Travel

01. 07. 09 Wednesday Canada Day Had a great time in TO visiting family and friends. Also managed to take in some movies. Empties was a very good Czech movie, Angels and Demons was awful and Easy Virtue wasn’t too bad. I also finally managed to get rid of the storage unit which is a great relief. Thanks to Carole, Julia and Jason I didn’t have to get rid of all my treasures and thanks to the Sally Ann for taking the rest. The journey back here was long. The plane left TO four hours late which meant we missed our connection in Paris and spent most of the day at CDG trying to doze in uncomfortable chairs! However we finally made it to Montpellier and picked up our brand new Kangoo. Today we did the market and then Daisy and I drove around lac du Salagou and went for a swim. Tomorrow the beach!!!

Tuesday 16. 06. 09 Got back yesterday from a visit to the Annapolis valley. I arrived last Thursday on the afternoon flight and was picked up by Graham and his sister-in-law Martha. I had flown by Porter airlines for the first time and was quite impressed – flew from the Island airport (always a plus) and found it quite a civilized way to travel, free, good coffee and cookies in the waiting lounge and leather seats with lots of room on the plane. We drove straight down the valley and found Rob’s house without a problem. Unfortunately Graham and Martha had to turn around immediately and head back but we managed to chat en route. Rob was in fine form as were his other house guests Mike and Fiona from California (Mike was attending a conference at Wolfville). Friday we drove out to the coast for lunch of lobster and then returned for Mike to give an informal lecture in the afternoon and then beers at the pub afterwards. We also managed to stop by at the studio of Bob Hainstock. Saturday Rob and I went to the market in Annapolis and then Hampton Beach and on Sunday we went to Grand Pré which was very interesting and had an excellent introductory movie. Flew back here Monday afternoon.

Monday 01. 06. 09 Just got back from my weekend in the Pays Basque. Claire picked me up on Friday morning and we drove over to Bayonne via Toulouse, Tarbes, Pau etc. Beautiful warm sunny day, stopped at the Aire de Tour de France between Tarbes and Pau for lunch and arrived chez Michele at around 3. I stayed with Michele and Claire went on to stay with her friend Claire. Saturday we all went for a walk along the cliffs and then in the afternoon Jean-Loup and Eliane came over for a drink. In the evening we went out to a wonderful seafood restaurant right on the beach. Sunday we discovered that it was “Open Door” weekend so Michel and I went for a tour of the Citadel in Bayonne which was built by Vauban and is still a garrison for the paratroopers. In the afternoon we went to Izadia Park, an ecological park at the mouth of the Adour . A beautiful, very peaceful and zen-like park. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around there before coming back for dinner. This morning Claire picked me up chez Michele and we drove back here. Besides the fish on Saturday night we ate rabbit on Saturday and lamb on Sunday chez Michele. Delicious!

21. 03. 09 Saturday. Met Claire at St Martin de Londres then drove up to the summit of Mt Aigoual. We stopped en route at the Café du Siecle. Very authentic but when Claire asked for a little more milk for her tea they demanded another 20 cents!  So much for the rustic locals!!! Surprised to find snow on the summit  and despite the sunshine only 5 degrees. Came back down a bit until we found a Tourist Office who showed us a hike in the woods where all the trees were identified. Eventually found the trail, had a our sandwiches and then went for a lovely walk. Passed many different types of pine including some surprisingly big ones. Evenutally ended up at a little hameau with an old church and then back tracked back to the car. En route down stopped at La Cravate for the view and also dessert – excellent as always. Drove back to St Martin where I got back on the scooter and drove back to Clermont.

Sunday 11. 01. 09 It has been a great visit despite the wintery weather. I think I have seen most of my friends and have also had time to spend with the family. I managed to visit many of my old haunts including the Patrician Grill. I housesat Veronica and Arthur’s house in Rosedale with their cat Foxy in great comfort and for the rest of the time I stayed with Jason, Alisa and Poppy. Christmas dinner was at Rosedale with family and New Year’s with friends at Jon and Barbara’s. I go back to France tomorrow to milder weather brimming with new ideas for paintings and prints. Thanks to everyone for their friendship and their hospitality and best wishes for 2009.

Friday 05. 12. 08 It has been a busy week. I have been to the atelier 3 times this week working on a series of monoprints and also on my etchings. I have also joined a French conversation class run by the Acceuil in Clermont. Today took a break and went with Claire over to to the other side of the Rhone to Les Baux and St Remy de Provence. I left on the 7.20 bus from Clermont in the dark and in the rain. By the time I met Claire in Montpellier it had stopped raining and the sun was shining so we continued on to Les Baux which was deserted. Like so many places out of season there was a certain tristesse in the emptiness of all the high end shops. We finally found a café and enjoyed an expensive mid-morning break before heading out to St Remy. St Remy was not crowded but people were out on the street and the cafés were alive with people eating outside and inside. We found a brasserie and opted for the menu du jour of cassoulet which was hot and hearty if not farty! All washed down with a pichet of the local red. After such a heavy lunch we walked around the town which had changed a lot since I was last there. We posted Claire’s Christmas cards and then went to an expo of prints at the Musée des Alpilles. The expo was not up to much but the permanent collection of local traditions and industries was fascinating and the building had that near perfect mix of the old and the new with old honey coloured stone next to glass doors and stainless steel fittings. Very nice. We headed back and had tea in Aigues Morte before parting at the gare routière in Montpellier where I caught the 6.15 bus back here.

12. 11. 08  Monday Jan and Ralph arrived this evening and we met at Les Negociants for a drink before coming up to the house and unloading. Bourgignon chez moi for dinner and then off to bed. Tuesday we drove to St Guilhelm and walked through the village and up to the abbey. Afterwards we drove along les Gorges de l’Hérault before heading down to Sete for lunch. We walked along the canal and found a restaurant – oysters for the Marriotts and sardines for me. In the afternoon we drove up to the cimitière des marins which overlooks the harbour and were fascinatd by the photographs on the graves, the ceramic flowers and the cast-iron rings – life-rings? En route back we dropped by the Abbey de Valmagne before heading home for a cup of tea. We dined well in Le Tournesol in the evening and this morning Jan and I did a quick turn around the market before they set off for Nice en route to Tuscany. Brief, busy but very enjoyable.

23. 10. 08 Thursday. Today I went on a guided tour of Clermont under the auspices of an association celebrating local history and Languedoc culture. It began with a reception in the Espace des Penitents with coffee and pastries, during which there was an address by the mayor. Then the historian took over and, after a general overview, described the history of the Espace des Penitents. Construction began on the priory in 1319 and since then it has had numerous uses, from a meeting place for revolutionaries, an orphanage, a gymnasium, a vegetable market to finally now an exhibition space. By this time we had finished our coffee so on we went to St Paul’s and then up through the old town to the chateau. All the while getting the official history but also a more local and more recent history from several members of the group who reminisced en passant about landmarks and events from their childhood. It was absolutely fascinating and, even though some of it was not that easy for me to understand, it was a very rewarding morning.