Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day

We got back from Paris around 10:00 AM after spending 10 days with Ellen's brother and sister-in-law (the last three of which were in Paris). During their visit, we covered a lot of ground – including a day trip to Carcassonne to see our long-time friends Daniel and Irene.

Paris was cold and it was snowing and on the day that we went to the Eiffel Tower it was snowing AND blowing AND cold! We left Paris at 0:dark 30 to get a 7:30 AM train back to Avignon. As we were making our way to the metro, we saw a lot of people who were just leaving the bars – early Valentine ’s Day partiers?

On the train, we got “Happy Valentine’s Day” wishes from the cupids in the picture.

We were back in time to have lunch with Phil and Margaret, rest and then go to La Lyriste for dinner. It was the best meal that I have ever enjoyed at Benoit’s place. It was the Valentine's Day menu and more expensive than usual, but we enjoyed:

"Mise en bouche:" - Benoit's own foie gras (the best!) plus a goat cheese/cream cheese with scallions wrapped with magret de canard.

Entre: Cannelloni de Saumon Farci à la chair de crabe, légumes craquant, brochettes de Gambas Grillées. (vegetables, crab and herbs wrapped in smoked salmon; lettuce and grilled shrimp.)

Plat: Aiguillettes de canard rôties, croustillant de Risotto, Spaghetti Végétale. This was the dish to see. Ben put the Risotto cooked as a crispy round cake on the plate. He then added three aiguillettes that he had rolled into tight spirals and then put on a "hat" of grilled tortilla on which he placed the vegetables-cut-like-spaghetti. Gorgeous presentation, delicious flavors.

The cheeses came from the local fromagerie and included brie, Roquefort and goat cheese. I plan to go to the shop and ask the cheese shop owner what she chose for Ben's menu - and then buy them.

The dessert was a macaroon (pink), dark chocolate ice cream, some kind of marscapone filling in a sugar shell and a piece of cake that had been marinating in some "eau de vie"...

What a wonderful meal. Only once before had we enjoyed a similar Valentine ’s Day meal and, by coincidence, it was at a restaurant only 8 km away in Sablet. It was a restaurant that Brian knew about and we went there with him for a memorable Valentine’s Day lunch.

In the news

A few weeks ago, I met a free-lance reporter who had just finished an article on the crèche. She had seen me working there and had asked the director about me. (I imagine that she asked “Who is the old guy with the American accent?”) She said she wanted to do an article on me because it was rare to see a volunteer and she wanted to learn more about me and my interest in volunteering.


We met at one of the local cafés and, over espresso, I answered her questions. I like her article and hope you will, too.

Vaucluse Matin Vendredi 5 février 2010 

     

     by: Sophie Grebel

Translation: A happy volunteer in France

            Marc Sullivan comes from Michigan. For the past two years, he and his wife spend six months in Vaison and six months in the United States. Since last March Marc works as a volunteer two afternoons per week at “Gingerbread”, the program for young children in Vaison.

            He tells stories, sings songs in his language and tries to be helpful wherever he can. The children have accepted him totally. They correct his French when he makes mistakes and say “bye bye” when he leaves.

            For him, nothing makes him happier. Now as a regular, he enjoys his time and comes home to tell his wife about the events of the day that he shared with the children and the staff of professionals with whom he works (and enjoys).

            His decision? Before joining the program, he had to explain in a letter that he was retired and wanted to return to working with young children, the focus of his career. He had to provide a police record and other documents related to his work.

            From the time he was in college, he volunteered his time working in child care programs for poor children (Head Start). And, after teaching in Chad, he found work in child care, ending his career as the director of a child care trade association for Michigan which organized training programs and where he worked to find funding to continue to offer the programs.

            The work became more administrative and that is why today he is pleased to be able to have meaningful contact with young children. Living next door to “Gingerbread” Marc adds “even when I am not there, I can hear the kids, I can watch them play outside and it makes me smile.”

Guests

Tomorrow, Michael and Mary Ann arrive to spend a week with us. Hosting visitors is always fun because it gives me another chance to show someone why I love being here.

I should have the hosting responsibilities down pat but I find that there are too many attractions to fit into the times our visitors are here. Do we forfeit a trip to “Les Baux” – the 13th century castle-fort built into the rocks at the top of the mountain to go wine tasting? Will we have time to see the Alps (from Mt. Ventoux) if we want to have our visitors meet some of our French friends?

