Truthfully, my two-week vacation in France can be summed up in few phrases: bread and wine. Sun and sea. Complete and total relaxation. But the details are a lot more fun and interesting. So…
We arrived in the seaside town of La Ciotat and promptly got lost trying to find the “immobilier” who had the keys to our rented apartment. When we had finally located both places, we found that our home for the next two weeks was quite spacious but had not been cleaned prior to our arrival, as promised. We also learned the next morning that the hot water had not been turned on. Back to see Monsieur Balousse, who, to his credit, took care of everything very promptly.
Early on we found out why the beach at La Ciotat is one of the most popular in the area: sand. Maybe that should go without saying on a beach, but many of the local ocean swimming areas are rocky, not sandy and therefore quite painful to a tender bare foot. Lesson learned: always carry water shoes. Another advantage to La Ciotat was its shallow water. You could walk out 50 yards or more and barely be up to your waist (well, my waist anyway). That helped keep the water a lot warmer. The deep blue Mediterranean is pretty to look at, but way cold to swim in.
With such a popular beach, the town of La Ciotat has taken on the commercial look of the Jersey shore. The waterfront is lined with snack bars, souvenir shops, and hotels. However, one needs to remember that the French definition of a snack bar is way different from the American version. Almost every place we tried had its own delicious version of moules frites (steamed mussels with French fries) or salade chevre chaud (warm goat cheese salad). And the best price deal is always an appetizer, entrée, and dessert or cheese plate. Can’t pass that up.
While we’re on the subject of food, I have to say that I broke a lot of my own food rules as well as my habits on this trip. Rule #1 at home: stop eating by 8 p.m. In France, we never even sat down to dinner until at least 8. Rule #2: in restaurants, ask the waiter to take away the bread basket. In France, are you kidding me?!? Not eat the bread? Might as well go home. Rule #3 at home: have a little protein with breakfast. Well, I guess there was a little protein in the goat cheese I spread on my morning baguette. Oh yeah, and I did have yogurt a couple of times. And you know what? I didn’t have a Diet Coke (Coca Light to the French) every day. Truth be told, it was often because a 33 cl can or bottle might cost 2 or 3 Euros, so I just drank more water instead.
OK, OK, back to cool vacation stuff. The area between Marseilles and Toulon is famous for its calanques. Calanques are sort of like fiords – deep rocky canyons with the ocean coming into them. Not only are they beautiful to look at, they are great for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. As far as DS was concerned, the calanques were just this side of heaven – lots of rocks to climb, little caves and caverns to explore, and pebbles to collect. Yes, it hurt my feet to swim there, too, but it was worth it for the scenery.
We did take two car trips. We spent one day in Aix-en-Provence, a beautiful city that was everything I’d heard. Found a restaurant recommended in one of our guide books and lunch there was the best meal of the vacation. Note to self: Ask KD for help in recreating the chef’s special savory sorbets. I know tomato basil or rosemary sorbet may not sound good, but it was.
Our other trip was a two day journey to the Burgundy region. On a trip in 2000, DH and I met a lovely couple, the son and daughter-in-law of friends of DH’s parents. They live in Puligny-Montrachet; he is in the wine business and therefore very friendly and familiar with all the local wineries. Not only did they take us on a tour of a local chateau, they treated us to some of the best wine ever.
Our friends have two children, ages 7 and 4. They don’t speak English and our 6-year-old doesn’t speak French. Do I even have to tell you that it didn’t matter a bit? Play is a universal language.
Speaking of play, we did a lot of that, too. The sand on the beach was ideal for castle-building. My architect husband and imaginative son were constantly coming up with new designs for their next project. (And I learned that castle-building, with its requisite sand digging, is a great upper body workout!) Honestly, I think those days were the most fun ones we had. DS might disagree; he really liked the water park with its very high and twisty slides. And DH really liked the maritime museum in Toulon and seeing the remains of bombed out concrete bunkers from WWII on an island off the coast of La Ciotat.
Oh, so many other details – the Sunday market, my early morning walks on the beach, getting reacquainted with my husband (no TV or internet to distract us after DS went to bed), getting back from Burgundy at midnight and realizing that there was a blackout on our street.
The photos are in DH’s computer and it will take some work to get them downloaded into my Flicker account. Stay tuned for the visuals to accompany this narrative.
PS – One last detail I can share only with my CT friends. According to the scale, I weigh the same as I did when we left. Don’t know how that can be with all that I ate and drank, but I must have walked more than I realized.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: susanrows,
Originally posted by D in St Pete: That's so funny! Whenever we travel outside of Florida (excluding California...sorry!), I always think, "Wow, it's GREAT to get away from that 'If you aren't a beach body, you're a nobody' mentality that's all over Florida!" I always feel "normal" everywhere else, and pathetically pale and fat in Florida...and California.
