The Long Road

**Updated**

Many of the autos here in France seem to run on Gazole (Gas and Oil…aka diesel). This seems to be pretty good on the efficiency front as Glenn’s car is getting well over 700 kms per tank. Nice. Not nice in that demand seems to be high. Mich and I pulled into an Esso station (L’Esso?) only to find a little paper sign over the yellow gas gun saying “Gazole de pannes”. The attendant informed Mich that perhaps they’d have some in the morning… or the afternoon maybe… he wasn’t really sure. The problem was that the boat didn’t come in. Hmmm. I think I may have seen a similar sign at another station at some point. You may be asking at the point “what’s the big deal?” Really, on it’s own it wouldn’t be. But we were on the ODYSSEY DE GAZOLE!

I should explain. When we took the car today, Glenn’s only requirement for us was that we got some gazole. We were pretty low, about 1/4 tank. Again, you’re asking “what’s the big deal?”. The problem seems to be that a lot of stations will ONLY accept credit cards. Unfortunately that means Glenn’s may work at some stations, mine at none so far. Other stations accept cash, but ONLY at the times when there is an attendant in the little booth. These times seem to be few and far between (no matter what the sign may say).

So… we were low on fuel, and we had a plan of attack. Go check out a few cool sites, zip in to the Carrefour and get gazole and groceries. Then see the new Harry Potter flick. Good plan.

All went well with the tour. We had a really great time. Then things took a turn for the worst. Our camera battery quit quite suddenly. We were about done for pics anyway, so not a biggie. Next however we had trouble actually finding the Carrefour, site of gazole, groceries and the movie theatre. Eventually we did get there… only to find that the gas attendant was nowhere in site. Hmmm. No gazole for us! OK, we’ll get the supplies. Oh, Carrefour is NOT open at all today. Hmmm. No groceries. Now what. Well, howz about a quick bite and then off to the flick. The ONLy thing around is a McDonalds. So we make the ultimate sacrifice and go to Micky D’s. Off to the theater for the new Harry Potter!!

Upon arrival at the box office my first question is “Is the film Harry Potter in English or French?” You know what the answer was don’t you? “En Francais.”

Wow. Now not only are we now heading home with none of the tasks accomplished, but we can’t even go out for a nice dinner with our extra time as we bolted down the McD’s. Morale was low to say the least.

There was one last chance to redeem the situation; get gazole on the way home in Estagel. Remember le afformentioned Esso station? Yeah, that was the one in Estagel. So needless to say, we came home with a pretty empty tank. Glenn was forgiving as he’s had a less than smooth ride getting fuel too.

Hopefully that boat gets in tomorrow.

Update!

Glenn and I were able to fuel up. Of course we did it in a way that is consistent with the feel of “L’Odyssey de Gazole”…. See pics below…

That’s us at the end of the line

Nice glove Glenny!

Day 7 - The Breadman Cometh

Today was a post-road trip day of relaxation. Now I guess as we are on holidays, pretty much every day could be considered relaxation, but what I mean is that we stuck pretty close to home.

Around noon every day a very European thing happens (at least I consider it to be very European); the tranquillity of the countryside is shattered by the bleating of a van’s horn. This happy racket indicates that the breadman has cometh. He zips down the lane to our little group of houses here at Borde-Neuve and opens up the back hatch of his van to reveal a plethura of sumptious baked treats. Everyone appears from their houses and he happily grabs what you want. It is a a wonderful part of European bread culture - something that is certainly missing back in Canada.

After kicking around the house a bit, the heat got to us a bit and thus it was time to boot on down to the nearby river oasis. We arrived to see a great little swimming hole, a few locals enjoying it already, and our new friend Alain whom Glenn and Jacqui met soon after they arrived. He and his daughters are here on holiday from Paris.

As the afternoon waned, Mich and I jumped into the car and busted into the local grocery; Shoppi in Estagel. We got some supplies and cooked up a great little Fig and Crispy Battered Goat’s Cheese Salad. It went well with some wine we had picked up earlier at a cave (see previous post for more on the caves).

