Parlez Vous?

Well, I won't have any pictures for this post until I get to Venice (or at home?) because the computers on the ship are internet only! Only the keyboard and a monitor are accessible at each station, with no USB access, so I can't access the photos on my camera. I will have to update the post with the photos at a later date. I will also make sure to take a number of photos on my phone as we go on, so that I will have pictures to post on my upcoming shore visits.

The lovely town of Seyne ser Mer is east of Marseilles on the French Riviera. Our tour went inland to  the Domaine Souviou vineyard that straddles two wine appellaions (regions), Bandol and Cote de Provence. We tasted their three Bandol varieties (white, rose & red), Bandol rose wines are the most famous of their varieties. As I try more and different wines, I am really beginning to appreciate the less sweet whites and rose types. This winery's rose was really nice, a perfect summer afternoon wine. They also have 6000 olive trees and produce three varieties of extra virgin olive oil which we also got to taste. A couple of their trees are estimated at over a thousand years old!

We then drove to the walled, hilltop village of Castellet, where we were shown the old church and an arched doorway in the wall called the women's window with a railed ledge with a beautiful view across the whole valley. We then had an hour to explore the small streets and shops on our own before the return trip to Seyne ser Mer and the ship.

Well here are the photos. I'm going to have to figure out a plan for if I don't have computer access on future trips.

Barcelona

Well, after a very long day, I finally met up with my friend Linda at our hotel in Barcelona where we stayed up until the wee hours, comparing our respective travels in the previous two weeks. 

Our hotel has a small rooftop infinity pool with amazing views of the city.

The next day we relaxed and wandered in the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter, finding an early supper in a small square. We didn't realize that our dinner came with a floor show. Four different restaurants have outdoor space in the centre of the square each defined by 2 large canopy umbrellas and imaginary lines on the pavers. We watched as one particular restaurant's staff kept moving and adjusting their tables & chairs to expand their space right up to the neighbouring ones and pointing out to the other staff (our restaurant's in particular) where the imaginary line should be drawn and that some of the other's chairs were actually over the imaginary line by a few inches. Then the respective managers had to be brought into it, discussing the relative boundaries and size of their respective service areas. Our waiter answered our questions, telling us that this is an ongoing discussion. I suggested the application of flouresent duct tape. When we were ready to leave, I wanted to stand, applaud, and yell "Bravo"!

We used the 'Hop On Hop Off' busses over the next day and a half to tour around the city, Stopping to take pictures and start my Christmas shopping. It was great to see some of the things that I had missed last time I was in Barcelona, when I was not feeling well.

We went to 'torre salta mar' for a pricey but fabulous dinner by a well respected chef. Both the views (of the harbour & city) and the food, were spectacular! We had the smaller of two Chefs Dinners and added the wine pairings option. It was a seven course tasting menu (smaller portions, so you can get through all seven courses), each with a different glass of wine (also small, so we could still walk). The taste combinations of the artistically designed dishes were mind blowing, as was how they blended with, or altered, the qualities of the paired wines! We left 3 hours later, fully satisfied but not stuffed, and totally amazed by the flavour profiles we had experienced. I had also had some firsts which I was surprised that I liked as much as I did, including duck fois gras and black truffle.

The following evening was quite opposite. We wandered 2 blocks over from our hotel to La Rambla, the famous, mostly pedestrian, street that connects Plaza Catalunia, in the centre of town, with the harbour. There are many to tourist stalls and restaurant patios down a central boulevard, with a single line of traffic allowed on either side. We found a nice place for tapas (small plates of sharable food) and sangria while we chatted and watched all the people walk by.

The next morning, we packed up, checked out, and headed to the port to embport to embark on our next adventure: a 12 day cruise from Baralona to Venice, with stops in France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey!

El Tiemblo

My second week with Vaughan Town is near the town of El Tiemblo by the Gredos mountains west of Madrid. It is at Campo Puerto Nuevo "New Bridge Campus", it was originally built as a village for workers of the hydro electric plant in the early 1900's. When that was no loonger needed it was converted into a conference centre, each of the 25 houses were converted into 4 or 5 individual rooms and the buildings housing the school, grocery store and cinema became meeting rooms and a restaurant. There is also a social club with a bar, an outdoor swimming pool, and gym. They kept the stone structure of the residences so it is much like a very old town.

The make up of the volunteers is very different this week from last. This week there are 3 Canadians, all from Alberta [last week I was the only one], there are about 6 from the US again but this time there are no Brits, instead we have 2 ladies from Ireland and Brian is here again from Scotland [he was in Pedraza with me last week]. It's amazing how much that changes the flavour of the week.

Here are some shots of our entertainment activities, but the best part of the week is getting to know each other and the conversations that we had. I think that I have a few good friends that I will keep in touch with in the future, and I definitely do want to come back and do this again. 

Pedraza

My first week volunteering with Vaughan Town is in Pedraza, a small walled village, about 1.5 hours north of Madrid. It is sooo amazing! There is one door / gate into the town and hardly any tourists here during the week, but I understand that it gets very busy on the weekends.

It Is a beautiful medieval village on the top of a hill with a small castle. The buildings have stone walls, big wooden doors, and wooden beamed ceilings. This is my room with a lovely Juliet balcony.

We are up at the crack of 8, with breakfast at 9, and then from 10 - 2 there are 1 to 1 conversations. We are free to talk about anything we want and to roam anywhere in the village, as long as we are back in about 50 minutes to meet with our next partner. Lunch is at 2 with free time / siesta till 5, then more sessions from 6 & 7, and an entertainment session at 8. As the week progresses, the sessions include telephone conversations, conference calls (with pre-determined topics), group activities, and rehearsals for that evening's entertainment. We are each slotted in to the schedule so that we do a bit of everything. It's sort of a cross between summer school (for the Spaniards) and summer camp for adults. Because the conference calls involve 3-4 Spaniards and only 1 Anglo, we get some extra blocks of free time to rest, explore the village, or whatever we want.

 

I have met some amazing people from all over the world and had a great time. It was well worth a week of my life as I had a great time and am looking forward to a second week in El Tiemblo starting tomorrow.

Off to Madrid

After about  26 hours of travel, I am checked in to my hotel in Madrid. Thanks to long layovers in Calgary (4.5 hrs) and Frankfurt (5.5 hrs), it took as long to get here as it does to India!

I'm staying north of the city centre, out of the tourist areas. I have a 1 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen for 60€ per night (about $90). I met another Anglo volunteer for supper, Sandra is from London. We found a lovely cafe just 2 blocks over, very typical, very inexpensive and with good food. I love being in Madrid again!

I went to bed at 9 or 9:30, slept till 2am, was awake for an hour and then slept through until 1 in the afternoon! After being up for 32 hours, it was sorely needed. We had a welcome tapas reception where all the Anglo volunteers could meet each other and the organizers before we set out the next morning.

Transitons

Well, I have changed my life. I have retired and am heading off to Europe for 5 weeks. 

The immediate plan is to rest, relax, and recuperate for the rest of 2015. When I return from Spain and the Mediterranean, I will pack up my house, rent it out, and move back to Vancouver Island. I'll find some part-time work there until the end of the year (or later) and then look for English teaching work abroad, likely in Turkey.  Both offers that I turned down, indicated that they would be happy to consider me again.