Adventures of Lydia and Joe

Dodging the Lyon marathon runners to get to our taxi

First dinner in Malta

Ice cream shaped like a rose and yummy!

We live on “Mary street”; she guards our corner.

Strait Street – typical to have stairs instead of a paved street.

Our front door

Foyer to te lift

Lovely living room

First of all, there is no need to be four hours early for a flight. On the other hand, when you’re in a city that’s new to you and you don’t know where anything is, what are you going to do with a couple of Sunday morning hours? Now if I were in Paris, I’d go for a boat ride. But in Lyon? So we were very early. The Rhone Express tram to the airport worked out very well. But the taxi to get to the tram station had a lot of difficulty picking us up because there was a marathon race going on and a lot of streets near our hotel were closed. So he came to our hotel, grabbed our bags and started sprinting to his taxi. We raced after him as best we could, dodging spectators and even runners as we tried to keep up. A few blocks away we got to the cab and fell in exhausted. So much for Lyon. By the time the check in counter opened at the airport, many people were waiting. When they finally saw some activity at counter, people started to line up. Then the airport guy would move the pylons and ropes he had just placed to a slightly different configuration and make everyone move out of the way. He did this at least 3 times. The plane arrived late so our flight departed about thirty minutes late. It was all a bit of a circus. The flight was uneventful  (thank you, angels for smoothing out the bumps.). We were picked up, as arranged, by a driver and taken to what I thought was our hotel. Only its not a hotel; it’s a self-catering apartment. It’s lovely with a spacious living room with a fireplace, a dining room area with table and chairs for eight, a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, a well-appointed bathroom and separate w.c., and a bedroom with a king sized bed. We could have a party if we knew anyone. It’s located in the old town and is near some of the major sites, But this is a medieval city with high walls and very narrow streets. There is no concierge to help us become acquainted with the city. Lesson 2 – I should have done more homework. Hopefully we’ll figure it out tomorrow.  Lesson 3 – We can’t hit the ground running anymore. Travel days are exhausting  We did find a pretty good restaurant for dinner. Shrimp and avocado salad to share followed by veal with mushrooms for Joe and veal with lemon sauce for me. Too tired to add photos tonight. I’ll post some tomorrow when we’ve got our bearings.

 How do we leave these lovely people and this lovely place? It was not easy. We got on the road to Lyon about 11 am and it was supposed to take about 2 1/2 hours to get there. Then it started to rain; then it proceeded to pour! Even on the freeway, it was rough for Joe. Then there was an accident and we experienced about a 45 minute delay. When we finally got to Lyon we couldn’t find the car return place in spite of GPS’s best efforts. Part of the problem was that the address was close, but no cigar. Fortunately I saw the car return sign as we passed it. No problem, go around the block. Except we got in the wrong lane and wound up in a shopping center multi-tiered parking lot. We managed to get out of that (cost 50 cents for the mistake) and eventually found our way back to the Enterprise car return. After my tale of woe, the attendant forgave us for 1/4 tank of gas that we didn’t put in the car because we couldn’t find a station that sold diesel fuel. I just might have whined and complained about the error messages from we kept getting on the car’s screen which kept insisting we needed to have the car repaired. A taxi to our hotel and all was much better. Except for the hordes of people! We’ve been in the country for several days and the crowds were a shock. Paul and

Basilica overlooking Justice building far below it.

Traffic jam (bouchon) on the A7

St. John’s Cathedral

The Basilica of Our Lady overlooking the city

The Basilica

Getting on the cable car and up, up we go

Lyonnaise potatoes upper left. Yum!

