A lot of wine!
Well folks,
It seems that I haven’t been in contact for quite some time now. I’ll try and make up for it…
I think that Liz gave you a pretty comprehensive idea of how Paris was. It was both wonderful and trying at the same time. But, in hindsight, I would say that it was a definitive learning experience. Plus, compared to some of the countries that we will be visiting in the near future, Paris, as well as the rest of France, will be a walk in the park…at least one of us speaks the language in France (but Liz is a quick learner).
That being said; France for the most part is fairly bass-ackwards for travelers. Sure, there is a TON to see. And the food for the most part is good, if not a little too expensive. But, I don’t know how anybody relies on public transportation to go anywhere. As was mentioned before, you need a reservation to travel anywhere by train, even if it’s to the next town over. We are using our Eurail pass, so we don’t have to pay for any tickets, but for some reason we still have to pay for reservations; which, depending on where one wants to go can be 20E per person. I think for shorter trips most French people tempt fate and pray that don’t check tickets. But for longer trips there is no getting around it. And if it is a high volume destination then one should book a week in advance. This means standing in line up to an hour to get a reservation which may or may not exist.
Moreover, there is no guarantee that a train will be on time, or not be cancelled last minute. It seems that this is normalcy because no one seems to bat an eye except for the “stupid Americans” that actually think that train schedules should work in a developed nation…I mean this isn’t Cameroon anymore, these guys built half the Chunnel. Needless to say that this happened to us, and we were stuck in Libourne (a town that we though was going to be something, but then turned out to be nothing) for the better part of a day. We wanted to go take a wine tour at the close by St. Emillion which is surrounded by historical vineyards. Unfortunately, when we got to Libourne our transfer to St. Emillion was delayed, then cancelled. Sigh. Oh well, we salvaged the night with Bordeaux’s version of Night at the Museums, where all of Bordeaux’s museums were free admission. But I think Liz has filled you in on all of this…sorry for the redundancy.
Anyway, France is a great place to visit, but I would rent a car if you are going to see anything outside of Paris. Alright…enough bitchin’.
We had a very good time in Bordeaux. If the weather would have cooperated, it would have been parfait. The “very” is mainly due to the people that we met and conversed with. Not only have we made some connections on Couchsurfing, but we also made some friends and memories which we will cherish. Thanks to all who made our stay in Bordeaux so wonderful…namely Camille and her family.
It seems that I haven’t been in contact for quite some time now. I’ll try and make up for it…
I think that Liz gave you a pretty comprehensive idea of how Paris was. It was both wonderful and trying at the same time. But, in hindsight, I would say that it was a definitive learning experience. Plus, compared to some of the countries that we will be visiting in the near future, Paris, as well as the rest of France, will be a walk in the park…at least one of us speaks the language in France (but Liz is a quick learner).
That being said; France for the most part is fairly bass-ackwards for travelers. Sure, there is a TON to see. And the food for the most part is good, if not a little too expensive. But, I don’t know how anybody relies on public transportation to go anywhere. As was mentioned before, you need a reservation to travel anywhere by train, even if it’s to the next town over. We are using our Eurail pass, so we don’t have to pay for any tickets, but for some reason we still have to pay for reservations; which, depending on where one wants to go can be 20E per person. I think for shorter trips most French people tempt fate and pray that don’t check tickets. But for longer trips there is no getting around it. And if it is a high volume destination then one should book a week in advance. This means standing in line up to an hour to get a reservation which may or may not exist.
Moreover, there is no guarantee that a train will be on time, or not be cancelled last minute. It seems that this is normalcy because no one seems to bat an eye except for the “stupid Americans” that actually think that train schedules should work in a developed nation…I mean this isn’t Cameroon anymore, these guys built half the Chunnel. Needless to say that this happened to us, and we were stuck in Libourne (a town that we though was going to be something, but then turned out to be nothing) for the better part of a day. We wanted to go take a wine tour at the close by St. Emillion which is surrounded by historical vineyards. Unfortunately, when we got to Libourne our transfer to St. Emillion was delayed, then cancelled. Sigh. Oh well, we salvaged the night with Bordeaux’s version of Night at the Museums, where all of Bordeaux’s museums were free admission. But I think Liz has filled you in on all of this…sorry for the redundancy.
Anyway, France is a great place to visit, but I would rent a car if you are going to see anything outside of Paris. Alright…enough bitchin’.
We had a very good time in Bordeaux. If the weather would have cooperated, it would have been parfait. The “very” is mainly due to the people that we met and conversed with. Not only have we made some connections on Couchsurfing, but we also made some friends and memories which we will cherish. Thanks to all who made our stay in Bordeaux so wonderful…namely Camille and her family.
Free night for all the museums in Bordeaux...they handed out masks at each one. We didn't collect them all:(
Liz on the mirror of Korear. Yeah!
5-22-12
So now we are en route to Italy where we will be spending the night with another couchsurfer in Asti. Then tomorrow morning we are off to Portacomaro where we will be meeting the family that we will be staying with while WWOOFing. I am hopeful and optimistic as we embark on our adventures in cultivation. We have only had a few brief correspondence with our host family, so there are a lot of questions that have yet to be answered. All I know is that there should be a lot of horses. It should be fun! We will let you know when they run us out of town…
5-30-12
Well they haven't run us out of town yet. In fact, we are having a wonderful time. The family (David, Chiara, and their two boys Samir and Oliver) is great and the country-side is beautiful. Liz has some more pending updates. Just wnated to let everyone know that we are still alive. Ciao Tutti!
So now we are en route to Italy where we will be spending the night with another couchsurfer in Asti. Then tomorrow morning we are off to Portacomaro where we will be meeting the family that we will be staying with while WWOOFing. I am hopeful and optimistic as we embark on our adventures in cultivation. We have only had a few brief correspondence with our host family, so there are a lot of questions that have yet to be answered. All I know is that there should be a lot of horses. It should be fun! We will let you know when they run us out of town…
5-30-12
Well they haven't run us out of town yet. In fact, we are having a wonderful time. The family (David, Chiara, and their two boys Samir and Oliver) is great and the country-side is beautiful. Liz has some more pending updates. Just wnated to let everyone know that we are still alive. Ciao Tutti!
Overlooking the valley where we work...
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