What's on my mind
The border between the Czech Republic and Austria offered a sharp contrast. The highway and the surroundings changed instantly on crossing, reflecting the relative wealth of Austria, and the long economic doldrums suffered by the Czechs under Soviet domination. Once on the Austrian side, we noticed even country houses were in excellent repair, often… Continue reading Salzburg
In 2003 Albany Pro Musica (David Griggs-Janower, conductor) organized a tour with another choral group, the Catskill Community Chorus (Jiri Kratochvil, conductor), to give concerts in central Europe. The premier venues were Smetana Hall in Prague and St Peter's church in Salzburg. My wife and I bought a Pimsleur audiotape and tried to learn a… Continue reading Prague
The bus ride from Rouen did not take long. We drove through La Défense to the Porte de Clichy where our hotel was located. In the evening, after dinner at the hotel, most of us took the subway to look around the Champs Elysses. At the Porte de Clichy metro station I was attacked by two pickpockets as I… Continue reading Paris 2004
In June of 2004 we went on a singing tour to France. Concerts were to take place in Tours, Mont St Michel, The American Military Cemetery at Colleville, Rouen, and Paris. Along the way we stopped in Chenonceau, Angers, St Malo, Dinan, and Caen. Our tour guide picked us up at Charles De Gaulle airport and we left… Continue reading Chenonceau, Tours, Angers
What can you do on a cloudy day in Paris? There are many answers! We saw a few historic sites that are not on the A-list, and we took a tour on the Seine, offered by the Vedettes du Pont Neuf. While waiting to board we discovered the memorial to Jaques DeMolay, burned in 1314 in what is… Continue reading A Cloudy Day in Paris
An ancient custom that is experiencing a revival in the USA, the weekly farmer's market, is well preserved in Europe, and we were able to appreciate this in Vaison. A feast for all the senses: Booths were set up on both sides of the principal streets, and throughout the main square. Professionals provision themselves in markets… Continue reading Le Marché, Vaison
Being right on the edge of a vineyard in Seguret was an opportunity. Cooking at home is an option in a gite or apartment that one does not get when staying in B&Bs or hotels. Our first evening in the gite, we enjoyed a homecooked meal with a bottle of Domaine La Machotte Gigondas, a full bodied… Continue reading In the Heart of Wine Country
Sur Le Pont d'Avignon, On y danse, on y danse" Avignon was the home of several French Popes in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Our first morning in the gite we drove to that city to pick up our friend Carol and do a little sightseeing. The day was sunny. We had lunch outdoors here in the Plaza… Continue reading Trip to Avignon
Although we thought we had a reservation for a gite in Sablet, we found on arriving that our reservation had not gone through! This was before the days of smart phones and fast internet searching, so we went to the nearest city, Vaison La Romaine, and asked for help at the tourist office. We quickly got a reservation at… Continue reading Finding Places to Stay on Short Notice
From Moustiers we drove to the famous city of Aix, and stayed at a 3 star hotel, Le Manoir, a long-established place, now closed, in the old city. We parked in the courtyard and moved in. Our room was well furnished in an old-fashioned style. We walked along the famous Cours Mirabeau, full of shops, boutiques,… Continue reading A Short Stay in Aix
