Saturday evening I spend catching up on emails, some work, washing and watching some television while Sunday is henceforth to be known as Dumb Dumber Dumbest day. I get up at what I thought was 09:15 and it turns out to be 07:15 – no problem I sit on the balcony reading the two newspapers I bought yesterday (yes of course they were in English) drinking my morning coffee. A new experiment for breakfast, bacon and goats cheese on a cracker biscuit – highly recommended. Next I plug the iron into my power board and blow the fuse on my universal plug and of course being Sunday that is problematic – but I carry two so that wasn’t too bad.
At 12:30 I head up to Grasse which is thirty minutes away only to find what I had already known but forgot, that the Tour de France will be passing through in 1½ hours and of course I have forgotten my camera – DUH! Anyway I have some boisson froid in a bar while watching the Tour on TV and go outside when the riders come whizzing by capturing some images on my iPhone. Quite exciting but I have no idea who was leading! An afternoon schmooze around Grasse and back to the hotel to watch the back end of the Wimbledon final - one set all when I arrive. I watch the end of the tennis, losing a small amount betting on it, while eating some food I had accumulated.
Monday morning and I managed to sleep in quite late 09:30. I readied myself and went up to Grasse and La Bastide St Antoine, a Michelin one star restaurant which was simply superb. The Jacque Chibois Restaurant was part of a guesthouse where rooms cost from €300 to €1000 Euros a night. I have discovered, partly in discussions with Adam and Nina, that Michelin Restaurants for lunch are a good proposition. This lunch was €59 set price for four courses while dinner was €120 fixed price or €190 degustation.
The surroundings were superb being set in a garden overlooking the beautiful valleys below. The Amuse Bouche came and it was a big enough portion that I began to wonder how that could be the entrée I had ordered!! But for entrée I chose the crab salad risotto with an amazing bisque sauce. I should say however that my cough which has now lasted for almost four weeks has taken its toll on my sense of taste and smell but I could taste enough to know how simply delightful it was. For mains I went Coquille St Jacques which were very nice but not exceptional and after the three cheese plate with salad I had the most beautiful Soufflé with a lovely texture and taste. The combination of food and surroundings were intoxicating. Of course I forgot my camera but My Iphone camera seems to have captured the moment – even the website has charm.
http://www.jacques-chibois.com/uk/navigation.htm
I didn’t get back to the resort/hotel till 16:00 after which, yes folks, I had a swim – after all I had brought my swimming costume with me and had not yet used it so now was the chance. After a dinner at the local Chinois/Thai it was an early night.
When I booked at Mandelieu I contacted Laurent, the Uni Student I had met a few weeks earlier. I had asked him where I should go. He proposed the same deal – I buy him dinner and he would act as my guide for the day. He probably did better this time as I had booked a Michelin one star restaurant for dinner but it sounded like a reasonable deal – and it sure was.
We went to Grasse to exchange some tablecloths I had previously bought. He then took me to a village called Cabris.
http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/cabris/cabris.htm
This village sites 550 metres above the Riviera and is described as: perched like an eagles nest the village's ancient houses fan out around the ruins of the feudal château. The view from the esplanade of château over the Var and towards Italy is really worth a detour! Take a walk around it's streets and you'll come across artists and crafts persons specialising in olive wood products, stained glass or Provençal santon decoration.... the village of Cabris is not just an extremely pretty Provençal village, it's also a pleasant meeting place! Interestingly the village lay empty for 150 years after a plague and was then reinhabited.
Then we went to Gourdon a lovely village where we did the tour of the Castle, one of the few in the southern part of France after Louis 14th ordered them all to be destroyed. The Russian tour guide speaking fluent French at the speed of sound made for a tough go but Laurent translated much of it and she did give some commentary in English just for me.
http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/gourdon/gourdon.htm
We had lunch here at a restaurant perched over the rocks and it was extremely pleasant especially as it was not overflowing with tourists.
Finally we went to Tourrettes Sur Loup which was recommended to me by Vivien.
http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/tourtlou/tourtlou.htm
In the historic centre of the village, there are more than 30 artists' workshops, galleries and crafts workshops. There are painting, sculptures, fabrics, jewellery and pottery and much more. It is another one of these towns where your mind casts itself back to what life must have been like centuries ago with the narrow streets, invaders and other threats etc.
We have a break at the hotel and head off to dinner around 19:30. Well Le Bacon, a speciality seafood restaurant proved to be the most expensive restaurant I have ever been to and was also a somewhat disappointing restaurant. Situated on the Cap d’Antibes the ambiance, outlook over the entire Riviera and service were, as one would expect, exceptional. The prices were even more exceptional – fish from $A120-$A160 a dish which was 500gms while Bouillabaisse Started at $A160 and went up to $A220 if you wanted Langoustines (crayfish in it). Laurent was a little embarrassed and ordered an entrée of seafood Ravioli which looked great while I had a fish soup with rouille which was excellent and quite filling. The rouille were a series of small crackers onto which one rubbed fresh garlic cloves and then added a type of aioli and put into the soup. Laurent pointed out this is normally eaten with grated cheese which he asked for and which certainly added flavour. We then shared a fresh foigras which was supposed to come with a glass of Pinot Gris which they forgot and which they kindly credited me with €4 – I can only imagine how much it would have cost if I ordered another glass – I am guessing not €4. Anyway the experience was excellent.
We moved on to Juan Les Pins where Laurent took me to a café where he previously worked called Pam Pam which had Brazilian music, singers and dancers which were very entertaining and added an incredible buzz to a simple dessert. Juan Les Pins is a lovely place in a glitzy type of way. Lots of nicely appointed shops open till very late in the evening, lots of restaurants and cafes on palm lined street but without the artificial glamour of Cannes. I drop Laurent off at Cannes station where he has left his motor scooter and get back to the hotel about 01:00 feeling awesomely tired.
I must say it was enjoyable spending a day with a local, there is so much to be learned and which one would not understand without some explanation. Apart from that he was very articulate and exceptionally well read on world events – we even had a debate on Burkha or no Burkha, a raging debate in France where the government wants to ban the full Burkha. He very much favours it while I do not but we won’t go there in this forum.
Next morning I gather up my last load of washing which is now dry and finish packing – of course I didn’t leave it to the last minute. Instead of checking out at 12:00 and heading for the airport I decide to leave at 09:30, spend the next four hours mooching and then go to the airport. Good move as there were huge traffic problems all the way to Nice. I went to a small village called Biot in which there are many glass artists. There I went into a number of galleries and under different circumstances I may have bought something but was too into getting home to think about schlepping something made of glass. I wind up in Nice around 12:30 where I have lunch, fill up and return the car and arrive at the airport. Damn – I get the bus from T2 to T1 only to find there are no trolleys. I schlep my luggage to the check-in counter and find nobody waiting so I check in with my 35 kgs (nothing said) and head through immigration and security to sit at a bar and relax for the 90 minutes before the flight.
All in all I had a great time. I managed to visit a large number of small villages, all of which seem to have their own identities. Spending two weeks at the bridge catching up with some good (and some not so good) friends and spending a week with Michael and Vivien all added to the pleasure.
My French is certainly not bad and I can manage in most situations. I can generally understand 60%-80% of the menus except at the more technical Michelin establishments.
I have a plan in my mind for next year but not having arrived home from this trip, that will have to wait for another time. BUT…..if anybody is interested in sharing a house in Provence for two weeks next year with an agenda of some fine dining, lots of village and market visits and some excellent home cooked meals with the freshest produce imaginable then please contact me – a clue there somewhere I guess.
I managed four seats between Nice and Dubai and slept a little. I took a room in the airport hotel for six hours and slept for five of those, the result of which I was awake for most of the 14 hours in a packed A380 between Dubai and Sydney.
Well, that’s all for this blog so Abientot and kisses on both cheeks French style
XXXD
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Une Semaine au Provence
Monday morning and I do what I do best – off to the supermarket to stock up. I make a breakfast of mushroom and camembert cheese omelette, rockmelon and strawberries – pretty darn good if I do say so. We head off for a drive to Grambois but it’s Monday and toute ferme au Lundi so we have a coffee at Bastide des Jourdan and then drive to the golf course to check it out for Michael. There is a lovely terrace restaurant which warrants a second coffee and fruit salad and then back to the maison for a schmooze around the pool and relax. At 16:30 I go to the supermarket for some final supplies for dinner which I cook.
Chorizo and crab dip for appetizer at 18:30 and at 21:00 a fillet of beef with lovely taste but slightly tough, mashed potatoes, salad, corn and mushrooms and a dessert of strawberries and cream in honour of Wimbledon.
Technology is an awesome thing. A friend of mine in Phoenix has a “Slingbox” attached to his “Foxtel” box and the internet and this allows him, or in this case me, to log in and watch his cable television, any station, change channels etc., so Michael and I do watch a bit of Wimbledon during the course of the afternoon.
Next morning we rise relatively early and leave around 09:00 for Cucuron and its markets a 25 minute drive away. This is a very pretty town and the market takes place around a larg pond in the town centre. We have a coffee in a lovely tea house and then buy a cooked chicken, some flat beans and other goodies for dinner. I notice the Iberian ham which looks good and reasonably priced at €13.50 until I realise that this is per 100gms. We buy 75 grams to have with our rockmelon for an appetizer.
We then go through Bonnieux, one of the nicest places around here and which Danielle and I went to last year and head for L’isle-Sur-La-Sorgue http://tinyurl.com/yzlsxs a very picturesque town rather than a village built around the Sorgue river. We had lunch by the river which was great even though the food wasn’t so great but as everything was closed for lunch and it was fiercely hot we headed back to the house arriving at 16:00.
Meanwhile Michael went to play nine holes while at 18:00 I drove down to Manosque (10km) to get some last minute supplies for dinner and diesel for the car and then back to the house. Nice dinner followed by a relaxing evening.
Next morning I cooked pancakes for breakfast with cream cheese topping I made from Crème Fraishe lemon and sugar, strawberries, bananas and lemon and sugar – pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Michael had Hong Kong races so we basically spent the morning mooching around the house. I ended up sleeping for three hours in the afternoon while M and V enjoyed the pool. The temperature has been in the high thirties but without humidity it is quite acceptable.
That evening we drive to La Petite Maison a one star Michelin Restaurant. They have been open two years and got their star five months ago. Disappointingly we had booked a garden table but they had not noted this and we were placed on the first floor. Our disappointment was soon appeased by the outstanding, food, service, champagne apology and Armagnac after the meal. It is hard to describe just how good the meal was. There were two menus one for €40 and one for €60 – Viv took the first Michael and I the second. The beauty of this was that there were no choices to be made and how great that turned out to be.
http://www.lapetitemaisondecucuron.fr/fileadmin/Menus/Menu_de_la_Saison_01_au_juillet.pdf
Amuse bouche
Green and red tomatoes in a lovely vinaigrette
Brandade douce de colin, velouté d’artichaut et une râpée de truffes d’été A découvrir, les ormeaux breton de pleine mer cuit meuniere purée de chou fleur et garniture grenobloise
This was a seafood mix with black truffles and pureed cauliflower
Filet de veau clouté de lard de « colonata » puis doré dans ses sucs fricassée de giroles
A sensational piece of veal with a slight but not overpowering scent of aniseed
Le fromage sélectionné par Josiane Déal Bouquet de salades « fatiguées » à l’huile d’olive de Pays
An outstanding goat cheese called Banon which we then bought the next day together with a salad the waiter described as tired.
