Bordeaux

Stories form the Road
May 11, 2017
St. Emilion, France

The wine museum at Bordeaux is spectacular. It rises into the air like a rocket shop waiting to go off. Inside the interactive exhibits are creative and cutting edge. Holograms and videos in multiple languages give museum goers a history of wine from around the world. The restaurant on top is excellent.

The city of Bordeaux, the second largest in France, proved to be interesting, though we were there only for a short time. The old town section looks like Paris with fun shops and restaurants every 100 feet! We reached it by taking a modern, quiet streetcar from the museum to town center.

Our driver brought us back to the hotel in the late afternoon, and after a nap, we joined the group for cheese and bread on the terrace. We had become friendly with one of the waiters, and he served us Armagnac on the house. This was a very nice thing to do, and hopefully we will see him this morning at breakfast. Shane came from Australia, and he is hoping to be here for a year before going home.

The French people have been friendly and kind to us. None of us have had any negative incidents with people. One of our group, Fred Blumenstein, grew up in Southern France, and  his personable manner with the local people helps us. At one of the fish restaurants in Paris we had a formal waiter with a serious manner. By the end of the meal he was smiling and interacting and was having a good time. On the train a dapper looking middle-aged man stopped me and said, “We love Americans here. Don’t believe otherwise.”

Today we take the train to another part of France to stay a couple of days with a childhood friend of Fred. We have rented a couple of cars and will do some exploring.

Alsace

Stories from the road
May 23, 2017
Paris, France

The train ride from Alsace to Pairs was swift and scenic. I napped and continued to read, “The last Pilgrim,” as we traveled through rich farmlands. Once in Paris a number of cabbies didn’t want to transport four people with luggage, even though their cars were big enough. This was hard to understand, since it seemed to me that a fare was better than no fare. Finally a driver “accepted” us, and we were off.

Our driver was kind of a crazy guy. Initially he was fine, but he seemed to wind up as the drive across town proceeded. At one point he thought a scooter cut him off, and he began screaming at the other driver. The scooter person pointed out loudly that the taxi driver had gone through a red light, which was how I silently saw the situation. The cabbie complained to us broken English about the other guy, and we could only commiserate with him in an attempt to calm him down. After that we told him some jokes and the ride went better, though he continued to drive like Napoleon on steroids.

Speaking of Napoleon, we visited his tomb later in the afternoon. If Napoleon was on the short side, his tomb definitely was in the other direction. In essence it was grandiose and in my mind a little ridiculous. After that scene we went to the War Museums in the same building and found them to be interesting and well done. Like the museum at Caen in Normandy we noted there seemed to be minimal room given to the United States’ participation in the war.

Later it was off to dinner on foot to a nearby café. Randomly we found one that turned out to be excellent. Our waiter Marcel was fun and on the ball, and we all enjoyed our meals. On the way to our hotel we had gelato, and looked at Mephisto shoes in a store window.

Monet's Place

Stories from the road
May 24, 2017
Paris, France





At noontime yesterday the traffic from Paris was stifling. Our driver did a good job, and eventually we made it to the small village of Giverny, where Claude Monet lived and worked. It was a warm, bight day, and the Monet gardens sparkled. We were surprised at how extensive the gardens were along with the streams and lily pond. Needless to say there were a lot of shutters clicking.

When he could afford it, Monet moved to Giverny and bought the house he formerly rented. He decorated the house with paintings by people he liked. Between the grounds and the house he created a “ beauty bubble” that stands to this day. After viewing the house, we toured a private gallery. The artist’s son showed us around, and we had fun telling him about California. When I mentioned Jennifer Lawrence, he perked up.

By the time we had coffee and toured the museum, which adjoined the gardens, we were due to meet our driver, who would take us back to Paris.  Traffic wasn’t bad going into the city, and we headed for dinner at 6:45.  Tristan, our waiter, was fun, and Phyllis and I had a sea bass dish, while Vicki and Dennis had veal. After the nightly gelato stop, we turned in.

Tomorrow we fly to Boston.  I have had a chance to see a large area in France, and the beauty of the countryside, the warmth of the people, and the attractiveness of the culture have left their mark. I particularly enjoyed spending time at the country home of gracious hosts, Gerard and Sylvia Ballon, who have crafted a lifestyle of grace, beauty, and serenity.

In France

Stories from the road
May 23, 2017
Paris, France

The train ride from Alsace to Pairs was swift and scenic. I napped and continued to read, “The last Pilgrim,” as we traveled through rich farmlands. Once in Paris a number of cabbies didn’t want to transport four people with luggage, even though their cars were big enough. This was hard to understand, since it seemed to me that a fare was better than no fare. Finally a driver “accepted” us, and we were off.

Our driver was kind of a crazy guy. Initially he was fine, but he seemed to wind up as the drive across town proceeded. At one point he thought a scooter cut him off, and he began screaming at the other driver. The scooter person pointed out loudly that the taxi driver had gone through a red light, which was how I silently saw the situation. The cabbie complained to us broken English about the other guy, and we could only commiserate with him in an attempt to calm him down. After that we told him some jokes and the ride went better, though he continued to drive like Napoleon on steroids.

Speaking of Napoleon, we visited his tomb later in the afternoon. If Napoleon was on the short side, his tomb definitely was in the other direction. In essence it was grandiose and in my mind a little ridiculous. After that scene we went to the War Museums in the same building and found them to be interesting and well done. Like the museum at Caen in Normandy we noted there seemed to be minimal room given to the United States’ participation in the war.