Day 8 Peyrepertuse - Storming the Castle

Historical research was the task of the day. Basically we decided to reinact the process of storming a castle. The castle of Peyrepertuse, overlooking the village of Duilhac was our chosen target. Instead of parking up at the site we opted to march through the forest and up the steep slope approaching the mountain top fortress. Along the way we realized that we’d be rather tired upon arrival, not to mention that during the 30 minute hike we were in plain view of the castle several times, thus announcing our pending arrival. Of course this would give castle defenders all kinds of time to mount their defences. We could almost smell the cooking tar as they readied it to pour upon us in addition to the volleys of arrows that we were suseptable to while out in the open.

The closer we got, the higher and more daunting the castle walls began to appear. It quickly became obvious why laying siege to a castle was really the way to go in situations like this.

Turns out that to breach the walls all that was required was to cough up 7.5 Euro each. After doing so we were all welcomed in and given a pamphlet to boot!

One castle stormed.

**Updated - I sucked it up and uploaded pics!**

Out in the country here we are on dial-up with speeds that approach glacial so… methinks no pictures for you today. Instead straight to the commentary on the last few days. They’ve been good…

Day 4 To Nimes

Day 4 began our three day roadtrip centered around the Franz Ferdinand concert in Nimes. Nimes is a cool city (they all seems to be so far). One of its claims to fame is that it was the source of denim for a certain Levi Strauss. Indeed, he used the thick, durable cotton-based cloth, produced de Nimes (”de Nimes –> deNimes –> denim).

En route we stopped in the town of Arles. Its claim to fame is that it is the city in which Vincent van Gogh spent much time, created A LOT of fantastic art inspired by the area, and eventually went mad, cut off his own ear (after chasing off his good friend Gaugin with same said knife) and then killed himself (not in Arles). The Roman arena in this town is well preserved/ restored and inspiring to see.

Upon arrival in Nimes, we got through the congested traffic entering the old part of the city to arrive at our hotel, the comfy and clean Hotel Acanthe de Temple, a few short steps from the Arene de Nimes, site of our concert. Franz Ferdinand rocked; they were tight and the performance energetic and entertaining. Much the same can be said for the opening bands The Dodos, The Virgins and The Ting Tings. Both The Ting Tings and FF were known to us previously and neither disappointed. It was great fun, and thrilling to see a show in an ancient Roman arena. Stunning. The crowd was tons of fun and down to earth. There was smoke in the air, but unlike similar concerts in Canada, not pungent in aroma. A great day

Day 5

Though we all wanted to sleep in after the late night, we wanted to make the best of our time and sucked up the “early” morning, hitting the Maison de Villaret (a family run bakery founded in 1775) a little after 9 for great coffee and breakfast.

Next was a trip to the very charming (and busy) town of Uzes, in the Vaucluse region, for a visit to their morning market. We had a relaxing stroll past the stalls that displayed your typical Provence wares. We picked up some great “saucisson”, goat’s cheese and olives. The markets here are fabulous, similar to some of the farmers markets back home, but was they are usually surrounded by 1000 year old buildings, have a bit of a different feel! They are filled with true food artisans who have produced great treats for us!

Our next stop was the Pont de Gard, another ancient reminder of the Roman occupation of this area. It is an engineering marvel (as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site) that was used to divert water kilometers away from its source river. Pretty cool to enjoy lunch in its shadow. As it was one of our hottest days so far, it was a welcome suprise to see that people come to swim, as much as see the site. The rocky banks of the river are perfect for diving. Needless to say that after a quick change into our bathing suits in the bush we took advantage of the cool water!

Of course, all this activity stirred up a bit of a thirst so the next few stops were at a couple of Caves, which are basically wine shops for local winaries (and are everywhere in this region). Of course every vineyard produces their own product, so there is a lot to sample; 4 or more at each Cave. You tend to leave with a bottle or two each time! That reminds me - as I write this it is about lunch time. I wonder which bottle we’ll crack for lunch? Visiting the caves has been great fun so far; aside from the obvious, we are also enjoying this as a good opportunity to speak to the locals. It should be stated here that of the four of us, Jacqui and Glenn are certainly doing better with their spoken french. And of the two of us, Mich is the far better speaker.

