Love Sun, Historic Buildings and Museums? Visit Marseille!

I booked a trip to Marseille solely on the basis of it being affordable, on the Med and I'd heard of it before.  This seemed like a good plan until I kept hearing "why not Nice?" or several other options from the French, so I was a little dubious before I arrived.  I was glad I knew ahead that the train stopped at a small secondary station just 2 Metro rides from my hotel as the conductor was deeply concerned because he thought I didn't understand where I was being dropped off, "Blancard.  You understand?"  The city was a ghost town at 6 AM, but I snapped a few shots.

  

The guy at the hotel tried to tell me the price quoted at booking was for 1 night, not 2 (which is true per the notice on my door, but was NOT what my reservation showed) and sent me to the wrong building 6 blocks away after I stuck to the reservation amount (it's possible it wasn't intentional).  My "garden view" is more like a roof and a couple trees, but it's cool.  I have a small studio flat rather than a hotel here too.  Most of the hotels have a great view, but aren't by the primary activities centered around the port or the Metro.  The flat is small, but in a great location!

 

Speaking of the Old (Vieux) Port, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day:

After walking the area a bit, I bought a 48 hour pass from the tourist office and caught the tourist train to the top of the big hill to see Notre Dame de la Garde.  Below are a few shots showing it towering above the city - after all the walking for trains and in the morning, I just didn't feel like climbing to the top! 

While there is plenty more to share, I slept so poorly that my Fitbit didn't even register it as sleeping, so I had to manually enter the hours and this is what it came up with - pink being awake & light blue restless:

So, I will leave you with this lovely photo of the tourist train (included in the 31 Euro pass) and pick up with the views from Notre Dame and more tomorrow. 

Off to Marseille!

My day today started like any other day this week, although I took a picture of the awesome sign that I actually understood without translation (thanks Anki!  Great app!) - actually, I've gotten by quite nicely with my French.  I was able to order my sandwich, dessert & drink, plus dinner to-go (that I left at work, of course) in French without an issue.  By the way, the sign says, "Here, the possible is already done;the impossible is in process; for miracles, expect a delay of 48 hours."

I left work a tad early today to catch my train in Poitiers for Paris, but had to stop by the cottage, where I saw that, rain or shine, this lovely couple takes their walk on the island!

As I used my GPS to Poitiers, it took me on an interesting route, including on a road where you have to drive half on the gravel shoulder to pass since it's the size of a one-way road.  The drive to Poitiers was what I recalled - people driving on the right until just behind someone, then passing on the left - there's no passive-aggressive stuff with people getting mad you passed them or puttering along in the left lane.

Once I reached the city, it was 5:30 PM and rush hour was in full swing.  Traffic was barely moving and running red lights definitely happens here!  Frankly, I've realized driving in bad traffic stresses me out and I'm certainly glad I'm not staying in Poitiers at the moment!

I reached the train station only to learn my train was arriving 15 minutes late!  For an 18 minute layover! (Retard is delay in French)

Once on the train, I checked what would happen if I missed my connection and the railroad will put me on the next train out.  I figured I'd be stuck in Paris overnight, but there was an option an hour later . . . but only 5 hrs to sleep and 3 trains instead of the 1 overnight train it was supposed to be - plus 4 hours lost.  Nothing to do about it at the moment, so I found the food cart and an odd sandwich - tandoori chicken salad, which actually tasted like tandoori chicken, but the "salad" was, well, shredded carrots.  Strange, but tasty!

While on the train, a sudden announcement that included a French word that sounded a bit like explosion was made.  It didn't help that people gasped and looked unhappy, but a lovely young woman explained a rock had been thrown at the train and busted a window.  Yeah, I'm still not super thrilled about that, but better than what I first thought.  It did briefly make me consider just never leaving the countryside again while I'm here though!  Or at least avoiding major cities!

Speaking of, I'm actually speeding my way towards the 2nd largest city in France, Marseille (pronounced Mar-say).  I'm off to write in my perfect little notebook for this adventure.  I bought it when visiting Liz on the East Coast, but it just needs to be used in France!

Please let me know if you have any more pain and I’ll adjust your medication . . .

One of the most entertaining parts of travel comes from translation issues and/or differences in slang . . . or even the same or similar word having very different meanings.  When looking on a site for phrases that would be the French equivalent of "Please let me know if you have any questions," as it is often incorrect to assume that a direct translation would be the proper thing to use, one of the suggestions was "Dites-moi si vous avez encore mal et j'ajusterai la dose prescrite," which, as the title of my blog indicates, means "Please let me know if you have any more pain and I'll adjust your medication."  I'm guessing that this really isn't appropriate in a business setting, but still found it hilarious to imagine sending it to someone, kind of like, "hey, if you still find this process painful, you should up your dose" . . . I'm sure our French employees were wondering why the crazy American lady was laughing hysterically.

