I Lied – Here’s More

Just some random notes on the trip home:

1. The men’s washrooms at the Aix TGV station have little realistic flies painted on the insides of the urinals.  The attendant told me she thinks they are meant to provide an aiming point that minimized splash.  Not as much fun as the little soccer nets and balls you see here now and then, but more effective I suspect.  Interesting how automatic aiming for it was, even before the realization that it was fake dawned.
2. They also had hand-dryers with UV lights in addition to hot air.  If ever I get skin cancer on my hands I shall know to sue SNCF.
3. We were serious when we said we’d look at returning to the same apartment in Aix to get in that last week there.
4. We’re not so serious about getting in the 5 days we had planned for Paris.  The afternoon and evening we spent there while in transit reminded us both of how much of the city we have seen.  And while the hotel itself was fine for a cheap stay, we really didn’t like the neighbourhood.  Too busy, too much traffic, little street life.  So we not only don’t really miss the time we lost there, Geri the Birthday Girl is not sure they needs to get those days back.
5. Instead we’re thinking of combining our tour of the Coronation Street set in Manchester with a week in Aix, giving the Eurostar a go.  Stay tuned.
6. I had forgotten, if I ever knew, how 70’s space-age-ie de Gaulle is, why it was used as the setting for so many cheesie S-F films.
7. The SAS lounge at de Gaulle was not anything like the Maple Leaf lounges we’ve seen.  But the coffee was good and the croissant fresh and nice, so who cares?
8. Once we got to Brussels, our first plane change, we had to flag down a cart and get a ride to our gate as our incoming flight was late.  Fun.  We got to see some of the access tunnels under the building etc.
9. Pod seats on an Airbus 330 (one of my fave planes, just for the quiet) to Montreal, where we had a 4 hour long wait between flights in the lounge, and then again on to Toronto.
10. I did a mini Steve Coogan film festival.  Liked Philomina, loved Alan Partridge.  Lots of champagne and a nap.
11. Home about 20:00.  Long day.  Up the next early to pack for the funeral and we were on the road by 0730.
12. Photos of the sprint home and a tiny bit of Paris are HERE.

Vacation Cut Short

Geri's father, Theophile (Tuffer) Gauthier, died Monday morning (our time), which was also Geri's birthday.  So we have cut short our trip.

Aeroplan Chris (as we call him now) was great and moved us onto a flight tomorrow at no cost.  Our landlord has also been very helpful and is driving us to the TGV station this morning so that we can catch a train to Paris.  SNCF very good on the change too, and no mention was made of the reasons.  all very impressive save for the fact that we couldn't deal with Aeroplan through their Paris office and instead had to wait for the Montreal HQ to open.

Anyway, we're leaving Aix early and skipping Paris save for an overnight stay before we fly to Brussels, then Montreal, then Toronto, then drive home tomorrow.  Gonna be a long day just chock-full of jetlag I think.

Still, thanks to Aeroplan Chris, we swapped the bizarre routing for the retention of our business class seats and so it should go well.

Thus endeth the vacation and this series of blog entries.  Look for more in the fall when we head to Manchester for one of the last tours of the old Coronation Street set before it is torn down.

Avignon Photos Posted

HERE.

Day 16 (but who's counting?) in Aix

On May Day I headed into Marseille on my own for the festivities. Geri and Vicki stayed 'home' to do whatever it was that they did. I was up and out early.

Aix a lot different at 0600. Broken glass, pools of urine and folks who clearly have had a long night staggering about in small numbers while the city workers start the clean-up. Ain't tourist towns grand?

Some nice views from the train but photos impossible.

The rail station alone was a bit of fun. Some nice views, though not as nice as they would have been before the taller apartment buildings obscured the line of sight to the port.

Walked down to and around the Vieux Port for a bit. The port a bit standard, but fun for what it is. Especially enjoyed the fishers and their boats. They pull up, dock, you pick out your fish and they clean it for you on the spot.

There are many more varieties of eatable eels than I thought. Was tempted by the cockles, but couldn't imagine them making it home is good shape; plus wasn't sure how to seviche or cook them.

Walking there and then after around, just killing time, much fun. Happy to go back. Untouristy, kinda gritty and lots of Arabic being spoken (I never got a chance to use my 5 standard sentences and assorted nouns), different kinds of shops and restaurants. Worth a week at some point.

The May Day march itself was fun. A little more chaotic than I am used to. Less regimentation, more a fun-fest than an organized event, though it had that aspect too. Had some chats here and there, took lots of photos, but when they were an hour late in getting started I decided to head home.

Back in Aix I napped, big surprise.

Next day we saw Vicki off to Corsica. On the way back from the bus station e checked-in with a restaurant The Bible (Lonely Planet) says serves real bouillabaisse. We went to make a reservation for Monday night as (a) Monday is Geri's birthday and (b) it takes a couple of days to prepare and the restaurant is not likely open Mondays. Turns out they have stopped serving it. Chatting with the server she recommended a place in Marseille (Chez Michel, near the Plage Catalan). The restaurant patrons chimed-in (every occupied table had something to say).

