Wilson Family Travels

Nearing the End

kwilson — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 04:45:00 GMT

Greetings From Aix-en Provence -

Yes, we are getting near the end of this 11-month adventure. Most recently we’ve been returning to sites we’ve enjoyed, trying to give Mike and Jenny at small taste of Provence and the French Riveria.

Hitting the photos, we took Mike and Jenny to Pond du Gord, the amazing Roman aqueduct. When we were there previously on a pleasant February Sunday, there were five cars in the parking lot, Well, it’s July and there were quite a few more people taking a look at one of France’s treasures. Our group did a lot of posing. There’s a photo of Jenny, Marlene and Mike and another photo of Jenny, Marz, myself and Sophia. There were a few olive trees that had been transplanted from Spain back in 1988 and Mike posed under one of them.

One of our day trips was a morning stop in the nearby beach town of Cassis, which featured a boat trip to view the calanques, combined with an afternoon in Marseille. We managed a photo of Mike, Jenny and Marlene at Cassis.

Another day we went to Cannes, Antibes, through Nice, on to Villafranche, Cape Ferrat and back to Nice. In another photo, Mike and Jenny saw a car parked in Cannes they would have liked to drive away in. Cape Ferrat, where Paul Allen (Microsoft, Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers) has a home, is a peninsula that sits out into the Mediterranean about 15 minutes east of Nice. There’s a photo of Sophia skateboarding at the village of St. Jean on Cape Ferrat. There’s another photo of the plaza at St. Jean, in front of any number of significantly large yachts.

Yesterday, we travelled the normal 45 minutes to Lourmarin, at the south end of the Luberon. Jenny and Marlene did some shopping, while Mike and I managed to spend 3-1/2 hours sitting outside at a café (joined for a brief time by our companions when it was time to eat lunch).

And, Sophia was sleeping late this morning on the couch, with her favorite dog, Maurice.

We have no special plans for our final two weeks in France. We’ve had two cool (low 70s) and windy days, but the mid-to-upper 80s and 0% chance of rain days are due again and look like they’ll take us fairly close to the finish line. So, we see some pool days before we depart. We have a couple of villages within one hour that we haven’t found our way to yet, so they’ve on the “to do list”. We’re hoping to take Sophia and Keaka and check out a couple of beaches that come highly praised. So, we’re just kind of cleaning up odds and ends before departing for America.

The Wilsons

Here and There

kwilson — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 04:43:00 GMT

Hi Again Everybody -

Since we last visited, Marlene’s brother Mike and his wonderful girl friend Jenny have visited. Great fun!

We have odds and ends of photos that give a small flavor of what’s happened over the last nine days.

There are a pair of photos of Carry-le-Rouet beach, which is where Sophia and Keaka took a sailing class. You can see some blue sails in the distance in one photo and be careful not to look too closely and happen to see a topless female. Carry-le-Rouet is on the Blue Coast east of Marseille and about 30 minutes from our house.

We’ve been to Marseille twice over the last nine days and managed a photo of the Marseille Chamber of Commerce building.

One of our favorite towns is L ‘Isle-d-la-Sorge, not far from Avignon and based upon the Sorgue River and water wheels used years ago when the it was a mill town. We were back to the town for the 4th or 5th time and our group was enamored by the coated candy. And, we managed a photo of Mike, Jenny and Marlene in L ‘Isle-d-la-Sorge. Nearby, is the small and very charming village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (you can look all of this up) and we got three photos.

The day we visited those two towns we took Mike and Jenny to Gordes and got a good look at the Luberon area.

Mike and Jenny departed this morning (Thursday) and had six full days here in Provence. Needless to say, we were on the move plenty. Five days of seeing the sights and one day around the pool with a late afternoon driving trip not too far from the house.

We leave our Provence home and take the TGV train to Paris two weeks from today. So, we’re finalizing our departure plans (returning the car, the dog to the vet, plans for the dog shippers in Paris, closing our checking account, doing a mock packing to see how we’re doing for space, checking on the cleaning of our house in Portland, etc.).

The Wilsons

Berlin #6 - The Return Home (Aix en Provence)

kwilson — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 06:47:00 GMT

Greetings From Aix-en Provence -

We returned home from our Berlin trip yesterday (Tuesday). We all agreed it was a fabulous trip and we all learned lots.

Before it is forgotten, be made aware that cerises in France are terrific. That would be cherries. We have never eaten such delicious cherries. We’ve generally had a tough time finding anything cherry, but we eventually found cherry jam and then cherry season struck and we found the greatest cherries (with all due respect the Cherry Country in northwest lower Michigan).

We spent a good bit of time in Berlin on Monday. We took a metro train from the Berlin Central Train Station and went out to the end of the line. We’re guessing it was about 15 miles (all above ground), through farm land and from small town to small town. It’s safe to say the Berlin Metro system is extensive. We eventually got off to go to the DDR Museum, which we did not have time to visit the day we initially arrived in Berlin. The museum is all about the 1946 – 1989 period in Berlin and very hands on. The East Germans produced one car, a Trabant, for 25 years without any changes. It was known for being dysfunctional and tough to get. The waiting list was 16 years long. Turning to the photos, both Sophia and Keaka got in the driver’s seat of this epic vehicle. We did a little walking in the area near the TV Tower, which was constructed by the East Germans in an effort to show their strength. We took the metro back to the train station and took a seat in the Food Court, as Marlene was busy writing post cards. There’s a photo of a menu board at a restaurant, showing Curryworst, which is the top fast food in Berlin. It’s a sausage cut into pieces with a sauce and catsup. Our train, the Bahn Overnight City Line, is not the newest train in service and you get a look at it as it pulled up at the platform. The trip to Paris was 15 hours, some two hours longer than going the other way. On this journey we stopped in Hanover and added cars from Hamburg and later stopped to add cars from Munich. It was a lengthy train on the final leg to Paris. The train was to arrive in Paris at 11:22 am and slowed down at 11:21 am and came to a complete stop at the platform at 11:22 am. Nice work. We made the cab ride from Paris Gare Est to Paris Gare de Lyon flawlessly and got a photo of the outside of Gare de Lyon. And, the final photo, Marz and the kids inside Gare de Lyon.

We’re about to take the kids to Sailing Camp on the Mediterranean. It’ll be interesting. Marlene wants additional Nespresso coffee, so we’re driving into Marseille to make the pick-up.

We’re all excited about the upcoming arrival of Jenny and Mike!

The Wilsons

Berlin #5

kwilson — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 06:41:00 GMT

Hi From Germany (Again) -

It is now later on Sunday evening and in a few minutes it will be Monday morning. So, let’s quickly clean up our photo inventory.

The kids wanted to go on Segway PTs today. I had mixed interest, but figured if I was going to be in the running for Father of the Year I had better be involved. Check out the photos and you see Keaka, Sophia and Marlene preparing for a one hour spin. When it came to doing a quick test for balance and bravery, Marz took a pass and didn’t make the trip. That really sealed my involvement. It wasn’t all bad, though Sophia and Keaka seemed to roll along much easier than I.

We explored some more around Bad Saarow (bah-zaroh) and took a photo of the center of this small town looking out from the train station. And, there is a photo of the train station, obviously more modern than most and certainly reflecting the wealth of the area.

Earlier, we talked about the beautiful restaurant located on the nearby lake. Tonight was the big family dinner at Café Dorsch. We had a great time and delicious food. In talking with our waitress, we learned that the home the restaurant is located in was occupied by the East German Secret Police, the Stasi, from 1946 to 1989. She also said that there has been lots of confusion over land ownership, with some families who owned property and escaped to West Germany, only to come back after 1990 and find that someone else owned their property. It seems to me that it all could be quite confusing.

On the road tomorrow, taking our rental car back to the train station in Berlin, some touring (the kids are already complaining) and then an 8:00 pm train to Paris. Our arrival back in Aix-en Provence will be late Tuesday afternoon. You can’t beat the fun!

The Wilsons

Berlin #4 (and Poland)

kwilson — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 06:39:00 GMT

Hi Again From Germany:

Well, it is Sunday evening and we’re ready to start our journey back to Provence tomorrow. We have truly enjoyed our visit to the old East Germany, and not just because the food is so good.

Yesterday, we grabbed the kids and drove into Poland. It was always a “maybe” in our plans, but we’re very happy we made the trip. I would say the word shocking would be a good word to describe what we saw.

