Cutar - One of the "White Villages" in Andalucia

28 SEPTEMBER -- Sunday
Our place is far down the hill to the right (out of the picture).





We rented the two bedroom cottage from this website, and it was fantastic: http://vivasiesta.com/

The night before our arrival here we spent the night in Madrid. And upon leaving Madrid my back was so bad that Carrie carried my backpack as well as hers on the way to the train. It was the train from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid that finally did me in. You talk about uncomfortable! Anyway, we are here in southern Spain to rest and recuperate from the Camino and to prepare ourselves for Paris.

Our train arrived in Malaga, where we rented a car. It's about an hour's drive from Malaga up here. We are quite a ways up in the hills ("are they steep enough to qualify as mountains?" I asked Carrie. She asked me what was the difference between a mountain and a hill and I said that I thought it was the height).

We unpack and are here to stay for seven (7!!) nights in a row. What a luxury - to not have to pack, unpack or backpack for 7 days! As it turned out, this was a very good choice. We're only a 40-minute drive to the beach near Nerja; we have all the comforts of home, including a kitchen - so we can ditch restaurant food for a while, which is a most welcome change. And our apartment has a tv and some dvds, so each night we settled in for a movie. One of us would pick 5 or 6; the second person would narrow it down to 3, then the first person would pick a movie from those. One quiet afternoon while Carrie was out birding I stayed in to rest and I watched Kind Hearts and Coronets, an odd 1949 English comedy wherein Alec Guiness played all of the members of an aristocratic family that were murdered. Quite amusing.

Anyway, I was extremely fortunate in obtaining the help of a Swedish chiropractor in Nerja who gave me two treatments, mostly massage therapy, which made a tremendous difference. And the day we left for France I also managed to see a Norwegian chiropractor near Malaga who gave me some really serious adjustments. He, too, was a BIG help. How wonderful to get the help I needed, with only a day or two notice!

Images of Cutar

Cutar was built by the Moors before they were expelled from Spain, and it is very traditionally Spanish. The streets are incredibly steep, steep, steep!!! Despite all of my exercise from the Camino I found it exhausting just to climb up to the little grocery on the next street!











In just a few steps you can find yourself at the same height as a nearby roof.

Potable Water from the Village Fountain

Every village in Spain has a public fountain. The sign to look for is "potable" - otherwise we knew not to drink the water. You can see the Moorish influence here.

Our First Photo as Tourists

1 October -- Wednesday

Here we are, in Nerja, on the Costa del Sol overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We came to town for my chiropractic appointment. Before leaving home I had mailed clothes to France for my time there; however, as you can see, I'm still in my Camino clothes! As we were going to go to the beach I had to have something to swim in! Not wanting to invest in a bathing suit I bought a blouse which I swam in, sunbathed in and wore as we toured around the coast.

Carrie asked me "do you feel like a tourist yet?" And I said, yes, that having just spent the equivalent of $50 for the blouse, a beach towel, some sunglasses and suntan lotion, I certainly DID feel like a tourist!

Ahhh, the Life of the Tourist!

I don't know. Am I going to be able to take a week of this????

My First Swim in the Mediterranean!

After my adjustment we went to a beach recommended in Carrie's guidebook. There is a place on the beach noted for its paella and I had some - delicious. This was not a nude beach, per se; however, that made no difference to many. It was quite an interesting phenomenon - women of various ages and sizes, some single, some married and with their children in tow, bared themselves and no one thought anything of it. And me? Well, I'm wearing the blouse I bought earlier today.

It was mesmerizing to lay on the warm sand and feel the sun and hear the hypnotizing surf as it rolled continuously. We had made the plan to come to southern Spain to rest between the Camino and Paris. This WAS a good plan!

Another View of the Beach

We heard Scandanavian voices, German voices, French voices, and most of all, voices from England. Lots and lots of English tourists visit Spain. I asked Carrie how many Americans she thought were on the beach and she said "probably two."

La Canuela Beach, near Maro

2 October -- Thursday

It is a looooonnnng way down there (therefore a very long climb back up); however, we embark for the beach.






See the sailboat out on the horizon?














