Back in France, once again! And I'd been looking so forward to experiencing the lavender fields that are prevalent in all the pictures I have seen of Provence, France!! So the excitement this morning was once again the thrill that I experience in so many places I visit! The reality of being on the other side of the world was exciting and I was ready to see the real thing. Unfortunately, no one had ever mentioned that the lavender fields in the Provence pictures are actually all taken during the short 2 week blooming period that happens sometime in June and/or July!! Some said it was longer or can be different in different fields, but the fact remained, that no lavender remained anywhere to be seen!! Lavender fields are not forever! The best I could do was see the flowers, dried out and in the rare souvenir stores that were open. Monday is not a day to be in the little villages it turns out, most stores are closed! So the visit to Provence was not the thrill I'd expected, but as with everything, there are positives too!!
I took the full day trip that promised to show us the most beautiful villages in Provence, and they were indeed lovely! The countryside and architecture was quite different from the other parts of France that I have seen and I enjoyed the new views. The villages were on the sides of mountains and the drive was lovely. We were in the Luberon mountains and visited the villages of Luberon and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and stopped to admire and photograph other villages such as Bonnieux and LaCoste (not the shirts). We drove past a village where Albert Camus lived, the author who wrote "The Little Prince" and we were near the castle of Monte Cristo, the setting for the French author's famous book, "The Count of Monte Cristo". There was a slight problem with the tour, the guide continually mixed up her left and right, but just about the time you figured it out and when she said left, you looked right, that would be the time she was correct! Very frustrating way to try to see a place, but no one is perfect! And I did spend the day in France!! I tried to recall my French, but muy rather than tres, and Grasias rather than Merci kept coming out. At least these were some of the nicest French people I've come across and they worked with our english. We had a lovely lunch in a small village where the hot food was hot and the cold was cold, a nice meal! We had time to wander and shop and as always I enjoyed seeing the local things. The trip was the full day and after perusing the items in the shops in the terminal, I embarked back on the ship, changed and headed to dinner. Now I will be heading to bed, I'm exhausted!!
Dinner on the ship was wonderful and I was brave and went to the anytime dining alone. I sat with some nice couples and a single man from England who told the men that he was on this ship to find a woman and isn't even getting off at any of the ports! Doesn't sound like my kind of man at all, even though the age would be quite appropriate. So after an incredible dinner, I sit here reminiscing and considering the lovely rest I am facing. Interesting, I've only been in France and the word lovely is constantly in my thoughts, must say a lot about France and my love of this country!
Tomorrow we will be in Livorno, the port city for Florence and my tour will be most of the day in Florence. My first visit there promises to be quite interesting and I will see more things that I've never imagined I'd ever see in person!! A new experience awaits, and my 3rd country in as many days awaits also.
Tomorrow I will remember to take kleenex since it appears that toilet paper is not a staple in the public toilets, though with past experiences I'm just glad there are toilets, although none have seats on them! I will also remember to put in my hand santizer and my lip balm. The weather is cool and pleasant so far, but the sun is hot and my lips chapped. Travel, so much to remember, so much to experience!!
Until tomorrow...
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Mitzi-César-Barcelona
Yes, it is true, Mitzi and César met once more, this time in Barcelona for another exciting, though horribly short, world adventure.
I left Denver, flew to Atlanta, had a 2 hour layover and then boarded the plane to fly directly to Barcelona. I was expecting a 7 hour flight, but was suprised to learn that it would be almost 9 hours! I sat next to a kind special education teacher from from Atlanta and although he slept most of the time I was only able to sleep a short time. I arrived on time and it took almost an hour to get my luggage and at that time César was supposed to be arriving in the same terminal. If he would have had luggage he would have appeared right where I was, but I knew he was traveling without any. I was expecting a great reunion, but time passed and he never appeared! I was thinking he was not going to be joining me and it was no surprise that the longer I waited, the sadder I got. Finally I figured out how to use my cell phone and called him and he told me he was out of the baggage area and by a Relay store, so I immediately exited the baggage area and went to the store and no César. I was accompanied by the Princess representative because it was time for us to board the shuttle to the hotel. We couldn't find each other so he told me to put my hand in the air. So there I stood, waving my hand in the air, along with the Princess rep waving her Princess sign in the air and he said he couldn't see us, so we kept waving. I still laugh at the thought of what we must have looked like to everyone! (Reminiscent of door 18 in Paris)Finally he found a sign and he was in the wrong terminal at the furtherest point away from us, in front of a different Relay store!!! So his trek to where I was continued and the shuttle left without us. There were a few more lost moments and finally, probably an hour later, we met on the sidewalk, near the taxi stand!
