Month: April 2023

Opening shot: Camera pans across a desolate landscape, there is some sparse vegetation, assorted cacti, and some hazy mountains can be seen in the distance. The wind is blowing, evidenced by a single tumbleweed entering the shot from the left and then scurrying across the frame. The faint sounds of a lonely harmonica can be heard over the wind as the camera slowly zooms in a dusty cowpoke astride his horse singing, “I’m back in the saddle again….”

                             Well, that’s how we arrived back here in Texas after the Nirvana Cruise had finally (and unfortunately) come to a close.

 I guess that I should qualify that last remark.

                             I say unfortunately not because we knew that it was time to re-enter the real world, not because we are running from anything, and definitely not because we were getting tired of being on the ship.

                             Nope, it was not those things.

                             I say unfortunately because this voyage was enlightening on so many levels and those new experiences could have been far from over given the opportunity to explore further each port that we visited. In some ways you could say, “Been there, saw that, got the refrigerator magnet”, and move on. In reality, we just scratched the surface, maybe whetted the appetite for further discoveries for there was so much more to explore.

                             But all of that is for future consideration.

                             For now, let’s re-cap……..

          Here are some interesting numbers/statistics for you,

– 47 Ports

– 31 Countries

– 2 Equator Crossings

– Panama Canal and Suez Canal Transits

– 6 Continents

– 34,567 Nautical Miles

– 21 World Heritage Sites

– 1,382,680 gallons of fuel oil

– 1,110,000 eggs consumed

–  49,950 pounds of butter used

– 28,000 bottles of wine consumed.

 Paula had wine.

I did not.

And for most significant statistic of all…..

          Drum roll please………

          We only averaged a four (4#) pound weight gain!

          Yes, Paula gained zero and I gained eight!

                AJ and David met while serving in the Army, the year was 1989, the place, Fort Ord, California.

                             I met them a few months ago on board in the Horizon Court Dining Area. I was intrigued by the writing on their shirts… it read, “DD-214 Alumni.” And they had hats with DD-214 emblazoned on them.

                             I was  curious because they did not look old enough to have served in WWII. DD is the Navy’s prefix for identifying destroyers. The Navy uses different alpha-identifiers to distinguish between the types of ships, CV is aircraft carriers, DE is Destroyer Escorts, BB is Battleships, CA is for Heavy Cruisers, and the list goes on….. DD-214 was the destroyer, USS Tracey, who had an exemplary reputation and record during that war. I thought that maybe they were the descendants of someone who had served on her.

I had to find out.

One day, mid-morning, they were sitting alone at their usual table. I walked over, introduced myself and asked about the DD-214 and the USS Tracey. They immediately burst out laughing and saying, “We knew you were going to ask about that!”

          They went on to explain that they had no knowledge about the Navy and the USS Tracey, until someone had asked the same question that I did. They went on to further explain that the DD-214 was the standard form used by the Department of Defense (DD) (form 214)  and was issued to most of the veterans when they get discharged from active service.

                             Hence the DD-214 “Alumni” written on their shirts.

                             I then sat down and heard their story.

                   They call each other “brother”.

                   Not “Bro”

                   They are obviously not related.

                   But they refer to each other as “my brother.”

          This kind of relationship is the kind that is forged in the heat of battle.  Every battle is not shared, but the experience is.

I am in constant awe of the persons that put their lives on the line in the name of defense of our Homeland. AJ served in Vietnam in ’71 and David was in Special Ops In El Salvador in ‘88/’89.             

One day, David watched as a new Platoon Sergeant rolled up in Fort Ord. It was some new guy named AJ Griggs. Dave asked him if he needed some help.

And the rest is history.

The time period that David served in was relatively calm compared to what AJ experienced in Vietnam. But there were some “Hot Spots”, one of them being El Salvador. David spent a year there in Special Operations, you know, the kind that goes unappreciated because no one really knows why you are there, except maybe the CIA.

          Returning home after experiencing combat situations, David was in need of someone to talk to. Because of the relatively calm conditions in the world at the time, the guys surrounding David did not have any combat experience, hence they had never suffered anything like what David had gone through.

                   Enter AJ.

                   AJ was one of David’s superiors and he recognized immediately what was going on. He was the only one that could effectively work with David and all those demons that accompany a returning soldier from the front. Even David’s immediate superiors did not have the same combat experience level that David had, and it was AJ, who was still junior to those superiors that told them to back off.

                             He would take care of this.