You talk about rocky! This beach was quite challenging to navigate, but I managed to suffer through it ;-)

Seville

05 Oct -- SUNDAY
After seven nights in Cutar our plan was to drive to Donana National Park (on the western coast of Spain, south of Portugal - a great birding site). I asked Carrie if it was okay with her to stop in Seville (since it was on the way), and she agreed. After much driving around the town I finally sighted a parking garage. We went to the restaurant on the corner to eat, then checked into the (very nice) hotel that was connected to the garage for a one night's stay.









We walked down to see the cathedral. We only had 45 minutes, so we had a very quick look around the place. The most memorable sight to me was the tomb of Christopher Columbus - carried by four statues in period dress.

Matalascanas

07 OCT -- Tuesday


We drove down to the coast, to the quite sizeable resort town of Matalas- canas. It was a lovely large area full of homes, vacation homes, condominiums and hotels. The odd thing was there were no street names. Carrie went to birdwatch at the park (our primary purpose for driving here) and I went to the beach and swam in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

That night we drove, following a sign, to a restaurant, and after a long walk down the promenade, we returned at the point when the sun was setting. It was so beautiful and I silently said a prayer for all my loved ones on the other side of the sunset. We had a lovely meal overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

El Rocio

7 October -- Tuesday

Just a short drive from Matalascanas (and right next to the national park) is a very picturesque place - El Rocio.

Here is a blurb about it from the andalucia.com website: "The Rocío Pilgrimage is the most famous in the region, attracting nearly a million people from across Andalucia and the entire country. This is a tradition that began in the 15th century when a hunter from the village of Villamanrique discovered a statue of the Virgin Mary in a tree trunk near the Doñana park. Devotion to this particular versin of the Virgin was initially a local affair. However, over the centuries it became more and more widespread until present day pilgrimages that attract participants from as far away as Barcelona and the Canary Islands – and that is not to mention tourist who might travel from even further abroad."

In the late afternoon of our second day there I went with Carrie to Rocio to visit. We saw huge flocks of pink flamingoes in the estuary. Unfortunately they were some distance from us, but Carrie loaned me her binoculars and I got a close up look. It was amazing to see them working their long legs, stirring up food from the river bed to eat. At times it looked as if they were all doing Michael Jackson's moves! Very funny to see.

08 Oct -- WEDNESDAY
On Wednesday we left Matalascanas and returned to Malaga, where I saw the Norwegian chiropractor (who is a graduate of Palmer College - he spoke well of the QCA) and he gave me LOTS of help which I greatly appreciated.

09 Oct -- THURSDAY
We board the train in Malaga, transfer stations in Madrid, and now, my friends, we're on to France on the... Night Train to Paris (doesn't that sound like the name of a 1940's movie?)!!!

FRANCE!!!!

10 OCTOBER -- Friday

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS FOR THIS AMAZING WEEKEND:
(L-R) Craig, Marcia, Geoffrey, Corentin, Bruno, Edouard, Beatrice, Dee, Allan & Susan.

Carrie and I arrived on The Night Train to Paris, where we took the train to Laval, where Edouard (18) and his family resides.

Okay, this is going to be a long weekend and you need some background information here. My son Craig and his wife Marcia hosted two foreign-exchange students a couple of years ago - Tatsuhiko, from Japan and Edouard, from France. Eddie told us that he wanted everybody to come to France to celebrate when he turned 18 (in France, turning 18 is a BIG, BIG deal). When I received my invitation a few months ago I enquired if Carrie could join the party and they said "yes!" In addition, Allan and Susan, Craig & Marcia's neighbors, were invited. Whenever Eddie (conveniently) forgot his key he would drop in and Susan always had soup on the stove or cookies in the oven, and they, too, became friends of Eddie.

Interestingly enough, Craig, Marcia, Allan and Susan were on the same train from Paris. We hadn't planned that - they had arrived in Paris the day before; however, upon our arrival in Laval I saw no familiar faces at the station. Neither our hosts or the four of them were in sight. Earlier I had told Carrie that Craig was tall and bald, and after we had waited several minutes outside the front of the station, wondering where everyone was, she said "there's a tall, bald guy over in the parking lot waving at us."

