Gelato

I've done extensive research and firmly believe that food tastes better when cooked by someone else. This is my primary motivator for not cooking. I like food. I like tasty food and I will just mess it up.

I need a new research project. Does food taste better in other countries than at home? I think I need to do some additional research on this, but I did come to that conclusion during my last trip abroad. I really like gelato. I don't eat ice cream at home. But I ate gelato every day when in Europe.

I drink more vine in France than at home.
I drink more beer in Britain than at home.
I eat more fish & chips in Britain than at home.

I guess...when in Rome..... I wonder what I will like better in Rome when I am there in September.

St. Tropez

St. Tropez is also in "the book" but I don't really know why. It isn't a beach town, but it does have a lovely port. It does have beaches, but they are several miles away.

St. Tropez is difficult to reach and not really worth the effort.

Lunch in Cannes

Cannes, France is home of the famed film festival, and the home of the Carlton Hotel. The Carlson was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief." The hotel is in "the book" so of course I went in for visit. It looks different than I expected based on the movie, but it is a very pretty hotel.


And the beach is much smaller than I expected. But, this was our best weather day of the entire trip so we ate lunch on the beach at a restaurant that Brad Pitt alledgedly ate at.

Bridges and Tunnels

We drove the Grande Corniche from Nice, over Monaco. We then drove through Menton, along the Mediterranean, to Italy. It was Andy and Jill’s first time in Italy – new country alert for them.

We found a Mediterranean café and had some proper Italian food – lasagna and spaghetti.

We decided to take the highway back to France. The A10 in Italy connects to the A8 in France. This road is a series of tunnels and bridges. Very high bridges! We never drove on normal road. It was an odd and unique experience. I admit to being anxious, probably because I wasn’t driving. And it was raining. I kept thinking of Princess Grace and her horrible death.

Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence - in "the book."

I was very conflicted on this one because I am a big fan of Rick Steves, and he said Aix is not a must see. It doesn’t have ruins, or significant museums. But it was a quaint town so we drove around, found a main thoroughfare and had a fabulous dinner.

Les Baux-de-Provence

Les Baux de Provence - in “the book.”

The very top part of Baux is known as the Dead City….ruins from long ago. It was very difficult for me to imagine living there – now or when it was built. I also can’t imagine how they built it. I think I can guess why they built here – easy to defend, and…..

The views in this area are breathtaking. But the wind was intense. Andy threw a rock and the wind brought it right back to him.

The lower part of Baux is a restored village filled with quaint shops and little restaurants. I did some shopping – hoping that part of the money I spend in places like this goes to helping keep it for future generations.

Baux is out of the way, but I am glad we made the trip.

Vincent Van Gogh was in a mental institution near here.

Arles Amphitheatre

Arles Amphitheatre - in “the book.”

It is pretty easy to find a huge coliseum / amphitheater / arena in a small French town. Arles has many Roman ruins, but the coliseum is the main feature. And…the ruins are in a compact area thereby limiting the amount of walking required.

The coliseum is being restored, but it is in really good shape considering its age. I am so amazed at what people built thousands of years ago without the technology we have today. The coliseum has many creepy, dark alcoves and hiding spots. I would not want to be there in the dark.

The other impressive ruin in Arles is the Ancient Theatre. The stage is now very modern, but most of the seating is original. Lying around the area are some of the original columns and other artifacts from Roman times.

Arles is also known as the city where Vincent van Gogh lived and worked near the end of his life. He apparently painted many of his masterpieces here, but the local museum does not have any original art; so we skipped it. Van Gogh was living in Arles when he went mad and cut off his ear.

We visited a local cathedral. It is not an ornate cathedral – pretty plain actually – except for the beautiful stained glass. One section of the cathedral contains boxes with remains. I saw a skull. I could have skipped this part.