                             David had finally found someone who could commiserate with him, acknowledge the difficulties, and finally help bring him “back” from the combat that no one knew about.

                             Sitting across the Horizon Court I watch these two brothers, morning after morning they arrive early to sit with each other and some other veterans who have found each other on the ship.

                             I am always welcome at their table, the DD-214’s, but I will never be one of the guys, I cannot be, for I have not run that gauntlet of battle and emerged on the other side. Combat wounds come in many different forms and one of them is PTSD, a clinical acronym that defines a diagnosis but sterilizes it at the same time.

                             Maybe it would be better to go back to what it was called during the Civil War….. when it was known simply as…..

Soldiers Heart.

          Well, that about wraps up this cruise.

                   There is only one more Port to call on and that is the port of disembarkation, Fort Lauderdale.

                                      We do have an Excursion booked for there,

                                      The Airport!

                             If all goes well, we will be back in Texas by Thursday evening, and back at Danny and Kaitie’s in Brenham by mid-day on Friday. Then the fun begins!

                                      Lots to work on in the motorhome before our “Touring Season” commences in about a month or so.

                             So, for all of you that had initially joined us for our cruise, we thank you for sailing along with us, but the traveling does not end there! If you stick around, we will bring you on all of our terrestrial adventures with us. (If you go to the “Archives” you can see some of our past adventures and destinations….. for example, a trip to Yosemite never goes out of style!)

                             In between, you may be treated to a “lesson” or two on some totally random subject, that for one reason or another, is apropos at the time. I may even find a way to work in another Plate Techtonics post!

(Oh no!!! Not another one of those!!!)

                             We shall see.

                             We hope that you’ve had an adventure also, we loved having you on board and globe-trotting with us!

So, ’til then……

                            For the Love of Traveling……

Paula and Don

As barren and lunar as Lanzarote was, Las Palmas was just the opposite. Nicknamed La Isla Bonita, “The Beautiful Island”, this last (sniff!) stop on our World Tour lived up to its name.  

                             We couldn’t quite figure out what Princess was up to as there was only one tour available, called Panoramic Las Palmas and it did not have a description attached. Our little group searched both Viator and Tours By Locals for anything available. Neither website had anything to offer on this little gem of an island.

                             We had a few weeks yet before we arrived, so time was not critical yet. We finally booked an outing with a newer unknown start-up called Tours by Strangers. The guide seemed to know something about the place, at least more than we did and he promised us a full day guaranteed to see stuff that no one else on the ship would experience.

                             He was correct.

                             We met our Guide, Donaldo when he pulled up in a slightly beat, nine passenger Renault diesel stick shifter van. He had a name tag identifying himself so that we felt completely at ease immediately.

                             He even had a little flag (fashioned by Darla and Sandra) for all of us to follow him with. It turns out that this was unnecessary as we never went anywhere that had more than six other people there.

                             Our first destination was the highest point on the island the summit of Roque de los Muchachos, which is just eight feet shy of 8000’ above sea level. In the middle of the Parque National de La Caldera de Tamburiente, this extinct volcanic mountain has the distinction of being one of the best sites on our planet for astronomical observations. There are a total of thirteen different telescopes up there along with an incredible “crater” that seems to plumet from those star-strung heavens to a bedrock deep abyss.

                   When you approach the edge…. It sucks your breath away.

                   My apologies here, I’m afraid as good as the photograph is, it cannot convey the drama that a personal visit will induce. You will need to come here for yourself!

                   This venture took way longer than our intrepid (and inexperienced) guide thought that it would. Google maps calculated that it should take a little over an hour to travel the 42 km from the bottom to the top. That would normally be correct, the speed limit was an official 40 kph, so that makes sense. What the Google Gal forgot to fold into her calculations were the (approximately, but I counted) 262 (mostly hairpin) turns in the road. There was no way that we were making that trip in an hour!

                   But the scenery was spectacular and watching the flora change from sub-tropical sea level, up through deciduous, and then pine forests, to alpine mountain was quite a treat! One of the reasons that the observations are so good here lies with a combination of factors having mostly to do with location. It is not uncommon to have the base of the island covered in clouds and the summit in constant clear air, with no light pollution (it’s in the middle of the ocean!). While it is quite common to have clouds around the world at 8000’, here the combination of the surrounding water temperatures and other meteorological factors, keeps the clouds usually below the summit and those thirteen telescopes. You will notice the cloud layers below us in the photos.