With the four of them was Beatrice, Edouard's mother, who hugged and kissed us so warmly and loaded us up in her family's company van. After we arrive at the family's beautiful home we are greeted by Beatrice's husband, Bruno, who was in the midst of gardening and lawn chores. We are then shown to our rooms. The three sons in the household - Edouard, Geoffrey and Corentin - had all moved into an upstairs room together. Carrie was given Corentin's room, I was given Geoffrey's room, and up on the third floor Craig and Marcia were directed to Eddie's room, while Allan and Susan were given the guest room.

In addition to personally planning each and every detail of the up-coming party for 80 people on Saturday night here was Beatrice, hosting six house guests and planning and overseeing our itinerary for the weekend! She is an amazing woman, full of vitality, humor, and generosity of spirit.

After we were shown to our rooms, we came down to the kitchen where Manou (a woman who has been with Beatrice's mother since Beatrice was a child and is now helping Beatrice's family) had prepared hors doerves which we ate, along with champagne, and Beatrice announced that she was going to take us to see Mont Saint Michel. She said that, while the Eiffel Tower was the number one most-visited place, Mont Saint Michel was the second most-visited place in Europe.

A Surprise Visit to Mont Saint Michel

10 October -- Friday
In back: Craig and Marcia. In front: me, Beatrice, Susan and Alan (Carrie is taking the photo.) We loaded up into the big, bulky van and we were on our way. And WHAT a trip it was! We were all in high spirits with Beatrice, talking and laughing and waving her hands around, and providing us with several breath-takingly close calls on those two-lane roads driving 150 - 160 kilometers (90 - 95 mph) and passing everything in sight. Well, my dears, although I felt a few, sudden moments of panic, there was nothing for it but to put on an air of casual nonchalance and participate in the laughter and conversation. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Of course coming home was just as much fun. We passed a sign on the highway that I commented on. Beatrice said "oh that's a sign to tell us how many deaths have occurred on this road. We have passed last year's number already, and it's only October" and then she lurched into the passing lane, passed the pokey, 85 mph vehicle, and managed to veer into the right lane just in time to miss an on-coming car.

A View to the Isle of Jersey?

We climbed all the way to the very top - steps, steps, steps, steps, steps! In the visitors center Beatrice rented headset tour guides for each one of us and said she would meet us at the end of our tour. We spent at least a good hour going through the place. Fantastic!

I told Beatrice that my great-grandfather and his daughter (my grandmother) were born on the Isle of Jersey. She said that on clear days Jersey can be seen. I looked out over the ocean, but could not distinguish the island. How moving it was to be so tantalizingly close to their birthplace.

Friday Night Before Dinner

We all gather in the family's beautiful living room to give Edouard his birthday presents and to have a few sips of champagne before dinner.

Eddie pops the cork to celebrate being 18





















Dee and Susan
















Corentin (the youngest brother), with the family dog

Friday Night at the Table

Although Beatrice claimed it was a "very simple meal" it was elegant and delicious. After the before-dinner-champagne, we now enjoyed several kinds of wine, lovely conversation (including Eddie commenting on his annual trip to Lourdes, saying he wasn't particularly religious, but that he was always moved by his experiences there), more wine, some cognac, much more conversation and goodness-knows-what-else-to-drink! Just your typical "simple" meal that lasts for about three hours or so and that leaves one satisfied on many levels. Lovely!

Cigar

Oh what a mistake it was. Not knowing anything about cigar-smoking, I INHALED. Many times. OMG. If it hadn't been for the effects of the wine before and during dinner, I MAYBE would have used my head and declined the cigar in the first place. But no, it was a party, and I was going to par(y)take. The next morning I was to awaken, extremely nauseous - oh I felt like something I had never felt like before (and just the thought of a cigar as I write this makes me feel kind of green).

Market Day in Laval

11 October -- Saturday
Well, after several types of medication ("here, try this one!") I followed Beatrice's advice to go with the group on its walk about town. "The fresh air will do you good" she said, and she was right. We first went to the market in the town square, where there were cheeses from all over the country, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits, lovely flowers, things to wear, etc. I had not eaten anything, and we were standing near a corner bakery shop (just your typical French bakery with works of art displayed in the window). I went in and purchased a couple of croissants and ate them - just what the doctor ordered.