Monique told us to be sure and see the Basilica atop the hill and to go up the cable car to get there. We found our way, pausing for a little nourishment of onion soup along the way. We were told the Mass was at 6:30 and we arrived at 6. When we entered the Basilica, it was quite full of people and the priest had just started the Offeratory. Oh well! The Basilica is incredibly beautiful. Even the floors are covered in colorful mosaics. The ceiling is highly decorated with paintings and low-relief sculpture. After Mass we went back down the hill to a cafe for dinner. Joe had roasted chicken and I had a great salad that was a mixture of fruits and vegetables with a hard boiled egg for protein. I asked for Lyonnaise potatoes (a delicious version of scalloped potatoes) as a side dish and when the bill came, he hadn’t charged me for them. I don’t think it was a mistake; he seemed very surprised that I even knew about their signature dish. We walked back to our hotel on increasingly uncomfortable cobblestones, hoping for an ice cream vendor. No luck. In our hotel there is a coffee machine in the lobby that dispenses several hot beverages. So I settled for a cappuccino and Joe had a chocolate. End of day and time in France. Tomorrow we fly to Malta!

Vaison le Romaine fortress and Roman bridge

Starter salad

Our lunches

Terry’s trees

Chateau at Le Barrow

Abbaye St. Madeleine

Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Abbaye

Crestet le Village

Ok, so I don’t transition well, especially when it comes to saying goodbye to people and places I love. We did a final round of the places we hadn’t seen for a while after mailing yet another box of stuff home. I wandered around looking for some last little thing I needed to keep me connected to this place, but the clothes were too expensive and the stuff was unnecessary. Several things called my name – dish towels, soaps, sachets, aprons, even tablecloths and quilts. But I knew they wouldn’t help ease this sense of loss I feel welling up. So we left Vaison for one more meal at L’Epicurian. I didn’t need to go there. I had the makings of a good salad at home. But I told the guy we’d come for lunch and this was our last opportunity. So Joe had the set menu of salad with two deviled eggs, lettuce, corn, and a piece of chorizo, followed by spinach and ricotta tortellini topped with a meat sauce and finely diced fresh fruit for dessert while I had a pork chop, rustic style which meant the skin was left on the outside to keep it moist, and a green salad. A little wine en pichet and some crusty bread completed our meals. Then home for a few minutes to write a few post cards and give a review to Tripadvisor for Epicurian as I promised Eric, the owner I would. Then we were off to finish the list of places to see: Le Barrow and its castle, the Abbaye St. Madeline to have a Mass said for Michael and finally to the top of the hill behind us to the village of Crestet just to see a little of it one more time. Then home to get ready for our dinner tonight. We brought olive and tomato tampanades along with crackers and green olives we bought at the Vaison farmers’ market. Monique served a couscous salad and a melange of vegetables while Paul and Joe barbecued chicken. A wonderful red wine from Girasol accompanied the meal. We had a great time getting to know each other better, telling stories, and laughing. I think I got a little silly. The wine was really good and so was the company. Now I’m back at the dining table I’ve made my office, finishing this last post from Domaine du Crestet while the dryer hums and Joe softly snores. Bon nuit!

Brantes

Roussillon

Red and green in Roussillon

The Cafe in Roussillon

Les fruits de Mer

Down the hatch!

Flaming lobster

You may not be nostalgic to hear of Brantes, Roussillon, Gordes, Iles sur la Sorgue, Restaurant St. Hubert in Entrechoux; but all of these names mean so much to us – time spent with Roma and Terry, with Ine and Jerry, with Winney, Paul and Monique, and with experiences we’ve had over the past several years. Today we visited all of them. We drove over hill and dale, some roads too narrow for markings, with overlooks into beautiful valleys, with farmlands laid out in neat squares. Some had rolls of hay, some had rows and rows of lavender plants all recently shorn of their glory. Our rental car is a Citroen with very unfamiliar instruments and a push-button gear contraption, and the emergency brake where the gear shift ought to be. With the help of our GPS, Joe has done a heroic driving job.