Needless to say we're having dinner at Chez Grand-mere at some point this week. If you look you'll see a photo I took of the restaurant with two senior women at an outside table killing a bottle of red. :-)

After we retired to our local for a beer and to plan the week. The result of that was that we established ourselves as regulars and now get a free beer for every two we buy. And we scheduled Avignon, Arles and possible Cassis for this week before we head to Paris.

This trip a nasty one for me and my relationship with the French rail system.

I HATE the Rail Europe website. Clunky and stupid. Best I could manage for Avignon was to Marseille on a local train and then back through Aix on a TGV. Took about an hour to get there, but in the station and looking at printed schedules I realized that we could have taken a shuttle bus to the TGV station and then the TGV to Avignon and save 20 minutes. No biggie, but the site should have told me that (and says it will). Then I couldn't make the machine at the Aix station print our tickets. The station attendant got a good laugh out of showing me how simple it really is. And it wasn't over yet: Geri pointed out that my polo shirt was on inside out.

I popped out into the parking lot and gave the rental car agency workers who were washing cars something to think about by my taking off and the putting back on my shirt.

On the way back the post-modern design of TGV stations (all we have seen this trip anyway) got me and I first entered the offices of the sales and info staff, despite that 'access interdit' sign and then I almost broke my face trying to leave the ticket sales area.

Just so you know, the glass panels with the solid white horizontal stripe are the automatic doors; the panels with the broken lines are the walls. :-)

On the up side, I finally figured-out that the TGV trains are single units, other than the locomotives. There are no separate 'cars' in the way that there are on the trans we're used to at home.

Small compensation for being a goof elsewhere, but the best I can manage. :-)

Loved the shuttle bus into the city from the TGV station (sorry: many smaller cities have a 'regular', city-centre train station, then a TGV station further out of town as the TGVs can't use the older lines. A regular city bus it took a while to get us to the city centre but it was an interesting ride plus the bus very high tech. Look for the photo I took of the screen that tells you where you are and when the next stop is coming.

Avignon fun, the Papal Palace and the Pont d'Avignon worth seeing. We had consistently very, very good food. And at dinner a wine (AOC Ventoux) we have never seen or tasted before and we quite enthralled with. The white. Way fab.

The market, Les Halles, was also fun. For those who have been to the st. Lawrence Market in Toronto imagine something just bumped-up a bit and with bars that allow you to pay for a glass of wine and wander around doing your shopping with it. Lots of tripe and organ meats. Yum.

The papal palace quite the old pile. The Pont d'Avignon a must I guess, but not too spectac. Geri danced on it but mostly because of the wind.

Which was very impressive. The Mistral was blowing. 80Km steady with gusts over 100. Clear blue skies. Hell to walk against and I almost felt sorry for some of the smaller kids. Very impressive, glad we were there for it, but it did lead us to think that a day and a half was enough and we headed home to much warmer weather (25) and virtually no wind, just as much sun.

Changing our tickets meant I now have a E14 credit to my account with SNCF, reason enough to return, no? :-)

Lots of white kepis in Avignon. The Legion must have a base nearby.

GREAT lunch at Brasserie La Conservatoire. Dinner and a half of Vendoux at Le Cerveau du Theatre. Both get raves.

The Hotel Boquier cheap (E60), cheerful (GREAT staff), clean and simple and very well situated. Breakfast was over-priced though. Photos posted.

Back in Aix, we did some shopping for the Big Day tomorrow and then popped into our local. Got a bit of a show when some of the locals started acting up and had ice water poured on them, then everybody just settled back in. Couldn't understand some of the (I think) insults going back and forth, all my questions got us for all sides involved was “they're crazy”.

Entertaining and confirmation that Geri knows how to pick a bar. :-)

May Day

Geri and Vicki vegged in Aix while I jumped on a train and headed to Marseille for the May Day manif.  Fun, but a lot less organized than I am used to.  Less formal than Toronto's and much more mixing.  Little of the 'we're here, you folks are there' stuff.  Lots of kids, music and dancing.  And a giant white elephant I never really figured out.

Wore my CUPE hat and got some looks, some comradely conversations here and there.

The location for the manif would normally have been spectacular, it being in the park around a triumphal arch built in the 1830's as a memorial to the Marseillaise (of French national anthem fame) who marched from there to Paris in 1792 to save the revolution.  But right now, like much of central Marseille, it is a construction site.  So the crowd was forced to form a wide circle around the arch in a roadway instead of flowing around it.  Even so I would say about 10,000 people.  Perhaps a bit more. 

I got in some walking around before and after though.  I liked the city.  Nice and gritty, not too gentrified even down by the old port, despite having been last year's European City of Culture.  Huge North African population, I really should have made more of an effort with my Arabic lesson podcasts.

I'm already looking forward to going back at some point.

Photos HERE.