Edouard Shows us Around the Town

Eddie's First Drive

Well, Eddie brushed too close to a parked car, and his father went to speak with the owner who was sitting in the car. He came back to say that the woman had apologized for parking too near the street and Craig (so sharp to catch on) made a comment about how money changing hands can change the outcome.

Dinner at the Grandparents' in the Country

Bruno is at the head of the table, with Corentin standing next to him. At Bruno's right is his mother and his father sits at my left.

Geoffrey (who is taking the photograph) and Corentin sat at a little table to the side and they did a wonderful job in helping their grandmother to serve the food. Here we are with the main course - roast chicken and/or roast duck (all raised on the grandparents' small farm).

All I've had to eat so far today is the plain, dry roll that I purchased at a (beautiful little) boulangerie near the market. I had to get SOMEthing down! Before this dinner, when champagne was being poured I declined; however, I drank shot of straight whiskey, hoping maybe it would help to clear my stomach a bit, which it did, for as soon as we sat down to the table what did I see before me? A quite ample serving of foie gras! Oh my goodness, I prayed, please help me to get through this. And later on, as a big plate of six types of cheeses was passed around, a large mound of butter was also passed for our bread. Just the sight of the butter almost tipped me over the edge. ("Here, have some fat with your fat!")

I declined all wine all during the meal; however, when Craig made mention of the extra-special bottle of wine he saw on the sideboard (Chateauneuf de Pape, or something) I had to have a small glass of that! The meal went on for a couple of hours and I had some extra special practice with my French. Bruno, who speaks (what he calls) "Tarzan English" (me, Tarzan!) and I conversed quite a lot in French. He and Eddie were MOST complimentary on my French, and at one point I became almost irritated at the profuse compliments. ("Surely I'm not THAT good" I thought to myself.)

Eddie's grandfather raises racehorses - at least one of them is quite famous in France - and after dinner we walked around his property for an hour or so. Beatrice had dropped us off at their place in the country and she had taken Eddie's grandfather's car home so she could continue with the party preparations. Eddie's grandfather's came with us (so Eddie would have a licensed driver), and Eddie drove us home (the earlier incident all but forgotten), just in time for a 15-minute rest. Instead of spending another half-hour or so trying to sleep I spent my time in the bathroom applying make-up, telling Carrie that I was doing my best so as to not look like 103 (which was the age I felt AND looked before the make-up job).

Then we were off to the party, where we would spend at least another six hours talking, eating, and drinking (or, in my case, declining drinks), before we would be brought home after 1 am.

I Have Been to the Nicest Party

Click here to the place where we partied:

Grandparents and Manu

You are the Nicest Persons....

Eddie

Eddie & His Friends

The Party Goes On

Chaos

Three Super Brothers

Au Revoir to the Racine Family!!

12 October -- Sunday

We Go to Gay Paree

12 October -- SUNDAY

We took the 11:42 train to Paris and arrived a little less than two hours later. On the train I felt quite a letdown. I was really sad to leave Laval and that incredible weekend. It was hard to imagine that we had packed so much into just two days! However, I was exhausted and I told Carrie that I needed to escape to Paris in order to rest!!!

After making our way through the station and finding a taxi, we arrived at our apartment on Rue Geoffrey L'Angevin, right next to the Georges Pompidou Center in the Marais district (the unoffical gay district of Paris - we were, literally, in "Gay Paree" and Beatrice and Bruno got a big kick out that when I told them). I rang the buzzer and a couple of minutes later Louis, our landlord, popped his head out the fifth floor window and said he'd be right down.

A Bus Tour of Paris

13 October -- MONDAY

Exhausted as I was, I decided to take one of the tour busses around Paris. I spent about three hours riding upstairs and out in the sunshine and blue sky. It was a perfect day.

Carrie walked all day. Later that day I told her that while she had seen Paris "a pied" (on foot), that I had seen it "a derrierre"!

