tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54392273331499727982024-03-05T13:48:51.539-08:00Deux CentimesHi, it's me, Rebecca Caraveo, Becky to friends and loved ones, and Cattie Ness to rockabilly fans around the world. Please enjoy my two cents (deux centimes) relating to art, travel and music. I will keep you up-to-date on my agendas, life in Fresno, California, my trips to Paris, France with my tour company La Belle France, my rockabilly shows, my art shows and other things you might find interesting in my little world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-74835869550075151542014-11-16T07:39:00.003-08:002014-11-16T07:41:45.414-08:00Part VI: Adventures in Barcelona. Provence and Carcassonne - Summer 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Collioure</em></div>
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<em>A lovely seaside with a historic port and art everywhere, home of the Fauve movement.</em> </div>
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A short while after getting into France we headed east towards the Mediterranean. There were lots of windy roads, and round-abouts, and signs towards a dozen different towns. <br />
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<strong>Driving in France</strong><br />
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<strong>Manual Transmissions</strong> You probably noticed the rental agencies didn't really offer automatic vehicles. Our compact SUV was 6 speed, had a thick credit card that you stuck in the console between you and pressed a button. It's taken me all this time to realize that really it's not only designed to optimize your MPG, but it's what allows you to cruise through the round-abouts.<br />
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<strong>Rond-point (Round-Abouts)</strong> If you are not on the freeway, there will be round-abouts, which are used instead of traffic signals. You <strong>yield the right of way</strong> into these. The sign as you approach usually shows the schematic of exits. Sometimes it actually shows the name of exit next to the symbol, but sometimes it's a list. That list is in order. If you miss your exit, simply go around again.<br />
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<strong>Know where You're Going </strong>Make sure to note the bigger cities/towns near your destination. The signs will show those first, so go that direction. <br />
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<strong>Car Size</strong> Two issues I find are one, we need space for our luggage, and two, surprise!, there are actual medieval streets. <br />
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<em>Here is an article I wish I had read before I visited: </em><a href="http://www.templarmechanics.com/templar_detail.asp?templarid=241"><em>http://www.templarmechanics.com/templar_detail.asp?templarid=241</em></a> <em>and either the same author wrote the Wikipedia page, or they plagiarized him.</em> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-7257503243155439442014-09-21T08:37:00.002-07:002014-11-16T06:38:00.208-08:00Part V: Adventures in Barcelona, Provence and Carcassonne - Summer 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>From Barcelona - El Prat airport - to Collioure, France</em><br />
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<em>Credit card perils, humidity, and too much espresso started off the day which should have been a trifle bit easier. Plus the first of tolls, the ocean, and windy roads in the wilds of France. Maybe not that wild, but definitely the rural French countryside with the humidity ranging from 70% to 90%.</em></div>
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<em>Double and triple check your credit card allowances with your banks. Bring several cards from different banks for back up. Make sure ALL clearances are removed. Make sure you have more than one with plenty of room for an emergency such as your other credit cards failing due to your bank, the magnetic stripe, etc.</em></div>
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<em>Truly, spring for the GPS when renting a car. It will save you money in time and gazole! Oh yeah, my rental car was diesel. Oh, and that credit card thing, <u>make sure you get gas early because you cannot use your American credit card in a gas station afterhours</u>! </em></div>
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The first real day of the tour and we've enjoyed the beautiful breakfast with Iberian ham and the fresh ground espresso, (God bless the inventor of that dream machine.) We're loaded and ready to go, and I need to pay the bill. Of course, I've 'called my bank' before I left, and always bring several cards with me: one Debit, three Credit - two from my Credit Union and two others for back up. I've called one of the back ups but not the fourth back up. I go to pay, and after processing the information, my Debit Card (Credit Union)will not go through. I then had them my Credit Card also from credit union. They run it on a credit card machine and want my PIN. Sheesh. I didn't bring the PIN for that card and think back to what I heard last about European credit cards and their 'flea', that even though it carries that microchip with all your information, it also wants you to have a PIN for extra protection. (The 'flea' is a microchip in their credit cards. If you're using your credit card in tourist areas or going inside to pay for your gas, there does not seem to be a problem. If you're using something that is locally specific like a beauty shop or renting a bike, their machines will only accept cards with the flea. You can ask them to try to swipe it, but sometimes they don't have that capability.) I haven't called in my fourth card that's the back up back up card due to high interest. I'm at a loss, and want to call my husband, who works at said Credit Union, who I HAD called to prevent anything like this from happening. It's the middle of night in California, and 8 in the morning in Barcelona. I go to use the payphone, and of course it doesn't work. The man at the desk calls the number on the back of my card which is, of course, closed. I text my husband, who doesn't get out of bed, and find me the 24-hour number. My heart is pounding, I'm sweating, I feel my blood pressure rising, and I have that little epiphany and say, "I know the PIN to the first card." It's my debit card, but he hadn't given me that option or I had said run in through like a credit card, either way, he runs it through like that, voila! it worked! </div>
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It's been twenty or thirty minutes since I went inside, and yes, that pretty much set the tone for the day. The next issue big issue was actually leaving Barcelona, and getting onto the highway to France. How or why it happened I don't really know, but I will say for all my preplanning, and not being comfortable with the language or the lay of the land, it was a lot more difficult than it looked on paper. First thing I didn't want to do, but ended up doing, was driving right through the middle of Barcelona. Thinking about it now, and knowing where you're actually located, would serve a great deal, if I had actually worked it out more in actualities than letting the road signs guide me. Really, GPS would have been the way to go. I say this as a few years ago I had it in a beautiful brand new Mercedes rental car (that totally didn't have enough room for four women and their luggage) it included GPS, and after figuring it out, and setting it to English, whoosh, it was a breeze, although it wanted to take us through toll roads, but sooner or later J figured out how to set it through the towns we wanted to go through generally free , but two lane, as which is most of rural France.</div>
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So I drive through, and I do mean drive through Barcelona. The airport is situated southwest of Barcelona, and Barcelona seems long, stretching from east to west. Our hotel was situated a mile or two dumped us right on the freeway, going north and I follow the signs to Barcelona, figuring there will be exits (like a California freeway), and we'll bypass it heading north to France. Second big mistake, not noting that the next major city is Girona which is located on the <u>major toll road (AP7)</u>. That is what <em>I should have been </em>looking for, so somehow I end up on the freeway (C32)cruises the coastline. Beautiful, but slow and inconvenient, and we'd already waste a good amount of time between the check out and the cruise through the traffic filled center of Barcelona. (Rockabilly fans, this is where the Callela festival.) Fortunately it dead ends, or I finally realized I was on the wrong road, and stopped to look at the map in my phone, and finally making my way to the AP7. I plug in my iphone for a charge and to play some music, because hey, this little car has a USB port in the dash (and a credit card thingy for the key, if I didn't say that before.)Yay! </div>
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I have to stop right here and say Mercury was Retrograde. For a complete rundown on that, please google it, but to me it means a lot of problems with technology, do-overs and misinformation, and this one hit me especially hard. </div>
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So we make our way over to the toll road through the hill,s that are not too unlike our California foothills, towards Girona. Another thing you will definitely want to note, there are several languages you will encounter here on signs, etc. and I mean on your trip between Spain in France, and different spellings of the same word. So can be 3-4 spellings of the same word depending where you are, sometimes is included on the freeway signs (Catalan north of Spain, Oc south of France, Gaelic in Brittany). Most of the time it's obvious, but don't look for the sign to say Girona, because it says Girone. <br />
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Yay, so we're on the toll road, oops, going the wrong way. Don't ask how that happened...so you have to go to the next toll exit which may be quite a ways down the road because hey, you paid to get on the toll road. <br />
