Beautiful French villages abound ...

Bonjour mes amis,

We continue to be amazed at the number of absolutely beautiful French villages and towns. Particularly, the villages; they seem to be all over Provence. As you would imagine, tourists abound in many of these alluring communes.

Last week, we joined Natasha, Lawrence (oldest daughter and son-on-law, living in England), and Annika on a tour of the Provencal villages of Roussillon and Gordes, about fifty miles or so from Aix-en-Provence. These gorgeous, adorable villages seem to abound in the Provence region here. We continue to delight in their combination of history, antiquity, quaintness and the stunning beauty of the surrounding countryside.

The elements that make for this beauty start with their antiquity. The villages/towns are built on hills or hilltops--clearly for purposes of self-defense against possible invaders. Virtually every village has a castle and a church of some sort--all elegantly hand-crafted by the artisans of the era. Cobbled streets (made of stone), passage ways, steps and archways are everywhere to be found.

On our day tour, we visited the village of Roussillon, famous for the ochre that lines the hillsides, many views of which can be enjoyed over lunch or dinner (it was lunch for us). Ochre (pronounced oker) is a clay-like pigment used by artists in their painting. It is also used for general painting and decor. During the period of French colonization, the French would often have ochre shipped to their colonies to remind them of their homeland. After the French left the colonies, for a time, the use of ochre was disdained. However, it has apparently been making a comback in recent years. In any event, glimpses of this ochre are all over Roussillon.

We next visted the village of Gordes (pop., around 2,000), with its steep climb into the town center. As you approach (up the hillside), the community, built of stone, just sits there, chiseled, it seems, into the hills. At the viewing stop, tourist's cameras were non-stop, trying to capture the beauty of the visage.

We strolled the narrow streets and walkways, showing off 11-month old Annika and Niko (the dog) along the way. (Can't believe all the sights Annika has seen and, of course, will not remember.) The village of Gordes claims that everything in the town is made of stone. In fact, no fences are allowed, only stone walls.

The castle in the town centre was built in 1031, rebuilt in 1525 and no doubt upgraded, as needed, over the passing decades.

On leaving Gordes, we drove a few kilometers to the renowned Romanesque Senanque Abbey, whose construction dates back to 1148. The entrance to the Abbey features fields of lavender plants, an irresistably stunning and pictoresque presentation for the visitor. You've perhaps seen some of these beautiful lavender fields on postcards over the years. We browsed briefly in the Cisterian Abbey bookstore and learned that the Abbey is still inhabited by five monks.

Soon we were on our way back to Aix for our last couple of days with Natasha, Lawrence and Annika. We continue to be grateful for these special times with family. Yesterday, their month-long visit ended and they returned to England (in a phone conversation earlier today, I could hear Annika's perky voice, chirping away in the background).

We return to South Florida one week from today. Lots of details to take care of, but we're looking forward very much to getting back.

A bientot from France ...

July en Provence and the joys of grandpa ...

Bonjour mes amis,

Sorry to have not blogged for so long. I think it's been nine days or so. July en Provence is hot (mostly in the 90's) and tourists of all stripes (mostly French) seem to be everywhere. There's an energy to these summer days that pulsates throughout la ville.

Yesterday, on my way to the nearby supermarche (a journey I make four or five times a week), I saw at least four street, music groups--sharing their talents with the passersby. Two or three times per week, there are booths set up all along the Cours Mirabeau (the famous boulevard that denotes the center of this vibrant town) with folks selling their wares. The Cours Mirabeau is where everything happens here in Aix.


Since June 27th, our oldest daughter, Natasha, has been visiting with her family, which includes our first grandchild, soon-to-be-11 month-old Annika (son-in-law, Lawrence, is also with us). Annika is obviously the center of our lives--from the time she awakes in the morning, til her bedtime around 8:00 p.m. She is a bundle of energy, curious about everything and everybody. Not much of a cuddler, she loves to explore ... which means to touch and pull and push and inspect everything within her reach.