In Brantes we went to the atelier (studio) of a Santon maker, only to learn that she was closed for the day. But we realized we’d been there before some years ago. The village clings to the hillside almost daring you to find the hidden shops and cafes. We moved on to Seau which is were we met a family a long time ago who were vacationing in this heart of lavender production. As we exchanged the usual, “Where are you from?”, it turned out their son and daughter in law had lived on our street in South Pasadena. So we had some lunch there overlooking more lavender fields and remembered that pleasant exchange. Then on to Roussillon, of red, red, soil and green, green trees. Memories of the two women we met in Bonnieux the first time we came to Provence and the fun evening we had in an outdoor cafe with the owner playing the accordion and a young woman getting people up to dance while lights twinkled all around the terrace. We came again with Roma and Terry in 2006 to admire the breathtaking scenery, found in only a few areas of Provence. Time for an ice cream cone! Then on to the hilltop village of Gordes, with its moulin (windmill). I love windmills and will drive several miles out of my way to see one. I remember this one as very tall and round and made of stacked stones. And there it was behind a big closed iron gate. What happened? It used to be out in the open. So I barely saw the top of it as we drove by. So finally on to  Iles sur la Sorge, a charming town with canals running through it and water wheels at each end of town. It is well known for its antique market. Again, what happened? It didn’t look all that different, and Roma would recognize the little cafes that lined the canals, but there were people everywhere and no parking to be found. So we looked, we remembered, and we headed for home. Following the signs “direction Carpentras” until we were in Carpentras, then “direction Malaucene” till we passed through it, too. Ine will know all these names. In case I didn’t tell you before, Ine is my high school chum whose fault it is that I’m so in love with this area in particular and French in general. It is her family who own the Domaine where we are staying. We whistled or hummed the Marseillese in Terry’s honor because that’s how he responded when learning that Napoleon had planted plane trees to line the roads so his soldiers wouldn’t have to march in the sun.  Also, we remembered the little circus we went to in Malaucene where the elephant was kept chained in an adjacent field until show time and where the ticket seller was the same girl standing up astride two horses as she galloped around the ring. So tonight we took Winney to Restaurant St. Hubert. We’ve been there several times before, the most memorable of which was the last time when Winney’s husband, Ben, was alive and we all went to dinner to celebrate my birthday. We had the most incredible dinner and laughed and laughed and laughed. Tonight was to celebrate the good times we all had together. I know it was a little hard for Winney to be exposed to so many memories at once; but they’re good memories, and we all had some good laughs tonight, too. Our food was wonderful, as usual. I won’t bore you with all the details, but just describe Joe’s meal. We all started with an aperitif of Beaume de Venise. He was in the mood for adventure so his first course, after the Amuse Bouche of something tiny and warm and delicious, was a plate of fruits de mer: mussels, oysters, shrimp, other unknown shelled things, which he ate with gusto, followed by a palate cleanser of frozen mark (an alcoholic beverage made from the seeds of grapes), followed by a half lobster flamed with cognac accompanied by vegetables, followed by a selection of cheeses (I made sure he got some really smelly ones; he ate them all!), followed by a towering dessert of merengue cookie, ice cream, smothered in chantilly, dotted with almonds and drizzled with honey. I’m surprised he can still walk. All of this was washed down with a good local white wine. We’ve been home 15 minutes and he’s already asleep. Last day tomorrow. We will go to the local monastery we visited on my birthday one year where they have a beautiful shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Also on the list is to mail another package home (watch out for it, kids) and do one more load of laundry. We’ve been invited to have dinner with Winney, Paul, and Monique so we’re looking forward to that. This was a very long day!

