tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45887623263039993952024-03-13T13:02:55.682+01:00Chrysa and Quentin Travel Around the WorldChrysahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18245038232673203840noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-42919499596411625432013-01-13T23:06:00.001+01:002013-01-13T23:34:38.259+01:00Hiking in the French Riviera<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRa6gohr8XU/UPMoSZXTxLI/AAAAAAAABQE/NFGmZqg3_RE/s1600/from+the+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRa6gohr8XU/UPMoSZXTxLI/AAAAAAAABQE/NFGmZqg3_RE/s640/from+the+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the trail above Eze-sur-mer</td></tr>
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Hiking? That's not really what the French Riviera is known for, but hey, that's great! If everybody's on the beach that means fewer people will be on the trails ;)<br />
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The Alps are close by, as we have shown <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.fr/2012/10/the-french-riviera-its-also-about-alps.html" target="_blank">in a previous post</a>. The proximity of such quality beaches and quality mountains does not cease to amaze us, but without a car it's actually easier for us now to enjoy the coastal area than the snowy slopes.</div>
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Unfortunately as C has been busy growing a baby, I've gone alone on a few expeditions in the past few weeks. Below are some of the highlights from such day trips with the hiking shoes and the day-pack!</div>
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<b><i>Coastal pathway around Saint Jean Cap Ferrat (~ 5.5 mi / 9 km)</i></b></h2>
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This is one of my favorite hikes or walks simply because Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is one of my favorites places. Saint Jean is insanely quiet and peaceful considering its location, right on the outskirts of Nice. It's also not just a paradise for rich folks, but also for Mediterranean bushes and trees, and more or less a marine reserve.<br />
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I like it cause it's not overbuilt, and a trail (sometimes paved) goes all around it. The rocks, vegetation, and views are surprisingly varied too, even though it's a rather tiny peninsula.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Jean on its southernmost side</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View over the Eastern protrusion of Saint Jean at a distance and Monaco and the Italian coast in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Paloma beach - beautiful water, serene pine tree surroundings, and a gorgeous view on all the Riviera East of Saint Jean!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luscious Mediterranean vegetation right above the trail - and that's in December!</td></tr>
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<b><i>Quick 'n easy panorama over Nice and the French Riviera (~ 3 mi / 5 km)</i></b></h2>
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From downtown Nice where the harbor is located, it is possible to hike up the Mont Boron to one of two forts: Fort Mont Boron or Fort Saint Alban. Last month I chose to spend a Saturday afternoon up Mont Alban. It's not really a hike because it's paved all the way, but man, was it a lot of stairs to climb!<br />
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Fantastic reward from up there though, on either the West side overlooking Nice, the bay of Cannes, and then the Esterel mountains at a distance, or the East side overlooking Saint Jean and further to Monaco. From Mont Alban one can also get a glimpse of the Alps North of Nice.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old Fort (mid 16th century) on the Mont Alban from up close</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fort's entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over Nice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeking over on "the other side": Villefranche, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and the Cap d'Ail (right before Monaco)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And on the North side...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1xKrVhxq19I/UPMgsOzKrLI/AAAAAAAABO4/WWT5oNqzIYQ/s1600/fabulous+colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1xKrVhxq19I/UPMgsOzKrLI/AAAAAAAABO4/WWT5oNqzIYQ/s640/fabulous+colors.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another mesmerizing sunset over the now dark blue sea!</td></tr>
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<b><i>Hike on Mont Bastide and toward Beaulieu (~ 6.3 mi / 10 km)</i></b></h2>
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Now for a real hike! From Eze-sur-mer ("Eze-by-the-sea") to the picturesque perched <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3USfbhNXAc" target="_blank">village of Eze</a>, all the way to the top of the nearby mount Bastide (~ 1,900 ft / 600 m), back down to sea level, and out over a pass down to Beaulieu-sur-mer. Most of the trail is actually on land that was purchased by the region to keep it away from real estate investors. It's actually the wildest area I have seen along the coast yet. Quite remarkable I could get there by train from the main station in Nice in about 15 minutes!<br />
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Enjoy the views! I found them just to be breathtaking. This is really a special place. So does Bono from U2 think as well, as you can view <a href="http://wikimapia.org/5356517/Bono-Vox-U2-villa" target="_blank">here</a> and on some of the shots below ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJoF3uHhWzc/UPMr-KAOTLI/AAAAAAAABRo/Y4MKpy_bSog/s1600/eze+saint+jean.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJoF3uHhWzc/UPMr-KAOTLI/AAAAAAAABRo/Y4MKpy_bSog/s640/eze+saint+jean.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting the hike: View of Eze-sur-mer; Saint Jean at a distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T6dkD5UFpow/UPMsDnLQBVI/AAAAAAAABR4/BCht_Zddrdo/s1600/rocks+in+between+the+2+eze.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T6dkD5UFpow/UPMsDnLQBVI/AAAAAAAABR4/BCht_Zddrdo/s640/rocks+in+between+the+2+eze.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliffs in between the two Eze</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ubfmMZwEj7Q/UPMsCxavwaI/AAAAAAAABRw/lBG9XRZ_rO4/s1600/hiking+up+to+eze.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ubfmMZwEj7Q/UPMsCxavwaI/AAAAAAAABRw/lBG9XRZ_rO4/s640/hiking+up+to+eze.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing the bell towers and some roof tops up there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mLxEPIlHbQg/UPMq7wXHxmI/AAAAAAAABQ8/rlM_igQD-bg/s1600/panorama+eze+village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mLxEPIlHbQg/UPMq7wXHxmI/AAAAAAAABQ8/rlM_igQD-bg/s640/panorama+eze+village.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of Eze-village and the bay of Eze-sur-mer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCorteinnFo/UPMq0LbBnNI/AAAAAAAABQg/H3z-gOK6J5k/s1600/Q+eze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCorteinnFo/UPMq0LbBnNI/AAAAAAAABQg/H3z-gOK6J5k/s400/Q+eze.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A t-shirt is really all that's needed to hike here at winter time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yFOGrE8QLyM/UPMq7UdR-KI/AAAAAAAABQ4/pFt4ABGogHk/s1600/panorama+eze+bono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yFOGrE8QLyM/UPMq7UdR-KI/AAAAAAAABQ4/pFt4ABGogHk/s640/panorama+eze+bono.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the bay of Eze-sur-mer - "Bono's island" is on the left side of the bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8vOOugJmjyo/UPMrBcmnygI/AAAAAAAABRY/7TZnzGSnuHw/s1600/panorama+st+jean+cap+airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8vOOugJmjyo/UPMrBcmnygI/AAAAAAAABRY/7TZnzGSnuHw/s640/panorama+st+jean+cap+airport.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protruding out onto the sea, from left to right: Saint Jean, Cap de Nice, Airport!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XsX5j18kn9E/UPMrqx_6x-I/AAAAAAAABRg/tq5jSRkxKg4/s1600/panorama+hiking+down+beaulieu+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XsX5j18kn9E/UPMrqx_6x-I/AAAAAAAABRg/tq5jSRkxKg4/s640/panorama+hiking+down+beaulieu+for+blog.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking down the "secret but rough" breach from Eze to Beaulieu-sur-mer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4KPG4mdpaE/UPMq39Gk3DI/AAAAAAAABQw/1QySAGcuY6k/s1600/panorama+beaulieu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4KPG4mdpaE/UPMq39Gk3DI/AAAAAAAABQw/1QySAGcuY6k/s640/panorama+beaulieu.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of Beaulieu-sur-mer and Saint-Jean</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1gpbCaH7woQ/UPMufybtbqI/AAAAAAAABSY/DoetgCGPdOA/s1600/esterel+rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1gpbCaH7woQ/UPMufybtbqI/AAAAAAAABSY/DoetgCGPdOA/s640/esterel+rocks.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming up next: The red rocks of l'Esterel mountain between Cannes and Saint Raphael; I trust we can get there by train since the train line Marseille-Nice goes through it!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-11206189391812412782012-12-29T17:17:00.002+01:002013-01-13T23:26:24.238+01:00And a special tribute to my other roots also...The end of the year and the winter solstice are usually a time of reflection on what came before and of regrouping for what comes next. A month ago I wrote <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2012/11/where-i-quentin-really-come-from-and.html" target="_blank">about my roots in French Catalonia</a>, in the village of Vinça. With the recent passing of the last of my grand parents, it seems also timely to write about my roots in Alsace, where I was born almost exactly 50 years after my grand father Fernand –or Fern, as he liked to be called.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pqqjuESkrUY/UNDxQleT5FI/AAAAAAAABLk/5fTDM7ahJ4o/s1600/my+grand+parents+and+me+1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pqqjuESkrUY/UNDxQleT5FI/AAAAAAAABLk/5fTDM7ahJ4o/s640/my+grand+parents+and+me+1993.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare shot with my four grand parents, dating back to 1993 (when I still had hair): Fern (2nd from left; he's probably the reason I lost my hair...) and his wife Marcelle (far right) were from Alsace; Edmond (far left) and Paulette were from Vinça</td></tr>
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Fern and I had always been quite close, and got even closer somehow even though I have been living abroad for 10 years. We saw each other on Skype almost every week, as Chrysa or also my former lab-mate Dave Zappulla could attest from our regular French chatter!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WzHS_-hrvgI/UOBW6NRU01I/AAAAAAAABM0/3FBuhk9ujPk/s1600/fern+++Q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WzHS_-hrvgI/UOBW6NRU01I/AAAAAAAABM0/3FBuhk9ujPk/s400/fern+++Q.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fern and I in the early 1980s</td></tr>
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Fern had always been somewhat of a "computer geek" and I remember we have had in our family all models of computers and computing systems, from one of the <a href="http://jng.imagine27.com/index.php/2009-09-14-124516_play_pong.html" target="_blank">first ping-pong computer game</a>s in the 1970s, to the latest PC, through an Amiga and an MO5, among others. Fern loved to use them to make what he called "numerical art". A website with a gallery of his work can still be <a href="http://fern.gebhardt.pagesperso-orange.fr/" target="_blank">found online</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vLhjF4U5XD4/UMuOULrEHaI/AAAAAAAABIk/NEmzDQ3XC9o/s1600/La024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vLhjF4U5XD4/UMuOULrEHaI/AAAAAAAABIk/NEmzDQ3XC9o/s400/La024.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork by Fernand Gebhardt (1926-2012)</td></tr>
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Fern was my grand father on my mother's side. He was from <a href="http://www.survoldefrance.fr/affichage2.php?img=2965&date=2005-07-12&f=0&prev_suiv_link=1" target="_blank">Rosheim</a>, but soon after I was born he and my grand mother inherited from a 15-bedroom house in the North Vosges mountains, in the village of Niederbronn-les-bains. The house had been built by the grand father of my grand mother in 1900.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yU9TQhd7PMM/UOBVv6HJNCI/AAAAAAAABMg/odFLYbZfda0/s1600/010osheim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="417" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yU9TQhd7PMM/UOBVv6HJNCI/AAAAAAAABMg/odFLYbZfda0/s640/010osheim.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old postcard of Rosheim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gdxYRDkRepk/UMuaOwN7hWI/AAAAAAAABKQ/IVZdbsBLeio/s1600/photo-6+nieder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gdxYRDkRepk/UMuaOwN7hWI/AAAAAAAABKQ/IVZdbsBLeio/s640/photo-6+nieder.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas market in downtown Niederbronn-les-bains</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-odb2FMBD6gQ/UMuRn1etNeI/AAAAAAAABI8/XTQw5q6sYCU/s1600/photo-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-odb2FMBD6gQ/UMuRn1etNeI/AAAAAAAABI8/XTQw5q6sYCU/s640/photo-8.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family house in Niederbronn-les-bains, November 2012 – fun fact: about 12 years ago, I planted the tree you see on the left side...</td></tr>
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Like his father before him, Fern was a dentist. He left his father's practice in Rosheim to his brother Jean-Paul, also a dentist, and opened his own practice in Strasbourg, where he bought the apartment in which my parents are currently living.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jC7b7Q2dxh4/UOBWB-AJCtI/AAAAAAAABMo/zzFUjWdsz68/s1600/007rosheim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jC7b7Q2dxh4/UOBWB-AJCtI/AAAAAAAABMo/zzFUjWdsz68/s640/007rosheim.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grand parents Fern and Marcelle in the 1950s, when my mom was about 2 years old</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lo_dWnNpyNU/UMuZSSfpAQI/AAAAAAAABKI/pncm7dMmzys/s1600/photo-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lo_dWnNpyNU/UMuZSSfpAQI/AAAAAAAABKI/pncm7dMmzys/s640/photo-10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Fern's apartment –which now belongs to my parents– in Strasbourg</td></tr>
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My mum grew up in Alsace, and that's where she tied the knot with my Catalan father who had studied at the Ecole de Chimie in Strasbourg. After I was born, Niederbronn became a regular weekend home, and I've had a bedroom in that house pretty much since that time, not always the same bedroom, but always on the top floor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J2S0RXDj6OY/UMuVZKwaDtI/AAAAAAAABJc/uBHqZ1fFuCU/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J2S0RXDj6OY/UMuVZKwaDtI/AAAAAAAABJc/uBHqZ1fFuCU/s640/photo-3.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandstone cathedral in Strasbourg</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdvBczmRL14/UMuSMSXSpyI/AAAAAAAABJE/UI-c8x2cTdk/s1600/photo-1+nieder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdvBczmRL14/UMuSMSXSpyI/AAAAAAAABJE/UI-c8x2cTdk/s1600/photo-1+nieder.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic view from the top floor over the village and the Vosges mountains</td></tr>
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If I have always been so fond of forests and mountains, I think it is because whether I would be in Alsace or in the Pyrénées down in the South of France, that's the environment I would be surrounded by. I have always loved its quietness and peacefulness!<br />
