Arles sur Tech

Beware…. Reading this may cause eyelids to droop giving resonance to snores, sending panic alarms to small children and neighbors. Pictures may fall off walls! 
My intent with this blog is to inform family and friends about our great adventure.  Travel as part of this adventure does not always transpire in the manner in which it is planned. However, we are here in Arles sur Tech and enjoying all it provides us.   May you find pleasure in our journey starting with that first leg of the trip.

We said no to Barcelona.  Rather it said NO to us.  The flight filled (ATL to BCN) and we couldn’t get on.   Darn!  I hate it when that happens!
 hmmm,  What next?   And, where was our luggage?   All my art materials, clothes, et al?   Did it go onward to BCN?  Yep, we were a bit tense.

Be mindful, I am married to an airline dispatcher with a PLAN B.   We weren’t stranded and could head back to the little East Point, GA home to regroup.  
Our plan B was to fly out in the morning from ATL to CVG (Cincinnati) and then from CVG to CDG (Charles DeGaulle, Paris).  Crazy, but it worked business seats and all.  Phew!
Arriving at 6 a.m., French time, our bodies were feeling rather beat up.

AND we were amazed that 3 pieces of luggage arrived!  We went to the Air France agent and somehow she saw that the forth luggage
was on the JFK to CDG flight.  Rather than our waiting for it to arrive, she had it placed on flight to Perpignan, near our final destination.  We did indeed pick up that last
valise as advised.  AMAZING. 

Meantime we had a big distance to drive.  Somehow grabbing a flow of energy, we rented a car and took turns driving southward.
Neither of us has driven down through so many regions of France.  Breathtaking panoramas and so much open space. The mountains with steep uphill and downhill grades and curves
were a little tough to navigate in our little red Twingo.  This car lacks any amount of power to climb but whizzes on the declines.

Anyway, we drove from Paris to a little town in the Auvergne after almost 8 hrs on the road. We are not wimps!  But we were ready to stop.

OMG  I love this region of France!  Spacious land, high mtns, and deep valleys, wide rivers.   Also, great food.   I ate my first real Rocquefort cheese.  Nothing compares to its smooth
texture with its totally gentle composite of flavor and cream.  I am such a fan!  Pork is big here also.  Each region has its own style.  I never thought we might be pork connoisseurs.

Sleeping soundly in a little hotel, jet lag still chased us.   We found our way back to the highway in the morning!  Some rainy weather made the skies and mountains even more
dramatic but did not slow us down.  Somewhere in our future is the dream that we will once again drive from Paris to the south of France, allowing ourselves at least 3 days for this
journey.  We passed many exits that hold our imaginations.  La prochaine temp j’espere.

Onward driving until mid-afternoon, we arrive in Arles sur Tech.  Meeting Teresa and her husband Pierre was calm and very natural. We found their home by going to the Marie (town
hall) and asking where they lived.   They both are kind and gracious.  Their home is beautiful. It’s their garden that I enter to connect to the wifi.

Arles sur Tech is truly in a part of France we know little about.  The Catalans maintain their culture through their own language, foods, wines, songs, customs and festivals.  The
Catalan sausages are not seasoned, or if so, is very gently.  However, the honey!  It comes in 3 forms (that I know of):  mild-strong, strong, and way beyond my taste buds.

We bought a Catalan honey cake, jar of honey (mild strong) and goat cheese at the local market yesterday.  Each has tastes that are not what we are familiar with.  I love adventure.
So this morning with my coffee, I toasted several pieces of honey cake, buttered it and honeyed it.  Ah, now we’re talking.  It’s very filling, dense and honey sweet, almost like a
cardamom or a curry of some sort.  I taste very different flavors because of the garrigue, the kinds of flowers and herbs that grow in the wild. I liked my little breakfast.

Yes, I am doing my art.   I have one new piece ready for final touches.  And Teresa and I have met with the Mayor and he has approved a community project that came to me.  The
bench outside the dining room window is occupied each afternoon by 3 elderly Catalans.  They meet to gossip, chat with whoever walks by to find out the latest news.  This is a
daily event.  I can set my watch to it.    So a bench plays a part in my proposal to the mayor.  I want to paint that bench in Catalan designs, having seen their weaves and colors
throughout the area.   The Mayor likes this idea and wants the 3 benches in front of the Town Hall painted instead. I had to draw up my proposal and he likes it.   He said the bench in
front of the church (and out my window) may be seen as sacred and should not be painted.  Teresa’s comment to me later is that “Art is sacred.”  I like this woman!   Anyway,
Teresa and I will do the Marie benches together.  One of them will be the Catalan colors: red and yellow, while the others will be many colors.  There will be pictures of the entire
process.

Hopefully your eyes are still open and you haven’t dozed off.   You were forewarned.
As I said earlier, my intent in today’s blog is to catch you up and fill you in on a few details.  Done.

I plan to write shorter blogs from now on that deal with the art process, coupled with personal kinds of interactions.  Also pictures are important.
Sending big powerful thoughts and energy to you all,
Sandra