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<strong>Driving on the toll roads in France and Spain. </strong><br />
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<li><strong><u>Have change</u>. Lots of it. It will take at least twenty euros to get you from Spain to Avignon. </strong></li>
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<li><strong>Head to stall that has the coin icon. Very rarely are there people in booths, but sometimes there are. If there are, you're out in the middle of nowhere and ten to one, they don't speak English, so read the amount posted, pay and say Merci or Gracias.</strong></li>
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<li><strong>No, you can't pay with your American credit card. </strong></li>
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<li><strong>Yes, there is a booth that looks like it takes credit cards, but generally it's for people with monthly transportation passes. </strong></li>
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<li><strong>Sometimes you pay a certain amount when entering the toll road, as it is only a stretch on that area of the road, but generally you pay at the end of the line.</strong></li>
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<li><strong><u>Don't lose the ticket!</u> I believe there is a 200E fine at the pay point, and you're stuck behind the barricade, so keep an eye on it.</strong></li>
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<li><strong>Please note here, that the exits are far and few between. You're paying for a straight shot to the next big town. </strong></li>
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<li><strong>Is it worth it? Definitely! But you do need to know where you're going.</strong></li>
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So, you get to the top of the Pyrenees and there armed soldiers but they just nod you through and now you're in France, but the road pretty much stays the same. <br />
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<strong>American Credit Cards in Europe 2014</strong><br />
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<strong>Your card DOES NOT have a microchip and that sucks!</strong> This means at anytime you may not be able to use it. <br />
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<strong>Get a PIN (4 digit only) for every card you bring.</strong> In adjunct with the microchip, they generally use a PIN. <br />
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<strong>Bring back up cards from other banks and have that PIN.</strong> This is just as a fallback plan. <br />
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Make sure you call the bank BEFORE you leave to remove ALL holds. In my case above, obviously all holds were not removed. I had gotten money from an ATM before I left on my trip to Monserrat, and I paid for my train trip, ate, bought gifts, and got back to my hotel with the same card. <br />
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All credit card processing machines/programs are not created equal. At my hotel I was saved by swiping in a handheld machine and putting in my pin. The hotel first processed it through their computer, and zilch! more than once. The second hotel in Collioure (which is a small village on the beach) also used a computer...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-10369315824990675512014-09-01T08:20:00.002-07:002014-09-21T08:03:55.777-07:00Part 4: Adventures in Barcelona, Provence and Carcassonne - Summer 2014 <div style="text-align: center;">
<em>On Wednesday, the ladies arrived, but their plane had been delayed , which means hanging around the airport and visiting every store. Unfortunately, there is really a small selection that is geared towards the tourists who are in and out quickly. The dull highlight of it all was having to witness an Ugly American. But the free time did give me the opportunity to check in with Europcar about my rental which I would pick up at the end of the day. Later, we did enjoy a stroll through Barcelona from Casa Batllo with a stop for tapas and a drink at a lovely sidewalk table of a Basque flavored restaurant.</em></div>
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Breakfast at the Tryp Hotel was lovely. It's a huge buffet, although some things I don't particularly care for or can't have. They had a wonderful assortment of cheese and lots of wonderful Iberian ham, and fruit. But their bread is different from France and they put a weird glaze on their croissants which I don't care for, but the espresso machine made up for everything. It literally ground the beans, and quickly brewed your espresso, and steamed the milk. OMG, I fell in love with that thing. It was the best espresso of the whole trip, and I did have way too much of it, which is not a good thing with the stifling heat and stress of traveling in a foreign country.<br />
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The ladies were to arrive at 10:30, so I left about 9:30 and I doubt if it was a 15 minute trip to the airport. I had tried to get on another shuttle, but it was only going to Terminal 2, and the driver wouldn't let me on. I, of course, knew how to get from 2 to 1 on the free Green Bus that takes passengers from terminal to terminal, but since we were having a communication gap, I wanted for the next shuttle. <br />
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Shortly after arriving, and seeing that their plane wouldn't land until noon, I worked on keeping myself busy exploring the airport. Well, like I said there wasn't much to see, and decided to check in with Europcar. I passed the information booth that is situated in the center of the building, which is open on two sides in an open L form. A lady attendant sat on the right and a gentleman on the left. A large American man was standing in front of the lady, literally talking over her, to the gentleman, in a very loud voice. I was like, 'uh oh, exit stage left' as I didn't want to witness it, but could hear the male attendant respond, 'Sir, I am not responsible for your travel plans.' The American man, who appeared to be a Mid Western senior citizen of a large jolly, relentless badgered him, while his little wife made herself as little as possible behind him, with his point being 'You don't even know me and you won't help me...' I wasn't sure where he was going, but I vowed to keep my voice as low as possible, and slunk off to the car rental booth across the way.<br />
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The ladies arrived, late but with their bags, and we set off to the shuttle stop out in the blazing sun and humid air. Being from California, I cannot deal with humidity, and my last trip to the air twenty years ago had made me very sick with an upper respiratory infection with a horrendous cough. The shuttle came, and the ladies put their bags away, and we ended up having lunch at the hotel restaurant. <br />
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After a bit, and true of all my trips, I advise them to arrive early and keep them up until an early bedtime. It gives us an extra free day to do something extra. We were going to visit the Sagrada Familia that day, but with the late arrival we decided to visit La Rambla. True to summer, there were lots of tourists, but not as many street performers as there had been years ago, which I thought was unusual for the beginning of July. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe it was siesta time, but it was fairly comfortable walking without being overwhelmed by people. We bought a few tourist things, but my favorite part was La Bouqueria, the outdoor food market with everything, and sometimes a bit uncomfortable looking at animal parts. <br />
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We took the metro/train back to the airport and picked up our car without much effort, except in the few minutes it took me to track down the ladies after I finished getting the keys (which wasn't a key at all, but a plastic credit card looking thing you put in a slot!) they saw me and waved and shouted 'over here'. As I walked up to them, an older couple joined us, the gentleman saying, "Oh good, you're getting your car, we'll follow you as we don't know where to go." <br />
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I planned on following the directions just like the Europcar rep explained: go out that door (the opening across his right/my left across the thoroughfare of the airport) take the elevator down one floor, and cross over the parking lot to where the rental cars are. <br />
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I had been across the parking lot one too many times as it took me until that morning to figure out how to get to my shuttle pick up area, and when I had been there ten years before the area I remembered was now filled with buses, including the <strong>free</strong> Green Bus that gets you from terminal to terminal. <br />
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Feeling confident, we headed towards the elevator with the couple in tow, the little lady pushing the cart of luggage, the man chatting away about how he couldn't figure out the instructions. You actually go out the terminal doors, and you'll see the elevator on your right. In only really goes to the ground floor and through the parking lot. (Technically, if you need to use the elevator to get the buses, you could. The signs actually point to the other side with an escalator to get to the Green Bus, the side of the car rentals. The escalator takes you right to the Green Bus stop, whereas the elevator will be on the other side of the street on the other side of the terminal thoroughfare above). <br />
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Arriving at the elevator, the man goes in first followed by his wife and their luggage, and pressed a button, and two of us had to jump in at the last second. All of a sudden, it dawns on me that this is the Ugly American from this morning. Next thing I know the elevator doors are opening and he's proclaiming this isn't it, and he doesn't know where to go. I said, "Sir, excuse me, but you pressed a button without having any idea where to go, so let's just go back up and we'll start over. He said go to go down one floor". The whole issue here is that the elevator floor starts on 0 with the other floors beginning with 1 or -1 going up and down. So, we go up, we go down, I get off the elevator and tell my ladies to "stay right there, I'll come get you", and he's again saying, "I don't think this is it" and I just keep walking across the parking lot just like the rep told me to do. The man keeps yelling, "I don't think you know what you're doing.<br />