Guests/visitors bring their own perspectives. Paul and Denise had so many questions about Roman and French history for which I had few answers, I had to get busy and learn more about my environs. MB (EmBay) saw colors on shutters and buildings that I had walked past without a (recent) thought. She enjoyed meeting our French and English friends and marveled at the architecture and the landscape. Michael – who also owns an apartment in the medieval city – talked about wine tasting at vineyards that I want to add to my list. Betsy and Howard were so passionate about the area; all I could do was nod in agreement.

Michael and Mary Ann will get to see the Mediterranean Sea, the Rhone Valley, the Dentelles and the Alps and the two-thousand plus years of history of the Vaucluse – and then a few day trips that we think they may enjoy… Clearly, every visitor brings an extra bag of expectations. Hopefully, they will leave having exchanged expectations for expectations filled and experiences they will long remember. And, if we don’t fill their extra bag with the sights and tastes and sounds of Provence, in this instance, we will get a second chance when we go to Paris with them – “for Paris is a moveable feast.” (credit to Ernest Hemingway.)

Good Energy

THANKS for all of the suggestions for the “Shameless self-promotion” division of Chez Sullivan. I am humbled by your helpfulness and creativity. (and I hope you like the website.)

“Good Energy”

A woman we met who has spent a lot of time working in and studying psychic energy (I am probably not describing her skills well) asked why we chose to live in Vaison la Romaine. I explained that we had visited Provence many times and, on each trip, had spent some time visiting Vaison la Romaine. When we started to look for a place to buy, it was clear that my idea of living in Avignon did not work. Ellen and our friend Dan both felt it was the wrong choice. So, we traveled around and looked at towns and villages across the south of France. We liked Sète a lot, but continued our trip and ended up at the villa that our friend Brian had rented in Vaison la Romaine. Since we were here, we asked friends and, based on their suggestions, contacted a realtor who showed us several options the final one being the little apartment that we bought. The realtor called it our “pied à terre” – an expression that Ellen still uses. We both loved the view and the small dent it would put into our savings in order to purchase it. Brian, a realtor by trade, helped us finalize our decision and then Ellen spent the next six months negotiating the French red tape of purchasing a property.

The woman who had asked the question may not have expected such a long answer but she had a huge smile and said that we probably decided to buy a place in Vaison la Romaine because of the “good energy” of the town. She did not emphasize the metaphysical but added that if you sit in any one of the cafés and watch the street, you see people who appear happy and pleased with life as they walk by. She said “Vaison has very good energy” and said that is why she and her husband bought a house here. I can barely see the street signs in front of me so I am sure that I scored poorly on the “see the psychic energy” test. But I feel that choosing an apartment here was not just serendipity. I wake up every morning happy (SO happy) to be here.

When you think about it, why did the Romans decide this was a good spot to establish their town? It might have been more than the valley surrounded by seven hills/mountains reminding them of Rome… Maybe they sensed the good energy/good sunshine/good spirit of Vaison?

Apartment for rent

Okay boys and girls, friends and followers, "mes amis, quoi." As the French say in a traditional formal letter: "I write to you on bended knees to ask you for your attention to this trivial matter."

(This post comes to you from the “Shameless Self-Promotion Division” of Chez Sullivan.)

I write to you to ask you to share the website listed below about renting our apartment with all of your friends and neighbors and those who may be interested in spending time in Provence. (A woman I met on Sunday talked about the “positive energy” of this area of Provence/France. – but that will be another story…)

And, if you know of/think of other sites where I should send our new website address, PLEASE let me know.

http://chezsullivan.com

En attendant une réponse vite et favorable, acceptez, s’il vous plait, mes meilleurs vœux.
While waiting on your positive response to my request, I send you my best wishes.

Cairo Reflections, Snow in Vaison

We have been home for less than a week so before my short-term memory fails me again, I wanted to note a few more things about our time in Cairo.

• We got to see a free performance of the Dervishes – the whirling dervishes. It was fantastic and we were lucky to have gotten into the packed-to-overflowing room…

• We went to a small hall and heard Zar music – the traditional music of Egypt and Sudan – performed by a group called Mazaher. In fact, I am listening to a CD that Tish purchased before we left. Great!