Just because part of my family is from a part of Germany that is now in Poland, it was sort of a symbolic gesture to set foot into Poland. And, the two places we visited in Poland were former German cities (Rzepin and Slubice).

Let’s lead in gently to what we saw when we crossed the border. I had expected here in the old East Germany to be able to see weak economic conditions and the remains of the communist/Soviet control from 1946 to 1989. As stated earlier, you really see very little that would indicate what the conditions were like here such a short time ago. We are continually told how happy folks are to have a united Germany. We’ve been told that in 1990 there were no freeways (auto routes) in what was East Germany. Now, there are great auto routes. After our trip into Poland we learned that the Polish cities near the border are not very nice and nobody here in Germany wants to be in Poland. I’m not really sure if what we saw is common throughout Poland. In this area of Germany, within 45 minutes of Berlin and only about 30 minutes from the border with Poland, all of the standard things you hear about Germans could not be truer. These folks could not be more orderly and cleaner. Everything looks like it was recently painted, and while you see very few people, it is not uncommon to see someone raking and sweeping in front of their homes, which are surrounded by trimmed green grass and gardens. There are mainly brick homes and brick barns in the small farming communities. The old East Germany looks very prosperous.

We crossed into Poland on a typical European auto route. A few miles in we saw a rest area with a gas station, convenience store and restaurant. We stopped just to see what we would see. It was ultra modern, nicer than most you see in France, and very much the equal of the nicest in the U.S. We saw the few American products you see everywhere, from Coca-Cola to Lays potato chips and M & Ms. Then, not too far over the border we got off the auto route and went into Rzepin, a town of about 5,000. It had the typical buildings of a German town that we’ve been seeing on this trip, however, they were dirty and dilapidated. Everything looked very tired and poor. It was what you would expect in Mexico, and closer to home, it was worse than the poorest small town in Southern Illinois. The people simply looked like everything was a struggle for them. Ick! We took the two-lane highway back towards the border and the border city of Slubice, with a population of 18,000. It was more of the same. It was the picture I have in my mind of the Soviet Union and the countries that were behind the Iron Curtain. It is a slow road for Poland. I read their per capita income is 65% of that of other European Union countries. I’d like to get into the interior of Poland, and especially go to Warsaw, and get a better idea. However, this lifetime appears that it will not allow such a trip.

We didn’t take any photos in Poland (believe me I won’t forget what it was like) and moved back across the border to Frankfurt an der Oder, which was a city of 86,000, but since the 1980s has seen it’s population drop to 60,000, due to difficult economic conditions. Before 1946, Slubice and Frankfurt an der Oder were one city. Frankfurt an der Oder was slick and very American like. We went to the center of town and had lunch. There’s a photo of an interesting church on the central plaza where we ate and another photo of the center of town. It looked like a great part of the city had been built since World War II.

Back to our village of Reichenwalde, we took a photo from near the parking lot of our apartment, looking across the street with a couple of directional signs in the foreground. And, behind our apartment are some abandoned farm buildings (see photo), which we are told were part of the communist farming system.

Today, Marlene and I drove to the town of Beeskow, only because we kept seeing directional signs to it. Along the way we saw some sensational German farm villages. Again, the Germans have their farm homes and barns centered in their village and there are no homes nor barns out in the fields. We took some photos in one of the villages, getting a look at an old barn, a typical street and a house with a barn. And, we found Beeskow very interesting and bigger seeming that its 10,000 population. There’s very little written about Beeskow, but it dates back to the Middle Ages. In fact, there’s very little material on-line about many of these villages and cities. We took a picture of a typical German home that we saw in Beeskow.

And, we took Segway PTs today. More on that coming up.

The Wilsons

Berlin #3

kwilson — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 06:38:00 GMT

Hello From Near Bad Sarrow, Germany:

“Speedy” Schickedanz (Wilson) was stopped for speeding by the German Police today on Schwarmutzelsee Lake. Speedy, aka Marlene, was caught driving her speedboat at 25 kmh in an 8 kmh zone near the shore in front of expensive homes. The police boat exploded out of a boat house, overtaking Speedy and her passengers. Upon pulling along side Speedy’s vessel, the police officer barked out commands in German (naturally). Speedy nervously reached into her small purse and offered a Macys credit card, then was heard mumbling something like “you don’t happen to know Sgt. Schickedanz?” Speedy eventually produced an invalid Hawaii drivers license. Her husband and children looked on curiously. All three had taken turns captaining the small speedboat, when Speedy asked if she could have a turn at the wheel on the way back to the harbor. It wasn’t long after she took the wheel that she was spotted by the German Police. Given that the police could not understand Speedy, and weren’t quite sure about the rainbow design on the Hawaii drivers license, they motioned to her to slow down and let her go. Speedy’s passengers found the incident quite humorous, given that Speedy is known to be critical of her husband’s driving characteristics and the speed at which he drives a four wheel vehicle.

It’s Friday evening (June 27) and today was supposed to be the nicest day weather wise. It was mostly sunny and in the low 70s, so we were thrilled. Rain is on the docket the next two days. Marlene and I headed out to see the nearby sights. We first went to Bad Sarrow to set up the late afternoon boat rental and then traveled on to Wendisch-Rietz and the south end of Schmarmutzelsee Lake. We saw some interesting resorts, from a five-star resort, Arosa, with five golf courses, to a smaller boating community in Wendisch-Rietz.

Lunch was on the schedule. We ended up stopping at a bikers’ lunch wagon, with two tables inside and five picnic tables outside under a roof. The little restaurant, called a buffet, is in the parking lot of the Wendisch-Rietz train station. This little dive proved without doubt that we have gone to diners’ heaven here in Germany. My gosh, you can eat when you want to and get very eatable and inexpensive food. We had two plates of food and two Coca-Colas for 11 euros (about $15). See the photo of Marlene’s plate. She literally pointed to a long German word on the menu, since the cook/order taker/only employee in the place could not speak English. I went with the safe choice of wiener schnitzel (breaded pork). Marlene had two fried eggs, fried potatoes and carrots and peas. Hey, a real meal! She trade me an egg for some of my wiener schnitzel, which you see at the top of the plate. See the photo of the train station, about 100 feet across the parking lot from the sweet little diner. The station is all about 1950s communist construction, with one train each hour going to Berlin and one train each hour going to Frankfurt Oder near the Germany-Poland border.

We eventually gathered up Sophia and Keaka and went back to the harbor at Bad Sarrow, about a five minute drive from our apartment in Reichenwalde. We had a nice little speedboat, top speed of 25 kmh, which Speedy obviously was able to reach. We got a nice photo of Keaka on the boat and a photo of Sophia. The photos pretty much make up a nice little family album. Keaka had fun at the wheel of the boat. Sophia has fear in her eyes in the photo with Marlene, because she is scared to death with Keaka at the wheel. And, Sophia looks a bit apprehensive while she is at the wheel, even with the captain of the boat at her side.

We keep trying to learn more about the days of communism here and the transition that has taken place since 1989. The place we are staying is owned by a man who was 19-years-old in 1989 and had grown up living in East Berlin. Among many things he noted, was something we’ve heard more than once. The transition was difficult for older people (50+) in all of the former communist countries. All of a sudden the security provided by communism was gone and life changed. As our inn owner pointed out, using a German phrase, now “the door is open and it is up to you how you do in life”. We also learned more about Bad Sarrow. It has been “a summer resort for the aristocracy and wealthy for hundreds of years”, and it is “where Communist Party elite had dachas”. There are some fabulous houses, where the Soviet Army members lived with their families. The beach area was enclosed by a wooden wall, so only the Soviet military could use the area. I also read that there was a sports medical facility in Bad Sarrow, connected with the development of performance enhancing drugs for East German athletes. We did run across an area with about a dozen buildings and a big soccer field, all abandoned. There are three five-story buildings that still have curtains in the windows. It very much looks like an abandoned facility that would have housed Soviet troops or possibly been involved with the sports drug development.

I’m still attempting to figure out how land ownership went. Obviously, the houses in Bad Sarrow, for instance, were owned by private individuals prior to 1945 and the Soviet takeover. Then, in 1989 the Soviets disappeared from Bad Sarrow. Did the ownership revert back to the owners from 1945? Our inn owner says you see lots of undeveloped land and that it is costly and difficult to purchase. He says you have to go through difficult lawyers in Berlin and, sometimes, there are American owners and you have to deal with lawyers in the United States.