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I recently hiked in the area again, and I paste some of the pictures taken from that hike below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KSyShLAiFwQ/UMuVtvDIk2I/AAAAAAAABJo/B39Gn3YiYes/s1600/niederbronn+2+14-10-2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KSyShLAiFwQ/UMuVtvDIk2I/AAAAAAAABJo/B39Gn3YiYes/s1600/niederbronn+2+14-10-2012.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niederbronn sits at the heart of the <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xd1hvz_le-parc-naturel-regional-des-vosges_travel#.UMuWAJPjnIs" target="_blank">Parc Naturel Regional des Vosges du Nord</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qlvrrwJr8Uo/UMuW3I4dkuI/AAAAAAAABJw/Mhxa6MY4JiI/s1600/alsace+fern_36.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qlvrrwJr8Uo/UMuW3I4dkuI/AAAAAAAABJw/Mhxa6MY4JiI/s640/alsace+fern_36.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forest near Niederbronn - check out the soft bright green moss on the ground, isn't that just awesome? Straight out of the Shire...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jwZuQduvwUM/UMuXIXwYFHI/AAAAAAAABJ4/IBHTT--3Owg/s1600/alsace+fern_38.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jwZuQduvwUM/UMuXIXwYFHI/AAAAAAAABJ4/IBHTT--3Owg/s640/alsace+fern_38.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Further down the same hiking trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTp6IU2Icmc/UMuXdKNXiCI/AAAAAAAABKA/zzL26-jti_U/s1600/alsace+fern_51.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTp6IU2Icmc/UMuXdKNXiCI/AAAAAAAABKA/zzL26-jti_U/s640/alsace+fern_51.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lake ("etang de Hanau") at the end of the trail. My parents actually got hitched there back in 1975!</td></tr>
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As I hope these photos and previous blog posts can attest (e.g., <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.dk/2009/12/christmas-in-france.html" target="_blank">23 Dec., 2009</a> and <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.dk/2012/09/summer-vacation-in-alsace-and-lorraine.html" target="_blank">30 Sept, 2012</a>), Alsace is a very picturesque area which has been drawing tourists for a long time. In my humbly biased opinion ;) it's spectacular in all seasons, much like Colorado!<br />
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Stories I also like to tell and that you may thus have heard —in spite of Chrysa protesting with a "oh no, not again!"— are that Alsace is the home of the <a href="http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blliberty.htm" target="_blank">Statue of Liberty</a>, and of the glass <a href="http://isundgau.over-blog.com/pages/Boules_de_Noel_de_Meisenthal-4193500.html" target="_blank">ornaments</a> we are so used to hang on Christmas trees :)<br />
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South of France and Alsace are as far away as Latin America and Scandinavia, in many ways: culture, mentalities, pace of life, etc. So it's been quite difficult to find my own identity. Over those years of living abroad, particularly in the US melting pot, I think I realized that I am a blend of both places! I am in particular grateful to my grand parents for having planted seeds of our traditions in me and for having watered them over the years.<br />
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Fern passed away on November 27th. Like that of Edmond, Paulette and Marcelle before him, his spirit goes on, with me and the new generation it is now my turn to help raise. Such is my promise to them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4qamwsHB6LE/UMuhJwJzaiI/AAAAAAAABKs/wufl2KgZYS0/s1600/photo-9+nieder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4qamwsHB6LE/UMuhJwJzaiI/AAAAAAAABKs/wufl2KgZYS0/s640/photo-9+nieder.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A week after <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2012/11/where-i-quentin-really-come-from-and.html" target="_blank">Vinça</a>, another pilgrimage to a cemetery where my ancestors are buried</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JKBbwP9Tbqc/UMuhwG9JQCI/AAAAAAAABK0/bDwVcgGK3Xk/s1600/photo-3+nieder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JKBbwP9Tbqc/UMuhwG9JQCI/AAAAAAAABK0/bDwVcgGK3Xk/s640/photo-3+nieder.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose on my grand father's grave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rNMC0jLdDnU/UN8UxpSs51I/AAAAAAAABME/CUBItAfxkb0/s1600/niederbronn+fern+april+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="435" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rNMC0jLdDnU/UN8UxpSs51I/AAAAAAAABME/CUBItAfxkb0/s640/niederbronn+fern+april+2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C and Q with Fern in Niederbronn in April 2010</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-2452013038043196202012-11-26T14:29:00.002+01:002013-01-13T23:27:09.639+01:00Where I –Quentin– really come from (and all the 'Vicens' before me...)Last week I met up with my dad in our family home in the village of Vinça, in the Catalan part of France. It was a very practical trip –we cleared out a lot of old crap and I brought back baby stuff my sister had stored there- but also a very emotional trip.
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I have not gone back to this place a lot since living in the US and DK, and it is what I still refer to as 'my true home' as our family roots in the area date back to the early 1600s, when it was actually still Spanish.
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I spent a lot of time in Vinça when I was younger, and I learned a lot about life from my grand parents, whom I still miss a lot. I even went to school in the village for one trimester! Vinça is therefore loaded with history and memories for me - a place where I can connect to my lineage in a sort of unequivocal way.
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It is also a breathtaking place, right by the Mount Canigou. I hope you'll get to visit some day!
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More on that part of France here:<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20444110" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20444110 </a><br />
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What to see/visit in the area:<br />
<a href="http://www.francethisway.com/places/a/vinca-pyrenees-orientales.php" target="_blank">http://www.francethisway.com/places/a/vinca-pyrenees-orientales.php</a><a href="http://www.francethisway.com/places/a/vinca-pyrenees-orientales.php" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pLvPJppBMss/ULNsd1ziWTI/AAAAAAAABIE/CHs3DeTNj9Y/s1600/vinca+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pLvPJppBMss/ULNsd1ziWTI/AAAAAAAABIE/CHs3DeTNj9Y/s1600/vinca+view.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">View over Vinça from outside of the cemetery - the bell tower dates back to the 12th century and was restaured in the mid 1700s</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dQ9k49dU0qk/ULNsUDVMinI/AAAAAAAABHE/U3EKm2CdqJc/s1600/kaki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dQ9k49dU0qk/ULNsUDVMinI/AAAAAAAABHE/U3EKm2CdqJc/s1600/kaki.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Persimmons I collected from a tree in our ~3 acre yard (dare I call it 'a park'?)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ewWtGKQ6daA/ULNsSNt_MgI/AAAAAAAABG8/6MaEEbHXf-Y/s1600/cemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ewWtGKQ6daA/ULNsSNt_MgI/AAAAAAAABG8/6MaEEbHXf-Y/s1600/cemetery.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The view from the graves of my grand parents and great grand mother in the cemetery of Vinça - not a bad place to spend eternity! The peak at a distance is mount Canigou (2,700 m = 9,000 ft)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dMEgF03MwQE/ULNsbS4I_YI/AAAAAAAABH0/CriDkeFSR2E/s1600/vinca+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dMEgF03MwQE/ULNsbS4I_YI/AAAAAAAABH0/CriDkeFSR2E/s1600/vinca+house.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Our house in Vinça, which was built in the late 1800s and acquired by my family in the 1920s if I recall correctly what I've been told about our history</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: initial;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adiy-G8KLHQ/ULNsX_JnbBI/AAAAAAAABHc/4hiw6ty4GvQ/s1600/vinca+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adiy-G8KLHQ/ULNsX_JnbBI/AAAAAAAABHc/4hiw6ty4GvQ/s1600/vinca+beach.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The lake in Vinça - our house is on the other end of the lake, behind the patch of trees that can be seen in the center</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fLACHIY0Obw/ULNsaNKVOUI/AAAAAAAABHs/t5sXN3-AikU/s1600/vinca+fireplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fLACHIY0Obw/ULNsaNKVOUI/AAAAAAAABHs/t5sXN3-AikU/s1600/vinca+fireplace.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none; text-align: left; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Cozy tea-time by the fire place which bears the initials of my grand father and my ancestors before him: 'EV' for 'Edmond Vicens'</span></span><span class="fbPhotoTagList" id="fbPhotoSnowliftTagList" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span class="fcg" style="color: grey;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6goMuhMRQDU/ULNsYwWmzAI/AAAAAAAABHk/yGq8jb6iubk/s1600/vinca+bedroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6goMuhMRQDU/ULNsYwWmzAI/AAAAAAAABHk/yGq8jb6iubk/s640/vinca+bedroom.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">My bedroom for the past 36 years!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XL00Q1njYbQ/ULNsczkqtTI/AAAAAAAABH8/wf8ptDcn3-g/s1600/vinca+view+balcony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XL00Q1njYbQ/ULNsczkqtTI/AAAAAAAABH8/wf8ptDcn3-g/s1600/vinca+view+balcony.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">View from a balcony in our house - I've always sworn this was the same hill that Zorro would wave from when leaving in the sunset!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pdOfwpW2gqI/ULNsWmvH8oI/AAAAAAAABHU/i2z73sbGokM/s1600/recycling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pdOfwpW2gqI/ULNsWmvH8oI/AAAAAAAABHU/i2z73sbGokM/s1600/recycling.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Recycling wood 'the Catalan way' ;-)</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: initial;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EI7i54KDbdA/ULNsVR1NeOI/AAAAAAAABHM/lirY4RcDQvQ/s1600/olive+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EI7i54KDbdA/ULNsVR1NeOI/AAAAAAAABHM/lirY4RcDQvQ/s1600/olive+trees.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Sunset over a field of olive trees at the Provence border, right by the highway! Photo taken on my way back to Nice</span></td></tr>
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</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-29592494402048420302012-10-20T19:05:00.003+02:002013-01-13T23:34:50.335+01:00The French Riviera: It's also about the Alps!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WG7dd6pKH4c/UILUUw5ckxI/AAAAAAAABEU/A6-_JJKj1Ug/s1600/mercantour_16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WG7dd6pKH4c/UILUUw5ckxI/AAAAAAAABEU/A6-_JJKj1Ug/s640/mercantour_16.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discovering the mountains above Nice!</td></tr>
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This past summer, one of my goals was to make it to the mountains about an hour North of Nice that constitute the <a href="http://www.mercantour.eu/index.php/presentation/territoire/geographie-le-massif" target="_blank">Parc National du Mercantour</a>. This banana-shaped national park makes for the Southern part of the Alps, and is shared with Italy.<br />
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Luckily I discovered that the local regional council had set up a few buses to reach mountain resorts and trail heads during the summer. These were still running during September, albeit on weekends only.<br />
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So about a month ago now I sat on a bus that took me –and only 5 other persons– to the picturesque <a href="http://ete.saintdalmasleselvage.com/acces" target="_blank">Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage</a> village. The bus would park up there for the day and come back down to Nice at the end of the afternoon. Roundtrip cost: 5 euros - can't beat that!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_-SfpNdZzAk/UILU4hDq4BI/AAAAAAAABEg/9hEYeho9pRU/s1600/mercantour_53.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_-SfpNdZzAk/UILU4hDq4BI/AAAAAAAABEg/9hEYeho9pRU/s640/mercantour_53.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church in <a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage" target="_blank">Saint-Dalmas</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d45QjgTscFI/UILU8dktz6I/AAAAAAAABEw/U85mBR4AOJU/s1600/mercantour_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d45QjgTscFI/UILU8dktz6I/AAAAAAAABEw/U85mBR4AOJU/s640/mercantour_57.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was a beautiful Saturday, but I only met a few other hikers, including a local who actually drove me to the trailhead that the bus was supposed to drop us at...<br />
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I hiked all the way to the Col de Gialorgues, a pass at 2,519 meters altitude (~ 8,000 feet). Nothing by Colorado standards for sure, but when you come from sea level, it's quite some elevation gain! It's actually the same elevation gain as when you live in Boulder and go up a fourteener. You just have more oxygen in the end ;-)<br />
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I was actually quickly above tree line and the landscape was just as stunning as when going to Rocky Mountain National Park when living in Boulder. I sort of expected to find decent mountains because after all there are plenty of ski resorts not far from Nice, but actually being there in person to see that was a profound revelation!<br />
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Another revelation followed upon my return to Nice. As I told my parents on the phone what I did during the weekend, I was surprised to hear my dad tell me his parents would take him to that same village on vacation in the late 1940s, early 1950s! I knew my dad had grown up in Nice, but I also knew he did not particularly like mountains. I guess at that young age he did not have a choice! Doesn't seem that it's not because he went there on vacation as a kid that he does not like mountains though - he actually had a few stories like going up to the mountain refuge on the back of a donkey...<br />
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Anyway, this place is beautiful and with the luscious waters and these stunning mountains, C and I feel quite blessed to be living in this area!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JoxjxmmOh9s/UILWOZC5I0I/AAAAAAAABE4/Ygxw0nGZdaM/s1600/mercantour_06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JoxjxmmOh9s/UILWOZC5I0I/AAAAAAAABE4/Ygxw0nGZdaM/s640/mercantour_06.JPG" width="424" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FaC-RqaLNT4/UILWnO7Bn2I/AAAAAAAABFM/p3TQrHOf3_0/s1600/mercantour_10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FaC-RqaLNT4/UILWnO7Bn2I/AAAAAAAABFM/p3TQrHOf3_0/s640/mercantour_10.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K4fpzY5BanQ/UILXaTOst9I/AAAAAAAABFU/FExxkvD-Zn8/s1600/mercantour_14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K4fpzY5BanQ/UILXaTOst9I/AAAAAAAABFU/FExxkvD-Zn8/s640/mercantour_14.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep: white; Dogs: black; Shepherd: blue – herding sheep again a serious business since wolves were reintroduced in the Mercantour in 1992</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vHydMKM-M1w/UILX4jqu9VI/AAAAAAAABFc/2hagtnkRZ-k/s1600/mercantour_17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vHydMKM-M1w/UILX4jqu9VI/AAAAAAAABFc/2hagtnkRZ-k/s640/mercantour_17.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AZ3-_ke4kA4/UILYUNoXtvI/AAAAAAAABF4/cd7rKNYRr-Q/s1600/mercantour_28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AZ3-_ke4kA4/UILYUNoXtvI/AAAAAAAABF4/cd7rKNYRr-Q/s640/mercantour_28.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1wCQmRLUrLw/UILYcpGcgQI/AAAAAAAABGA/mwwWYggiW0c/s1600/mercantour_38.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1wCQmRLUrLw/UILYcpGcgQI/AAAAAAAABGA/mwwWYggiW0c/s640/mercantour_38.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue but not a <a href="http://www.prestigeflowers.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/columbine1.jpg" target="_blank">Columbine</a> (nor a shepherd...)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8PP-yEIkocc/UILY2TauuyI/AAAAAAAABGM/q7RMvUR3Btk/s1600/mercantour_42.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8PP-yEIkocc/UILY2TauuyI/AAAAAAAABGM/q7RMvUR3Btk/s640/mercantour_42.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SE7ed_YjvEc/UILY_qcGP8I/AAAAAAAABGU/Vn1Cw8Z4BPk/s1600/mercantour_50.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SE7ed_YjvEc/UILY_qcGP8I/AAAAAAAABGU/Vn1Cw8Z4BPk/s640/mercantour_50.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-idERF117oZE/UILZNLb-HlI/AAAAAAAABGc/IK-kPfCR460/s1600/mercantour_08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-idERF117oZE/UILZNLb-HlI/AAAAAAAABGc/IK-kPfCR460/s640/mercantour_08.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite reminiscent of <a href="http://www.thespiritoftherockies.net/spirit/Hikes/Haiyaha/LakeHaiyaha.html" target="_blank">Lake Haiyaha</a>!</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-67094161616473288542012-10-20T17:22:00.001+02:002013-01-14T00:05:46.738+01:00Corsican wonders<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZdRJBvheOo/UIK7hyDjggI/AAAAAAAABCg/SkesBUs50j8/s1600/corsica_III_16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZdRJBvheOo/UIK7hyDjggI/AAAAAAAABCg/SkesBUs50j8/s640/corsica_III_16.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marina in Porto Vecchio</td></tr>
