need to go!

I have no desire to actually pack or go through "security," but I do have a burning urge to GO somewhere far far away, especially if John McCain gets elected. My last out of the US trip was 2004 and I have been meaning to do a full account of this amazing 4 week trip, so here is a start on that. If you click on the photos, you get a better view...some are pretty good!

I flew into Brussels and spent a few days there and in Bruges (and it was then hilarious to see the very underrated Colin Ferrell movie IN BRUGES, and be able to laugh out loud with the mere idea of those large Americans trying to make it up the stairs to the belltower). I sat in the Church of Notre Dame (Bruges version) and listened to the choir - I love that sound!! Ya know, I truly despised Brussels the first time I was there in 1981 - it was hot and I was tired and cranky and probably really sick, and I was determined to find something to like this time, and I did. In addition to discovering Kriek, I also fell in love with some of the sculpture - here is a lovely angel I found on a fountain, and then there is also the little pissing boy! They actually clothe him - he has outfits for the different holidays - all with a convenient hole for his wee wee I also spent a couple of days in Germany with the guy I'd met on line, and who paid for the airplane ticket - no, there was no hanky panky involved, in fact he couldn't have been less interested in me which was fine with me. He spent more time talking about his money and his business and his ex wife! One day, we took a Rhine river cruise, but he spent the whole time inside reading the newspaper! Another day, he dropped me off at the train station so I could go to Cologne - it was a lovely day, particularly since he wasn't with me. I had not gone more than 5 steps from the train station when I was approached by a weirdo who wanted to know if I needed a "friend." Hell no! The church was simply incredible - this shot was from across the river and turned out GREAT! The day really cleared up nicely as well! I took a little bus tour of town and visited the Cultural Museum.

After a tearful run in with the Belgian Train Service, I took the TGV (bullet train) to Paris, in first class (tears rule), and spent most of the rest of the trip in France. I ran errands with Isabelle and her kids, just like a housewife anywhere, shopping, going to school, etc. I even babysat for her two kids one night so she and Christian could go out. In Paris, I stayed with Isabelle’s mom, who has a cute little apartment on the northwest side of town, and Ijust wandered the city. I attended an unforgettable string concert in La Chapelle. This photograph is from inside this gorgeous chapel - from the outside you would never know it was there. Isabelle's sister's Quartet played Vivaldi's Four Seasons in here...can you EVEN imagine??
From Paris, I headed out to explore the Normandy coast - I took a bus tour to Arromanches, the American Cemetery Pointe du Hoc, and Longues sur Mer to see the sites and learn about the history of D-Day. A highlight of the entire trip was meeting a D-Day veteran, Reginald in Bayeux. He’d come over from England for the ceremony the week before, but couldn’t get out of the hostel parking lot, as Bush’s motorcade was due to come by – so he missed the entire thing – I was stupefied! Together, we visited Mère St. Eglise, where he rightfully, (and I, by association), was treated like royalty. He was in the second wave who flew over to help end the war - amazing guy and I am glad I decided to eat breakfast IN the youth hostel that day and had my "nice, approachable" face on, rather than the surly "get the hell away from me" one.

After Normandy, I got close, but not all the way to Mont St. Michel. This is what I get for relying on "others." I had met some other backpackers who insisted there was no way to get there on Sunday and still make it to Rennes to catch the last train south...and I didn't check it my ownself. They were wrong, and all I got was this photo of me on the ROAD to MSM...

I spent a couple of rainy days in Aix en Provence, where I saw this sculpture by the door of a government building...I thought it was very unusual!....I met some really interesting people at the youth hostel including Ricardo from Italy who spoke to English and very little french - my italian came back - fortunately the World Cup was on so there wasn't too much to discuss!!

Then on to a blissfully sunny Riviera. I adore this place. I remember the first time I saw it from the bus back in high school as we drove down from Dijon...My first view of the Mediterranean will be with me forever...I stayed a few nights in Nice, as well as further east along the Côte d’Azur, in Cap D’ail, and Menton, which is where I would like to be buried...if I wanted to be buried, that is, on the Italian border. The view from the youth hostel is like a Cezanne painting! One day, I walked along the coast into Italy and found a lovely private beach. I got very tan and even lost 10lbs eating French bread, chocolate and Camembert, washed down by 50 cent bottles of Evian - that, combined with walking at least 16,000 steps every day and carrying a 900 lb backpack! While I was here, I found out my dear friend Maria had breast cancer and I started lighting candles for her in every church I passed!!

I took a little bus tour up into the mountain areas north of Menton and after the harrowing ride to get there, it was a beautiful quiet day. I wandered the little village and explored the castle ruins and gardens. While I was sitting here in St. Agnes, the fog rolled in, and by the time I had got my camera and turned around, you could no longer see the mountains in the background. Waiting for the bus to go back down, I was literally sitting IN a cloud.Back in Paris, I stayed with Isabelle's mom a few more nights. She took great care of me, made me sack lunches, did my laundry, just a real sweet lady (and like all moms, she drives Isabelle insane :-) ). She sang in an abysmal concert at the Sorbonne; but it was followed by exquisite ice cream at the famous Berthillon, so that was OK.

I spent my birthday with a bunch of cows, shoveling rocks at the thatch-roofed, half-timbered house near Honfleur that Isabelle is single-handedly restoring. She is actually balancing on one leg on the ladder leaning up against the side of the house in this photo...I haven't seen photos since, but I bet it is amazing!

I took the train back to Brussels, exhausted...I was much too old to be backpacking around Europe, but just too poor to do it any other way…oh well....hopefully next summer I will do more of the same! The French were wonderful to me, as always, and were very concerned for us and our “shooting-ourselves-in-the-foot” politics. we will see how all that fares in a month or so....