We’re trying to learn and understand.

Marz and I really like Germany! There are real people here ---- overweight people. There are lots of folks overweight and very few skinny people. Boy, can they drink beer. Hardly a glass of wine can be seen, but the women are pounding down the hops.

Rain tomorrow, but we’re hoping it does not interfere with our late afternoon ride on segways.

The Vilzons (the Germans make the “W” a “v” sound and the “s” becomes a “z”)

Berlin #2

kwilson — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 06:37:00 GMT

Welcome To Small Town Germany:

Marlene wanted to see how real Germans live, so we escaped Berlin prior to getting comfortable. The folks at the rental car company informed us that they didn’t have maps (use your GPS in the car) and that they couldn’t tell us how to actually get from the train station parking lot onto any road heading out of Berlin. The GPS, of course, is a nearly useless piece of equipment for us. We did have a basic map of Berlin that we bought at the German Tourist Bureau at the train station, so we had a chance of knowing a thing or two about our whereabouts. We got headed northwest from the train station on the north part of town. Not good, as we were wanting to go over one hour to the southeast from Berlin. We ended up finding the circle auto route (beltway) on the northwest side of town and in rush hour traffic with hard rain we made it to the southeast side of Berlin and made our way into the countryside. I had the journey mapped out in my head and had notes written down from using Google maps. Of course, I write down highway and road numbers and, where possible, the actual name of a street. Though much better than in France, the Germans basically use directions to towns and cities, rather than road numbers. So, if you are looking for the exit to road L 23, as I was, you instead need to know to get off at the exit marked Storkow, which is obviously a city. Frustrating that they can’t manage to let you know it is road L 23. Anyway, we made it to Reichenwalde and the Alten Schule Restaurant and Hotel.

The first photo gives you a look at Alten Schule, which is actually an old school house that has been renovated, not long ago, into an eight-room hotel and restaurant. We are in an apartment (see the top two windows on the left side). The next photo shows the side of the old school house and the main intersection of town. We are very pleased at how nice the accomodations are. Reichenwalde is not very big and it is QUIET. It’s basically a farm town, with the facility we are staying in and a tavern a half block away. It is well-groomed, clean......it is very German. Everything is in its place, all is orderly and you can tell you are not in France. It is amazing how close the Germans and French are to each other and how totally different they are. It’s not all that surprising that they apparently don’t like each other much. My personal comfort level is much higher in Germany than in France. My strong German ancestry definitely made an imprint on my personality. As Marlene points out, French life and culture provides many inconveniences for transplanted Americans, while that is not the case here in Germany.

I was really guessing as to where to come to. The primary goal was to be about an hour from Berlin. After not finding all that many lodging opportunities out in the middle of nowhere, I just selected Alten Schule and hoped. As time went on I saw it was near some lakes and near the town of Bad Saarow, which I was beginning to think might be a bit upscale, primarily based on what looked like a nice hotel and resort spa being located in Bad Saarow. Reichenwalde is southeast of Berlin, and only recently did I read that some pretty areas were located north and southeast of Berlin. Just got lucky, as it is pretty. Lots of farm land with some lakes mixed in. It all looks just like the U.S. and has many characteristics of Michigan (flat land, woods and lakes). Anyway, Bad Saarow, about a five minute drive from our apartment, is located on a lake (see the photo). We had lunch on the lake and checked out biking, boating and the like, hopefully to be accomplished over the next three days. We ran across Café Dorsch, which I had read about and is located on the lake. Wow! What a great and classy place. You see a photo looking out from the dining room, past a couple eating on the deck and down to the lake. And, there’s a photo of Marz enjoying the tranquility at their hillside bar with the lake in the background. We have dinner reservations for the four of us on Sunday. Bad Saarow is very upscale. I’m trying to figure how this wealth existed in the communist East German years? I need to do some research. I was so interested to see what might be left of the gray, poor, restricted life in East Germany. From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t look possible that everyday life in communist East Germany could have been all that bad. By the way, things are so much less expensive here in Germany than in the south of France. I guess there’s a sunshine tax in Provence.

We knew we’d be here in Germany for the U.S.-Germany World Cup game today. So, we went into Bad Saarow, where they had a TV set up lakeside at one of the small restaurants (walk-up counter service). Game time was 6 pm and we were the only Americans in attendance to watch the match. The photos tell the story of the setting. And, the bratwurst was great, as it was at lunch. Is there a reason the French can’t make a bratwurst like the Germans and the Americans? Yes, in a mere 48 hours we again have found some more American-like cuisine. It may not be pretty, but it is good. Oh, the cherry strudel! It may not be petite and pretty, but it was hearty and major league in every way. And, the Coca-Cola fountain soda tastes just like it does in the United States, which is not the case in France. It seems like taking a few days in Germany is almost like going back to the U.S. for a few days, though the language is certainly perplexing.

So, Thursday comes to an end and we’ll see what the next three days bring, before we get back on the German overnight train to Paris.

The Wilsons

Berlin #1

kwilson — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 06:36:00 GMT

Welcome To East Germany -

Okay, it hasn’t been East Germany since 1989, but it still differentiates our current location. It’s Thursday night and we arrived in Berlin yesterday morning.

We had a great trip. Left Aix-en Provence Tuesday afternoon and took the three-hour TGV (high speed train) to Paris (six-hours on a highway in a car). I’ve got to say it again – what a great train. We disembarked at Paris Gare Lyon and took a 15-minute cab ride through Paris to Paris Gare Est, where the German trains come and go. It was exciting driving through Paris. It is really an intriguing place. Old and charming and there’s lots of it.

Our German train, I didn’t say high-speed, left at 7 pm for a 14-hour journey to Berlin. We really liked the train trip. Certainly, it was different. The train was long and all cars, except one, were comprised of compartments. We had probably the oldest car on the train, but we liked our spacious compartment, which was designed for six people. The dining experience was barely an experience. Every few cars there was a little closet where a grumpy German train employee sold food. The best suggestion is to bring your own food on this train. The train wasn’t photogenic, but as you look at the photos the kids were happy to be on the top bunks. None of us had ever spent the night in such a situation. The mattresses (seat cushions) were hard and the pillows were soft. I slept like a baby and I believe the rest of the group enjoyed the same experience. Obviously, we saw some countryside at the beginning and the end of the trip. The primary impression is of pretty flat farm land between Paris and Berlin. We keep getting hit over the head by how much food is being produced from these crops. France is loaded with growing farm land and Germany looks the same. The communities we saw from the train were totally different than we are use to in the south of France. The French communities had more single family homes and the countryside was, again, really impressive.

Berlin Central Station is magnificent. Take a look at the photo. The long distance trains arrive and depart at the lowest level, which you can see at the bottom of the photo. The local trains go through the shopping center-like station and you see the concrete at the top of the photos and that’s holding up the tracks of the local trains. The photo is showing the center of the station with restaurants and stores, while there are structures on either side that are parking garages. The station opened in 2006 and must be the nicest in the world.

Yesterday was a rainy and cool day (the forecast for the entire trip was upper 60s, lower 70s and rain), so we got out the umbrellas. We decided to take the city bus tour (hop-on and hop-off), which turned out to be a good idea, and included a boat trip on the River Spree. The strongest impression of Berlin is that it reminds us of a U.S. city. Well, everything we’ve seen in two quick trips to Germany reminds us of the United States, while virtually nothing in France reminds us of the U.S. I thought Berlin most reminds me of Washington, DC, with very few high-rise buildings. The key for Berlin is that about 70% of the city was destroyed by bombing in World War II and most of the rebuilding has happened since 1960. So, it is a very modern city with very wide and beautiful streets. Most everywhere we were you’d be hard pressed to think you were not in the United States. Our first hop-off was at Check Point Charlie where there were all sorts of confrontations with Soviet troops. They had a piece of the Berlin Wall there and Keaka and Sophia posed at the wall. There was a small museum at the site and both kids were very interested in the material presented, as were mom and dad.

