Our French Trip Comes To An End

Oct 10, 2005

It seemed to go on forever though, didn't it? Our French trip, that is. We arrived in France on September 28th. Now it was the October 10th and in three more days we'd be back in New York - a very different place half way around the world.

What is it about travel that delights the soul to such a great extent? I asked Stacey why we feel so different walking around Paris. After all, it's a big city like New York. And probably, the differences are more of perception and custom than actual day-to-day life. People get up, go to work or school, have lunch, do some shopping, visit a museum, go to a movie, see a show or a concert. Pretty much the same in each city. But as New Yorkers walking the streets of Paris, I am an observer who adores the tiny French cars (I have always loved the French design ethic), make careful mental notes to compare the number of bicyclists in their city vs. ours (many, many more people bike here for small errands or to get to work and the number is on the rise as government encourages bike use to reduce congestion and pollution). Always the foodie, I marvel (and salivate) at the sandwiches artfully piled high in the windows of the shops that line the streets. And the pastries ... ooh la la ... beautiful works of art that tempt you, it seems, on any street you walk down.

There also seems to be more romance in France - I saw this everywhere, but never so much as in Paris. Couples, young and old, walking with arms around each other, smooching, gazing into each others eyes - everywhere, on the banks of Seine, in the cafes, on the street.

Their cities seem to reflect a more orderly society than ours. Everything is taken care of. Streets are washed and cleaned regularly. There are no overflowing litter cans and garbage being blown around their streets which is so evident in Bloomberg's New York. Shop windows are washed - daily it seems. Mass transit is on time and runs efficiently and quietly. And there are very much fewer homeless on the streets. I could be projecting, but there's a lack of tension that I so often detect in New York as if people know that their government cares and will take care of the things that are supposed to be taken care of.

This is not to say that I don't live in a great city with wonderful attributes. Everyone knows that I'm the original NYC booster. And French people visiting here can observe special things about New York that we may take for granted. That's what travel to foreign lands provides - a chance to compare and see the way people organize their society - we can be envious of some things over there and proud of some of our great achievements over here. Still we're happy to get home after a long trip because, when all is said and done, we crave the comfort and familiarity of our home, sweet home.

We left St. Tropez and took the N7 to Aix-En-Provence where we stopped for lunch and some shopping. It seems we always hit these cities at noon, just when stores are closing for the two hour siesta that is common throughout France. Shopkeepers close up at 12, return at 2 and generally stay open till 7 or 7:30. The road to Aix ran alongside massive outcroppings of rock and mountain up to which vineyards ran as far as the eye could see.


The N7 road to Aix ran through beautiful countryside with massive mountains looming in the distance.


On the N7 - vineyards everywhere and running right up to the mountains.


We had lunch at a warm and sunny cafe on the Place de Pecheurs - Aix-en-Provence.

The main street, lined with 17th century mansions is called Cours Mirabeau. Once again, a lovely French street lined with shady London Planes - they do love their trees and loving care is extended to take care of them. As we walked up the street, a crew was busy pruning them for the coming winter season. This would guarantee an abundance of leaves next spring.


A crew was pruning sycamores on the Cours Mirabeau.


And this was the result -- until next spring.

Walking further up the street we came to a remarkable (for you animal lovers out there) scene - a street performer, dressed in mime whiteface, with his two cats. It was a simply wonderful performance for us cat lovers. These two cat would balance on his shoulders, stand up and wave to the audience, kiss each other and their master and otherwise behave in distinctly un-cat manner.


What a sweet cat act!


Give your brother a kiss now.


Make nice.


There was a sweet bond between man and cat. We loved it.

We continued our walk around Aix, seeking out the important sights. We came upon the City Hall which has a beautiful bell tower from 1510, incorporating anastronomicall clock and rotating figures that represent the seasons. City Hall itself, was housed in an ancient building with giant doors and gates. Unlike our mansion, there were no bars or guards keeping citizens from entering.


City Hall's clock tower and its rotating seasonal characters.


City Hall in Aix - beautiful gates and a courtyard and no guards to keep citizens at a distance.


Nice knockers ... on the City Hall doors.


This guy was checking out the action in the place below.


All three -- just biding their time.