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Needless to say, voila! Halfway across the parking lot it turns into the Rental Car Parking lot. The parking lot is divided by barriers, with the traffic ramp through the middle of the structure. (I believe there are parking structures on both sides of the terminal thoroughfare, so I'm referring to one on the left after you've come in through Arrivals.)<br />
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I walked right up to my car, which I was expecting to be more of a van (because us American ladies have luggage) but it was more of an SUV called a Citroen Scenic. White, manual 6-speed, brand new, with less than 1000 miles on it. Nice but basic with no GPS. You have to rent that separately. I will insert here, just go ahead and do it. It will save you numerous heartaches. <br />
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Thrilled with myself, I then am faced with the credit card key and driving the 6-speed. Put in the key, hold down the break, press the button. OK! After searching for the slot, which was not in the dash, but next to my right arm in the console, I got her going, and took off. So it's a one way, and I go around, but now I've come to the stop sign to get back to the elevator and it's barricaded from the regular parking lot. I get honked at and go around again.<br />
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Next time, I honk for the ladies, long honks as it's a way off, and they can't see into the setting sunlight. There really isn't any where to park, as it's pretty clear they expected you all to actually go to pick up the car. But the ladies arrive and take off to our hotel following the road just like my shuttle driver did every day. You actually exit the parking terminal at the area where you arrive from the walking thoroughfare to where to shuttle picks you up. In ten-fifteen minutes we were at Hotel Tryp, which is located in a large industrial park. Parked out on the street which is deserted after working hours, thus avoiding the 15E fee. <br />
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True to the plan, we turned in early, to head off to Collioure, France the next day.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-10711261558993021472014-08-18T11:22:00.000-07:002014-09-01T07:55:59.530-07:00Part 3: Adventures in Barcelona, Provence and Carcassonne - Summer 2014 <em>Back in the mid-nineties I was on a Mediterranean cruise, and Montserrat and her Black Madonna was one of the tour offerings. My friends opted for La Rambla and shopping, but I always knew someday I'd visit her. She is known as La Moreneta (Little Dark Skinned One) and is the patroness of Catalonia. These days she is encased in glass high over the altar and there is mass at 11 every day.</em><br />
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I climbed into the funicular with my group of people. I'm sure we were all saying a quick prayer to the Virgin, but it was truly glorious because we ascended up and over the hills, the church bells rang , calling us to church just like it had for hundreds of years. They were loud and clear, and echoed through the hills, and was really quite moving. Plus you're slowly floating across on a cable. There are two cable cars, and it's relatively quite quick, and the air was cool and clean, not at all like the overwhelming humidity of Barcelona. <br />
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I was always under the assumption that you could only up to the monastery or take the cable car, so was kind of shocked to see a large group of cyclists, and although you come in through this 'tourist area', it's not really quite a monastery like I had imagined. You're let off at street level and there is only one street with a lovely view of the valley, a café, on the opposite side the church, monastery and museum . <br />
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The courtyard of the church is rather small, and there was a line queued up at one side, I believe to see the Black Madonna herself. Since I could, and had heard the church bells, I knew mass had started, I went into the church. It was a lot larger and filled to the back where I stood. It was solemn and lovely, complete a large group of clergy and their own boys choir. Everything reverberated and the Black Madonna watched from high above the altar encased in glass. <br />
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Outside the church there is a small room where you can purchase a few things like notecards and holy cards, run on the honor system of you leaving the money as there is no attendant. Camera, though.<br />
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There is also an art museum with a Picasso and a lovely gift shop, but mainly the gift shop is for the museum. <em> (You'll find a few Gaudi items in there as well, but the nicest selection of Gaudi is outside the Sagrada Familia.)</em><br />
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Other than that, it's pretty sparse with a few vendors on the street, near the entrance to get back on the funicular. If you walk to where the street meets the mountains, there are some lovely statues and I saw folks with hiking gear, heading into the hills from there.<br />
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I also noticed the road going down, and later learned it's where the village is, so it's not quite as isolated as I thought, and also makes sense that there would be a village outside of the monastery's walls. Even though there was a road, I did not see any cars. <br />
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After my brief visit, the sky started getting dark, and I was determined to get back down as soon as possible. We were about halfway across the valley when it started raining, light at first, but by the time I got to the rural train stop (outside with a small covered area) it was pouring. <br />
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I have no idea how long I waited but it was a good while before the train going the right direction showed up, and I somehow had a great idea to get off to change trains to skip going into town before going to the airport. That was a really dumb idea, and it was weirdly surreal, as I got off at the stop, took the elevator up which landed me smack in the middle of a cement square in the between apartment buildings in a rough part of town. I could not see anything train related. So I went back down into the subway. Of course, I didn't have the right amount of change, and since this was a stop, there were no attendants, just a guy sweeping. I don't speak Spanish, but they really don't speak Spanish either but Catalan, so I just said 'aeropuerto' which, in some language, means airport. He pointed back to the elevator and then motioned in a direction across the cement courtyard. Anyway, as I was walking that way, a train went by across street, and I followed the fence until I got in, only the get on the wrong train...which completely skipped the airport exit, and I had to do the lost tourist maneuver of getting off at the next stop, crossing over, waiting for the next train, that actually said airport on its front window. Mind you, this was a train <br />
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That worked, and then I was let off into a giant terminal, El Prat de Llobregat, of course, one that you had to use your ticket to get out of. Remember that! You never know when you're going to need that ticket, but it seems like it's more of a train thing, than a metro one. Although I have seen the metro police quizzing people about tickets. I did find out that you can buy one metro ticket that is good for 10 trips, and that is a real time saver to get to town, and I even helped a kid out whose friends had gotten in, but his ticket wouldn't work. When I left, I still had trips on it, and handed it to someone in the train/metro station on my last trip. <br />
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So, I finally got back to the airport, and back to my hotel. There was a convenience store/gas station around the corner from my hotel where I picked up some bottles of water. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-72478647141346267492014-08-18T11:05:00.001-07:002014-08-18T11:09:24.047-07:00Part 2: Adventures in Barcelona, Provence and Carcassonne - Summer 2014 <em>So, you do have options, depending on how brave or comfortable you are, because it is very different than where I come from in Fresno, California. We don't have a metro, although I'm quite comfortable with the underground after years of going to Paris, and we don't pay tolls on the highways or utilize roundabouts. But, we'll talk more about that and the price of gas a little later, but first, <u> this section will be about getting back and forth from Montserrat, home of the Black Madonna</u>.</em> <br />
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It was my one free day, and on my bucket list was a trip to Montserrat. If you want to go there or anywhere, do your research, but often it is hard to come by or timely, as I found out. I was on a website that hadn't been updated in about a year, and thought that would be current enough information, but it wasn't. <br />
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I bought my overpriced ticket to Passeig de Gracia and was blessed with a beautiful early morning sunny view of Casa Battlo. Absolutely breathtaking. Speaking of breathtaking, just a warning and reminder that the humidity can stifling, especially if you're not used to. <br />
