Travels with Pat

     When one of my grandsons invited me to his wedding at the 20 Mile Inn, Cromberg, CA, I have to admit that I had never heard of Cromberg.  I discovered that it’s south of Quincy with many evergreens and a peaceful place for celebrations.
     The Inn provides rooms for the guests, the owner is certified to perform weddings and the DJ lives in the area.  I was told that over 30 weddings are scheduled there this summer.
     The big deal was getting me down to the shore of the Feather River where the marriage took place.  Fortunately, a friend of the groom and one of my sons assisted me on either side as we traversed across the railroad tracks and down hill over gravel until we reached the sandy beach where chairs were set up.
     After the ceremony a catered dinner was served followed by dancing under the giant conifers and the starry sky.  This was truly an idyllic occasion.

     Today I literally spent the day at the circus!  No wonder that Sarasota is known as “Circus City” and John Ringling is acknowledged “Circus King.”  In 1925 Ringling was one of the 12 richest men in the U.S.  He and his wife traveled extensively in Europe and collected paintings by the Masters – Rubens and Titian to mention a few.
     In between theatre performances at this ATCA event, we had a guided tour of the Tibbals model miniature circus display depicting thousands of people and all the circus paraphenalia from Big Tops to trains plus an acrobatic performance in one of the huge tents – all in miniature.
     The circus galleries were complete with animal cages, posters, a huge steam calliope and the Ringling’s personal Pullman car which was being renovated.

     My college roommate, Pat,  joined me in Sarasota for an American Theatre Critics’ Conference and to celebrate our 80th birthdays.  Since one of our business meetings was held in the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, we toured the facility after a catered lunch.  Our stroll through the facility which specialized in epiphytic plants (orchids) and bromiliads reminded me of hikes in Brazil and Ecuador which Paul and I took.
     After a sumptuous buffet that evening in the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall located on Sarasota Bay, we saw George Bernard Shaw’s “The Devil’s Disciple.”  Imagine my surprise to see a “regular” OSF actor portraying the “devil’s disciple” as well as King Leontes in “Winter’s Tale” the following day.  Good food and entertaining plays followed us all week.

     After checking into the Hotel Ellington in Nice and having lunch in “old town”, we proceeded to the Promenade des Anglais along the Mediterranean coast to catch a Hop on Hop off bus which had a running commentary as we toured.
     The big excitement was while we were waiting for the bus, a Senagalese man came up to me and wanted to give me a gift.  “No money.”  He said it was for good luck.  Kathy was setting up her camera for a shot of us and he approached her.  “No, thanks”; however, she ended up giving him $5.00.  His lucky day.
     A few of the historic places which we viewed from the top of the bus as we drove up into the hills overlooking the Bay of Angels included the Marc Chagall museum and another one devoted to Matisse.
     By the end of the tour we were very cold, so we stopped at Emilie’s Cookies and Hot Chocolate on our way back to the hotel.  Even though the seats were pretty close to the floor, I was able to get up with Kathy’s help.

     Nothing rejuvenates me more than visiting Ft. Bragg, CA located on the Pacific coast,  Just looking at the waves cresting as the tide comes in or goes out gives me a tremendous sense of peace.
     My son, Charles, drove us over and back.  Besides our main activity of simply sitting in front of our ocean side window, listening to the whistling wind and watching the sunset, we walked on the “Haul Road” across the Trestle bridge several times a day and ventured down to Plover Beach.
     After a few days at the coast, I’m fortified to deal with the mundane every day challenges of life.

     The impressive Roman aquaduct, Pont du Gard, is a World Heritage site built over 2,000 years ago. Spanning the Gard River Valley, this 160 ft. 3 level ancient edifice carried water for over 30 miles from Uzes to Nimes.  Our local guide said that this bridge has more than 2 million visitors a year which makes it the most visited provincial monument in France after Mont St. Michel.
     A superb Museum sported full scale replicas and helped us understand this monumental bridge.  Julius Caesar entered this area of “Gaul” in 52 B.C. and outside there was an olive tree which dated from 908 A.D.
     That evening Kathy and I wore our feather boas to the Captain’s farewell dinner of Beef Burgundy and ending with the traditional flaming Baked Alaskas  Afterward Kathy and I got up and danced on the postage sized dance floor.  I’m not as nimble on my feet now, but I did OK.

     For most of the 14th century, this medieval walled city of Avignon became a haven for nine popes who sequestered themselves here away from the feuding and rival popes of Rome.

     As we cruised down the Rhone, our French Chef presented a cooking demonstration of making Crepes Suzettes.  Kathy took a turn wearing the Chef’s hat and expertly flipped the crepe – later served with an orange Grand Marnier sauce.  Tres delicieux!

     Since our balcony room was even with the walking/jogging path, I bid adieu to the small group who took a walking tour to the local market to buy some bread for our dinner on board tonight.
     Later we piled into a bus to take a city tour of this World Heritage Site.  This 2,000 year old city is the third largest in France and was once the capital of Gaul under the Romans.  We wore headsets so we could follow Pierre’s narrative.
     Lyon flourished as a Renaissance trading center because of its location at the juncture of the Saone and Rhoine Rivers and its extensive silk industry; also known as a gastronomic capital as well as capital of the French Resistance during WWII.
     My favorite stop was across the street from “La Fresque des Lyonnaes” on a building which had been completely covered by famous people coming out of doorways or looking out of windows in a “trompe d’oielle” style
     Two examples were the Lumiere brothers who invented moving pictures and St. Exupery with “The Little Prince.”
     Our dinner that night included escargots (snails) and I bravely ate one of Kathy’s. 
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     Our Halloween evening cruise started with an appropriate dinner of Bat Amuse Bouche(a spoonful of cheese), pumpkin soup, Transylvania salmon and spinach with cream sauce, Dracula pork medallions served on Graveyard zucchini-spinach ratatouille, Bloody Bilberry sauce (sweet fruit) and a dessert of Mummy’s Pyramid warm chocolate cake with Ghostly vanilla mint sauce.
     Nick, our tour leader lured us to the top deck with the promise of cognac, so I bundled up, found a chair and listened to his commentary as we cruised past brightly lit historic buildings. (He was kidding about the cognac).
     When our cruise ship reached the confluence of the two rivers, we left the Saone and headed up the Rhone to dock in Lyon for the next two nights.
     In the meantime, Kathy slipped into her bathing suit for a soak in the hot tub.  Because it was so very cold, she was the only one to partake of the hot water.