                   After our Summit Sojourn, we deftly picked our way back down the mountain by the route we had come up, trying our best not to smoke the brakes! Good thing it was a shifter-car! It was while pulling into one of the most spectacular overlooks on this road that our guide and driver managed to just slightly (?) come in contact with another vehicle parked there. Luckily the folks (from Switzerland) were very nice, and it was a rental also, so we exchanged some paperwork and we’ll let the companies fight it out when we’re all far away! It really wasn’t bad; I was more dismayed about the time that it was eating up!

                   By now it was apparent that the rest of the Tour of Las Palmas was not going to take place. There was just not enough time to get to the other sights that had been planned, including a nifty lunch on a beach-side (sandy floors) restaurante at the end of the island.

                             No worries!

                             We found a cool local harborside place that only spoke Spanish, so our adventures continued as we struggled, laughed, and cajoled our way through the menu and ordering process.

                             It all turned out great, the meal was fun, and the wine was good. The driver was verboten to drink so he had a Coke, which he would have ordered anyway! Our all-aboard time was 4:30 PM and it was already late in the afternoon so we high-tailed it across the harbor to our waiting ship.

                             The folks at Tours by Strangers are anxiously awaiting the reviews from our group!

Ahhh….. The Canary Islands !

                   Just off the coast of North Africa, they sit beckoning tourists mainly from Europe to come and see all of the cute little birds flying around. Thousands of yellow Canaries can be seen wherever you go!

                             What?

                             What do you mean there’s no birds???!!!

                             No little yellow Canaries flying around?

                             What a rip-off!

                             I want my money back!

                   So, Don and Paula discovered that the Canary Islands are not the avian haven that they thought!

                             Now you may ask, “Why are they called the Canary Islands if there are NO CANARIES!

                             For the answer to that question we will defer to Mr. Bruchalski, my Freshman Year Latin Teacher…

                   “Well Don, if you were a better Latin student, you would not need my help here. If you can recall the root word that you are looking for is “Canes” which is “dogs” (think canine) and Insulae which is “islands” or if we combine them, it reads the Isles of Dogs. We get this from someone who actually spoke Latin back in the day, Pliny the Elder, who in his travels reported a lot of large dogs roaming about.”

                   Thanks a lot Mr. Bruchalski, you just outed me in front of my entire readership!

                   So we now know that the little tweeties got their name from the islands and not vice-versa and if you do look around you will find these little flyers on most of the islands in varying densities, having mostly to do with habitat. That is why on Lanzarote, where we are today, you find very few.

                             Why again?

                             Because there are no freakin’ trees here!

                             This place makes the moon look like the Amazon!

                   Volcanos galore!

          In reality, this island is rather sparse in vegetation that isn’t cultivated. The landscapes are somewhat newer (because of volcanic activity) and therefore not quite ready to support vegetation with any kind of regularity. We did witness farming going on, particularly grapes that inhabit some neat little semi-circles of piled lava stones for protection from the wind and retention of waters. More on that later.

          The Canary Islands belong to Spain. They are really not near Spain; they are only 80 miles off of the Moroccan coast and kind of off to themselves. There are seven major islands, lots of islets, and a bunch of named “rocks” so archipelago is a great description for them! The total population is just a tad over two million, but those Venturing  Vacationers from Europe add to that by an annual migration total of about twelve million!

                   We had another private tour here. We were a party of eight, Darla and Sandra asked two of their on-board friends to join us to help defray the costs a bit. It turns out we could have invited about twenty more and made some money because the vehicle that ferried us around was a small bus that held probably 20+ tourons!

                   Our first stop of the day was to the Timanfaya National Park  covering almost 13,000 acres, which is about 15% of the island. The landscapes are the result of its volcanic origin, namely The Canarian Hotspot. Age-wise it’s pretty old, maybe 70 million years or so, and owes its origin to our old friend Mr. Plate Tectonics. We haven’t heard much from him since back in Australia, but here he is tearing the African Plate and the North American Plate apart, leaving plenty of room for magma to works it way up and out, forming the Canaries and other archipelagos in this region. It can take thousands of years for a lava bed to garner enough wind-driven sand, dirt, and other botanical basics to eventually let enough plants grow and turn the lunarscape into a landscape.

                   So, with the last eruption in the 1700’s you can see that this infinitesimally small time-period is not yet long enough to really show any progress in the reforestation process.