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Living in a place like Nice —a vacation spot for many— raised the question for us about where WE would go on vacation ;-) After <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.dk/2012/09/summer-vacation-in-alsace-and-lorraine.html" target="_blank">going North to Alsace</a> when everybody was going South, we went South ourselves a few weeks later, to beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsica" target="_blank">Corsica</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZUkJpt-hQI/UIKuZC8WQ0I/AAAAAAAABAE/y1ZTejBPvdc/s1600/corsica_I_11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZUkJpt-hQI/UIKuZC8WQ0I/AAAAAAAABAE/y1ZTejBPvdc/s640/corsica_I_11.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Nice by boat...</td></tr>
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Corsica is about 6 hours by boat from Nice, depending on where you aim to arrive in Corsica. We arrived in Bastia after our boat ride was delayed because of bad weather. Actually we later learned that during the first half of our week it would rain in Corsica as much as it normally rains in a month... We could have expected it from the dark weather in Nice on the day of our departure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyWpdPFNkNw/UIKuGKuzEII/AAAAAAAAA_8/eEy0N6GGSwA/s1600/corsica_I_07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyWpdPFNkNw/UIKuGKuzEII/AAAAAAAAA_8/eEy0N6GGSwA/s640/corsica_I_07.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Cote d'Azur se prend pour le Danemark ;-)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoX6GCzMXno/UIKuxjOjOdI/AAAAAAAABAM/gwjjLWQ47bA/s1600/corsica_I_33.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoX6GCzMXno/UIKuxjOjOdI/AAAAAAAABAM/gwjjLWQ47bA/s640/corsica_I_33.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In Corsica we stayed near a town called Porto Vecchio on the South-East side of the island. We chose that area as our first visit (in 25 years for me...) because of its concentration of pristine beaches and the vicinity of Bonifacio, a town built on white cliffs above the sea. Bonifacio is built on the Southern most tip of Corsica, only 18 km away from the Italian island Sardinia.</div>
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For those interested, <a href="http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2012/us/grand-depart-2013.html" target="_blank">the 100th Tour de France</a> next year will start from Porto Vecchio, so you'll see more of it then I am sure!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TIWBowIYwW8/UIKwBc_d6HI/AAAAAAAABAY/JCudNJEJj9A/s1600/corsica_I_60.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TIWBowIYwW8/UIKwBc_d6HI/AAAAAAAABAY/JCudNJEJj9A/s640/corsica_I_60.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the old town in Porto Vecchio</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WQj7kHgFaD4/UIKwnnWXxAI/AAAAAAAABAg/zKJocSBLAvI/s1600/corsica_I_77.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WQj7kHgFaD4/UIKwnnWXxAI/AAAAAAAABAg/zKJocSBLAvI/s640/corsica_I_77.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's just darn so hard to live off local olives, olive oil, bread and cheese...</td></tr>
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The not-so-great weather at the beginning of our stay precluded us from discovering the pristine beaches around. We did go to Bonifacio on a rainy afternoon though and enjoyed the surprisingly still not too touristy town. The contrast between the blue/green of the water and the white cliffs was stunning, even on a rainy day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oqgSWS7zU7I/UIKx_653UAI/AAAAAAAABAo/KatrZvJpWVQ/s1600/corsica_I_83b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oqgSWS7zU7I/UIKx_653UAI/AAAAAAAABAo/KatrZvJpWVQ/s640/corsica_I_83b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonifacio on a rainy day: Could substitute for <a href="http://www.007magazine.co.uk/fleming/kentish01.htm" target="_blank">Southern England</a> perhaps?</td></tr>
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We also opted for a day in the mountains nearby, up to a small town called L'Ospedale. The sky was definitely grey, which meant we could not enjoy the panoramic views on the coastline, but it was one of these days when the mountains put on their "Borneo" costume (just Google Borneo and look at Images). I tremendously enjoyed the vivid shades of green, yellow, red, and ochre in the forest as well. I half expected I would encounter a <a href="http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Centaur" target="_blank">centaur</a> or an <a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Elves" target="_blank">elf</a>...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5MyX_wL75I/UIK1ufmXMaI/AAAAAAAABBI/8JgWRuMNHVU/s1600/panorama_Ospedale_Mountainsb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5MyX_wL75I/UIK1ufmXMaI/AAAAAAAABBI/8JgWRuMNHVU/s640/panorama_Ospedale_Mountainsb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corsica, not Borneo</td></tr>
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We also enjoyed a hearty lunch of wild board stew and polenta up there; wild boars are everywhere in Corsica, and hunting season was open (even right by our doorstep as it turned out...). We also did a small trip to the lake up there, which was truly reminiscent of sceneries in Colorado.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DLJIytKcRGI/UIK0oAM-wkI/AAAAAAAABBA/YiFnf-RdS9w/s1600/corsica_II_22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DLJIytKcRGI/UIK0oAM-wkI/AAAAAAAABBA/YiFnf-RdS9w/s640/corsica_II_22.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake at L'Ospedale</td></tr>
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We discovered a patch of ripe blackberries by the roadside, so we treated ourselves to a good 2 pounds of these...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMPcmggz5AM/UIK3CzjFy3I/AAAAAAAABBQ/kFWj78FWBV8/s1600/corsica_II_12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMPcmggz5AM/UIK3CzjFy3I/AAAAAAAABBQ/kFWj78FWBV8/s640/corsica_II_12.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackberries by the lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_dQkT4WA6ww/UIK3FRW7inI/AAAAAAAABBY/xTLooXmpSZQ/s1600/corsica_II_19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_dQkT4WA6ww/UIK3FRW7inI/AAAAAAAABBY/xTLooXmpSZQ/s640/corsica_II_19.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Is there gonna be enough?"</td></tr>
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And then the sun came out again! We were a couple of kilometers up the road from the popular <a href="http://www.portovecchiocorsica.com/palombaggia-beach.html" target="_blank">Palombaggia beach</a>, but we actually ended up preferring the next one over, Acciaggju (not sure about the spelling, but actually often mistaken for Palombaggia on the web). When we asked the Corsican owner for the beach that he liked most around, that's what he recommended, and he was right.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_7gqLU0g9ek/UIK5nbWqpeI/AAAAAAAABBw/orLf1WHJbLw/s1600/corsica_II_40.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_7gqLU0g9ek/UIK5nbWqpeI/AAAAAAAABBw/orLf1WHJbLw/s640/corsica_II_40.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Acciaggju beach at sunset</td></tr>
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That beach was not just beautiful, it was peaceful too. Fewer people and boats. The water was still and the snorkeling by the tiny island made of round boulders was just outstanding. I even got to swim with one of these black birds that swims under water to catch fish. He did not seem to really mind my presence and I noticed he could stay under water for quite a while! A flying fish came to show off just for the tourists as well :-)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-McRgTNkQhQA/UIK6HPy-1-I/AAAAAAAABB8/R1n8bt3JMDY/s1600/corsica_III_04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-McRgTNkQhQA/UIK6HPy-1-I/AAAAAAAABB8/R1n8bt3JMDY/s640/corsica_III_04.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round boulders at Acciaggju</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXfODuR9_HE/UIK6JGeUrHI/AAAAAAAABCE/LTWusj5vpms/s1600/corsica_III_07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXfODuR9_HE/UIK6JGeUrHI/AAAAAAAABCE/LTWusj5vpms/s640/corsica_III_07.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turquoise waters at Acciaggju</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LzAyKoR2NJY/UIK6ov_7FfI/AAAAAAAABCU/dSaWWPqjMq0/s1600/corsica_III_156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LzAyKoR2NJY/UIK6ov_7FfI/AAAAAAAABCU/dSaWWPqjMq0/s640/corsica_III_156.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A colorful flying fish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L1Ce-SSMFek/UIK6lJBKm0I/AAAAAAAABCM/bWpzwMWcSBc/s1600/corsica_III_154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L1Ce-SSMFek/UIK6lJBKm0I/AAAAAAAABCM/bWpzwMWcSBc/s640/corsica_III_154.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, I like it there!</td></tr>
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On our last full day in the area, we opted for a boat tour all the way down to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavezzi_Islands" target="_blank">Lavezzi islands </a>via Bonifacio. A couple of companies offer such tours from Porto Vecchio, we just picked the family-owned one that had a smaller boat and the most promising lunch option...</div>
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This trip was fantastic as the pictures will attest. Enjoy!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hxWXnEOtDcU/UIK9jh-VISI/AAAAAAAABCo/Qsm1GKtyiZc/s1600/corsica_III_36.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hxWXnEOtDcU/UIK9jh-VISI/AAAAAAAABCo/Qsm1GKtyiZc/s640/corsica_III_36.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Corsican coastline – about 100 of these towers surround Corsica, they were used to signal arrivals to the island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2itJQD_wLNk/UIK9ymndx3I/AAAAAAAABC0/075pKDMHqYQ/s1600/corsica_III_47.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2itJQD_wLNk/UIK9ymndx3I/AAAAAAAABC0/075pKDMHqYQ/s640/corsica_III_47.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting closer to Bonifacio...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYzzZH97JYI/UIK93260s-I/AAAAAAAABC8/pc3N9eSjoxU/s1600/corsica_III_55.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYzzZH97JYI/UIK93260s-I/AAAAAAAABC8/pc3N9eSjoxU/s640/corsica_III_55.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much closer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MXH01_hLcac/UIK-G8PVYcI/AAAAAAAABDE/zbeZBGvvjAI/s1600/corsica_III_73.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MXH01_hLcac/UIK-G8PVYcI/AAAAAAAABDE/zbeZBGvvjAI/s640/corsica_III_73.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Bonifacio – the overhang is 15 meters out and over the sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aIoZ2gaVbs0/UIK_DTZ0buI/AAAAAAAABDM/8UcJYJWc16c/s1600/corsica_III_98.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aIoZ2gaVbs0/UIK_DTZ0buI/AAAAAAAABDM/8UcJYJWc16c/s640/corsica_III_98.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out to the Lavezzi islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A8T67DiUzJ0/UIK_F-qip0I/AAAAAAAABDU/t0Jrh_MnIrY/s1600/corsica_III_99.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A8T67DiUzJ0/UIK_F-qip0I/AAAAAAAABDU/t0Jrh_MnIrY/s640/corsica_III_99.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A last look at Bonifacio</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRsbI1eS6tQ/UIK_w1wRhkI/AAAAAAAABDg/xbYIqXR4mMQ/s1600/corsica_III_116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRsbI1eS6tQ/UIK_w1wRhkI/AAAAAAAABDg/xbYIqXR4mMQ/s640/corsica_III_116.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life's hard —"where are the olives?"— but I know how to keep a smile on my face</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s5OwLWgqZCM/UILAHUoLa2I/AAAAAAAABDo/QclWOubtvr0/s1600/corsica_III_118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s5OwLWgqZCM/UILAHUoLa2I/AAAAAAAABDo/QclWOubtvr0/s640/corsica_III_118.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lavezzi islands – these grey boulders seemingly out of nowhere (or out of the blue ;-) were stunning on their own, but the underwater views and the incredible amount of fish would just blow your mind! Lavezzi are a natural reserve, and one can appreciate the difference!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfsCWTm6dq4/UILBBhT3TJI/AAAAAAAABDw/gh_f9bJ5_QQ/s1600/photo-16b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfsCWTm6dq4/UILBBhT3TJI/AAAAAAAABDw/gh_f9bJ5_QQ/s640/photo-16b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a lake from Colorado... rocks from Utah?</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-75143791133535294742012-09-30T21:39:00.001+02:002013-01-13T23:51:39.837+01:00Summer vacation in Alsace and Lorraine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b7Md4eRJ3EQ/UGhp2t9FBLI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/5nZ5wq4iPoA/s1600/001_hunawihr_19b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b7Md4eRJ3EQ/UGhp2t9FBLI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/5nZ5wq4iPoA/s640/001_hunawihr_19b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunawihr, Alsace, France</td></tr>
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When living on the French Riviera, going North for the summer vacation is actually a good plan: Temperatures are a bit cooler but it's not freezing yet and all the people have left for their summer vacation... to the Nice area, we can attest!<br />
