Avoir, Switzerland

Our last day in Martigny is sunny and 20 degrees.  It feels like summer.

I am ever so grateful for the opportunity to go on this wonderful trip.  Helene and Loriane have been the most gracious hosts.  We also were entertained royally by Jean-Francois and Sandrine on several occasions.  Everyone was so welcoming and gracious.  All were so happy to see Gloria again, and she is ready to come back again soon.  It was joyous to be with the people here, and even though my lack of French means I spend a lot of time just listening, I always felt included. 

I am looking forward to a few more days in Montreal before arriving home. I am not looking forward to the long travel day tomorrow, but its manageable.  I read all the books I had.  I hope to pick up a English novel in the Geneva airport.  My suitcases are almost packed and ready, and everything will fit.  I didn't buy very much, fortunately. 

This was a time of enjoying people, seeing fantastic places, and learning about my self.  The three novels I read were all very different, but all happened to have a common thread about integrating the ups and downs of our lives and embracing all of what we are. A perfect fit for this experience.

More of Switzerland

Yesterday we spend the day sightseeing around some other parts of Switzerland, taking the local roads and staying off the auto-route. We saw several castles--- each area has it's castle, and some are still actually defense posts. Each area has it's Cathedral also.  We had lunch at Gerard's (Helene's "boyfriend").  He is quite a way up in the mountains.  we have visited some of Helen's other friends who live in the mountains.  One is Liliane who is 82, and has 3 flights of stairs to get into her house, and then a couple more inside the house.  She just retired last year from working in her daughter's boutique-- a really off-beat clothing store called


Today I visited the Martigny museum, which was very interesting.  There is a beautiful sculpture garden with works by Henry Moore, Calder, and lots more. There is also an automobile museum, which I didn't expect to enjoy, but it was pretty extensive and showed many of the first automobiles, both European and American.


Time is winding down here.  Gloria and I leave here on Friday, taking the train to Geneva, and then fly to Montreal for a few days before returning to Vancouver.  It will be good to get home, even though this has been fantastic.

Paris

Paris, Oct. 26-29

I am so glad that I made the trip to Paris.  What a wonderfully beautiful city!  The most amazing thing is the abundance of gorgeous buildings wherever you go.  I was “oohing” and “aahing” at nearly every turn. I would love to live there—well, if I were wealthy and spoke French.

I went by train from Martigny to Lausanne, then changing trains to Paris. I was a bit anxious about being on the right platform, getting on the right train, etc, which seemed odd to me, being I navigated Seoul, Korea, by myself several years ago, where it was much harder to find my way.  But I made it just fine--- no strikes ---- just a 45 minute delay one place which may have been strike related.  I then navigated the Metro to the stop near my hotel, and found my way there.  It was a great place I found on EuroCheapo.com ---- very near the Eiffel Tower.  The neighborhood was pretty upscale.  Because many consulates and foreign-service offices are nearby, many diplomats and so forth live in the area.  All I did the first afternoon/evening was to explore the neighborhood.

It was impossible to see everything on a three-day trip especially when I had never been there before.  I bought a ticket for a “hop-on-hop-off” tour bus, and that worked out well.  The weather was good, cool in the mornings and evenings, but sunny during the day, and no rain, which made riding in the open-air bus very workable.  I visited Notre Dame Cathedral, and actually stayed for the Mass.  The Cathedral was very beautiful.  Later I went to the center of the city, visited the Opera area, the Madeleine church, the Apple Store, a huge department store, Galleries Lafayette, and other places downtown, getting on and off the tour bus.  The second day was museum day--- I visited the Louvre and the Orsay. The third day I spent most of the time I had before my train along the Champs Elysees.  In the evenings I was worn out from walking during the day, so I didn’t go to any shows or experience the Paris nightlife. I tried out different restaurants in the area of my hotel, and was in bed by 10 or 11. 

I wore my Vancouver 2010 jacket, with Canada written across the front, that and a backpack made it obvious I was a tourist, and people very helpful if I needed directions or had questions. There was one downside to this—apparently this made me a target for a particular scam.  I didn’t catch on the first time.  A woman was walking along beside me, and she picked up something from the sidewalk.  It was a man’s wedding band.  She smiled and said in broken English, “Ah, Good luck!” Then she handed it to me, and said, “It’s for you.”  I said no at first—she insisted.  She said you take it---I have no husband, no family.  Then she said she was from Bosnia, and lost her passport—could I give her some money for my good luck.  I said no, and then handed the ring back to her, realizing it was a set up form the beginning.  The odd thing was that this happened to me four more times in three days!  I saw one woman look at me and then drop the ring right in front of her. I found it interesting to observe---- I guess I look pretty gullible! 