Day 6

Yesterday was certainly the hottest day so far, reaching at one point, 43 degrees on the car thermometer. We spent it getting back home, with of course, a few stops. We visted the town of Isles-sur la Sorgue for another market. Our timing was good as things were just starting to wind down, helping us get a few deals on fruit! Yum.

Next was a trip to the stunning town of Gordes, a fortified city built on a steep hill overlooking the valley beyond. Our jaws all dropped as we rounded a corner in the car to see it for the first time. At one point, this village had become a “ghost time” until not so long ago it was discovered by the rich and famous who bought the place up and renovated. The residences here are now rather shwank.

Abbey Notre Dame de Senanque - outside of Gordes

In addition the Abbey outside of Gordes is stunning. It has been functioning for over 1000 years and is known for its lavender production. The place smelled great!

Montpellier was a nice surprise. We only stopped because Glenn and Jacqui needed to to visit the train station to retrieve an item left on the train from Barcelona. That didn’t go so well, but we did discover a vibrant historic downtown where we enjoyed a nice meal and great people watching.

Glenn got us all home after that. He’s been the chauffeur the whole time so far and doing a great job of it.

Today has been super relaxing so far, with a sleep in, some lazy coffee drinking and picture viewing. However, I just got the word that a trip to the river is now in order so it is time to pack the swimsuits and some lunch (and wine!).

Day Two

Our second day was a lot of fun; filled with surf and sand and… baguette and cheese. First a stop at Alain’s, for some “quick” info on trains. Well there is no quick drop-ins in France! We were offered wine or coffee…we chose coffee and got wine…the good stuff from across the street that comes by the jug (refillable of course!). We enjoyed a few glasses before heading back on the road…at 1:30 pm. We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the sand of Canet Plage, turning our bodies just often enough to avoid serious sunburns, napping, reading and jumping in the salty Mediteranian to cool off in the waves. It was so very relaxing to just hang with the French tourists at one of their hotspots. Of course that meant some great people watching too. There’s been a lot of that at all locations really.

Day Three

Wonderful day trip to the walled city of Carcassone today to check out the stunning fortified castle. While we did have to brave crowds to do it, I found the endevour worth it as it was so cool to walk the battlements around and see the vast scope of what life used to be like in medieval times. This castle is well restored and while now filled with modern restaurants and shops it gives a real feeling about what it might have been like to live behind castle walls in a bustling community. Incidently, this is the castle that they did the location shooting for Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

We’ve been getting to all these great spots via our private chauffeur, Glenn. As they are in France for 7 weeks, they ended up leasing a great little car. It’s been so fun bombing around the country side in it; zipping up and down the thin lanes as we pass through the petite towns along the way. Every town is postcard-picture perfect, with alley ways, Boulangeries, squares and the ubiquitous tile roofs and stucco or stone walls. It really is amazing what passes for main roads here, both in town and highway. The difference from back in Canada of course is that these roads have been here for several hundred years (in some cases even longer), before they needed to be wider for modern travel. We had a good chat today about the fact that there are American and Japanese autos here that are both small and quite fuel efficient; something that seems to be in rather poor supply in North America. Despite the existence of these cars here, the auto makers are unable (unwilling!) to produce them for that market. At best they may be “in development”.

Returning home we stopped by the Aude River for some bread, cheese and olive tapenade. Our planned trip to Chateau Perpeteuyse will have to be done another day…we just tried to pack too much into one day!

Tomorrow looks to be a great day as we head up to Nimes for a music festival, that is headlining the Ting Tings and Franz Ferdinand in Le Arenes de Nimes, a stunning 1000 year old Roman amphitheatre (qnd perhaps the coolest venue we have seen a concert in yet…?). We might hang around that area for a day or two. Perhaps Nice..?