It's always been interesting to me that the French have such a bad reputation for being rude as I've always found them to be quite polite and helpful; however, I also know that they are proud of their language and culture, so I learned a few polite and important phrases in French before my first trip.  The closest to rude that anyone has ever been was when I asked a police woman (on my 3rd trip over), "Parlez-vous Anglais?" (Do you speak English?) because I was tired and drawing a blank on how to ask where a restroom was and she replied, "A little," and then, "Parlez-vous Français?" with eyebrows raised and a tone like, "well, do YOU speak French?"  When I replied, "un petit peu" (a little bit), her sassy attitude was immediately gone and she very helpfully directed me to the nearest public restroom.

Bottom line: if you respect the culture, you will be treated much better.  If you're traveling to France, don't expect them to speak English.  Some do, but some haven't studied it since school - I still have quite a bit of Spanish (which I studied for 5 years) because I've used it a lot in my travels, but I view expecting French people who studied English in school to understand me like I'd understand someone speaking to me in German (which I also studied in school, but have used very little since).  Outside of the major cities, it is VERY likely that you will meet many people who truly do not speak English - they're not pretending just to be rude.  I actually met an Australian and English person who felt the French did speak English and just acted like they didn't out of some pervasive cultural rudeness, which I have not found to be the case.  If you try speaking in French and they DO speak English, they will generally switch to English if you're struggling to understand.  And they're very appreciative that you even tried, especially if you attempted to get the proper pronunciation down.  As an example, my whole first day in Europe this trip I was so jet lagged that I kept saying "Je parle anglais?" (I speak English?) instead of asking if THEY speak English, yet all I got was a little chuckle from one guy, nobody corrected me and they all answered as if I'd asked the right question.

Having said all of that, I have basically lived at work this week, but on the upside, I had 5 deliverables I could report back to the US . . . so, at least they know I'm not spending all of my time here drinking wine, eating cheese and playing on the internet!  The majority of last week was gathering requirements from Belgium and organizing the work.  This week has been gathering the requirements locally, then asking a lot of questions about how their information is gathered, stored, structured, reported, etc.  It was a great opportunity to learn that they have some processes that sound superior to those used at other locations (and could be imported back to the US as a best practice), but others where there is an opportunity for us to help them improve their processes.  There are also differences in how the French conduct business and even a set Chart of Accounts for *ALL* of France, but now that we own them, they have to keep US accounts and convert, which is easier said than done since the mandatory French accounting has MORE accounts than the US.  

My excitement today was around discovering that tomatoes here also taste different and I find them decent - the below appetizer (entrée in French) was fantastic!  My main dish was also decent - a steak that I asked for medium, which here was definitely more than medium.  You seem to have rare (like barely cooked) or no pink as options, but it had great seasoning.  The fries it came with were the best I've had in Europe so far, so all-in-all a win.

Since I will be exploring this weekend, I finally caved and cut open the mystery melon I'd bought at the Intermarché on Sunday as well.  It turned out to be a smaller and sweeter cantaloupe basically.

Today, I will leave you with the tip that using the word "preservative" in France is a no-no as it means something ENTIRELY different (condom) in French.  Fortunately, I didn't learn this by using it but because another American had told the French they use lemon as a preservative.  They quite nicely told her that they were certain that wasn't true, but if she did, she shouldn't!  Tomorrow, I am taking an overnight train to the Mediterranean Coast, so I anticipate having more touristy stories and pictures over the weekend!

Living in a Small Town Instead of Poitiers

Many of the people who work at our plant live 45-60 minutes away in the nearest larger city of Poitiers.  While I can understand the appeal, I am NOT a commuter because, well, I have been a night owl all my life (I apparently slept until 9 easily as a baby) and I like my sleep.

People who do it claim you'd commute to Poitiers frequently anyway, which is likely true depending on your life style; however, I like to shop once a week for the full week and that's it.  Since the French don't really go out in the evening and most things are closed in the area, that doesn't really matter for me either.

Frankly, I don't regret deciding to stay local so far.  The largest store has everything I'd need last minute and 7:30 PM isn't so early that it is unreasonable to go after work (although perhaps it is if you typically arrive at 8:30 to 9 AM and then leave at 6:30 PM or later - not an uncommon work schedule here).  I'll revisit this topic after I've been here a bit longer, but as of right now, if I were to live here for a longer period of time, I would try to find a place in here first, then neighboring towns . . . and would only go so far as Poitiers if there was literally nothing else available closer.