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We spent the last 2 weeks of July in Alsace, thereby living at such a "contre-courant". We visited family and reacquainted with some old friends. We attended the baptism ceremony of my godson's brother Jonas in the best part of the wine region (Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé). We spent some time in the Vosges mountains (picking blueberries and carefully removing ticks), and we visited some of my best friends in Lorraine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQZwXuyZbEQ/UGibO6Dl0YI/AAAAAAAAA9s/7_LqjuSfqsM/s1600/001_hunawihr_30b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQZwXuyZbEQ/UGibO6Dl0YI/AAAAAAAAA9s/7_LqjuSfqsM/s400/001_hunawihr_30b.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The newly baptized Jonas in full armor... and slippers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-N9fbkxp0E/UGib2vPFvkI/AAAAAAAAA90/p6SPv0iI_1Y/s1600/001_hunawihr_47.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-N9fbkxp0E/UGib2vPFvkI/AAAAAAAAA90/p6SPv0iI_1Y/s640/001_hunawihr_47.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visited by a stork during the reception that followed the baptism ceremony</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gKlAQOlfLSo/UGicN2F4KJI/AAAAAAAAA98/atDqkgFkyS8/s1600/001_hunawihr_56b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gKlAQOlfLSo/UGicN2F4KJI/AAAAAAAAA98/atDqkgFkyS8/s640/001_hunawihr_56b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I just love vineyards... and wine!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0gryIKhVqhs/UGichM7dahI/AAAAAAAAA-E/T2x1pUpeylE/s1600/001_hunawihr_69b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0gryIKhVqhs/UGichM7dahI/AAAAAAAAA-E/T2x1pUpeylE/s640/001_hunawihr_69b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical landscape from Alsace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--QjRxUwW4FY/UGiemjDIINI/AAAAAAAAA-U/vwOiJ6-J0ao/s1600/good+times_49.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--QjRxUwW4FY/UGiemjDIINI/AAAAAAAAA-U/vwOiJ6-J0ao/s640/good+times_49.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild blueberries</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXubSHFRHSQ/UGidiMg-2gI/AAAAAAAAA-M/0NUUVb68Tv4/s1600/good+times_55.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXubSHFRHSQ/UGidiMg-2gI/AAAAAAAAA-M/0NUUVb68Tv4/s640/good+times_55.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking blueberries right by the "<a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Sainte-Odile#Histoire_ancienne_:_le_.C2.AB_mur_pa.C3.AFen_.C2.BB" target="_blank">mur paien</a>"/"Pagan Wall"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EAH7y0Rq_TA/UGifYLCC9CI/AAAAAAAAA-g/64DlK1sRUeo/s1600/panorama+alsace+sainte+croix+aux+mines_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EAH7y0Rq_TA/UGifYLCC9CI/AAAAAAAAA-g/64DlK1sRUeo/s640/panorama+alsace+sainte+croix+aux+mines_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama over Sainte-Croix-aux-Mines and valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4dnbKEkBLL0/UGifuDV3wbI/AAAAAAAAA-o/5cIYbzPEFX4/s1600/good+times_68.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4dnbKEkBLL0/UGifuDV3wbI/AAAAAAAAA-o/5cIYbzPEFX4/s640/good+times_68.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the peaceful Vosges mountains at dusk</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-10727597215342771022012-09-30T17:32:00.000+02:002013-01-13T23:29:42.255+01:00But... where are we gonna put everything?From the first visit, we had had a crush for the apartment we ended up moving into. We liked the location – our favorite market, bakery, butcher, ice cream factory are all in the vicinity – and we liked the set up: a 1920s building with 5 floors, the owner of which – an 85 year old lady – lives on the last floor. One apartment per floor, and a great downstairs neighbor who loves pets and plants.<br />
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The apartment itself has a North to South exposure with a balcony on each side. What would be the living area is overlooking a quaint old building masked in part by tall trees. And no painting required before moving in!<br />
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A first glimpse into the apartment:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz4krdfJfC_Wk4lo0hqPspuLh5bC-tN7IT0w2vwgVYn8nchCDfstnbjrcgtRGowjwxCaZjN65bdig0Sm1UHHg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />
Now, as most apartments in France, this one came with no equipped kitchen. Only a sink on top of a two-door cabinet. So building up the kitchen became our priority.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8leabldO4vY/UGhfji2iSeI/AAAAAAAAA7k/9opLv7Jvw_M/s1600/photo-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8leabldO4vY/UGhfji2iSeI/AAAAAAAAA7k/9opLv7Jvw_M/s400/photo-14.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A kitchen... with a sink!!</td></tr>
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<br />
The endeavor was challenging as we didn't plan to fully design a kitchen in an apartment that did not belong to us, and because we were not supposed to "fix too many things up on the walls" in order to preserve the wall finish (according to the rental agency)...<br />
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We were allowed to attach cabinets in the kitchen though so we did that. We hooked up an oven and an induction stovetop with the help of an electrician (we needed a special socket and an extension from its original location in the room). A couple of months later we are almost there, but we still miss a counter top on one side and a drawer and door on one of the cabinets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eqPdqYUGRCE/UGhgFCHm4YI/AAAAAAAAA7s/kuDXqftRda4/s1600/photo-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eqPdqYUGRCE/UGhgFCHm4YI/AAAAAAAAA7s/kuDXqftRda4/s400/photo-10.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live and let drill</td></tr>
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The guy who actually did the job:<br />
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At this point we are also clear from most of cardboard boxes in all rooms, except for a pile in our living area where a book shelf should go, and in Q's office where clothing have been waiting for a closet.<br />
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The place is even ready to welcome guests: our first one (one of Chrysa's friends) was actually here earlier in September!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgjSOtc5_7k/UGhhIXPAO5I/AAAAAAAAA8Y/e2H2Sbsv3MU/s1600/DSC_0002_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgjSOtc5_7k/UGhhIXPAO5I/AAAAAAAAA8Y/e2H2Sbsv3MU/s640/DSC_0002_02.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the living area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DVSFZ-HAUMk/UGhhoVxAsDI/AAAAAAAAA8o/quQFTxUFcww/s1600/DSC_0003_03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DVSFZ-HAUMk/UGhhoVxAsDI/AAAAAAAAA8o/quQFTxUFcww/s640/DSC_0003_03.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A much less lonely sink ;-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5j-eL27d3Q/UGhhVfOF99I/AAAAAAAAA8g/oIBKlrIks78/s1600/photo-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5j-eL27d3Q/UGhhVfOF99I/AAAAAAAAA8g/oIBKlrIks78/s640/photo-12.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Ready to cook 'n bake!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-41135220449535157592012-09-30T17:28:00.001+02:002013-01-13T23:35:09.110+01:00Sticking our heads out of the boxes: "Look! There's the French Riviera!"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CXojn-TodWI/UGXDpng3kuI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/1PTlahweJ34/s1600/la-merDSC_0007_03b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CXojn-TodWI/UGXDpng3kuI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/1PTlahweJ34/s640/la-merDSC_0007_03b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villefranche-sur-mer (Nice is behind the hill) around Easter</td></tr>
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Coming from Denmark, Winter in the South of France is pretty mild. Spring down here is almost like the Danish summer!<br />
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We did our best to not forget amidst our installation that we were living in a place where people typically go for their vacation :-)<br />
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On April 9 (according to the picture file dates) we actually dined out on the terrasse of a wine and cheese bar on the harbor in Nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZvbyNRDacw/UGW8ka9U60I/AAAAAAAAA6E/WKIi_N3Cngc/s1600/photo-6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZvbyNRDacw/UGW8ka9U60I/AAAAAAAAA6E/WKIi_N3Cngc/s640/photo-6b.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying cheese and wine on the harbor in early April!</td></tr>
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Beaches, coves and bays which tend to be crowded with people, boats, and jet skis in the summer were stunningly still. Didn't expect the contrast would be so drastic! In the town Villefranche-sur-mer that we both like very much, we could hear the wind in the shrouds while walking along the harbor...<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7sZY33KwAPg/UGW-99xqzpI/AAAAAAAAA6k/fRFgTHtmScY/s1600/photo-6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7sZY33KwAPg/UGW-99xqzpI/AAAAAAAAA6k/fRFgTHtmScY/s640/photo-6b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">On the beach in Villefranche-sur-mer in early April</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QGmj3m7eMRM/UGW9rClxfOI/AAAAAAAAA6M/G6XRgwphPXU/s1600/photo-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QGmj3m7eMRM/UGW9rClxfOI/AAAAAAAAA6M/G6XRgwphPXU/s640/photo-11.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bay from Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to Monaco is free from boats...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dhDQSN1QB0Q/UGW-PeTG5iI/AAAAAAAAA6U/L-5l30bX6FE/s1600/photo-19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dhDQSN1QB0Q/UGW-PeTG5iI/AAAAAAAAA6U/L-5l30bX6FE/s640/photo-19.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking along the coastline in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat at sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9WHmP8WduB0/UGW-i8a7ENI/AAAAAAAAA6c/ewcRZJQv9io/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9WHmP8WduB0/UGW-i8a7ENI/AAAAAAAAA6c/ewcRZJQv9io/s640/photo-3.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The harbor at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in early April</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NA3w-lv2O30/UGW_l4PZyWI/AAAAAAAAA6s/S4mX-qqa11k/s1600/photo-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NA3w-lv2O30/UGW_l4PZyWI/AAAAAAAAA6s/S4mX-qqa11k/s640/photo-12.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisteria flowers in full bloom by a fountain close to our apartment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5WtTcqYP1Y0/UGW_3AF_OHI/AAAAAAAAA60/uQJd9evjjEQ/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5WtTcqYP1Y0/UGW_3AF_OHI/AAAAAAAAA60/uQJd9evjjEQ/s640/photo-2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The moon showing her pale face over palm trees in Nice</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-67660980002371281252012-09-30T17:28:00.000+02:002013-01-13T23:30:25.550+01:00The unpacking process: When will our home be free of cardboard boxes?Now, with our move (finally!) into a more permanent place, we were able to ask the moving company to resume with transporting our stuff from Denmark down to Nice (it had been stored somewhere in the UK while we were sorting out our apartment situation). Then the question became when our stuff would actually make it down here.<br />
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Two months after the <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.fr/2012/03/everythings-just-gone.html" target="_blank">movers showed up in Aarhus</a>, they made their way into Nice. Their super long lorry actually was not authorized to get to our place downtown, for security reason. There's actually a law about that in the whole city of Nice, and apparently cops are pretty good at enforcing it, since they use video cameras to watch traffic in town.<br />
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The drivers knew about this (it was their 3rd time driving to Nice with an over-sized truck!), but failed to tell us so until the day they actually arrived, which was only a day before our scheduled delivery. They would not get a tip for failing to figure that out ahead of time but Q spent his afternoon trying to sort this out via phone calls to various authorities in town, and the most helpful info came from a car rental agency in Nice. We learned it was actually possible to park the truck at some dispatch center on the outskirts and we rented a smaller vehicle for the movers to transit our stuff from the lorry to our apartment.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1LUG9MfjuTU/UGW3bl1ubeI/AAAAAAAAA5U/eFyo_a4fiRs/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1LUG9MfjuTU/UGW3bl1ubeI/AAAAAAAAA5U/eFyo_a4fiRs/s640/photo-5.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The over-sized truck parked on the outskirts of Nice</td></tr>
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Fortunately, our belongings did not fill up that truck at all (only about 1/6th of it) so it took only two trips for the movers to get all our stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ENQRKz4WlDc/UGW3kv-j7DI/AAAAAAAAA5k/PGO4oH80S64/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ENQRKz4WlDc/UGW3kv-j7DI/AAAAAAAAA5k/PGO4oH80S64/s640/photo-6.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The truck is getting emptied of our stuff...</td></tr>
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We were glad to see our belongings again, even though we were both quite tired of seeing again so many cardboard boxes, some of them dating back to our move from Boulder 2.5 years earlier — yeah, we've been that good with recycling boxes! We can now also confirm our original hypothesis that the sturdier boxes were the ones that had been used to ship solvent bottles to the Chem store at CU Boulder and that we had been saving over our last months in Colorado :-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NM0m17qOf3E/UGW4xCntAwI/AAAAAAAAA50/U12OxwSraog/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NM0m17qOf3E/UGW4xCntAwI/AAAAAAAAA50/U12OxwSraog/s640/photo-2.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of a box that we've been carrying around since our time in Boulder...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hVqjrCyHmd4/UGW3p5zsltI/AAAAAAAAA5s/FbM_3Zzz4wU/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hVqjrCyHmd4/UGW3p5zsltI/AAAAAAAAA5s/FbM_3Zzz4wU/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving is so much fun! Or maybe I am smiling cause laughing was the only way to keep our sanity!</td></tr>
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That was back in late May. Four months later we've gotten rid of most boxes, but we still have a few persistant ones, mostly cause we haven't found the proper furniture to organize their content yet!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-14178975686342222842012-09-30T17:25:00.000+02:002013-01-13T23:30:57.491+01:00Picking up where we left off: Meeting some waves upon settling down in NiceWell, sorry it's been a while, but the moving process hasn't been as smooth as we had hoped, even though it hasn't been completely terrible either!<br />
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The first issue was that the agency which is managing the apartment we had picked in Nice was just inflexible regarding having someone with a long-lasting credit history in France guarantee the lease. Q's parents could be of help with that formality, but unfortunately the agency also insisted that the person would come to Nice to sign the lease with us. Timing was not optimal for them (Q's parents).</div>
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<div>
So we decided to pick another apartment at the last minute, and we asked the moving company that had our stuff from Aarhus to put it in storage until we'd found a new place.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fEYc3mwxK4M/UGWElPiZdjI/AAAAAAAAA40/bJHVbWZj3qA/s1600/appartDSC_0002_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fEYc3mwxK4M/UGWElPiZdjI/AAAAAAAAA40/bJHVbWZj3qA/s640/appartDSC_0002_02.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where we almost moved (top left 3 windows) but ended up staying only for a week</td></tr>
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We did find a new apartment, larger, with brand new hardwood floors, a nice sunny balcony, well located, in a more quiet street, but still within the same neighborhood. We moved in knowing that the apartment would require some painting work before being completely livable — we did not see ourselves enjoying for very long walls which had been painted 20 years ago with yellow glossy paint, neither did we like the cheesy wallpaper mural ;-) We thought we had understood we would get financial support from the owner to do that work (expenses amounted to at least 1,000 EUR). But once we moved in, the son with whom we had interacted up to that point was replaced by his dad who was the actual owner, and thus the final decision maker. And he was not willing to help us as we had expected.<br />
