Aix-en-Provence...

Thursday, after we took a cab to the train station to pick up the rental car, we motored over to Aix to see the Cours Mirabeau again.  This is - or was - one of the most beautiful streets in France.  It's a double wide stretch of pavement, punctuated by fountains in the middle of the street and shadowed by a double row of plane trees up and down its length.  I say "or was" because the central fountain ( a triple tiered masterpiece) is gone.  Today?  Only a flat slab of concrete.  Nevertheless, the street is chockful of tourists, oo-ing and aw-ing.

I had pizza and it was totally different from the US version -- the tomatoes had a sweet taste (because fresh) not the sour taste as is usual.

Richie had a Caprice salad - lettuce, tomato, mozzarella, oil and vinegar dressing

This is the olive oil store

A liquor store!

Typical market offering

Typical shops (above)

At lunch, just off of Cours Mirabeau

This old part of Aix was once home to such disparates as Paul Cezanne, Emile Zola and Albert Camus. 

Marseilles...

This is the Old Port (Vieux Port) from our hotel window

 The sun setting over the bay.  Shot from the roof terrace of the Fort St. Nicholas

The electric ferry which goes back and forth across the Old Port.  A lot shorter than walking it.

Construction along the Old Port.  They are creating the "world's largest pedestrian area."  Finish date: 2013, but probably not.

This the Notre Dame de la Gard church.  Despite heavy bombing in WW2, it was not damaged, despite its high visibility.

A favored place for a beer.  One afternoon, the wind was so brisk that it flipped a menu from the next table just over my beer.  Since it was a full beer, I was pleased. It was a short-lived seasonal wind called a mistral.  It comes from Algeria and is brisk.

All Things Air France - Part 1

Air France #069, direct from LAX to Charles De Gaulle, Paris.  Departure:  6:45 p.m., arrival the next day at 2:15 p.m. French time.

This was a first for us - "priority status."  Generally, flying non-rev, we are the last to scramble aboard and grab the first open seat (in Steerage, of course.)  Priority status meant, among other things, we were invited to use the Air France lounge, gratis.  This lounge also serves pax flying Delta, KLM and Aeromexico. 

After checking in at a counter, the lounge itself turned out to be a very large room with cubicles for computer users, comfortable tables and chairs and a complimentary bar (from soft drinks to Courvoisier) and various snacks such as honey-roasted peanuts, cheese and cracker packets, olives and so forth. 

We picked a window table overlooking the runways and had a pair of Stellas and some peanuts.  We knew damned well they'd feed us dinner so this was our aperatif moment.

It was so still that the only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioning.  Very different from the gate.

We boarded and were shown to our seats, 10 A & B, toward the very front of the plane. 

After the mandatory glass of champagne, we were served an "amuse bouche" (literally something to amuse your mouth) of bread stick bits wrapped in Coppa salume on a bed of blue cheese and German red cabbage in a bent (plastic) spoon a la Thomas Keller. 

The appetizer was Maine lobster (generous servings of claw meat) and a mango salad. 

Richie opted for the tournedos with a peppercorn sauce, carrots, Bok Choy and Jerusalem artichokes.  I took the Cajun shrimp and spicy saffron rice. 

The cheese course was served and then a trio of small desserts -- an apricot macaroon with lavendar; a "blueberry delight" and a milk chocolate concoction with bergamot. 

(We could have had breaded young guinea hen cutlets with Madeira wine sauce, potatoes Lyonnaise and broccoli flan.)

On we flew into the dark.  I got 6 1/2 hours sleep; Richie only two. 

With the sun came breakfast.  Choices included a crepe with scrambled eggs and cheese.  A separate plated offering consisted of slices of Parma ham, smoked turkey, cheddar and provolone cheeses.  There was also fruit salad with mascarpone cheese as well as every type of bread, croissant and pain chocolat you ever saw, served with pats of sweet butter, and cunning little jars of jams and honey.

The female flight attendants were all very sleek with razor-sculpted haircuts and beautiful skin, "skin" being one of the things French women seem to do effortlessly.  They were a happy bunch and chirped like birds. 

Air France 66 Has Landed

We were delayed for an hour, coming out of Paris and delayed another half-hour on the ground at LAX.  The aircraft was an A380 and the plane had to wait for one of the few jet bridges that reaches the 2nd story (where we were seated.) 

We came in at around 11 p.m. French time and are exhausted, but better to keep to regular hours than go to bed like I'd like to do!

The Traveling French Circus er, Wedding

The kick off is in the Mayor s office at 4 in a small beach town. some 14 miles away from the Old Port. 

Then round up the posse for the 5 kilometer trek to the church for the religious ceremony at 5.

After that; take the 14 mile trip back to the Old Port  for a dinner at 7.

To help you understand typos here is the French keyboard

a z e r t y u i o p¨

q s d f g h j k l m %

w x c v b n ?./§

Postcard from France

RICHIE  LONG FLIGHT. SHORT SLEEP
Nina  The seats fold flat into beds.  6 and one half hours for me.  Two for him.
RICHIE  VERY NICE HOTEL  SMALL,  CLEAN
Nina   We move tomorrow.
RICHIE  THE TRAIN WAS GREAT
Nina  Actually, it was.  We drank beer all of the way.

Flying...

It is watered-down Business.  Our tickets are marked "Business Z."  I don't think you can go any farther than Z.... 

When we fly "our" airline (MAA) and get Business or First, I know that we are going to pay a steeply discounted rate.  Since I love a sale, this is as good as finding a $200 outfit, marked down to $50.  Accordingly I eat everything offered to me and I swill down the alcohol like there's no tomorrow. 

Today I will have to curb my enthusiasm because it for damned sure isn't free AND when we arrive at Charles De Gaulle, and go through Customs, we then have to wend our way to the high-speed train station at the next gate over from where we come in.  There we wait for the 5 p.m. TGV (Train de Grande Vitesse) to Marseilles.  It's a chance for a three hour nap which will, by that point, be welcome.

Hertz has a booth at the Marseilles station and thence we wend our way to the hotel.  ETA is 10 p.m.  All of this will have taken place from 6:45 p.m. LA time Monday to a 2:15 p.m. landing in France and then all of the rest of it.

Wednesday - I doubt we'll be in shape for more than lunch in Aix-en-Provence and a browse through the market.  The weather is to range in the 90s during our visit.
Thursday - we want to drive to Arles and see the bird sanctuary and the horses in the Camargue.
Friday - family starts drifting in for the wedding on Saturday
Saturday - 4 p.m. mayor's office for the French  marriage; 5 p.m. for the church wedding in the small town where the couple live and then at 6 p.m., a dinner in the Old Port of Marseilles.  Very picturesque.
Sunday - the groom's mother is doing "Sunday lunch" which is an ancient tradition in French life.    Our hosts, Genevieve and Jean-Louis are total party animals - when they built their house, they put in a permanent bar of pour concrete and tile, not far from the fireplace and the doors to the yard where J-L has his own fish pond. 
Monday - we take the TGV back to Charles DeGaulle, arriving about 3 p.m.  I picked a Hilton to start the return to America - indoor pool, exercise room, wi-fi -- all of those "American" things.
Tuesday - Flight leaves at 10:30 a.m. and arries LAX at 1:10 p.m.  Same Day Service!

A bientot!  (See you soon)