"Sweet "Toulouse

--Toulouse
By Diane Bedrin

Now the Piece de Resistance!! The reason we came to Toulouse! We were so lucky tonight to have dinner with our dear cousin, Denise Epstein. She is the daughter of the wonderful and talented author, Irene Nemirovsky.
Jaime was overwhelmed with emotion to meet her and finally get to see in person the woman she has been emailing with these past months.

Denise is a spry, active woman who has just completed her own novel, Survive and Live. It will be published this fall. She wrote it for her grandchildren and we look forward to reading it, too. It is the story of her experience during and after World War II.
Denise also told us that she will be visiting the US in September for an exhibit about Irene Nemirovsky at the Jewish Museum at Battery Park.

We had such a lovely dinner with Denise, she told us what to order and then she ordered a special dessert for us that was fit for 10 people!

We were all talking non-stop, Jaime in French and Denise in French and English and then Jaime translated everything. A woman at the next table was listening in and when she heard who Denise was she stood up and told Denise that she read Irene's book, that she had all of her friends reading it and she asked to take a photo of Denise. It was an amazing moment. Denise doesn't love the celebrity feeling and she shies away from it. Of course her new book will bring her much fame. We walked back during a drizzle. It was raining cats and dogs during dinner. Tomorrow we will go to her home and meet her daughter, Irene, and see all of her photographs, etc. We can't wait! We wish we could see her entire family but that won't be possible. She has had contact with my grandfather's family in Russia and Germany, too. Hopefully the sun will be shining and we can bike and then visit with Denise tomorrow. Parts of her life has been so sad, "triste," we were awed when she said au revoir to us tonight she told us that we had made her so happy to have come this far to visit with her.
What a lovely woman she is and how fortunate we are to have met her.
What an incredible journey!

Goodbye Aix, Hello Toulouse

Bye Bye Marseille...
Jaime enjoys her citron presse... lemonade for die-hard lemon lovers and people who like to pucker up!


--- Diane Bedrin, reporting

On our last morning in Aix-en-Provence we visited a craft market in the center of town. The artisans wanted us to buy something. We were stuck converting Euros to dollars. Not so much fun.

Fortunately, we have no room in our luggage for anything else. Ok, maybe we will start throwing out items one by one! We took a cab to Marseille's luxurious train station and from there took the only direct train to Toulouse.

The ride took 3 and 1/2 hours through the magnificent hills and valleys between Provence and the Vaucluse region where our new family lives. We passed numerous vineyards but alas, no fields of sunflowers. The overcast clouds seems to whisk away as we journeyed further south towards the borders of the south of France (cote d'azur) and we arrived on time in Toulouse and took a quick taxi to our room. We overlook the waterway and Pont Neuf Bridge and couldn't wait to explore Toulouse. With radio equipment and our camera we wondered the streets in search of new stores, cafe's and squares called palaces. We noticed the rent-a-bikes all over and decided to make that our morning exercise, weather permitting.

Provence in Pictures

A Slimdi special.

We had to take a picture. Jaime is sad because her mother-ship Sephora was closed.
But we soon learned of a second location, nearby.
Editor's note: Even though Jaime loves beauty products, she did not bring cuticle oil with her on the trip. Nor did she bring 4 pair of shoes.

Jaime in Marseille...at the top of the city
Our hotel left out bowls of cherries
Great snack, but what to do with the pits?
Jaime and Diane on the cliff near Cassis...

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.