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Oops. That was our second issue.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXIaQEtdm88/UGhjYY4tH6I/AAAAAAAAA8w/-21hcseC0gQ/s1600/appartDSC_0016_16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AXIaQEtdm88/UGhjYY4tH6I/AAAAAAAAA8w/-21hcseC0gQ/s400/appartDSC_0016_16.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glossy yellow paint and now grey baseboards</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnK33-AgSCs/UGhj_UTKaeI/AAAAAAAAA84/RDEaCYEeNsY/s1600/appartDSC_0022_22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gnK33-AgSCs/UGhj_UTKaeI/AAAAAAAAA84/RDEaCYEeNsY/s640/appartDSC_0022_22.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mural: Did that ever look nice?</td></tr>
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How did we solve that one? The owner gave us two options: 1. "You paint and I will fix the ceiling in the hallway" — oh yeah! let's not forget about the ceiling... Over 25 years ago the landlord had covered the ceiling in the hallway with some linen in order to "mask the pipes" at the request of the tenant at that time. Of course the cloth was dirty and dusty after that much time, so we had removed it with the plan to paint what was covered instead. Option #2: "You can stay until the end of the month in order to find another place [we were in early April] and you get your money back".</div>
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C and I thought the paintwork amounted to more than what tenants should be asked to do (even though in France it is more or less expected that paintwork is up to the tenant and not the landlord), because moldings on the ceiling needed to be painted as well, paint chips were coming off the heaters, and so forth.<br />
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Furthermore, we were both feeling uneasy about having been caught in between a son and his dad from the outset, and we did not feel very comfortable either that the apartment was geographically located precisely in between the dad's house and the son's apartment. We could actually see them on their respective balconies on both sides, and they had a full view on quite a few of our windows. Talk about privacy!<br />
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So our feeling was that instead of asking for a rent of 1,000 EUR per month, the owner and his son should probably agree with each other to do the renovation work and then just increase the rent to 1,200 EUR or more — the actual rent of most places that size in that part of town. Had they done that, we would just not have been interested on the first place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fFz6JmaWS-E/UGhkU0eMEjI/AAAAAAAAA9A/OPk0lN1rWlg/s1600/appartDSC_0023_23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fFz6JmaWS-E/UGhkU0eMEjI/AAAAAAAAA9A/OPk0lN1rWlg/s640/appartDSC_0023_23.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too much work if we're just renting!</td></tr>
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Hence, we decided to accept proposition number two, and all went smoothly with the landlord from then on. We just had to move out our stuff again, which we had just moved from C's former studio or that we had recently ordered. That included new appliances, such as a washing machine, a fridge, and an oven. We hired somebody for that! We found ourselves crammed in the little studio until a new solution would present itself...</div>
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We were back to square one — still without an apartment to move into — but we knew we had made the right decision when the owner called Q one day and asked him to "please close the shutters when you leave so that the sun would not damage the new hardwood floors"... We also came across the guy who would have been our neighbor and he told us he was sad we were not staying, but then he also told us about his "battle" with the landlord after water damage from the roof that the landlord did not want to take responsibility for.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xTLFnQEeOi0/UGXCpc5uPSI/AAAAAAAAA7I/SwwLlF53EHU/s1600/appartDSC_0085_85.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xTLFnQEeOi0/UGXCpc5uPSI/AAAAAAAAA7I/SwwLlF53EHU/s640/appartDSC_0085_85.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sun-sensitive" hardwood floors ;-)</td></tr>
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Fortunately, by the end of this mini-saga, we were close to the Easter vacation in France. Q called up one of his very best friends in Eastern France, and she actually ended up being the one who would guarantee the lease for the first apartment we had considered. She and her family were looking for a beach vacation, so why not Nice and helping us out at the same time. Needless to say we are eternally grateful for their gesture!</div>
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So we signed together for the apartment I am writing this blog post from!</div>
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More about that on the next post (and with a few more waves...).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5PuVE0fGvoA/UGWLDNEDu8I/AAAAAAAAA5E/8gBde06jcVY/s1600/apricotpie_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5PuVE0fGvoA/UGWLDNEDu8I/AAAAAAAAA5E/8gBde06jcVY/s640/apricotpie_02.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apricot pie by the balcony of our apartment in Nice</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-52814697786086238712012-03-20T23:55:00.003+01:002013-01-13T23:47:06.907+01:00Everything's just... gone!!All our stuff just left Aarhus for Nice this morning. Quite a big step toward home reunification! Two great guys from a British moving company came to load their truck with our > 400 cubic feet (=12 cubic meters) of stuff. We took some snapshots of the process.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RDEa837Y76A/T2kFE_d1alI/AAAAAAAAAz8/wL9Ho4C00nA/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0037_37_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RDEa837Y76A/T2kFE_d1alI/AAAAAAAAAz8/wL9Ho4C00nA/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0037_37_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">7:55am: It's good we had reserved 3 parking spots in a row for the movers' truck to park!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pNDnlRNCeOo/T2kFClmo9CI/AAAAAAAAAz0/dEys9-9bW0s/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0034_34_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pNDnlRNCeOo/T2kFClmo9CI/AAAAAAAAAz0/dEys9-9bW0s/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0034_34_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8:00 am: Here's what the living room of our apartment in Aarhus looks like...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qhFqg53uXW4/T2kFGuvu4WI/AAAAAAAAA0E/dYdPaSD8hf4/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0050_50_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qhFqg53uXW4/T2kFGuvu4WI/AAAAAAAAA0E/dYdPaSD8hf4/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0050_50_b.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8:47am: Time for a painting yoga session in one of the now empty bedrooms</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgQy-_CHv-8/T2kFIhaZAAI/AAAAAAAAA0M/-4-oKdeIXPs/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0051_51_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgQy-_CHv-8/T2kFIhaZAAI/AAAAAAAAA0M/-4-oKdeIXPs/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0051_51_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9:08am: This is definitely clearing out...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjSQD26aBDw/T2kFJ4Cz1rI/AAAAAAAAA0U/YrUyhS0wGSY/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0053_53b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjSQD26aBDw/T2kFJ4Cz1rI/AAAAAAAAA0U/YrUyhS0wGSY/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0053_53b.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9:53am: A lot of our stuff is now stacked inside the truck<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o4s_2yXDEnE/T2kH9xh-LLI/AAAAAAAAA00/Ekdd5d1pOWQ/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0055_55b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o4s_2yXDEnE/T2kH9xh-LLI/AAAAAAAAA00/Ekdd5d1pOWQ/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0055_55b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:10am: Hey! we can start seeing some of that back wall again behind the cardboard boxes that we had not seen in 3 months</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2q0TYt-ojo/T2kFL2BxDkI/AAAAAAAAA0c/NgXZ1k7fDow/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0056_56b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2q0TYt-ojo/T2kFL2BxDkI/AAAAAAAAA0c/NgXZ1k7fDow/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0056_56b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:38am: Each of our 150 items got a colored sticker with a unique identifier and was added to a now 6-page list</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-79J0bIFoapw/T2kFNTMrWRI/AAAAAAAAA0k/6InLTktdJaw/s1600/moving+paintingDSC_0059_59b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-79J0bIFoapw/T2kFNTMrWRI/AAAAAAAAA0k/6InLTktdJaw/s640/moving+paintingDSC_0059_59b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:49am: Almost there...</td></tr>
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11:15am: Time to wave the truck goodbye... (check out at one of the windows on the third floor ;)</div>
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It'll take about 2 weeks now we think before we see our belongings again down at the other end in Nice. Stay tuned!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-46697653406619400912012-03-04T23:59:00.001+01:002013-01-13T23:35:25.636+01:00Orchids in Menton, Aloevera flowers in Antibes, and the Sun, well... everywhere :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For his latest trip to visit C and S on the Cote d'Azur, Q arrived as a perfect French gentleman on Valentine's day. He stayed a week, and the aims for those few days were to (1) find an apartment to move into for April 1st, and (2) check out the carnaval de Nice (<a href="http://wlc.drake.edu/wordpress/french/2011/03/04/carnaval-de-nice/" target="_blank">a >100 year old tradition</a>) and the 79th edition of the <a href="http://www.fete-du-citron.com/Lemon-Festival-Menton-French,34.html" target="_blank">Lemon festival in Menton</a> (to celebrate the <a href="http://en.aupaysducitron.fr/node/15" target="_blank">historical Menton lemon</a>).<br />
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Since early February, we called about 15 apartments, visited 6, had a close tie between two, and eventually decided to stay in a 75 m2 apartment close to the tram line, our favorite boulangerie, and the largest (and daily) open air market, in a relatively tourist-free part of Nice. Both of us really liked the apartment, its feel, and the fact that we'd be the only folks on our floor, in a 4-story house filled with quiet families. We've already met the downstairs neighbor, her two cats and her cute and friendly dog. We're definitely looking forward to being reunited under the same roof again!<br />
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Stay tuned for more pictures of the new place, and in the meantime, here's one of the living room in our current apartment in Denmark...<br />
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So mission 1 accomplished! Now regarding the leisure activities by the Mediterranean... Well, actually, to much of our dismay—yet not too unexpectedly in that part of France—the festivals in Nice and Menton turned out to be mostly commercial, geared toward tourists and kids. In Nice, we were at the opening night of the carnaval and it was just a lot of hot air. And the Queen of the carnaval was half the size of the King, of course dressed in pink and not at all sporty (sport was the theme for 2012)...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"We just love Americans - check out where we placed their flag!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very dancing fairy Queen...</td></tr>
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In Menton, the focus was to a large extent on a gigantic exhibit, much amusement park-oriented, with tall structures made out of lemons. Although the festival claims to promote "nature and culture", all the lemons displayed here (145 tons) were actually shipped from Spain (see <a href="http://www.fete-du-citron.com/Dans-les-Coulisses-de-la-Fete-du.html" target="_blank">official source</a> - in French). That's not much of a way to promote sustainability! Needless to say that took the fun out of it for us...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R37LsbGB6rA/T1Pzl0jGQKI/AAAAAAAAAzA/UuuRPICpE8Y/s1600/photo_mentonb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R37LsbGB6rA/T1Pzl0jGQKI/AAAAAAAAAzA/UuuRPICpE8Y/s320/photo_mentonb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spanish lemons and oranges in Menton</td></tr>
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The only events that were organized to actually promote the local culture of lemons were unfortunately very limited. A visit of a traditional "citronneraie" (orchard where lemons grow) happened on certain days only, through a guided tour exclusively at 10am, for which we showed up too late in Menton to be able to join. We did visit a cute orchard with a large variety of citrus fruits surrounding a museum, but no informations, explanations or products derived from the fruits were available.<br />
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Most traditional lemon orchards have actually disappeared in Menton due to the booming of real estate, but a few farmers are bringing the old tradition back and the town is aiming to get its famous lemon recognized and protected. 15 producers are actually growing lemons now, and the town has planted over 5000 lemon trees in the 1990s (<a href="http://www.fete-du-citron.com/Le-Citron-de-Menton.html" target="_blank">resource in French</a>). We really looked for ways we could support that movement, but it was hard to find how.<br />
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While in Menton we still enjoyed walking around this cute town we both like, and we saw a very fine orchid exhibit, a few photos of which are displayed here.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orchid exhibit in Menton</td></tr>
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On the Sunday we decided to take the train and go West from Nice instead of East (Villefranche, Saint Jean, Menton, Monaco, Italy, etc.) where we usually go. We aimed for the quaint town of Antibes, a mere 20 minute train ride from the main train station in Nice. We loved the winding picturesque streets and the overlook on the Mediterranean and the Cap d'Antibes from the old castle Grimaldi which is now a Picasso museum. What's very particular about that museum is that most of Picasso's artwork on display was actually created by the master himself in the room where it is now on exhibit, back in <a href="http://www.antibes-juanlespins.com/les-musees/picasso" target="_blank">1946</a> (click on a flag for translation).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The French Riviera just ain't bad...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not tan yet in 2012 but working on it!</td></tr>
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Some fine dining again that evening, and another quick visit to Villefranche the next day before flying back North and wondering why on Earth was "North" ever invented... Perhaps for the contrasting beauty of pine forests mooring into a frozen sea and sunsets that can last a whole hour...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-5486515105705684242012-01-21T21:26:00.001+01:002013-01-13T23:35:38.142+01:00Extending our explorations of the French Riviera :-)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Flashback to November and our Thanksgiving week in France!<br />
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Well, Q likes <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aznavourofficiel" target="_blank">Aznavour</a> and enjoyed his <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2011/10/mer-soleil-paris-aznavour-la-famille.html" target="_blank">concert</a> so much that he wanted to go again!! And C was not against another romantic getaway with her Denmark-based hubbie... This time we went to <a href="http://www.toulontourisme.com/international_welcome.htm" target="_blank">Toulon</a>, about 2 hours by train West of Nice, still on the beautiful Mediterranean.<br />
