les Beaux I received a clear phone call from Bea and Jack, my folks, letting me know that all was well at home. That was welcoming. Jaime and I had a delicious dinner at Le Passage and later a cappuccino and citron presse on the way back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will visit the fruit and vegetable market and then we are off to visit our new family, Denise Epstein in Toulouse. We also hope to see an Airbus on the highway being transported part by part as they are designed and put together here (according to Olivier) Au Revoir!

Quit Smoking Now!

Jaime:

Before I let my mother write about how we had an amazing day today I just have to say this.

I HATE SMOKING!!!!

THERE I SAID IT.

France went and banned smoking from indoor restaurants, but outdoor cafes still permit people to light up. Inevitably, the smokes wafts inside. It just makes me nuts. I love visiting France, but I can't stand all the second hand smoke.

The end.
Bye.

Diane says, "Mother Knows Best"

our luggage

Today we rode on the TGV, the high speed train from Geneva to Aix-en-Provence. It took exactly three hours on the train and lots of schlepping our bags up and down ramps and stairs.
It was sad to say good-bye to our dear friend Jonathan, he was a wonderful host and so full of important information. He reminded us not to lose our passports, but if we did he would be the go-to person! We took a shuttle bus to the town center and then walked about 10 minutes dragging our bags.

Fortunately the sun was shining because 1 hour later the heavens opened up. We kept telling the French people that it was raining cats and dogs. Apparently they don't use that expression. What better place to be stranded during the storm, but a lovely patissirie, a French bakery- we bought a sandwich and a thin slice of pizza and a Fanta soda and stayed indoors and chatted with the help. The owner loves Van Cleef. She wore a green earring on one ear and a white earring on the other and two butterfly necklaces, one green and one white. It was very classy! Finally the rain slowed down so we could get back to our hotel and nap. That is our new favorite activity. Two hours later we were back walking the boulevards and side streets of Aix looking for Brad and Angelina- yes their twins were born right here - no paparazi spotting! Aix is a friendly, tree lined town with cobblestone streets and narrow alleys. Lavender scents the air as it is grown locally. That and cigarette smoke. Obviously the French haven't learned the dangers of smoking. We managed to eat early in a side walk cafe almost by ourselves which was good so noone was smoking nearby. The French eat around 8:30, of course we were hungry at 7! One thing we liked was the angles of the streets and the colors of the buildings, especially when the sun would reflect off of them in the late afternoon. Zoom zoom was the sound we heard the most from all of the bikers here. It is a busy University town in the heart of the South of France and tomorrow we have hired a driver to take us to the more Provencal areas in the countryside.

Jaime has dreamed about visiting this area and she spent a lot of time planning this part of the trip. Our hotel by the way, the Cezanne, is just charming. It is a boutique hotel filed with colorful works from Cezanne, bowls of cherries and our room is orange and white, very modern and high tech with internet free in the room.

We visited Longchamp today, the one made in france product that is actually cheaper here then back in the states. Don't worry Jerry (Jaime's dad)I didn't buy anything, just looking.

Editor's note: We are unsure what the deal is with Brad and Angelina. Apparently the birth may have been a fake out.

"You may be the beauty babe, but I was the teenage beauty consultant.

Jaime on the boat trip from Switzerland to France

Geneva is an international city that attracts a lot of ex-patriots.

It is more French looking than Swiss and everything is expensive. I’m not just talking about the rate of exchange. Geneva is one of the world’s most expensive cities. And this is coming from New York. Unlike New York, however, everything shuts down after 10pm. I couldn’t believe how quiet the man drag was after dinner.
But it is beautiful and clean. We saw the Russian Orthodox church which Jonathan says was painted with gold paint.

Geneva's Jet d'eau

In the middle of the lake is a big water fountain, called the Jet D’eau.
We got a great view of the fountain from Jonathan's apartment and the boat ride.
The boat ride took us to different port villages and cities in Switzerland and France.
We spent some time in Evian-Les-Bains and Lausanne. I loved Lausanne. When you arrive there via boat, you get a beautiful view of the marina. We spent a good part of the afternoon wandering the steep cobblestone streets, walking up and down the winding city. My mom said she felt like she were in Seattle. I’ve never been there, but Lausanne did remind me of San Francisco.

I bought a pain au chocolate, which was much better than the one I had the day before. The Geneva croissant was heavy and tough. The Lausanne croissant was flaky and light.

Instead of taking the boat home to Geneva we took the train. We bought the tickets very quickly, and I goofed. I bought us 2 child tickets. Our conductor was less than pleased but I coughed up the additional money I owed him.

Trains are such a great way to travel. You get to see the countryside and, in my case, you get to watch your mother flip out every time a train passes by.