Biscuit moelleux aux framboises, sorbet aux fruits rouges
A biscuit with raspberries, raspberry sorbet and red fruits
We finished our meal in the garden talking to the chef who spoke excellent English. We asked him where he sources his food from and how he comes up with ideas etc. Simply outstanding and memorable meal – recommended deviation if necessary.
Home to bed around midnight.
Next morning we head for Aix en Provence, one of my favourite towns. We have the usual hassle there finding a parking place but opt for the car park near the shops/markets. We have our morning coffee and split up for a time and meet back at 13:00. The only thing I bought was some of the Banon goats cheese and some items for dinner. Michael happily noted that the €40 wine of last night was in fact €23 in the wine shop – something he is more than sensitive to after having paid €48 for a 500ml bottle in a restaurant and seeing a full 750ml bottle the next day for €6.50 in the supermarket.
We head for Cassis which is a lovely but not memorable quaint seaside fishing town where we had lunch – another humourless French waiter but the lunch was quite acceptable. There was a ‘sea of humanity’ as Vivien described it. It seems that the holiday season has started in earnest as there were also plenty of people in Aix.
After a short look around the town which I had been to before but M and V had not we head back to the house for rests, swims and a dinner comprising all our leftovers.
Friday morning, another fresh pancake breakfast, and we leave around 09:30. When Vivien looked up the Petite Maison de CuCuron website she noticed a beautiful garden being advertised. It turns out that this is a reception centre and B&B with the most beautiful gardens and we have arranged for an inspection of the gardens which are exceptionally beautiful. Do take a look at the website.
http://www.pavillondegalon.com/en/htm/home.htm
The hedge and many of the trees in the gardens of this former hunting pavilion (show me the main house!!!) are 250 years old. Bibi, the owner is so passionate about the gardens and this shows through as she shows us around accompanied by her Weimeraner dog, Paloma.
We move on to probably the most beautiful village in Provence, Lourmarin.
http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/vaucluse/lourmari/lourmari.htm
Vivien returns a bathmat she had bought last year which had run when washed and this was remarkably easy as the owner of the shop says ‘pas problem’ and simply changes it over. After a morning coffee we split up and go through the markets which I must say are superb – lovely food, clothes, manchester, homewares and much more. Well worth a stop if you are in these parts.
We head back to the house for a lunch comprising the leftovers and some extras I had bought at the markets. A restful afternoon and dinner back at Auberge Cheval Blanc. Apart from the many flies the meal is as good as the first time. I have opted for a tomato tartar with avocado which is excellent but too large and actually quite rich/filling. For mains I relent and order the foiegras with figs and a rich jus – no cholesterol tests for me for a few weeks. I was going to pass on dessert but the peach soup and red fruits of the forrest soup entices me to temptation.
Back to the house and a final pack – I had done some during the day and not that I had unpacked too much.
Next morning up early as Mr Perrin will be there at 10:00 to inspect the house and release us. Dead on the appointed time he arrives commenting on how clean we had left the house – looked normal to me so don’t want to see what others do. M & V leave for Torino while I head for Mandelieu and four days in a resort. The two hour drive was punctuated by a few stops at sports stores, cake shops and a supermarket.
I arrive around 14:00 and I need to say that check-in time at hotels, airports, car rentals etc. does not see me at my best and this was no exception. I am waiting very patiently in queue as somebody from behind is asked by the receptionist if she could help him. Then I find out that the onsite parking is €8 a day in a 2.5 hectare resort – guess what – for $A15 a day I can walk to my car when I need it. Then I get to the room and go to hook up to the internet to find the 1.8 metre network cable will allow you to plug in your computer and stand next to the television to use it. A 4-5 metre cable would reach the table where one would expect most people would want to use their computers. I go to reception to explain my situation and ask if a longer cable was possible. No guesses for the response – ‘ah sorry no’ accompanied by a shrug of the shoulder. When I ask to speak with the manager and she came I don’t think I could have received a more disinterested reaction but again accompanied by the French shoulder shrug. Oh well I simply rearrange the furniture in the room.
I am feeling like a lunch of a different type and I noticed a Thai/Chinese restaurant just down the road so I head there for a very good lunch and back to the hotel to watch Serena Williams beat her sister in the Wimbledon final.
Best to all
XD
Chorizo and crab dip for appetizer at 18:30 and at 21:00 a fillet of beef with lovely taste but slightly tough, mashed potatoes, salad, corn and mushrooms and a dessert of strawberries and cream in honour of Wimbledon.
Technology is an awesome thing. A friend of mine in Phoenix has a “Slingbox” attached to his “Foxtel” box and the internet and this allows him, or in this case me, to log in and watch his cable television, any station, change channels etc., so Michael and I do watch a bit of Wimbledon during the course of the afternoon.
Next morning we rise relatively early and leave around 09:00 for Cucuron and its markets a 25 minute drive away. This is a very pretty town and the market takes place around a larg pond in the town centre. We have a coffee in a lovely tea house and then buy a cooked chicken, some flat beans and other goodies for dinner. I notice the Iberian ham which looks good and reasonably priced at €13.50 until I realise that this is per 100gms. We buy 75 grams to have with our rockmelon for an appetizer.
We then go through Bonnieux, one of the nicest places around here and which Danielle and I went to last year and head for L’isle-Sur-La-Sorgue http://tinyurl.com/yzlsxs a very picturesque town rather than a village built around the Sorgue river. We had lunch by the river which was great even though the food wasn’t so great but as everything was closed for lunch and it was fiercely hot we headed back to the house arriving at 16:00.
Meanwhile Michael went to play nine holes while at 18:00 I drove down to Manosque (10km) to get some last minute supplies for dinner and diesel for the car and then back to the house. Nice dinner followed by a relaxing evening.
Next morning I cooked pancakes for breakfast with cream cheese topping I made from Crème Fraishe lemon and sugar, strawberries, bananas and lemon and sugar – pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Michael had Hong Kong races so we basically spent the morning mooching around the house. I ended up sleeping for three hours in the afternoon while M and V enjoyed the pool. The temperature has been in the high thirties but without humidity it is quite acceptable.
That evening we drive to La Petite Maison a one star Michelin Restaurant. They have been open two years and got their star five months ago. Disappointingly we had booked a garden table but they had not noted this and we were placed on the first floor. Our disappointment was soon appeased by the outstanding, food, service, champagne apology and Armagnac after the meal. It is hard to describe just how good the meal was. There were two menus one for €40 and one for €60 – Viv took the first Michael and I the second. The beauty of this was that there were no choices to be made and how great that turned out to be.
http://www.lapetitemaisondecucuron.fr/fileadmin/Menus/Menu_de_la_Saison_01_au_juillet.pdf
Amuse bouche
Green and red tomatoes in a lovely vinaigrette
Brandade douce de colin, velouté d’artichaut et une râpée de truffes d’été A découvrir, les ormeaux breton de pleine mer cuit meuniere purée de chou fleur et garniture grenobloise
This was a seafood mix with black truffles and pureed cauliflower
Filet de veau clouté de lard de « colonata » puis doré dans ses sucs fricassée de giroles
A sensational piece of veal with a slight but not overpowering scent of aniseed
Le fromage sélectionné par Josiane Déal Bouquet de salades « fatiguées » à l’huile d’olive de Pays
An outstanding goat cheese called Banon which we then bought the next day together with a salad the waiter described as tired.
Biscuit moelleux aux framboises, sorbet aux fruits rouges
A biscuit with raspberries, raspberry sorbet and red fruits
We finished our meal in the garden talking to the chef who spoke excellent English. We asked him where he sources his food from and how he comes up with ideas etc. Simply outstanding and memorable meal – recommended deviation if necessary.
Home to bed around midnight.
Next morning we head for Aix en Provence, one of my favourite towns. We have the usual hassle there finding a parking place but opt for the car park near the shops/markets. We have our morning coffee and split up for a time and meet back at 13:00. The only thing I bought was some of the Banon goats cheese and some items for dinner. Michael happily noted that the €40 wine of last night was in fact €23 in the wine shop – something he is more than sensitive to after having paid €48 for a 500ml bottle in a restaurant and seeing a full 750ml bottle the next day for €6.50 in the supermarket.
We head for Cassis which is a lovely but not memorable quaint seaside fishing town where we had lunch – another humourless French waiter but the lunch was quite acceptable. There was a ‘sea of humanity’ as Vivien described it. It seems that the holiday season has started in earnest as there were also plenty of people in Aix.
After a short look around the town which I had been to before but M and V had not we head back to the house for rests, swims and a dinner comprising all our leftovers.
Friday morning, another fresh pancake breakfast, and we leave around 09:30. When Vivien looked up the Petite Maison de CuCuron website she noticed a beautiful garden being advertised. It turns out that this is a reception centre and B&B with the most beautiful gardens and we have arranged for an inspection of the gardens which are exceptionally beautiful. Do take a look at the website.
http://www.pavillondegalon.com/en/htm/home.htm
The hedge and many of the trees in the gardens of this former hunting pavilion (show me the main house!!!) are 250 years old. Bibi, the owner is so passionate about the gardens and this shows through as she shows us around accompanied by her Weimeraner dog, Paloma.
We move on to probably the most beautiful village in Provence, Lourmarin.
http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/vaucluse/lourmari/lourmari.htm
Vivien returns a bathmat she had bought last year which had run when washed and this was remarkably easy as the owner of the shop says ‘pas problem’ and simply changes it over. After a morning coffee we split up and go through the markets which I must say are superb – lovely food, clothes, manchester, homewares and much more. Well worth a stop if you are in these parts.
We head back to the house for a lunch comprising the leftovers and some extras I had bought at the markets. A restful afternoon and dinner back at Auberge Cheval Blanc. Apart from the many flies the meal is as good as the first time. I have opted for a tomato tartar with avocado which is excellent but too large and actually quite rich/filling. For mains I relent and order the foiegras with figs and a rich jus – no cholesterol tests for me for a few weeks. I was going to pass on dessert but the peach soup and red fruits of the forrest soup entices me to temptation.
Back to the house and a final pack – I had done some during the day and not that I had unpacked too much.
Next morning up early as Mr Perrin will be there at 10:00 to inspect the house and release us. Dead on the appointed time he arrives commenting on how clean we had left the house – looked normal to me so don’t want to see what others do. M & V leave for Torino while I head for Mandelieu and four days in a resort. The two hour drive was punctuated by a few stops at sports stores, cake shops and a supermarket.
I arrive around 14:00 and I need to say that check-in time at hotels, airports, car rentals etc. does not see me at my best and this was no exception. I am waiting very patiently in queue as somebody from behind is asked by the receptionist if she could help him. Then I find out that the onsite parking is €8 a day in a 2.5 hectare resort – guess what – for $A15 a day I can walk to my car when I need it. Then I get to the room and go to hook up to the internet to find the 1.8 metre network cable will allow you to plug in your computer and stand next to the television to use it. A 4-5 metre cable would reach the table where one would expect most people would want to use their computers. I go to reception to explain my situation and ask if a longer cable was possible. No guesses for the response – ‘ah sorry no’ accompanied by a shrug of the shoulder. When I ask to speak with the manager and she came I don’t think I could have received a more disinterested reaction but again accompanied by the French shoulder shrug. Oh well I simply rearrange the furniture in the room.
I am feeling like a lunch of a different type and I noticed a Thai/Chinese restaurant just down the road so I head there for a very good lunch and back to the hotel to watch Serena Williams beat her sister in the Wimbledon final.