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Anyway, I walked down to the next stop enjoying the view, Pla<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ç</span>a Catalunya got there, and nada. Yes, there is an underground train stop, but no wonderful kiosk of Montserrat information and the direct train to the hamlet of Montserrat up in the mountains. Finally a ticket booth opened up, and the man directed me to yet another train stop, <span style="font-family: inherit;">Pla</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ça Espana</span> </span>.<br />
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Of course, when I got off, I'm at a enormous roundabout with a beautiful sculpture , but the area was pretty much devoid of people, and I pretty much no idea where I was. Fortunately, this was a lovely area, but my return I found myself in less affluent neighborhoods that were a little rough and worn. Looking around, I saw a small information booth that was opened and manned, not far from where I had popped out of the underground train stop. There were a few tour buses about as well, but only one couple at the kiosk ahead of me. The young man was nice and friendly and told me 'orange' and pointed across the street when I asked for the train spot. Seems one entrance was the train spot, and where I got out, maybe, the metro? Worked for me. He gave me a Montserrat brochure and I crossed over a few streets to the orange sign that was the train station departing (I think) only for Montserrat and destinations on that track.<br />
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There was a man who could help and direct you, and I'm sure he heard the same questions over and over, pointing people to the machine where you buy your train ticket, and it seemed to me that it only came back and forth from direction Montserrat. You also have a choice to include the air funicular to the town, or something else, walk perhaps? I can't remember, and even though I was nervous about the funicular, I ended up with that ticket. And really, I was so glad I did! <br />
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The only downside on the trip up was a cackling ugly American. Yes, I had to say it. I think she had with her two or three teen age girls, and trying to be one of them, she'd howl with laughter that resonated through our whole car. It was awful. I don't know where they got off, must have been the walk up spot that was the next stop. Anyway, once you see the funicular, two small yellow cars, going in opposite directions, over a deep valley, you have something else to focus on. You get dropped off on the side of the tracks, and walk under them to the other side and through the building. About sixteen people fit in the car, and you take off up the mountainside of Montserrat, that means just that: serrated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-49022304570335257362014-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:002014-08-18T10:26:50.604-07:00Part 1: Adventures in Barcelona, Provence and Carcassonne - Summer 2014 <div style="text-align: left;">
<em>Another fabulous trip, where I drove us from Barcelona to Provence and back in the course of twelve days. We visited beaches and lavender fields, lovely historic villages and towns, wonderful antiquities and food, and even some rock and roll. We had some ups and downs, but mostly a lot of turnarounds and roundabouts. <u>The section tells you about arriving and some transportation options from the airport BCN.</u> The tour started on Wednesday, June 25 and we returned home July 7, Monday.</em></div>
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I arrived in Barcelona on Monday ahead of my guests, flying into London Heathrow, a place I detest and avoid flying through. I had returned home through there a few years ago, and it seemed to have greatly improved in efficiency, so I took a chance with a stop there as British Air is partnered with Iberian Air, that gets you to Barcelona. It had been over 10 years when I landed there this time since I had vowed not to, and I wish I could say it was a great experience, it was once again, trying. The whole screening process from landing to getting to your next plane is literally jammed-packed and the agents delighted in going literally as slow as possible, baiting you, especially if you're in a hurry. And rude, always so incredibly rude and hateful. Really, don't say anything, next thing you know you'll be surrounded by guys with guns. Ha, I digress, but truly, if you're traveling avoid Heathrow, you will be so glad you did. </div>
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On that note, I arrived in Barcelona in little or no time from London. The airport is called El Prat de Lobregat. Actually, that is the name of the nearby suburb of Barcelona. Take note of this if you're planning on using the train/metro system to and from the airport. I hadn't been to Barcelona since the aforementioned irritating experience, and the airport has grown a giant parking structure, that I don't recall at all. But, nonetheless, once you realize how simple the airport is to maneuver, you'll be a pro. </div>
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Our hotel was located near the airport and offered free shuttle service to and from the airport, and I chose it for this reason as I had driven in Barcelona before and was going to wait until the last minute to pick up our vehicle as I had previously experienced their big city traffic. I always use Europcar as it generally gives free mileage, and is reasonably priced. </div>
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There are<strong> two terminals</strong> at the BCN airport with a huge multilevel parking garage, also bus stops, but I'll get to that in a moment. Arriving at the airport via plane, you're on Terminal 1, departing you're on terminal 2. They're small, kind of non-descript, with a few stores. On the arrival level, it's kind of the same, but once you go through the gates onto the plane, it turns into a gorgeous indoor mall complete with designer stores. You can take the free green bus to get you from one to the other and the train stop.</div>
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Arriving terminal , if you continue straight (you'll already have picked up your bags), you'll go into a giant covered walkway that walks across the parking lot/parking garage and if you take the elevator down, you'll be at the spot where the shuttles come to pick up guests. You can go immediately right and go down to get a taxi. Go a little further ahead of you, and to the right you'll see the car rentals inside booths, and a walkway to go down to the buses at ground level. IMPORTANT! The green bus is free and takes you to the next terminal, so if you're at terminal 1 it takes you to terminal 2.</div>
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When you arrive, you have about three options, that you should have planned out before you got there. I utilized all three, and felt comfortable with all of them. </div>
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<u>Hotel Shuttle</u>: We stayed at the Tryp Hotel, and it was maybe 2-3 miles from the airport at the most, and included free shuttle service. This would be handy when I rented my car as well. To get to the train station, go inside the terminal and take the free green bus to Terminal 2. To get to the shuttle stop, use the long walkway from Terminal 1, directly ahead of you when you arrive. Take the elevator down to ground level. Different shuttles come and go, and ours was pretty efficient. Check with your hotel for hours and details. You might have to call your arrival in.</div>
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<u>Car Rental</u>: We picked up our 6 speed Renault Scenic, early evening Wednesday, and arrived at our hotel rather smoothly. The only scary part was the fact it was brand new with only 1000 miles on it, and white. It was more of an SUV than a van, so no matter who you are, (if you can do it - I never can seem to) pack light, pack small, save room in your suitcase. This had room for two medium sized suitcases and two small, but it was very nice. If you're weird about manual transmissions, just note that you will pay more for an automatic. European cars are primarily manual, it saves gas, and seems to be made for using the roundabouts more efficiently. We were directed to go one floor down, and across. The parking lot is divided into half guest parking, half car rental places. The car rentals are on the far side getting off the elevator, (this is where my Europcar was anyway), and the two lots are divided by barriers, so you do have to walk over to that part of the garage. No picking up at the elevator. When returning it, follow the airport signs and drop off was super easy. </div>
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<u>Train/Metro</u>: Ok, this is where you need to be careful moneywise. There is a tourist scam/misunderstanding. Yes, this is a train station, but you can also consider it a metro stop as it is on the same line and you can use the same ticket to get there. One you pay a small amount for the other you pay a larger amount, but they do the same thing. Here's how I learned it My first trip I wanted to go back and forth into Barcelona, and bought a train ticket for that for about 5<span style="font-family: Calibri;">€ <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">to Passeig de Gracia where Gaudi's Casa Battlo is, but found out later that I could buy ten tickets for like 11€ that covered the same territory/same train! (This is one ticket, but counts down. It's fabulous!) To get there from the airport. Go to Terminal 2, take the long walkway and you'll end up at the train station. You can buy tickets in a machine, or ticket window if it's open. Have change. Always have change. Just send it through the ticketholder, it will pop up, and the door will open. Don't forget to take it with you. Sometimes you do have to use it to get out as well or instead. I did take some unexpected detours, so watch where you're going and stick to your plan.</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-51432037755902735062014-05-19T16:32:00.002-07:002014-05-19T16:32:01.972-07:00The South of France Tour - Summer 2014/ClosedThis is the first time I've offered a trip to the South of France and am so excited to take my guests to so many fabulous places. Basically, we'll be staying in Barcelona, Avignon and Carcassonne.