But seriously, trains are affordable and comfortable. We need more fast trains in the U.S.

Speaking of trains, we ate dinner at a sushi restaurant where sushi rolls come around on a train ~ a moving belt. You reach up and grab a plate from the caboose. It was good. Also, I tried my first panache. That’s one-half beer, one-half lemonade.

After dinner we returned to Jonathan’s apartment to pack up. No surprise here. My mom packed too much. She took all her vitamins. No joke, she must have 4 ounces of vitamins with her.

I was sad to leave Geneva and Jonathan, but I was not sad to leave his killer plant.


Every time I walked by the plant to get to the computer I was attacked. It was pretty, but awfully large. I will miss Jonathan's hospitality.

Good morning.

It is a bit wet here in Geneva, but no problem. Mom and I are headed to Evian (yep-- that Evian) and Lausanne for a nice day trip.


Last night we visited Old Town and took in the sites with Jonathan as our tour guide. Jonathan is a friend. He is the American consul in Geneva. What does this mean? If we get arrested, he would visit us in jail. Seriously.

Anyway we had a great dinner last night: chicken tagine with lemon and couscous, cod, salade provencale with aubergines (eggplant) , artichokes and corgettes (zuchinni).
Also, for dessert, gelato. YUM.


We also visited Hermes so my mom could get a bottle of her favorite perfume. The company makes one parfum in particular that is very hard to find in the U.S. She was thrilled that the store in Geneva had a bottle.



We crashed at 10pm last night.

Geneva Day 1

We are here. Jonathan surprised us at the airport! He is a consul so he could come through les douane or customs.

We sat on the runway in Newark for one hour before taking off for Geneva, but we took off and now we are here in Switzerland.


Before I forget, Sex and the City is playing here and there are so many advertisements for the movie. (We didn't see it.)

Les fraises


Les Olives

Mom and I took a long walk today and a hearty nap. We had some fresh fruit from the local market. I love the European markets. The fruit seems to pop! Here I am looking at handmade soaps.
Tonight we head to Old Town for dinner.

At the airport

It was very stuffy at Newark airport today. My mom said my cheeks were very red. (I was so warm, I changed my shirt)
We made it through security just fine. In typical Slater fashion (that's my mom's maiden name) we arrived very early. But it gave us plenty of time to unwind before boarding.

The Big Day Arrives!

Today is the day. We leave for Geneva, Switzerland at 6pm. I am packed and ready to go. I just ate lunch (6-inch veggie pattie sandwich from subway) and now I am snuggling with my cat, Nina.
Actually, that only lasted 60 seconds. But I always feel a pang of sadness when I leave her. I said goodbye to Scott (my husband) earlier today and wished him luck as he starts his new job.
More from Newark Airport after we pass through security ... ah... the TSA...

Our travel bag

Jaime here:
My mom and I wanted to travel lightly. We will be getting on and off of several trains. So I got us these great Osprey bags. They are convertible bags, which means they can be used as a backpack or a rolling bag. They come with a detachable day pack. These bags fit carry-on standards. I got the pair on ebay.

Technology

Yesterday I did an experiment. I decided to call France on my cell phone. My husband Scott signed us up for an international plan to ease the costs. Voila! It worked. I couldn't believe that I was able to call another country from my cell. So cool. Mom and I are looking forward to Tuesday.

Diane speaking: I was amazed and impressed to hear Jaime's ability to speak so fluently. I could hardly understand anything she said except New Hampshire! Her Dartmouth connection is how she met her wonderful family and spent two incredible weeks immersed in the language and culture halfway around the world. I wonder if I will learn any French or just sit back and enjoy watching her converse! Having my own private interpretor will be a joy for me! Oui, (yes), it will be quite an experience traveling with my daughter. Our journey will be a lasting memory! When I named Jaime Michele I never realized what a francophile she would become. The Jaime part was for J'aime; I love and the Michele part, okay that wasn't French, it was for my favorite Beatles song sung by who else, but Paul McCartney!

Packing

Every good trip begins with a list of what you need to bring and what you need to leave out. I'm finally making progress. Question is: will it rain and if so, how much? We plan to travel light carrying on our small, rolling suitcases. Our first stop will take us to Geneva, Switzerland to visit Diane's childhood friend, Jonathan Lippman. Jonathan requested 3 jars of Noxema cream and seeded bagels! The cream presents a challenge with the TSA so we are putting a very small lunch tote through with the three bottles. If we lose it, well, c'est la vie! The small suitcases will be necessary for our frequent train travels. Just try lifting a big suitcase onto a train and pulling it through narrow aisles and then NOT finding storage!