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2024 10 Spain

Spain 22,

Nov. 3, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I took the last day to explore my neighbourhood. I am staying in the 5ieme in a 3* hotel called Hotel Claude Bernard on rue de Ecoles. This is a very central area on the ‘Left bank’ right in the middle of the student area. I am a few blocks away from the Sorbonne which I visited and photographed from the outside. I never realized how big it is. This is the area that I used to come to a lot as a student in Reims when I wanted to visit Paris. The area has not changed much except for the price of the hotels.

I walked through the 5ieme and the 6ieme taking pictures as I walked. Sunday, everything is closed in Paris. There are virtually no cars in Paris as there has been a major political effort by the mayor to restrict cars altogether. She has been successful. I did not see any traffic jams. There is very little traffic and very little place to park. In some areas you can not drive at all unless you live there or are delivering merchandise. People have adapted by taking public transport, walking or using a bicycle.

I had lunch at a Parisien bistro which is unusual for me when travelling as I usually have a good breakfast, skip lunch, have a cap in the afternoon and eat dinner around 7:30. Today, I decided to do ‘lunch a la Francaise’. I had an onion soup, bread and a ‘verre de vin rouge’. Wonderful to be so Parisian. The waiter addressed me in English. I continued speaking in French. Afterwards, I asked him why he had spoken to me in English. ‘Do I have an English face?’ He replied that I did. Is that a compliment or an insult? I guess that I will never know.

I am staying at a CDG Airport Ibis. All Ibis hotels resemble each other and this one is no different. Clean, modern, a bit sparse in decor and very convenient. I have 100m to walk to Terminal 3 where I will take off. The hotel provides an ‘all you can eat’ buffet. I usually try to stay away from these meals as they tend to have much volume and mediocre quality. The salad was very good, the cheese was excellent, the desert was very good, the wine was good enough table wine and the meat was ….. oh well you can’t have everything you want for the price.

My adventure terminates tomorrow when I return to Montreal. There are 3 parts to a trip: 1, the planning, 2, the trip, 3, the memories. The best part are the memories as they go on forever. The 2nd best is the planning. The 3rd and worst part is the trip itself. You must get over it as quickly and as safely as possibly to enter the memories part.

Love,

Brian

2024 10 Spain

Spain 21,

Nov. 3, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

There is a site called Paris Inconnu or Paris Insolite which gives you places to visit in Paris for those of us who have seen the major attractions such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. I started my adventure with the ‘Les Egouts de Paris’, the museum of the Paris sewer system. This is a fascinating tour of the sewers of Paris including the typical sewer smell which we occasionally smell when sewers back up. The museum takes us on a tour of how the sewers first developed and improved with time. 150 years ago, people in Paris were dying due to the pollution from the lack of a decent sewer system. There are now 2500km of sewer pipes in Paris. You actually walk on a grate, over a huge pipe, and see sewer water flowing beneath you.

I then visited Remi and Marie Christine for a coffee in the afternoon. Remi dropped me off at the Cimetiere de Picpus. This is a small cemetery where Lafayette is buried under an American flag. He is a hero for both the French and the Americans. In 1791 during the French Revolution, 1,306 aristocrats, aged 16 to 85, were guillotined in 13 days and buried in a common grave. Much later, what was left of their families, got together to have their names inscribed on a plaque. Very sad.

As usual, I had dinner is a small bistro next to my hotel and splurged a little on the wine to celebrate my last evening in Paris.

Love,

Brian

My hotel shower and the beautiful view from my window. I don’t know who or what is behind the bars.

2024 10 Spain

Spain 20.

Nov. 1, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I arrived in Paris last evening and took the metro to my hotel in the 5ieme arrondissement. I could not be better situated in Paris. My hotel is near Boul Mich and Boul St Germain. My 3* brings a new definition to the words ‘tiny Parisian hotel a la Francais’. My room is 160 square feet, with a bathroom and shower that even I have difficulty entering. Nevertheless it is spotless. I even have a window that opens onto a stone wall. I ate breakfast in the basement of the hotel, delicious. I am very happy!

Today, I explored Paris using an internet guide, Paris Inconnu and Paris Insolite. This leads me to ‘quartiers’ in Paris that I had never visited. I walked along tiny streets taking many photos. I left the 5ieme heading north and crossed the Seine to arrive on Isle St. Louis. I saw the back of the Notre Dame Cathedral that is under construction after the fire. Many years ago I stayed in a hotel on the banks of the Seine overlooking the back of the cathedral. 53 years ago, 21 franks for the room, 5 stories, walk up, very romantic.