After hoping back on the bus, we got off at the Berlin Cathedral to take our River Spree boat trip. The Cathedral, in a photo, is actually only about 110 years old. There is all kinds of construction going on in Berlin, all on the heals of lots of new buildings. One photo from our boat shows a new building right on the river bank. The river also goes in front of the train station (see photo), which you saw the inside of. Another new building we passed is a key government building (see photo). Back on the bus we passed the Brandenburg Gate, which is where John Kennedy gave his famous Berlin speech 51-years ago today. And then it was back to the train station and our rental car.

I was quite curious as to what we’d see that would reflect East Berlin. Today you can’t tell the difference between the two Berlins. That’s the simple answer.

And then it was on to the German countryside.

The Wilsons

Keaka's Birthday

kwilson — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 05:36:00 GMT

Hi Again Everybody -

Today (Monday, June 23) is Keaka’s 14th birthday and he’s had a busy four-days of celebrating. The intent was not to turn this into a family photo album, but family is a big part of the French experience.

Last Thursday Marz and I took Keaka, his friend Arthur and Sophia on a two-hour canoe trip. Marz and I had a great time, while Arthur got stuck in the middle of the constant bickering between Sophia and Keaka. It’s my first experience away from only children, so it’s an eye-opener. Check the photos and you’ll see the kids in front of the typical French highway sign at a river. In this case it’s the Sorgue River. The get underway in another photo.. And, that is Sophia, Arthur and Keaka under steam and making their way. Oh, in another photo Marlene is relaxing at a river rest stop.

Friday night Keaka had his three best friends over for his birthday party, which included an overnight. I made pizza, not easy with improper ingredients. And, of course, a birthday cake. Somehow Marlene found an American-like cake and Sophia took care of the candles. Keaka and his buddies (l-to-r, Arthur, Philippe, and Shane) get ready to devour the cake.

On Saturday the group, less Philippe, went to Indian Forest, which has zip lines and all sorts of outdoor type challenges in the trees of a forest. Keaka is strapped in and ready, while another photo catches the three boys up in the air.

Keaka wanted my pork roast dinner for his birthday dinner, so that is what we had this evening.

We’re packing and getting ready for our 8-day trip to Berlin. On the TGV to Paris early tomorrow afternoon to catch the German Bahn overnight train to Berlin. We’re staying in an apartment in a very small town well outside of Berlin. So, get ready to see a little of Berlin and learn a little about Communist East Germany some 24-years later.

The Wilsons

General Impressions of France

kwilson — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 02:53:00 GMT

Greetings From France -

After seven straight days of weather in the mid-to-upper 90s, reality has set back in. Last Saturday night a huge storm blew through, thus Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and today have been in the 70s with some clouds and a little rain. It postponed our canoe trip, which was set for yesterday. We’re set to go tomorrow, with a zero percent chance of rain and temperatures in the 80s.

We leave for our 8-day Germany trip next Tuesday, Jenny and Mike come for a visit the first week of July, and we’re back in Portland on July 25th.

We found out yesterday that there’s a national rail strike here in France. Today is the 8th day. In that we don’t listen to the news on radio or tv and don’t read the paper, we’re pretty unaware as to what is going on locally. However, with a steady diet of BBC World and CNN International we are aware of the multi-crisis’ facing the world.

Check out the photos. Marlene and I were in Aubagne last week to visit another doctor regarding her sore left arm, which has bothered her since a beauty salon fall last July. Anyway, we got a photo of a very typical French movie theatre. We’ve seen a multi-plex, but the more typical French movie theatre is in the center of the city and small. Keaka’s hockey team had a season ending party last weekend at an indoor football (soccer) complex. There’s a photo of Sophia playing (she very much likes to show the boys what she can do), and Sophia taking a breather on the pitch. There’s a photo that gives you an idea of the five small football pitches under roof. It seems that most of the football played is played on less than regulation size fields. There’s also a photo of Keaka playing. Keaka, the boy from America, was given a tee-shirt signed by his teammates, and he’s holding it in the two photos with his teammates. And, we took another trip to Luberon the other day (Marlene needed to buy going away presents for her two friends), and Sophia came along and she’s enjoying lunch in a typical French café with mom.

In that we’re nearing the end of our French adventure, we decided to take an inventory of what we like and don’t like here in France.

What we like:

Oranges - the oranges come from Espana and I have not had an orange that was less than juicy and delicious the entire time we’ve been here – no off season – I wish we could say that in the U.S. -- In fact, let’s make the broad statement that the fruit and vegetables (legumes) have been superb – the strawberries are great and the tomatoes are sensational – so sensational that they don’t even taste like the tomatoes in U.S. grocery stores.

Orangina - while you can get little glass bottles of Orangina in some U.S. grocery stores, it just isn’t the same – I could live on Orangina – it is best served in plastic bottles – the taste is better than in glass or cans -- Schweppes owns Orangina, which you absolutely can not find in neighboring Italy and Spain – I suppose there’s no marketing push of Orangina in the U.S. simply because they imagine the American consumer just won’t care for it that much – Orangina is everywhere here in France – in fact, it makes Pepsi look like some small little brand.

The Countryside – it is magnificent – there are oceans, mountains, vineyards and on and on.

Caramel – back to food – caramel is possibly are biggest and most surprising find – we first tasted great caramel in the sundaes at McDonalds – then we carefully advanced and ended up buying the jars of caramel in the little store in St. Remy – we can all take or leave caramel in the United States, but it is unforgettable here.

Nutella – the kids report that the Nutella here in France tastes better than in the U.S. – Nutella is also used more prominently here than in the U.S.

French Hip Hop Music – Sophia is the judge here and she claims there is something special to note – more generally, French music is easily forgotten.

Croissants (kwah – sants) – well, for our money the croissants we’ve had in the U.S. are nothing special – but, here in France they are the best 90 cents you can spend – across the board they are fluffy and buttery and sometimes warm – and, never to be forgotten.

Baguettes, cheese and wine – if the baquette is warm, you’ve really struck it rich – we use butter, while the French generally take their baquettes dry – and, while the French eat zillions, we’ve given them up to keep from getting any heavier – the cheese is excellent, all 355 varieties and the wine, all XXXXXXXX varieties works, also.

Auto Routes – the French super highways are very nice – the U.S. has much to learn in this area.

TGV – the French high-speed train is the best – I could ride all day – it’s insulting that the U.S. doesn’t have such a train on the east coast, the west coast and on a spoke design from Chicago – I guess the rich Americans can’t afford the taxes for such things taken for granted here in Europe.

Old Towns – the center of cities and villages dating back hundreds of years have been preserved and they are one of the special features of France, to say nothing of the fountains featured generously.

Kids Friends – Sophia makes special note of the friends she has made here in France, and Keaka, especially, has a group of five boys he has become very close to.

Football and Rugby – the football (soccer) is quite entertaining – it’s still a bad game in my mind, but it’s much easier to understand the world wide phenomenon when you are in the middle of it – and, we’re finding the World Cup on tv to be entertaining – Sophia notes that she likes rugby, which the kids played in school.

Our house – we all agree our house has been perfect for us.

Bicycle – there are three bicycles and Keaka wants it noted that he has really liked having a bike and the situation to use it for transportation.

Lavender Fields – they are a week or so away from peaking, but Marlene is in love with the lavender.

Weather – the weather has been great – we benefited from a mild winter and a delightful spring, apparently quite opposite from last year.

Health System – you can’t beat the simplicity of French medical care and the ability to be just anybody and walk in and get care at a cost unheard of in the U.S. – very refreshing – everybody receives health care – can anybody say the Affordable Care Act?

Paris – it rates with a special note of the fabulous apartment we stayed in over the Christmas holidays.

Travelling – what an advantage to have so many countries and great cities within a reasonable distance – it has worked out absolutely perfectly, with our various trips being a huge highlight of our French adventure.

What we don’t like:

Drivers – drivers in the south of France remain very hard to understand – we were told they are crazy and that may be an understatement.

Impatient People – there are many instances of our French friends being quite impatient – one of a zillion contradictions in the French culture is their impatience in contrast to their moving slowly when it comes to taking hours to eat a meal and having 5-6 weeks vacation each year – how can such impatient people possibly be on vacation so much and generally work so few hours?

Conformity – this is something that is important in the culture, and the kids have noticed how kids all wear the same clothes, always trying to conform.