                   But it does give us an incredible place to visit and experience! We were lucky that we were in a Tour Bus because they received preference when it came to entry into this very popular Park. Judging from the long lines that we saw when were departing, it looked as if every man, woman, and child on the island decided to take the day off and visit the Park!

                   Due to their relatively close proximity to the surface, the geothermal features of this area were made even more apparent by the Rangers here. We witnessed a few exhibitions at the Visitor’s Center. First there was a pit that had hot enough temperatures to ignite some brush that was cast down into it.

Then a Ranger took a gallon of water and poured it down one of several tubes that led to a chamber below. A few seconds later we had our own significant Geyser, complete with the bang and roar that accompanies these events.

And last, but not least, upon entering the facility we could see today’s chicken lunch being roasted above a large pit that was definitely hot enough to do the job!

After all of that we went out on the road that wound its way through and around the various vents, calderas, and tubes of the lava fields. The sights were otherworldly!

                             We next went to the shoreline where the promontories were prominent, and technicolor was the shade du jour.

A short stop here was followed by our agrotourism stop at a vineyard. It was an interesting site this vineyard, because there were no rows upon rows of grapevines clinging to their arbors. Instead, we saw those individual plants sheltered from various weather conditions and apparently doing well enough to keep this island industry alive.

                   The wine tasting went well enough for two bottles to be consumed along with two bags of interesting potato chips because one of them was “chicken” flavored.

 Hey! We were hungry, and they filled us up nicely….. at least until we got back to the ship!

Well, it was bound to happen sometime in the four months of travel.

                   Yup, down for the count!

                   The ports were supposed to be Malaga in Spain, and Casablanca in Morocco, and we had awesome plans for each one, but they never came to fruition ☹

                   I guess, that as a confined community, with access to the rest of the world, that we have been rather lucky in the sickness department. The only real thing that has worked its way into the passengers has been a nasty, sometimes very nasty, cough/bronchitis type ailment. It can be quite violent when it comes to coughing fits and the like, you know…. almost breaking ribs and pulling muscles type coughing. Everyone has had it one or more times each. For us, it was Paula who had it really bad the days leading up to Malaga and was not good on that day, so we decided that since the next day in Casablanca was going to be full, that we needed to just blow off going to Granada and the Alhambra and stay home. Little did we know that the next day I would end up with “Intestinal Issues” and we only got a few stops in on our private tour that Samira (Tommy and Nadia’s [from Yetters] cousin in Morocco) had set up for us, when we (I) needed to be back on the ship, a little closer to “facilities” than we could have while driving around. That put the finishing touches on that day!

                             Recovery was rather swift, by that night I felt much better and with a Sea Day in between Casablanca and the Canary Islands, we were ready to go when we reached our first port, Lanzarote.

                   I guess it was good that we both were down at relatively the same time. We felt bad about Granada, and terrible about missing Samira in Casablanca. On the bright side, that gives us an excuse to come back to this area in the future!

On the surface, and if you left it all up to the Travel Guru’s, one would think that the reason for paying a visit to Barcelona, Spain would be to see Antoni Gaudi’s works of Architectural Art.

                   Left all by itself, this statement holds a lot of truths, but luckily for us, we found ourselves with a late afternoon La Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family) tour, which left us a lot of morning and mid-day time to experience Barcelona on its basic level…. A stroll on La Rambla or alternately Las Ramblas, which translated from Spanish means the boulevard. Originally this wide area was used as a (mostly dry and sandy) sewage ditch between the original gothic quarter “Old City” and the new El Ravel (the suburbs) quarter which is nearer to the Port. A map from 1400 shows this wide area distinctly separating these areas. Acknowledging the Muslim influence on Spain previously, Rambla in Arabic comes from the root word for “sand”, so it is interesting to see how different languages get assimilated into later ones and take on totally different meanings!  To us it sounds like “Rambling” which is exactly what we did with Harold and Sherry when we initially got off the ship in the morning. A shuttle bus was provided to get us from the port to the big statue of Christopher Columbus who is seen pointing in the direction of the New World. La Rambla starts on the other side of Chris and continues on for almost a mile.

                   Wide and tree lined, this wonderful, tiled walkway links several sections of the city with a “section” all its own. On it are many outdoor cafés, restaurants, and shops, both basic and high end. The surrounding area can be defined by that alternate name of Las Ramblas (plural) because these neighborhood streets have developed into side areas of even better shops, hotels, and finer restaurants.