This is the pediment of the 18th century Corn Exchange, symbolizing the importance of agriculture during that period.

We continued our walk down ancient Rue Gaston de Saporta which has four old mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries. One, in particular, grabbed our attention: The Hotel de CHATEAURENARD at No.19 was built in 1650. It is famous as the place where Louis XVI stayed during his visit to Provence in 1660. But what was most fantastic of all was is magnificent staircase in trompe l'oeil which was painted by Jean Daret. I remarked to Stacey that people had a good sense of humor back then as the artist had all kinds of characters peeping out from curtains and romanesque statues gesturing to you with outstrechted hands. Quite amazing.


The Hotel (mansion) Chateaurenard at 19 Rue Gaston de Saporta with its fantastic and humorous tromp l'oeil.


Hi there dude.

We left Aix and drove on toward Paris. Consulting our guide book we tried to figure out where to spend the night. The next big town up north was Lyon, France's second largest. We avoided that and stopped just short of Lyon in what turned out to be a lovely, mid-sized city, Vienne.

The city is on the Rhone river and is perched on five hills. Our hotel, a Michellin recommendation, was about 6 miles out of town in a neighboring country village, Estrablin. We arrived after dark and had a hard time finding the place, retracing our path down narrow country roads several times, but we didn't give up and, after a half an hour or so, finally located the beautiful old building that had been renovated to modern standards - we were pleasantly surprised by the 3-star Hotel La Gabetiere.


A beautiful garden greeted us from our hotel window when we awoke the next morning -- we had arrived after dark.


Looking across the Rhone from Vienne.

We walked around town the next morning, doing our usual routine: seeking out the highlights. In Vienne, that meant seeking out the Cathedral of St. Maurice. Maurice, it seems, was a 4th century Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was martyred when killed by the Romans while on duty in Switzerland. The cathedral, which was built in stages between 1052 and 1533 is an important example of both romanesque and gothic architecture.


Cathedral of St. Maruice - Vienne, France.


St. Maurice - a gothic cathedral built around a romanesque church.

While in the cathedral we eavesdropped on a guided tour and gleaned an interesting tidbit of trivia. It seems in the 17th century fashions changed. Prior to that, churches and cathedrals were ablaze with color - the plain stone interiors that we observe now were painted in brilliant tones. But later, this came to be frowned upon and the paint was systematically removed from church after church. It seems that almighty fashion was as powerful than the Almighty himself.


The remains of ancient frescoes, out of fashion in the 17th century and removed from churches.

Next on our walk was the Roman Temple of Augusta, built at the end of the first century BC. Like the Maison Caree in Nimes, this was a temple to the cult of the Roman emperor and his court. It is stands pretty much intact in the Place du Palais.


The 1st century BC, Temple of Augusta, standing as has stood for the last 2000 years.


Vienne-ians take their Roman ruins for granted.


The Thinkers, one stone, one flesh - in a Vienne bus stop.

We finished up our walk - it was getting late and we still had to make Paris, more than four hours away. Vienne had been a surprise delight - it was not a big tourist draw, but a very pleasant place to explore on our way back. We reached Paris quite late in the day, too late to return the car to the rental office. Stacey shlepped the luggage into the hotel, while I searched for impossible-to-find parking. Dinner was at 11, then sleep. We stayed in Paris for two days before boarding our Air France plane home from De Gaulle airport.

This was a wonderful trip that will provide memories for years to come. We have both been to France several times over the years. I'm sure we will return again as it has an endless supply of exciting places to discover and visit. While in a bookstore recently, looking for guides for our impending trip, I came across one titled (and I'm paraphrasing), "A thousand places you must vist and see before you die." I laughed out loud reading the title and thought that I'm entering my 60th year. I'd be happy with seeing another dozen ... if I have the money, the time and the energy. Travel is great but it expensive. Stacey still hs her Frommer guide, "Europe on $5 a day," from the 1960's. Ha! His new book is rated at $90 a day. Don't believe it. That aside, travel to foreign lands is one of the most rewarding experiences that life can offer. I'm fortunate to be among those able to partake. I hope you enjoyed my posts and that, perhaps, they will inspire some of you to take a trip as well.

A bientot and see you on the road.