Coca-Cola – the French simply say “Co – cah” and drink a lot of it – but Coca-Cola fountain soda tastes nothing like it does in the U.S., while for my money the glass bottled Coca-Cola is terrific.

Meat – okay, the meat is different, especially the buoef (beef) – we just can’t eat it – the taste and smell and texture are nothing like we are use to – the rest of the meat if also different, with chicken (poulet) being most similar in both countries.

Parties – Sophia says they go forever – there is some truth to the fact that social events start late and end late, and eating is a slow, methodical part of the social adventure.

Coffee – Marlene reports she simply does not like the coffee, and she has certainly tried enough of it.

School – the report is that kids are generally mean and not very welcoming.

Boys – French boys are quite physical and spend lots of time touching girls, which is totally accepted.

Banks – they cover their windows so you can’t see in – they are closed two days each week and for two-to-three hours at lunch – and, they do not have cash on hand, but they have plenty of paperwork.

Bugs – there are too many during the warm weather – flies and bees and wasps lead the way, with a nice dose of mosquitos.

French culture – this doesn’t belong on a don’t like list, but there deserves to be a special note that we have been surprised at the many cultural differences between Americans and the French.

The Wilsons

Cassis & Carpentras

kwilson — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:42:00 GMT

Hi Again From Aix-en Provence:

A little of the familiar and a little of the new. That’s what is in store here.

It’s June 10th and it was 92 degrees at 11 this morning and up to 97 degrees at 3:00 pm. Marlene is not happy with the heat. I’m very happy and sticking with my motto – “If you complain about cold, rain and snow, then you can’t complain about the heat”. It’s one or the other. The heat is the Arizona dry heat, so as I explained to Marlene in an effort to make her realize it wasn’t all that bad, you’re at least not sweating all of the time.

We keep trying to bend French culture to suit our American ways. It just doesn’t work. About 2 pm today Marz wanted to go out and grab lunch. Difficult for us in the first place, as we aren’t really thinking a full meal, which is what they are serving, if they are serving. Yet, we’re not interested in the French baguette sandwich with little or nothing on it, which is purchased on the run, usually not to sit down and eat. We were looking to sit down and have something light. We went to a nearby area and arrived at 2:15 pm. The Chinese restaurant waved us off ---- they had the air conditioning on very low --- anything to save a buck. So, we went across the street to a restaurant and found that they were closed at 2:25 pm. And, when they say they’re closed, there is no stretching the rules. And, that restaurant had no air conditioning on --- it was a sweat box. Again, we were struck by the reality that unless we went to downtown Aix-en Provence where there are tourists and a few restaurants open, there is no getting food at a restaurant from 2:30 to 7:30. So, yes, off to McDonalds we went. Nice air conditioning and the usual food. Chilis? Applebees? Fridays? Outback Steakhouse? We’re in the mood for wings, a tuna fish sandwich, a meat ball sandwich, Mexican food of any sort and on and on.

Last Friday we dropped the kids at the bus stop and got an early start to go to the beach village of Cassis, which is about 40 minutes from the house. It had been awhile since we were there. The experience was a stop to sit out near the boats and have breakfast (bread with butter and jam and juice and coffee), a wander through the Friday market and a lunch (for me a plate of pasta and a beer ---- there’s nothing light on the lunch menu and I’m not French enough yet to have a $20 salad for lunch). We ran into a little park that had a pond. I’m the American looking guy standing next to the pond. There’s a photo of the pond, which is much more appealing in person that in the photo. And, a quick photo of the Cassis harbor.

On Sunday, when the heat hit, Marz wanted to go to an antique flea-type market in Carpentras. Carpentras is about one hour away and a city of 30,000. It doesn’t make the tourist books, but had the usual French charm that is still charming to us. We think that towns that are not really noteworthy are really great looking and interesting. Admittedly, these French towns start to look alike after awhile. The antique market had small items, ranging from junk to some interesting items. The market was setup in a parking lot, which had an impressive WW I memorial at the end of the parking lot (see photo). We decided we would have lunch. Again, we didn’t want to grab a baguette sandwich on the run, so we went to Chez Serge, which we heard was a good restaurant. You see a photo of the outside of the restaurant and it was totally charming. The lunch menu was small --- as in smaller or more limited than usual. At least it was simple --- the price was 17 euros or about $23.00. You had a choice of carrot soup or fromage (cheese) as a starter, then either fish or filet of pork for the entre and either chocolate or frommage blanc (white cheese) for dessert. That was it for your lunch choice. Well, I would have been delighted with a bowl of chicken noodle soup (no such thing in France), but at it we went. We both chose cheese to start and it was a warm cheese in a light pastry on a big plate with a salad. Then, we both elected the filet of pork, which we took a photo of and it was good. Then, I had the chocolate desert (see the photo), which was milk chocolate mousse inside the chocolate balls. Marlene made the better choice (see the photo) and had the frommage blanc, which was a soft cheese, somewhat like yogurt but better, with a strawberry sauce and glazed almonds in the middle. The food was actually great, but it was a little more than we wanted to be involved in for lunch, but that’s the way it goes in France.

The Wilsons

Montagne Sainte-Victorie

kwilson — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:41:00 GMT

Happy Summer From France:

Okay, it’s still spring, but summer has arrived here in the south of France. We were cruising along in the 72 – 78 degree ranch with nice sunny skies and maybe one or two days that hit 80 degrees. Then yesterday (Sunday) it leaped up to 93 degrees and today was in the mid-90s. We don’t know what happened to the days in the 80s. So, with no air conditioning, we’re happy to have a fan or two and a swimming pool. No surprise that the house does not have air conditioning. Not having air conditioning and not having a garbage disposal and a clothes dryer is typical, though we do have a clothes dryer.

Today is Monday (June 9), which is a French holiday. I’d like to tell you what holiday it is, but I haven’t been really able to make that determination. Anyway, the kids were home from school. They go back to school for tomorrow, Wednesdayand Thursday and then have Friday off as one of the grades is having testing. And, while the last day of school is officiallyJuly 5th, this Friday was going to be the last day for Sophia and Keaka, because nothing really happens at school from here on out and the teachers told them to just enjoy France. So, this Thursday is their last day of school.

Speaking of school or no school, the kids had only two hours of classes last Thursday (there are a million reasons why), so they didn’t go to school. Instead, I grabbed them both and went on a hike to Montagne Sainte-Victorie. The mountain overlooks Aix-en Provence and you see a good part of it from our home, though the mountain is about a 30-minute drive away. Take a look at the attached photos and you’ll see this famous mountain. No photo explanations needed.

Montagne Sainte-Victorie has been painted by any number of artists, but most notably by Paul Cezanne.

Anyway, after my run today at about 3:00 pm (it was in the mid-90s, but the humidity was not bad at all and there was about 50% shade on my almost daily two-mile route), Sophia and I hit the pool. We decided to splurge, so Marlene went out to get a six-pack of nice cold Corona beer. Anyway, the grocery stores were closed (holiday) and the rare gas station 7/11 type store was also closed. There simply was no way to find Corona beer. She came back empty-handed. Given that yesterday was Sunday, it’s been two days since anything much has been open. It’s just the way it is.

Of course, La Poste (the post office) was closed the last two days. On days it is open, it is not unlikely that you’d go by the post office at 11:20 am or 3:40 pm and find it closed. La Poste is a bit different than the U.S. Postal Service. La Poste sells a limited supply of cell phones and also has a banking wing, most notably with an ATM machine at the post office. We’re just happy to get in, purchase a few stamps that will get an envelope to the United States, and be on our way.

More traveling again – this time back to Cassis and to Carpentras for the first time – coming soon.

The Wilsons

Marseille Dinner

kwilson — Thu, 5 Jun 2014 15:07:00 GMT

It’s now Sunday evening and Marlene and I are just back from seeing the movie “Maps To The Stars”. Interesting. There are a few cinemas in this area that do show films in English with French sub-titles. The inventory of English language films being shown is typically small at any one time (2 – 4 movies), so the choice at any one time is pretty small, and most of the time the films come and go in a hurry.

Well, last night we dined at Peron, a fine, seaside restaurant in Marseille. Marlene has wanted to be sure she had boulibaise. The story goes that Marseille is the mecca of boulibaise. The dish has at least seven fish caught on the same day. Typically, you pre-order boulibaise at a restaurant. The de Bisschop family suggested the restaurant and we went with them. Both Eric and Kirin are doctors. We met Eric and Kirin because their son played on the same hockey team with Keaka.