Best to all
XD
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Championships Grind to a Conclusion
Tuesday is a bit of a bust. I am feeling like crap, constantly coughing and sneezing although I haven’t got a cold. I decide to spend the day in my Hotel. I shower and dress and start to write my interview with Thomas Bessis. One thing about my writing is that once I start I have an almost complete article in no time. In fact the following day I do 3 bulletin pages in less than an hour. This is mainly because I mentally write a lot before actually putting pen to paper.
At 18:00 I am sick of sitting in my room although I have, by now, set up the spreadsheet for next year’s tipping contest which I had planned to do as soon as the draw is out – good news is we have a record number (20) of tipsters.
I meet Michael Cornell at the venue and say to him I am just sitting over there talking to somebody hoping to have dinner with him. Yet again he wanders off leaving me to my own devices. I wander about Sanremo looking for somewhere to eat by nowhere takes my fancy. I try to go to the Morgana Bay, clearly my favourite restaurant in Sanremo bit it is closed Tuesday evenings (go figure) so I go back to the hotel and have a light meal in the restaurant there and pretty ordinary it was.
Next morning I am feeling better and have breakfast in the hotel despite promising myself not to do that. I arrive at the venue and it seems with the three teams finals today nobody is covering the pairs so I decide to watch Grue/Hampson for the entire session and I come up with around 3 Bulletin pages which are OK but nothing outstanding. I am then told that they are heavily oversubscribed for today and it will be pushed into tomorrow which is fine with me as it takes off the pressure for tomorrow.
The Bulletin Office is having wine, Parma and parmesana reggiano for a snack so I rush down and buy 2 bottles of wine to contribute – turns out by €11.80 a bottle is about ten times what they spent on their wine – something else for them to grizzle about no doubt. This evening we are having dinner at our haunt in Menton. Looks there will be 5 of us as a few have dropped out. So soon I will be out of here for a lovely meal.
Menton is indeed a wonderful meal. Sitting in gardens in gorgeous weather is such a food turn on for me. The company was also excellent with Michael and Vivien and Tom and Steph Jacob. We talk bridge for a little while but sort of stop when it seems the girls are less than interested. While at the restaurant I call Linda’s cousin Anne to see where Sybil is perhaps call her while Michael and I are both there. I leave a voicemail and as I get I n the car she calls me back and tells me that Sybil has broken her arm or shoulder on the cruise. The shipping line wanted to put her ashore to have it attended to but it seems she refused and will be back in London in three days time when Anne will get her attended to. A bit upsetting but given she wanted to keep going on the cruise it seems to be manageable.
Next morning and with no pressure to produce anything I sleep in till 11:15 – wonderful except that my cough is now turning into a cold with sneezing, watery eyes and all the associated crap. Anyway a casual day as I wander up to the playing area with a view to kibitzing somebody or other.
That afternoon back to the Laundromat which opens at 15:00 well at 16:30 it was still shut. Welcome to life in Italy. I go back at 18:00 and yes she is open. No change for a 10 euro note to give me three euro so I pay here when I come back.
While I have very much enjoyed myself in Sanremo, the tournament, the work and everything else (apart from some of the relationships noted elsewhere), it is two weeks today (Thursday) and I will not be too upset to leave Italy on Sunday for six days in Haute Provence and four days doing I don’t know what yet. Two weeks at one time anywhere is a long time so I don’t feel that my thoughts are unusual in this regard.
I do miss Linda more at things like bridge tournaments because this is where she really enjoyed schmoozing, dining, socialising etc. and there have been periods where everybody has their plans and I have had to amuse myself, something which in Sydney is easy but perhaps a little harder overseas. Anyway……
OK Quiz for readers. Is the word Ponderal an English word and what does it mean. I came across this while looking at the Frequency Results which had “Ponderally Assigned Match Points” written on it. It means estimated and likely I suspect from the word ponder…..learn something every day.
Friday morning and great news that Kathy Grynberg is on the mend. Still no news about Sybil but Saturday is the day. I wander up to the venue – only one more day and they don’t really need anything for the Bulletin so no pressure on me to deliver. I watch some bridge, have lunch with Boye and his sponsor, Simon Gillis and collect my payment from the EBL and back to the hotel for a relax and watch some BBO.
Friday evening there is a worker’s dinner at my favourite restaurant by the water. It starts at 21:30 and everybody who works there gets a small gift ….. one by one by one by one. I sit with two French Couples with whom I have shared duck dinner in Beijing. They stretch their English and I my French and it is very pleasant. I excuse myself after midnight and go to the hotel which is mercifully just across the road.
Next morning I go to watch some bridge. I decide not to watch Michael and Ashley as they are doing well and it is best not to watch. I sort of look for new people to watch from round to round. Some good hands but mercifully I don’t have to do any more writing. I had decided to take some photos in and around Sanremo that afternoon and….. a wild thunderstorm erupts trapping me at the venue for a few hours longer than I had intended and put a hole in my photo plans. I do manage to get back to the room, pack and get back to the venue for the final rounds of the pairs and the prizegiving.
Michael and Ashley finish 15th which, considering that more than half the field are world champions is outstanding. Michael has played an amazing 788 boards over 15 days finishing in the round of eight in the two teams events and 15th in the pairs. He earns €750 as there is a points table based on your three best events and he finishes sixth equal which is awesomely good.
I speak with Paul Hackett who is one of the organisers of the Warren Buffet Cup which is run close to the President’s Cup Golf challenge between U.S.A. and Europe. It will be in Wales in September 2010 and I have put my name forward to run the BBO there. I suspect nothing will come of it but you have to be in it to win it.
I phone Robert and speak to Katja which is good she sounds just fine except for being tired. Michael rings Sybil and finds out she has slipped on the ship, she isn’t in too much pain and will be seeing the specialist on Tuesday so I will call tomorrow or on Tuesday to find out what is happening. In the meantime she is staying with Sandra (her late brother’s companion) who knowing Sandra will be giving her the best of attention.
There is a prize giving ceremony during which bridge players do what they do best – being rude and speaking the whole time – think Central Synagogue times ten. Following the ceremony there is a buffet but I have made arrangements to meet Boye for dinner as we haven’t spent much time together during the tournament and want to catch up. I talk Michael, Vivien and Ashley to join us for our 22:30 table. It was exceptionally pleasant with such a nice bunch of people and we finished up around 00:30 which made it a late night for me considering I was planning to leave at 07:00 the next morning.
My phone rings at 06:00 waking me up and when I call back the number they know nothing about the call….. strange as I know plenty IT WOKE ME UP. Anyway I get ready, pack the car and head off for my three hour drive to Pierrevert which is where I am now waiting for Michael and Vivien to arrive. The house is fine, isolated up on a hill on a very large block of land (many hectares) but could be excellent with just a few minor amenities – like a washing machine that does more than 3kgs, a bed wider than narrow which even so narrow the linen does not fit and a television greater than eleven inches. On the plus side the pool and surrounds are superb, the kitchen well appointed and it will be just fine for the next six days.
So now for a six day chill – which is what I hear all you in Sydney are doing. I am hoping to finally rid myself of this cough once and for all. Chuck Norris dubbed into French (playing in the background) si nothing special for anybody interested.
Love to all.
XD
At 18:00 I am sick of sitting in my room although I have, by now, set up the spreadsheet for next year’s tipping contest which I had planned to do as soon as the draw is out – good news is we have a record number (20) of tipsters.
I meet Michael Cornell at the venue and say to him I am just sitting over there talking to somebody hoping to have dinner with him. Yet again he wanders off leaving me to my own devices. I wander about Sanremo looking for somewhere to eat by nowhere takes my fancy. I try to go to the Morgana Bay, clearly my favourite restaurant in Sanremo bit it is closed Tuesday evenings (go figure) so I go back to the hotel and have a light meal in the restaurant there and pretty ordinary it was.
Next morning I am feeling better and have breakfast in the hotel despite promising myself not to do that. I arrive at the venue and it seems with the three teams finals today nobody is covering the pairs so I decide to watch Grue/Hampson for the entire session and I come up with around 3 Bulletin pages which are OK but nothing outstanding. I am then told that they are heavily oversubscribed for today and it will be pushed into tomorrow which is fine with me as it takes off the pressure for tomorrow.
The Bulletin Office is having wine, Parma and parmesana reggiano for a snack so I rush down and buy 2 bottles of wine to contribute – turns out by €11.80 a bottle is about ten times what they spent on their wine – something else for them to grizzle about no doubt. This evening we are having dinner at our haunt in Menton. Looks there will be 5 of us as a few have dropped out. So soon I will be out of here for a lovely meal.
Menton is indeed a wonderful meal. Sitting in gardens in gorgeous weather is such a food turn on for me. The company was also excellent with Michael and Vivien and Tom and Steph Jacob. We talk bridge for a little while but sort of stop when it seems the girls are less than interested. While at the restaurant I call Linda’s cousin Anne to see where Sybil is perhaps call her while Michael and I are both there. I leave a voicemail and as I get I n the car she calls me back and tells me that Sybil has broken her arm or shoulder on the cruise. The shipping line wanted to put her ashore to have it attended to but it seems she refused and will be back in London in three days time when Anne will get her attended to. A bit upsetting but given she wanted to keep going on the cruise it seems to be manageable.
Next morning and with no pressure to produce anything I sleep in till 11:15 – wonderful except that my cough is now turning into a cold with sneezing, watery eyes and all the associated crap. Anyway a casual day as I wander up to the playing area with a view to kibitzing somebody or other.
That afternoon back to the Laundromat which opens at 15:00 well at 16:30 it was still shut. Welcome to life in Italy. I go back at 18:00 and yes she is open. No change for a 10 euro note to give me three euro so I pay here when I come back.
While I have very much enjoyed myself in Sanremo, the tournament, the work and everything else (apart from some of the relationships noted elsewhere), it is two weeks today (Thursday) and I will not be too upset to leave Italy on Sunday for six days in Haute Provence and four days doing I don’t know what yet. Two weeks at one time anywhere is a long time so I don’t feel that my thoughts are unusual in this regard.
I do miss Linda more at things like bridge tournaments because this is where she really enjoyed schmoozing, dining, socialising etc. and there have been periods where everybody has their plans and I have had to amuse myself, something which in Sydney is easy but perhaps a little harder overseas. Anyway……
OK Quiz for readers. Is the word Ponderal an English word and what does it mean. I came across this while looking at the Frequency Results which had “Ponderally Assigned Match Points” written on it. It means estimated and likely I suspect from the word ponder…..learn something every day.
Friday morning and great news that Kathy Grynberg is on the mend. Still no news about Sybil but Saturday is the day. I wander up to the venue – only one more day and they don’t really need anything for the Bulletin so no pressure on me to deliver. I watch some bridge, have lunch with Boye and his sponsor, Simon Gillis and collect my payment from the EBL and back to the hotel for a relax and watch some BBO.
Friday evening there is a worker’s dinner at my favourite restaurant by the water. It starts at 21:30 and everybody who works there gets a small gift ….. one by one by one by one. I sit with two French Couples with whom I have shared duck dinner in Beijing. They stretch their English and I my French and it is very pleasant. I excuse myself after midnight and go to the hotel which is mercifully just across the road.
Next morning I go to watch some bridge. I decide not to watch Michael and Ashley as they are doing well and it is best not to watch. I sort of look for new people to watch from round to round. Some good hands but mercifully I don’t have to do any more writing. I had decided to take some photos in and around Sanremo that afternoon and….. a wild thunderstorm erupts trapping me at the venue for a few hours longer than I had intended and put a hole in my photo plans. I do manage to get back to the room, pack and get back to the venue for the final rounds of the pairs and the prizegiving.
