Ah, The Wearing of the Green Nice Style!

Well, I am not Irish, but I am from Boston, so I LOVE St. Patrick's Day. (In Boston they sell and serve corned beef at this time, which is called a New England boiled dinner.) Of course, the French barely notice St. Patrick's Day...just the ex-pats! I did see a far amount of folks dressed in St. Patrick's Day green-I did not interview them to see if they were really Irish!
There were three events planned by the Nice/Irish community. Before I left for Collioure, I had learned about it from Louise and Bernard Fitzpatrick from Dublin. I had my return trip tickets in hand before I left...how did I get to LOVE St, Patrick's Day?? (My mother hated Irish music? My friend Nancy's brother and four high school and college friends have had a St, Patrick's Day party every year since they were in college, and I have happily pulled out my green gear and attended a number of parties over the years.)
On Friday night some Irish actors did scenes from Irish plays in Monaco, but Lana and I had dinner with Tim and Mike instead. We ate at Olivier's, which prides itself on sourcing different olive oils all over France.People can order their olive oil from their website. With every course the owner came and poured the correct oil for each dish. (When Joan had come in October, she had read about this restaurant in the Delta booklet, and had wanted to go, but it was closed for the annual month-long holiday/olive oil search.) It was a good meal and great to see Mike and Tim again!
Sunday, after the Meetup coffee hour, I went to the English mass at St. Pierre d'Arene, where they would be signing Irish hymns. (Just wanted the whole Irish experience!) That was a good idea, except, my voice was beyond scratchy from whatever I was carrying around, so I didn't stay long. Plus the priest was difficult to hear and seemed quite bored with whatever he was saying! I walked across the Port to meet Lana and Graziella and others for lunch near Cocoa Beach.
Then we visited Irish artist Geraldine Sadlier's galley to see her work, which is mostly of Nice and surroundings. (After that Lana and I took an Irish break to go hear two different live groups in two different restaurants. We had light supper at the second place: delicious zucchini and cauliflower soup with white chocolate mousse!!!)

White chocolate mousse!!!

Monday night which was St. Patrick's Day was the big party at JAM. It was very Irish with the traditional green gear of hats and sunglasses and you-name-it! We were surprised by a short visit from Joe Hurt, a talented young piano player, who played a few songs for us. (He played for Billy Joel's 60th birthday party!) There were other performers-both singers and musicians, so it was great fun!!

Monday night which was St. Patrick's Day was the big party at JAM. It was very Irish with the traditional green gear of hats and sunglasses and you-name-it! We were surprised by a short visit from Joe Hurt, a talented young piano player, who played a few songs for us. (He played for Billy Joel's 60th birthday party!) There were other performers-both singers and musicians, so it was great fun!!

And I was back to Collioure, as my days in France come to an end...one wonderful and interesting experience after another filled with caring, funny, delightful friends-both old (as in times before this trip!!) to the new. Hopefully we will meet again-either in France or in Boston, or even Lisbon or Amsterdam!!
Next stop, Barcelona! See you there!!

Of Witches and Mushrooms (Ristorante Ca' Mea) for Another Day Trip to Italy...

Well, I went to Nice to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but I would not have gone if I hadn't met so many delightful people!

Graziella invited Lana, Joanna, and me to go with her to the little medieval village of Triora, Italy, "past living in art and nature", which the brochure says. It is especially famous for a witch hunt between 1587 and 1589, when these women were accused of causing a famine.

L to R: Lana, Joanna, Graziella

But first we stopped for lunch at, which the TI in Ventimiglia on our earlier trip had told us about. OH, MY!!!!! This was an amazing FIFTEEN course meal, centered around mushrooms!!!

