Millau (pronounced mee-oh)

Michael and I took a little day trip to Millau. What's in Millau? Not much. The main tourist attraction is actually the ability to bypass Millau. Even California's governor (the Gubernator) came to France to NOT go to Millau, home of the world's highest viaduct. Okay, you can call it a "bridge."

Those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and who have witnessed the progress of the $6.3 billion eastern span of the Bay Bridge, may be impressed with the "Viaduc de Millau." This esthetically-pleasing, pylon-topped bridge with a curve was built by a private company with no public financing (albeit with a 75 year lease) for only 400 million euros. This is about 6% of what the Bay Bridge will cost. Construction began in 2002 and was completed in three years.

In fairness, the Bay Bridge is over water, is about one-third longer and has two decks. But even if the costs were tripled... well, the bottom line is that Cal-Trans had better build a pretty damn good bridge for 17 times the price tag.

"Is that a bridge growing out of the top of my head?"

Can you say "dork"?
For crazy people, like Anthony : )- , you may want to check out the following link:
www.leviaducdemillau.com




Part II
Being French, Michael enjoys smelly cheese. Mais bien sur. Okay, I like some smelly cheeses, but I'm not particularly fond of Roquefort. Regardless, we made our way to the small town of... Roquefort... which is produced by infusing mushroom spores into ewe's-milk cheese. With a "protected designation of origin," French law mandates that "Roquefort" can only be produced in this tiny little area, a town of about 700 people, and who knows how many goats. The cheese must be aged in the natural caves of Roquefort which were formed by volcanic activity. The tour was actually kind of interesting. Too bad the cheese tastes so bad. (Michael, c'est un blague. Vraiment.)

Where's Waldo? Michael and his grandfather who still herds goats.

Okay, it's not the best photo, but that is REAL Roquefort cheese aging in the cellars of Papillon, the second largest manufacturer of Roquefort cheese.

The Devil Made Me Do It

It's only because the devil, errr Michael, has worse photos of me that he was able to blackmail me into posting this. Really, I was only trying it on for size - after all, we were going to the beach that day and I do have a small bladder, so I thought "pourquoi pas" or "why not?" After all, it is my theme for this adventure. [Is anyone buying this story?]

Fortunately he did not get a photo of me with my Carmen Miranda hat. Really, the stores in France absolutely fascinate me. You can find just about anything. The grocery store is even more fun, and you can find everything you need for a tasty meal, including pigs feet, rabbits, frogs legs, snails, horse meat and little minature chicken-like birds with their heads attached. Michael and Hugo have to drag me out of the stores because I am like a little boy, fascinated by everything I see.

Chez Michael et Hugo a Jacou

To quote Madonna (oh my gawd, is he really going to quote Madonna?) "Time goes by so slowly for those who wait... No time to hestitate... Those who run seem to have all the fun... I'm caught up... I don't know what to do." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8FikEflip4

Today is Thursday, July 24th. I'm freaking out a little as I realize that I only have seven weeks left in Paris, plus two weeks of unplanned travel time afterwards. Time is not going by slowly. As I've spent more time in France, I've become "caught up" in my life here. I think what I enjoy most, is that there is so much to see and do that I never become bored. I remember an old sign that read "The worst day fishing is better than the best day at the office." For me, "the most boring day in France is more interesting than the best day at the office." Oh, right. I'm officially unemployed now that my vacation time has run out. Sing along now... "I'm caught up. I don't know what to do..." next.

For now, I will continue to enjoy my time here in France. Last weekend, I had a chance to return to Montpellier to visit Michael and Hugo. I really enjoy spending time with them as they are both wonderful people. For some unexplainable reason, I always feel more playful when I am with Michael and I laugh more than usual - even though sometimes it may ruin my tee-shirt ; )- Both Michael and Hugo are very sweet and they are wonderful hosts to this "American Boy." [Okay, that was another musical reference to the song by Estelle and featuring Kanye West which is very popular here in France.]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If0lrwEzdBY

Friday evening, after returning from my little trip to Nimes to see the Tour de France, I met Michael and Hugo at L'Estival, a Friday night event during the summer with wine tasting (3 euros for a glass and three tastings) and local cuisine. It was very entertaining and we met up with about 10 of their friends throughout the evening. It is THE place to be on a Friday night in Montpellier.

Saturday, we hung out Chez Michael et Hugo, for the afternoon. They have a lovely home with a great patio and a nice view.
That evening around 17:00 (5:00 pm or course) we headed to the beach for a picnic. The water was warm and I had my first full dip in the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Ahh, the joys of summer in Southern France.

Group photo with Karine, Christelle, Phillipe, Michael and Hugo. Being truly French, it was still too early in the evening and Vannessa and Guillem had not yet arrived.

Vannessa and Guillem arrive with "traditional French" pizza - Okay, you can stay!


Twice, I took the tram into the center of Montpellier to explore this quirky town, one of the few in southern France without a link back to Rome of 2000 years ago. By the 12th century, Montpellier was home to Europe's first medical school, so it was just a late bloomer.

Cool and modern tram. Beats the heck out of MUNI in San Francisco.

Chateau d'Eau (of water) and the Aqueduc de St-Clement. Don't be fooled, as this was built in the 18th century and not by Romans.


Arc de Trimphe de Montpellier? Mais bien sur.

Wait a minute... that's faux too. It's just paint. Hmmm... no Roman history, painted buildings. What's going on here?
Spiral staircase on the exterior of an old mansion. A fire escape perhaps?