We arrived at Peron at 8:00 pm. That may sound late, but that’s what time the restaurant opened for dinner. As we turn to the photos, it was a nice evening and soon after we sat down a ferry leaving Marseille for Corsica came by. There’s a photo with Keaka, Eric and Marlene. And, there’s a photo of Kirin, Axel and Sophia. A bit later we got a shot of the same ferry moving in front of a couple of inhabited islands off the Marseille coast. And, there was a nice sunset. Keaka and I had the lamb dinner – see the photo. It was quite good. And, you get a look at the boulibaise, which costs about $75 USD per plate. Fortunately, only Marlene, Eric and Kirin had boulibaise. The deserts were typically French and there’s a photo of Marlene’s dessert, which obviously featured chocolate. And, there’s a photo of the new moon and the island off the coast just after sunset. The bill hit just past the 600 euros mark, which is about $810 USD. Ouch! The good doctor grabbed the tab and I’m trying to figure out how to reduce his damages. I tried to pay, but they would not hear of it, claiming I had bought them dinner some months back. I’m somewhat conscious of insulting the French, so I have to do some consulting with others to find a way to pay for some of the dinner.

Thank goodness, this week looks pretty peaceful. The last day of school is 12 days away. Off to Germany in 23 days. Back in Portland in 54 days.

The Wilsons

Aix-en Provence Again

kwilson — Thu, 5 Jun 2014 15:05:00 GMT

Greetings From Aix-en Provence -

So, to continue the frequent theme of eating, we had lunch in Aix-en Provence on Friday with our friends the Dolimiers. This is the family that has lived in Boston and Seattle and they’re looking for employment that will allow them to move back to Seattle, after spending the last two years here in Aix. They are originally from the Paris area. Their middle son goes to school with Sophia and Keaka. All of their children were born in the United States.

They (Celine) have been trying to help us with the food, pointing us to restaurants with true French food. So, Damien, who works for Philips, had Friday off and it was off to lunch. The meeting time was 1:15 pm and the lunch was set for 1:30 pm at a typical restaurant that has outdoor seating. On the way to the restaurant we walked around a bit and that got the camera working. One of the attractions in Aix-en Provence is the cathedral, which you see a photo of. There’s a photo of a typical old building and the more horizontal photo is of a hotel from the 17th century. Then there’s a photo at lunch. That’s Damien with their five-year-old son Nathan and Celine and Marlene. After lunch I grabbed a photo of a well-worn advertisement on the side of a building, plus a shot of the city hall plaza (city hall is on the right with the flag). So, you’ve gotten a little more flavor of Aix-en Provence.

No surprise, I had lamb for lunch, with pasta. Not a bad lunch, even though it looked like an American dinner. Marlene had lapin (rabbit). She liked it. It was proceeded by a many faceted appetizer. Very little bowls of this and that (cucumber dip, beet dip, herring, etc.).

We’ve dined at their home a few times and that means dinner around 9:00 pm. And, departure for home is between 11:00 pm and midnight. We were told that if you are invited over for dinner and leave before midnightit can be considered insulting. Other people have told us that isn’t totally true. I hope they’re giving an exemption for Americans.

Eating at certain times of the day keeps coming up and we keep trying to adjust. Essentially, between 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm you can’t get something to eat unless you go to McDonalds. The French are well trained from birth to eat at only certain times of the day. There is no snacking when you are out of one of the set times to eat. And, be ready to like lettuce, all types. Boy, do these folks eat salads! And, they are skinny.

Men's clothes are interesting. It takes me back to my teen-age years when American companies produced some shirts with a European tapering. When I try on a top here that is truly my size and is a size that fits me perfectly from an American manufacturer, I feel like I’m in a straight jacket. The cut is very narrow around the waist and the shoulders are smaller here in Europe than in the United States. I get it, clothes are produced for the majority and the majority in France is thin around the middle and rather small up top.

Well, take a big breath and we’ll go to dinner in Marseilles, next.

The Wilsons

Van Gogh

kwilson — Thu, 5 Jun 2014 15:04:00 GMT

Hi Again From France -

It’s still Sunday and we’ll be back in Portland in less than eight weeks. I heard Marlene say yesterday, “I’ll be glad to get back home”.

We’ve been busy over the last days and we’ve been taking photos, so hang in there as we record the journeys and events.

Right after our tour of Glanum, we made the visit to St. Paul Hospital (a short walk away), where Van Gogh spent 53 weeks in 1889-1890. It is still an active mental hospital, so a portion has been set aside for a Van Gogh gift shop, a replica of his room, the gardens he painted in, etc. During his 53 weeks at the hospital he painted about 150 paintings and 100 drawings. The originals are on display around the world, but there are copies on display throughout the tour.

The entrance walkway to the hospital is beautiful and you see Sophia & Keaka in a photo of the walkway. There’s a church, and in another photo you see the church with Sophia wandering in the left of the photo. There’s a beautiful courtyard garden surrounded on four sides by a very old pillars and Sophia is sitting along side the garden in another photo. Behind the main building and the church is a series of gardens captured in a photo and another photo features Keaka (our always willing subject) in the poppy garden. It was an amazing setting for Van Gogh to do his work.

The visit was very worthwhile. Van Gogh’s simple living quarters and the room where they had metal bathtubs was very interesting. They really did a nice job telling the story. None of us knew that upon his release Van Gogh moved to Paris, where within a couple of months he shot himself to death.

After the tour we dined in St. Remy. Even though it’s very tourist oriented, the restaurant we wanted to eat in was closed because it was after 3:30 pm. So, we found a more liberal eatery down the street and had the obligatory pasta dishes for lunch, followed by a stop at the chocolate store we visited on our first trip, again purchasing a jar of the finest caramel ever tasted by human beings. It’s now in our cupboard, awaiting a trip to the grocery tomorrow to purchase some ice cream (grocery stores are closed today – Sunday).

From our array of side notes, we may have mentioned previously, but it never hurts to repeat, that there are now almost universally full toilets here in France. On our first two visits (some years ago, but certainly not in Roman times), it was common to go into a toilet (water closet) and see nothing more than a hole in the floor with a ceramic rim around the hole. There’s been advancement. And, back in the day it was common to see a hunk of soap on a metal rod to be shared by all. Now there is the typical supply of liquid soap that we see in the U.S., with either paper towel or hand dry blowers.

Next we’ll be talking eating AGAIN. We had lunch with friends in Aix-en Provence on Friday and a seaside dinner last night in Marseille with some other friends. Get ready.

The Wilsons

Glanum

kwilson — Thu, 5 Jun 2014 15:02:00 GMT

Welcome To Glanum -

This is a real “you can look it up”. We had been to the ruins of Pompeii in Italy, so the ruins of a city have to be pretty impressive to catch our attention. We really liked the ruins of Glanum, located on the edge of St. Remy, which is a nice tourist city. But, there’s much too much to tell about the history and the experience, so you can always look it up.

You may recall months ago seeing photos of a Roman entry arch and a memorial tower. Well. they sit by the side of the road just across the street from the remains of Glanum, which Marlene and I skipped during our first visit, avoiding cool weather and waiting to bring the kids. Glanum existed from the 1st-2nd century BC to 269 AD. It was inhabited by 2,500 people and was 7x the size of the portion that has been excavated. Most interesting is that it was a Greek village, eventually becoming a Roman community. In fact, there are a couple of spots where you see the remains of the Greek village below the remains of the Roman town.

There’s a photo of Keaka as we entered Glanum. There’s another photo that gives a decent overview of the what remains above ground of the village. Then there’s a shot of the group on the main street of town. As we’ve noted frequently, the Romans were extremely sophisticated. See the shot of the main street, with pieces of stone. Underneath the stone traveled waste water, while fresh water traveled on the right side of the road above ground in a small waterway. They did partially restore some of the pillars of the twin temples in Glanum. In one photo Marlene is standing between the pillars, and in another photo, with better light, you get a good look at these pillars from the temple. And, there’s another photo of ruins that has righting on the stone (if you take a close look).

Keaka really liked going through Glanum. It’s set-up with good explanations along the way of what you are looking at and you can climb around on the ruins. There was also a small museum/greeting center, which had models of how the village would have looked. Very interesting.