Not the grand welcoming reunion I had anticipated! But he was in Barcelona and we were finally together!! He had quite the story of his journey and may have just been more exhausted than I was! But that is another story. We were together and the wonderful Princess rep called a taxi for us and we had a very nice taxi ride to our hotel, enjoying the time we had to be together, not with the big group. We arrived at the hotel, about 2 blocks from Catalanya Plaza, settled in and then headed out. We were both exhausted and enjoyed a short walk on Las Ramblas, watching all the people watching all the people! Such activity and what a fun place to be! So different from anywhere else I've been! We walked for a while and ate some fruit and pastry from the Bocadaro. We stopped at an outside table and ordered tapas from a busy restaurant. They were not very good and we decided we didn't like tapas!! We then returned to the hotel for a nice long nap! I think we could have both slept all night, but we had places to go and sights to see!! We showered, and headed out, our first stop, the magic fountain in the Plaza de Espana. What a beautiful, incredible experience!! We both loved the water and light show we witnessed, along with the hundreds of otherpeople there! What a sight, I highly recommend this stop, which only functions from 8-11PM!
After seeing most of the 1/2 hr. show we had a very hard time finding a taxi to get to our flamenco show and dinner which began at 10PM...when in Spain, live like the Spaniards!! Dinner was good, however it was all cold so it was hard to enjoy the dishes that should have been served warm. I had a sangria with dinner, it was good, but didn't come close to the Sangria César's father made for me in Portugal. And then came the flamenco show...I chose the club that was #1 on tripadvisor.com and was expecting something quite different than we saw! Flamenco appeared to be a combination of a very loud yelling sound with some very serious looking dancers that lasts for a very long time!! I am sure there had to be a story we didn't understand, but after 2 hours of the yelling and entertainment we were happy to return to our quiet room about 2AM! I wanted to go out but César insisted I was exhausted and we needed to sleep. I think I probably fell asleep midsentence saying I wasn't tired and we should have gone out and that was about 3AM. Guess I was exhausted!
We woke up and were still exhausted but it was our last day in Barcelona, already! We hadn't had a lot of luck with traditional Spanish food so we decided to have a continental room service breakfast before venturing out. We waited a while but quite a feast was finally delivered. There was fruit I'd never seen before, but thoroughly enjoyed it all, along with a wide variety of rolls and pastries. After finishing that we headed out to see Barcelona! We took a taxi to Sagrada Familia and enjoyed the tour of that famous landmark and then toured the city on a red line tour bus. What a beautiful city it is!! We had a late lunch at a small restaurant on Las Ramblas and I had paella and it was delicious!! We took our last walk down the famous street to return to the hotel and then collected our luggage. Having César take care of us was really nice, the taxi drivers and other service people didn't speak much English and his spanish was invaluable!! We took a taxi to his bus, where he would catch the bus to the airport and he made sure that the driver knew exactly where to take me to get the ship and we said another goodbye. It doesn't get easier because who knows when we will meet again. So we drove away and my heart was very sad...
Now I am on the ship, I've seen a wonderful spanish folklore show and am heading to dinner, alone. I will miss the company of my personal tour guide, but the excitement starts tomorrow morning early when we arrive in Marseilles, France. I will be taking a whole day tour of the Provence region, my first time there!
So Jenny, you are right, Barcelona rocks!!! And now my solitary adventure begins...
I left Denver, flew to Atlanta, had a 2 hour layover and then boarded the plane to fly directly to Barcelona. I was expecting a 7 hour flight, but was suprised to learn that it would be almost 9 hours! I sat next to a kind special education teacher from from Atlanta and although he slept most of the time I was only able to sleep a short time. I arrived on time and it took almost an hour to get my luggage and at that time César was supposed to be arriving in the same terminal. If he would have had luggage he would have appeared right where I was, but I knew he was traveling without any. I was expecting a great reunion, but time passed and he never appeared! I was thinking he was not going to be joining me and it was no surprise that the longer I waited, the sadder I got. Finally I figured out how to use my cell phone and called him and he told me he was out of the baggage area and by a Relay store, so I immediately exited the baggage area and went to the store and no César. I was accompanied by the Princess representative because it was time for us to board the shuttle to the hotel. We couldn't find each other so he told me to put my hand in the air. So there I stood, waving my hand in the air, along with the Princess rep waving her Princess sign in the air and he said he couldn't see us, so we kept waving. I still laugh at the thought of what we must have looked like to everyone! (Reminiscent of door 18 in Paris)Finally he found a sign and he was in the wrong terminal at the furtherest point away from us, in front of a different Relay store!!! So his trek to where I was continued and the shuttle left without us. There were a few more lost moments and finally, probably an hour later, we met on the sidewalk, near the taxi stand!