I have been doing lots of "Annika-care" and love every minute of it--even the diaper changing can have it moments of drama and fun. I pretty much have my routine with Annika worked out when I'm doing "solo" duty. She plays for a while (which requires constant supervision), then she's ready for a bottle (milk) and some down time in the cushioned crib/play pen we have in the living area. Then she'll play for awhile, entertainng anyone around (in the crib) and soon it's back to more time of exploration and moving about. She's standing more and better each day and is probably a couple weeks away from walking.


The lovely Annika is having the time of her life, with mommy and daddy close by and grandma and grandpa eager to jump into the fray. Of course, from my point of view, watching and delighting in little Annika is only part of the good times. I also derive great joy watching both Natasha and Lawrence parent. They are sooooo in love with their precious little girl. Seeing their young faces light-up when they are playing with Annika or reflecting on some event of the day warms the heart. Memories from 30-plus years back (when we were raising our babies) come flashing into conscientiousness.

Anyway, good times continue in Aix and my days as grandpa are precious days to both celebrate and treasure.

We return to South Florida two weeks from today. I can see, now, that I'll be eager to jump back into the fray ... into the joys and challenges of the local church and the life I love in Miami Lakes.

A bientot for now ...














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Visiting some of the countryside of Provence and Arles

Bonjour tout le monde,

At the invitation of Nicole, one of our conversation partners, we decided to visit her summer home in Roaix, a small village of some 500 inhabitants in the Vaison-la-Romaine region of Provence, about 80 miles north-west of Aix.

As we soon discovered, this Vaison-la-Romaine area boasts some of the most beautiful villages (all within a 15 mile area) in Provence. Nestled in the foothills of the nearby mountains, with an altitude around 200m, the villages overflow with ancient, Roman/medieval architecture--castles, churches, bridges, amphitheaters etc. In some of the village areas, narrow stoned passways/roadways wind up the hillsides with residences and an occasional restaurant on both sides.

There is an unmistakable quaintness and historical beauty to the these villages. You get the feeling that everybody knows everybody ... and that people don't seem to be in a hurry.

We enjoyed roaming the streets of Nicole's village, Roaix (where we spent the night), seeing the historical manor (castle) with its expansive grounds (boasting fountains, columns, pools, gardens, lawns, and even a tennis court). The nearby ville of Vaison-la-Romaine (6,000 inhabitants and by far the most populated of the 14, or so, villages) sports a rich tradition in the arts over the decades. The evening we visited, they were preparing for opening night of some renowned dance festival, to be held in the ancient amphitheatre (capacity, well over 2,000). There was a buzz all about and people--everywhere--on their way to the theatre.

The next morning and early afternoon, we visited the village of Entrechaux (population 869), the native village of Nicole's grandparents. We purchased some breakfast breads at the local boulangerie and enjoyed some vibrant French conversation with Nicole's childhood friend, Michel, an opera buff, whose family still lived in the village (he was currently living in Avignon).

Mid-afternoon, we were off to Arles (some 75 miles away), passing through St. Remy en route, both renowned villes where the famous impressionist painter, Vincent Van Gogh, both lived and painted. Along the way, we saw first-hand some of the beautiful sunflower fields (which Van Gogh had included in some of his paintings), with the mid-day sunlight glistening, radiantly, off the sunflowers.

St. Remy is a cute small town. Much larger (over 50,000), Arles is a blend of the late 20th century with the ancient and historical periods of its robust past. Its ancient amphitheatre (from the Roman era) is still used for local events, including (we were told) bull fights. The Rhone river (one of Provence's major rivers) runs through Arles and there is a scenic walk-walk along the river side.

At numerous points in Arles (where we spent the night), Van Gogh's presence is remembered and celebrated. Soon, after touring (mostly by foot) the town center and most of the historical sites, we were on our way back to Aix to dine at our flat and watch the finals of the World Cup with Natasha, Lawrence and our beloved granddaughter, Annika.

A bientot for now ...

Back to our flat in France

Bonjour mes amis,

When we returned from our ten-day trip to Greece and Turkey, our daughter, Natasha, and granddaughtger, Annika, had already arrived (earlier the same day) from England. Our son-in-law, Lawrence, arrived as few days later.