No Parking allowed or you'll crush their little heads..

The Things We Do For Fun

Ahhh.... the things we do for fun. Moi, j'aime beaucoup de faire les voyages, to see new places and observe the wacky world that we live in. This past (five-day) weekend I headed to Southern France to visit Michael (no special characters on my keyboard, but it is pronounced Mee-kai-el) and Hugo. It really is amazing to be able to travel 750km from Paris to Montpellier in three and a half hours. As a point of reference, San Francisco to Los Angeles is only 560km (350 miles), so imagine taking a train to LA in a little over two and a half hours. Oh, and it took 20 minutes to get to the train station from my apartment and I had minimal wait time at the station. Love it!

On Friday afternoon, I made a little trip to Nimes. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Moors all had a presence in this region before coming under Frankish control during the 8th century. The center of town is where the Romans began to hang out over 2,000 years ago. Back in 1849, some dude from California named "Levi" or "Monsiuer Strauss" or something like that, began importing the traditional "serge de Nimes," a durable blue fabric now known as denim. [How's that for a little trivia for all you San Francisco Bay Area folks?!]

But I digress. Today's blog is about ENTERTAINMENT. Obviously there are many ways for people to entertain themselves. Nimes is home to the best preserved Roman arena in the world.

Built around 100 AD, and with an original capacity of 24,000 spectators, the arena was host to the top entertainment of its time... animal fights, hunts, execution of criminals, and of course gladiator fights. In modern times, as there are no gladiator fights and because public executions are no longer considered a spectator sport, the arena is home to bullfights, concerts and other "spectacles." The times... they are a changin'.



It being July in France, I had an ulterior motive for visiting Nimes...


Though the crowd was about 3-4 people deep, I managed to find a decent place within 100 meters of the finish line. After waiting and waiting and waiting, Mark Cavendish of Britain sped past in a split-secong, winning his fourth stage of the Tour de France. A slpit second. Oy. Ahh, but the joy was in actually experiencing the event, in being there. The remaining riders crossed the finish line over the next few minutes after completing the 182 km race, which is "only" one of 21 stages of the 3,500 km race. Bravo for all of the things we do to entertain ourselves.

Yes, that really is Mark Cavendish, winner of the Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey) that day. He dropped out of the race a couple days later, an injury is the official explanation. But following all of the doping scandals and the arrest of two members of Saunier Duval (the team in the photos from my day in Brest,) I remain a bit skeptical.

The crowds were very large and this is as close as I made it to the podium and the presentation of the maillot jaune - yellow jersey.


Okay, even I need to entertain myself, and anyone who reads my blog. So, despite my desire to never let this photo see the light of day, I say "to hell with pride" and am showing you what must be the most dorky, errrr I mean entertaining photo I've taken in a long time. Or at least the past week.

La Fete Nationale aka Bastille Day

14 Juillet, La Fete Nationale

In the United States we celebrate Independence Day. I believe that Mexico and Canada also have Indepence Days. But what happens when your country has no oppressive "regime" from which to declare independence? What do you call that special day which results from revolution? In France, it is "La Fete Nationale."

The "parade" en francais c'est un "defile" (accent marks missing - but think of it originating from the same word as marching single-file rather than "to defile" which means to corrupt, to profane or to make ceremonially unclean.) Then again, it is a military parade, so I will let you decide which definition is most appropriate. However, I suppose that if the US had been invaded repeatedly, we would probably also consider having a military show of strength with troops and tanks passing in front of the White House or Capitol. Message: Dear Canada, Don't even think of invading the US.

Thanks to the high security and massive planning surrounding the parade, all of the metro stations along the parade route were closed. Though this makes no sense to me, I've learned to say "This is France - that's just the way it is." I arrived a bit later than planned and missed President Sarkozy, but I got over it quickly.

The defile starts at the Arch de Trimphe and proceeds down the Champs Elysee. The parade route is packed with so many people, it's difficult to navigate at times.

The best photo I was able to take of the actual parade.

A photo with members of the military is "obligatoire," especially for tourists. It would have been nice to see more of the parade, but there were huge crowds of people, including many many many tourists. I heard more people speaking English in one morning than in the past three months. This crowd was not waiting to get into Louis Vuitton - at least I don't think so. [Yeah, you'll have to click on the photo to see the Louis Vuitton store sign.]


The coolest part of the parade - the aerial contingent. Planes flew over the Champs Elysee, coming every 30-60 seconds. C'est impressionant. Definitely my favorite part of the parade because I could look up to see it, along with Louis Vuitton to the left.





If only I were a bit taller, I may have been able to see over some of the crowds. Obviously some people are very resourceful and found good seats. Next time...


Be careful what you bring to the parade, as many items are contraband and will be confiscated. Heaven knows we don't want anyone throwing a bottle of water at a tank.



Part II - Men in Uniform

Wow - The French really do wear these uniforms. They're not just movie costumes.

Note the street sign in the background.

"Oui Allo? Tu es ou? Je suis sur la Champs Elysee, mais bien sur."

Les pompiers, fire fighters, have a mythical status in France and must be considered to be part of the military. More about Le Bal des Pompiers in another post.

A sailor... someday.

As I mentioned, a photo with the troops is "obligatoire." This is probably as close as I will ever get to joining the military.


Part III
The parade ends with parachutists, looking like French flags of course, descending from above. You really need to click on photo if you want to see this at all.

At the end, after the end.