Our first day was great. Glenn drove down from Perpignan to pick us up at the Barcelona airport. Things were a little sloppy in that none of us knew the airport and thus we didn’t have a good meeting point. In addition, of course we didn’t know how long it would take to clear immigration and customs and thus what time he should be there to get us.

Turns out that entering Spain is beautifully simple and easy and, most importantly, QUICK! Forget the hour plus it will take you to enter via YVR in vancouver. Think the difference between a 400 meter hurtle race and a 100 meter sprint. Spain is the sprint. We walked off the plane, handed our (small) immigration form to the officer (we were lucky enought to have a very short line-up too - not seen yet in Vancouver) who promptly stamped them and waved us through. It was then simply a matter of picking up our bags from the carrasel and… “Bob’s your uncle”. An aside. Doesn’t anyone know where that saying comes from? I really must look it up.

Mich got us some morning espressos and we waited in the sun for Glenn to come and collect us. That done, we headed up the coast toward the French/Spanish “border”. They often talk of the Canada/USA border as being the longest “undefended” border in the world. It ain’t so. It’s as easy to cross from Spain to France as it is to travel from province to province in Canada. Try that at Canada customs.

The drive was super cool, and on a road, the windiness of which rivals that of the crazy coastal road we drove in Indonesia a few years back with Al and Maggie, though perhaps this one is rather more narrow. Glenn negotiated the corners with ease and we rubbernecked our way through quaint, scenic coastal towns, plunged through tunnels and drooled at the Mediteranian.

Of course we had to stop at some point along the way to hit the beach for a bit and have our first French meal; bagette with tomato and brie. Life is so good.

All that said, I really didn’t fully enjoy the tour as jet lag began to kick in. We really didn’t sleep much on the plane as it was a morning flight for us, 10 hours in the air and then arriving first thing in the morning here, our bodies thinking it was just about bed time. So we began to struggle to stay awake. However, with a nap in the car, coupled with a late afternoon one at the house, we ended up sleeping the night straight through and this morning, I think we are reset and ready too go!

This brings me to the house we are staying at. Glenn really didn’t prepare me for what was in store. We are truly in the French countryside, about 40 minutes from the city (Perpignan). The hills are covered with vegetation, trees, grapes and olive bushes. It is terifically scenic. The maison is super cool; an old mostly stone building that is now subdivided and housing multiple families. That said, our part is huge, much bigger than our own home. It is completely charming, covered in classic, wide plank flooring, vintage doors and windows, and old walls. It is exactly what you might expect a vintage French country house to be! I love it.

This morning, I type this with a hot cup of French pressed coffee beside me (OK, this is pretty standard for me) as I gaze our the open windows upon the hills of the southern French country side (this is not). Mich and Jacqui began their morning with a run through the grape covered hills. I expect them back any time now, so I’ll put the water on to boil for round deux of coffee.

Today we explore!

ps. We just heard about the nasty fires in Kelowna and Westbank. Hope you guys are all okay.

So we are in France! We are jet lagged. But all is cool. Lunch was baggettes with cheese and tomatos dans la plage. Life is très bien.

Well when Jacqui and Glenn called us many months ago and offered us a free place to stay in the South of France, we didn’t really think it was gonna happen. But hey, it is! So we are off to today to wine country. We should have some access to the ‘net so we will try to update on our travels here. We are planning to relax, hit the beach, stroll the countryside, play some tennis, hike in the Pyrenees and drink wine!

On the ferry recently, as we returned from our travels and paddles on Vancouver Island, Mich and I sat down for something to eat. There was a fella moving around the room, cleaning up tables, picking up trays, etc. After we finished eating and had gotten a couple of coffees he approached our table. I expected him to either ask if he could clear away our tray for us, or ask us to take our coffees with us to a less busy place on the boat. Instead he said “Excuse me, can I ask you if you’ve ever spent any time in Fort St. James?” Of course I gave him the double take and answered that I had indeed lived there. He queried further and then called me by name! I had been his science teacher way back when.