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We enjoyed the concert again (this time together with another 4,000 people) and a fine dinner, but C being under the weather, and the weather itself being under the weather (for the South of France, that is), we did not stay to enjoy Toulon very much.<br />
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Later that week (when it was still about 60 degrees outside...) we enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner with some other expats (two Canadian girls who lived in the US) and a couple of French friends.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mG8N1LhGhL4/TxsX9BtjuYI/AAAAAAAAAsU/lIBOWHItKwE/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mG8N1LhGhL4/TxsX9BtjuYI/AAAAAAAAAsU/lIBOWHItKwE/s200/photo-5.JPG" width="200" /></a>The day before Q would go back North, we discovered enchanting Menton, the last French town East of Nice before the border with Italy. The town was nicely bathed by sunshine, so that we could enjoy a lunch outside along the sea. A few tourists around, mostly Italians. It felt like what Nice must have been 100 years ago, with a slower pace of life and no exuberance. Just a small quaint fishing and artistic place.<br />
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The main purpose of the visit was the <a href="http://www.menton.fr/L-actualite/Tous-les-articles/L-actualite-culturelle/Ouverture-du-Musee-Jean-Cocteau-collection-Severin-Wunderman" target="_blank">new museum</a> for French artist Jean Cocteau, one of our favorites. The <a href="http://www.frenchriviera-tourism.com/riviera/cocteau-in-menton-crtarticle_119.html" target="_blank">museum</a> is quite exceptional, both architecture and collection-wise. Highly recommended!<br />
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Menton is also famous for its delicious lemons, that are the theme of a<a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/26/21934/5005/travel/The+French+Riviera+Starts+Spring+with+a+Zest+Fest+for+Lemon+Lovers" target="_blank"> major festival</a> in a few weeks.<br />
Stay tuned!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-34393608912646499282012-01-21T21:25:00.001+01:002013-01-13T23:43:06.290+01:00Happy New Year and welcome to the French Alps, Chrysa!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After celebrating the Christmas holiday with C's family in Maryland, we drove a couple of hours to the French Alps, near the scenic town of Briançon. The tiny and winding road going straight from Nice was blocked because of snow falls, so we went through Italy and the area of Torino. For an overview of our travels, check out <a href="http://www.tripline.net/trip/2011_holiday_season-0056373556261004A6DCBBD8D5E878D9?n=78" target="_blank">our itinerary</a> on Tripline.<br />
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We had booked 3 nights in a hotel right on the ski run front in Saint Chaffrey, a few miles up the road from Briançon. We had not been on skis since leaving Colorado, so it had been a while! Luckily as we all know this is pretty much like biking or driving, it's still there (stretching was quite a requirement though). We skied on both January 1st and 2nd. Our first day was sunny and lovely, and our second day was powdery with some fresh snow flakes that made us look like snowmen. We loved every second of it!<br />
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And we ate twice for dinner at restaurant <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g1439635-d1905441-Le_Triptyque-Saint_Chaffrey_Hautes_Alpes_Provence.html#28002158" target="_blank">Le Triptyque</a>, the kind of modern/traditional fusion bistro that we both enjoy. Unforgettable!<br />
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Back in Nice, we celebrated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)" target="_blank">Epiphany</a> with Sascha...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-65483999148645543922011-10-09T14:31:00.000+02:002013-01-13T23:37:42.851+01:00Mer, Soleil, Paris, Aznavour, la Famille<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_fAUggpo2gU/TpF100ETDeI/AAAAAAAAApA/L2-8ZvCWzmU/s1600/photo-11b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_fAUggpo2gU/TpF100ETDeI/AAAAAAAAApA/L2-8ZvCWzmU/s320/photo-11b.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new coat in front of the Pantheon</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UBjP04QeT1Q/TpF12_DvYyI/AAAAAAAAApE/-vBLGp0PUx8/s1600/photo-7b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UBjP04QeT1Q/TpF12_DvYyI/AAAAAAAAApE/-vBLGp0PUx8/s320/photo-7b.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the concert</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgkUbA5SVx8/TpF141oxxvI/AAAAAAAAApI/8n8pRP0Qicc/s1600/photo-6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgkUbA5SVx8/TpF141oxxvI/AAAAAAAAApI/8n8pRP0Qicc/s320/photo-6b.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of the Olympia concert hall</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-05YTMrtRgMM/TpF17Ye63II/AAAAAAAAApM/LCU8Np1D5ic/s1600/photo-5b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-05YTMrtRgMM/TpF17Ye63II/AAAAAAAAApM/LCU8Np1D5ic/s320/photo-5b.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Aznavour rocks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ij1r7PB2MqM/TpF19NuN8rI/AAAAAAAAApQ/ZQq_5J9G0Dw/s1600/photo-1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ij1r7PB2MqM/TpF19NuN8rI/AAAAAAAAApQ/ZQq_5J9G0Dw/s320/photo-1b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another nice day by the sea...</td></tr>
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We spent our time from Sept. 11-18 between Nice, Strasbourg, and Paris. The heat wave was still hitting Europe and we enjoyed days at the beach as if we would be still in July... Quite a treat coming from Denmark where the summer had long long long disappeared...<br />
<br />
Our main motivation for going "North" to Paris via Strasbourg was our tickets to a concert by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oyOmq2Clc4&feature=relmfu">Charles Aznavour</a> at the famous French music hall called l'Olympia. At 87 years old he had booked the concert hall for an entire month with plans to then tour the rest of France until Christmas.<br />
<br />
In a shape that most of us near 40 could envy, he sang 27 songs over 2 and half hours, with no break! The warm energy in the room was quite palpable, even to C who was missing out on half of the French lyrics. This evening really illustrated how Charles Aznavour is sort of a grand father to pretty much any family in France. People just love him, and he clearly loves to be on stage. It looked like he was at home, at least more than on the TV sets where he has been spending a lot of time these days, advertising for his concerts, <a href="http://www.charlesaznavour-lesite.fr/L-album">his new album</a>, and his latest book.<br />
<br />
This evening was not only great, it felt like a so unique and perfect way to spend an evening in Paris! Especially with a fine early dinner before at the old Parisian <a href="http://www.restaurant-chartier.com/">restaurant Chartier</a> and an aperitive on the boulevard, at sunset, right before the concert... Chrysa also chose this opportunity to get herself a brand new and cheerful coat from <a href="http://nathzed.canalblog.com/archives/2010/07/10/18496995.html">Desigual</a> that has since attracted much envious looks from other women ;-)<br />
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We also spent a fair amount of time exploring Paris' past and history, by visiting some of its oldest sites and paying homage to Sainte Genevieve, one of Paris' first patron saints who rests in the <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-st-etienne-du-mont">church of Saint Etienne du Mont</a> in the Latin Quarter. During our visit we met a French fan of 17th century painting who joined us on a tour and shared his knowledge of what we were seeing. We ended this quite inspiring day with a dinner at L'epigramme, a <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/travel/05choice.html">modern Paris bistro</a>. We ate there with Q's sister Sigo, who will be studying in Paris this year, and her boyfriend, Manu. Then Sigo took us all to the <a href="http://www.grandpalais.fr/visite/en/">Grand Palais</a> (built at the end of the Champs Elysees avenue at the same time as the Eiffel tower) for a special exhibition and "meditation in action" for the victims of the Fukushima nuclear accident.<br />
<br />
On our way to Paris we made a stop-over in Strasbourg to return Q's parents car that we had been borrowing for too many months now... That was a quick but always enjoyable opportunity to cross Q's beloved Switzerland, and also to remain in awe at the wonderful vistas on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aosta">Aosta valley</a> in Northern Italy. After this scenic but a bit long trip (10 hours in the car...), we were welcome by Q's parents and grand father. We enjoyed a fine dinner, with C now able to participate and even launch complete conversations in French with Q's family! They were all quite impressed (they should be!).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AyK2OcAucao/TpF0hvHpscI/AAAAAAAAAoY/9GDxER_e9pk/s1600/dynamo-fukushima.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AyK2OcAucao/TpF0hvHpscI/AAAAAAAAAoY/9GDxER_e9pk/s320/dynamo-fukushima.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dynamo Fukushima - Grand Palais</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-16215583048776390012011-08-21T16:12:00.000+02:002013-01-13T23:38:15.010+01:00Meet the parents<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g_jtVPl6tS0/TlEJeyxzdlI/AAAAAAAAAmM/a5jau0SqXDU/s1600/beaulieu_026b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643302232703333970" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g_jtVPl6tS0/TlEJeyxzdlI/AAAAAAAAAmM/a5jau0SqXDU/s320/beaulieu_026b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 211px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 317px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South of France is an enjoyable place to be...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWkKeoig4QI/TlELU4ipwUI/AAAAAAAAAnk/EcLF-PsH6n8/s1600/beaulieu_042b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304261474959682" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWkKeoig4QI/TlELU4ipwUI/AAAAAAAAAnk/EcLF-PsH6n8/s320/beaulieu_042b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At home when surrounded by art!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XUYU92J-0Ec/TlELUlagm-I/AAAAAAAAAnc/Hy3yKaL6ghI/s1600/beaulieu_035b.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304256340532194" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XUYU92J-0Ec/TlELUlagm-I/AAAAAAAAAnc/Hy3yKaL6ghI/s320/beaulieu_035b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bdCd4UYerkw/TlELUFA2LLI/AAAAAAAAAnE/DNV_iAuyjcQ/s1600/beaulieu_031b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304247642959026" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bdCd4UYerkw/TlELUFA2LLI/AAAAAAAAAnE/DNV_iAuyjcQ/s320/beaulieu_031b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 213px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C'est pas mal ici, non ?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tII_7_u7R1Y/TlEK0JLahhI/AAAAAAAAAm8/V3bOEw7fPv0/s1600/beaulieu_017b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643303699005212178" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tII_7_u7R1Y/TlEK0JLahhI/AAAAAAAAAm8/V3bOEw7fPv0/s320/beaulieu_017b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 213px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving in Saint Paul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rNMwVHWIHL0/TlEKzoLwAzI/AAAAAAAAAmk/XfKsgMr2m_Q/s1600/beaulieu_004b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643303690148250418" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rNMwVHWIHL0/TlEKzoLwAzI/AAAAAAAAAmk/XfKsgMr2m_Q/s320/beaulieu_004b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 213px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A narrow street in Vence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u402FU7F0fE/TlEKzdqsxwI/AAAAAAAAAmc/JMLRuMeorPM/s1600/beaulieu_003b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643303687325271810" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u402FU7F0fE/TlEKzdqsxwI/AAAAAAAAAmc/JMLRuMeorPM/s320/beaulieu_003b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 213px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosaic by Chagall in Vence's cathedral</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aOPoqdo3qSk/TlELUXyqf-I/AAAAAAAAAnU/mUq4dCsvT_U/s1600/beaulieu_034b.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304252683747298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aOPoqdo3qSk/TlELUXyqf-I/AAAAAAAAAnU/mUq4dCsvT_U/s320/beaulieu_034b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 134px;" /></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqHj6bf5_Wg/TlEKz_E5fvI/AAAAAAAAAm0/P2aqPqjAIZw/s1600/beaulieu_015b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643303696293527282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqHj6bf5_Wg/TlEKz_E5fvI/AAAAAAAAAm0/P2aqPqjAIZw/s200/beaulieu_015b.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Une jolie fontaine a Saint Paul</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C5eJIfYmd0Y/TlEKzjoZ4bI/AAAAAAAAAms/cDk9nzXwXsw/s1600/beaulieu_014b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643303688926257586" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C5eJIfYmd0Y/TlEKzjoZ4bI/AAAAAAAAAms/cDk9nzXwXsw/s200/beaulieu_014b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 213px;" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La chapelle Matisse a Vence</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KC2VDaH6hLg/TlEJfJuvXyI/AAAAAAAAAmU/_q4ulPKB1iI/s1600/beaulieu_012b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643302238864498466" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KC2VDaH6hLg/TlEJfJuvXyI/AAAAAAAAAmU/_q4ulPKB1iI/s320/beaulieu_012b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View over Vence</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xZXUpMtVy-c/TlELscOwGaI/AAAAAAAAAns/7S-hsRfpJVY/s1600/beaulieu_055b.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304666192157090" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xZXUpMtVy-c/TlELscOwGaI/AAAAAAAAAns/7S-hsRfpJVY/s320/beaulieu_055b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite place in the Nice area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-imeTJ4YJc3M/TlELsmdQ84I/AAAAAAAAAn0/21pR8Gl2QvU/s1600/beaulieu_057b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304668937384834" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-imeTJ4YJc3M/TlELsmdQ84I/AAAAAAAAAn0/21pR8Gl2QvU/s320/beaulieu_057b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite place in the Nice area and my favorite person (not just in the Nice area)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p3rUPRXR30M/TlELs8enWiI/AAAAAAAAAn8/MZzN9LusqOo/s1600/beaulieu_059b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304674848627234" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p3rUPRXR30M/TlELs8enWiI/AAAAAAAAAn8/MZzN9LusqOo/s320/beaulieu_059b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite...–oh, you probably get the picture by now :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From Q: It's sunny here in Aarhus today so the climate invites some friendly memories from my sorely missed four weeks in Nice last month. It's also Sunday, a day on which the family typically gets together for a copious and joyful meal. For these two reasons, it's perfect timing to pay a tribute to my parents who visited us in Nice while I was there.<br />
<br />
My parents, Mireille and Jacques, were very helpful in helping us get an apartment in Nice. They also served as our references for the lease, as we could not come to visit the apartment ahead of time nor meet the owner. They were both psyched when we announced we'd be settling down in Nice, since they plan to spend most of their soon-to-come retirement in the <a href="http://www.ville-vinca.fr/">cute village of Vinça</a> where we have an old family house. This area is about 5 hours away by car, but still in super-scenic and magical South of France, as you can see on <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-escapade-to-southern-europe.html">this post from last summer</a>. It's just Spain instead of Italy on the other side of the border...<br />
