All's Quiet on the Hill Top

As you know, Walker and I are fending for ourselves and we thought it only appropriate that we give you a report of our life on foreign turf. The truth be known, we are managing quite well! Walker spends most of his time doing his internet studies through the curriculum provider out of Washington state. That has gone well over all, but it is of course a very different approach to education. The course material is very thorough and at times too much so. Doing internet study has been a real learning experience and has taken discipline on all fronts. We seem to tweek something w/ our "system" about everyday. He has loved his history class and will at times just get lost in the reading. His only complaint is he has to move too quickly to keep up w/ his due dates etc. He would like to study the material in greater depth. I assure him he can work on that throughout his life time, and what a wonderful thing to do! We supplement history with DVDs from The Teaching Company which we highly recommend. I love to listen to them as I do art projects etc. Walker's other classes don't rate quite as high on his list as history ... especially French!!! Those accents and getting the correct spelling is a killer when you have to write. But, he speaks QUITE well! Ya know how in the US we see the Hispanic kids translating for the family. Well, that is Walker's new job! Without his help on the language front, we are not sure we could survive on my limp along plan. I can gather food at the market and I guess that's the most important thing!!!

In addition to school Walker is playing Rugby with the St. Marcellin team and he has LOVED it. This has been a good way to meet some boys his age. We are reminded daily, that the French are rather reserved --- kids don't invite one another over like we do in America. So having a team sport is the best way for interaction!




We are going on Sunday to meet some American students who are here for the year on a Rotary International Exchange program. That should be fun!

And then if you haven't heard, there is national news! Yes, the French news came to us via my brother in Mt. Airy, NC. Trains throughout the country are on strike and yes, we verified that the normal 8:03 pm train from Grenoble was in fact NOT in operation. The tracks are at rest again today, and it doesn't look like we'll do any train travel this weekend. Then there is trouble in the presidential household. I spoke w/ a French friend (who is single), and I was saying that the French president was now very lonely, and she said, " yes, but I will meet him next week!" So sounds like we don't need to worry about him anymore!

The church bells are tolling ... 12 noon. Everything closes now for 2 hours, so I'll do the same. Until next time, we wish you a bon weekend! We miss you all!

When in Rome

We have not made it to Rome yet, but as Walker is beginning his studies on the Roman Empire, what better place to explore than the largest and most important part of the empire outside of Italy itself - GAUL! Of course much Roman history took place in France and there are a considerable number of Roman ruins throughout France. So last Friday we did a quick journey to the incredible city of Vienne, France. The ruins of the Roman city, the museum full of Roman artifacts, and even the Roman temple and amphitheater in Vienne are all so easy to explore. The housing, public spaces, merchants shops and warehouses were all testimonials to very highly developed communities as far back as 50 BC. Just amazing.

Walker on a Roman dining couch.

shots from the archaeological site

The museum houses the largest floor mosaic ever found anywhere, and it was a part of a Roman dwelling in Vienne. I will include some pictures of some of the smaller mosaics. By the time I got to the large one (which was simply breathtakingly gorgeous), I was told I could not take photos. So enjoy what you do see. I probably shouldn't even have taken these. There are times when being a foreigner is just FINE. No harm done ... we hope!



From Vienne, we went to the Aeroport Saint Exupery outside Lyon. (History note: this aeroport is named for Antoine De Saint Exupery who wrote the book Le Petit Prince - he was a WWII pilot that disappeared on a flight mission during the war). We spent the night near the aeroport and the next morning we put Dick on the plane to return to Winston-Salem. Walker and I now know what is like to be "left in the middle of Kansas" with no kith nor kin. It is an adjustment not having our "French expert" but we are having many comical moments navigating the ins and outs of foreign living. Walker is quite the communicator, so we have that covered, and as long as I have our GPS (named Marge - because it works only marginally well), we can go just about where ever we wish. I do draw the line on the half lane wide cliff hanging, mountain roads. Even though our car is small, it isn't small enough for that kind of travel.

So our adventures continue and we hope you'll stay tuned. We are planning to go mushroom hunting over the weekend. Then the upcoming excitement for next week is our faithful house caretaker, Carlos, will return from his month in New York City. I will take his dear mother to the train station to pick up Carlos ---and we hope he decides to return home to his petit village - St. Marcellin !!!