This is exactly the time we needed to rest and recuperate. First thing I heard this morning was the muted roar of the harvesters

Breakfast on the terrace

Our “Starters” for lunch

Winner, Joe and Me

as they worked from row to row, gathering grapes and then dumping them into the trailer for transport to the local wine cooperative. I learned that they are mainly Grenache grapes. I got a good video. Then Joe went to the store for some essentials so I could prepare breakfast. You must understand that this was a momentous event in Joe’s French experience. He never goes shopping alone except to buy a croissant from the local bakery. I was very proud of him. I made a delicious breakfast. It wasn’t exactly an omelette because it stuck to the pan so it was more of a scramble with fresh sautéed onion, zucchini, and tomato, topped by a little cheese. This was accompanied by slices of juicy melon, fresh croissants, and a garnish of grapes from the field. Then we realized we have a luncheon date with Winney for 12:30. Fortunately, the French do not serve large portions, so we’ll be ok. We met Winney at noon and she navigated to the town of Carriane where we had lunch at Le Tourne au Verre (which basically means Wine Served by the Glass. Start drooling! Endive salad, and risotto with chicken and mushrooms, followed by apricot and cassis sorbet for Joe; butternut squash and goat cheese tarte, salmon on simmered vegetables and pear tarte for me. All accompanied by a glass of Viognier and followed by coffee or tea. The atmosphere of the cafe was so relaxed. We had a good discussion with Winney on the candidates for election in the US and France. No good choices anywhere. The server wanted to practice his English and I wanted to practice my French. And so we did. I explained that I was taking photos of the food for my blog and he wanted the link.

We went to the pharmacy to buy a few personal essentials like conditioner and a few other things. Then home where Joe took a good nap and I caught up on Words with Friends and Facebook, then read my book club selection out on the terrace with a balmy breeze and a few bees for company.

For dinner I prepared a one pot meal of left-over chicken, fresh carrots, potatoes, and zucchini, kind of a stew. Again Joe was off to the store for salt, pepper, and wine. What would dinner be without those. No dessert tonight. I did get to have a long conversation with Sarah and Julie who, as it happens, were together driving to San Luis Obispo to do some job-related tasks for Sarah and to visit Justin at Cal Poly. We got updates on all the kids. I also received responses to my texts to Chris and Garrett. Our college grandkids are flourishing in their new environments.

Tomorrow I hope to visit an artist who makes Santons as well as visit some beloved villages including Isles sur la Sorgue and Rousillan, a village perched on a hill of very red clay soil and lots of evergreen trees. It reminds me a lot of Sedona, AZ. My children might remember the Christmas crèche I bought there some years ago that is made of the red clay. Maybe this time we’ll hike the trail a little.

Joe’s dinner

My dinner

After-market lunch

Harvest time

The patient one

The chicken man

Such a good day! We skipped breakfast and left for the Market at about 9:30. We were early and some of the booths werent’t even set up yet. But there were plenty of shoppers. This is Vaison le Romaine’s weekly market which draws patrons, locals and tourists alike, from all over. There is just about everything for sale that you can think of and a variety of shoppers to match. I heard accents and saw complexions from all over. Object of today’s visit was to find a new tee shirt, find a cute dress for granddaughter Ivy, find a cardigan of sorts that isn’t a sweater to wear with my sleeveless tops and to buy a few fresh groceries and, especially, to visit the Vietnamese chicken man to buy a freshly roasted chicken plus other goodies he sells.(I sent Ine a photo of the chicken man. We patronized his stall together several years ago.) I accomplished all of the above without the aid of my dear spouse who spent the time ensconced in a cafe drinking cappuccino, munching on a croissant, and trying to decipher the French newspaper. After the market we went home where I prepared him a delicious lunch – sliced chicken, Vietnamese rice and a veggie roll, a slice of melon, some olives, and a slice of fresh baguette., washed down with some delicious local rose wine. He needed some nourishment after all that waiting. Then I took a long nap while he read the English language paper I found. I kept hearing the mild roar of an engine and wondered if there was grape harvesting going on nearby. Miracle of miracles, another hope fulfilled. They were harvesting in our fields. I quickly went outside and walked into the vineyard to capture the event on film. (Sent brother Martin some photos) Then we had a nice cocktail time with Winnie, Monique and Paul, followed by a delicious dinner at L’ancienne Poste in Entrechoux. Photos to follow. Mesclun salad with balsamic dressing for both of us followed by local fresh fish over beans and veg.base for Joe; Rack of 4 of the most tender lamb chops with a fluffy potato croquette and tiny vegetable mousse with zucchini and tomato side for me. Shared dessert of a frozen grosseille and vanilla bombe surrounded by a meringue crust. Yum! (No photo, we ate it before I thought of taking a photo.) During the dinner, a little boy was playing with a balloon. How did he know Joe was dying for some kid time. They played soccer with the balloon until the little one tripped over his own feet and went down in a heap. He went crying to his mother and I had to practically drag Joe back to the table. While I write this, Joe is glued to CNN watching the fallout of the debate. I wish the cable would break!