<br />
My sister is already in<a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2010/06/first-day-of-work-and-first-vacation.html"> Montpellier</a>, raising her daughter Mila with her S.O. Mathieu. My other sister Sigo almost made it down there as well but she is still in the midst of her studies, so life fluctuates a lot for her. It looks like she will definitely make it further South than <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2011/01/catching-up-on-2010-brussels.html">Brussels, Belgium</a> though!<br />
<br />
My parents stopped by for two days on their way from Strasbourg to Vinça, right before Bastille day. So Chrysa was at work in the day time, and joining us for dinners in the evening. I spent the days with my parents, walking around historical towns, visiting museums, and going to the beach.<br />
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There were mainly two themes during my parents' visit. My dad grew up in Nice from ca. 1947 until 1960, so we went back in time... We found where he was living, we even went inside the building and it was fun to hear my dad comment on what had changed, what had not... Isn't there's just something always fascinating about hearing some insights about one own's parents lives "before you were born, son". Always makes me feel like we're getting to mysterious land.<br />
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<br />
We also went to swim in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CotedazurTourisme#p/u/25/JOmqmc-WN_o">Beaulieu-sur-mer</a>, where my dad did his first swim in the late 1940s. For sure the town had grown since, and he was not so sure about which beach has had been to any longer... But already back then apparently the most quiet time to go to the beach was 6am! That's when my grand father would take my dad for a swim. We also visited the beaches in <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2011/06/cours-saleya-and-villefranche-sur-mer.html">Villefranche</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CotedazurTourisme#p/u/22/NcG7rCTlssg">Saint Jean</a>, that Chrysa and I both like a lot (and prefer over Nice's beaches).<br />
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The second theme of this visit was contemporary art. My dad's first hobby has always been art. Painting and making <span style="font-style: italic;">collages</span> (see <a href="http://www.galeriequedar.com/article-exposition-jacques-vicens-et-adolph-kaiser-toujours-en-cours-67714640.html">here</a> for one of his recent exhibits). The Côte d'Azur is famous for having attracted the most talented artists over the years, such as Matisse, Picasso, Cocteau, Renoir, etc. The vibrancy of the art community down there reminds me of that in Taos/Santa Fe in New Mexico.<br />
<br />
We walked around the very cute village of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CotedazurTourisme#p/u/33/b82aOm0BhDE">Vence</a>, which has a mosaic by Marc Chagall in its cathedral, and of course a few art galleries. We visited a chapel designed by Matisse on the outskirts of Vence. Matisse considered this chapel to be his most accomplished piece of work, and it is truly a wonder.<br />
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Most of the art galleries were in super scenic and now (mid-July) super touristy <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CotedazurTourisme#p/u/34/VPnz-58nkw4">Saint-Paul de Vence</a>, where Chrysa had <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2011/06/saint-paul-de-vence.html">already been in June</a>. We spent quite a fair amount of time talking with various artists and gallery owners, which got me to suspect my dad's trying to get that kind of business started... stay tuned...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ztm0yE9EI88/TlELsxAYmZI/AAAAAAAAAoE/CCN6Sz1T9us/s1600/beaulieu_064b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643304671769041298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ztm0yE9EI88/TlELsxAYmZI/AAAAAAAAAoE/CCN6Sz1T9us/s320/beaulieu_064b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fine dining in Beaulieu</td></tr>
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My parents' visit ended up with a dinner on the harbor in Beaulieu with our friend Christiane, who was the best friend of my now-deceased grand mother. After dinner we enjoyed great Bastille day fireworks that were shot from the jetty. My parents left early the next day for Vinça, which they will leave again at the end of August.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-44140557164852950392011-08-17T23:28:00.000+02:002013-01-13T23:42:30.429+01:00Wine tasting in the heart of Provence<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DsYQg6knro4/Tkf_zoS8BcI/AAAAAAAAAms/KoNxIVbynhI/s1600/vignes_084b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DsYQg6knro4/Tkf_zoS8BcI/AAAAAAAAAms/KoNxIVbynhI/s320/vignes_084b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C caressing grapes</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFChBYTHW20/Tkf7ORShpRI/AAAAAAAAAmE/-ePNPZhtFuI/s1600/vignes_007b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="133" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640753280882681106" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFChBYTHW20/Tkf7ORShpRI/AAAAAAAAAmE/-ePNPZhtFuI/s200/vignes_007b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B and B backyard</td></tr>
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The first time that Chrysa visited France,<br />
Q&C visited a winery in Alsace. About halfway through the wine tasting, C declared "We have to live in France" and this was the beginning of a long relationship with French wines.<br />
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Now that we have an address in France, we thought it was high time to visit our local vineyards and plans for a romantic weekend getaway were made. C had heard of the famous Chateauneuf-du-pape (which translates to new castle of the pope) wine region and was quite happy to realize that Nice is just a 3 hour drive from there. C did a bit of research online to find some "vignerons independent" or independent winemakers that had won awards for their wines to visit, and Q found a very scenic bed and breakfast place to stay for the weekend. We left after work on Friday and three hours later we were in the heart of Provence, enjoying some wine.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80pQOkjkeek/Tkf7Ns6f44I/AAAAAAAAAls/sqJwHu6aaMA/s1600/vignes_034b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640753271118226306" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80pQOkjkeek/Tkf7Ns6f44I/AAAAAAAAAls/sqJwHu6aaMA/s320/vignes_034b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">apricot cake + lavender</td></tr>
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When we arrived at our <a href="http://www.closdesgrenadiers.fr/">very scenic bed and breakfast</a> we enjoyed a lovely French dinner accompanied by some red wine from the owner's vineyards. We eagerly accepted their invitation to a wine tasting at their cave the next day, together with John, an American who was treating himself to a trip to France. At the <a href="http://www.chateaudumourredutendre.com/mouredutendreanglais.asp.htm">Chateau du Mourre du Tendre</a> they only age their wine in stainless steel tanks and not in wood so that the taste of the grapes really comes through (although this is uncommon in Chateauneuf).<br />
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After our morning (!) wine-tasting, we visited a quaint French town nearby, <a href="http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/vaucluse/gigondas/gigondas.htm">Gigondas</a>, where we had a lovely lunch under the cool shade of the trees. After walking around the town and exploring their herb garden with a fantastic view of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region, we came back closer to town for our second tasting of the day.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-34cqOewv7GQ/Tkf7NbeX2VI/AAAAAAAAAlk/bnfcrmECME8/s1600/vignes_035b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640753266436856146" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-34cqOewv7GQ/Tkf7NbeX2VI/AAAAAAAAAlk/bnfcrmECME8/s320/vignes_035b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C + wine</td></tr>
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At <a href="http://www.vmb.fr/">Vignobles Mousset-Barrot</a> we really enjoyed the fruity reds that they made and picked up even more wines for our cellar! We ended the day with a driving tour around the little mountain with breathtaking views of the countryside. When we came back to our B&B, we were invited over for a glass of champagne by our hosts and their family which turned into a lively discussion with more bottles of liquors, one made by some nearby monks in an abbey. A plan was hatched.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LomHRIwDsLw/Tkf6wculzEI/AAAAAAAAAlc/WCePuvnfuSw/s1600/vignes_031b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752768557108290" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LomHRIwDsLw/Tkf6wculzEI/AAAAAAAAAlc/WCePuvnfuSw/s320/vignes_031b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Q in the sunshine</td></tr>
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On Sunday we had to leave our newly found slice of paradise and return to our other slice of paradise on the French Riviera. We decided that on the way back we would stop at the <a href="http://www.frigolet.com/en/">Frigolet abbey</a> to buy some liquor and then stop at another vigneron for a wine tasting in the Coteaux d'Aix en Provence appellation. So we arrived at the abbey just before the end of mass and waited for the shop to open afterwards. The abbey is really very peaceful especially with the monks singing and C felt just a little bit guilty for driving all the way up the mountain to buy alcohol on a Sunday. But hey, we're still supporting the monks, right? [note from Q: Q did not feel guilty]<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sWQIp4o49kQ/Tkf6wKGSZVI/AAAAAAAAAlU/3xb_15deSB4/s1600/vignes_048b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752763556226386" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sWQIp4o49kQ/Tkf6wKGSZVI/AAAAAAAAAlU/3xb_15deSB4/s320/vignes_048b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View with lavender</td></tr>
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We then moved on further into the mountains and came across a perfect picnic spot next to a windmill [note from Q: missing the Danish winds, perhaps...]. After lunch, we visited our last vigneron independant, the <a href="http://www.petit-sonnailler.com/">Chateau Petit Sonnailler</a>, which is located well into the hills and mountains of countryside, very far from the hustle and bustle of life. It also happens to be a B&B (next time! :-). Here, we enjoyed all of their wines, but we have to say that their <i>Rosé</i> was the best of the trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S2szFIKXP_4/Tkf6v8uNNTI/AAAAAAAAAlM/HGjGwrAElJ0/s1600/vignes_051b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752759965562162" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S2szFIKXP_4/Tkf6v8uNNTI/AAAAAAAAAlM/HGjGwrAElJ0/s320/vignes_051b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the happy couple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xqun4psXQwY/Tkf6v51CA6I/AAAAAAAAAlE/Jx4mIpSBpD4/s1600/vignes_060b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752759188882338" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xqun4psXQwY/Tkf6v51CA6I/AAAAAAAAAlE/Jx4mIpSBpD4/s320/vignes_060b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">vines + mountains</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5oxRfXBAq6E/Tkf6vvhoVWI/AAAAAAAAAk8/yVekp3MO6KA/s1600/vignes_061b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752756423152994" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5oxRfXBAq6E/Tkf6vvhoVWI/AAAAAAAAAk8/yVekp3MO6KA/s320/vignes_061b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">vines in lines</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bY5r397encM/Tkf6M6oIyUI/AAAAAAAAAks/2fAU2qb2dQk/s1600/vignes_086b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752158107814210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bY5r397encM/Tkf6M6oIyUI/AAAAAAAAAks/2fAU2qb2dQk/s320/vignes_086b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a first glimpse of the Abbey</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFE2A5df7MQ/Tkf6Mv8A8VI/AAAAAAAAAkk/tm9sjReWpX0/s1600/vignes_104b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752155238396242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFE2A5df7MQ/Tkf6Mv8A8VI/AAAAAAAAAkk/tm9sjReWpX0/s320/vignes_104b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">windblown trees</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_kjS-lZwJY/Tkf6MNyXVDI/AAAAAAAAAkc/69r4BaifGqY/s1600/vignes_115b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752146071114802" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_kjS-lZwJY/Tkf6MNyXVDI/AAAAAAAAAkc/69r4BaifGqY/s320/vignes_115b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 229px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lookout! here comes Don Quixote!</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-18M7-jGYJGs/Tkf6L2hrgDI/AAAAAAAAAkU/WvEyEVOS0rw/s1600/vignes_127b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640752139827118130" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-18M7-jGYJGs/Tkf6L2hrgDI/AAAAAAAAAkU/WvEyEVOS0rw/s320/vignes_127b.jpg" style="float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Provence...</td></tr>
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With the car now riding low in the back (!), we returned to the Cote d'Azur, very pleased with our weekend getaway to the French countryside in Provence.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-25547083049214632152011-07-22T11:34:00.008+02:002013-01-13T23:39:20.477+01:00Arthurian Legends in Nice?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtgNZx6c5w4/TilKzwFZQNI/AAAAAAAAAjw/gOl7RNoaX2o/s1600/ruines_020b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632115061944828114" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtgNZx6c5w4/TilKzwFZQNI/AAAAAAAAAjw/gOl7RNoaX2o/s320/ruines_020b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a>
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Last Sunday we set out to put on our hiking boots and start exploring the much revered <span style="font-style: italic;">arriere pays</span> or backcountry, meaning: the hills and mountains North of Nice. A mere half hour by car from our doorstep, we found ourselves at the Col de Chateauneuf, a modest pass at 700 meters altitude. On top of the peak (or bump) right next to it lie the ruins of an old castle that was abandoned in the 18th century.<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632113038673072674" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iLA4QXdDFzE/TilI9-z0UiI/AAAAAAAAAiY/e7Myop6MV1c/s320/ruines_008b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 213px;" /><br />
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The site is left relatively unmaintained, and was quite stunning, especially with the backdrop of nearby hills half covered with a mysterious fog... This decor of half-standing walls, bridges and towers covered with ivy and other local wild plants totally evoked the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Idylls_of_the_King_1.jpg">imagery associated with the stories of King Arthur</a>.</div>
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We did not find Merlin, unicorns or the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg">killer bunny</a>, but we did find plenty of blackberry bushes that we'll need to get back to once the berries will be ripe (probably in another 2 weeks)!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-75936496727889184892011-07-20T23:04:00.008+02:002013-01-13T23:40:16.935+01:0024 hours in Tuscany<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0vqF1Y8Bh-c/TidL-ZSTpII/AAAAAAAAAhg/MilOHYFsxjw/s1600/lucca_005b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631553394361738370" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0vqF1Y8Bh-c/TidL-ZSTpII/AAAAAAAAAhg/MilOHYFsxjw/s320/lucca_005b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a>