Michael and Ashley finish 15th which, considering that more than half the field are world champions is outstanding. Michael has played an amazing 788 boards over 15 days finishing in the round of eight in the two teams events and 15th in the pairs. He earns €750 as there is a points table based on your three best events and he finishes sixth equal which is awesomely good.
I speak with Paul Hackett who is one of the organisers of the Warren Buffet Cup which is run close to the President’s Cup Golf challenge between U.S.A. and Europe. It will be in Wales in September 2010 and I have put my name forward to run the BBO there. I suspect nothing will come of it but you have to be in it to win it.
I phone Robert and speak to Katja which is good she sounds just fine except for being tired. Michael rings Sybil and finds out she has slipped on the ship, she isn’t in too much pain and will be seeing the specialist on Tuesday so I will call tomorrow or on Tuesday to find out what is happening. In the meantime she is staying with Sandra (her late brother’s companion) who knowing Sandra will be giving her the best of attention.
There is a prize giving ceremony during which bridge players do what they do best – being rude and speaking the whole time – think Central Synagogue times ten. Following the ceremony there is a buffet but I have made arrangements to meet Boye for dinner as we haven’t spent much time together during the tournament and want to catch up. I talk Michael, Vivien and Ashley to join us for our 22:30 table. It was exceptionally pleasant with such a nice bunch of people and we finished up around 00:30 which made it a late night for me considering I was planning to leave at 07:00 the next morning.
My phone rings at 06:00 waking me up and when I call back the number they know nothing about the call….. strange as I know plenty IT WOKE ME UP. Anyway I get ready, pack the car and head off for my three hour drive to Pierrevert which is where I am now waiting for Michael and Vivien to arrive. The house is fine, isolated up on a hill on a very large block of land (many hectares) but could be excellent with just a few minor amenities – like a washing machine that does more than 3kgs, a bed wider than narrow which even so narrow the linen does not fit and a television greater than eleven inches. On the plus side the pool and surrounds are superb, the kitchen well appointed and it will be just fine for the next six days.
So now for a six day chill – which is what I hear all you in Sydney are doing. I am hoping to finally rid myself of this cough once and for all. Chuck Norris dubbed into French (playing in the background) si nothing special for anybody interested.
Love to all.
XD
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A few days More at the Euro Championships
I take my washing to the laundrette where the old Italian woman refuses to let me use the larger machine because I didn’t have enough washing – I guess the customer is not always right in Italy. Back to the hotel for a short nap to recharge followed by a very long walk, snack dinner in the hotel room and a relatively early night.
I have written an article for every day though some get pushed back due to space constraints. I am not really enjoying the Bulletin Room. Some of those who work there are exceptionally full of their own self-importance. At no stage have they done anything to make me feel welcome. They have not invited me to dine with them, discussed any of my articles, asked my opinion on anything. This is a well know phenomenon in the Bulletin Office but I find it very ugly.
Saturday is a nothing day. I wake up feeling like shit – sore throat and coughing but somehow feel I am over the worst of it. I go to the venue and watch some bridge and go back to the hotel. Feeling unsettled I go for a lengthy walk around the shops for want of something to do and see many bridge players enjoying their successes or drowning their sorrows as the qualifying rounds have ended. I have written an article for Sunday (which gets pushed to Monday) so go back and have a rest.
At 21:00 there is a Journalists dinner hosted by the EBL President and his wife. It is at a restaurant on the beach where they rent chairs and lockers during the day. All very pleasant and I sit at a table with lovely people who I know – of course the ‘core’ Bulletin Staff gather at another table to compliment each other on what a great job they are doing.
I sit next to a good friend Maurizio di Sacco who had a narrow escape just now. He arrived back from the USA where he was inspecting the venue for 1010 World Championships. He was feeling unwell so they hospitalised him only to find he had Strep infection in his leg. He spent three weeks in hospital after which they told him he was 20% to die and 50% to lose his leg(s). Fortunately he survived both those possibilities but and is working here. I asked him about the rudeness of the players and he confesses that the directors can do more to prevent this.
Next morning there is a meeting of the IBPA (Bridge Press) executive of which I am a member after which I feel I need to write a real bridge article so will have to watch some bridge.
I watch a match and Michael comes into the Bulletin Office to give me some hands and when he tries to move a chair which unbeknown to Michael or me is there to protect a pile of cables the Editor says if too many people come into the press room he will have to ban visitors. I can take this no more as he has had a constant stream of visitors during the past week. I ask him outside for a private chat where I ask him where he gets off being so rude and unwelcoming towards me putting me very much on the outer. He says that I have alienated those in the Bulletin Office to which I say this is hardly surprising after they see his attitude towards me. He says he is happy with my work to which I tell him it would be nice to hear that rather than the constant crap.
Anyway I finish explaining to him what I think of him IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS and decide from now on I will work in the Press room and submit articles by email. I am thinking I may not be invited to work where he is the editor but that is just fine by me – as he is well known to be difficult to work with and I don’t feel I have done the wrong thing but then again neither does he.
Anyway I finish my article du’jour and wander off to do other things noting that the person in question has now become quite civilised.
Back in the hotel I ready myself for the President’s Dinner. I don my suit for its only outing this trip - pain to schlep just for this but I feel uncomfortable with everybody else wearing black tie. I walk the 3kms to the Hotel Royal and have drinks and sensational canapés on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean.
Who should come over to me but the person above – he thrusts his arm around my shoulder and says he has been discussing the matter with the other members of the Bulletin Office and perhaps I have been trying too hard and we should start over again. He slings some patronising platitudes about the quality of my articles my way and I simply responded that I have told him what I thought and all is forgotten. Who do I sit next to at dinner….. you guessed it. The entrée of pasta with pesto (tomato based go figure?) was lovely and I passed the Dorade (fish) main and finished with the ice cream, nougatine basket and surrounding berries.
Like most functions like this they start eating at 21:30 and finish around 23:30 at which time I excused myself and went back to the hotel watching a TV show before going to sleep.
Next day I have decided to take most of the day off. I get to Michael’s hotel at 08:10 and share breakfast with the eight of them. While I am dining the outside mirror of my car has been knocked off and broken despite the fact that the car was perched up on the footpath on a very (by European standard) wide road. F&*(&k – off to Nice to exchange the car which went quite smoothly and they missed the three other small “issues” I had with the car so all in all I should be OK. I have insurance with the company I rented the car from and two travel insurance policies so all will get resolved and if not I won’t let it spoil my day. My new car is a Citroen C4 Picassa – I WANT ONE BADLY. It is beautifully fitted out including an automatic brake which I discover after asking the garcon where I could find the handbrake – “Oh none he says” and it works a charm.
I mooch around Nice for a short period because I am meeting Adam and Nina Grynberg for lunch in Menton. I am early and they are late so I take the coast road from Nice through the Moyenne Corniche and La Turbie and I stop at a fruit shop I know In Eze. Mercifully they do not use facial recognition here as this is where niece Anna broke a bottle of wine last year. Some Cherries, Apricots and Nectarines (intentional capital letters in respect of the quality and taste of this fruit versus Italian).
I meet up with A and N and unfortunately the garden restaurant is closed for lunch Lundi Mardi!! We walk into the old town and take a table in an Italian style restaurant. Adam goes safe and orders the schnitzel which we decided started the size of a twenty cent piece and was beaten out to the size of a table tennis paddle. I ask for a salad chevre chaud (warm goats cheese) and stupidly ask if the chef can add some crevettes (prawns) to which the waiter explains “if everybody wants sa sa sa the restaurant would not be able to function” a true Frenchmen of old. Anyway a pleasant lunch and pleasant company we walk back to cars and part company. I drive back to Sanremo and go to the Bulletin Office where everybody is quite, well ‘charming’. I ask if an interview with Thomas Bessis would go well in the Bulletin which was gleefully accepted – wow. I interview Thomas who is a lovely guy and you will be able to read that in Wednesday’s Bulletin. I wander back to the hotel and hear thunder so decide to have crocante, bresaloa, goat’s cheese and fruit for dinner and here I am writing this blog afterwards.
Michael’s team (Reid, Jacob, Bach and Cornell) did exceptionally well to make the round of 16 in a very top quality tournament. Knowing Michael he will be disappointed with this but I think it is a splendid effort.
Well there isn’t much else to tell you for now. The tournament finishes on Saturday and I may leave on Saturday as our house in Pierrevert is booked from then but we really expected to get there on Sunday. I’ll play it by ear.
Ciao
XD
I have written an article for every day though some get pushed back due to space constraints. I am not really enjoying the Bulletin Room. Some of those who work there are exceptionally full of their own self-importance. At no stage have they done anything to make me feel welcome. They have not invited me to dine with them, discussed any of my articles, asked my opinion on anything. This is a well know phenomenon in the Bulletin Office but I find it very ugly.
Saturday is a nothing day. I wake up feeling like shit – sore throat and coughing but somehow feel I am over the worst of it. I go to the venue and watch some bridge and go back to the hotel. Feeling unsettled I go for a lengthy walk around the shops for want of something to do and see many bridge players enjoying their successes or drowning their sorrows as the qualifying rounds have ended. I have written an article for Sunday (which gets pushed to Monday) so go back and have a rest.
At 21:00 there is a Journalists dinner hosted by the EBL President and his wife. It is at a restaurant on the beach where they rent chairs and lockers during the day. All very pleasant and I sit at a table with lovely people who I know – of course the ‘core’ Bulletin Staff gather at another table to compliment each other on what a great job they are doing.
I sit next to a good friend Maurizio di Sacco who had a narrow escape just now. He arrived back from the USA where he was inspecting the venue for 1010 World Championships. He was feeling unwell so they hospitalised him only to find he had Strep infection in his leg. He spent three weeks in hospital after which they told him he was 20% to die and 50% to lose his leg(s). Fortunately he survived both those possibilities but and is working here. I asked him about the rudeness of the players and he confesses that the directors can do more to prevent this.
Next morning there is a meeting of the IBPA (Bridge Press) executive of which I am a member after which I feel I need to write a real bridge article so will have to watch some bridge.
I watch a match and Michael comes into the Bulletin Office to give me some hands and when he tries to move a chair which unbeknown to Michael or me is there to protect a pile of cables the Editor says if too many people come into the press room he will have to ban visitors. I can take this no more as he has had a constant stream of visitors during the past week. I ask him outside for a private chat where I ask him where he gets off being so rude and unwelcoming towards me putting me very much on the outer. He says that I have alienated those in the Bulletin Office to which I say this is hardly surprising after they see his attitude towards me. He says he is happy with my work to which I tell him it would be nice to hear that rather than the constant crap.
Anyway I finish explaining to him what I think of him IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS and decide from now on I will work in the Press room and submit articles by email. I am thinking I may not be invited to work where he is the editor but that is just fine by me – as he is well known to be difficult to work with and I don’t feel I have done the wrong thing but then again neither does he.
Anyway I finish my article du’jour and wander off to do other things noting that the person in question has now become quite civilised.
Back in the hotel I ready myself for the President’s Dinner. I don my suit for its only outing this trip - pain to schlep just for this but I feel uncomfortable with everybody else wearing black tie. I walk the 3kms to the Hotel Royal and have drinks and sensational canapés on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean.