I will say that, once you're in a town, you can likely get by without a car if you don't mind a decent amount of walking; however, if I had no car I might feel differently about being here.  The large supermarket would be quite a walk and it is ~100 Euro to take a taxi to/from Poitiers.  On the contrary, you can park a car on a long weekend in Poitiers for less than 34 Euro.

Nothing to terribly exciting today - realized the gate had bent away from the wall, so parking didn't need to be quite so tight (pic before fix!)

My American coworker also introduced me to this lovely Easter pastry called Pain de Pâques, which just looks like good breakfast food to me (it would not be breakfast to the French)!  And that's it for today! 

Brussels Bombing & More of Life in Civray

I wasn't sure I'd have anything to post today; however, early in the day one of our French employees informed me of the bombings in Brussels.  It was interesting to see the differences and similarities in response to the news in France vs. the US reaction to the Paris bombings.  While in both countries people watched the coverage for a brief time, the French seem to get back to life more quickly.  The subject clearly came up throughout the day in regards to co-workers and families being ok and employees in here from Belgium, who found themselves having to drive back to Brussels now; however, seeing the group having pleasant conversation over lunch, you'd never have known.  Don't get me wrong, it didn't appear that the French don't care, but rather they are upset and yet understand worrying solves nothing.

I've often told people that the reason I continue to travel, including to places like Egypt or to Europe not long after the Paris bombings, is because the terrorists want us to be afraid.  They want to inspire fear and hatred.  They want to change our way of life.  Well, I refuse to let them and, if I did ever die traveling, at least I died doing something I love!  I refuse to let fear suck the enjoyment out of life and the French seem to have an attitude very similar to this - be upset in the moment, then move forward.

I was thinking some people from the US would read my blog, but wasn't expecting others.  I appear to have a small number in Europe though, so Bonjour & Hallo to my European readers!  And even one Indian reader!

I again worked late tonight, but then made my way to the store (which closes at 7:30 PM every day, except Sunday) and found that, when people say shopping on Sunday morning is busy in France, they may be correct.  I had thought it was perhaps not quite right because the store seemed empty by US standards; however, it was a virtual ghost town this evening in comparison and I was able to wander about and find the things I needed quite easily.  Well, for the most part - after seeing virtually all bottles labeled with "shampooing" and basically nothing with the French word for conditioner, I started wondering frantically if French women had magical hair that did not require conditioning (!) before realizing that, just because "conditionneur" is the direct translation to French, does NOT mean that is what is actually used.  Rather, "après shampooing" (literally "after shampoo") was on any number of bottles.

I will also note that in France, women must largely wax.  I say this because there were two types of shaving cream for women, a few chemical hair removers . . . and tons of different sorts of waxing kits to wax large areas at home yourself.

As I drove home from the store, I saw the other end of my street (a direction I had not been in yet) and turned there, only to come across this:

I'm sure the bridge is a relic of some bygone period, but it sure is cool looking!  It wasn't clear if every part of this building was actually occupied, but some of it was!  I also took one more picture of the cottage view where I park my car . . . but note how narrow this space is!  Tomorrow I'll get a good shot of the stone wall, gate and how tight of a squeeze it is!

I added fruit to my dinner tonight - best strawberries I've eaten in my life!  Smaller than the modified ones we have in the US, but WAY sweeter and more flavorful.  Reminded me of the wild strawberries that used to grow in my yard as a child.  Dear US food manufacturers - quit making our food taste worse by modifying it to grow easier!

Oh!  And actually one quick picture of me - Hello! . . . along with a story.  This is me sitting in my favorite spot in the house currently - when the house did not quickly warm up, I rearranged the furniture near one of the newly installed heaters and an outlet, then hauled an end table over there.  I now have my favorite little perch in the house, complete with duvet from an extra bed!

It is bedtime here in France, so au revoir (which sounds roughly like oar-vwah when pronounced correctly) for now!

Welcome to Rural France!

My journey here was largely uneventful.  Several people spoke to me in French and, due to the context, there was only one time I had to resort to "Je ne parle pas Français bien" (I do not speak French well), so at least I don't stand out as an obvious tourist . . . despite wearing black sneakers for travel day, which I thought was a major fashion faux pas for French women (I've yet to see one wearing sneakers).  French trains are so fast and reliable (outside of the spring strikes) - I love taking them!