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From Q:</div>
Two weeks ago I went to Tuscany for a concert at the <a href="http://www.summer-festival.com/">Lucca Summer Festival</a>, featuring legendary Burt Bacharach and Italian star Mario Biondi (part of a song during their rehearsal can be heard <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/qvicens#p/a/u/0/l-OOizF66G4">here</a>). Lucca's about 3 and a half hours from Nice by car, which is a lot by French but not US standards. Anyway, it's basically next door!<br />
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Lucca's a very cute fortified city with many churches and old houses, narrow streets and restaurants. The wall surrounding it is about 2.5 miles long and you can walk, run, or even bike on it! I thought the best thing about Lucca was that it was still mostly Italian, meaning the tourists were a minority, in spite of the <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/travel/24LUCCA.html">popularity of the place</a>. So I'd hear Italian spoken (or yelled) in the streets, at the restaurant, and around me at the concert venue (a stage set up on one of the main town squares).</div>
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On the day after the concert, I drove a very scenic high road through the mountains North of the Lucca, the Garfagnana region. A most winding road (C knows too well that these are my favorite) took me from one perched village and its Roman church to another. If you've seen recently the movie entitled <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/426754/The-American/trailers">The American</a>, it is a very similar kind of scenery. Breathtaking views of old town among very dark green hills, sometimes a lake, or a medieval bridge, and always a very typical food and wine store that I brought treasures from...</div>
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So if you get the chance, don't hesitate to come on down here! C and I will be happy to show you around. Any excuse is a good one :-)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-12041179388007548442011-06-19T17:13:00.001+02:002013-01-13T23:40:43.308+01:00Saint Paul de Vence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week Q found an article in the NYTimes travel section about a couple who went back to Provence for vacation forty years after having lived there. Since C is in the area, she decided to check out one of the towns that is nearby Nice, Saint Paul de Vence. <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/travel/provence-seen-in-youth-and-40-years-later.html?emc=eta1">http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/travel/provence-seen-in-youth-and-40-years-later.html?emc=eta1</a><br />
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Saint Paul de Vence is a lovely fortified old city, both with a touristy area, and with a section where people actually still live. Many of the first floor apartments have been turned into a shop, restaurant, atelier (artist's space) or a gallery.<br />
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C enjoyed the afternoon walking around the town and exploring the different alleys. At every corner a picturesque old house was waiting to be photographed. All the flowers were blooming, the sun was shining and it was a perfect day for an excursion.<br />
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After a little while, C found a true gem of a restaurant, Le Caruso. It is located just a little bit off of the main touristy area and was excellent. C's lunch included a salad with goat cheese melted over a toasted slice of bread, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, pork slices with a sauce forestiere (mushroom), rice and veggies, and finally, a little piece of heaven for dessert, "Sabayon gratine aux fraises." This simple yet tasty dessert is strawberries covered with a marscapone and cream sauce, sprinkled lightly with sugar and grilled to get just the taste of the creme brulee crust. The combination of the excellent food and very friendly waitstaff gives this restaurant a MGB rating, for Must Go Back!<br />
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Chrysahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18245038232673203840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-40384372594006789842011-06-12T21:37:00.001+02:002013-01-13T23:41:12.695+01:00Fragonard and Eze<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In France this weekend we have an extra day to celebrate Pentacost. So it was the perfect time to<br />
explore the surroundings a bit more.<br />
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The area around Nice, Provence, is well known in<br />
France for perfume production, since flowers grow well in the moderate climate. On our 2006 trip, we visited the perfumerie Fragonard, and another visit was in order. The visit started with a guided tour of their factory. The factory here handles all of their soaps and cosmetics, while the factory in Grasse makes all of the perfumes. The colored ovals shown in the photo are soaps which are each hand-stamped into their final shape. After a perfume testing in the boutique, it was time to visit the village itself.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec0mgdi2hQM/TfUOpcK7YrI/AAAAAAAAAlY/ju6xP0ilj1k/s1600/IMG_0437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec0mgdi2hQM/TfUOpcK7YrI/AAAAAAAAAlY/ju6xP0ilj1k/s320/IMG_0437.JPG" width="320" /></a> Eze was first populated around 2000 BC. At some point in the 1200's, the castle (now destroyed) was built and in the 1300's a church was built, which is still standing today. The town has been maintained and is now filled with little shops, restaurants and lots of flowers. At the very top of the hill is a garden surrounding the ruins of the castle. From this height you can see a fair amount of the riviera coastline, and on a clear day, Corsica. At several points during the visit, C asked herself "do I really live here?"<br />
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Chrysahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18245038232673203840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-6141512092558474692011-06-12T21:06:00.001+02:002013-01-13T23:42:11.602+01:00Cours Saleya and Villefranche-sur-mer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So! Having arrived in Nice just the day before, we started to explore the area. The first stop was the famous Cours Saleya flower market. Why a flower market you may ask? Because in addition to flowers, it has pretty much everything that you could want to eat and more.<br />
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Located in Vieux Nice, everyday except Monday, local producers setup their stalls to sell fruits and veggies, spices, eggs, sausages, bread, honey (made from bees that pollenated lavender fields) and jams. This is definitely C's favorite place in Nice.<br />
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After shopping, we grabbed a pissaladiere, a local specialty with bread, onions and a little sardine on top and headed to the promenade des anglais, which is the local "board walk" next to the sea to munch on our goodies. At home, we then had a feast, which started with a local melon and some prosciutto made in Corsica. So tasty.<br />
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Later on that weekend, we ventured to the small town next door, Villefranche-sur-mer. We imagine that Nice was like this town maybe 100 years ago, but now has been completely built up. In Villefranche we ate at the La Mere Germaine, a fabulous restaurant that we first discovered five years ago during our first trip to the south of France. Our table was right on the water by the little harbor and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Q would eat here everyday if our budget allowed! Afterwards, we went for a swim on the beach, a lovely end to the afternoon.<br />
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Chrysahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18245038232673203840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-89520219501506445282011-05-29T21:16:00.001+02:002013-01-13T23:45:00.024+01:00The Trip to Nice!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello World!<br />
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Well, maybe not the whole world, but since we traveled through five different countries, it sure seems like we saw a lot of it! We started our two day trip in Denmark where the temperature was around 50F (10C) the morning we left. After 13.5 hours in the car driving through Germany (yes, Germany is a very large country with lots of construction) we arrived in Niederbronn-les-Bains and visited Q's family for the night.<br />
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The next day we went through Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. Sascha was not so happy about the trip at times and is shown here during an emergency "walk" in Switzerland. The weather in Switzerland was a bit warmer, but as you can see from the pics, very cloudy and gray, but still beautiful scenery. <br />
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The photos of Switzerland feature lots of mountains, tunnels, and cute Swiss towns with lots of chalets. Normally the cows are out, but I think that since the weather was bad they were either inside or hiding.<br />
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When we got to Italy, the sun came out. We saw some nice villas and churches in the middle of farms from the side of the road. Also, the driving became a lot more interesting as things like speed limits and lane markings were really just suggestions to many drivers. We also had our first glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea here with a backdrop of orange, pink and yellow houses and blue skies!<br />
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The weather in Nice is decidedly nice, with most days now around 26-28C (75-80'sF), not too hot, but not too cold. Our first night in Nice we went to a traditional Nicois restaurant that was featured in the NYTimes, L'Escalinda, in Vieux Nice. Our food was excellent as was the vibrant atmosphere among the wait staff. We took a little walk around some of the old winding streets afterwards and took a few pictures of some nice buildings. There is definitely more exploring that needs to be done here! <br />
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Finally, I included some pictures from along the promenade des anglais (walk of the english) where the very fancy hotels are. In the last picture, you can see two palm trees, which grow like weeds here. That's right, we live with palm trees, orange and lemon trees and tons of other very fragrant plants. Each time we walk down boulevard de Cimiez the air is heavily perfumed from all of the Tilleul trees (Linden trees).<br />
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That's it for now, these are just the pics we took with the iPhone, more pics from our real camera and other excursions to follow. It's nice here in Nice!<br />
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Chrysahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18245038232673203840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-58141925135272894392011-05-14T15:55:00.007+02:002013-01-13T23:47:24.765+01:00Cherry (and plum?) blossom in Denmark<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--qMakq3xTyI/Tc6PZEIZp8I/AAAAAAAAAdE/5Frycxu3DX8/s1600/pf_058b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606576246891325378" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--qMakq3xTyI/Tc6PZEIZp8I/AAAAAAAAAdE/5Frycxu3DX8/s320/pf_058b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Spring has been unusually sunny here in Aarhus, with about 4 weeks of uninterrupted sunshine! That was a lot of sun, since it's up around 5am and sets around 9:30pm... We marveled at how everything could be so green, even though no raindrop had fallen for all that time. But make no mistake: it was not necessarily warm and not windy all that time! It was truly pleasant however to be spoilt with sun after the long and cold Winter.<br />
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Some rain today and a bit chillier, but it was nice to get shelter from the rain under all these pink flowers... Enjoy!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588762326303999395.post-21519748411224957992011-04-17T12:18:00.009+02:002013-01-13T23:47:37.574+01:00Wishing the Queen a happy 71st birthday!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eM522Yxfeic/TarGa-t_vdI/AAAAAAAAAbk/6g1hm5WFou8/s1600/queen1_056b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596503653776080338" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eM522Yxfeic/TarGa-t_vdI/AAAAAAAAAbk/6g1hm5WFou8/s320/queen1_056b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a>
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Yesterday (April 16th) was the Queen of Denmark's birthday. Quite an event for the Danish folks, with major celebrations all around Denmark, starting of course in Copenhagen. Last year, the <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2010/07/when-in-denmark-we-do-as-danes-do-part.html">Queen had arrived to Aarhus a few weeks later</a> on her famous Dannebrog <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596503462330369346" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UsY9NNkT7XA/TarGP1hyBUI/AAAAAAAAAbE/R_qeWv4wvQk/s320/queen1_027b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 213px;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596503467830169874" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0i5ZtCWTqA/TarGQKBCURI/AAAAAAAAAbM/T8rX9XlkyiU/s320/queen1_076.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 240px;" />boat and she had traveled across town on a horse carriage. A <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596503457714186530" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LPF1Sz_4beU/TarGPkVMqSI/AAAAAAAAAa8/y1Xgb9_Ave4/s320/queen1_025b.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 213px;" />concert had been given in her honor in the local stadium.<br />
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But this year, "completely against tradition" as we were told, the Queen was in Aarhus and not Copenhagen to celebrate her 71st birthday. Must have been quite shocking to our friends in Copenhagen, but oh well, they'll get over it...</div>
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For this special occasion, all of us faithful subjects of her majesty in Aarhus were allowed on the Eastern lawn of the <a href="http://chrysaquentin.blogspot.com/2011/03/done-with-snow-in-aarhus-spring-welcome.html">Marselisborg residence</a>. There, it was arranged that the Queen and her dear husband Henri would walk out on the balcony to wave at the crowd and receive happy birthday wishes from us. We would also be treated to a pure display of delightfully old-fashioned tradition with life-size (and alive) lead soldiers like we expect to find them around royal castles, were it in Denmark, England or Monaco.</div>
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So sure enough we were present at such an important event (might as well go to see what they do with your taxes when you can ;-). And at 12pm the door opened to let the Queen and her husband be greeted by a chorus of "tilykke" ("congratulations" in Danish), as well as both the traditional Danish birthday song and the more famous one that the rest of the world knows... Of course Danish flags were everywhere...</div>
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The Danes really love their Queen, and well, such traditions are growing on us... Q relates to her husband Henri, a fellow French expat in Scandinavia... Wishing we could all get together and have a good time around some glasses of red wine down in his chateau in Sout-Western France... Aren't we all part of the same large family anyway?</div>
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We could debate for hours on the purpose and usefulness of holding on to such outdated traditions, but in the meantime, long live the Queen!</div>
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