Who should come over to me but the person above – he thrusts his arm around my shoulder and says he has been discussing the matter with the other members of the Bulletin Office and perhaps I have been trying too hard and we should start over again. He slings some patronising platitudes about the quality of my articles my way and I simply responded that I have told him what I thought and all is forgotten. Who do I sit next to at dinner….. you guessed it. The entrée of pasta with pesto (tomato based go figure?) was lovely and I passed the Dorade (fish) main and finished with the ice cream, nougatine basket and surrounding berries.
Like most functions like this they start eating at 21:30 and finish around 23:30 at which time I excused myself and went back to the hotel watching a TV show before going to sleep.
Next day I have decided to take most of the day off. I get to Michael’s hotel at 08:10 and share breakfast with the eight of them. While I am dining the outside mirror of my car has been knocked off and broken despite the fact that the car was perched up on the footpath on a very (by European standard) wide road. F&*(&k – off to Nice to exchange the car which went quite smoothly and they missed the three other small “issues” I had with the car so all in all I should be OK. I have insurance with the company I rented the car from and two travel insurance policies so all will get resolved and if not I won’t let it spoil my day. My new car is a Citroen C4 Picassa – I WANT ONE BADLY. It is beautifully fitted out including an automatic brake which I discover after asking the garcon where I could find the handbrake – “Oh none he says” and it works a charm.
I mooch around Nice for a short period because I am meeting Adam and Nina Grynberg for lunch in Menton. I am early and they are late so I take the coast road from Nice through the Moyenne Corniche and La Turbie and I stop at a fruit shop I know In Eze. Mercifully they do not use facial recognition here as this is where niece Anna broke a bottle of wine last year. Some Cherries, Apricots and Nectarines (intentional capital letters in respect of the quality and taste of this fruit versus Italian).
I meet up with A and N and unfortunately the garden restaurant is closed for lunch Lundi Mardi!! We walk into the old town and take a table in an Italian style restaurant. Adam goes safe and orders the schnitzel which we decided started the size of a twenty cent piece and was beaten out to the size of a table tennis paddle. I ask for a salad chevre chaud (warm goats cheese) and stupidly ask if the chef can add some crevettes (prawns) to which the waiter explains “if everybody wants sa sa sa the restaurant would not be able to function” a true Frenchmen of old. Anyway a pleasant lunch and pleasant company we walk back to cars and part company. I drive back to Sanremo and go to the Bulletin Office where everybody is quite, well ‘charming’. I ask if an interview with Thomas Bessis would go well in the Bulletin which was gleefully accepted – wow. I interview Thomas who is a lovely guy and you will be able to read that in Wednesday’s Bulletin. I wander back to the hotel and hear thunder so decide to have crocante, bresaloa, goat’s cheese and fruit for dinner and here I am writing this blog afterwards.
Michael’s team (Reid, Jacob, Bach and Cornell) did exceptionally well to make the round of 16 in a very top quality tournament. Knowing Michael he will be disappointed with this but I think it is a splendid effort.
Well there isn’t much else to tell you for now. The tournament finishes on Saturday and I may leave on Saturday as our house in Pierrevert is booked from then but we really expected to get there on Sunday. I’ll play it by ear.
Ciao
XD
Friday, June 19, 2009
First Week Comes to an End
Monday evening 21:15 and I am a bit frazzled from played 56 boards behind screens and writing some articles so I decide on a long walk. I walk along the marina waterfront past boats of every size and type. The GFC seems to be taking its toll as many of them have for sale signs on them. As I reach the end I come to a beach made of pebbles and it occurs to me that the sandy beach of San Remo is probably man-made.
I then start walking around a residential neighbourhood where my senses are invaded by the most beautiful smell of home cooked Italian dinners – certainly not pizza and pasta like downtown Sanremo. I continue my walk back into town and stumble on a small Chinese restaurant and have a plate of Gamberi (prawns) and home to bed feeling much better than I did one and half hours earlier.
Next morning and my chest feels rattly this combined with the frequent asthma I have been suffering since arriving in Sanremo suggests a climate very close to Sydney. Another boring breakfast of omelette sitting on a plate in the opening getting cold waiting for people brave enough to eat it, yoghurt and a huge selection of jams – ok orange marmalade only.
I haven’t seen Michael and Vivien Cornell to wish them good luck in the round of 8. I should note that I was most pleased to make the final 16 and am very proud that Michael has made the final 8. This is a very tough tournament. Even though there are only 90+ teams many of them have world champions. Erichsen was knocked out in the round of 32 while Lavazza in the round of 16. Michael defeated the third seeds in the round of 32.
Some reflections on Sanremo. It is a pleasant enough Mediterranean seaside town. In my walk last night I noticed that many of the apartments must have originally been grand villas on large blocks of land that have been subsequently converted– something that has probably lowered the stature of the place.
The people seem to bustle about mostly on motorcycles giving little rights to the pedestrians. Crossing the road is a game of chicken. I will say that this is not a young person’s town as I rarely see any youngsters except perhaps in Piazza at night. The majority of shops are small with limited stock and variety but that is obviously what works for them. The streets are punctuated with North Africans offering fake watches.
In summary a pleasant enough place but not one I would choose for a holiday. The next Euro Championships which are National and not open will be held near Ostend in Belgium while the one after (which will be Open) will likely be in Bulgaria. I am hopeful for a gig at either or both. The WBF have also just announced that the next Open World Championships will be held in October 2010 in Philadelphia which they chose over Las Vegas – please show me who made this decision as they would be deserving of running GM in the USA. The supposed reason is that it closer for the Europeans to travel to being on the East Coast of the USA. I would have much preferred the original choice of St Petersburg but that became a victim of GFC.
Work on the Bulletin goes well. The four editors/co-editors do much of the intensive match reporting and analytical work and while there are five other journalists listed I seem to be the only one writing articles – as I enjoy doing it I am just fine with this. I have had a few compliments and no criticisms so am comfortable with what I am doing.
I spend the day writing including an article with Gianarrigo Rona, president of the EBL and possibly next president of the WBF with whom I am very friendly following my putting forward my views to him on the ill-fated Menton tournament. It was in fact he who invited me to attend here.
That night, Tuesday, I had agreed to go to Imperia (40kms south) with David Beauchamp but I asked him if he would mind going to Menton (30kms NW) for some French food and he jumped at the opportunity. We invited Peter Gill and his partner Kate Davies from NZ to join us. We went to a restaurant I knew in the gardens of hotel in Menton and had a sensational meal – foigras, coquille St Jacque (scallops) and mixed berries – company, meal and surroundings all excellent. Good move as it forms the basis of a good article for the Thursday Bulletin.
We go back via the coastal road and I get to bed at midnight.
Michael, Vivien, Tom Steph get knocked out in the round of 8 but are pleased to make it that far. That evening I go to dinner with David Beauchamp, David Gold of England and his partner, Helen and Espen Erichsen. We return to the Morgana Bay which is my fourth meal there but the combination of the freshest sashimi/sushi and outstanding Mediterranean fare makes it a no competition for me. I go for the suhi/sashimi/tempura which we all share of entrée and an ‘exotica’ salad with crab and prawns. We share six deserts 1, 2, 5, 7 and the bottom two as I told the waitress – a story on this later.
Next morning, Thursday, chest is worse and I am debating whether to go to the pharmacy. Anyway off to work. I arrive and start penning some bits and pieces. I decide to watch the Mixed Pairs Final first round of 2. I elect to follow around Boye and Tonje Brogeland expecting some good hands. My article takes a dark twist as I end up writing about five bad hands they had. They end up finishing 5th and I suspect will be disappointed to see my article as almost any of the hands I wrote up could have seen them win.
Michael and Vivien start off well. I come up after 20 boards of the 52 board final to see them running 3rd. I rush down to get my camera to take a picture only to find when I get back that they have slipped to 7th. They ended up fading badly finishing 41st but this is not surprising as they had been playing almost constantly for five days and at this level that is tiring.
David Beauchamp, Michael’s Team and Ashley Bach who has now joined us, again go to the Morgana Bay for a similar meal after which the beautiful Cuban waitress asks, 1, 2, 5 and 7 and the bottom two. But we passed on dessert. David Beauchamp and I have drinks while watching the last 30 minutes of Egypt beating 1-0 Azzura at football and then off to bed.
Next morning and I start antibiotics. Don’t know if it will help but I am taking the chicken soup approach – won’t hurt. I have agreed to pick up Vivien Cornell, Louise Leibowitz, Elizabeth Blackham and Steph Jacobs and go to the Ventimiglia markets. I have breakfast at their hotel which is a substantial improvement over mine and we reach Vent.. around 10:00. As we drive around a motorcycle pulls up next to me asking if we wished a private parking space he had one available for €5. He guides me to the car park at the rear of his apartment block where there are 15 spaces.
We all shop with me buying a woollen cardigan with removable sleeves and some presents and the girls buying clothes, handbags etc. We go to Menton to book for dinner next Wednesday and have lunch at the same restaurant I had dinner at three days ago. Kindly the girls shared the cost of my lunch in return for the chauffeuring services. I buy two prepaid boxes at the post office to send some items back to Australia and we head back where I write this update.
Ciao
D
I then start walking around a residential neighbourhood where my senses are invaded by the most beautiful smell of home cooked Italian dinners – certainly not pizza and pasta like downtown Sanremo. I continue my walk back into town and stumble on a small Chinese restaurant and have a plate of Gamberi (prawns) and home to bed feeling much better than I did one and half hours earlier.
Next morning and my chest feels rattly this combined with the frequent asthma I have been suffering since arriving in Sanremo suggests a climate very close to Sydney. Another boring breakfast of omelette sitting on a plate in the opening getting cold waiting for people brave enough to eat it, yoghurt and a huge selection of jams – ok orange marmalade only.
I haven’t seen Michael and Vivien Cornell to wish them good luck in the round of 8. I should note that I was most pleased to make the final 16 and am very proud that Michael has made the final 8. This is a very tough tournament. Even though there are only 90+ teams many of them have world champions. Erichsen was knocked out in the round of 32 while Lavazza in the round of 16. Michael defeated the third seeds in the round of 32.
Some reflections on Sanremo. It is a pleasant enough Mediterranean seaside town. In my walk last night I noticed that many of the apartments must have originally been grand villas on large blocks of land that have been subsequently converted– something that has probably lowered the stature of the place.
The people seem to bustle about mostly on motorcycles giving little rights to the pedestrians. Crossing the road is a game of chicken. I will say that this is not a young person’s town as I rarely see any youngsters except perhaps in Piazza at night. The majority of shops are small with limited stock and variety but that is obviously what works for them. The streets are punctuated with North Africans offering fake watches.
In summary a pleasant enough place but not one I would choose for a holiday. The next Euro Championships which are National and not open will be held near Ostend in Belgium while the one after (which will be Open) will likely be in Bulgaria. I am hopeful for a gig at either or both. The WBF have also just announced that the next Open World Championships will be held in October 2010 in Philadelphia which they chose over Las Vegas – please show me who made this decision as they would be deserving of running GM in the USA. The supposed reason is that it closer for the Europeans to travel to being on the East Coast of the USA. I would have much preferred the original choice of St Petersburg but that became a victim of GFC.
Work on the Bulletin goes well. The four editors/co-editors do much of the intensive match reporting and analytical work and while there are five other journalists listed I seem to be the only one writing articles – as I enjoy doing it I am just fine with this. I have had a few compliments and no criticisms so am comfortable with what I am doing.