You must have visited Southern California... in Northern California, we get our bodies "beach ready" by scrounging up every sweat shirt in the house. In No. Cal... beachwear is jeans and TWO sweatshirts.
But Southern California... different story... "What Not To Wear" rules apply and one must apply makeup to go grocery shopping.
I also think that the mantra… “You can never be too rich or too thin” applies in So CA… and some of the wealthier neighborhoods in San Francisco and on the peninsula… Places where you have to drive the “right” car, and look a certain way, and be a certain weight to fit in. There are some communities where you see NO overweight people at all.
But there are PLENTY of communities in CA, where the average person is 50-125 lbs overweight… and doesn’t have a tan. I’ve been to the local “beach” at the quarry in Fremont and MOST people are over weight… by a significant amount… like 100 lbs.
Different parts of CA are very… different. But up here… people don’t go to the gym to look good at the beach… because anybody with half a brain knows that you don’t wear bathing suits to go to the beach here. I bought a bathing suit to go to Hawaii… never need one here. The water is too cold and it is probably 60 degrees and foggy in the middle of summer… well today was a nice day… it was 70 at the beach… but you still can’t go in the water, without a wetsuit.
Denise
Posts: 8744 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
Incidentally, I'm using your pictures as part of my multi-year, multi-media pressure program (otherwise known as "wearing him down") to convince the boyfriend that a Mediterranean cruise is a good idea.
It is a wonder what a few days away from the American looks-are-everything culture can do for a girl's self-esteem, and I think it's showing in these photos. French women have body confidence to spare. They know they're beautiful even with a few (or in many cases a lot of) extra pounds. I think I was actually starting to believe it about myself, too.
That's so funny! Whenever we travel outside of Florida (excluding California...sorry!), I always think, "Wow, it's GREAT to get away from that 'If you aren't a beach body, you're a nobody' mentality that's all over Florida!" I always feel "normal" everywhere else, and pathetically pale and fat in Florida...and California.
Incidentally, I'm using your pictures as part of my multi-year, multi-media pressure program (otherwise known as "wearing him down") to convince the boyfriend that a Mediterranean cruise is a good idea.
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
Originally posted by susanrows: It is a wonder what a few days away from the American looks-are-everything culture can do for a girl's self-esteem, and I think it's showing in these photos. French women have body confidence to spare. They know they're beautiful even with a few (or in many cases a lot of) extra pounds. I think I was actually starting to believe it about myself, too.
If you take anything away from this vacation, HOLD ON TO THAT THOUGHT OR FEELING!!!!
I’m guessing that you have probably spent the last 20-25 years unhappy about your weight and always wishing you weighed 5-10 lbs less.
PLEASE, PLEASE don’t spend the NEXT 25 years wishing you weighed 5-7 lbs less… because you look GREAT now!!! And it is just a waste, to put so much energy into some fantasy scale number.
Please, please hold on to that feeling that you are fine just as you are!!!!!!
quote:
They know they're beautiful even with a few (or in many cases a lot of) extra pounds.
In your case, you are carrying NO extra pounds. Really. Seriously.
quote:
Now if I could just get DS to smile naturally for the camera, we'd have some good photos.
This will get worse before it gets better! Soon the silly faces will start and you may have very few photos of ds at ages 7-11 where his tongue is not sticking out.
Actually, Nelson is 48, and thinks that “smile for the camera” means “raise your eyebrows so high, they meet your hairline”. His mom does the same thing… and then they say, “I’m sooooo unphotogenic, and have no good photos of myself” but really, it is this feeling that “smile” means do this weird thing that is ONLY done in front of a camera. I think that it is very hard to smile “naturally”.
Denise
Posts: 8744 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
Now if I could just get DS to smile naturally for the camera, we'd have some good photos.
It is a wonder what a few days away from the American looks-are-everything culture can do for a girl's self-esteem, and I think it's showing in these photos. French women have body confidence to spare. They know they're beautiful even with a few (or in many cases a lot of) extra pounds. I think I was actually starting to believe it about myself, too.
When I grab the "properties" from the broken links and paste them into my browser, it tells me "page not found". The good news, though, is that it IS taking me to Photobucket's "page not found" instead of a generic error!
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
Oh, Susan, it does sound wonderful! And I ahve seen those savory sorbets on Iron Chef America and they always look good (well, except for the trout sorbet ).
Blessings,
Lori
Re-committing myself to a healthy lifestyle that will include regular (and increasing) exercise, and following the baby steps rule on food. 6/17/08
Posts: 3149 | Location: California | Registered: March 11, 2004