Left Bank Paris & a Boat Ride on the Seine

13 OCT -- MONDAY
After the bus tour I went to a nearby restaurant and had lunch. Afterwards I found Shakespeare and Company - although we're told this is NOT the store owned by Sylvia Beach and shut down by the Nazis (because she refused to sell a copy of Ulysses to an officer), but another store which has simply kept the name alive. Still, I was happy to see the place.


I walked along on the Boulevard St. Germain until I found Les Deux Magots. I went inside and ordered 1/2 bottle of San Peregrino and a dish of rasperry sorbet. After the waiter took my order I walked around, looking at the photos of some of the intellectuals and writers who met there. When I found a photo of Sartre and de Beauvoir which showed where they sat in the restaurant I was so tempted to move to "their" table, but I decided that would be a little too queer, so I went back to my table and made a total tourist of myself by shooting this photograph. (These are the two "mah-go" - or Chinese commercial agents.)

I paid 16.50 Euro (about $25) for the privilege of drinking a bottle of water and eating a bowl of (delicious) rasperry sorbet. This was a total indulgence and I'm thrilled to have had the experience.

Afterwards I went across the street and took a quick stroll through the church of St. Germain de Pres, noting that Descartes is buried here. (The church is all that remains of an enormous Benedictine monastery whose lands once stretched right across the Left Bank. It is one of the oldest existing buildings in Paris - a Romanesque structure that dates back to the late tenth and early eleventh centuries.)

Then it was a quick 15 minute stroll over to the Metro station near the Musee D'Orsay, a quick ride to the Metro near the Eiffel Tower, then down to the quai to wait for Carrie so that we could buy our tickets for an evening boat ride on the Seine. We got on the hour-long ride that began at 8 pm. Of course the ride was lovely - it was fun to travel under all of the bridges, noting all their varied styles.

An extra bonus was the fact that the tour boats docked right under the Eiffel Tower. Just as our boat was leaving the shore, 20,000 white lights began blinking on the Eiffel Tower, and the crowd gave a collective oooh!. And they "ooohed" again when our boat pulled up to dock at 9 pm.

In the year 2000 the city lit the Eiffel Tower as part of their millennium celebration; however, it has been such a hit with tourists that they have continued the practice of lighting the lights every hour. In addition, the Tower sports 11 golden stars and is lit in blue (a replication of the flag of the European Union) to celebrate the fact that France currently plays the leadership role in the EU. I loooove the blue - it reminds me of the old blue "Evening in Paris" perfume bottles, which totally dates me, of course.

Please forgive this unforgiveable photograph (my camera does not take good night shots, or rather, I don't know how to take good night shots with it).

Tuesday - Musee D'Orsay and Notre Dame Cathedral

On Tuesday I had a very slow morning. Carrie went to see Notre Dame. I stayed in the apartment quite late, then I walked for a while, had lunch, and then caught the Metro to the Musee D'Orsay and met Carrie.

I couldn't believe all of the tourists taking photographs of all of the artwork! First of all, if seeing this artwork is an impressive thing, then why not focus on the art - why not enjoy and appreciate what is being seen? But no, in simply snapping shots what the tourists were saying was that the artwork in itself is not what's of most value, just the fact that "I am here" among this artwork - that is what is of significance. Secondly, I couldn't believe that the museum allowed this. It boggled my mind and I was quite irritated.

In addition I have to say that I think the Art Institute of Chicago has a much more impressive collection. This is just my opinion and I could be wrong - perhaps there was more to the Musee D'Orsay than we managed to see. Or perhaps I allowed my irritation at fellow tourists to color the experience? My camera had completely quit working and at lunch I told Carrie that IF I had a camera I'd take photos in the museum - photos of all the stupid tourists taking photos!

Carrie told me that she had purchased two tickets for a concert at Notre Dame Cathedral for tonight, so I agreed that this was wonderful and we would go there, instead of the free concert at St. Germain de Pres as we had originally planned.

