Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, August 03, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Our week in Provence: 4/19/2015
4/19/2015: I’d put A Year in Provence & Toujours Provence (Peter Mayle) on my iPad and read them on the flight over.
I’ve been having trouble w/ my back ever since I fell on ice in early March, so bought a pretty purple folding cane, but stupidly put it in an exterior pocket of my carry-on, and it must have dropped out at security.
S had made a reservation w/ Chester Cab, but the taxi to take us to the airport was 20 min late, so we were both sweating bullets. I’d just said, 2 more min and we drive to Wally Park ($16/day, but close to the airport, compared to $6/day at the lots S favors). How do you know there’s room, asked S, so I made a reservation on my smart phone. S had called Chester Cab repeatedly – they kept saying the cab was coming. In fact, they’d called a cab at the last min that had been in Media.
At any rate, we were just piling our bags into S’s car to drive to Wally Park when Chester Cab drove up, so we shifted our bags into the cab, with many reproaches for its being so late.
In fact, we got to the airport in time (w/ one hair-raising moment when a car cut in front of us), bot through check-in and security fast, and had time for me to have a glass of wine before boarding.
I’ve been having trouble w/ my back ever since I fell on ice in early March, so bought a pretty purple folding cane, but stupidly put it in an exterior pocket of my carry-on, and it must have dropped out at security.
S had made a reservation w/ Chester Cab, but the taxi to take us to the airport was 20 min late, so we were both sweating bullets. I’d just said, 2 more min and we drive to Wally Park ($16/day, but close to the airport, compared to $6/day at the lots S favors). How do you know there’s room, asked S, so I made a reservation on my smart phone. S had called Chester Cab repeatedly – they kept saying the cab was coming. In fact, they’d called a cab at the last min that had been in Media.
At any rate, we were just piling our bags into S’s car to drive to Wally Park when Chester Cab drove up, so we shifted our bags into the cab, with many reproaches for its being so late.
In fact, we got to the airport in time (w/ one hair-raising moment when a car cut in front of us), bot through check-in and security fast, and had time for me to have a glass of wine before boarding.
Our Week in Provence: 4/20/2015
4/20/2015: Yesterday, when we arrived at the Avignon train station, we felt a little triumphant, but we reckoned w/o the rental car, a smally, very computerized Renault, with an electronic key. We couldn’t figure out how to open the trunk. The GPS gave directions in French. I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the radio w/o also muting the GPS instructions.
We did have a printed manual, but it was full of vocabulary I didn’t know, like pedal d’embrayage (clutch) (and the car was automatic). However, a nice young man from the rental desk came and set the GPS language to British English (and also the computer instr. language). He couldn’t turn off the radio, either, but, at my request, found a classical station (pour les vieux).
Our hotel was built in the 16th century and housed Victor Hugo, Napoleon, and Emperor Maximilian. We got upgraded to a room on the 2nd, which is to say 3rd, floor w/ high ceilings and a huge, very elegant bath. S confounded by the bidet.
We napped & then ate at a restaurant (L’Epicerie) in a little church square. ½ the patrons were American. We split a bottle of wine – I wasn’t sure how I’d make it back to the hotel, but was fine. S had tangine de veaux and I had duck breast & we were happy.
Today was lovely and fair, and not hot. We spent the morning at the Palais des Papes, used 2x; once for the unified Papacy –once when they’d elected a French Pope who didn’t much like Rome, and once when the church split.
The courtyard had huge, stone balls hurled by trebuchet (a 12th century variety of catapult)—I was so excited. Mostly huge, bare, stone rooms, but one (le chambre du cerf) had wonderful frescoes (had been a papal bedchamber). I learned all kinds of useful vocabulary looking up words in my handy pocket French dictionary (Langenscheidt)
a cerf is a stag
etourdeaux are starlings
fastueux is showy, or sumptious
The dictionary also has an emergency conjugation section.
The French placards for the Palais des Papes were pretty good, but the English translations were only partial. A kitchen had an 18m high arrangement of grills & spits to roast meat. Can you imagine?? 54’!!
We did have a printed manual, but it was full of vocabulary I didn’t know, like pedal d’embrayage (clutch) (and the car was automatic). However, a nice young man from the rental desk came and set the GPS language to British English (and also the computer instr. language). He couldn’t turn off the radio, either, but, at my request, found a classical station (pour les vieux).
Our hotel was built in the 16th century and housed Victor Hugo, Napoleon, and Emperor Maximilian. We got upgraded to a room on the 2nd, which is to say 3rd, floor w/ high ceilings and a huge, very elegant bath. S confounded by the bidet.
We napped & then ate at a restaurant (L’Epicerie) in a little church square. ½ the patrons were American. We split a bottle of wine – I wasn’t sure how I’d make it back to the hotel, but was fine. S had tangine de veaux and I had duck breast & we were happy.
Today was lovely and fair, and not hot. We spent the morning at the Palais des Papes, used 2x; once for the unified Papacy –once when they’d elected a French Pope who didn’t much like Rome, and once when the church split.
The courtyard had huge, stone balls hurled by trebuchet (a 12th century variety of catapult)—I was so excited. Mostly huge, bare, stone rooms, but one (le chambre du cerf) had wonderful frescoes (had been a papal bedchamber). I learned all kinds of useful vocabulary looking up words in my handy pocket French dictionary (Langenscheidt)
a cerf is a stag
etourdeaux are starlings
fastueux is showy, or sumptious
The dictionary also has an emergency conjugation section.
The French placards for the Palais des Papes were pretty good, but the English translations were only partial. A kitchen had an 18m high arrangement of grills & spits to roast meat. Can you imagine?? 54’!!
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