Le joli mois de Mai

We spent a lot of time in France with two trips during May and it truly was “merry!” What better way to pass the abundance of school-holiday weekends that occur in May? One of the nicest things about Germany is it is a neighbor of France. And, southern France, in particular, is hard to beat. It tells you something good about a place when it is very hard to find a tacky souvenir, despite my now well-honed radar for such items!

Four days in Provence were easily filled with a wide variety of activities and a stay in a wonderful B & B (TripAdvisor.com is the best "travel agent" around!). The proprietress is a good reminder of what a small world it is – she is an American citizen, born in Belgium, married to a Frenchman she met while both worked in the oil industry in Houston, TX for many years. Now, they run the B & B and their daughter, when finished with high school at the International School two kilometers up the road, plans to attend Vet school in the UK.

So, a quick travelogue to pitch Provence as the “ultimate” travel destination. Of course, the food and wine are the obvious easy sell. But who knew how much else there is there:

Roman Ruins (living here, one quickly discovers the Romans were EVERYWHERE! There is a ruins, partially reconstructed, of a significant Roman fort just 15 minutes from our house). The Pont du Nord is the best preserved aqueduct from the ancient Roman Empire and the new museum is very well done.

St. Remy is the home of more Roman excavations, also very well presented and partially restored, at Glanum. The kids really enjoy exploring these things. The partial restoration really goes a long way to aiding the imagination to conjure up what once was…. Climbing on partially restored Temples that aren’t “off limits” also helps!

A short walk from Glanum , and one is transported 19 centuries forward to Van Gogh’s time spent in the asylum next door! This was also a very well done small museum. Van Gogh’s hospital room is preserved. One can look out the window and see the views, very much as they were, that inspired his most prolific period of painting. A well presented biography of his life is enhanced by an equally well presented history of the treatment of mental illness. While treatment for bi-polar, which he most certainly was, seems a bit barbaric by our standards today, it was clearly treated with compassion and the best they knew at the time – at least at this sanitarium.

The facility is still used as a treatment facility for mentally ill patients as well as a nursing home. The art for display and sale in the art gallery is evidence that the art therapy program offered now to the psychiatric patients is very well run! Perhaps Van Gogh’s experience there and his great talent despite his psychiatric troubles left a gift to the understanding of mental illness and its treatments as well as a cultural gift to the world.

French cars. Okay, there is not a lot to say about them that is positive. The stereotype, often repeated here, is that Germans lavish their money and time on their cars and houses while the French spend their money and time on wine and food. Stereotypes are often grounded in truth! There is no doubt that cars are not a priority in France. That said, they have come up with some cars over the years that preserve well for quaint auto club experiences. We were “followed” on our stops in St. Remy by just such a club of avid “mini car” owners… This picture with Audrey in front of a car gives you the scale – Audrey is now just under 5 feet tall.

Proving again the stereotype of the French people’s priority on food – here they take the German product, Nutella, and make it bigger and better: Audrey spotted this Nutella jar as big as your head!

The next day, we jump back to the 14th century and visit the Pope’s Palace in Avignon. We were lucky enough to arrive the weekend that included a Rose Festival throughout the grounds of the Palace. While none of us would probably seek out a flower show for its own sake, this was a beautiful surprise. Though, it's hard to say whether Ethan or Molly enjoyed the roses more... : ) And, the history of the two (and even,briefly, three!) Popes was very interesting.

Of course, one can’t go to Provence and not go to the Market. Molly declared these to be the best strawberries she’s ever eaten!

On to Paris and the French Open
Two weekends later we hopped in the car and went to the French Open on opening weekend. It was grand fun to be there in person despite the insufferable heat and crowds. The heat abated after we left and it got downright chilly and rainy as anyone who watched the final rounds on TV could see. Nevertheless, we enjoyed two days watching very good tennis and working on our suntans!

Gary and I celebrated our 21st anniversary this month and, always thinking ahead, Gary made reservations back in March for a celebratory dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower (one is lucky to get reservations even calling two months in advance). The kids were thrilled to stay in the hotel and order Room Service – so, we all had what we thought was the best dinner ever! The food at Jules Verne was evidence of the chef’s reputation as one of the best in Paris. And, the express, no-waiting elevator to the top was a treat as well as the view, of course. We were there over three hours for dinner and so were able to enjoy the dusk and sunset. Fantastic. Our 20th was lost in the shuffle of the move last year but,we made up for that in spades this year!

An aside here for another major difference between the French and the Germans... as we arrived that night, the place was swarming with police and barricades. It became clear whyas we left. There was a skater's half-pipe built that stretched up to the first platform of the Eiffel Tower that was being guarded until it's use a few days later. It was built in preparation for a death-defying effort to break a world record for the longest free-fall. He was to jump from that first floor of the tower and land on the half-pipe to finish his "skate." That is a 41 foot free-fall! I can't even begin to count the number of rules and laws that would break in Germany!!

We thought that our trip to Roland Garros for the French Open was purely a “contemporary” trip. Turns out, it may have been an historic one as well. There is serious talk of the tournament moving to new quarters near Versailles. Though the legendary history of Roland Garros would be missed, it is true that the grounds are too small for the tournament. Perhaps the threat of leaving will pressure the Parisian government to allow them to acquire adjacent land and expand on the current site. Time will tell….

More coming soon – we have a busy travel schedule in June as well because of a welcome influx of family and friends who are visiting. Stay tuned.

Then, on the 4th of July, the kids and I will make the most long-awaited trip of the year – our home leave to Indy for five weeks of summer. Adding on a week of family vacation to the Canadian Rockies, courtesy of all our frequent flyer miles, and it is should be a great summer. Despite all the wonderful places to see in this world, it is still wherever one calls “home” that reigns in our hearts.