After Isle St. Louis I once again crossed the Seine and continued north to a quartier called Le Marais. It is still the Jewish area and there are many Jewish type stores including a bagel boulangerie. I spoke with a Franco-American couple and invited them for a cappuccino. The 1,2,3 and 4 arrondissements are now car free zones. You can only drive there if you live there or are delivering merchandise. You can now walk in the middle of the street with no problem. The merchandise in the stores is amazing. There is a very strong ‘pouvoir d’achat’ here. The styles of the clothes resembles nothing that we have in Montreal.

I then walked towards Montmartre. Eventually I got tired and took the metro. I walked around for a while and then stopped or a ‘petit rose’ in a ‘troquet’. I drank the wine outside in spite of the rather cool temperatures. I am a real Parisian.

I am having supper in a small restaurant near my hotel, while writing my blog. I will see Remi for coffee tomorrow afternoon.

Love,

Brian

If you have been to Paris, I am sure that you have similar photos as the ones that I am presenting. If you have not been to Paris, save up your money and take a trip to Paris. It is easily the most beautiful city in the world.

Brian

2024 10 Spain

Spain 19,

Oct 31, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

There are hard and busy days travelling and there are easy days travelling. Today was an easy day. I packed my bags, took a few pictures of Reims and eventually took a TGV to Paris. It was a 45 minute train ride, on a train that was not crowded at all. Genevieve drove me to the station as Patrick had a condo meeting. Some owners want to insulate the building which seems like a monumental task.

I arrived in Paris, Gare de l’Est and took a metro to my hotel in the 5ieme, near Boul Miche and Boul St Germaine. I could not be better situated in Paris, right in the middle of the Quartier Latin, with easy access to anywhere in Paris. The hotel is classified as 3* but could be reclassified as the rooms are tiny, tiny and the elevator is typically Parisienne, slow and only capable of taking 1 person with baggage. Nevertheless my situation in Paris could not be better.

This evening I am eating dinner at a Parisienne bistro across the street from my hotel. The couple next to me are 100% bo-bo. They are well dressed, speak politely, with beautiful accents and very handsome. 1st they ordered wine by the glass, not by the bottle. They each tasted a glass of white wine which they sent back because it was not good enough. They graciously accepted the 2nd glass each. He then ordered a steak which he sent back because it was medium well done and not rare. She only took a small entree. She then asked me politely my opinion of the desert that I ordered. I am anxiously waiting for her comment on the desert. They should only know that I am writing about them.

Tomorrow I will research Paris Inconnu which is a site that recommends lesser known areas of Paris for people who have visited the well known Paris sites. I have 2.5 days to explore Paris.

Love,

Brian

The room above is a small model of a library.

2024 10 Spain

Spain 17,

Oct 30, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I arrived in Reims in 45 minutes with the TGV which travels at 350kph. Even moving at that speed, you don’t feel the speed at all. Patrick was there to meet me at the station. Everything has changed since I left Reims as a medical student 48 years ago. The railway station has grown, has 2 entries and Patrick had to choose the right one. We drove to his apartment (condo) which I had yet not seen. Several years ago they sold their house and purchased an apartment. Lo and behold, it was the same apartment that Remi’s mother used to live in 50 years ago. I remember the apartment quite well as I had been invited there many times to share a meal with Remi and his mother. The apartment is a pent house made up of 2 apartments joined together with an elevator that opens directly into the apartment. Many years ago when my parents, my Auntie Ann and Phillip came to Reims to visit me, we were all invited to stay for a few nights with the Dropsy’s.

We arrived at Patrick’s to drop off my baggage and then went for a walk around downtown Reims to pick up a few groceries. On our return, Genevieve, Patrick’s wife was waiting for us with a bottle of champagne and ordeuves. We spent the evening sipping wine, talking about old times and getting caught up on the news of each other’s families. They have 3 children and 8 grandchildren who live in Reims, Luxembourg and Martinique.

Yesterday morning, we walked around Reims so that I could do the touristy thing and take pictures of my old haunts. Reims has changed a lot from when I was here as a student. Is a beautiful city. It was much destroyed by artillery fire during WW1 and was rebuilt after the war. Many of the downtown building became blacked due to the car exhaust. These buildings have all been whitewashed by sandblasting making city very attractive. Much of the downtown area is now a pedestrian walk way with a tramway that weaves through the streets. It has 4 cars, moves relatively slowly, is electric with electricity running without danger through the tracks that you can walk on. There are no ugly over head wires. Why can’t we have something like this in Montreal? I stopped by the St. James store to purchase a blue sweater. Every year for the past 30 years, I buy a new blue French sweater. I have a pile of them in my cupboard and could easily open a store.