We will be beginning and ending the tour in Barcelona spending a total of three nights there, where we'll visit the La Rambla and a few things Gaudi.
We'll travel on to Collioure just the other side of the Pyrenees which is a seaside town with a Knights Templar fort and castle. It was a town favored by the Fauve artistic movement that favored it for the light.
We'll travel on to Provence where we'll stay in Avignon for five nights. We'll explore the city and the Pope's Palace, and drive to other destinations for day trips including Nimes, Orange, Aix-en-Provence and St. Maximin-la-Baume. Guests will enjoy a wine tasting event and a bit of free time as well.
We'll be part of the local music scene as I'll be performing a set with the French rockabilly band Kad and the Fifty-Fives. Look for us in Nimes the evening of June 28, and in Sorgues, on July 1, that is part of their summer festival.
After that, we're on to Carcassonne, where we'll spend three nights to enjoy medieval delights and cassoulet. We'll visit the fabled Rennes-le-Chateau, the Cathar Chateau of Puilaruens, and enjoy performances of jousting and flamenco.
During our drives we'll enjoy lunches and a bit of site-seeing in Stes. Maries de la Mer, Narbonne, and Perpignan.
Even though this tour is now closed, I can always create a tour for you and your group. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-82098784821879114212013-11-08T10:05:00.001-08:002013-11-08T10:08:00.055-08:00Springtime in France 2014<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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Your First Trip to Paris </h3>
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March 10 -17</h3>
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<i> Optional Extension</i></h4>
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Carnac and Le Mont St. Michel</h3>
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March 17 - 22</h3>
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<i>Individual Travelers Welcome!</i> Join Rebecca Caraveo and La Belle France Tours for an introductory tour of Paris. We'll visit the main sites such as the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, plus we'll take a day trip to the palace of Versailles, and as always there is a special treat chosen specifically for the group.<br />
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All trips include your shuttle to and from the airport, your room with breakfast, lots of guided excursions and entry fees, plus designated transportation.<br />
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You may also choose to add on our extension of five additional nights to visit the megaliths of Carnac and the UNESCO Heritage Site of Le Mont St. Michel. Both of these towns are on the Atlantic on opposite ends of Brittany, which is also famous for crepes, salty butter caramel and some incredibly delicious pastry as well as being Gaelic speaking and celebrating their Celtic heritage.<br />
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For details email <a href="mailto:rebeccacaraveo@gmail.com">rebeccacaraveo@gmail.com</a> or visit <a href="http://www.labellefrancetours.com/" target="_blank">La Belle France Tours </a>. We are now designated as a France Expert by Atout France.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-18885555481076879822013-05-18T10:18:00.000-07:002013-05-18T10:18:01.910-07:00Next Year's Tour - Provence, Carcassonne and Barcelona Summer 2014I've always loved this area of France and am excited to take my first small group to visit. This tour will be 12 nights/11 days with 3 nights in Barcelona, 1 night in Collioure, 4 in Avignon and 4 in Carcassonne. <br />
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We'll enjoy a little bit of art, the medieval, a wine tasting, and hopefully a day in a small village waiting for the riders of the Tour de France to go by. <br />
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Guests will arrive in Barcelona and we'll drive over. Arrival night we'll spend in Barcelona, the next day driving to Collioure, with a stop at Cadaques and the Salvador Dali museum. This area was favored by Matisse and the Fauves, a movement of color created in the area.<br />
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Depending on the timing of the Tour de France, we'll spend 4 nights in Avignon, a day of wine-tasting, a visit to the Camargue, and a drive through the lavender.<br />
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Carcassonne is known for it's medieval bastide, a fortified town with two concentric ringed walls surrounding it, sitting on a hill above the town. Nearby are the ruins of Cathar chateaux, victims of the Albigensian Crusades and the town of Rennes-le-Chateau, town of mystery glorified in the book, The Da Vinci Code. <br />
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Barcelona will be our point of arrival and departure, but we'll return for one extra night to enjoy Las Ramblas and something Gaudi. Las Ramblas is huge thoroughfare down the largest street in Barcelona filled with market vendors from fine jewelry and beautiful art to birds and flowers. <br />
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For more details, please visit my website: <a href="http://www.labellefrancetours.com/" target="_blank"><b>La Belle France Tours </b></a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-22016515290936098532013-04-18T09:23:00.001-07:002013-04-18T09:23:10.201-07:00No Photos at Musee d'OrsayAnother thing I found 'new in Paris' is that no photographs are allowed at the Musee d'Orsay. On previous visits it was possible to photograph without flash as is true in most museums. I had observed on too many occasions that tourists were just flashing away at the pieces and the museum staff absolutely ignored these people. <br><br>
This actually upset me very much, and I would walk around saying 'No Flash No Flash', and be totally ignored or would get dirty looks. Honestly people, it's one thing for the flash to go off by mistake, but to purposely take pictures of yourselves in front of the artwork with the flash purposely going off just shows your ugliness and that you really have no respect for great art and should just keep your lousy selves at home.