Menu at Ristorante Ca' Mea 

• Cheese bread sticks and bread basket

•  Salad of Carpaccio (raw beef), sliced raw artichokes, and finely sliced parmesan cheese

• Mushrooms in oil

• Ricotta with spring onions

• Quiche with cheese (gooey and delicious)

• HUGE plate of raw vegetables: red and yellow peppers, celery, scallion, carrots

• Mushroom omelet

• Potatoes and mushrooms gratin

• Bagna cauda veggies with anchovies creamy fondue 

• Tagliatelle or risotto with  mushrooms

• Choice of Lamb chops or steak(only Joanna ordered the chops; they brought three!)

• Deep-fried mushroom slices and artichokes in batter with main course (called Mushroom and artichokes beignet)

• Tiramisu in what looked a chamber pot (really an enamel soup pot?) or lemon ice cream with berries

• Limoncello

• Wine with meal

 

Next table. I was so amazed (overwhelmed?) by all the food, I FORGOT to take pix!

Lemon ice cream=PERFECT ending for such a "pig-out"!

Interesting building

NEVER have I been served such a feast, and all for 35 euros!!! I, of a not petite appetite, did not even order any meat for that course, as I was "STUFFED TO THE GILLS"!! The restaurant was quite full, so it is very popular for tourists and locals! (Not sure when I will eat mushrooms again!)

And then we were off to explore Triora. The center of the town has a "regional museum of ethnography and witchcraft".

Museum entry

Witch in a back-to-school dress?

NOW I wish I had visited that, but none of us did, as we really felt we needed to walk around after that Gargantuan meal! It had more information than just about the witch hunt.But it was a delightful town and a wonderful day with three of my new friends!! Thanks!!!

Excellent Teamwork Exercise in the Collioure Commando Training

When I tried to learn more about the commando training here in Collioure, I could not find too much specific information. This did tell me a little more. As I have noted before, they are similar to US Navy Seals.
 http://troon-promotions.com/Chap%201%20P1.htm
 (This website also mentions the commandos, but this is such a pleaant description of Collioure, I am including it.) http://www.mileskington.com/More%20Miles/Travel/Collioure.html

Last Thursday when I went out for coffee with Marion and David, I distinctly did not bring my camera. What else would I see? The sea and the lovely scenery and what else? After coffee I walked to the Carrefour City for some groceries, and saw that a group of the Commandos were starting some sort of an exercise. And all I had was my phone!!!!
They had tree saplings which they had lashed together in an X-shape. As I watched, I saw them start to make the "bridge over the River Kwai". (I would guess it is not more than 4' deep there.)  Only one soldier lost his balance and fell in. Once the bases were in place, they started to add the crosspieces. As they started to go across, in a sort of half crouch, the person behind, stood on the cross piece to weight it down. There were two woman Commandos, and, of course, their weight was not enough to hold it down that much. When the first woman went across, she saw that the piece needed to be moved forward, so she and the guy behind her worked to fix the problem. In order to do that, she took very small jumps so he could kick the piece forward. Some of the Commandos had one obviously heavy backpacks, while some carried one in front and one on his back, but my dying iphone did not get too many pictures. (In fact, no photos of the backpacking Commandos going across!) You will see one got into video mode, as does happen, when Murphy's Law takes over! It was fascinating to watch, needless to say! And NOW I will always take my camera with me!

MURPHY'S LAW....

Seeing a Policeman at Work!!

When I was in Nice, I would see groups of
four-six police personnel (men and women) walking up and down the newly refurbished Paillon or on the Promenade along the beaches, talking among themselves or on their cellphones. My friends and I would wonder what "they do they ever do to police the lovely city of Nice?" (With all the dog droppings left behind, did not one of them ever see this happen?)
So, you can imagine my delight yesterday when I was on the local bus to go to Porte d'Espagne, a shopping center in Perpignan, and saw the motorcycle-riding policeman signal the bus driver and pull him over!! The driver had been on his cellphone, and I actually thought the policeman was just flagging him to get off the phone, but, NO! At the next stop, the policeman came to the door of the bus, and the driver gave him a red card, (his license?). The policeman went to his motorcycle and wrote him up (I hope and assume?). The driver got out and acted pretty jovial throughout the whole thing. The officer acted pretty somber. I acted pretty pleased! How many accidents have we heard of where the driver of the train or subway car was on his or her cellphone??