I spend the day writing including an article with Gianarrigo Rona, president of the EBL and possibly next president of the WBF with whom I am very friendly following my putting forward my views to him on the ill-fated Menton tournament. It was in fact he who invited me to attend here.
That night, Tuesday, I had agreed to go to Imperia (40kms south) with David Beauchamp but I asked him if he would mind going to Menton (30kms NW) for some French food and he jumped at the opportunity. We invited Peter Gill and his partner Kate Davies from NZ to join us. We went to a restaurant I knew in the gardens of hotel in Menton and had a sensational meal – foigras, coquille St Jacque (scallops) and mixed berries – company, meal and surroundings all excellent. Good move as it forms the basis of a good article for the Thursday Bulletin.
We go back via the coastal road and I get to bed at midnight.
Michael, Vivien, Tom Steph get knocked out in the round of 8 but are pleased to make it that far. That evening I go to dinner with David Beauchamp, David Gold of England and his partner, Helen and Espen Erichsen. We return to the Morgana Bay which is my fourth meal there but the combination of the freshest sashimi/sushi and outstanding Mediterranean fare makes it a no competition for me. I go for the suhi/sashimi/tempura which we all share of entrée and an ‘exotica’ salad with crab and prawns. We share six deserts 1, 2, 5, 7 and the bottom two as I told the waitress – a story on this later.
Next morning, Thursday, chest is worse and I am debating whether to go to the pharmacy. Anyway off to work. I arrive and start penning some bits and pieces. I decide to watch the Mixed Pairs Final first round of 2. I elect to follow around Boye and Tonje Brogeland expecting some good hands. My article takes a dark twist as I end up writing about five bad hands they had. They end up finishing 5th and I suspect will be disappointed to see my article as almost any of the hands I wrote up could have seen them win.
Michael and Vivien start off well. I come up after 20 boards of the 52 board final to see them running 3rd. I rush down to get my camera to take a picture only to find when I get back that they have slipped to 7th. They ended up fading badly finishing 41st but this is not surprising as they had been playing almost constantly for five days and at this level that is tiring.
David Beauchamp, Michael’s Team and Ashley Bach who has now joined us, again go to the Morgana Bay for a similar meal after which the beautiful Cuban waitress asks, 1, 2, 5 and 7 and the bottom two. But we passed on dessert. David Beauchamp and I have drinks while watching the last 30 minutes of Egypt beating 1-0 Azzura at football and then off to bed.
Next morning and I start antibiotics. Don’t know if it will help but I am taking the chicken soup approach – won’t hurt. I have agreed to pick up Vivien Cornell, Louise Leibowitz, Elizabeth Blackham and Steph Jacobs and go to the Ventimiglia markets. I have breakfast at their hotel which is a substantial improvement over mine and we reach Vent.. around 10:00. As we drive around a motorcycle pulls up next to me asking if we wished a private parking space he had one available for €5. He guides me to the car park at the rear of his apartment block where there are 15 spaces.
We all shop with me buying a woollen cardigan with removable sleeves and some presents and the girls buying clothes, handbags etc. We go to Menton to book for dinner next Wednesday and have lunch at the same restaurant I had dinner at three days ago. Kindly the girls shared the cost of my lunch in return for the chauffeuring services. I buy two prepaid boxes at the post office to send some items back to Australia and we head back where I write this update.
Ciao
D
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sanremo and Tourney to Monday Night
The opening ceremony is underwhelmingly attended mainly due to the fact that it wasn’t well advertised and the invitations were contained in bags not handed out till the next morning. However one speech and some nice food and drink and chats with those who were there that I did know. Back to the hotel for a review of my system notes and some sleep.
I arrive at the venue and I am not sure who is more nervous me or my partner – no it’s settled, my partner. We discuss some last minute things none of which will arise I am sure and off to play. Our results for the five sessions are 17/13, 20/10, 10/20, 23/7 and 25/2. The group finishes
Romania 102
Callaghan (with me) 95
Croatia 79
Payen 62
Indemini 60
Herbst 49
I wont include any hands in this blog as anything of interest will appear in the Bulletin (link below). During lunch and immediately after the session I slave away to complete a three page article. I declare it finished and am politely told that that the copy closed two hours ago. I am feeling like the newbie being hazed by the experienced journos here but they assure me that hands from the previous day are OK to be used the following day.
To continue the food theme I have found the largest and most tasty apricots I have ever eaten and this becomes a wonderful lunch and snack while the coffee bar in the Pala Fiori (former flower market) where the bridge is being played.
The playing conditions are wonderful – airy, roomy and apart from the occasional dark spot it is also well lit. Interestingly the number of Americans playing in the Mixed Teams is low but will increase when the Open/Women’s/Seniors teams starts.
The combination of Mediterranean city, proximity to the sea and bridge is quite alluring. The only minor problem for me is pizza/pasta but I may make an effort to find somewhere else.
All of my friends have gone to dinner and slightly disappointingly, although they all said we will dine together, none of them told me where they were eating. So a slightly solitary McDonalds croquettes spinacia and parmesan Regianna (bloody good) followed by a gelato and back towards my hotel.
I run into Peter Gill and given my need for company we spend 30 minutes sitting on the street bench shooting the breeze about bridge and other world issues and then I head back to the hotel.
Next morning and I wake early and decide for some reason which has since become clear I decide to go for a walk. I manage to find the self-serve laundry but my joy turns to despair as I see that a load of washing costs $A12 while 25 minutes of drying will cost $A16. I mentally do the maths and washing my underwear and socks and sending the rest to the hotel service sounds much cheaper but the problem there is that the boil and then fry the clothes and my only just fitting shorts become too small. Given that I have been given two shirts as a uniform the problem is certainly nor an immediate one.
I am sitting here as the bells in the adjacent church ring as they seem to do regularly and one wit says “ah Quasimodo again”. So 27 of the 45 teams in our A Swiss will qualify for the round of 32. We have a very small carry forward to recognise that we finished second and start well winning our first match 22-8 which sees us running 2nd. I should however point out that during this day I only played match four as my guilt in not doing enough works sets in.
I arrive at the venue and I am not sure who is more nervous me or my partner – no it’s settled, my partner. We discuss some last minute things none of which will arise I am sure and off to play. Our results for the five sessions are 17/13, 20/10, 10/20, 23/7 and 25/2. The group finishes
Romania 102
Callaghan (with me) 95
Croatia 79
Payen 62
Indemini 60
Herbst 49
I wont include any hands in this blog as anything of interest will appear in the Bulletin (link below). During lunch and immediately after the session I slave away to complete a three page article. I declare it finished and am politely told that that the copy closed two hours ago. I am feeling like the newbie being hazed by the experienced journos here but they assure me that hands from the previous day are OK to be used the following day.
To continue the food theme I have found the largest and most tasty apricots I have ever eaten and this becomes a wonderful lunch and snack while the coffee bar in the Pala Fiori (former flower market) where the bridge is being played.
The playing conditions are wonderful – airy, roomy and apart from the occasional dark spot it is also well lit. Interestingly the number of Americans playing in the Mixed Teams is low but will increase when the Open/Women’s/Seniors teams starts.
The combination of Mediterranean city, proximity to the sea and bridge is quite alluring. The only minor problem for me is pizza/pasta but I may make an effort to find somewhere else.
All of my friends have gone to dinner and slightly disappointingly, although they all said we will dine together, none of them told me where they were eating. So a slightly solitary McDonalds croquettes spinacia and parmesan Regianna (bloody good) followed by a gelato and back towards my hotel.
I run into Peter Gill and given my need for company we spend 30 minutes sitting on the street bench shooting the breeze about bridge and other world issues and then I head back to the hotel.
Next morning and I wake early and decide for some reason which has since become clear I decide to go for a walk. I manage to find the self-serve laundry but my joy turns to despair as I see that a load of washing costs $A12 while 25 minutes of drying will cost $A16. I mentally do the maths and washing my underwear and socks and sending the rest to the hotel service sounds much cheaper but the problem there is that the boil and then fry the clothes and my only just fitting shorts become too small. Given that I have been given two shirts as a uniform the problem is certainly nor an immediate one.
I am sitting here as the bells in the adjacent church ring as they seem to do regularly and one wit says “ah Quasimodo again”. So 27 of the 45 teams in our A Swiss will qualify for the round of 32. We have a very small carry forward to recognise that we finished second and start well winning our first match 22-8 which sees us running 2nd. I should however point out that during this day I only played match four as my guilt in not doing enough works sets in.
The dream run continues as wwe win 20-10 and move to fourth place. We are now on BBO and again win 16-14 slipping to 6th place. The team feels I should play and now the rot sets in. We lose 10-20 but are still 10th 11 ahead of the cut off score. I sit in the Bulletin Office watching the final match as we sink to 15th, 18th and finally settle 21st qualifying to the round of 32 the next day. The good news is that Michael and Vivien Cornell also qualified.
After the captain's meeting we head for the Marina restaurant for a wondeful combination of some of the freshest sushi and sashimi entrees and Mediterranean mains. Bed again arrives late about midnight with an early wake up this morning. We play the first 14 of a 28 board match against a team we had played in our pool and are leading by 10. Now however our team is four so I have to play every session. We add another 18 imps to make the round of 16 as does Michael/Vivien's team.
However the field finally caught up with us as we lost sizeably to the de Botton Team. Interestingly Janet de Botton is wealthier than the Queen of England and has a wing of the Tate Gallery in her name reflecting her sizeable art portfolio.
So I am sitting here writing some articles and must go for now.
DavidThursday, June 11, 2009
More of the Beauty of Provence
Monday morning and I surprised that I didn’t have any emails until I realised it was a public holiday in Sydney – phew I thought nobody loved me.
For those who have followed below it seems that those flown in to vote have carried the day as Hezbollah and Syria failed to take control in the elections. At the same time the zenophobes seem to have done well in the European elections.
I set off at 09:30 for Cannes arriving at the fruit market to have cherries for breakfast and an early coffee. This was followed by a three hour walk down the back streets of Cannes. Nothing new at all on the shopping front but the vista and weather are most enticing.
Around lunch time I head for Grasse. Grasse has been a perfume town ever since the 17th century, and today is the world's perfume capital. Grasse perfume and food aromas produce two thirds of total French total employing 2,700 people generating a turnover of 600 million Euros. Two million tourists visit the perfume museum, perfume factories and perfume shops every year.
I did a tour of the Museum of Perfume and went to the Fragonard exhibition and - you guessed it – shop where I didn’t feel obliged to buy anything. I also bought two lengths of Provence coated (enduit) tablecloths and the shopkeeper kindly put edges around them as I walked around. I engineered my car out of the narrowest car park and surrounding streets and headed back to my apartment stopping at the supermarket on the way.
I had a spa and sauna before heading back to Cannes – it is only 10 minutes away – for another walk along the waterfront which I had not done in the morning. All in all I am guessing I walked 12+ kms during the day and my legs are tired. I found an artists gallery where there is a painting I fall in love with but alas and on the other hand with delight it is already sold – but it was beautiful. Back to the hotel at 21:00.
All is well with the world – I found the laundry at the hotel which I employed while I prepared my dinner of Mushroom soup (infinitely better than the Dubai version of same) and salad with warm goat’s cheese – yes you can buy goats cheese made to be heated and added to salad – it is served in most restaurants as well inspiring me to buy it and prepare it for dinner. A nice change from restaurant food. Off to bed zzzz.