Some of Natasha and Lawrence's friends, Pierre and Jessica (from England; Pierre had also been at UC Santa Barbara with them), had been dog-sitting Niko during our time away and spent a couple of days with us after our return. Great young couple! Pierre is off in two weeks for the Congo where he'll be doing public relations for an NGO named Oxfam.

We are enjoying immensely Natasha, Lawrence and Annika's visit. Our ten-month little granddaughter is, of course, the center of our daily routines these days. She is utterly adorable (as you would expect any doting grandfather to say), crawling all over the place, standing up and sitting herself back down all the time. She works hard at exploring her environment, with an insatiable curiosity about virtually everything and an inborn desire to touch, pull, push and, in some way, handle everything. She's a great sleeper which is a blessing for all of us.

We continue to have sessions with three different conversation partners, each of whom is able to help us in different ways. One of them--Nicole--has invited us to visit her at her family home some 90 minutes from here, which we are planning on doing this week end. Her family home is apparently in a small village with lots of history and appeal.

Fortunately for Yvette and me, Natasha and Lawrence seem to love cooking. They have meals planned for both tonight and tomorrow night's World Cup soccer matches. Tonight it is Holland vs. Uruguay; tomorrow night, Germany and Spain. It's both fun and exciting to see all the cafes on the rues and boulevards with their TVs tuned into World Cup soccer when the games are on. These games bear all kinds of meaning to the participating nations and to the various allegiances of sports fans around the world.

The summer heat is definitely with us here in Aix at this point. We hear that a heat wave has fallen upon the east coast as well over the July 4th weekend. Of course, in Miami, heat is our way of life.

If you haven't already, check out Yvette's blog today for her reflections on a most interesting outing she had with her painting class (her teacher, Monique, is apparently a one-of-a-kind sort of personality, in addition to being a skillful instructor). The class had a picnic/ painting outing more than an hour from Aix ... and all I know is that Niko and I were waiting for Yvette when she arrived home around 12:30 a.m. Apparently a great time was had by all.

As the world turns in Aix-en-Provence. We feel so fortunate to be able to spend this special time with Natasha and her budding-young family from England. Lots to be thankful for and lots to look forward to as well.

A bientot for now ...

A Turkish massage, "Turkish Nights," and a walk through Ephesus

Bonjour mes amis,

Sorry to be so delayed in blogging. For our last two days in Turkey, we didn't have any wireless service.

The last of our two days in Bodrum (in all, we were in Turkey four days), Yvette talked me into getting a Turkish massage, which ended up being a 90 minute combination bath/massage. First-time experience for me.

We did the bath part together, each with our respective masseuse. Clad in swimming trunks, they begin by soaking your body with bowls full of warm water, all very soothing. Next, they have you lie on your back atop a seven by six-foot, flat, marble pedastal about two-and-a-half feet off the floor. They then cover your body with gobs of soap foam and begin washing and rubbing every part of your body. Then, you lie on your face (I could have used a cushion or folded towel to rest my face on) and they repeat the same routine. Some twenty minutes later, you feel both cleaner than clean and very relaxed.

A short time later, it was off to a massage room where, atop a massage table, I received a soothing and relaxing massage. My masseuse (strong hands and he seemed to really know his trade) used some Turkish oil which he rubbed into every part of my anatomy. About a half hour later, when he walked out of the massage room leaving me wonderfully relaxed, with oil all over my body, I assumed he was coming back and that there would be some process for rinsing the oil off my body. He never returned. I.e., that was the end of the massage.

Over-all, it was a positive experience. For a day or so, my body and skin felt renewed and refreshed. Check out Yvette's blog for her three-hour experience of Turkish massage.


That same day, we were soon off in a rental car (which we rented for the last two days) to Kusadasi, Turkey, about a hundred miles north along Turkey's western coast.

Our hotel, it turned out, was the delightful, harbor-front Caravansoleil, built into a former castle-like edifice. The rooms were on the second floor, about twenty-five feet above the quaint, attractive courtyard area below. From your room, you walked out onto a twelve-foot wide veranda that circled the hotel (again, looking down onto the courtyard). Very romantic setting.