                   Pedestrian Friendly is an understatement! This is actually an area that cars seem to shun, there are just two one-way lanes on each side of the wide esplanade while a subway runs directly underneath here in that old sandy ditch that was once here.

                   Our “Goal” for the morning’s expedition was to find an elusive perfume store by the name of Rituals, which is the source of a fragrance that two of Sherry’s daughters wanted. Armed with Google Maps and some friendly directions from the waiter at our first stop of the day, we sortied out. This initial inquisitive halt in the proceedings was at one of those street-side cafés for cappuccinos and (since this was an expedition requiring sustenance) a Red Bull, as they had no Monsters! According to The Trio, this was the best cappuccino yet of our entire voyage! The Red Bull tasted like a Red Bull, no exalted descriptions there, except the setting was definitely one of our favorites!

                   After some more direction findings we chanced upon our elusive prey situated on a square, a block off of La Rambla. Harold and I were happy to find some “Husband Benches” outside where we dozed off in the morning sunlight. Who knew it took that long to go into a store, pick up an item, and pay for it! Inquiring minds wanted to know, so that’s how we found out that the young lady inside hailed from Sherry’s neighborhood in Florida and had chosen Barcelona as her place to start her world-wanderings. It is indeed a small world!

                   Arriving at the northern terminus of La Rambla, we about-faced and started our journey back towards the ship. We wanted to have enough time to have lunch here in town, and still be back in time to start our Sagrada Familia Tour at 3:00 PM. Successful on both counts, we left Harold and Sherry sipping some awesome Sangria’s after our lunch of Vegetable Paella. Sherry has a shellfish allergy, so not wanting to take any chances, and since veggies are Paula’s favorite beings on the planet, we all opted for the Vegetable Choice. Even me.

                             Antoni Gaudi is Barcelona’s favorite son. Mr. Gaudi is most famous for his combination of combining Gothic and curvilinear  Art Nouveau forms. Examples of his style are found throughout the State of Catalan, mainly in its capital, Barcelona, and specifically at the Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia or thankfully, simply la Sagrada Familia.

                   I am not sure how to describe his most famous work, this “church”. I can say that everyone that has ever been here and spoken to me has said that one must see it to fully appreciate its magnificence. It truly is a one-of-a-kind, and after visiting it, I can add my voice to that chorus of admirers that have been visiting this still unfinished masterpiece since 1882.

                   Unfinished you say?

                   That is correct.

                   Toni the Builder was the second architect to be involved. The first guy flew the coop after just one year (1883) and Gaudi took over, obviously with now enough time to instill his personal style into this project. The endeavor was funded by private donations so that explains part of the reason for the long construction period. Throw in the untimely demise of Mr. Gaudi in 1926 and the Spanish Civil War in the mid 30’s, WWII in the ‘40’s, slow resumption of work in the 50’s and we quickly arrive in the present where Covid screeched things to a halt.

                   Maybe that’s all not so bad because along with the delay in building came an increase in architectural technology that has helped make the remainder of this building a bit safer and stronger. Just as we saw with the Sydney Opera House, some of the technology to make these impressive structures needed to be invented along the way.

                   So, that brings us to today’s visit.

                   Our Group had timed tickets to enter Sagrada Familia, so we needed to tour the other sites before our scheduled entry. There are several buildings in Barcelona that embody Gaudi’s work and we did a “Drive-By” and then we were let off and we walked around the neighborhoods and went to the Building, which is a hotel. We did not go inside, the exterior had enough to see.

                   When we finally got to S.F. it was akin to entering a construction zone, which in fact it is. Gazing up at the exterior, it takes a while just to take it all in. Just when you think that you’ve got it all down pat, the Guide points out some other little nuance that lends another level of understanding to this Magnum Opus.

                   Viewing just the exterior is an exercise in sensory overload. There is not one square meter of unadorned or unworked piece of sandstone, or concrete. Everything is for a purpose, and there is nothing left unsaid. The Bible Stories are all there on display and every spire and tower has a purpose. For example twelve spires for the Apostles, Four for the Evangelists, one for Mary, the three main facades are themed as the Nativity, the Passion, and the Glory, each one stands on its own when telling the story. The outside is close to completion and was scheduled for 2026 which is the 100-year anniversary of Gaudi’s death, but Covid got in the way and the completion date has been extended.

                   The interior is complete. We were fortunate in a way, that our tour was so late in the day because the low angle of western sunlight shone through the stained-glass windows with quite the intensity. It was actually difficult to photograph successfully, but I did my best.

