I am an extremely lucky woman. I married well. Today is the last day of our visit to France. We saw Mt. St. Michel, Burgundy, Lourdes, Provence and Paris. Who can say which was the best?
For those of you that get the chance, don't miss the opportunity to visit one of man's great designs. It is a medieval monastery sitting on a tiny island, like a bird perched on top of it's nest. When the tide is in the island is surrounded by water. When the tide is out there is a marshy bridge that connects the island to the land. The only unfortunate thing about the place is that is covered with tourists. They crowd the narrow winding streets and hang from the battlements like idiotic flags. We dined in a wonderful restaurant that is in the first building that greets you once you have entered the gates. Inside we watched four chefs cooking omelets in an open fireplace. Our lunch was delicious, and Pavy was particularly entertained by the autographed photographs on the wall of Leon Trotsky and Margaret Thatcher sitting side by side.
I have to admit that Lourdes was my idea. I had been curious about it since I was a young girl. It was a mind blowing experience. The area surrounding Lourdes is beautiful with green rolling hills and white puffy clouds in a pure blue sky. The little town is quaint with a river meandering through the middle of it. It is filled with hotels, but you don't see many tourists until you get near the grotto where young Bernadette saw her visions of the Virgin Mary. The tourists are all around the grotto which initially looks like Las Vegas with a religious theme. Store after store selling religious souvenirs and bright neon lights is a human blight on the serene landscape. It was horrifying and I couldn't help but think of Jesus destroying the tables of the money changers in front of the temple. However, there are many good and beautiful aspects to it. Down in the grotto the sick and infirm are in wheelchairs, carts and beds being pushed and pulled by volunteers of all ages and colors. There is a Cathedral but the real action is outside where the Mass is celebrated in the open air. The singing was beautiful. The healing water comes from spigots in the wall and people patiently wait their turn. There are carts filled with brightly burning candles, and everywhere you look you see people seriously intent on the mystery of life or God.
Provence was a bit of a surprise to me because I didn't realize that it's climate and vegetation were so similar to Southern California. So like Southern California they experience forest fires. We got caught in one on the highway. We were stopped in basically one spot for four hours. There were no cars on the other side of the freeway and we sat bumper to bumper in one giant parking lot. Neither the police or any other emergency personnel showed up to inform us or check to see if we were okay. It was a bit eerie looking at the billowing clouds of smoke ahead while we were hemmed in on all sides. I was truly relieved when the traffic was allowed to move.
Paris is gorgeous, larger than life, and I feel inadequate to describe it, so I will stick to the design show. Wow! It was spectacular. There were eight halls filled to capacity in the exposition center. The construction inside the halls was elaborate and extremely creative. We weren't allowed to have cameras so we only snuck a few pictures from the iPhone. I really liked almost everything I saw. I thought that there wasn't going to be much that matched our particular style, but I was wrong. I could have ordered a lot. Most everyone was welcoming and friendly. I only dealt with one snotty young lady from Spain. I wish it weren't so far away, because I could go to it over and over again. I have just one fashion tip for the ladies. Everyone was wearing those billowy harem pants that are cuffed at the ankle.
All in all our trip to France was memorable. However, I do have a few complaints. The highways are toll roads, which collect money every few miles. We were fleeced of a significant amount of money at these toll booths. The metro system in Paris is poorly organized, too expensive and ugly and dirty. Finally, and most importantly, Sarkozy, you need to replace the public toilets. They are a blight on your beautiful landscape.