That being said, now we're all paying the price, and no one gets to photograph the wonders of the beauties there. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-2661447893899197512013-04-01T11:49:00.001-07:002013-04-01T11:49:45.217-07:00Le Mont St. MichelI was really looking forward to photographing Le Mont in the evening to capture one of those dramatic shots. Beware of the new car park! Talk about putting a damper on things. Last year we stayed almost to the end of the town where the land ends and the road to Le Mont continues. This year we were forced to park in the carpark which is about half mile away from there and walk to where we could take the free shuttle to Le Mont.<br> <br>
Although the shuttle was free, it was still at least a twenty minute walk to the stop. Everyone had to do this. The car park cost eight-fifty euro and would not take my American credit card. Also, I had my ladies wait for me so they didn't have to walk so far, but then realized there was no way for me to pull up and get them. I had to walk back to where I left them at the visitors center and have them walk back with me. <br> <br>
The cost in evening was two fifty euro, but we barely were able to photograph as it became dark rather quickly and we were still too far away to make much of a difference. <br> <br>
We stayed in Pontorson, the last town before St. Michel where the hotels looked quite deserted. You had to have a code and reservations at a restaurant or hotel to pass the traffic barrier. Supposedly by summer things will have changed a bit. On another note, if you actually took the bus to Le Mont from Pontorson (one way two euros) it takes you up to the base of Le Mont. The shuttle drops you off close, but you still have to walk may about three hundred extra yards. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-76844378958385757352013-04-01T11:40:00.002-07:002013-04-01T11:40:45.533-07:00Carnac and the Megaliths For years I have been wanting to walk among the standing stones and photograph them. Last year we were fortunate enough to stay at Hotel Tumulus that is right next to the Tumulus St. Michel. Unfortunately we didn't spend much time there. Also, it was tourist season, so you cannot walk among the stones.<br> <br>
This year I planned the trip during off season so I could photograph and walk through the stones. Although I did find an entrance to the Menec alignments, Kermario was open and that was quite delightful. Another added treat on the road from Quiberon to Auray was a triad of dolmen (Kerioned) just off the side of the road. Absolutely delightful. <br> <br>
On a downside we arrived at Hotel Tumulus to find it had been 'fenced off' so that you could not walk to the top of it, but needed to call a number a get a guide. The hotel staff said they had erected the fence earlier this year. I still had a wonderful view of the tumulus just outside my bedroom. <br> <br>
Off season in this area means just that. There were very few people, but a few of the shops near the church St. Cornely were open. The tourist office right there was not, but the museum of pre-history was. There were a few crepe restaurants open as well, and every one of them was delightful as well as the bakery on the town square. We were also there for an outdoor market and there were a lot of lovely vegetables, but no fruit. <br> <br>
I did, once again, rent the car from <b>Europcar</b> going through the SNCF website once I bought our train tickets. The car rental places are right outside the train station doors to your right. I pre-paid when I ordered the car, (a six-speed Ford mini-van) but still had to leave a deposit on my credit card (though it wasn't charged, just held). It's quite easy to drive in Brittany and there are no tollroads. There are a lot of round-abouts, but I approve of them whole-heartedly. First, make sure you know where you are going (generally the direction of the city you're going to) and secondly, they make driving with the manual transmission a lot easier than stopping and starting. <br> <br>
We easily visited Quiberon, Auray, and Locmariaquer just following the signs.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-7872495904957731612013-04-01T11:27:00.000-07:002013-04-01T11:27:12.555-07:00What's new in Paris - 2013Just back (again) from taking a small group to Paris and beyond. Here are a couple of things that you should watch out for or at least take notice of: <br> <br>
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Short-Changing</b> - Whether by accident or on purpose, I was short-changed twice. The first time was at a kiosk selling postcards and other items near the Eiffel Tower. This was a French woman in her thirties to early forties. I lost five euros as she gave me a five when she should have given me a ten. After that, I made sure to calculate my change back before I handed anyone over the amount. The second time was at cheese store at Metro: Maubert-Mutualite, and she had to count it back twice before acknowledging she made a mistake which was ten euros. <br> <br>
<b>Metro Tickets</b> - I have always bought a carnet of ten tickets. It's a little cheaper, but more often than not, I found the tickets have de-magnetized themselves and don't work. This has happened before, and half the time the ticket person insists you try it again before checking it and seeing that it hasn't been used, and then handing you a new one. You do have the option to buy a weeklong pass, but remember to bring a passport sized photo with you as it's five euros to use the photo machine for pics. Also, if you're American, and you want to use your credit card in the machine to buy tickets, it may or may not work as we do not have what is referred to as the 'flea' or the microchip that is in European credit cards. This means you cannot rent the free bikes either and parking lots with the self-pay. Make sure you have exact change. Remember everyone wants exact change, so that's a problem as well. <br> <br>
<b>Musee l'Orangerie</b> - Most of the main exhibit is closed, meaning the top floor with the Modiglianis and Utrillos, but the bottom floor with the giant Monets is open.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-33400019059490868502012-07-19T10:39:00.000-07:002012-07-19T10:39:03.403-07:00Renting a car and driving in FranceMost travelers really like to see all they can see while they're there, and if you're thinking about driving, you should know that their freeway system is not like ours here in California. For one, the big fast highways aren't free, they are tollroads, but I'll get to that in a minute.
During my recent spring tours I rented cars twice, both from <b>Europcar</b>. In reflection I believe I chose <b>Europcar</b> as they were the only one that offered unlimited miles and seemed to be the most reasonably priced.
First and foremost, research this. If you can speak French, make sure you look at the French sites. Sometimes the prices are about half as much. Seriously! There is also a company called "rentacar.fr" but they aren't always in every city and may not be near the train station, if that's how you arrived. I used them in Tours a few years ago to explore the Loire Valley, and they were quite reliant.
To pre-pay or not pre-pay? I generally try to pre-pay when I can, and oddly enough, the first rental (Rennes) let me pre-pay and the second (Lyon) did not. Regardless of paying or not, there is a deposit to be made, that didn't seem to be on either contract that I printed out.
As a rule, when you're paying with your credit card, the insurance is covered, and the deposit has something to do with whether or not you purchase their insurance.
So the first car I rented was an SUV type called an Opel Zaphira. Barely enough room for four ladies and their suitcases, but comfortable. I even purchased an additional $75 worth of insurance from them, and still have to leave an 800 Euro deposit against my credit/debit card. This was upsetting to me as I was afraid they would freeze the money I was using to travel, which did not happen, but I did ask if I could change and have the deposit put on another card that I wasn't planning on using. No, too late, couldn't do it. No real reason, just not possible.
Second car I rented was a beautiful Mercedes something something...gorgeous sleak and black, a big car by European standards. Unfortunately, not by American standards. Mind you, we each had a suitcase and a carry-on plus our purses. We managed by putting half the back seat down, stacking a suitcase and carry-on there, two ladies got in the back with a fourth piece of luggage on their laps. The third passenger had her carryon on her lap.
Again, the deposit, this time I did not purchase any insurance, and it was 1800 Euro. Figuring I could beat them at their own game, I handed over my extra credit card for the deposit. When I returned the car, I wanted to pay cash with my debit card, which they would not let me do, and said it had to be put on the credit card I used. Unless they journeyed to check out the car with me, which was on another block. I passed on that as it was too close to our train arriving, letting them charge my credit card.
Should have given myself more time? Probably. My biggest sin wasn't filling up the car with gas, and then having to find a gas station. Make a note about this! There generally aren't any gas stations in the town proper. Period. Any town. Every once in a while you'll see a curb you can pull over to and pump some gas, but gas stations like we know them, are on the outskirts of towns with all the big box stores. Also, the gas is about $10/gallon, but the cars are so economical you really don't even notice that.
You will also have to learn how to navigate roundabouts. Basically, before you go, plan out your route, highway numbers, and very important, the names of the larger towns on the way. Most of the time you will be headed in the 'direction of' said city.
Roundabouts are fantastic. I love them. They are super easy once you get the hang of them, and if you mess up, you just go around again. Again, remember the 'name of the city direction of' and as you approach the roundabout, make note where it is on the list. That will be your exit. Ie, if it's the second name, second exit. Each exit should have the name as well, and sometimes it will be graphic with arrows and names.
Also, in Brittany there are no tollroads, and I believe that is the only area of France not to have tollroads. Also, in Brittany, you'll notice the names of the towns are in French and in Breton/Gaelic. If you cross the border to Belgium in the north, the names will be in French and Flemish, so make sure you know what you're doing before you set out. I prefer my Michelin roadbook, and a GPS adjunct is nice. I find the GPS pretty much steers you towards the tollroads, but there are other main roads you can use as well, you just have to find them on the map first!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-28582436015306864052012-07-19T09:53:00.001-07:002012-07-19T09:53:28.996-07:00Taking the TGV for AmericansLet me see if I can give you a few tips on doing this. For many travelers, the train seems so magical and easy and carefree. Well I don't mean to burst your bubble, but it's still a lot of work!
