We came, we saw, we drank all the wine and hogged the beach chairs!
Aug 3rd, 2001, 01:03 PM
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We came, we saw, we drank all the wine and hogged the beach chairs!
<BR>Hi all! <BR> <BR>It's a Friday of a very busy week. Here are the plans we've got so far, for our trip to the Riviera/Provence/Paris in 5 (count 'em, FIVE!) weeks! <BR> <BR>I fly into Paris early on the morning of the 7th. I plan to grab a TGV to Avignon. I know I need to reserve ahead of time, but I hesitate because who knows if the plane will be late - I HOPE a three hour gap (land at 815, catch the 1120 train) is ample time... I have yet to look this up - which terminal does the TGV leave, from Charles de Gaulle? thanks. <BR> <BR>I'll stay over in Avignon and get up early to visit Arles and see the Rice Festival/running of the bulls that morning. I found out the bullfights are only that weekend - so if I want to see it, I will have to go Saturday before my friends arrive. <BR> <BR>Any suggestions on pretty drives between Arles and Nice? At some point, I might like to hug the coast - how spectac is it west of Nice? or am I asking for trouble (gridlock) on a Saturday in early September? I would like to be in Nice by late afternoon to get my friends from the airport. <BR> <BR>Saturday/Monday - whatever strikes our fancy. Monte Carlo, cliffside towns, museums, hanging out in a beach chair with a super book and a drink... we are staying in Nice two nights, at the Albert Ier - a block from the beach, 100 bucks a night double, three star hotel. not bad!!
Aug 3rd, 2001, 01:08 PM
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Monday night we'll likely spend a little further west of Nice. Cannes, maybe St. Tropez, don't know. <BR> <BR>At some point we'd like to visit Grasse. I found out you can have your own custom perfume made, and, they save the recipe for you and will ship it anywhere in the world for you, upon your request!! <BR> <BR>One of my friends heads back to London on Tuesday night. we'll take him to the airport & from there... <BR> <BR>Wed/Fri we are in the country. I am not sure yet of what we want to see, but wineries figure heavily into it. So does hiking. <BR> <BR>last but not least, I really want to visit various artists' haunts. so that will figure in to our plans. <BR> <BR>Friday afternoon we're taking the TGV to Paris. <BR> <BR>Fri night/Sunday - Paris. My friends leave late Sunday <BR> <BR>I leave Monday at noon. <BR> <BR>any suggestions are welcomed! This is but a shell of our trip, who knows what will actually happen. This is a completely new experience for my friends so they are happy to do just about anything - it's all new!! <BR> <BR>if you know of anything offbeat, let me know! We all have been reading and surfing like mad... like we'll be able to fit everything in!! <BR> <BR>thanks everyone! have a great weekend... <BR> <BR>Beth
Aug 3rd, 2001, 01:54 PM
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Beth, <BR> <BR>I have to tell you, I LOVE your post title...it sounds like a country western song! I KNOW you will have a fun and wonderful time drinking all the wine and 'hogging' all the beach chairs! <BR> <BR>I posted a few weeks ago, about a great experience I had on the coast, I'll paste it in for you.: <BR> <BR>I was driving in and around Cassis, and stumbled upon Les Calanques...dramatic vertical white cliffs that drop down to incredibly deep blue/green turquoise water and hidden boat harbours. <BR> <BR>I parked and hiked through clifftop trees over smooth stone (sometimes sure footing was iffy)along the top edge that rimmed the sea and eventually ended down at the sea level at a remote inlet with a sandy beach and fabulous swimming and boating etc.. <BR> <BR>I believe the correct spelling of the inlet was 'En Vau'... I read later that in the 1990's a cave was found with the entrance 118ft below the sea and decorated with prehistoric animal paintings like those found in Lascaux. <BR> <BR>It truly was beautiful but finding it by accident was even better! <BR> <BR>Another place that is a bit touristy, is the Pont du Gard... but I do love driving to the morning market in Uzes to buy picinic supplies (roast chicken, cheese, bread, picholine olives) and driving to the Pont du Gard and after parking, walking past the place where you can walk out onto the pont itself...follow the path down through a thin layer of trees to the river edge and put out my blanket to spend the day there. The skies are usually clear bright and blue, and when it got too hot, I swam in the river under those enormous arches and others had climbed up and were jumping off. I never found where they were rented, but people were kayaking and canoeing alogn the river as well... <BR> <BR>I often imagine myself there in those two places there when sitting at my desk at work! <BR> <BR>Bon Voyage! <BR> <BR>