Driver is hidden from view; red seats are for the handicapped person, fabric has handicapped icon.

Visiting Montpellier

I stopped in Montpellier for three nights on my way to Nice before the St. Patrick's Day gala. Founded in the 10th century by counts from Toulouse, it features Europe's first medical school. Currently there are 60,000 students in Montpellier to add to the energy of this grand old city.

VERY narrow trail for the train with water this close on each side.

Anyone know the story of these buildings? Homes before the water's course was changed?

Esplanade Charles De Gaulle

De Gaulle Statue

There are more than fifty hotels particuliers, grand homes built by wealthy merchants. The only way to visit them is through two hour tours provided by Tourist Information. I took one, and the guide was very thorough (I guess; it was all in French), but it only took us into the courtyards, as they are now all private residences. (The medical school can also be seen by a TI tour, but they are only on the weekend.)

There were classes being held here, similar to US adult university classes.

There was an exhibition of Linda McCartney's photography in the Pavillon Populaire, which I especially enjoyed, as there were many pictures of her family growing up, the Beatles, and other famous musicians. (Can you remember the first time you heard or saw the Beatles? Did you also see them on Ed Sullivan on that fateful Sunday night!)

Okay, where did those nearly 50 years go??

Pavillon Populaire

Famed Resistance leader.

 The Centre Regional d'Histoire de la Resistaance et de la Deportation, a two room resistance museum, www.memoire-resistance-fr.fr is not far out of the city and a ten minute walk from the tram, albeit a bit hidden away with some signage, but none on the actual building!. They had audio-guides, and I found this very interesting as well.






Musee Fabre is the most popular attraction on Trip Advisor, and while this is not a huge museum, there are two buildings, one of which is the Hotel Sabatier  in these three pictures. built in 1874-75 (so I did get to see an authentic residence after all!).

The main building has a varied collection of European artists from Raphael to Matisse. It was recently renovated for 62.7 M euros, with 44.41 M euros coming from Agglomeration Community of Montpellier. Wikipedia defines " agglomeration community (French: communauté d'agglomération) is a metropolitan government structure in France, created by the Chevènement Law of 1999. It is one of three forms of intercommunality, less integrated than an urban community but more integrated than a community of communes. Agglomeration communities consist of a commune of at least 15,000 inhabitants (or a prefecture with less than 15,000 inhabitants) and its independent suburbs."

There are several famous outdoor spaces, which will be coming into their glory soon. I walked through Place Royale du Peyrou and by the Jardin des Plantes. The former has an Arc de Triomphe, a statue of Louis XIV, and a water tower. It overlooks the city, so there was wonderful views. Its openness felt quite grand, and I could imagine the coaches driving around the yard.

Inside the water tower

Water tower from a far.

View into Les Jardin des Plantes from the street

I spent three nights with Florence, another interesting Couch surfer!

Wonderful camellia in her backyard

She is very handy and did a lot of the work herself on her charming home. (When I told her the story of the flat tire on our St.Raphael house exchange-escapade, she asked, "Couldn't you change the tire yourself?" We could have, but the bolt was too rusty to remove it.) She and I took a delightful walk along the River Lez, near her house, when I arrived, and she also went to the Resistance Center with me. Couchsurfing www.couchsurfing.org is such a wonderful way to really get a better understanding of other cultures! (You can sign up either to meet people or ask to stay with them. You can also offer to do the same from your base.)

And then I was off to Nice. See you there!!

A Short Description of My Medical Experiences as of Yesterday!

March 21th

Well, with my time in France coming to an end, as I am off to Barcelona on the 31st, let me briefly describe my (limited) medical expereinces. (Thanks for suggesting, Melissa!)