Not the grand welcoming reunion I had anticipated! But he was in Barcelona and we were finally together!! He had quite the story of his journey and may have just been more exhausted than I was! But that is another story. We were together and the wonderful Princess rep called a taxi for us and we had a very nice taxi ride to our hotel, enjoying the time we had to be together, not with the big group. We arrived at the hotel, about 2 blocks from Catalanya Plaza, settled in and then headed out. We were both exhausted and enjoyed a short walk on Las Ramblas, watching all the people watching all the people! Such activity and what a fun place to be! So different from anywhere else I've been! We walked for a while and ate some fruit and pastry from the Bocadaro. We stopped at an outside table and ordered tapas from a busy restaurant. They were not very good and we decided we didn't like tapas!! We then returned to the hotel for a nice long nap! I think we could have both slept all night, but we had places to go and sights to see!! We showered, and headed out, our first stop, the magic fountain in the Plaza de Espana. What a beautiful, incredible experience!! We both loved the water and light show we witnessed, along with the hundreds of otherpeople there! What a sight, I highly recommend this stop, which only functions from 8-11PM!
After seeing most of the 1/2 hr. show we had a very hard time finding a taxi to get to our flamenco show and dinner which began at 10PM...when in Spain, live like the Spaniards!! Dinner was good, however it was all cold so it was hard to enjoy the dishes that should have been served warm. I had a sangria with dinner, it was good, but didn't come close to the Sangria César's father made for me in Portugal. And then came the flamenco show...I chose the club that was #1 on tripadvisor.com and was expecting something quite different than we saw! Flamenco appeared to be a combination of a very loud yelling sound with some very serious looking dancers that lasts for a very long time!! I am sure there had to be a story we didn't understand, but after 2 hours of the yelling and entertainment we were happy to return to our quiet room about 2AM! I wanted to go out but César insisted I was exhausted and we needed to sleep. I think I probably fell asleep midsentence saying I wasn't tired and we should have gone out and that was about 3AM. Guess I was exhausted!
We woke up and were still exhausted but it was our last day in Barcelona, already! We hadn't had a lot of luck with traditional Spanish food so we decided to have a continental room service breakfast before venturing out. We waited a while but quite a feast was finally delivered. There was fruit I'd never seen before, but thoroughly enjoyed it all, along with a wide variety of rolls and pastries. After finishing that we headed out to see Barcelona! We took a taxi to Sagrada Familia and enjoyed the tour of that famous landmark and then toured the city on a red line tour bus. What a beautiful city it is!! We had a late lunch at a small restaurant on Las Ramblas and I had paella and it was delicious!! We took our last walk down the famous street to return to the hotel and then collected our luggage. Having César take care of us was really nice, the taxi drivers and other service people didn't speak much English and his spanish was invaluable!! We took a taxi to his bus, where he would catch the bus to the airport and he made sure that the driver knew exactly where to take me to get the ship and we said another goodbye. It doesn't get easier because who knows when we will meet again. So we drove away and my heart was very sad...
Now I am on the ship, I've seen a wonderful spanish folklore show and am heading to dinner, alone. I will miss the company of my personal tour guide, but the excitement starts tomorrow morning early when we arrive in Marseilles, France. I will be taking a whole day tour of the Provence region, my first time there!
So Jenny, you are right, Barcelona rocks!!! And now my solitary adventure begins...
Friday, August 8, 2008
08-08-08
Today I sit here in wonder and awe. Did I really just finalize plans to leave on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise? And am I really the same person who said for most of my life, "I will NEVER leave the United States"? And no, I am not the same person at all. The name's the same and the home address is the same, but a different person arrives home after each experience! Travel changes one's life, in ways unimaginable!
It was just over a year ago when I took my first journey across the Atlantic Ocean, with Jenny and Bernie there for support. Scared and bewildered by what had possessed me to venture so far on the transatlantic cruise I was on, sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, destined to visit 9 European ports. My dream had been to see Monet's Garden in Giverny, France because of the years I taught about Monet to the children. Many times I had read "Linnea in Monet's Garden" and wondered what it would be like to walk through the famous gardens that inspired his beautiful paintings. And suddenly I was headed that way, and that dream was going to become a reality! And in retrospect, that piece of the trip was the turning point of my life. If that dream could become a reality, what else could I see and do in our world? So many times we are let down by the reality of our dreams, but in Monet's garden I was met by everything I'd expected and more! The beauty of the flowers and the scents were incredible, something no book or picture could capture! And that experience of my senses will be forever in my memory!