Aug 3rd, 2001, 08:49 PM
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Hi Beth, Somehow I can always tell from the title that it's your post! I'll be arriving in Paris the morning of Sept 20, so unfortunately we won't be there at the same time, otherwise I'd love to meet for a glass of wine. You probably don't remember, but I was the one who told you how to measure your brother so you would get a leather jacket in Italy that would fit! Hope you have a great trip and I'll look forward to a trip report, especially on southern France, which I hope to hit on a future trip. <BR>Susan <BR>
Aug 4th, 2001, 04:39 AM
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Hi Wendy! Hi Susan! <BR> <BR>Wendy - that sounds great, I think I'll check out my map and see when I can fit in les Calanques (I actually have a huge map of Europe posted up over my bed - it's about 6 feet by 4 feet - great trip planner!) <BR> <BR>They appear to be near to Marseille - so it should be fairly easy to hop down to the coast from Avignon/Arles and head along the coast from there. <BR> <BR>In your experience - how long would it take to drive to Nice from Marseille? I have to pick up my friend from the airport around 6ish... It looks like the D559 is the road I want? (I looked on mappy.com and it tells me it's about 2 hours - does that sound realistic?) <BR> <BR>Susan - thank you for the leather coat advice, I definitely made good use of it! I spent a week at home before taking off for Italy and got my brother's measurements... <BR> <BR>In the end, my scientific 'measurement' involved giving the cute guy selling me the coat a big hug (he saw me whip out my measuring tape, asked me who the coat was for & how big he was - and said "hug me to see if I am the same size" he then modeled coats for me...) what a flirt! why aren't guys here in DC that smooth? <BR> <BR>anyway.. <BR> <BR>Just so you know - there are a lot of nice little leather shops in Florence near San Lorenzo church. This is where I got the coat - I managed to bargain the salesman down to a good price by accident really. I had to run or be late for my timed Uffizzi tickets! As I ran out the door he hollered out his final price... <BR> <BR>The coat started at 1 million lire and I bought it for 300K lire (500 bucks, down to 150). <BR> <BR>ok, time for my morning tea. see you all later! <BR> <BR>Beth
Feb 21st, 2002, 09:32 AM
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Beth, <BR><BR>Did you ever go on your trip? I have only seen stuff by you on London...<BR><BR>I am trying to figure out if I want to see bullfights when we go to Provence this spring. I hear that they are not the "to the death" kind - is that true? I hear there are various festivals, and that Arles has a Roman arena - did you get to see this?<BR><BR>did you ever post a report? I am having trouble finding it...<BR><BR>thanks<BR><BR>Vicki
Feb 21st, 2002, 09:42 AM
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Vicki<BR><BR>Indeed I did, I'll find it for you and email it to the whole gang!<BR><BR>Did you like the title of my posting? I spent sooooo long deciding which title to use. I was going to use 'I am the Law and the Law won!' Isn't that such a groovy title? <BR><BR>Talking of which, I think I'm about to recieve a job offer from a firm in DC but I'm going to blow them off - they only offered 4 weeks vacation p/a! Can you believe that? I told them that I must have *at least* 8 weeks p/a for trips to Europe. They can sleep on it, though.
Feb 21st, 2002, 10:23 AM
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Hi Beth - Loved your title and had to "click" in. I'll be in Florence in two weeks so was interested to see your comments re: leather shops and Uffizzi tickets. I've never been to Italy before so would like to know what are the "must see" places in the Florence area -- museums, gardens, churches, restaurants, theatre, any other events and sights that might not be found in the tour books? What (or where) is Uffizzi? This trip came up quite suddenly so I'm feeling totally unprepared. We'll be in Florence for five nights, then four nights visiting with our son who is studying in Arezzo. Any ideas, suggestions, advice would be appreciated. It sounds like you do a lot of travelling - hope you don't mind my questions. Thanks, Mary Jane
Feb 21st, 2002, 10:53 AM
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sorry, Sue, was replying to the person who was impersonating Beth - I know she is on the road to Florida today so whoever it is who wrote that gushy note was making fun of her - I doubt Beth would write such a thing.<BR><BR>(although it DID make me giggle...)
