Mom's WORLD JOURNAL - France

Mark's single brother, Steve, was joining us for just over two weeks, the longest vacation he had ever taken. We arrived in Lake Como, Italy, a day in advance of his arrival to scope out a hotel, a bit of a hassle since the town was completely full. After a half day searching we finally found a combination of hotel rooms that would accommodate us for the next three days. Lake Como is situated in Northern Italy, just minutes from the Switzerland border. The steep mountains that surround the magnificent lake are a playground for the "rich and famous" and are decorated with their many palaces, old and new. The streets are lined with expensive stores and cafes, a perfect spot to watch the trendy shoppers strut about with their high maintenance poodles. Steve's goal while visiting was clear, " I just want to sit back at a café, drink a beer, watch the beautiful Italian ladies stroll by.and relaaaax!" It wasn't but five minutes later when he was approached by two ecstatic women waiving their arms to get his attention .his clients from Florida! What are the odds? They enjoyed a cold one, talked about old times and vowed to get together before we moved on to our next destination. Jet lag was setting in and Steve retired early with his new roommate Max while Mark and I stole off to the lake to enjoy a wonderful bottle of champagne before retiring! After unsuccessfully trying to convince the bar owner to "loan" us some champagne glasses, we settled on some plastic cups, the kind you get wrapped in cellophane located next to your hotel sink! But we didn't care.we were ALONE! There are beautiful gardens and parks surrounding the lake and a path to get some exercise and enjoy the views. Each morning a headed out for a jog and watched the fisherman in their tiny rowboats. The lake has a great ferry system that takes you to all the little towns along the lake. We spent an entire sunny day cruising the lake and walking the little towns. Bellagio is extraordinary positioned on a peninsula with the snow-covered Alps in the background - spectacular! As he watched each beautiful woman stroll by we worried that Steve might end up at the chiropractors office with a dislocated neck! We all agreed that the scenery was spectacular. but for different reasons! One evening we decided to have dinner in Switzerland. It sounded so great lunch in Bellagio and dinner in Switzerland. I grabbed the passports, shoved them in my purse and we drove across the border. We ate in a great old square lined with fabulous buildings and strolled the narrow streets until late. We packed the next day, headed for France! On our way to France we decided to stop at the antique car museum being the only girl, I was outnumbered and the guys needed a testosterone fix. The museum turned out to be really entertaining with cars dating back to the early 1900's. The collection included many Ferraris and other Italian cars along with cars specially made for movie stars in Hollywood. Max inspected each car inside and out, as did Mark and Steve, and filled his drawing pad with cars for the next several days. Just as we were about to leave, Steve noticed that his eyeglasses were missing along with his CD Walkman and his CDs. I wondered as we approached the car why the glove box was open but thought that Max was searching for something and left it open by mistake. I found his glasses thrown in the front seat and that's when we realized. "We've been robbed!" All of the books warn you of theft in Italy. Here we were just an hour from the border close to escaping unscathed! The clever thieves had a special tool, slipped it in the lock and opened the door, damaging the lock. We all took inventory of the missing items including Mark's fanny pack, MP3 player, 30 CDs, and other electronic toys. Lucky for us, there is no trunk release inside the car so the thieves had no access to the trunk.packed with everything we own including the laptop! Another great save.I had everyone's passport in my purse because we had gone to Switzerland for dinner the night before.whew! Mark and Steve left to file a police report and Max and I chatted in the car. Max was really nervous and kept saying, " I don't know why I have this bad feeling in my stomach", a great opportunity to talk about what is really important in life. Onward to France! We worked our way from Italy's Lake Como, across the French Alps, through several small towns until we reached our adorable home in Provence where we would spend the next three weeks exploring the region. Our apartment was located in a cobble-stoned village called Lourmarin, complete with its very own castle to explore. Bright wooden shutters adorned the windows and flowering rose vines crawled the stone walls. Overflowing with character, wonderful restaurants and several art galleries we knew immediately that Lourmarin was the perfect choice for our Provence adventure! The food in Provence is absolutely amazing and it is virtually impossible to have a bad meal! Mussels steamed in wine and fresh mushrooms, wild boar, tuna covered in béarnaise sauce, cream brulee and champagne with local peach liquor my taste buds will never