                   Under the church is a nice museum that chronicles the design and building of it. There are original workshop details and displays of the models that Gaudi used to make sure that everything was to scale and would “work” the way that he had intended. It was these plans and scale models that helped the succeeding architects, planners, and builders ensure that Gaudi’s vision would be carried out to the best of their abilities.

                   So who pays for all of this?

                   We did!

                   The costs associated with the completion of the construction are not underwritten by any government or the Church. Private donations have their place, but the bulk of the monies needed come from the three million Gaudi-Gawkers that come here to admire his work.

                   Hence, there seems to be no issues when it come to the talk of successful completion of Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia !

                              Spain in itself is worth a visit, throw this in and you’ve got a slam-dunk!

          Well, it’s almost time to bid this cruise and our new friends good-bye. The ports have all been called on and all that’s left are some Sea Days as we cross the Atlantic Ocean, bound for Fort Lauderdale. As promised, the anticipated backlog of Posts will be completed within a few days. I am in better shape than I thought I would be at this point, only a few behind….. in the meantime, there will be lots of “Contacts Exchanges” going on, last minute get-togethers, and more than enough hugs and good wishes to go around.

                   The topic aboard at this time is a ‘variation on a theme’ of  “Are you going to do this again?

                   Our answer is a qualified maybe. 😊

                   Would we go around the world again? Yes!

                   Would we take the “same” cruise? Probably not. ( Unless they significantly modified the ports of call.)

                   What will we miss?

                   Lots!

                   For four months we did not need to: clean our room, make the bed, clean the bathroom, cook, shop, do dishes, or think about “what to do”.

                   For four months we were totally pampered, we had a myriad of options when it came to entertainment, and there was always someone to talk to somewhere on the ship if we got “lonely”. Even the everyday routine stuff has an element of fun built into it. There is not one thing that we do on board that can be considered a “chore.” We do lots of things on a regular basis, but each one, even though it is part of our “routine”, is for fun.

                   Trivia at 10 AM in the Explorers Lounge. Fun.

                   Walking around the Promenade Deck. Fun.

                   Playing cards on Sea Days. Fun.

                   Going to Horizon Court for breakfast and lunch. Fun.

                   Going to the Dining Room for dinner. Fun.

                   Nightly entertainment after dinner. Lots of fun!

                   And in between all of these fun things we do we can just relax. Sometimes we fall asleep!

                   Yup! 11AM, not time for lunch yet, all of a sudden you find yourself dozing off….. The same can be said for the afternoon.

                   But those are Sea Days. What about Port Days?

                   Well, those can actually be tedious at times depending on the arrangements made for visiting said ports. You have all been along for this voyage, so you are aware of the trials of the Shuttle Boats when needed. You know about waiting (im)patiently for all of the Mobility  Challenged Passengers when we get stuck on a “Best of” Tour. And sometimes, when we run from port, to port, to port, we wish for a Sea Day in between to recuperate. But, as you have witnessed, we have experienced some incredible sights and places! Some are just right out of National Geographic, while others seem to emanate from some exotic old movie.

                   But, while the voyage is designed to facilitate one’s experiencing of different parts of the world, it is definitely not the only aspect of traveling that we found that is important.

                   Just as vital as the Itinerary of the voyage is, is the manifest of fellow passengers that unknowingly signed up to help you experience these ports, even though they never knew that they were going to play that role. We, in turn, never realized that we would be an important piece of traveling memories for the others on this same list.

                   It just naturally turns out that way.

                   So, as our thoughts turn to coming home, getting the motorhome ready for the road, going shopping to fill the larder, getting those doctor appointments taken care of, and settling back into our terrestrial “traveling” routine, we are also feverishly making plans for our next adventures, many of them include our new “Traveling Amigos” that have helped make these last four months seem like it’s only been four weeks!

                   Like they say…..

“Time flies when you’re having fun!”

Now is the time to ask what we won’t miss….

                   The shower.

          It’s smaller than the one in the motorhome!

The port was Marseilles and there was nothing that stuck out for us to do, so we decided on something different. We visited an Olive Farm out in the country. We did not know what to expect as these descriptions sometimes leave things to be desired. Paula was really hoping to sit down and have an impressive assortment of olive varieties set in front of her to taste.

                             That did not happen.

                             What we received was a very intensive course on olives and the art of making olive oil by a young lady whose family has owned this olive farm, Moulin a Huile du mas St. Jean since the 1600’s and is located in the a small provincial village in the heart of the Alpilles Region, Fontvielle.