First of all, let me explain. In the area of medical questions, I call myself a "checker-outer". This means, that NO, I am not a hypochondriac, but rather, what is it and "if it looks broke, how can it be fixed?" Second, if there were a medical emergency I am covered by www.medjet.com This would take back to the US if needed, etc. It is a terrific coverage and worth it even for travel within the US.

I had been in Nice several weeks and finally decided to check out something on my leg, which  I had first seen it in Burgundy. It seemed like an infection which didn't change. I had tried bandages and hydrogen peroxide with no change. In Nice they have an emergency number for English speakers (this is what I called when Joan visited), and Tourist Information has a list of English-speaking doctors to call. So I called and made an appointment for that afternoon at 5 along with bus directions on how to get there. The very young woman doctor gave me some bandages, but thought it could have something to do with my varicose veins (all the walking?), so she made an appointment with a specialist (cost could be 100 euros!) (I wondered if their medical system was similar to the realtor system whereby she would get a referral fee for sending me to this other specialist?) She was alone in the office; it felt like a shared office. Her English was mediocre, although I had gotten her info from the TI list. Luckily it eventually went away....Cost about 30 euro.

In the US we are advised to get our teeth cleaned twice a year (the dental lobby?), whereas in France it is an annual cleaning. I was coming to six months in France, and so time for a cleaning....No one that I talked with (except Tim who praised his Parisian dentist) was too positive about their dental experience. I asked my Couch surfing friend Regine about her dentist. She was kind enough to not just make my appointment, but she also offered to take me from the bus stop to the office. The woman dentist was in her 50's, and very pleasant. Basically she used an industrial water pic and hand pic to do the job. She didn't floss, but then I am not sure that flossing is a big thing here anyhow. Cost about 35euros. Adequate results and mission accomplished, in a manner of speaking!  I was lucky to get the appointment on such short notice! There had been a cancellation while Regine was on the phone. Regine asked about twice a year cleanings while we were there, which the dentist said was only necessary for certain people. There was another dentist there, so there were two offices and someone on the desk answering phones. In each case the doctor or dentist took the cash and made change from their wallets.

Several weeks ago I saw Geraldine Cazeilles, Pedicure.Podologue. She did an excellent job with my different nails for 32 euro. She went to school for three years, but cannot do any surgery. I was very impressed by her thoroughness!

Yesterday I saw a doctor in Port Vendres, as I have been coughing-seriously hacking for over a week. My new friend Sally, whom I met through Joanna of Nice, made an appointment for me with her doctor's doctor husband.( I would usually prefer a woman doctor, but wanted to see someone sooner than later.) They are here fairly recently from Spain, and he told me that his English is better than his French, which  was very good. He was very thorough. He noticed my eyes (asked if one iris was a different size?); he took my blood pressure, checked ears, mouth, etc.. He suggested I try to talk from my diaphragm (like a singer, which he is), etc. He offered some prescriptions, but was clearly not especially in favor, but I didn't want anyhow. I probably spent thirty minutes with him for 23euro or $31.75!! He had a small cluttered office which was shared (at least with his wife).He was dressed in jeans and boat shoes over a while jacket.

Hopefully that will be the end of my medical experiences in Europe, but as I had heard, the medical system in France is EXCELLENT!

And Off to Narbonne for the Day

March 6th

I knew this, but you need to be a bit skeptical about what guide books say or do not say. For example, Rick Steeves tends to omit certain major cities in a country, so you have to use another book to get all the information. While I am usually a big fan of Lonely Planet, they definitely underplayed Narbonne. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbonne,_FranceIf you are a student of very early history, Narbonne is a must-see.

The Tourist Information had a good map describing twenty-one different sites to see. Following are the top sites which I visited.

The Horreum, which means public warehouse in Latin, was built at the end of the 1^st Century BC, and is more than fifteen feet underground. They were first noticed in 1838, explored between 1935-1941, and opened to the public only in 1976. Now it also displays many ancient artifacts, including a collection of amphoras found in 1990.