I Dreamed I Was in Notre Dame

Just imagine! An evening in Notre Dame Cathedral listening to medieval music. That's what we did for several hours on Tuesday night. Performers included the children of the choir of Notre Dame who sang medieval chants, sometimes accompanied by a simple drum, pipes, and/ or a stringed instrument. The special guests were members of Escolania de Montserrat, a boys' choir from an abbey school in Catalonia, not far from Barcelona. Thanks to Babbelfish translator, I was able to get a rough translation of the Notre Dame website which provides information about what they sang. (It takes just a moment to load and it's not a great translation, but it's something.)

Just being IN Notre Dame (!!!!) itself was wonderful, but to be there AND listening to this incredible music? Later on in the evening the cathedral organ joined in. Although the organ was played very softly, it was still so wonderful to hear it. I looked up at the cathedral walls, imagining the hands who had placed the stones in place, and as the voices swelled I felt as if I was in a living, breathing being whose sound swelled the spheres with devout, heartfelt praise. I could imagine the entire cathedral itself as an entity whose voice was made manifest through the choir, the organ, and the breath of all who listened. And as I listened I dreamed I was in Notre Dame.

Montmarte and the Louvre

15 October -- WEDNESDAY

Carrie took the train to Versailles and I took the Metro to Montmarte, where I spent a lot of time in the shops. There are some nice shops, some interesting shops, and lots of touristy kinds of places. I bought souvenirs and then had lunch. It had been rainy and drizzly all morning; however, it cleared up a bit and I took the funicular railway up the short, but steep, distance to Sacre' Coeur. I entered and sat in a pew for a few minutes, but since I had made plans to meet Carrie at an appointed hour, I had to leave.

I had spent a bit of time the night before looking at the Metro map and figuring out my route. I had to make a couple of transfers to other lines; however, on the way there and back I only had to ask one question. I was quite proud of the fact that using the Metro was becoming easier and easier.

That evening Carrie and I went to the Louvre and spent a lot of time viewing works of the Italians, including, of course, the Mona Lisa. The room was completely nuts - the painting sits in a sealed space which is surrounded by a barricade and you talk about cameras. It was incredible. I could not believe it - the Louvre allows photographs as well.

After a couple of hours I was so exhausted that I had to leave. Carrie stayed for an hour or two longer. I had not wanted to go to the Louvre at all - it is so gigantic that I thought it would be overwhelming; however, despite my exhaustion I'm glad I spent at least a few hours there.

YOU'VE REACHED THE BORDER!

What comes after photos of my time as a tourist is a family Christmas newsletter that I created in December, 2007.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

May you have a Blessed Christmas and a Joyful New Year!

Here I am with Marcia, Sarah, and Mary Anne, in Craig and Marcia's living room, awaiting a scrumptious Christmas dinner. (Craig always cooks for Christmas; Eric always cooks for Thanksgiving. I'm very fortunate to have two sons who are such wonderful cooks!)

I'm using this blog to post some photos about some of the highlights of my life this past year. But this blog isn't all about me! It's about me and my family;-) In case you don't know them, they are:

*Craig, married to Marcia
*Eric, married to Mary Anne: children Sarah and David
*Step-daughter Laura, married to David, living in Ankeny, Iowa; Laura's daughter Ashley, a college student
*Step-son Jeff, married to Caroline, living in Omaha with Jeff Jr. (in college) and Alicia (a teen)
*Step-son Christopher, married to JoAnna, living in California with son Christopher Jr. (Chris Sr. just had a major surgery to remove a brain tumor which was successful, thank God! More about that in the blog.)

I pray that you will be blessed this Christmas and all through 2008!

Love, Dee

Navigation hints: click on the photos to enlarge them; when you get to the bottom of this page click on "Older Posts" to get to the next page ;-)

Eric & Craig at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (Last December)

For his 40th (!!!) birthday, Eric (right) wanted to go to Le Cordon Bleu, and that's just what he did. His brother Craig joined him, and for a week they baked, baked, baked, baked, baked!

Grandchildren Sarah & David & Jim's Plane

During our family reunion in southern Illinois (more about that later), my cousin Becky's husband, Jim, took those who were willing for a plane ride. My two grandchildren were up for it and really enjoyed it.

Sarah and Jim after landing - - and David getting ready to take off.