recover, nor will my waistline! We took several wonderful daytrips from Lourmarin and even spent a few nights in Cannes during the Cannes Film Festival, a present from Mark's brother Steve. We stayed at the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel where many of the stars stay during the festival. Checking in was great, photographers outside carefully studying each face hoping for a glimpse of a star and an award-winning photo. Huge graphics decorated the hotel, an old palace that more resembled a wedding cake covered in layers of decorative white frosting. The festival is actually a trade show for producers, writers, filmmakers and actors/actresses selling their wares. The beautiful Andie McDowell stayed right down the hall from us, her room closely monitored by the security guard. We stayed up late one evening sitting on the terrace sipping coffee and enjoying the evening. The opening event had just ended and the tuxedos and sequined gowns began to fill the terrace. We tried to figure out "who was who" and were approached by a magazine publisher who wanted to know if we were "in the business". She was there to network with the producers as she had for the last 30 years but ended up talking with us, enamored by our world trip. She pointed to the various tables saying "that's so-and-so, who produced.", we loved every minute gossiping with her! We drove Steve to Nice the next day so he could catch an airplane home (had two weeks passed so quickly) and hightailed it back to Provence to pick up our next guests, my Mom and Step-Dad, Mary and Curt who had just arrived in Avignon and would stay with us for five days. It was wonderful to see them! We had a wonderful lunch, shared their stories of their five-day gourmet barge/bike trip near Dijon, and explored Avignon. Avignon, surrounded by a medieval wall, is home to the famous bridge where the children danced "sur le Pont d'Avignon". We visited the Palais du Popes and the famous bridge trying not to hum the tune impossible! I couldn't wait to take Mom to Lourmarin, as I knew she would adore the town. The next day was Mother's Day and we spent a wonderful day together, a real treat! Curt, a real daredevil, races cars as a hobby so we surprised him with a trip to Monaco. The town was preparing for the Grand Prix, setting up bleachers and padding the streets with tires. Curt drove the racecourse through the upscale town in our lovely rental car, not exactly what he's used to but it did the trick. The days flew and before we knew it we were taking them back to Avignon bound for their home in Colorado. Mark, Max and I drove north to Normandy where we spent a week submerged in the memories of WWII. We visited the Memorial Museum in Caen dedicated to all those who fought for freedom. It was an emotional journey through photos, weapons displays, uniforms, and advertisements for factory workers. We slowly wandered through the museum until we reached the "D-Day" presentation, a series of three films containing actual footage of the arrival of the young soldiers on Omaha and Utah beach. Crammed in the boats, their faces filled with fear as they approached the unexpected. I cannot begin to imagine their pain, or their parents as they failed to return home again and again. The screen was split to show the Allies on one side and the Germans on the other, you felt as if you were there landing on the beach with them, your heart in your throat. Two of the films recreated the war with dramatic visual graphics showing town after town completely destroyed by the bombs. The third film contained a collage of alternating images of hope and despair. Powerful and hopeful speeches from articulate leaders calling for world peace, while showing footage from wars in Rwanda and Vietnam, babies starving in India, mass graves, war in the Middle East and millions dying of AIDS in Africa. When the lights came on after the film there was not one dry eye, an international audience globally responsible for the issues at hand. When will it stop?  After the museum, we went to Omaha Beach and visited the cemetery where almost 10,000 American men are buried. Row and rows of white crosses stretch endlessly on the manicured green grass. We spent Memorial Day sunbathing on Omaha Beach, a beautiful peaceful beach with a somber breeze. As I jogged down the beach a fighter jet roared past at low altitude to mark the memory of those who died. We stayed in a nearby town called Bayeaux, the first town to be liberated by the Allies during The Battle of Normandy. The bakery has a permanent sign in the window, "We Welcome Our Liberators", with a brightly painted flag for each country. The residents of Normandy have not forgotten. The next day we visited Pont Du Hoc where the Rangers scaled 90-foot cliffs, secured the German's battery of weapons and then were counter-attacked for 72-hours straight. Outnumbered and exhausted most of them died or were injured but they held their ground. The area remains unchanged since the war, the bunkers barely standing from continuous bombing, craters marking each blast. You cannot leave unchanged. It was one of the most powerful experiences we encountered on our trip!