Later it was off to dinner on foot to a nearby café. Randomly we found one that turned out to be excellent. Our waiter Marcel was fun and on the ball, and we all enjoyed our meals. On the way to our hotel we had gelato, and looked at Mephisto shoes in a store window.

What kind of man?

What kind of man:

1. Mocks the disabled
2. Demeans women
3. Denigrates a war hero
4. Devalues a gold star family
5. Lies
6. Doesn’t disclose his taxes
7. Doesn’t pay his contractors
8. Doesn’t keep his promises
9. Doesn’t consult with experts
10. Meets with the Pope and in the same day praises Duterte.

The answers to all these questions are a matter of public record. Is this the kind of man we want leading our country?

The Adaptive and Effective Personality

The current president’s behavior has generated a lot of discussion about his mental health, maturity, and ability to function effectively. From a psychological point of view, here are some of the characteristics of adaptive, effective people.

1.     They anticipate. They look at their behavior on a continuum.  An example would be, “ If I say this, what will be the repercussions?”

2.     They control their impulses. They may have a tendency to lash out, but they don’t. Kennedy couldn’t stand J. Edgar Hoover, but he showed restraint, when he dealt with him.

3.     They use humor to deal with stressful times. John Kennedy was a master at this.

4.     They use reason and intellect when problem solving.

5.     They are altruistic and look beyond their own needs and desires. Bill Gates and Jimmy Carter are good examples of altruistic people. John Kennedy and Theodore Franklin Roosevelt came from privileged backgrounds, but they understood the needs of the disenfranchised. Dwight Eisenhower expanded social security and was a proponent of science education.

Our current president perhaps looked better than he was because he owned the company.  Such is not the case with our country. Executive orders are not like CEO mandates. It takes time, but it seems like the system of checks and balances is working.

Stories from the Road
Sofitel Hotel, England
May 3, 2017

The plane was bouncing like a basketball at 30,000 + feet yesterday, but I didn’t mind. We had two seats across, and I was watching a Bourne movie. For a minute I wondered if a bouncing plane was part of the movie, but it no, it was just Atlantic turbulence.

A transfer plane from Heathrow to Paris would have gotten us into our hotel room
 too late, so we had booked a room at the Hotel Sofitel at the airport. This is an upscale hotel with an international clientele. As in the US, many of the help are from other countries, and I wondered how England would fare, when it left the EU.

I watched a video the other day of Ueli Steck, the “Swiss Machine” climber, who recently died in the Himalayas. He was climbing the North Face of the Eiger in record time without ropes. Using two ice axes he was nearly running up vertical slopes of rock and ice. It is definitely worth seeing.

The food on international flights seems to be deteriorating. In 1986 our travel agent facilitated an upgrade us to first class. Women in white gloves wheeled carts of roast beef down the isles, slicing off pieces for hungry passengers. We drank the finest of wines and a premium glass of cognac topped off the meal. I didn’t want to disembark! Other years we sat in economy class, and the food was very good. This year in economy class we had an “English Breakfast” of eggs and meats. As my friend Dennis would say, “It was marginal.” The flight attendants brought by snacks shortly before we were to land. Mine was a small bag of pretzels.

Our hotel was about a ten-minute walk from customs, and after checking in, we went to the dining room. We split a Caesar’s salad and a pizza, which were very good. I had a pint of Cornish Pilsner. Our waiter, Marek, was from Poland, and we enjoyed talking with him. Years ago we had gone hiking in the High Tatras on the border of Slovakia and Poland, so we had some common ground from which to share experiences.  One day we had traveled to Krakow , one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen. He agreed.

England 2017

Stories from the Road
Sofitel Hotel, England
May 3, 2017



The plane was bouncing like a basketball at 30,000 + feet yesterday, but I didn’t mind. We had two seats across, and I was watching a Bourne movie. For a minute I wondered if a bouncing plane was part of the movie, but it no, it was just Atlantic turbulence.

A transfer plane from Heathrow to Paris would have gotten us into our hotel room
 too late, so we had booked a room at the Hotel Sofitel at the airport. This is an upscale hotel with an international clientele. As in the US, many of the help are from other countries, and I wondered how England would fare, when it left the EU.

I watched a video the other day of Ueli Steck, the “Swiss Machine” climber, who recently died in the Himalayas. He was climbing the North Face of the Eiger in record time without ropes. Using two ice axes he was nearly running up vertical slopes of rock and ice. It is definitely worth seeing.

The food on international flights seems to be deteriorating. In 1986 our travel agent facilitated an upgrade us to first class. Women in white gloves wheeled carts of roast beef down the isles, slicing off pieces for hungry passengers. We drank the finest of wines and a premium glass of cognac topped off the meal. I didn’t want to disembark! Other years we sat in economy class, and the food was very good. This year in economy class we had an “English Breakfast” of eggs and meats. As my friend Dennis would say, “It was marginal.” The flight attendants brought by snacks shortly before we were to land. Mine was a small bag of pretzels.

Our hotel was about a ten-minute walk from customs, and after checking in, we went to the dining room. We split a Caesar’s salad and a pizza, which were very good. I had a pint of Cornish Pilsner. Our waiter, Marek, was from Poland, and we enjoyed talking with him. Years ago we had gone hiking in the High Tatras on the border of Slovakia and Poland, so we had some common ground from which to share experiences.  One day we had traveled to Krakow , one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen. He agreed.