 When I arrived at my cottage, I had concerns it wouldn't be as nice as the photos because homes aren't built for curb appeal here - there's a large wall facing the street and only the back stone wall of the loft room is at street level.  Once I saw the back area (front yard?), I was encouraged though:

 

I had a bit of trouble seeing anything else as I did not know a common trick in Europe (common enough the owners didn't think of warning me) - you have to turn the handle all the way up to unlock the door (and lock it for that matter).  It was sheer luck that I turned the handle up while jiggling the handle hoping I could get in and ended up unlocking it.  Once inside though, I was happy to find the front room was large and spacious, but very homey feeling:

The newly installed heaters are great; however, they've had a little trouble fighting the winter chill after having been left empty awhile (it is a summer vacation home for the couple who just started renting it).  I'm thinking a fire tomorrow should get it toasty and the heaters will have an easier job after!  Since heat rises, the loft room was surprisingly warm the second day:

I opted for the downstairs room with a portable radiator to control the temperature better.  Plus, it is closer to the bathroom & has a larger area for hanging clothes!  The beds are firmer than I'm used to in the US and the pillows softer than I use, but once my pillow arrived from home (memory foam), I slept perfectly!

I also took a walk into the town.  It's very picturesque and the buildings are very common for the area - stone and stucco-covered stone.  The walk into town from the cottage is a nice distance for a little exercise and I was happy to find that, while the local French largely do not go out in the evenings for a meal (they go out for lunch virtually every day though), the pizza place in town offered take-out still at 6 PM . . . and uses authentic Italian mozzarella that is made from the milk of a water buffalo and not a cow, so I could eat it with no problems!

After my scenic walk, I thought I'd get in more walking and photography on Sunday; however, a co-worker drove me around to the neighboring towns and showed me the various restaurants, grocery stores and other places I may be interested in visiting.  It was fun seeing more of the area, buying fresh French bread at a bread shop and stopping in at a Sunday morning town market.  When I returned, I had a lot of settling in and unpacking to do!

As I worked today (Monday) from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM, I did not have a chance to see much else!  I did experiment with cooking items that I've never bothered with at home since I quickly learned that, while the large grocery store has foods that are uncommon in French cooking, they will cost you much more (upwards of 4 Euro for Jasmine rice as opposed to ~1 Euro for couscous).  So, couscous, shallots and lentils it is!  

While I'd heard meat is particularly expensive here compared to the US, I found chicken breasts at a very reasonable price and 5 days of groceries costed me 32 Euro.  This included sides and chicken for 4 meals, fresh fruit, plenty of sparkling water (no filter here=water tastes funny to me), French ham (that along with my 1 Euro bread would have made a couple sandwiches) and even lentils with sausage and 2 microwaveable meals that could serve as lunch . . . assuming the French didn't eat lunch out virtually every day.  So, instead I have a stash of easy-prep foods in case there is an evening or Sunday I forget to stock up!  Breakfast is typically very light with coffee, so I've adopted that habit given the larger lunches, and will be eating French-style breakfasts.

Review: Ibis Wavre

So, this is really geared towards those who plan to travel to the area or are just super interested in all the details of my trip.

I had read some really bad reviews before I arrived, so I was a little nervous about that, but the lobby was really lovely and a sign indicated they started remodeling in January 2016.  The staff were really helpful and most spoke a decent amount of English.

The bed was perfectly comfortable, and this is coming from someone with back issues from a car accident, and even the pillows weren't so bad.  I never woke up stiff or needing to change positions in the night, so it was a win from that perspective.  The remodel clearly hadn't reached much of hotel though as the stair carpet was quite worn, the hardwood floors in the rooms were pretty dinged up and the "black out curtains" advertised on the Ibis flyer were nowhere in existence - my curtain didn't block light on the sides and had a hole in it.

The breakfast was a typical French-style breakfast of croissants, pain au chocolat  (like a square croissant with chunks of chocolate in the middle), fruit, thin meats and soft cheeses.  For foreigners, they also had eggs and bacon, plus baked beans the day the Asian group was there.

Speaking of the Asian tour group, I'm not sure if it's a regular thing, although I suspect it might be given the Asian signs at the breakfast bar, but that night was a totally different experience.  The hotel had seemed nice and quiet before, but it must have been pretty empty because once I had neighbors, I could hear them yelling across the hall at each other, in their rooms, moving furniture, etc.  It woke me up several times. Plus, one smoked in a non-smoking room on a non-smoking floor, but the staff took care of that quickly.

Not sure I could recommend it unless you're also traveling in the off season and unlikely to have neighbors given the thin walls, but when it was quiet, it was a decent place.

Pros: Comfortable bed, quiet when no close neighbors, good breakfast, good water temp & pressure, clean, strong room WiFi
Cons: Really thin walls if you have a neighbor, hotel really needs the planned remodel