Other than this visit, I have taken trains before, and I think I have come to ascertain that although the French use these constantly, I don't think it's really for traveling the way we have in mind.
First, and foremost, in traveling is PACKING LIGHT. Easier said than done, so mind you, you will be hauling these suitcases during your travels. You will need to get your suitcase onto the train, over the gap, and up a couple of stairs in a narrow passage. (This is from the platform, you still might have to actually drag these suitcases up and down stairs, as there are not always elevators or escalators to use.)
This last trip we had a system. There were four of us. Two of us inside the train, trying to squeeze them into the luggage area, and re-arranging the luggage area to get all our bags in. There will also be room over your seats.
Another thing you need to know that you should print out boarding passes from the kiosk. This makes life a lot simpler when the conductor comes around and you can't speak French. Fortunately, I speak enough French to apologize and had someone show me how to use the machine. I believe you can make it in English.
I bought our tickets of the SNCF site, and printed them out. There is also one of those square new barcodes on it that the conductor can us, but the problem with the printed out versions are that American paper is shorter than the European paper, and your seat number gets cut off.
Yes, your seat number is important! Mind you, there were four of us ladies traveling, and it was much nicer to have the seats facing each other with a table between us, and there aren't that many. If you're buying a group of four like this, it automatically seats you in one of these sections (if available). Problem being that everyone loves these tables, and will just set themselves down at one, hoping no one asks them to move. When you have your boarding pass with seat number, there is no problem asking them to move, with a "Pardonnez Moi", and showing them your ticket.
Also, remember, the further away from Paris you get, the less likely you will be able to communicate in English. Have your phrases ready, your <i>Dictionaire Anglais-Francais</i> and/or translator, and make sure you know how to ask, sweetly, if they speak a little bit of English. "Parlez Anglais un peu?" They will do their darndest to practice their High School English with you most of the time. But please, make sure you ask them first in French.
Some stations do have a place that you validate your ticket first by running it through a machine, but I've only seen that at Gare du Nord.
Very Important: There are quite a few train stations in Paris. Each station serves a different direction or area of France. Doublecheck that before you leave.
Another very wonderful thing I discovered this last trip, was using a driver. You can ask your concierge, etc., if they have a recommendation. Much more convenient than a cab, our driver Patrick, would actually wait for us at the platform to help with luggage, plus being full of useful information.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-68128746472073507242012-07-16T09:20:00.000-07:002012-07-16T09:20:06.348-07:00Catching Up with MeJust had a fabulous spring trip to Paris and a few other choice places in beautiful France, that I will tell you all about! Been spending a lot of time playing music and making art, with my most recent art show up right now at Crazy Moon.
I'll be giving you some tips for driving in France and renting a car, my thoughts about renting an apartment in Paris, using the TGV and a few thoughts on food!
I have two trips sscheduled for next spring:
<b>
Your First Trip to Paris
March 11-18, 2013</b>
-- This tour features my standard offerings, staying in a lovely Latin quarter hotel for six days and seven nights with breakfast included, refrigerators in your room, and nearby restaurants, markets and metro stop. You'll arrive to and from the airport via shuttle, have a museum pass that offers instant admittance without waiting in lines, metro tickets, your own personalized tourbook and map, and every day we'll visit at least two marvelous museums or monuments, walking and using the metro. We'll visit the Louvre at see the Mona Lisa, Nike and Venus, we'll go to the d'Orsay, Musee Rodin, stroll the Champs-Elysees, visit Montmartre and the giant flea market. Plus there is always little extras that Paris has to offer. Fees are double occupancy/land only. Items that you're responsible for are generally your lunch and dinners, tips, drinks, treats and souvenirs. There is a wonderful outdoor market nearby a few times a week, a bakery across the streets that serves lunches, nice rstaurants, and a larger grocery and department store within walking distance as well.
<b>Carnac Alignments and Mont St. Michel
Artists and Photographers Tour
March 18 - 25, 2013
</b>
-- This is quite a different offering as we will be traveling by train and car after your arrival in Paris and will only be available to a handful of artists. We will stay in Carnac, visit the museum of pre-history, walk and photograph or paint among the Carnac megaliths, the beautiful beach, and visit other neolithic sites. During this time of the year, it is possible to walk among the stones instead of appreciating them nearby. We will also visit Mont St. Michel, and stay in the area a couple of nights as well.
Please remember that my trips are generally in the off-tourist season for several reasons, mainly the first, it's less expensive, and secondly, there are less tourists. This means we're not crowded or rushed, and can enjoy to French ambiance, as well as the food and the vistas.
I am also available to create a tour for you and your group to Paris or to one of the other wonderful regions of France. Please drop me a line at labellefrancetours @ yahoo.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-64843571279272961392011-05-19T10:04:00.000-07:002011-05-19T10:07:15.127-07:00Celebrating My Birthday MonthMay finds my latest artwork at Crazy Moon Studios in Fresno's Tower District, plus a few TV appearances on Central Valley Buzz and Tower TV...and of course, my annual birthday celebration, this year actually falling on my birthday May 21 at Audie's Fresno. <br /><br />Searching for my plan ticket to Paris for the fall tour. Cannot wait! Very exciting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-86595844978250390322011-04-01T10:28:00.000-07:002011-04-01T10:37:01.806-07:00Latest Updates Spring 2011Been busy busy, like always. I've announced my dates for Paris for Art Lovers as October 17 - 24 this year. We'll be going a little earlier than usual, and will visit Opera Garnier this year as an added feature. You can always check my rebeccacaraveo.com or labellefrancetours.com websites for updates, and you can always follow me on Facebook as well -- facebook.com/rebecca.caraveo <br /><br />I'll be having a one-woman show at Crazy Moon Art Studios at 1407 N. Van Ness in May, featuring new work and the opening of my <i>petite</i> studio as well. Crazy Moon is located in Van Ness Village - Fresno, at 1407 N. Van Ness at Floradora. Events are the Arthop reception on May 5 (5-8PM) and the Half Moon Show on May 20 (7-11PM).<br /><br />My TV show is on a bit of hiatus due to my crazy work schedule lately, but will keep you posted when things turn around. <br /><br />May is also my birthday month, and I'll be hosting my birthday show with Hayride to Hell (Bay Area) and Avenue Saints (Santa Barbara) as well as my band, Cattie Ness & the Revenge at Audie's Olympic Tavern - Fresno on May 21. Seems like there should be other things to tell you, but other than I have new business number 559-512-6612, I can't figure out what that is. Look for me. I'm out there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-86054296292664210122010-09-07T09:45:00.000-07:002010-09-07T10:02:08.606-07:00Yes! My Twenty Year Retrospective is up at SpectrumThank you for the incredible turnout for my ArtHop reception Thursday night, with a record crowd of over 250 people. I'll also be giving a digital presentation entitled A Walk through Paris on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at Spectrum Gallery 6PM. I'll give you a little bit of the history of Paris, and share a little of the culture as well. This program will be repeated for Alliance Francaise the next afternoon, Sunday September 12, 2PM at Cafe Revue (620 E. Olive - two doors away from Spectrum with a reception to follow). <br /><br />A big thanks to Donald Munor and the super article in the Fresno BEE. Here's what he had to say:<br /><br /><br />Title: Artist Rebecca Caraveo to present 20 years of work <br /><br />An artist's personal history is wrapped up in many works. Take Rebecca Caraveo, who today opens what she's calling a 20-year retrospective of her photographic work at Spectrum Art Gallery, 608 E. Olive Ave. Fresno, California<br /><br />The opening is part of ArtHop, an open house of galleries and studios held 5-8 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month in the Tower District and downtown.