From the odds and ends list – I remember on my first two visits to France (not exactly recently) that most women did not shave under their arms and their legs. I can report back to all of you in America that this has apparently changed. I have not seen a single woman with under arm hair or hair growing on her legs, not that I’m looking that much.

The Van Gogh experience is actually a short walk from Glanum, so that story can’t be far behind.

The Wilsons

Eyguieres & Aurielle

kwilson — Thu, 5 Jun 2014 15:01:00 GMT

On The Road In France:

Always remember the golden rule – if there are photos there is a story!

It’s a beautiful Sunday headed to the upper 70s and we have nothing on the schedule. I’ll admit, nothing on the schedule seems to be the rule, rather than the exception.

Thursday was the French holiday and our scheduled day to go to the St. Remy to see the ruins of Glanum and to see the hospital where Vincent Van Gogh spent 53 weeks in 1889-90. This was a trip focused on the kids.

Again, the countryside of France is captivating and there are towns and villages overflowing with charm at every turn. We got off the auto route as soon as possible on the way to St. Remy and headed to Eyguieres. Why? Well, it was on the map and it might be interesting. It’s a town of 6,400 and seems a bit upscale. Marlene and I have determined we’re going to head back at a later date to explore further. Most interestingly, leaving Eyguieres we came upon an overgrown grandstand and pulled over. We had discovered a very small bull ring arena and a sign indicating they are having bull fights on June 8. There’s lots of bull fighting in Portugal and Spain, but it’s also quite popular in southwestern France and all the way over to the Arles area, which is where we were. It looks like large trees have grown in and amongst the arena over the years. There’s a photo looking into the arena. Another photo shows Keaka just outside the arena and you can see the concrete grandstand above right in the photo. And, there’s a photo of the main entrance to the arena, which was locked. Once outside Eyguieres I saw a town on the map just off the road to St. Remy. So, I decided to turn into Aurielle. Talk about up-scale! A great little village of 1,500 with a bakery and a church and lots of nice housing, and, of course, two well-groomed football fields. The town looked like it had just been scrubbed, including the church in the photo. And, there are ruins on the hill above the village, which are visible in another photo.

Another aside before we get to Glanum, which is coming next. It’s common to see cans of Heineken beer being sold at McDonalds. It doesn’t seem to fit the Ronald McDonald image and it’s even more unusual because wine consumption so dominates beer consumption. You’d think they’d sell wine. Oh well!

On to St. Remy.

The Wilsons

Lyon Lunch

kwilson — Fri, 30 May 2014 15:14:00 GMT

Welcome To The Gastronomic French World -

Yes, we went to Lyon (France’s gastronomic center) for lunch yesterday (Tuesday). I’m not bragging nor am I complaining when I tell you the lunch for the two of us was $278. That’s a record for me. And, I won’t share the cost of the train nor the parking at the train station. I’m just attempting to give you an idea of what we’re talking about here.

The trip was a great success and the meal was terrific. Our goal was to have a “French classic” meal and that’s what we had. So, we had “real” French food and not the food of the South of France, which we are told is different from food in Lyon and Paris and the other parts of France. We were at La Mere Brazier and there are no restaurants any fancier. Let’s get it straight, we’ve been to restaurants in the U.S. just as fancy and with food served in that very fancy, pretty way. And, I’d suggest we’ve had food just as good at the very top U.S. restaurants. But, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the food nor the service at this restaurant.

Before we reached the table I’d estimate I said “bon jour” to at least seven different people. It almost seemed like a receiving line. In France when you order the “menu” you are ordering a complete meal, appetizer (entrée) through desert (hey, a French word). You can also go the way of an appetizer/starter (entrée), a plat (our entrée) and/or a desert ordered off the carte (what we all call the menu) – I guess that’s ala carte (my gosh, another French phrase). Anyway, we both ordered a menu, though Marlene’s menu included an appetizer, while mine did not.

Oh, let me add that our reservation was for 12:30, thus we were early and had a glass of wine at the wine bar next door (owned by the restaurant). So, we started with a glass of wine at 12 noon and departed the restaurant shortly after 3:00 pm. Now that’s a French lunch! By the way, we each had two additional glasses of wine during the meal. So, in my case, I used up my total annual wine consumption in one three-hour period.

We were each served a chunk of sourdough bread. Not to be beaten, maybe equaled, and served with the finest butter man has ever experienced. First of all, the French do not serve butter (buerre) with restaurant meals. I’m not sure how these folks missed the memo. But, the butter was richer than you can imagine – one piece regular butter, the other piece smoked. I’m telling you it was absolutely the greatest butter I’ve ever eaten. After the bread was devoured, a roll in the shape of a small croissant was delivered. I was disappointed, given how great the sourdough bread was. The disappointment was short lived, as the roll with the butter was fabulous. The initial taste at the bite was good and then all of a sudden the flavor exploded. Marlene’s appetizer was foie gras in three different forms, with a taste of artichoke soup and an artichoke leaf served over an ounce or two of mashed potatoes (pomme puree in French), served on a rectangular plate. I had the thrill of tasting the foie gras (everybody in France loves it and it’s everywhere). I’m not into foie gras. Between each course we had a little something served, so we had so many items it’s almost impossible to remember everything from lunch just yesterday. The first little something was a very small bowl with chopped asparagus on the bottom, covered with sour cream and topped with a piece of herring with a little fried doughy something. That got us to the main course (plat). Marlene had a lobster dish and I had a lamb dish. Marlene had a claw of lobster, a chunk of lobster, and a mousse of pike fish in the middle, with whole vegetables around the edge of the plate and a delicious sauce. I had filet of lamb (never quite had lamb like this). It was cut into five pieces with a sauce. There were two fairly small scoops of chopped/mixed vegetables. I’m guessing the main vegetable was zucchini and the items mixed with it remain unidentified (and that is probably best). Next came a small cup with ice cream and a little pastry. We each also received a plate with four very small French pastries. Then, it was time for the cheese tray, which was included in Marlene’s menu. There were about a dozen cheeses to choose from and Marlene (with a little help from me) tasted five cheeses. That transitioned us to desert, which was the desert of the house, Paris-Brest (seen in a photo). The desert, mostly a hazelnut treat, was terrific, though I could only imagine how good it would have been if it were milk chocolate. And, yes, we had a large bottle of Evian water ($9.20 just for the record – but who’s counting?). Few French restaurants at any level will serve tap water, but you get use to the annoyance. I believe that’s a decent summary of the lunch. If you were wondering, we were stuffed by the end of the experience.

Now for some photos, not all directly related to the lunch, and certainly not in a coherent order. We took the TGV train to Lyon, walked out of the train station and down the Metro steps. We went two stops on the subway train (rubber tires in case you were wondering) and then transferred to another line on which we went four stops. We got off and came up in front of the Lyon city hall (in the photo). There was a small plaza there and you see a photo looking from the plaza down the street. Oh, though it was a beautiful, sunny day in Aix-en Provence, it was a cloudy, rainy day in Lyon. Everybody complains how much it is gray and rainy in Paris and to some degree the same in Lyon. We had dressed for summer and we got anything but. Marlene purchased an umbrella and fashioned it in front of a fountain and sculpture at the same plaza. The restaurant was about three blocks away in a commercial area, with little retail, with the exception of a few restaurants. That’s me in front of La Mere Brazier, very happy I had worn my now tired looking French sweater. And, a photo of the restaurant sign and a look at the corner it’s located on (on Rue Royale). Another interesting feature here is the way politicians publicize themselves. The big election for the European (Union) Parliament was held the other day and cities put up sign positions for the politicians to use (see the photo). It certainly keeps the election signage to a minimum. Yes, there’s the photo of the hazelnut desert. And, the lobby of the restaurant in another photo – off to the right is an old sliding door that is open, the worn concrete floor which slants upward as you enter, and the doors which open to a huge indoor passageway that leads to what looked like office and apartments. And, one of many dining rooms in the restaurant.

Today was a half-day of school for the kids (Wednesday) and tomorrow is some French holiday, thus no school. We’re going to St. Remy, which is where Van Gogh lived for a time and where he was institutionalized. Marlene and I were there, but did not go into the hospital where Van Gogh was held and plan on doing that with the kids tomorrow. You may recall seeing photos of some Roman ruins just out in the open some months back. Well, there are many ruins Marlene and I didn’t see, so that will be taken care of tomorrow.