Our hotel in Barcelona was wonderful, 23 stories of modern brass and glass. The room was large, floor to ceiling windows on two sides, a cavernous shower, coffee service, and very comfortable beds. I always ask for twin beds because the European idea of a double bed is very small and we need our space! The beds are usually right next to each other so I can still reach over and give Joe a whack if he snores too much. We had a small meal in the bar after our very late arrival and had a brief but refreshing sleep. Now we are on the smooth TGV fast train on our way to Valance where we will pick up our rental car and be on our way to Crestet in beautiful Provence. Train travel isn’t what it used to be. The seats are very comfortable and the cars are clean (so far), but there are few overnight trains, fewer routes, and the lovely dining car seems to be a thing of the past. I guess people prefer the cheap quick flights that are so available. So far the food has been the same on the various trains, expensive and boring. Looking forward to a good French lunch. I’ll let you know.

French grocery

Domaine du Crestet

French gazpacho

Heads and tails easy to remove; such pretty presentation

Salmon cooked perfectly

Yum

The good French lunch didn’t happen. It took forever to get our rental car, mostly due to the poor English of the agent and also the unwillingness of her boss to give her a hand to make our lives easier. In any case, we were finally on our way and I just wanted to get to Crestet and it was going to take an hour and 1/2.  We stopped in some little town along the way to get cash so we can pay the damage deposit and while Joe was at the ATM I found a little grocery store that sold Emmental (a delicate Swiss cheese), some bread, some mustard and some water. I also got Joe a hm and cheese sandwich. We finally arrived at our destination and none too soon. We were greeted so warmly by Monique, Winnie, and Paul. I felt like we had come home. We arranged to meet at 6 for a glass of wine and a chat before they had to leave for an engagement. The rest of this blog will be about food. We are definitely in France. We went to a local eatery, Epicurian. We were one of two customers so had excellent service. The photos should speak for themselves Gazpacho with tomato/basil sorbet (soooo good), Salmon glazed with honey on top of vegetable medley and a side of rice for Joe; risotto with peas surrounded by grilled prawns for me; and a shared dessert of raspberry and peach trifle with macadamia vanilla ice cream for dessert. All accompanied by a pichet (50ccs) of house red wine. Ooh la la, we are in France!

The Trump/Clinton debate is the unending blather of CNN right now. Fortunately, it will not happen until the middle of our night so I don’t have to watch it! Another advantage of traveling!

Picnic on the train – Manchego and olives

Fireworks to Celebrate te City’s Patroness

Only one photo today and that’s of our meager picnic on the train from Santiago to Barcelona. And now they’ve just announced that it will arrive half an hour late, 10 pm. I’ve called the hotel and their cafe is open until 11 pm. So the day was spent in a comfortable seat watching Spain roll by. On the west to central area I was surprised by the acres and acres of sunflowers all craning their darkened withered faces to the sun. Do they know that their worth is measured not by their sunny young faces but by their old oil- rich seeds? There were fields of mown hay with harvested round rolls scattered on the stubble and patches of corn stalks. I couldn’t tell if the corn had been plucked or not. The towns we passed through are all much bigger than I remember. Occasionally I could see a hilltop village in the distance with a pointed steeple at the tippy-top. For several miles we could see the Camino winding its way over hill and dale. In one section, you could see the row of trees planted to shade pilgrims from the scorching meseta sun. There were some craggy mountains towards Pamplona. We didn’t know the train passes so close to our Banales family’s homes. Pamplona, Tafalla, Tudela, all familiar names. Hopefully we’ll be in Barcelona soon. We’re both hungry and smell like wet goats. I’ll leave you with that image!

