Saignon. Lubéron

Saturday, we drove up north with 3 other friends to explore a small part of the Lubéron, Provence. The pictures show Saignon a little village lost in the countryside. Brought some wild thyme back that we found on our hike up to a view point called the Mourre Nègre. 

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Le Barbillon. Jura.

That's my uncle farm. Dairy farmer. That's where my father, his two sisters and two brothers grew up. Every week end when I was little, we'd come and visit the whole family. Grandma would prepare dinner on Sundays for everyone. Lots of my childhood memories come frome here. I spent some wonderful summer vacations here with my grandparents and my cousins. Remote, far from everything, this place was paradise for me. Still is.

Tags in Marseille - Slideshow

More blue from Marseille

Aix en Provence and Vauvenargues. Provence.

A couple of weeks ago we drove for about a half hour north of Marseille, to Aix en Provence. I heard some english as we were wandering in the streets. Many americans make a stop in Aix when they visit the South of France. 

We then drove to Vauvernagues a little town lost in the countryside.

Vauvenargues became famous thanks to Luc de Clapier who was given the castle by Louis XV. In 1958 Picasso bought the castle and that's where he was burried in 1973 in the backyard. In 2009 the castle will be opened to the public and given Sam's interest about this painter, we will attempt to get some tickets to go back and visit the interior.

In 1958 Picasso bought the castle and that's where he was burried in 1973 in the backyard. In 2009 the castle will be opened to the public and given Sam's interest about this painter, we will attempt to get some tickets to go back and visit the interior.

Behind Vauvenargues you can see Sainte Victoire, they call it a mountain...  so we had to go and climb it. I had flip flops on. We asked the directions at 4pm in the afternoon to a couple coming back down with all the gear to climb Mt Everest. They hesitated to answer as they were staring at my feet. We hiked up and down in 3 hours, got back to the car right before dark. The view from the top was all worth it. My flip flops are dead.

How to add colors in your street. Marseille

In the South, they like to hang their clothes to dry outside. I don't think that a lot of people own a dryer in Marseille. 

Little streets, wide avenues, doesn't make a difference. They found a way to brighten the streets around here! (I can't help wondering how many of you will click on the picture...)

Marché de Noailles. Marseille.

Someone had recommended Noailles market, about 20 minutes walking distance from the appartment, for fresh veggies and fruit. Took the camera with me... and got in trouble. This is a spot where you just don't take pictures as you wish. You have to ask first. Maybe that's where the Mafia of Marseille lives and noone has explained it to me yet. I had to convince one of the merchant that I was just a tourist and not working for anyone. I'm so glad this blog is in english so that Mum will never have to worry. So I know the rule now. Ask first, even for bananas and oranges. From a dangerous mission, please enjoy these priceless pictures!

Mum's birthday.

For Mum's birthday, we went to a lovely small restaurant in Pupillin. Jura. I didn't take a lot of pictures but my brother took a couple nice shots from the area. Lots of vineyards here, which means of course, really good wine. 

 

Dessert was amazing. Warm dark chocolate nems to dip in sesame caramelized sauce, with a touch of curry oil. And a litchee sorbet.  Yum! 

In french, Joyeux Anniversaire means Happy Birthday as well as Happy Anniversary. Works for both.

Why is everyone hiding from me?! 

Mum and Noé.

Noises in Marseille. First impressions.

One thing I can't put in pictures are the new sounds I'm getting used to. It's so different than the Pacific Northwest and the little town of Corvallis.

Let's start with the bells from Saint Victor, a church a couple of blocks from the appartment. I'll tell you more about this church in another post. On every quarter of the hour, I hear this charming sound reminding me of my childhood. In every town or village, church bells ring at least on the hour as many times as the time of the day. Pleasant way to keep track of time. I had lost this sound in the US and it's nice to have it back!

Then not as pleasant but constant in any street of Marseille: the honking. Quite primitive and completely inefficient in my mind, the Marseillais (people of Marseille) seem to favor it to communicate their frustration while driving. The town is always jammed. You would think that they would get used to it. They are really impatient in their cars. It's crazy! Oh but wait, maybe it's just a way to let out their emotions whatever the frustration might be. Often times there is absolutely not apparent reason to honk and yet they do. What is the point to honk in a traffic jam? It's not going to make the guy ahead of them move any faster. As you can tell I could go on about it. I've considered starting honking while I'm riding just to show everyone how well I can adjust to this town... (not).

Given that Marseille is the second largest city in France, cops sirens are common, still a big change for me. Then there is the occasional tram's ding ding and the tourist little train with the recorded voice in english going off about the history of Marseille.

The Old Port has its own boat noises like any harbor would. And the seagawls come and land in front of our balcony. They are mostly quiet and seem to spy on us but every once in a while they let out a scream. Why don't they sing pretty like any other birds?

I'm forgetting the screaming baby as well next door where we live. The mother seem to have an approach which, as a neighbor who hasn't lived in an appartment building since college, completely disapprove.