Over the Alps

We said goodbye to our least favorite hotel in Torino, and headed out of town back to France and the Alps. We took the scenic route, wanting to get look at the River Po, and some of the parks along the river. It got less scenic as we wound through neighborhoods trying to get out of town. Finally we made it to the autostrada, and picked speed to leave the city behind us. We really don't do big cities well.

The autostrada did us well until we ran into the thickest fog imaginable, right before the toll booth. The phantom tollbooth finally appeared. We had been warned of it's approach for two kilometers, and with ten meters left the lights finally appeared. We were so close before seeing it I had to make a u-turn to get in an open lane!



Luckily, the fog was with us for only a little more. As we climbed out of the valley we broke through to bright sunshine and majesty of the Alps as we had not seen. Lunch was in the town of Claviere, still in Italy, buy just. It is a small ski town high in the mountains that has escaped the rampant development of most other mountain towns. We had a delightful lunch bordering the ski area and golf course. We were amused when some fellow diners finished up, got their clubs out of their car and headed off. Our restaurant was tucked behind the swimming pool, tennis courts, and next to the soccer court. How we found it is one of those serendipitous events.





Up and over the Col de Montgenevre we went to Briancon. Briancon is one of the highest towns in Europe. It has four valleys leading up to it, and was a major route from Rome to Vienne and Lyon. It played a significant part in defending the passes for centuries. Now it is a scenic mountain resort, the traffic having been diverted to the tunnel we came through the other day.

We toured the cite Vauban, the old part of Briancon that was restored in the 17th century. Vauban was the military architect in charge of the restoration. Several forts were also built around the surrounding valleys to protect the city. Briancon is up for a UNESCO World Heritage designation.




At our hotel we encountered a most unusual gentleman. I watched him register in his biking clothes, thinking not much of it, and then we met him at dinner. An Englishman of about 60 +, white hair, and of a fair proportion. He was meeting his wife in Sicily the end of October. She would fly, he was riding his bike! A new hero. He rode about 60 to 70 kilometers per day, about 5 or six hours worth. He left England 10 days ago and was at the peak, literally, of his trip. One more climb and it was all downhill. The climb he had that day was a stage on the Tour de France.

The next morning we meandered down the winding roads to Grenoble and back to civilization as we know it. The scenery was unbelievable, and we thought we might never make it for the picture stops en route. Enjoy the views!

Torino bis

OK, the hotel was really a little sketch, but from the snores that were heard it didn't hurt anyone. If you saw this picture in the travel magazine you would love it! That is Walker in his "Egyptian" pose. We did sleep with the window open, and the noise did finally quiet down sometime after 1 a.m.

Turin gets reviewed as being mostly an industrial city, but the center of town is really quite beautiful, and there is a lot to see. We walked all over, and were really sorry we did not have more time. The tourist office publishes a booklet of walks to explore the city. While walking we did find the perfect car for Walker!

We had a delicious dinner in the Piazza Vittorio Veneto, one of the most spacious squares in the world. A very beautiful outdoor dinner. Here are a few more pics from our wandering around the city.

touring turin

ok, this has to be quick. the hotel charges by the hour for wifi, pronounced "weefee." we dropped the dog off this morning at camp at 9:30. he was looking at us suspiciously as we packed, as if he knew something was going down. when we arrived at his spa, he jumps out of the car, the proprietor picks him up and he, zydeco, begins licking his face. so much for our worries about leaving him.

the drive from st. marce to turin was very pleasant. literally no traffic whatsoever. we drove down the valley of the maurienne, in a narrow valley that should have been spectacular. the low clouds and light drizzle shrouded any majesty the alps could show us. oh well, at least the driving was easy.


we wound our way up the valley to modane, on the french side of the 13 km long tunnel de frejus which connects france and italy. 32.50 euros later we are in italy. nance doesn't do tunnels well after our last experience in the tunnel du mont blanc, the day before it caught fire and burned for a week.

without our trusty gps, marge, armed only with a google map and directions we landed right on our hotel near the train station in turin with little pain. the stazione di puorta nuova is right in the center of town, and our hotel due mondi is two blocks from it. we pulled up in front, right away spotted a working girl on the corner. new it was a safe neighborhood. walker then commented that he thought it was a man, not a woman. we really did not try to ascertain the whole truth. the hotel is a bit tired, as they say, but with your eyes closed and ear plugs in we can stand it for one night. glad we brought the cocoons. walker swears he is sleeping on top of his covers with his clothes on.