                             These newbies are the second owners; the original family started it in the 1300’s.

                             This area of the world, the Mediterranean, is known for its olives. From Israel north, all around the coastal areas, olives and their by-products are featured with wonderful regularity. It’s that special Med Climate, coupled with various different soils that make this such an important region for these products. Everyone is known for their contributions to this industry, except France.

                             France used to be a larger player in this global marketplace but back in 1956 this region was hit harder than the rest of the area and experienced a Freeze of Catastrophic Proportions and they lost about 70% of their olive trees. Of the remaining 30%, a significant number were cut down, and thinking that they had permanently died, different crops were planted to replace them.

                             Oops!

                             While in fact there were incredible losses due to this catastrophe, the patient farmers were rewarded with a significant number of their trees regenerating and coming back to life.

Unfortunately most of this took almost 12 years to accomplish.

Now, don’t think that these farmers just sat around for 12 years hoping that someday their trees would somehow miraculously re-appear. No, these farmers decided to replant their trees and start from scratch but found that some of the old “frozen” stumps that had been left alone, started themselves back up after their Rip Van Winkle period was over.

                   We saw some of these examples of Eternity Trees for ourselves. What we also saw was a farmer that possessed the same fervor for farming her family’s land that must have also been within her ancestors when they stayed the course here.

                             So began our education on olive growing and their process into olive oil. We learned about the old ways, her grandfather’s reluctance to accept the new ways, and the subsequent modernization of this millennia’s old occupation.

                   I used to sell olive oil when I worked for Ritter Food and Sysco. I’ve probably sold thousand of gallons over the years with different chefs wanting and needing their favorite ones that were used in their recipes. We were always taught that “First Cold Press” was the only way to go. You probably heard of this also.

Well…. It was……at one time.

Not anymore!

It’s all First Cold Press now!

                   Explanation………

 Back in the day when the olives were originally ground up at the mill and then further pressed, this was the First Cold Press, and you can imagine that it was the best stuff.

 Nice, pure, the best of the best, with no further processing needed to get what they wanted.

 But wait! There are still some oils left in those pressings!

 So, let’s dump some warm water in there, swish it around, let the oils rise to the surface, skim them off and Viola!

We’ve got some further extractions to sell (because not everyone needs or wants that expensive good stuff) and help us keep the lights on and the mill wheels turning!

          That was then, this is now….

                   Remember how I said that it is all First Cold Press now? How can that be? What about the other stuff?

                             There isn’t any.

                             The process now does not involve old-fashioned grinding and pressing, that left enough oils to be further worked out.

                             The modern grinders, presses and vacuum systems leave nothing behind anymore. Nothing left to further process.

                             Hence, it is now all First Cold Press, and this industry was smart enough to leave that distinction printed on its labels strictly for marketing purposes.

                             But there is a difference between Extra Virgin Olive Oil and regular olive oil, and this does go back to further extraction and the blending of these oils to make just plain olive oil but all extra Virgin Olive oil is First Cold Pressed by definition and process.

                             So what can make a difference in EVOO you may ask?

                   That is like asking a wine maker why his Merlot tastes a little different than his rival’s Merlot.

                   Olives, and grapes, are all subject to growing regions and their inherent conditions…. soil, climate, and the like. But there are other variables that the vintner/oil maker can use to make their product “better” than their competitors.

                             How long to leave the skins on the grapes?

                             What types of wood are used to store the products?

                             Which varieties are blended?

          Now let’s go to the olive farm where harvesting occurs over several months. Olives are left on the trees and age, accordingly, gathering further character as they go along. This does not mean that the older olives are better than their younger relatives, it just means that they develop characteristics that when blended with their friends gives a certain aspect to that farm’s unique “this is our oil” product.

                             Now it all makes sense!

          Of course every self-respecting olive oil maker thinks that their oil is the best, but I guess that is matter of taste, no difference than our Merlot comparison, you may prefer Chateau Bob’s and my preference may be Chateau Amy’s.

                   Thankfully we were at, and tasted, the oil that thirty Michelin Rated restaurants prefer and use, so it must be good! I’m afraid that this reviewer’s palette is not nearly experienced enough to truthfully evaluate the subtle difference between the top oils, but this oil was rather pleasing when sampled!

                             And besides, it was fun!