Oct 30: Lausanne- Olympic Museum

We visited the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the headquarters of the IOC.  It is in the most beautiful setting, on a steep hillside right on Lake Geneva. There is a lovely garden with impressive sculptures. The fall color was as beautiful as in Minnesota.  It was interesting to visit there so soon after the Vancouver Winter Olympics.  We happened to meet a woman who once lived in Vancouver who now works for the IOC.  As you see, it’s been a busy time!

Our Cruise, Part 2

Oct. 21: Salerno

Our port stop was in Salerno.  We had the options of going to either Naples or Pompeii, on tours offered by the cruise line or on our own by train.  Helene and Loriane did go to Pompeii, but I opted for a quieter day, staying on the ship, sitting in the sun and reading a great book, Cutting for Stone. It was a beautiful day.  After Gloria and I had lunch, I took a walk into Salerno, which turned out to be a little disappointing as the whole town shuts down for the afternoon --- as is the practice in southern Italy, I learned.  I joined up with some other folks from the ship and we still had a good time.

Oct. 22: Civitavecchia/Rome

Civitavecchia is a port town 80k from Rome. The tour offered by the cruise line was 94 Euros, so we opted to do it on our own.  We were able to get a 9 Euro transit pass that entitled us to take the train to Rome and return, and use all buses and subways all day.  In addition we purchased a  “hop-on-hop-off” open-air tour bus pass for 15 Euros and we were all set. Loriane and I left in the morning, but by the time we waited for the shuttle from the ship and got on the train, it was just before noon when we reached the Vatican.  We managed to see quite a bit before catching the train back at 6:30 pm.  I am amazed how much we were able to visit. We were with a Jewish couple from Montreal, Jacques and Leontyne, who were pharmacists, and originally from Morocco. Loriane and Helene had traveled with them the day before. They were interesting, but also a bit irritating because they would incessantly ask questions of people to get directions etc. On the train to Rome they cornered this really nice Italian man, Alessandro, on his way into Rome for work.  He was very helpful and spent a lot of time giving us directions and plotting out a route for us.  He spoke English quite well.  The problem was that Jacques who is Francophone, thinks his English is great, but it’s not. So when we were getting embarrassed about Jacques asking questions over and over, and tried to thank Alessandro for his help, so he could get back to his work, Jacques pipes up and says, “Oh, this is good for him to be able to practice his English.”  He kept making embarrassing comments like this. Shortly after the Vatican, we decided to go our own way. We saw the Coliseum, the Piazza di Spagna (where we climbed the 138 steps), Trevi Fountain and lots more. The weather was like a perfect summer day.

I never thought I would get this fabulous experience. I hope see more of Rome again sometime, but I am so grateful to have been there at all; it was wonderful.

Oct. 23: Elba

Elba was our last stop.  It is a beautiful place, with wonderful beaches and mountains. Of course it is probably most known to us for Napoleon’s palace there, where he spend time in exile.  Gloria, Helene and I spent a few hours walking around the city, Portoferraio, while Loriane walked up to the fort.  The Isle of Elba is famous today as a tourist resort.

Oct. 24: Back to Switzerland

We arrived back in Marseille early Sunday morning.  Contrary to all the strike rumors we heard, we were able to get into port, and by about 10:00 am we were on our long drive back to Martigny.  It was snowing at higher elevations as we drove through the Alps. We went through Albertville, the site of the 1992 winter Olympics, and through Chaminox-Mont-Blanc.  We arrived in Martigny in the early evening, very tired.  Helene and Loriane have to be back to work Monday.  I’m going to be resting up and doing laundry.  I leave for Paris on Tuesday, Oct. 26 for 3 days.  Hopefully the trains will be running on schedule.

Cruising the Mediterranean

Oct 16: Avignon

By the time we arrived in Avignon, it was early evening so we checked into the small apartment hotel we had reserved, and then went out to find some dinner.  Helene’s car is a Kia Opirus---it must be the largest model they make.  She was amazing -----squeezing through the narrow winding streets of the old part of city of Avignon, backing up when the street became impassable, avoiding pedestrians and parked cars and finally negotiating our way into a parking garage with ramps so narrow we had to hold our breathes to squeeze through.  Finally we found a typical little French bistro and had dinner.  The next morning we visited “Le Palias des Papes,” (Popes’ Palace) which became the seat of the Christian world in the 14^th C, when 9 different popes resided there--- in sumptuous luxury and debauchery. It is apparently the biggest Gothic palace in the world.  We didn’t have time to take the full tour, as we had to be on our way to Marseille to board our ship in the afternoon.  The legendary bridge of Avignon was also at that site. “sur le pont d’Avignon,  l’on y danse….”

Oct. 17: Marseille

The most “striking” thing about Marseille was the garbage.  This was the third or fourth strike we came across in France, which I was told, is what happens there whenever there is a holiday.   So far we have been very lucky though.  The trains are on strike, so we travelled by car.  Then we heard there was no gasoline deliveries, but were able to find enough available.   Finally our ship just barely was able to sail, as the harbor pilots were also striking. 