Up very early next morning and thankful that I had bought some smoked salmon – yes my holidays are all about food as has been noted in previous blogs. I sit down with my girlfriend as the kids call it – GPS to you folks – and plan a route to Tourettes Sur Loup, St Paul de Vence, Cap Ferrat (where I have taken out a second mortgage for my planned cup of coffee in the gardens of the hotel) and Nice. I hit the road about 08:00 as I am planning a nap this afternoon and dinner and some photos up in ‘old’ Mougins tonight – where I will be driving and not walking.
By the time I got to Vence the weather had cleared and it was a clear and sunny 22 degrees. I walked around for two hours before having a light lunch. Then off to what this visit reminded me is one of my favourite places in the world – St Paul de Vence. It is hard to describe why it is so delicious but the winding hilly streets leading past a vast number of galleries with interesting art, sculptures and crystal pieces, the view from every nook and cranny seems to be the essence of Provence for me. I called in to a couple of galleries and I must say that all of the artists, owners and shop assistants were welcoming and charming. I know that this is what one would expect of people trying to sell to you but remember the reputation that the French have.
My time in St P de V took up so much time that Cap Ferrat and Nice had to wait for another time. Back to my apartment for a rest and planned dinner in historic Mougins.
Much as I try I simply cannot capture the essence and beauty of places in Provence. Perhaps this is why painters come here to see if they can manage to do it. I normally like hustle and bustle but I have found that sitting in cafes or in the middle villages and enjoying the peace and tranquillity is exceptionally enjoyable. Here are some of the images I took http://users.tpg.com.au/davstern/provence/
I go up to a café for a simple meal in Mougins and meet a young French student and we end up dining together. He is studying Geography and starting a masters in Town Planning. We strike a deal whereby he will show me around Nice the next day and I will buy him lunch and dinner – sounds fair to me. His family was from Grasse originally so he knew the area very well.
Next day I pick him up around 11:00 and he takes me to a place called Gerault which is on the hill with a very spectacular view of Nice. We then went to the markets and the old part of nice through the winding streets. We decided to go to Monaco for lunch – sounds so decadent really but as we took the turnoff at La Turbie to go down the road past Cap d’Ail to Monte Carlo the traffic was completely backed up so I made a U-Turn and a Thai meal in old Nice did just fine. He showed me more parts of Nice and I must say that this another one of those cities that isn’t very interesting from the outside but when somebody who knows the place well shows you some hidden treasures it turns out to be quite likeable.
We settle on a café he knew well for a light dinner and bade him adieu for a most enjoyable day exchanging email addresses in case he ever find himself in Australia. And yes I did find out his life story but that might be boring here.
I did my washing because I could not possibly leave Mougins with dirty washing – who knows what laundry facilities lie ahead.
Next morning up; early, final packing although it didn’t need to be too well done as I was moving by car from one hotel to another where I will be for 17 nights and intend to fully unpack. I go to Monte Carlo intent on having my lunch there and have a lovely baguette at Lina’s café – a place where Linda and I had many lunches when we spent two weeks during the bridge in Monte Carlo. A quick walk around the wealth, sorry I mean the streets of Monte Carlo and decide to take the coast road through Menton, another town where Linda, Bobby and I had rented the Villa Arcadia for two weeks during a bridge tournament there – all a bit sad really – but I am intent on recalling the very pleasant times we had there.
Across the border to Italy – border shmorder. It is an abandoned and unmanned crossing and has no significance whatsoever. Ventimiglia where I am planning to go to the markets tomorrow depending on the agenda involving journalists for the day and to San Remo.
I arrive at the hotel Marinella – a three star hotel where I have a room with a balcony and lateral views of the ocean – that is the word they used in their email to me. Lateral – from the Italian meaning can be seen with a mirror on the end of a long stick provided you can also bend your head 180 degrees. However the shoe box – sorry I mean room – wasn’t to my taste so I was moved to a larger room without a balcony but at least here I could turn around without hitting anything.
So here I am ready for bridge, writing and a test for what I am hoping will became a late life career or being paid to fly around the world to attend bridge tournaments as either a BBO manager, journalist or Vugraph commentator – sound like fun to me.
So à bientôt
XD
For those who have followed below it seems that those flown in to vote have carried the day as Hezbollah and Syria failed to take control in the elections. At the same time the zenophobes seem to have done well in the European elections.
I set off at 09:30 for Cannes arriving at the fruit market to have cherries for breakfast and an early coffee. This was followed by a three hour walk down the back streets of Cannes. Nothing new at all on the shopping front but the vista and weather are most enticing.
Around lunch time I head for Grasse. Grasse has been a perfume town ever since the 17th century, and today is the world's perfume capital. Grasse perfume and food aromas produce two thirds of total French total employing 2,700 people generating a turnover of 600 million Euros. Two million tourists visit the perfume museum, perfume factories and perfume shops every year.
I did a tour of the Museum of Perfume and went to the Fragonard exhibition and - you guessed it – shop where I didn’t feel obliged to buy anything. I also bought two lengths of Provence coated (enduit) tablecloths and the shopkeeper kindly put edges around them as I walked around. I engineered my car out of the narrowest car park and surrounding streets and headed back to my apartment stopping at the supermarket on the way.
I had a spa and sauna before heading back to Cannes – it is only 10 minutes away – for another walk along the waterfront which I had not done in the morning. All in all I am guessing I walked 12+ kms during the day and my legs are tired. I found an artists gallery where there is a painting I fall in love with but alas and on the other hand with delight it is already sold – but it was beautiful. Back to the hotel at 21:00.
All is well with the world – I found the laundry at the hotel which I employed while I prepared my dinner of Mushroom soup (infinitely better than the Dubai version of same) and salad with warm goat’s cheese – yes you can buy goats cheese made to be heated and added to salad – it is served in most restaurants as well inspiring me to buy it and prepare it for dinner. A nice change from restaurant food. Off to bed zzzz.
Up very early next morning and thankful that I had bought some smoked salmon – yes my holidays are all about food as has been noted in previous blogs. I sit down with my girlfriend as the kids call it – GPS to you folks – and plan a route to Tourettes Sur Loup, St Paul de Vence, Cap Ferrat (where I have taken out a second mortgage for my planned cup of coffee in the gardens of the hotel) and Nice. I hit the road about 08:00 as I am planning a nap this afternoon and dinner and some photos up in ‘old’ Mougins tonight – where I will be driving and not walking.
By the time I got to Vence the weather had cleared and it was a clear and sunny 22 degrees. I walked around for two hours before having a light lunch. Then off to what this visit reminded me is one of my favourite places in the world – St Paul de Vence. It is hard to describe why it is so delicious but the winding hilly streets leading past a vast number of galleries with interesting art, sculptures and crystal pieces, the view from every nook and cranny seems to be the essence of Provence for me. I called in to a couple of galleries and I must say that all of the artists, owners and shop assistants were welcoming and charming. I know that this is what one would expect of people trying to sell to you but remember the reputation that the French have.
My time in St P de V took up so much time that Cap Ferrat and Nice had to wait for another time. Back to my apartment for a rest and planned dinner in historic Mougins.
Much as I try I simply cannot capture the essence and beauty of places in Provence. Perhaps this is why painters come here to see if they can manage to do it. I normally like hustle and bustle but I have found that sitting in cafes or in the middle villages and enjoying the peace and tranquillity is exceptionally enjoyable. Here are some of the images I took http://users.tpg.com.au/davstern/provence/
I go up to a café for a simple meal in Mougins and meet a young French student and we end up dining together. He is studying Geography and starting a masters in Town Planning. We strike a deal whereby he will show me around Nice the next day and I will buy him lunch and dinner – sounds fair to me. His family was from Grasse originally so he knew the area very well.
Next day I pick him up around 11:00 and he takes me to a place called Gerault which is on the hill with a very spectacular view of Nice. We then went to the markets and the old part of nice through the winding streets. We decided to go to Monaco for lunch – sounds so decadent really but as we took the turnoff at La Turbie to go down the road past Cap d’Ail to Monte Carlo the traffic was completely backed up so I made a U-Turn and a Thai meal in old Nice did just fine. He showed me more parts of Nice and I must say that this another one of those cities that isn’t very interesting from the outside but when somebody who knows the place well shows you some hidden treasures it turns out to be quite likeable.
We settle on a café he knew well for a light dinner and bade him adieu for a most enjoyable day exchanging email addresses in case he ever find himself in Australia. And yes I did find out his life story but that might be boring here.
I did my washing because I could not possibly leave Mougins with dirty washing – who knows what laundry facilities lie ahead.
Next morning up; early, final packing although it didn’t need to be too well done as I was moving by car from one hotel to another where I will be for 17 nights and intend to fully unpack. I go to Monte Carlo intent on having my lunch there and have a lovely baguette at Lina’s café – a place where Linda and I had many lunches when we spent two weeks during the bridge in Monte Carlo. A quick walk around the wealth, sorry I mean the streets of Monte Carlo and decide to take the coast road through Menton, another town where Linda, Bobby and I had rented the Villa Arcadia for two weeks during a bridge tournament there – all a bit sad really – but I am intent on recalling the very pleasant times we had there.
Across the border to Italy – border shmorder. It is an abandoned and unmanned crossing and has no significance whatsoever. Ventimiglia where I am planning to go to the markets tomorrow depending on the agenda involving journalists for the day and to San Remo.
I arrive at the hotel Marinella – a three star hotel where I have a room with a balcony and lateral views of the ocean – that is the word they used in their email to me. Lateral – from the Italian meaning can be seen with a mirror on the end of a long stick provided you can also bend your head 180 degrees. However the shoe box – sorry I mean room – wasn’t to my taste so I was moved to a larger room without a balcony but at least here I could turn around without hitting anything.
So here I am ready for bridge, writing and a test for what I am hoping will became a late life career or being paid to fly around the world to attend bridge tournaments as either a BBO manager, journalist or Vugraph commentator – sound like fun to me.
So à bientôt
XD
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I cross the road to the Mall of Emirates where I grab some breakfast. Note to self: Mushroom soup means tinned not fresh mushroom soup. I mooch around the shops feeling quite perky despite the long plane ride. This Mall (sorry to use that word) houses Ski Dubai a 400m ski slope chairlift and all and is quite amazing to see.
The shopping centre (that’s better) is super sized but nothing special in terms of the fact that it houses all of the traders you can imagine but importantly all of which are available in Australia. Prices are comparable to home so nothing grabs my attention. After buying blackberries from Spain, Red currents from Netherlands and strawberries from France at Carrefour for breakfast tomorrow I head back to the hotel.
After a rest I head back to the Mall at 15:00 for brunch at the Kempinsky Hotel. This lunch which cost $A50 consisted of five stations serving freshly cooked Indian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Desert and Beverages and certainly hit the spot for what would become my lunch and Dinner.
The next time somebody complains about the cost of espresso coffee in Sydney I may have words. The price in Sydney seems to be between $3 and on the expensive side $4. Here in Dubai and in fact most parts of the world it is north of $6 for coffee which in general (surprisingly not here in Dubai) is vastly inferior.
At around 18:00 I head back for the hotel where I stay in for the night going to bed at 19:00. Not surprisingly I wake at 01:00 so take a sleeping pill and sleep and wake at 06:30 feeling very refreshed indeed and watch a movie – Miss Potter, recommended if you haven’t seen it yet.
Berries for breakfast as I ready for a mooch around the city. I decide to go to Jumeirah Beach Resort for breakfast sitting by the beach of pure white sand enjoying my smoked salmon, freshly cooked pancake and accompaniments. I rationalised it as $30 food and $20 rental for the seat with a beautiful view.