Yesterday, I studied for my ski patrol exam in the morning. Each year I have to read a 200 page book and pass a 3 hour exam on the internet. There is also 1 weekend of practice and 1 day for a ski exam which I don’t have to take as I am a Level 2 ski instructor. There is also a practice session of how to evacuate skiers from a chair lift if there is an electricity problem. I am now a member of the Canadian Ski Patrol and Mountain Explore, which is another ski patrol organization based in Quebec. This doubles the reading and the exams that I must pass in order to wear the red jacket with a white cross and patrol a mountain with no pay but does include a ski pass and a free lunch. I love it.

In the afternoon, Patrick and I took a drive through the Montagnes de Reims. This is an area south of Reims that extends to Epernay and is where all of the champagne vineyards are situated. The province is called Champagne, hence the name, champagne, and only grapes grown in this region can have the designation of ‘champagne’. Other wine that is not grown in the area must be marked ‘method champagnois’ and not ‘champagne’. We drove through the vineyards which stretch for miles and passed through several small villages. There are hundreds of small vineyards, some of whom have their own brand while others sell their produce to the ‘grands marques de champagne’ like Mumm or Moët et Chandon.

We eventually stopped at a small vineyard and met the patron. He invited us into his house for a tasting. He produces 18,000 bottles a year which is a relatively small amount. He is a member of a cooperative in order to press their grapes together in 1 big machine. Carefully, they must not mix up their grapes. This allows them to produce 100.000 bottles a year which is still a very small portion or the total market. He and his son manage the vineyard, sell the produce and deliver it themselves to their clients all over France. Some of the bottles are shipped to other countries. We tried 2 different bottles and eventually purchased 2.5 for consumption at home. The half is because we drank ½ bottles in the tasting session.

Patrick purchased a folding door system which we picked up and tried to put together. It is a German system, therefore the instructions were very logical and thus impossible to understand. The door system is too wide so had to cut it in 2, another minor headache. Remember the rule, measure twice, cut once.

In the afternoon we took out the bicycles and rode through Reims and on a bicycle path along the canal. There is a canal that runs through the city and makes its way to the Rhine. When I was a student it was not at all used as parkland. Over the years it has been developed into a longitudinal park that is well used for jogging and bicycling much as the Lachine canal in Montreal. The bicycles resembled the old retro bikes of the fifties where you rode in a sitting up position. Nevertheless there is good gear and brake system. We resembled Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the theme song ‘Rain Drops Keep Falling on my Head kept running through my mind. We rode for 15-20k eventually arriving at the estate belonging to the family of Marion, his daughter. Marion, her brother in law and her father in law all have beautiful houses on the enormous property. Part or Marion’s marriage took place on the estate 11 years ago. The actual marriage ceremony took place in the Basilque de Reims which is 1000 years old. Remi accompanied the ceremony on the organ. I was determined to go the the wedding which took place 6 weeks after my bypass. The houses are 150 years old and have been fully renovated in a most modern way inside. They were not home so we just made ourselves comfortable on chairs in the garden.

In the evening I had dinner with Richard’s family including Richard, Regine, Yseult, Luca his charming wife and beautiful daughters. We had cocktails at Regine’s apartment and then went for dinner in a ‘cool and in’ part of town. There were wall to wall restaurants and outdoor terraces filled with young people eating, drinking and having a good time. Richard dropped me off near Patrick’s as it rather complicated to arrive there with the one way streets. He was most fearful that I would get lost as I had forgotten the name of Patrick’s street but did remember that I had to turn left after the 2nd or 3rd street. Anyway I arrived home safe and sound.

Today I will board the TGV to Paris where I will stay at a small hotel in the 5ieme arrondissement. It is very close to the Boul Mich and St Germaine the really in and nice area to be in. I will stay for 3 nights and spend the last night in an Ibis at CDG to be ready to take the plane on Monday morning.

Love,

Brian

Pictures to follow immediately

2024 10 Spain

Spain 16,

Oct 28, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

Today was a rush beyond the pale. I woke up at 6:15, rather early for my relaxing vacation, showered, packed and ate a breakfast on the run. It had drizzled the night before making the city streets of Malaga, wet and slick, just what I needed for my last motorcycle ride. (Remember what I said on my last blog entry.) The GPS lady made a mistake on the Triumph address, or probably I entered the wrong street number. I went round and round the roundabout several times eventually asking Seri for her advice. She set me straight and I got to Triumph at 7:30 as planned. The manager opened the store early for me at 7:30 as I had previously told him that I needed to board my plane at 10:00. Usually they only open at 8:30. I offered to pay extra but both he and his nice employees refused payment.

