France 2011
When I last wrote to you all, but none of you received due to a computer that went down moments before completion..............I was saying Bon jour............now I've had to switch to bon journo as we have arrived in Italy.
But let me recap. After a harrowing escape from the work camp named Petit Clos last Tuesday we began our trek across France. We had put in several good days labor at Hank and Cindy's but desperately needed a rest after helping complete the kitchen and beginning work on the family/dining room. The work for the most part has been enjoyable once we got used to the materials we were using. I caulked and spackled up a storm and Susan followed close behind with paint brush in hand. However that was after completing work on the kitchen. Susan did a great job assembling the cabinetry provided to us by master craftsman, I. Kea..................you may have heard of him. The next day found us tiling the backsplash for the kitchen, you know Susan and tile. It all looked wonderful and things are progressing along but with still a long ways to go.
The Petterson's did give us a day off to visit some other converted farm houses to see how things are done. One family is providing the sweat equity while the other lady is fortunate enough to be able to just write big checks. Her tastes are exquisite and it just goes to prove what deep pockets can accomplish.
The week also saw the arrival of new "farm friends". Two weeks ago we greeted the arrival of a gorgeous filly as well as three laying chickens. Its a real farm in addition to the new arrivals there are also three other horses and a donkey.......two dogs and a cat. That family are real gluttons for punihsment.
Caleigh was off the first 10 days after our arrival so it was fun catching up with her. Last Monday she returned to school and the Petterson's now find themselves playing host to an exchange student from Belgium. Tess, who speaks far more English than I speak (Dutch...Belch.............what the hell do they speak?) Anyway she's a lovely girl and Caleigh and her seem to be getting along well.
You can always be assured that when the Brown's visit a foreign country the rate of exchange almost certainly goes in the toilet. As of a few days ago the Euro reached $1.54 an all time high for the Euro. If that weren't bad enough, the price of everything thing is astronomical. I find it difficult to believe that the average Joe can survive in this economy. With fuel at 1.54 euros/liter it gets real expensive just to drive around the corner. Our first fill up on our route from Paris to Petit Clos was well over $120.00 and that doesn't even begin to take into account the cost of the toll roads which you really you do need to drive in order to make any sort of time. As some of us found in Vietnam, you have to hand it to the French for their road building skills. The toll roads are magnificent once you learn that all off ramps don't necessarily have a corresponding on ramp. You only make that mistake once.
Our work days have usually started between 8am and 9pm....................I'm usually the last one to clock in, but I consider myself more management than the rest and therefore deserve a later starting time. Lots of fresh bread and preserves greet us each morning a light lunch then cocktails and dinner at "Sunset Point". The area until recently was a concrete trash deposit area but Hank and a neighbor took the entire mass out and burned it several days ago in a wonderful bonfire.................singed a few trees in the process but did manage to get rid of months of cuttings and trimmings. The area is now our designated our cocktail spot and soon to become the sight of their swimming pool. Unlike many of the B&B's weve stayed in a Pool seems to be a must for any reputable B&B .....a horrible expense but one they feel they nee to assume.
Last Monday we all went to Eymet for our bon voyage dinner and to welcome Tess to France. To say this modest meal was expensive would have been an understatement, but the dinner was enjoyed by all. Our meals prior to this were a result of everyone's effort. We brought tortillas so it was Mexican nite one night...........hamburgers another..........chicken....and Hank has surprised us with his pasta dishes on several occasions. We broke tradition at our midday Easter celebration when in good spirits we ate the Easter Bunny along with some foie gras. One of Cindy's first language instructors held court in the new kitchen and directed the girls efforts as the dinner fell together. All enjoyed the meal with the possible exception of the easter bunny who didn't fare to well in the end.
We pulled up stakes and hit the road last Tuesday morning. With a bit of an idea as to where we were headed we drove east to northern Italy and the lake district. Susan has never been to Italy and I was last there in '63. We made our way out of the countryside with the help of "kate" that sweet recalculating voice inside our Garmin. Wtih the help of the Garmin and numerous maps we do all right navigating about. This is not to say that we are ready to take on the amzaing race just yet.........but Susan does quite well and if I keep my "lefts"and "rights" separated and do listen to her we often manage to end up at our destination.
While Cindy and Hank did give us a few days off to visit the countryside.....markets in some of the local towns......canoeing down the Dordogne and luchening in the quaint town of Dome.............its quite another thing to be out on your own navigating the roads with all those funny French names..........conversing with the locals at the gas/rest stops and doing our best to survive the French Toll Road system. I must have worn out 2 sets of pants reaching in my pocket for tolls on the first day. Tolls the first day were well over 32 euros....almost $50 which adds quite a hunk to your cost per mile.....km. Its not just a matter of paying its trying to decide which line to que up in.......do I take a ticket......or do they want money....do they accept coins and bills.......credit cards?........I got so that by the end of the first day I dreaded the roadside signs depicting the stereotypical French gendarme with his hand out either giving you a ticket or taking your money.