But sail we did, leaving Marseille around suppertime on Sunday.  Almost all of the 800 people on the cruise are from France, or are French speakers.  I have been told there are a few Norwegians on board also.  We have met a couple from Quebec.  The crew who are from all over the world, the Philippines, South America, Vietnam, etc. speak English, some fluently.    Every thing is in French---the entertainment, the menu, any announcements, the daily newsletter, everything.  This is somewhat disappointing to me--- I thought I might find a few English speakers to visit with.   Of course my travel companions can translate for me, and occasionally I can have a very brief dialogue with someone at table, etc, but it is a bit awkward.  The cruise ship is very nice—and of course there is no end to good food and wine. 

Oct. 18: Ajaccio

Monday morning we docked in Ajaccio, on the isle of Corsica, which is now French, but has bounced back and forth from Italy to France, and I suppose others, over the years.  The people don’t consider themselves either French or Italian, but fiercely identify as Corsican.  The city is on a hill, as are all of these port towns.  Ajaccio has a series narrow passages leading down from the top of the hill to the sea, running perpendicular to the streets.  These were for the people to escape to the sea whenever they were invaded or there was some kind of disaster.

We had most of the day to explore the area.  All of us walked through the old city in the morning, doing some shopping and visiting some churches.  We returned to the ship for lunch, and Gloria stayed behind, as we headed out again.  I visited the Fesch museum, which has the largest collection of classical oils in France, outside of the Louvre.   They were once the private collection of Cardinal Fesch, whose “palace” is in the area.  Ajaccio is also Napoleon’s hometown.   The cruise we are on is called “on the path of Napoleon. “ Loriane and Helene walked through most of the old and new cities.

Oct. 20: Valetta, Malta

Tuesday we were at sea all day, and on Wednesday we docked in Valetta, Malta.  We only had the morning on shore, so Loriane, Helene and I took a bus to the city centre and then did a lot of exploring from there.  Each city has a distinct flavor.  The old city of Malta is walled.  The area is beautiful, the air warm and fresh.  The official language is English, because England held it last before its independence in 1964.  However most of the English we heard had a very strong Italian accent.  There are definitely vestiges of England’s presence--- the red phone booths and a Marks & Spencer’s store for instance.  Talk about a place that was always being occupied by some outside force--- the large swanky hotel in the centre of the city is called “The Phoenician!”

Last night’s show was especially great—a revue called “Destinations,” presenting singing and dancing from many different countries.  “Danny Boy” brought me to tears.

We are all doing well--- minimal seasickness—although the sea has been rough at times.  We are having a great time.  Next on to Italy.

I hope all is well where you are.

Love, Maggie Rose

Heading Out to Sea

Helene, Loriane, Gloria and I are going on a Mediterranean cruise after all.  Helene found one that is 8 days and 7 nights, for 390 Euros, which is about $80 per day Canadian. We depart from Marseille, France on Sunday, then to Ajaccio (in Corsica), Valetta (Malta), then Naples, Civitavecchia/Rome, Elba, and back to Marseille. We are driving to Marseille--probably leaving here on Saturday morning and spending the night in Avignon.  It’s a 3-star boat, the Costa Marina, and we have inside cabins, but that’s just for sleeping anyway.  We get into port at each of our stops, so there is plenty of time for exploring.  I will probably take a tour into Rome--- how could I miss that?  I can barely imagine that I am actually having this experience. 

I hope to post about the cruise, but may have to wait until we return, as I am not sure how Internet access works from the ship--- it is available, but the cost may be too high. 

The weather has turned colder here, the summery days are gone, and I am told there will probably be snow on the mountains when we return here, on Oct 24. The valley where we are still stays quite mild all winter.  And not much rain either. It’s just about perfect, from what I hear.

Thanks to all who encouraged me to take this marvelous trip!  I really never thought I would get here. 

Sion

Today, Wednesday, Oct. 13, we visited Sion, which is the capitol of the canton we are in, Valais.   We were invited for lunch at a friend of Helene’s, Nadine, who is an architect, and designed the building and the beautifully decorated penthouse apartment where she lives.  She has the most amazing view of the beautiful city on one side, and of the vineyards and mountains on the other.  Exceptional! 

We were invited for a very special lunch.  In the Sion area it is traditional to have a meal of roasted chestnuts at harvest time.  Our meal consisted of the chestnuts (which we had to crack open), several kinds of cheese, and wine.  It was very interesting and very good. 

After lunch we walked around Sion, through the narrow winding streets, visiting some churches, and other sites. I took lots of photos, but haven’t off loaded them yet. There is a huge castle and an even bigger church on the top of a hill in Sion that are magnificent.  We also visited a Romanesque church built in the 11^th century.

It’s so wonderful visiting a place where you know someone and have the opportunity to visit people’s homes and experience something of the real life there.  I am thoroughly enjoying these experiences, even with the language differences.