The Marseillais don't just honk, they also like to talk loud and argue in the streets or the shops.

My first day here, I ran to the pastry shop and the baker and his wife were arguing. They glared at me as I walked in their little store, ignored me and continued arguing. They seemed to be extremely upset. Within 20 seconds, I realized the reason of the argument was completely futile. I got served but only once they reached some sort of agreement. The people of Marseille seem to be passionate about every thing, every little thing. They get fired up for... not much in the end.

They have a lovely singing accent and now that I'm passed the initial shock, I rather enjoy the passionate debates in the streets. What I thought at first were arguments are discussions/debates exchanged just a few decibels higher than what I've been used to.

Tell No One. Ne le dis à personne.

This has nothing to do with my whereabouts in France but it's french so I'm sharing.
Tell No One is a french movie that I really enjoyed. So if you're in the mood for a good thriller, don't hesitate!

It's playing this week at the Darkside Cinema in Corvallis for example...

Who is Sam?

We met in 1984, he grew up 5 miles from where I grew up. We kissed once the last year of middle school in 1987. It was on a ferry between England and France during a trip to London with our school. And that was it for 20 years. We got back together in 2007. Among many things, Sam enjoys photography and comtenpary art, you can check his interests on this blog.

Le château de Persanges. Jura

Just few kilometers outside of my home town, l'Etoile.

Le Vieux Port (Old Port) in Marseille.

No I was not standing on a boat when I took the picture. I just didn't manage to take it straight. I might just have to go back and take another one...

Only after 4 days in the town, I've walked by the Old Port one or twice a day. It's right in town, next to everything else. Hotels and cafés surround it. It's five minutes by foot from our appartment. They have a fish market every morning... I'll have to take some pics!

Sam took this picture from a café on the first level of the Hotel de Belle Vue. We can see the church Notre Dame de la Garde in the background.

Bike ride on the Corniche. Marseille

We went for a bike ride on Saturday. It's October so not too busy but nice enough for people to swim in the mediterranean sea. 

We can rent bikes in Marseille for one euro per week. Just like in Paris, we can find bike stations throughout the town. We pick a bike at one station and drop it off at another. It's perfect to explore the city.

Well maybe not that perfect if you want to go for an all day bike ride. 1- the bikes are really heavy with only 3 speeds so that you're forced to enjoy the scenery and not race with all the other crazy drivers. 2- you can only get a bike for 30 minutes, then it's one euro every hour. So we're getting really good at stopping at bike stations every half hour or so to switch bikes to keep riding for a euro a week!

The blue here is impressive. The building is the CNM, centres des Nageurs de Marseille. An aquatic center where professional athletes train. The fee to get in is 3000 euros per year... I will stick with the little beach next to it called La Plage des Catalans. It's about 15 minutes from our appartment.

Where is Marseille?

Marseille is South on the Mediterranean sea. 

That's where I live.  I'll tell you more about my experience of Marseille as the weeks and the months go by...

Apple picking in l'Etoile. Jura.

Every evening after work, Mum and Dad go and pick apples. They are overwhelmed with apples... they don't like to waste so every apple must be picked. They make apple sauce, apple juice, apple tarts, apple and raspberry crumbles and give the rest to friends and family. Nice thing is that some of them can be harvested now and used during the winter. 

Where is Le Jura?

Le Jura is where I grow up. You'll find it on the map below. It's on the East side in the région called Franche Comté. Close to Burgundy. Close to the Alps. Close to Switzerland. My family lives there so you'll probably see more pics about the area on the blog.

Back to France (Sep 08)

This blog is not designed to sell anything but if you know someone who needs some suitcases. I have about 8 of them to get rid off. I'm done with suitcases for a while. 

This was at the airport in Portland, OR an hour before the Portland - Frankfurt flight with the Lufthansa. I recommend it if you can sleep in a plane. It's the fastest way to get to Europe from Portland.

I was going home after 12 years in Oregon. Not easy to leave the little town of Corvallis behind. I had made up my mind about this change for a little while but it didn't make the knots in my stomach any looser when I had to say bye to all these wonderful people in September.

I will miss my friends of course. 

I will miss the people for their attitude. A civic mindness applied with a pleasant and laid back attitude. When I try to describe Oregon to someone in France, I start with "it's like Switzerland with a more relaxed atmosphere". 

I will miss the Pacific Northwest.  The countless hikes, runs, bike rides and sailing trips at the lakes with the occasional trip to a special spot, the Cascades, the Pacific Crest Trail, Crater Lake, the Pacific coast, Mount Rainier, etc. I could go on and on about my last 12 years.

Now that I'm back in France, I'd rather share what I see and experience on the old continent. I'm looking forward to rediscovering my native land after 12 years. I'll try to take some good shots (with Sam's help) and post them on this blog. If only it could help you want to come and visit!