Taking a cruise for my first exploration of Europe was the perfect decision! Not only was I going to have the opportunity to visit the garden, I was going to Norway, and would see the fjords that I had also taught about for many years. The Viking Ship Museum, with the ancient vessels, would be a place I would be thrilled to see in person. As I thought about where I was headed I realized that many places I'd admired from the safety of my life, were going to be destinations I'd never dreamed I'd see, along with places I had never heard of. What an adventure I was on, and in the safety of a cruise ship, where they planned the tours that kept us 'safe' (such a major concern of mine) and took us to famous sights. Although reluctant to venture that far from home, I felt like quite the adventuress to make the trip. I was sure that the 17 day Transatlantic cruise to 9 ports would be my one and only trip to Europe so I was glad I was seeing so much! Oh, how wrong I was!! It was only the beginning of a whole new life and a whole new Mitzi! Okay, well not a whole new Mitzi, I still leave home each time with trepidation and anxiety, but I do leave and that is the amazing new part of Mitzi.
My journeys since this first trip have been many and varied and filled with incredible sights and incredible people! Travelling alone is a challenge but opens the world for others to come in. There are lonely times but they don't last and the new friends who have become part of my life are a treasure! What adventures I've had! I look at the hundreds of pictures and at times get goosebumps at the fact that I have really been in the most amazing places imaginable! And the people who have become part of my life are from all corners of the globe! Connie and Bob, Roebin and Pauline, Elaine and Simeon from the first cruise remember the scared Mitzi. Tue, the young Danish man in Copenhagen who rescued me when I was all alone at a white tent behind the airport, who I now see on each trip to Denmark... Cesar from Portugal has become a dear friend who is happy to be my personal tour guide around Europe. He worked at the tour desk on the ship, speaks several languages, and we became friends in a very short time. We have had some amazing adventures, including my being shown Portugal first hand, and Paris where his French was invaluable, and in Switzerland where he made my birthday a dream! Our laughter alone has brought amazing joy to my life. And then there are Terry and Peter, my friends I met on another cruise who invited me to join them with Terry's parents and cruise to Antarctica and spend Christmas with the penguins! And Carole from New York who was such a character on the bus that we became fast friends and toured Etretat and the Benedictine Monastery together, eating crepes and walking on the rock beach that Monet painted, after sharing our fascination at the key and lock museum. :-) And Melissa and Brian from Canada who were so kind on one of the loneliest cruises and Melissa is always filled with valuable information about every place I head. Anne and Ian, from Wales, were delightful dinner 'partners' and I look forward to visiting them there someday! And there is Nestor, the Argentinian tango and folklorico boleodoro performer who performed at the tango club we went to in Buenos Aires and then joined the ship to perform and became my friend, along with the other 'gaucho' Cesar. Our emails are infrequent, but always bring smiles as I attempt Spanish and use the dictionary to translate his letters. And Diana and Alec from Suffolk, England who will be forever friends as we meet in different places around the world too. And Hernan from Argentina, who worked with Cesar and stays in touch and I never know when I will be on another ship he is on and able to enjoy his delightful company with great stories of the passengers and the life of a ship purser. And Judy and Sharon who I met at the hotel in San Diego before the Mexico cruise. And Sharon from Canada, who was also on the Mexico cruise alone, and really touched me on that trip and we email at what seems like perfect times! And the list goes on and on...people who were strangers, who now are my friends!
And the places that dreams are made of! Brugges, Belgium still remains my favorite place in the world and I don't think it is just because the waffles are incredibly delicious, or the chocolate beyond anything I'd ever tasted, the charm and romance of the city, where I took my first canal boat trip, seems to be the perfect example of Europe as I pictured it!
My friend, Murray, created this blog, along with my flickr website so I could share my travels and my stories as they happen. And until the next trip I will be reminiscing about the fabulous places I have visited and the amazing experiences I have had. It doesn't seem real, yet it is and hopefully it will inspire others to take a chance and make the unbelievable happen! Single or married, there are so many adventures in the world to enjoy and make us grow!
The world I taught about for so many years, is now my world!