I was so glad he approached us as although his name registered right away, I NEVER would have recognized him. Indeed, I checked out the old FSJSS yearbook when we got home to see what he looked like back then and the memories came back instantly. I is so fascinating how some people can change so much physically in a few short years.

Of course, poking through that yearbook brought back so many memories for both Mich and I - old stories of the time we spent in FSJ teaching and living. Fun. That led to Mich getting on Facebook too to see if she could locate any of those old students, just to see what they are up to, or at least where they might be now. Again, it is so fascinating to see where peoples’ lives take them.

Anyway, it was good to see ya Dustin E. Thanks for saying hi!

Our trip was fantastic. Everything went well from having great weather, to not having long waits for BC Ferries and starting the summer by sleeping in a tent for EIGHT straight nights.

We decided to access the Broken Group Islands (BGI) via the MV Lady Rose, an historic vessel that has been working in the area for decades. Turns out that the Lady has seen better days and while seaworthy, is not currently certified to carry passengers. Thus it was the MV Frances Barkley for us!

The trip down the Alberni Inlet was beautiful, filling us with hope for great weather for the duration of our paddling.

Alas, as we arrived at Sechart, the Park warden was quick to single us out as canoists with the following comment…

This affected our plans somewhat, and choosing caution over bravado, we opted to aim for the nearby Gibraltar Island campsite rather than the distant Turret Island one.

This turned out to be a great choice; we had a nice first day paddle, met some nice people and using traps borrowed from our friends Chris and Millie, caught Red Rock Crabs, upon which we feasted.

The next day, after listening to the marine forecast, we made a try for Turret. We made it easily, picking our way through the Tiny Islands on our way. Though the gale warning continued (and continued for the duration of our stay), we departed early, and calm conditions held. Indeed, we never saw any truly bad weather! That made for great paddling.

In the end, we had days of wildlife viewing (eagles, fish, otters, seals, dolphins whales and birds, birds, birds), clear waters to paddle and look through, pristine beaches to lounge on, tide pools to peer into, trails to walk and history to ponder. Our company was wonderful; Tod and Catherine so much fun to be with. Sadly, Colin and Maureen we not able to join us as originally planned. Next time guys!

We have a bunch more photos that you can check out if you’d like via the photo player.

If you don’t know, “wanigan” is a first nations word for food box. When we first paddled with Patty and Richard, we marveled at the one Richard had made to fit his canoe.

So, before we decided to move to China, about 8 years ago I decided, with Richard and Stuart to take on the task of making a few more as our next “shop night” project. The design was much the same as Richard’s original, cedar strip and fiberglass. We got the basic woodworking done, as well as some of the glass work before winter ended, shop nights were used for other, warmer weather activities and thus the projects were shelved until the next fall. Or so we thought.

Instead, Mich and I moved to China, the four partially finished wanigans stayed stored in Richard’s shop (shop night continued I think, but with other projects) and we returned to live in Canada again after 3 years. I took two of them to Kamloops with me (one had originally be intended as a gift for Kev N, here in the Loops) and proceeded to store them in our garage for close to 4 more years. Wow.

Kev and I worked on them a bit during a few of our shop nights here last winter, but didn’t make too much progress (though we did the the drawers built). And then Mich and I agreed to do the paddling trip to the Broken Group Islands with Tod and Catherine. At that point I knew I wanted to finish at least one wanigan to take on the trip. Kev helped me with advice on further fiberglass work and I set to it.

Happily, eight years later, with the help of Richard, Stuart, and Kevin (possibly Chris too), the wanigan is complete and has made its maiden voyage with fantastic results. Acting as our kitchen box, and beautifully fitting the contour of our canoe, it also was quite the hit at the campsites. People often came over to investigate just what we had and how it was made. Some knew what it was, a few even knew what it was called. One fella gushed over it to Michelle and insisted on taking a pic! Pretty cool.

We’re looking forward to lots of use from this box for years to come! Thanks to all you guys for your help and shop space!