<br />When Caraveo was just getting started as an artist, she decided to enter a photo contest at Hollywood Camera in the Manchester Center mall. Her entry was a shot of a skateboarder at dusk in Clovis. She wasn't sure when the winners would be announced.<br />A week or two after she took the photo, her father, David Caraveo, went into the veterans hospital with intestinal cancer.<br /><br />"He was also an amateur photographer and used to work in the darkroom before he had the family," Caraveo says. "Every day he'd ask if I'd heard if I'd won, and every day nothing. He passed away Sept. 26, and on Sept. 27 I got a call saying I had won first place. My bittersweet victory. Twenty years later, to the day, I am having my artist's reception the last day of the show." <br /><br />Caraveo, who is known for her hand-colored photographs and her intense interest in all things French, lists as her inspiration such artists as Maurice Utrillo, Amedeo Modigliani and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who painted the people and streets of Paris, especially their beloved Montmartre.The retrospective, titled "Fate Knows No Distance," includes the skateboard photo, of course, along with some other significant moments from her career, including the first photo she showed at Spectrum.<br /><br />"I also am showing new images of Paris that I have never shown, and are straight digital, another thing I have never done. I am kind of all over the board at this show, but I am celebrating myself and my life and my friends, family and acquaintances who have made it so interesting along the way."<br />An evening with the artist featuring a digital presentation called "A Walk Through Paris" will be held 6-8 p.m. Sept. 11 at Spectrum.<br /><br />Details: spectrumphotogallery.org, (559) 266-0691.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-47029351618858171912010-05-08T08:36:00.000-07:002010-05-08T08:44:05.704-07:00Central Valley Music History: Girls Rock!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddc7xC-44xutCzn8I-BFk_ZFM7vJddn0nC72haznfu49gotSvuITfXyDHyYBUrxfQ3OEgqc2DhIwLFTRbhN4U8Q8bFL-SnxRSogXpWhCRL_iwPUenUQK5o1FfWxvg4gbrOLTJY8jTuRo/s1600/astmejoceylyd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddc7xC-44xutCzn8I-BFk_ZFM7vJddn0nC72haznfu49gotSvuITfXyDHyYBUrxfQ3OEgqc2DhIwLFTRbhN4U8Q8bFL-SnxRSogXpWhCRL_iwPUenUQK5o1FfWxvg4gbrOLTJY8jTuRo/s400/astmejoceylyd.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468924311273529106" /></a><br /><br />Here we are in the studio the day we taped the show! (Astrid, me, Joceylin and Lydia)<br /><br /><br>Girls Rock! premieres on May 22, 2010 at 2PM on <a href="http://www.centralvalleytalk.com">Central Valley Talk </a>or in the San Joaquin Valley on digital TV 33.1. You'll meet three talented ladies who rocked back when very few ladies did: Astrid Plane from Animotion, Joceylin Fedrau from Capitol Punishment and Lydia Fortner-Walker from the Shroud. Please join us!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-46591491229534406512010-04-13T11:28:00.001-07:002010-04-13T11:30:09.680-07:00Are you watching me?I sure hope so. Fridays at 3PM on Channel 33.1 digital TV or online at <a href="http://www.centralvalleytalk.com">Central Valley Talk</a> . You can visit my new website: <a href="http://www.rebeccacaraveo.com">Rebecca Caraveo</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-44997675962246565502010-02-09T05:25:00.000-08:002010-02-09T05:45:47.149-08:00Whoosh, that flew by, didn't it?I really love Paris, and had another wonderful adventure, made new friends, ate up and even brought home a little fashion. Fabiola and I played a few songs Dennis and Alex from the Hot Rocks at a rockabilly event in Champeaux, outside of Paris. <br /><br />We had a few showers and sprinkles now and then, but the weather was exceptional this visit. Not like when we braved the zero degree days a couple of years back. No metro strike either. <br /><br />I did have a chance to visit Musee Montparnasse, somehow thinking I would see a Modigliani I hadn't seen, but actually they only display rotating exhibits. This one was on Voodoo, Haiti and the French. I tried to find the Musee des Vampyres, but didn't. And I also tried to visit the Musee de Magie & Curiosities located in the Marquis de Sade's former home, but it was closed. <br /><br />Fantastically enough we did see Espace Dali and it is utterly fantastic. His bronzes were juxtaposed with gold and diamond 'jewelry' miniatures. Absolutely beautiful.<br /><br />Was fortunate enough to dine at La Cochonaille three times with different groups of people, and of course, had steak au poivre every time. Went to the flower and bird shops on the square of La Cite. A very very nice spot to pick up cute gifts of Paris that aren't in every gift shop. Around each site you'll find dozens of shops...a fun spot for tourist shops and restaurants, instead of walking down the river from the Seine to Place St. Michel...slip down the street between St. Severin and the stores. Wait until you get almost to the end, and turn left instead of right and you'll find La Cochonaille. If you go back several times, I promise the waiters will remember you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-3476501650255399222009-10-28T11:43:00.000-07:002009-10-28T11:50:01.271-07:00My TV Show, Paris and Other StuffOoops, didn't realize I hadn't updated this in quite a while. My television show Central Valley Arts and Culture has been a very nice success and I am enjoying myself and my guests whole heartedly. Watch it online...yes, all of you from around the world can watch it...at centralvalleytalk.com and you can even chat in. In Fresno and the Valley, you can watch it if you have digital TV on 33.1 Fridays at 3PM. This is a new TV channel and is only on from 11-6 weekdays, just in case you run into it and can't find it again.<br /><br />Plans for Paris are underway. I have about two more weeks here in town, and then off to beautiful Paris I go. I am planning on visiting a few places I haven't visited before: The Dali Museum, the Piaf Museum, Versailles, and maybe even the Picasso Museum. I actually have a few days by myself and don't have anything up my sleeve as of yet!<br /><br />I am so looking forward to seeing my friends, having steak au poivre at La Cochonaille, seeing some French rockabilly shows, and wandering the streets of Paris. Hmmm, maybe I'll buy a new pair of boots...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-27833065291949687702009-08-23T07:42:00.000-07:002009-08-23T07:49:57.575-07:00100 Faces of Fresno - Marcos DoradoThis incredible show is up at Arte Americas, and seemingly enough, I too am one of the 100 Faces! The portraits are so delicate, it's so incredible. I look absolutely lovely, if I do say so myself. Other personal friends of mine include Ray Appleton, Frank Dee and Kristy Page, plus our Mayor Ashley Swearingen. The images range from todlers to seniors. <br /><br />If you have never visited Arte Americas, you really should. It is a beautiful museum and my favorite highlight is the Day of the Dead procession they host each year. It starts at St. John's Cathedral downtown and makes its way through the streets to the museum. Not to worry, I'll remind you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439227333149972798.post-4227711588416762702009-08-20T09:27:00.000-07:002009-08-20T09:33:20.879-07:00Central Valley Arts and Culture - My New TV ShowSomething else that I'm up to! It's true. My new television show debuts on September 4 online at <a href="http://www.centralvalleytalk.com/">www.centralvalleytalk.com</a> or on digital tv 33.1. The show will feature events and guests from the valley or passing through. Stay tuned for the details. Sponsors or advertisers are welcome!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0