That night we signed up for a Turkish Nights evening, right there in the courtyard, attended by around 400 people.

The evening included a buffet-style meal, unlimited wine, and an excellent two-and-a-half hour show featuring a superb violinist, all sorts of belly-dancers and Turkish dances, and capped off with two outstanding vocalists who did renditions of popular songs in at least four different languages--all to the delight of the very international gathering.

Yvette and I enjoyed a wonderful, a romantic evening we will long remember.


The next day (Saturday, June 26th), after a super breakfast in the scenic courtyard at the hotel, we were off for the 12 mile trip to the ruins of Ephesus, the renowned ancient city where the Apostle Paul had spent some three years and where he had also been imprisoned on more than one occasion.

The ruins at Ephesus are, indeed, amazing--amazing in that so much has survived into our modern world. Stretched out some two miles or so, easily, you can catch a sense of what it must have been like for the people of Ephesus some two thousand years ago (Ephesus had a population of 200,000 at one point).

A long stretch of the marble-stoned road ways still exists. We saw two theatres, one--The Great Theatre--with a capacity of 24,000 thousand. There were the remains of bath areas, toilettes, and fountains (the fountain of Trajan, for example). There was the Celsus library and literally hundreds of monuments to all kinds of emperors, consuls and gods and godesses.

Walking through such historic ruins grips the mind and spirit with wonder: what must it have been like? What was it like for the common person, for women and children? Clearly, living testaments to the legacies of the powerful dominated the cities' architecture. For the world traveler and the curious, it's a must see.

The next day--late morning--we headed off for Izmir (over two million inhabitants) for our flight back to France.

A bientot for now ...

The Greek, seaside village of Lindos and arriving in Turkey

Bonjour tout le monde,

We enjoyed our three days in Lindos very much. It's a gorgeous seaside village (about 1,000 population), nestled in the rocky hillsides of the Greek island of Rhodes. Some of the winding roadways through the touristy, business areas are more like narrow walkways, 8-10 feet wide, with overhanging roofs or plants for protection from the hot sun (in the 90's every day) above. Very quaint and inviting.



There were restuarants and cafes everywhere, along with the usual array of clothing and souvenir shops. A bit too touristy for me, but very attractive and unique at the same time. And every evening, World Cup soccer on TV's everywhere. Of course, with Greece in the World Cup, and soccer-mad England as well (many of the tourists are Brits), it's all very understandable.



One of our highlights was taking a mule ride up one of the rocky hillsides to Lindos' version of the Acropolis. It seems that every tourist takes this ride ... there were dozens of mules who all seemed to know their way (with the help of a guide, of course--one for every two mules).

This Acropolis, too, has its own history, plan for restoration ... and all with a stunning view of the village and seaside below.



On Wednesday, June 23rd, we took a large yacht (capacity, about 300-400 people) the hour boat ride to Marmaris, Turkey where we were supposed to pick up a rental car to drive the two and a half hours to Bodrum, Turkey. Turns out, the rental car agency apparently does not exist. None of the taxi drivers or other rental car people knew anything about the alledged company.



By then, it was almost 7:30 p.m. With a two and a half hour ride ahead of us, and a two-day hotel reservation awaiting us in Bodrum, we decided to shell out the extra Euros for a taxi. We arrived safe and sound to what looks to be an attractive resort hotel in this seaside city of about 30,000 people. These destinations are very popular to the English, who comprise the vast majority of hotels guests, from our estimation. Most of them are just dying for some serious sunshine, having gone through yet another long period of chilly, unpleasnt weather back home.



Thus far, we've found the Turkish people to be warm and friendly. We're hoping to get a highly recommended Turkish massage today or tomorrow ... all after we get our transportation situation straightened out. Tomorrow afternoon (hopefully in a rental car), it's off to Selcuk for two days and nights ... and, at last, a chance to see Ephesus, along with all of its history and renowned ruins.