My very first toll booth experience was perhaps my worse as I forgot I was driving a stick shift and as I approached the toll booth with out depressing the clutch and then jerking and sputtering to a stop.... as my concern was not with driving but rather what it was I was about to do.............pay...........take a ticket........talk to a machine or a real person. Needless to say I was a bit flustered on my first attempt. But I did get much better as the day progressed.
For those of you that can read a map, we spent our first nite on the open road in town called Givers preparing for our assault on Lake Orta (ala Bob Gaughran's recommendation). Of course if you remember the last time I listened to him, Susan and I ended up at the end of the world in New Zealnd being served dinner by the "soup nazi". So I was a bit skeptical as we headed out the next morning to Lake Orta via Torino, site of the winter Olympics many years ago.
Our day began early and with quite a bang as the terrain assumed the statue of the alps with its still snow capped peaks and rugged terrain. As I drove on in my rainbow sandals and shorts I didn't feel totally prepared for what was ahead. Clothing soon became the least of my worries as the Mountain/Tunnel Tolls quickly began to eat into my travel budget. On toll alone was 36 euros.....over $50. I will admit that it was the longest tunnel I had ever driven in, expecting a rest stop or a McDonalds at the next bend...............We ended the day over $100 out of pocket for tolls and the thought of returning to Cindy and Hank's and painting for my room and board became most appealing.
The drive however was as spectacular as you could imagine. I came thru this Mountain pass many years ago without benefit of tunnels and toll roads and as I remember it was quite a journey. We saw the signs for Chmonix and Mount Blanc.....then the turnoff for Grenoble, all names that bring back Winter Olympic games of past. Torino was a bitter dissapointment, as I envisioned going up the gondola as I had done in '63 only to realize that I couldn't have made my across the industrial zones to the ski hill even with the more delux GPS
system........so we drove on thru to our final destination of Lake Orta.
It should have been any easy drive just take a left off the the A4 and head directly into Lake Orta..............however one missed offramp on my part sent us on journey that was both costly and time consuming. First I had to get off........double back ........pay the 6.50 euro toll again ...then get back on pay another 1.50 euro toll and still we were on the wrong road. I don't know who was more frustrated.......me.........Susan..........or "recalculating" Kate!
Arriving at Lake Orta made it all worthwhile. We stumbled our way into the town square via a road that was so narrow we had to fold our side mirrors in just to make it thru the narrow streets. We arrived in the town square.......to find our Hotel for two nights the Leon d' Oro...right in the middle of the action...............what action there was...........aboslutely none!
A few drinks in the plaza at an outdoor cafe within a stone's throw of the lake. What a beautiful setting................thanks Bob, i forgive you for New Zealand. A stroll around town in search of a dinner spot lead us to Elana's for a marginal meal where we were thoroughly ignored.............those damn Italians. acutally I love the italians, as they can't figure our where we are from with the assortment of languages and mispronunciations. Bonjour....bonjourno,.
buenos dias (they love that one) qui qui.......bonoserra......nighty night.
We have been confused for French, Germans........never Italians and never English but also never "ugly Americans" Say how about that Obama. We haven't seen TV for weeks now but did manage to see his press conference re: Osama........good job Mr. Pres......Mr.Bush couldn't do that in 6 1/2 years...................and let's hear for all of those "Birthers".......Baukman and Donald don't have much to run on now do they? Did see the Press Club roast on C-span. If you didn't see it its worth a view.
Had some great down time in lake Orta. Trip out to the Island Nunnery after hours on the deck at our hotel. The prices still frighten me ........but not as much.
Today the 6th we made our way out of Orta over the mountains dropping into Stessa on scenic lake Maggiore................no navigational misteps, and no toll roads. A open air bus tour of the city and lunch on the lake set us up for our drive around the lake to Laveno.....
We pick our spots based on the time of day and how we feel.
After a brief spot at the Tourist Information Center in Laveno we decided on two nights in what turns out to be a noisy hotel across the street from the train station. I'm sitting in the room getting ready for dinner shortly and thinking about the voyage around the lake that we also booked at the Tourist Office......................
Cia, or whatever for now, Just glad the computer behaved......................ps sitting here drinking a bottle of literally "fizzie"red that Susan bought in Orta for 3 Euros a bottle.....guess John Arbuckle is alive and well in Italy
gb and sb
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