postcard from france...

[Gabes-Apg]

Diary of a bris vegas gal (with MC) ....

Saturday night, as we are staying in a slightly industrial area I got on the net on Friday and tried to find some eateries nearby to where we are staying (as the eating options at the hotel are sh**te) found this place that on the net, that looked pretty good (they had duck on the menu)
So we set the address in the tom tom, off we go, it was in this little village which was bordering all the industrial areas, not far from the eurocopter manufacturing plant(where our head office is) it is right under the flight path for the marignane airport.
We get inside and we were the first to arrive for dinner (8pm mind you) the owner/waiter is very friendly and is very obviously excited that he has ‘international’ guests.
The menu for the night was not the one on the net (that I had pre-translated) so our friend went through the menu on the black board item by item, his English was not very good and we were helping him at one stage to confirm the lamb dish, the sound of ‘baaaa’ was made. this process took almost 10 minutes and we were trying to teach him aussie slang as he went.
After the intensity of the week it was a hoot to have a laugh. And after the issues here at the novatel it was a delight to have someone who was keen with their customer service skills.
The meal was good he was a bit offended that I had not eaten everything on my plate, it was too hard to explain why.

As time went on more people came in, a group of brits came in and then the owner was almost dancing that his restaurant was definitely international!

Woo hoo! its Sunday.... Gabes got a day off, and a proper one at that. No hunting and gathering for ingredients, no cooking, no driving,

4 of us headed down to Cassis.

Wow.

Words, pictures, video, can not capture the steep rocky terrain coming down to crystal clear beautiful water, the architecture of the town, surrounded by steep cliffs, and where cliffs blend into stone buildings that have been there for hundreds and hundreds of years, then there is the colour and mayhem of the locals, the tourists, and everything else inbetween.

We got onto a 1.5 hour cruise, that takes you to all the inlets (where all the naturalist beaches are, and when I say beach, it is a flat bit of rock by the water! No sand just rock) this was an amazing gift of nature. I have some photos (not quite the calibre of delta) which i will post once i have downloaded and fixed up

got back about 12 noon, found a restaurant for lunch, one of the really nice senior managers was with us (who was paying) let me choose the restaurant, he was very considerate about making sure i had a place where i could enjoy a nice meal.
another two colleagues that had made their way down to cassis after a sleep in joined us. As I wasn’t driving I got to have a couple of champagnes with my canard (duck) the restaurant was by the water and we enjoyed a relaxed lunch. We then split up for an hour or so, so I got some time to wander the shops (and got a top 50% off for 14 euro, about $20 aussie so that made the day perfect!)

I can see why people ‘retire to the south of france’

It was a wonderful day, no one talked about work, or the bid or any of the major issues with the bid that will be the major focus for all of us in the next 3 days.
While on the cruise we were all fairly quiet, I think we were all brain dead after the week, being on the water and just admiring scenery helped to cleanse our minds a bit.
Lunch was light chat, lots of laughs and having a few laughs at some of the locals.

Its 5pm – I am going to have a snooze, then get up and review some documents.
We have three BIG days ahead and then the 39 hour transit home.

Love and hugs to all, i think this will be the last interesting post from France.....

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and replies as I braved this mission.
the last 2 weeks or so has really tested the boundaries in relation to the MC and not letting it control my life.
had i not been able to vent and cry with my PP family i am not sure i could have made it through the adversities.....
As i am right now health wise, travel (without long intense work hours ) will be fine, as long as I can get bland meals, GF snacks, apple juice and plenty of rest!
and as much as possible a location where english is the main language.

have a super dooper week everyone! and thank you universe for blessing me with such a wonderful family - the potty people!

[tex]

Gabes,

I'm pretty sure that's the best postcard that we will ever see from France, and it made me smile all over, to realize that you finally had an opportunity to take a break from work, relax, and enjoy a beautiful day in a scenic part of the world.

May the next three days pass quickly and uneventfully, so that you will be well prepared to make the long trip back home, without any problems.

Take care of yourself, Gabes - this family is bursting with pride, at all your accomplishments.

Hugs,
Tex

[Joefnh]

Gabes what a wonderfully written postcard. It sounds likes great day for you, the scenery sounds incredible. I have seen that area in pictures, but as mentioned you have to be there to get the true picture.

You really have set the bar higher in what somebody with MC can accomplish. Thanks for leading the way.

I hope your last few days go well.

Good luck and thanks for the update

--Joe

[JoAnn]

Gabes, good to hear you upbeat and almost finished there. Did you ever see the movie Julie and Julia? It is a wonderful movie about Julia Child's life in France and another Julie and how their lives parallel. I read Julia Child's book this past winter called My Life in France and it was so delightful. If you get time when you're home, I would recommend that you watch the DVD and read the book. She talks about her trials, tribulations, and triumphs in France. The only hard part about reading it is all the food she describes makes you want to try it, but most is offlimits. I'm sure you'll relate a lot of what she describes. JoAnn

[Gabes-Apg]

Joann
i have been meaning to watch that movie and had hoped it was part of the entertainment on the plane (but it wasnt)

and trust me - know what you mean about the food and temptation - it is all around me every day!!! the french guys on the bid team bring in bags (and i mean bags) of croissants and pastries every second or third day, when i was staying in Aix the streets were full of shops of baguettes, pastries, chocolates, cheeses, decadent deserts on the footpath big wooden crates of ripe beautiful , summer fruits and berries not to mention what i would see others eating at the restaurants

since having MC, at home i have kept myself at a safe distance from those types of environments, here i was unable to avoid it ......i think that was also a bit of the contributor to my big melt down the other day, as i was constantly being reminded of what i couldnt have.

[Joefnh]

Gabes I would quite simply explode trying to resist all of the French pastries etc. Although memories of being glutened would kick in reminding whats coming if i chose to partake...

The French do know how to make them quite well though...


What will power...


--Joe

[Gabes-Apg]

not sure it was will power.....

the memories of days of chronic D are still front of mind...................

the thought of doing a 30 hour plus transit with D is scary enough to remove any longing for a banned food item