I spoke to the two German tourists next to me who had a 14 day package for their third trip to Dubai. They say they love it and find the shopping incredibly cheap – don’t ask me where as I haven’t seen any of it but the Dubai Summer Sale starts next week for 2 months so maybe that was what they were referring to – although my guess is that these sales would simply bring it down to Aussie prices.
Danz and I have a rule not to eat in hotel based restaurants but I have discovered that in Dubai at least, all the fine dining is in the hotel restaurants with all Michelin Chefs based in same. I decided to try and make a booking at the Marina Restaurant – underwater and generally regarded as one of the finest in this part of the world. My wallet took a deep breath when they advised that the restaurant isn’t open on Saturday or Sunday evenings – go figure. Later in the day when I tried another restaurant at the Shangri-La - same problem.
So I move Al Fahidi street where there is the electronic souq (Souq/Souk=Arab word for market). Nothing here so I move to the gold, spice and perfume souqs which were all very interesting and entertaining – I bought nothing but always like looking.
It was interesting to see all the parking meter machines being solar powered – I guess that there is enough sun here to guarantee they will work. I wondered if a letter explaining that the machine didn’t get enough sun so couldn’t dispense my ticket would work in a letter to Paramatta. On that note the hall lights in the hotel turn on when you enter the hallways and then turn off.
I then head off to the Dubai Mall which is claimed to be the biggest mall in the world and is next to the tallest building in the world. Well it is large (think Westfield BJ times four) and I suspect that any company in the world that has a name felt it necessary to be there – you name it and they are there – Cartier, Patek Philipe, Rockport, Nike, Adidas, IWC Schaffhausen, Lacoste, CAT, Merrill, four department stores etc etc etc.
Dubai is a very interesting place. When you think that in 1950 there was no airport and fundamentally no roadways or infrastructure of any kind and that today is a bustling metropolis it is quite incredible. They are certainly suffering from the GFC with tourist numbers down, investment down and a general economic slowdown in a country that has no oil, natural resources or manufacturing industry – just a self-perpetuating economy. It will be interesting to see if and when things rebound and whether they can complete their vision.
With sore feet after being on them for six hours I head back to the hotel for a break.
There is a very clear class structure here. The Emirati citizens all have Indian, Pakistani, Filipino or Asian servants. All of the taxi drivers, and there have been plenty, have been from India or Pakistan. One told me that the local Arabs never use taxis they all have drivers – if they have four cars in the household they have four drivers. He told me that his family of four live in a subsidised one room apartment where the room is 4 metres by 6 metres plus a kitchen and bathroom. They pay $A700 per month rent and his earnings are between $A3,000 and $A4,000 per month in earnings – with no tax of course. Every shop, restaurant and hotel employee seems to be non-Arab.
I am still having trouble finding a good restaurant for the evening so tastebuds give way to sporting testosterone as I head to Rydges Hotel – another brand who didn’t want to miss out in the Dubai Bubble – to watch Australia draw 0-0 with Qatar which sounds like they have now made the 2010 World Cup. Fine dining had turned into inedible nachos and a not bad banana split.
Back to the hotel for an early night as I have to be at the airport for Nice by 07:30. Of course I wake at 04:00 and mess around until I leave the hotel at 06:30 getting to the airport and checked in 2:15 ahead of my flight – a new record for me I think.
They say you get to grow like those around you and I think I have inherited some of my sister-in-law’s traits – the one in Sydney that is. I bought a salad for breakfast and as I was getting some condiments they took the salad throwing it out, cleared the table and a young man had taken up residence at the table. Anyway we got to talking while they were making me a new salad and he was waiting for his Pizza and in just 10 minutes I discovered he:
- was 24 years old and his name was Hassan
- He likes drinking and partying
- graduated from Jordan University in Engineering
- his father was a diplomat with the Jordanian Government
- he was working in Abu Dabi for CCC the world’s third largest petrochemical engineering company founded 50 years ago and owned by two Arabs
- he was on his way to Athens for one month’s training
- he had never been outside of the Arab World
- he was not gay – OK I better explain – he asked what I knew about Mykonos as he was thinking of going there – I told him that I thought it was great if you were gay so he quickly refuted that and said he heard there were some non-gay parts of Mykonos – news to me.
Anyway moving right along – onto a ½ full flight which was quickly over after 6 episodes of Boston Legal. I arrive at Nice airport through customs, collect my baggage and welcome to France as a queue of which I was third and as I left had grown to eight were waiting to rent cars with one person working and each rental taking 20-25 minutes. I collect the car and GPS my way to Club Mougin. I got this apartment on a shortstay using my timeshare points and it is a pleasant enough place in a Provence rustic manner but will be just fine to use as a base for four nights.
As I check in I am left with a choice of internet or lovely view but not both. Leave it to you to guess which I took. After unpacking I feel like a walk and dinner so I ask at the front desk – G-d why can’t I listen to people’s advice. Svetlana advises against walking up to village as it is very steep and being a bit miffed that she must have thought I was an old man I brush this off and walk up the steepest 1.5 kms in my life only to get a asthma attach by the time I got there.
But being in Mougins was worth the effort. It is simply the most beautiful place, peaceful, tranquil with a lovely feel about it. I wonder around some of the galleries which are still open and decide on dinner at a seafood (finally) restaurant ordering an entrée assiette of seafood – 6 oysters, three prawns, some sea urchins (I think) and a bowl of the smallest prawns I have ever seen – maybe 6 could fit on a five cent piece. After this I had an entrée size lobster salad and I am done. Now don’t ask me how or why but Linda and I were always in the habit of counting our oysters – I don’t recall it ever having been a problem until NOW. Yes folks only five on this plate. I got the usual French passive resistance when I enquired about this anomaly as though perhaps I has stuck on in my pocket but the missing oyster did arrive.
The walk back was sensational. It was so peaceful as I walked past one beautiful villa after another. But these were not garish or gross but so beautifully designed to melt into the Provence surroundings. It is hard to do it justice in photos but I have grabbed a few off the internet. The only noises I heard for 15 minutes were a few birds and a dog barking.
If I thought walking back was going to be easier, my calves were so sore from the walk up they ached on the way down. Off to bed after checking bridge results from Aus and my emails.
XD
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Arrived at the airport early and checked in very quickly especially seeing that all 486 seats on the A380 were supposedly (see later) full. I had an empty seat next to my aisle seat but at the gate they told me the seat had been taken.
I boarded the plane and was well impressed. Wider seats, 10” screens, good programs and a nice roomy feel. I was in row 58 which wasn’t too bad seeing there were 88 rows. Just before takeoff six people decided they weren’t willing to proceed on the flight (hmmm that made me feel a little uneasy) but the good news is that I managed to grab one of their aisle seats with an empty seat next to me.
Sitting one seat away was a 63 year old Maranite Christian Australian originally from Lebanon. Exceptionally interestingly he and 700 other people in the past few days had been given air tickets to go back to vote in the forthcoming elections. It seems a government with deep pockets did not want the Shiite Muslims to win the elections in this particular village. Anyway turns out he is a battler with 6 children one of whom it seems works for Milne Berry Berger.
Anyway an uneventful flight during which I slept for about 6 hours watched 7 episodes of The Bill and four of Boston Legal and presto we arrived. It took just one hour from touchdown to the hotel room for which I was very grateful – especially that they had a room for me when I arrived.
A lovely suite hotel which opened just four days ago with beautifully appointed rooms and the only downside being $A35 a day for internet in the room or free in the lobby – I decided room today and lobby tomorrow being Saturday so little email activity.
I am told that Friday Brunch is a big thing in Dubai so will try and hunt it down. A shower a short rest for now.
XD
I boarded the plane and was well impressed. Wider seats, 10” screens, good programs and a nice roomy feel. I was in row 58 which wasn’t too bad seeing there were 88 rows. Just before takeoff six people decided they weren’t willing to proceed on the flight (hmmm that made me feel a little uneasy) but the good news is that I managed to grab one of their aisle seats with an empty seat next to me.
Sitting one seat away was a 63 year old Maranite Christian Australian originally from Lebanon. Exceptionally interestingly he and 700 other people in the past few days had been given air tickets to go back to vote in the forthcoming elections. It seems a government with deep pockets did not want the Shiite Muslims to win the elections in this particular village. Anyway turns out he is a battler with 6 children one of whom it seems works for Milne Berry Berger.
Anyway an uneventful flight during which I slept for about 6 hours watched 7 episodes of The Bill and four of Boston Legal and presto we arrived. It took just one hour from touchdown to the hotel room for which I was very grateful – especially that they had a room for me when I arrived.
A lovely suite hotel which opened just four days ago with beautifully appointed rooms and the only downside being $A35 a day for internet in the room or free in the lobby – I decided room today and lobby tomorrow being Saturday so little email activity.
I am told that Friday Brunch is a big thing in Dubai so will try and hunt it down. A shower a short rest for now.
XD
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Start
In December I received an email which I thought was an advertisement for the forthcoming European Bridge Championships. It contained a PDF attachment and I almost deleted it but thought I would just check the dates.
Imagine my surprise when the attachment was an invitation to be one of five journalists at the tournament - the other four being most notable bridge writers. I think it took me all of fourteen seconds to respond and accept - well it wasn't that quick because I wrote to one important client explaining I could be away for four or five weeks and whether it would be a problem - after he said no problem it took all of fourteen seconds.
I confess to being a little nervous about accepting this invitation. while I am very comfortable writing bridge articles this audience is mixed with regard to language, abilities and expectations. For example when I proposed to the editor that I could do a bridge profile each day he said that would be alright for the first day but after that it would be hands. I don't necessarily agree with that strategy but I am in their hands.
While I would have liked to use my mileage to go to Nice this would have involved going through cities in Europe as a gateway so I opted for Emirates Sydney-Dubai-Nice which includes my first experience on an Airbus 800 which i am told is quite an experience.
My recollection of San Remo was an ordinary seaside town on the Ligurian Coast so this is one time that I am hoping me memory has failed me.
As is usual with my overseas travels a 16 day tournament turns into a five week holiday. My itinerary is as follows:
Best...XD
Imagine my surprise when the attachment was an invitation to be one of five journalists at the tournament - the other four being most notable bridge writers. I think it took me all of fourteen seconds to respond and accept - well it wasn't that quick because I wrote to one important client explaining I could be away for four or five weeks and whether it would be a problem - after he said no problem it took all of fourteen seconds.
I confess to being a little nervous about accepting this invitation. while I am very comfortable writing bridge articles this audience is mixed with regard to language, abilities and expectations. For example when I proposed to the editor that I could do a bridge profile each day he said that would be alright for the first day but after that it would be hands. I don't necessarily agree with that strategy but I am in their hands.
While I would have liked to use my mileage to go to Nice this would have involved going through cities in Europe as a gateway so I opted for Emirates Sydney-Dubai-Nice which includes my first experience on an Airbus 800 which i am told is quite an experience.
My recollection of San Remo was an ordinary seaside town on the Ligurian Coast so this is one time that I am hoping me memory has failed me.
As is usual with my overseas travels a 16 day tournament turns into a five week holiday. My itinerary is as follows:
- Dubai - 2 days
- Mougin (30kms north of Cannes) 4 days
- San Remo 17 days
- Pierreverte with Michael and Vivien Cornell 6 days
- 4 days uncommitted but I would like to get into a timeshare in Cap d'Ail near Monaco which is a beautiful part of the world
Best...XD
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