Via Domitia in the Town Hall Square, dates back twenty-one centuries. (Another reminder of what specs we are in the universe!) The Via Domitia linked Spain to Italy in the 2^nd century and was uncovered in 1997.

The Merchants Bridge, or the Pont des Marchands, a UNESCO site, is rare and linked the city to the suburbs. While it reminded me of the bridge in Florence, it is not as grand with its very modern sh

The Archbishops’ Palace, claimed to be the second most important group of archbishopric buildings after Avignon, contains a archaeological museum and art museum.

The Market Hall is open daily, and there are street vendors on Thursday, so I went on the right day! (But, I bought nothing!)

I was glad that I visited Narbonne and thoroughly enjoyed my visit! Next stop:Montpellier!

Disclaimer: While there is Narbonne folder under pictures on my laptop, I must have deleted the photos I took without checking to see if they were in the folder....

The Day When Little Went "Right" or "Some Days Are Diamonds"....

Saturday March 1st
...."Some days are stone."

Well, I was off on my next field trip day. I had the bus schedule all set, and I was at the bus stop at 9:20. It is roughly an hour to Perpignan, and then another hour to Amelie-les-Bains, where I thought I could just visit the old Roman baths Sally had told me about. NO! YOU had to wait and pay to USE them. The old Roman baths are now part of this company. http://compagniedesspas.fr/  It did look very nice, as the "guests" who had used the baths were sitting in robes having teas or dressed and reading in the lobby as well as the bath area pictured below.

Lovely ride there-in spite of bus window reflections!

This was what I saw, and it was really only ornamental.

SOMEDAY I will learn to pay better attention! Sally did tell me that they were real baths, etc. But still I thought they would be like the baths in Bath, England, for example!
 Plus I arrived at 11:30, and the baths closed at 12.
So I rushed to get the bus to go a little farther out to Arles-sur-Tech to see Abbaye Sainte-Marie with the abbaye and cloisters, etc. Of course, I knew that would open at 2, but it did not occur to me that there would NO PLACE TO EAT!! Even SPAR, the little grocery store, had closed at 12:30, while I was wandering around looking at all the closed restaurants!! Luckily I had taken a breakfast bar, water, and a banana (never a smart thing for the bottom of the backpack, but I ate it before it became banana bread in the sun on a park bench outside the Baths.)

Entry to the Cloisters...all I saw!

Passed a foundry with strange sculptures; Earth to Arles s/Tec!

By then I was STARVING, and SPAR would not reopen until 3, so I took the bus back to Perpignan to wait 35 minutes for the next hour long bus trip to return to Collioure. (Buses from here to Perpignan run hourly in each direction Monday through Saturday.)

The bus and train stations are nearly connected, so I thought I could go there to buy some train tickets for future field trips. I wanted to pay cash, but there were only machines and by the time I got myself through the process (YEAH, I did that!) I realized that I did not have my credit card, and if I had had it, I could not use it, as it does not have a chip. (I am going to to call to get new card with chip.)

When I came home, I decided, since it had been really a (sort of) "wasted" day, to walk .8 mile to LIDL, a grocery store (of course!). AT LEAST it is a pretty walk along the coast. OH! There is a small stationery store near there, where I went first to buy a 2B pencil, but that had closed at noon! I did give myself "extra credit", because I could have gone to a closer market!

And I thought since it was such a day, I would go out to eat at Café Sola, a sports bar with decent looking meals. AT LEAST there would be lots of people all speaking French! But at 7:00, the kitchen was already closed-only sandwiches and drinks!!

Town square (market setting) opposite pizza stand

So I walked around the corner to get a good veggie pizza made by a pleasant BIG guy, whose pants were sliding down so far I saw more than I needed to. But by that time, my pizza was baking. While it was lukewarm by the time I got home, it was still  very tasty  with lots of veggies on it, including artichokes!!

Diamond or stone? I saw a lot, although not what I had thought I would see! But I am optimistic that my next outing will be more fulfilled....see you then!