The Wilsons

Brignoles

kwilson — Tue, 27 May 2014 02:08:00 GMT

Happy Mothers Day -

Yes, it is Sunday, May 25th and it is Mothers Day in France. We had an interesting day, spending the afternoon having coffee at our friend’s home in Aubagne. This is the couple with Icelandic and Indian roots, who we met through hockey, as their son played on the same team as Keaka. I had called to confirm that our family would attend the post-season hockey team party and Kirin (the Indian woman) insisted we come over for coffee. So, we spent almost four hours around their kitchen table talking about almost every subject under the sun. And, we planned a Marseilles dinner outing this coming Saturday at a restaurant on the ocean that is known for having great boulibaise, which Marlene has been determined to try.

Marlene has wanted to make sure we had a truly French meal before we left, in that we haven’t been the biggest supporters of French cuisine (at least in the South of France). So, we decided to go to Lyon, considered the gastronomic center of France. I did some research and found a two-star Michelin restaurant. Our friends today confirmed the choice, calling La Mere Brazier one of the most famous restaurants in France. So, we have train reservations and a lunch reservation this Tuesday. The train ride is 90-minutes each way. Lyon is the second most populated city in France. So, we have a 90-minute train ride, 90-minutes to explore Lyon and get to lunch, 90-minutes for lunch (that may be a little of a rush), and 90-minutes of exploring prior to our train departing for home. I have no doubt this will be the most expensive lunch I have ever been involved in.

Last night we were at a home about 30-minutes from our house, where a family was giving a year-end party for Sophia and Keaka’s friends from the International Section at school. Nothing too notable, until we found where this family lived. The dad works for Total, the largest French oil company that even has a refinery in Texas. They live in a company-owned complex of homes adjacent to a Total refinery. It was a fabulous area, with large two story homes in some rolling wooded hills, generally hidden from the other homes. We had seen nothing like it in France, and it certainly reminded us of a wealthy neighborhood in the United States. Two years ago the family (they are French) was living in Korea, when the dad was working for QatarGas, before joining Total. The kicker is that they had a large refinery accident not long ago in Toulouse, which destroyed some homes. Thus, the French government tightened the laws regarding living near refineries. So, the company homes in this neighborhood are about to be torn down.

Our trip of the past week was a quick trip last Wednesday morning to the city of Brignoles. It’s just off the auto route to Nice and about 30 minutes from our house. It sounds like everywhere we go is 30-minutes away. We went to Brignoles, a city of 17,000, only because it was there. We learned it was a mining town (aluminum and bauxite mines) from the mid-1800s to the 1960s and the pretty large old town dated from the Middle Ages to the 1700s. Probably most notably, in 2009 Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie bought a 35-room complex with a small lake and vineyards just outside of Brignoles and have been updating the complex. Not sure if the project has been completed, but they certainly lift the level of life of the neighborhood.

So, the point of this little sharing session is that we have photos of Brignoles. It’s a long way from the Eiffel Tower, but it is a French city. We looked in the window of a meat market in Brignoles and Marlene wanted to be sure you saw (even with the window glare) the hens for purchase. Clearly, dead but nothing more. They are a long way from my dinner plate. There’s a photo of the main plaza and a photo of a typical bar (coffee house in the morning) on the plaza (every town has a few of these). Then, you have a photo of Marlene with Maurice on the plaza. Also, a photo of a typical French café/brasserie. Then, there’s a look down the main street of town. And, Keaka recently purchased the new featured chicken sandwich at McDonalds. I could not resist taking a photo of the menu board showing this new sandwich at McDonalds. When I ordered the sandwich, the French teenager behind the counter was thrown when I called it a Southern Chicken Cajun (hey, that’s what it said on the sign). He finally said, “Oh, the kah-jus”. I had never heard the word cajun pronounced kah-jus, but that’s how the French pronounce it. And, just as a note, the Southern Chicken Cajun sandwich costs $7.83 USD and it isn’t very good. Add a medium Coca-Cola at $3.45 USD and the combination is something less than a bargain.

The Wilsons

Chateau La Coste Winery

kwilson — Mon, 19 May 2014 07:49:00 GMT

Greetings From Aix-en Provence:

It’s Sunday evening – one week after Mothers’ Day and one week before Mothers’ Day (French). I guess it’s kind of like crossing the International Date Line.

Spring in Provence seems to be a nice time of the year. It’s pre-tourists and the weather is very nice. Most days now are between 70 and 80 degrees and about 90% of the days are very sunny.

Today was one of those sunny, low 70s days and we had nothing to do. That also covers about 90% of the days.

I had in mind going out for Marlene’s coffee, taking a run and then spending time at the pool. Marlene said she’d like to go to a winery and walk around. So, I hit the Google button and came up with much information on wineries near Aix-en Provence. I was really thinking close, as it was already noon. I came upon Chateau La Coste near the town of Le Puy-Ste-Reparade. You can look it up, as I had to do. It turns out to be less than 30 minutes from our home and we had been on all sides of the town without having any awareness. We realized on our way there that we often had passed signs for Le Puy-Ste-Reparade on the highways, but simply had not paid attention. It turned out to be much larger than we expected (that means the main street was about 6-8 blocks long by American measurement) and a town that has had a history of enjoying some affluence. It had a brand new school, nicer than any we’ve seen in Europe, and, lots of single family homes (if that can be a measure of affluence and I believe it is). Oh, along the way we stopped in Venelles for Marlene’s coffee, where we had been once before. A nice town and probably ten minutes from Aix-en Provence.

Let’s go to the photos. You’ll see Marlene on a raft in a pool. That wasn’t at the winery, nor was it after too much wine at the winery. But, it was yesterday and it shows we have a pool, the weather was nice, and Marlene does have some spare time now and then. Adjacent to the building in which you sample and purchase wine at La Coste was a nice garden eating area. It didn’t take us long to sit down there. They had a fountain in the center, which as you can see in the photo, served as a wine chiller. By the way, we had typical French food, sharing a plate of sliced tomatoes in a balsamic dressing and a plate of cheese (four kinds) with a thimble full of raspberry jam. The winery shares wine and food with art. A few years ago they added a building with an art center, a peeble-filled reflecting pool and a parking garage under the art center/water feature. You see one photo with the pool and a piece of art and another photo with a piece of art (a spider) and obviously an American male sitting there (you are easily able to determine the male is an American by his waist size). The spider, by the way, is referred to as the Crouching Spider and is one of the last works of Louise Bourgeois, described as “one of the most important artists in modern and contemporary art”. Don’t say we don’t give you a chance to learn here. This is more than just useless photos and unimportant chatter . There is a walking art tour through the vineyards, of which we took a portion. Marlene was nice enough to pose in front of the Drop by Tom Shannon (not the famed Buffalo and Detroit DJ, but rather the American artist and inventor who attended the University of Wisconsin and works out of NYC). Marlene also pulled the cord at the Meditation Ball by Paul Matisse. You’ll have to do the looking up. I can tell you that it starts with a strong sound and for many minutes continues to produce a low, humming sound, enough by which to meditate, fall asleep or just decide to move on. The cup, which is made of some sort of metal-like composition, is the work of Guggi, who is Irish and is a good frient of U2’s Bono. Hey, you usually have to work harder for this kind of information! And, we added a photo of one of the vineyards and the countryside in the distance. Nice place and a very nice afternoon!

Well, we’ll be back in Portland in just less than ten weeks. And, we’ve added one last trip. It’s kind of like a concert tour, where the artist adds a few extra dates at the end. We did decide to go to the Berlin area to experience small town German life. We’re taking the train (TGV) to Paris and then transferring stations to catch the German overnight train to Berlin. We’ll check out Berlin, but we’re staying in an apartment in a town well outside of Berlin, hoping to go where the tourists are not and see German life. Berlin is very close to Poland, so we’ll at least drive into Poland, just to say we’ve been there. It’s a short trip, June 24 – July 1, so you won’t have too many photos. I’m excited about the overnight train trip (a first) and seeing what I can of what remains from the communist days of East Germany. I guess that means talking with older people, so let’s hope a few people speak English, as my German is limited to hello, thank you and Merry Christmas (in German).

The Wilsons