I did a quick ‘Superman’ change in the lobby, picked up my luggage, repacked and I was ready to go. My previously arranged Uber was ready to take me to the airport at 8:00. I boarded the plane at 10:00 and was in Paris at 12:30. I picked up my checked luggage and somehow figured out how to purchase a train ticket with my new ‘Advantage Senior Pass’. I then took a metro to Gare de l’Est with only 1 transfer. It is no small feat to cross Paris by metro, with 2 pieces of luggage. I don’t think that a young person could do it. You have to be of a certain age with a lot of experience. Up and down the escalators, some of which work, some of which don’t, and some of which are non existent, replaced with long staircases. Several times a young man, seeing me struggling gave me a hand and carried a suitcase up the stairs.

I arrived early at the station, grabbed a Starbucks cappuccino and called Patrick who will pick me up at the station.

Most of the following photos were taken in Granada and on the route to Malaga.

Love,

Brian

2024 10 Spain

Spain 15,

Oct. 27, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I had choice to make today, either take a 4.5 hour ride through the mountains, which knowing my pace, would take me 6 hours, or visit Granada and take a 1.5 hour ride on a secondary road. I chose the latter. Life is filled with choices and we, unfortunately, only know if it was the correct choice or not after we have made it. The only time I was shown the future was in Greece many, many, years ago when a Gypsy read my hand. Years later, I understood that what she read, came to pass, just as she said it would. Or, is it just my own interpretation of what she said. Or, did she look into my eyes and when I blinked, did she then make her interpretation of the lines on my hand. Even today, I don’t know for sure…. But that is a story for another day.

I could not get a reservation for the Alhambra today, so I decided to walk up to the palace which is situated at the top of the mountain in Granada. I asked the lady in the hotel if I could walk there and looking at me, with my white hair she told me that the road was very steep and that I should take a bus. Not to be put off, I took the challenge and started up the hill. After going a certain distance, I asked a nice young man for directions. He pulled out his i-phone, consulted google maps, and told me that I was on the wrong road. ‘Go down 500m, turn left and cross the bridge’. ‘ How long will it take?’ ‘Looking at me he said ‘30 min’. So it took me a little longer! But I stopped to take pictures, made a slight error and climbed the wrong stair case, (oh yes, there are stair cases) and it is hilly, but I did arrive in almost less than an hour.

The Alhambra is a palace-fortress built by the Moors over 1000 years ago when the Moors overran Spain. I visited the palace in 1970 and again with Dominique 10 years ago. Then, you could walk up to the ticket office, and purchase a ticket the same day. 54 years ago, it must have cost 1/2euro, I certainly could not have afforded more. The price has changed by a factor of 60 and the wait list to have a ticket is 2 months. Oh well, I got enough exercise walking up and down and took some great pictures of the outside of the walls. Those Moors really knew how to build things in those days. Mind you, a good man with a whip, with no unions to answer to, and you could really get things done if you had a century to do the work.

On the way down, I went through the old section of town. Granada is built on a mountain and the old city is an incredible place to visit. The whole section has stair cases rather than roads. The roads, when there are some, resemble narrow passage ways about 10-12 feet wide. The people that live there, either walk up and down stairs cases or have small, small cars that resemble golf carts, to get around. I took a lot of pictures with tourists taking the same pictures. It is very hard to get a good photo without 100 people taking the same photo unless you are willing to get up at 5:00 am to take the picture.

I left Granada for Malaga and as I said previously, opted for an advanced secondary road. It was supposed to take 1.5 hours but I ride slower than the GPS lady. The road was a secondary road, 2 or 4 lanes wide and eventually lead onto an autoroute with tolls. So what. I have never driven that fast on an autoroute before. Smooth, clean, no pot holes, banked turns, beautiful scenery, safe, fast, 4 lanes, well marked, polite drivers, clear blue skies….what more can I say. 6 Euros, who cares.

I arrived in Malaga, circled around a few times and eventually arrived at my hotel just outside of the pedestrian area. I had dinner in a taverna and became friendly with a Dutch couple sitting at the next table to me. Seeking company for my last night, I invited them for drinks. We chatted for a while and they were quite impressed that my Dad had spent time in Holland during the war. Dutch people have a warm heart for Canadians as the Canadians liberated Holland at a time when things were very bad for the Dutch. They have 2 children of their own and have adopted 5 or 7 other ones. Hopefully one day I will see them again in Rotterdam.

Tomorrow I will be up early to return my bike, fly to Paris and take a train to Reims. I will stay at my friend Patrick’s for a few days and see Dominique’s family. I have a 2k ride to deposit the bike at the Triumph dealership. Whenever I get onto a bike, I always say to myself, ‘this could be my last ride’.