our objective on this excursion was to visit the egyptian museum. it is supposed to be second to cairo in its' collection. it was fabulous! the scope of egyptian history is mind boggling, and to see the statues, sarcophagi, mummies, objects, and writings from thousands of years ago overwhelms the imagination. it is not being there, but it is close.

after our museum tour we wandered around the central part of town, gelato in hand like the thousands of others we saw. the city center is a mix of upscale shops, hermes, cartier, etc. and footlocker, timberland, and fnac. much like any other big city shopping area.

then back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner and more exploring. tomorrow on to briancon, high in the french alps, just across the border.

it is now 6:30 our time, and we raise a toast to liz and george on their wedding day!

ciao!

Scenery, Sculpture, Friends and Food

Today was a bit out of the ordinary, in that 4 acquaintances from Winston-Salem passed through our little corner of France. We met them early this morning in Pont en Royan where we were able to watch the early morning traffic jam in this one lane village. Huge construction trucks and the miniature French cars were having quite the challenge of getting themselves wedged down the little pig path through town. Quite the spectacle. We easily spotted our friends in their brand new Mercedes which they will then ship back to Winston-Salem after they eat and drink their way around France. After a quick sight see of Pont en Royan and the ancient houses that hang out over the river, we headed up the gorge to a favorite stop of mine. We visited the home/sculpture garden of Tineke Bot who is Dutch but has lived and created in France for many years. She is an incredible artist and her garden sprinkled with her work is just phenomenal. Then our friends headed to the 3 star restaurant in Valence where the chef is the ONLY woman in France to have three stars - Ann Sophie Pic. We know they had a lunch to remember. We on the other hand, stopped at one of our favorite haunts in Aubrive (the Virginia group visited this spot!). Though this is far from a 3 star hang out, it too was a lunch to remember! It is like being in a sit com. The place has a personality of its own - worth the journey to see and experience. Of course it is family run - husband cooks, wife serves. The food was very tasty, but receiving the bread from the other occupied table of farmers was a bit curious to say the least. Not sure what kind of health rating that would earn. Oh well, another day in France! And ... the comedy continued. Enters one very "special" little man as they French would say. He was carrying a flat of what appeared to be black truffles. But on closer inspection it turned out to be "peche de vigne". Now we too had to inquire further, only to be introduced to purple peaches. They grow wild and ripen this late in the season. The little man took us to his little white truck (so french), and there we found, dried (but REAL) mushrooms, garlic, purple peaches and freshly made apple juice. Needless to say, we came home w/ parcels of all except the apple juice - the little man had been drinking out of the last remaining bottle of juice and I had enough of the shared food concept for the day!!


PS For those who don't know, our little corner of France is a huge walnut growing area and this is harvest week! Walnuts and tractors are everywhere! We get walnuts on food, in food, beside food, you name it and we have walnuts. Walker and I visited the regional Walnut Museum yesterday and we learned a ton about growing, harvesting and even the world market for walnuts. The walnuts are regulated by the A.O.C just as French wine and cheese. The next walnut you eat may be from right here in our neighborhood. Bon appetit!

wednesday night/thursday morning. 12:48 am

waiting for walker to return from the usa samoa rugby match in st. etienne this evening. our good friend bernard, walker's brother, called last evening to invite walker. needless to say he was ecstatic, couldn't stop dancing.

bernard picked him up at 11, as we were headed to valence to meet nancy's cousin alice and her husband jim. we went our separate ways. about 5 we get a call from walker that they have been to a coal mining museum, and since the guide spoke only french, and there were a number of english only speakers they asked if anyone could translate. walker acted as the interpreter for the tour.

couple of hours later get a call from bernard saying he is forwarding a picture he took, and lets me hear the star spangled banner being played at the stadium. also tells me walks has been on the large screen as the anthem was playing. he had our american flag with him.

anyway, usa mounted a valiant second half comeback, but came up short 21-25. must have been a great match to watch. our young american had a great time and is coming home with a rugby ball of his own.

he's back...1:05 am. too excited to sleep, wants to go to montpellier for the match sunday.