          After our Farm Tour we went into the nearby village and had lunch at the Le Cour des 2 Pins café. The meal was fabulous and the fact that our tour today only had 16 tourons in it made for a rather stressless traveling environment! The village was charming, you could tell that not much had changed in oh, the last two hundred years or so….

                   But no time to dilly-dally in this “modern” little town! There were more “Ancient Medieval Hilltop Citadel-like Old Settlements” (and their alleys!) to explore!

                   Off we went to Chateau des Baux!

                   This fortress and the little town it protected had its genesis in the 10^th century and stayed “local” until the 1500’s when it came under the control of the kings of France. Like all of its contemporaries, its influence, and stature waxed and waned over the following centuries until present day when it is now a celebrated destination for folks like us!

Now go and get yourselves a baguette and some nice EVVO, a good wine, and sit on your patio!

La Cote d’ Azur, The French Riviera, or just the plain South of France….. no matter what you call it, the world has been flocking here since the late 18^th century. Someone found that the climate was nice, the waters perfect, and the scenery very pleasing. This was nothing new to the fishermen and their families that had lived here for generations before the great “discovery”!

                   It is not long after something is discovered that entrepreneurs follow suit and blend their unique styles and aspirations into the new local flavors. These new tourists were mainly the British (I’m getting tired of this!) aristocracy including Queen Victoria and her contemporaries, Tsar Alexander II, and Edward, Prince of Wales, to name a few.

                   And if you can’t get enough of Downton Abbey like us, you will recognize the area as the setting for the last Downton movie, (new Era) in which the Dowager Countess, Violet Crawley, inherits that Villa in Southern France.

                   Here are a few more names of places that may be familiar to you, Cannes (of the film festival) Saint-Tropez, (arts and films after WWII, plus the new “jet-set” folks arrived) and Monte Carlo (the Casino section of the Principality of Monaco). Harold and I decided not to wear our tuxedos when we planned the visit to Monte Carlo.

 Don’t laugh!

You can’t get near the place unless you are “dressed” appropriately! And how about that “minimum” for playing at a table?

And I am quite positive that the bartenders are sick of hearing “Shaken, not stirred” from all the “Bond… James Bond” wanna-be’s when they order martinis!

We elected not to go to the Casino. There were so many other places to go to! We started our day with Fouad, our Tours by Locals guide. He lives in Nice, just a stone’s throw from the port of Villefranche where we were berthed. Originally, we had no desire to see Nice, mainly because we didn’t really know anything about it. Fouad convinced us of its qualities, so away we went!

The next photos are here courtesy of fresh vibrant colors, coupled with the natural light that only comes in the early morning or late afternoon. It was a photographer’s delight, and I could not pass it up! So here you are… The Colors of the Market.

Nice……. what a delightful surprise and we were happy that it was included in our tour.

We then worked our way back up the coast with the Principality of Monaco as our destination. Monaco is that teeny-tiny, very rich, quite uppity, country surrounded by France on three sides and the Mediterranean on the fourth. That location on the Med brings in a lot of really nice yachts!

The most obvious one is the Atlantis II, a 1981 380’ beauty built by a Greek shipping tycoon to try and outdo his rival, Aristotle Onassis who owned the Christina O. The Atlantis II is worth 100 million US.

          Unfortunately, I had left my wallet in the car.

We toured The Rock, the location of the Old City, the Cathedral, the Palace, and the Musee Oceanographique de Monaco. The latter of which,my old friend Jacques Cousteau, was the director of for 35 years.

 Check off another ‘Bucket List’ visit for me!

          I hope that you are not getting sick of seeing visages of “Old Cities” and their accompanying alleys, etc. because there is still more to come! We had lunch here, at an outdoor sidewalk café of course!

The Cathedral was the site of Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Albert and is also the site of both their resting places. Prince Albert II is the current reigning monarch of this micro-state and is the head of the House of Grimaldi which has ruled Monaco since 1297. Not a bad gig for a guy that doesn’t work!

                   After we left Monaco, we traveled up, and up, and up, to the little town of Eze. Yes, my friends, this is another of those places…. I’m so sorry but someone has to show these things to you!

By now you know what to expect with regards to the next few photos, so here they are, no captions necessary……

                  So, here we are at yet another medieval hill-top enclave that sits there just begging to be explored! At 1400’ above that ‘azure’ coastline, it was a fitting ending to a wonderful day spent rubbing elbows with the fine sights of (you pick the name!) the South of France, the French Riviera, and of course, the Cote d’ Azure!