Love,

Brian

Pictures to follow, I promess

2024 10 Spain

Spain 14,

Oct. 26, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

Today, I was lucky with my tourism. Rising early, and after a hearty breakfast, I was able to secure same day tickets for the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. This was my third visit, the 1st one being in 1970 and the 2nd 15 years ago with Dominique. The M-C is magnificent, much as I remembered it to be from my recollection of my last visits. The only thing that changed is the price and the crowds. It is impossible to escape the tourist crowds although probably everyone is thinking the same about me. Everyone is taking the same 100s of pictures that they may look at once and then leave on their i-phones for eternity or worse still, try to impress their friends and family who have the same 100 photos.

The ceiling of the mosque is held up by a least 100 columns which gives a different perspective each time that you take a step. You will see this in my pictures. The mosque is at least 1000 years old and has easily stood the test of time. The Moors invaded and stayed in Spain for 700 years. Their influence can be seen in the architecture all over southern Spain. Their conquest was eventually stopped at the Bataille de Tours, by Charles le Marteau if I remember correctly from my grade 8 history. Had Charles lost the battle, the history of Europe would have changed completely and Europe may have become Muslim. And now a mere 1000 years later…… Finally, after pushing the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula, the good Christians, not to be out done, built their own Catholic cathedral right smack dab in the middle of the mosque. This was obviously done to show once and for all their domination. The more things change, the more we arrive at where we began. I guess that we should be glad that they didn’t destroy the mosque altogether. The cathedral built in the middle of the mosque is actually quite cute.

In Israel, British Mandate Palestine, Ottoman Province, Crusader conquest, Arabian Southern Syria, Mamaluk land, Roman Palestinia, Greek conquest, Israel, Judea, Canaan, Philistine land, (forgive me if I have forgotten a few) the Israelites built a Temple, the size of which rivalled the Alhambra or the Vatican. It was destroyed by the Babylonians (modern day Iraq) who carried them off as slaves. The Jews, as they became known, were then liberated by the Persians (modern day Iran) who allowed them to return to Judea where they rebuilt their 2nd Temple. The Romans, (modern day Italians) conquered the land and after 2 revolts, destroyed the Temple and dispersed the Jews……1800 years later, my great grandparents fled Russia due to the pogroms, which is why I find myself in Canada. The Arabs-Muslims arrived and built their golden mosque exactly on the same site as the Temple, leaving in tact the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall. Had they built their mosque 6 inches to the left (I exaggerate) the modern day Middle East conflict may not have occurred. And so we have the definition of a hurricane, ‘what goes around, comes around’. In 2024, I, as a Zionist, an atheist and a Jew felt compelled to to return to Israel to defend what I feel is the right of the Jewish nation to claim a sliver of a piece of land, 15k wide that we call Israel. You may read all about this in my blog on Israel.

All over Spain, at 7:00 everyone finishes work and goes out for a drink, tapas and later a dinner. This evening is no different. The streets were packed with people. I came across the cathedral, and was entertained by a short concert by a 60 piece orchestra outside in the courtyard. I am now seated in a Spanish taverna, sipping rose and eating tapas. I ordered 3 tapas, which probably is too much as the proportions are more than generous. 1 of my choices was ‘dog fish’. I am not sure what that is, but I hope that is more of the latter than the former. It was fried and came with a sauce. which was delicious. I will look up what I ate when I get home.

Today I changed pace as well as my route. Instead of taking my usual very very windy and very very hilly tertiary route, I opted for a secondary route avoiding of course the autoroute. The road was 2 lanes wide, well paved with just the right amount of curves to make the route interesting. I bombed along at 80k which is a great speed for a motorcycle. I could observe the scenery and not be overly concentrated on each turn as I was on my last 3 days. I rode through the country side where I saw miles and miles of olive trees. I one point I came across a group of 6 bicyclists riding along in a pack, taking up the entire width of the lane. They were travelling along, downhill at 70-80 k. I could not overtake them so I followed them along until we arrived at a hill where they were forced to slow down and I could pass them.

The weather has changed from 25C in Torremolinos to 12C today. It was chilly on the bike so I will add another layer when I ride to Malaga tomorrow. I am staying in a 3* hotel tonight in the Old City. One of the differences between a 3* and a 4* is the size and power of the hair dryer and the thickness of the bath towel.

Love,

Brian

Gold stolen from the Incas, and they are not ashamed to show it!

2024 10 Spain

Spain 13,

Oct. 25, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I finished dinner at 11:00 and still had a lot of energy left so I decided to see Cordoba by Night and take a few photos. I will say nothing more. You be the judge.