PS Who knew our arrival would be greeted by fireworks! Actually it was the finale celebrating the city’s patroness.

Botafumiero hanging quietly at Mass

Soap Gallego, a Galician specialty

The way we walk – snails!

The market with plenty of pulpo for sale – octopus

We had an amazing breakfast buffet at the Compostela Hotel. Then we packed a box for home. Sticks, boots, a few clothes we don’t need, a few souvenirs – 10 kg of stuff! And we had been carrying all that in our little bags! It’s on its way home so I hope my darlings will look out for it. It should arrive in about 2 weeks. The next thing I had to deal with is the cancellation of the Ferry from Genoa to Barcelona. I’m so disappointed. Not only that, but after exploring every option including planes, trains, and buses, the only thing to do is cancel Cinque Terre and fly from Rome to Barcelona. It’s done, without penalty. The slightly silver lining is we will probably go up to the Costa Brava for a few days. But, as my family will understand, I am very disappointed.

We had a good day in Santiago, did a little shopping, a lot of looking, went to an amazing market I didn’t know existed near our new hotel. It had everything, especially fresh fish. We bought some cheese and fruit to take on the train tomorrow. Our new hotel is beautiful. They have used the old stone walls along with lots of old looking floors and furnishings to make a very beautiful space. While our previous hotel was great, it was lots of brass and glass. This one seems to be more authentic Spain. We went to the Pilgrims’ Mass at the Cathedral. They did not swing the Botaumiero (incense burner) this time, but that’s ok. We saw it before. As we left the church, we stepped into a downpour and, in spite of our rain jackets and umbrella, got soaked. Dinner at the hotel (We just finished at 11) and to bed. Long train ride tomorrow. PS FitBit says we walked 10,184 steps today and that’s without trying. Last Tuesday was 17000+ steps!

Joe getting his sello in Sarria

We finished! After our first section of the Camino 15 years ago, where we walked the last 112 Km and received our Compostela, we have completed the circle. We started in Sarria and we ended in Sarria.We took a taxi from the Parador to Sarria, left our bags at Hotel Roma and had the taxi take us back 5-6 Km so we could walk our final walk. It was a little bittersweet and reminded me of coming into Santiago so long ago. I was so tired I could hardly wait for it to be over, yet I didn’t want it to be over. I didn’t know at the time that we would come back 5 more times to finish the whole Camino. I didn’t know it would take 15 years! This time it is really finished. But the memories will last a lifetime. There have been so many changes on the Camino. It seems a lot less reverent now and many, many commercial establishments and businesses have sprung up because of the volume of pilgrims. On a positive note, so many pilgrims are attending services in the small towns along the way. And what hasn’t changed is the hearty “Buen Camino!” From everyone you meet. In our case, they are usually passing us up on the path! So when we finished our walk into Sarria, we went to the first church we saw in the old part of town. There a very gracious gentleman greeted us and gave us our final sello.

Best ensalada mixta yet!

I didn’t sleep well, lots of hip and leg pain that Tylenol won’t help. We had to be up early for the train to Santiago and as it happens (Thank you, Santiago) our hotel is right across the street from the train station. Easy, peasey.  We got to Santiago and to our Compostela Hotel, the best place yet. We were upgraded to a Junior Suite. (That Santiago is working overtime!) I must really need a good rest.

It was great to be in the Cathedral again, to go through the Holy Door again, to light another candle for Michael. We went out to the main square and imposed upon some nice tourists to take our picture. So much for tonight. I’ll add a few photos and head off to my very comfy bed!

The Holy Door, open because it is the Year of Mercy

Camino completed at last!