• Our experience in Alexandria made me reflect on the arrogance of foreigners as we expect there will be someone who speaks our language…

• It is COLD in Vaison la Romaine with temperatures less than half of what they were in Cairo, but it is nice to be able to drink water from the tap and to eat the salads and fresh greens…

Snow in Vaison la Romaine

A year ago, I wrote about the light dusting of snow that fell in Vaison la Romaine but fell in quantities enough to close the autoroute and Marseille airport. This year we got about eight inches of snow here in Vaison. It looked pretty as it fell but it shut down this town. No school, no crèche, few retail stores… In fact, Ellen and I walked over to the Cinema and it was closed. The only places that appeared were open were the bars…

In Cairo, I watched men at a construction site where some of the workers had hard hats, many did not. Some of the workers had work shoes, others wore sandals. In Vaison la Romaine, the work safety standards aren’t much higher. This evening, Ellen and I watched a dump truck creep down the street as two men (wearing the requisite reflective green work overalls) stood in the back of the truck and shoveled sand onto the roadway… Vaison la Romaine was not prepared for a snow like the one that fell today. Hopefully, it will melt quickly and not return…

Out of Africa, Part Deux

 Tish wrote her impressions of our misadventures in Alexandria.

     Do you believe that taxi drivers are infallible in navigating the streets of a city to deposit you at your requested destination? Think again. After years of movies and TV shows, I thought taxi drivers knew every place and all the short cuts. Egypt has taught me different. Drivers can be experienced navigators of a city or they can be part-time hacks driving a rented cab trying to make milk money for their families. They can know their area of a city intimately or know nothing at all about other sections of the city. Cairo is immense.

     When Ellen, Mark and Ruth got into the yellow and black cab on the Corniche in Alexandria, I thought we were home free. What driver wouldn’t know the main railway station? It is only 10 minutes away from the Corniche. It is thru a maze of one way streets, but this is a main destination. Whew! Maybe we didn’t need to leave early to make sure we got to the station well before our 7 p.m. departure time. Alex is a small city compared to Cairo. Mafeesh mushkala. No problem.

     Karlice, Ed and I thought we would see them outside the station as they had left in the first cab. Nope. They weren’t inside the station either. We found the platform for the Cairo train. Ed stationed himself at the end of the platform. Karlice searched up and down the platforms. I patrolled the front of the station looking for Ellen, Mark, and Ruth. It was 6:30 and we still had half an hour until the train left. I wasn’t worried. They would be here soon. They must be in a traffic jam somewhere.

     By 6:45, I had tried Ellen’s phone twice and got a “call barred” message. Now it was scary that there was no sign of them. I briefly flashed on their having been kidnapped until I remembered I was not in Guatemala any more. You can get irrational when you are worried. Where are they??? The taxi could get lost, but not for this long. Karlice, Ed and I strategized. If they don’t get here in time, we’ll have to take the next train. When is it? Can we get tickets or is the train full? I was thinking of hotels in Alex for an overnight stay.

     At 6:55, we got their call. At first I thought that they were at the main station, but on the wrong platform. Then I got it, they were at the next station and would wait for us there. We had to run to make the train and find our car. Trains are one of the few things in Egypt that do run on time! Our adrenaline was running high.

     I was confused about where we would meet at the stop. I had an image of them waiting on the platform as the train went by so that we could jump out and swoop them into our car. I called again and spoke to Mahmoud who had helped Ellen, Mark and Ruth. He was excited and he said that they would be in Car 4. Why Car 4? Our tickets were for Car 7. Platform 4, Car 4? No!!!

     When the train stopped, we followed thru with our strategy. Ed stays in the car. Karlice stations herself at the door to the car while I run up and down the platform like a crazy person yelling their names. And searching the crowd. The platform was crazy busy with passengers jostling to get themselves and their luggage on the train.

     A man, later I learned it was Mahmoud, stopped me as I was running along the platform and asked if I was looking for my family. He told me that Ellen, Mark and Ruth were in Car 4. Too bad that the cars didn’t have any numbers on them. I went to the end of the train and counted backwards until 4. No Ellen. No Mark. No Ruth.

     In the surrounding cars? No Ellen. No Mark. No Ruth. Calm down. Let me count the cars again. 1, 2, 3, 4. No Ellen. No Mark, No Ruth. I started yelling their names again. Everyone on the platform was looking at me, but not Ellen, Mark or Ruth. Where were they? How could I have missed them? Start again. My phone rang and Karlice let me know that the lost were found. I ran to car 7-- an Ellen, a Mark and a Ruth.

     A possible disaster was turned into a good memory and comic story due to Mahmoud and his willingness to help strangers on a train platform in Alexandra. Taxi!!