It was just over a year ago when I took my first journey across the Atlantic Ocean, with Jenny and Bernie there for support. Scared and bewildered by what had possessed me to venture so far on the transatlantic cruise I was on, sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, destined to visit 9 European ports. My dream had been to see Monet's Garden in Giverny, France because of the years I taught about Monet to the children. Many times I had read "Linnea in Monet's Garden" and wondered what it would be like to walk through the famous gardens that inspired his beautiful paintings. And suddenly I was headed that way, and that dream was going to become a reality! And in retrospect, that piece of the trip was the turning point of my life. If that dream could become a reality, what else could I see and do in our world? So many times we are let down by the reality of our dreams, but in Monet's garden I was met by everything I'd expected and more! The beauty of the flowers and the scents were incredible, something no book or picture could capture! And that experience of my senses will be forever in my memory!
Taking a cruise for my first exploration of Europe was the perfect decision! Not only was I going to have the opportunity to visit the garden, I was going to Norway, and would see the fjords that I had also taught about for many years. The Viking Ship Museum, with the ancient vessels, would be a place I would be thrilled to see in person. As I thought about where I was headed I realized that many places I'd admired from the safety of my life, were going to be destinations I'd never dreamed I'd see, along with places I had never heard of. What an adventure I was on, and in the safety of a cruise ship, where they planned the tours that kept us 'safe' (such a major concern of mine) and took us to famous sights. Although reluctant to venture that far from home, I felt like quite the adventuress to make the trip. I was sure that the 17 day Transatlantic cruise to 9 ports would be my one and only trip to Europe so I was glad I was seeing so much! Oh, how wrong I was!! It was only the beginning of a whole new life and a whole new Mitzi! Okay, well not a whole new Mitzi, I still leave home each time with trepidation and anxiety, but I do leave and that is the amazing new part of Mitzi.
My journeys since this first trip have been many and varied and filled with incredible sights and incredible people! Travelling alone is a challenge but opens the world for others to come in. There are lonely times but they don't last and the new friends who have become part of my life are a treasure! What adventures I've had! I look at the hundreds of pictures and at times get goosebumps at the fact that I have really been in the most amazing places imaginable! And the people who have become part of my life are from all corners of the globe! Connie and Bob, Roebin and Pauline, Elaine and Simeon from the first cruise remember the scared Mitzi. Tue, the young Danish man in Copenhagen who rescued me when I was all alone at a white tent behind the airport, who I now see on each trip to Denmark... Cesar from Portugal has become a dear friend who is happy to be my personal tour guide around Europe. He worked at the tour desk on the ship, speaks several languages, and we became friends in a very short time. We have had some amazing adventures, including my being shown Portugal first hand, and Paris where his French was invaluable, and in Switzerland where he made my birthday a dream! Our laughter alone has brought amazing joy to my life. And then there are Terry and Peter, my friends I met on another cruise who invited me to join them with Terry's parents and cruise to Antarctica and spend Christmas with the penguins! And Carole from New York who was such a character on the bus that we became fast friends and toured Etretat and the Benedictine Monastery together, eating crepes and walking on the rock beach that Monet painted, after sharing our fascination at the key and lock museum. :-) And Melissa and Brian from Canada who were so kind on one of the loneliest cruises and Melissa is always filled with valuable information about every place I head. Anne and Ian, from Wales, were delightful dinner 'partners' and I look forward to visiting them there someday! And there is Nestor, the Argentinian tango and folklorico boleodoro performer who performed at the tango club we went to in Buenos Aires and then joined the ship to perform and became my friend, along with the other 'gaucho' Cesar. Our emails are infrequent, but always bring smiles as I attempt Spanish and use the dictionary to translate his letters. And Diana and Alec from Suffolk, England who will be forever friends as we meet in different places around the world too. And Hernan from Argentina, who worked with Cesar and stays in touch and I never know when I will be on another ship he is on and able to enjoy his delightful company with great stories of the passengers and the life of a ship purser. And Judy and Sharon who I met at the hotel in San Diego before the Mexico cruise. And Sharon from Canada, who was also on the Mexico cruise alone, and really touched me on that trip and we email at what seems like perfect times! And the list goes on and on...people who were strangers, who now are my friends!
And the places that dreams are made of! Brugges, Belgium still remains my favorite place in the world and I don't think it is just because the waffles are incredibly delicious, or the chocolate beyond anything I'd ever tasted, the charm and romance of the city, where I took my first canal boat trip, seems to be the perfect example of Europe as I pictured it!
My friend, Murray, created this blog, along with my flickr website so I could share my travels and my stories as they happen. And until the next trip I will be reminiscing about the fabulous places I have visited and the amazing experiences I have had. It doesn't seem real, yet it is and hopefully it will inspire others to take a chance and make the unbelievable happen! Single or married, there are so many adventures in the world to enjoy and make us grow!
The world I taught about for so many years, is now my world!
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