Tonight, we're hoping to stroll into the center of Bodrum, perhaps see the harbor/beach area and gain a fuller sense of the spirit and life here in one of Turkey's many seaside, resort communities.

A bientot for now ...

Overnight boat (cruise) from Athens to the Greek island of Rhodes

Bonjour encore, mes amis,

Our ten day trip to Greece and Turkey began with two wonderful days in Athens. From there, we were to take an overnight boat to the Greek island of Rhodes, and eventually on to the beautifually, scenic coastal village of Lindos.

Yvette and I have never been on a cruiseship of any kind before. Although we had paid for a cabin, we had no idea what to expect. To begin with the departure time was 11:55 p.m. (Saturday night), which seemed late to us. Still ... would there be showers in the cabin, or any kind of shower? What would the accommdations be like? Would there be a lot of movement on the high seas (we have both endured bad experiences on small yachts/boats with motion sickenss)?


Our tickets (which were pretty much totally written in Greek) noted that we had to board the boat at least one hour before departure time. With that in mind, we arrived by taxi to the "Blue Star 2" (the name of the boat) dock area around 9:45 p.m. There were probably one hundred people standing about near the entrance to the ship ... and workers were busily loading the lower levels of the ship with all kinds of vehicles and trucks (semis, even). Soon, I asked an official-looking person standing nearby if we could board the ship? He said yes ... so, by 10:00 p.m. we were standing in front of the receptionists desk (having taken the escalator up probably thirty feet or so to an upper level) waiting for our room assignment. It was all very exciting to us.

The steward helped us locate our cabin for the night, cabin 8227, and immediately we were impressed with the accommodations. Shower with plenty of room, hot water, bunk beds (I got the top, which reminded me, briefly, of the top bunk I slept on growing up back in Aurora, Illinois).

But what we really liked was the large, spacious boat, with eating areas, TV viewing areas and sightseeing areas everywhere, all sort of blended together. What's more, you could go up one level (even two at some points) for some incredible viewing of the ocean, some of the many islands we passed, and the three or four ports we stopped at en route to the island of Rhodes, not too far from Turkey. Sitting window side in one of the eating areas and seeing the vast sea waters all about us--mile after mile--was very relaxing and enjoyable.

However, the highlight of the trip--undoubtedly--were the people (probably 95 percent Greek). Before going to our cabin for the night (it was now early Sunday morning), we spent some time in one of the cafe areas, trying to access the internet so we could skype our daughters (it never worked out, even though we had paid the fee for internet access etc.). In no time, it seemed, this rotund and spirited Greek man (informally clad) came into our area along with his two children.

In his early 50's, Ernie Tassos was an experience to behold. His children were Kristos (16) and Kristine (12)--very nice and polite young people. They spoke almost no English but understood some. Ernie had limited English skills himself, but that did not hold him back. He didn't stop talking and entertaining us until he dropped us off in his car (which was being transported from Athens to Rhodes on the lower level of the ship) at the bus stop in Rhodes Town to catch a bus for the 75 minute ride to Lindos (more on Lindos tomorrow), where we had booked a hotel room for three days.

Ernie was bursting with energy and a sincere friendliness (he would talk to anybody). For a sample of his great personality see video below. Right away, he became our self-appointed tour guide. But what was interesting (on the ship) was how he was always being corrected--or edited--by one of his countrymen/woman sitting or standing nearby.

When he discovered that I was a minister (he called me a priest throughout), he repeatedly entreated me "not to forget" to pray for God's protection of him and his children (Many of the Greeks, we learned, are Greek Orthodox Christians, but generally not active in church).

About an hour before our scheduled 2:00 p.m. (Sunday) arrival time in Rhodes Town, Ernie invited us to ride with him in his car to the bus stop. That, too, was an experience. Taking the elevator down to the lower level, finding our way to his car, driving in the car "out" of the boat. And then he gave us a 75 minute tour of Rhodes Town--all very interesting and entertaining.


Over all, a most memorable overnight, boat journey, to Rhodes. And by the way, God, if you are listening to all of this ramble, take care of Ernie Tassos and his dear children, Kristos and Kristine.

A bientot for now ...