A weekend of highs and lows…and I survived it!

Tackling a weekend after an eventful week…pulling out my tour books for ideas. I try to do one outing a day with mission and otherwise I wing it. For one that might be considered a planned activist this goes against my grain, I’ve always been a “list ” person….having been trained by some of the best….this is a new feeling that I have to find comfort in. That being said…so begins my weekend.

A leisurely Saturday with a walk to the tourist office to confirm a couple of tours and away I go to the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan. This is the Summer house for Cezanne where on the main floor, in the salon, he painted 12 murals directly on the walls (they have been carefully removed and restored at various galleries) and the grounds were used as subjects in many of his paintings. It’s surreal to walk among the gardens and view the painting displays knowing where Cezanne set his easel to begin. It was here that I was befriended by a very attractive, elegant woman who shared an enthusiasm for art, Diana. She was also traveling solo and was quite comfortable with this…stories from all around the globe and we had an enjoyable promenade (probably should’ve taken the bus…not too scenic) back to Cours Mirabeau for additional chatting, sharing experiences and a glass of wine at Les Deux Garcons. We agreed to return after our plans for our respective Sundays for continuation of sharing a bit of Cezanne. 

Here’s a quick summary of my Sunday prior to meeting up with Diana…..I became stranded in the mountain region after taking a taxi to the wrong area to meet a tour (no buses on Sundays…note to self before scheduling another Sunday activity….DON’T). I was at the entrance to the quarry where Cezanne was inspired by cubism…but I never found the rest of the tour (if there even was one) at Carrieres be Bibemus. I found a rock near the gathering place as stated by the posted sign…and waited. There were many hikers, bikers and families with dogs that passed me on their Sunday outings. Often a “bonjour” was exchanged but, here lies that difficulty in conversing. I called my friend Emily…not knowing what I might do…but she was 45 minutes away…and probably at church! I think just the friendly voice with a moment of laughter averted a sense of panic and her suggestion was to make a French friend to come to my aide! I decided to begin hiking to see where all the people were headed and let the adventure proceed. Not too far into this, I was befriended by Anne and Xavier (if I have remembered mistakenly, please forgive me!) with their daughter and 3 dogs. They were happy to practice their English and we proceeded on a delightful 2 hour hike. Returning from this trek, they offered to drive me home. I am forever indebted to them and I enjoyed our conversations. They are delightful! I only wish I could’ve been able to get the information off my phone (that’s another challenge) that they texted me to once again thank them for their graciousness. 

Enough for one blog entry…more to come