Category: Our Trip

Blogposts and pictures from our trip to Paris and Provence in July 2016

Kayaking at L’Isle sur la Sorgue

mike_kayak
L’Isle Sur La Surgue is a wonderful “island city” at the foot of the Vaucluse plateau. A river surrounds the town, and we kayaked for a few hours, taking a break to swim (the water was tres froid !)

In the video below, we are arriving at the most shallow end of the river, where the water was barely knee-high.

You can hear the song of les ciagles chirping in the background and perhaps a little of Linda singing Thomas Ferson’s “Les Papillons.”

 

After our paddle, we walked a bit through town (there’s hundreds of antique dealers – fortunately we were driving a tiny Fiat so we could not be tempted.)

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You don’t know a man until you’ve moved furniture with him

There were more local villagers who came to our Bastille Day party than could fit at one dining table, so we needed to add an extra table from our downstairs apartment. Three men from three different countries carried a rectangular table up three flights of narrow spiral steps. We good-naturedly grunted our directions to each other “back up, go forward, ouch, turn, turn more, put it down, shit, twist, one more floor” in our respective languages. Somehow, it worked. I must say, While I am quite useless speaking any language but English, I’ve always had a talent for moving furniture, so I represented the USA with great skill and dignity in this soon-to-be Olympic event. Many bottles of wine later, we repeated our table carry – this time returning the table down the stairs.

There were no injuries to my new friends, nor to the table, and it was one of the best parties I’ve ever attended.

We made many new friends among the dozen of villagers at the table including the local painter known to his friends as “No No” (we dress alike, see below) and the town judge Noel, whose friendship we may need before we leave.

"Non Non"
“Non Non” at the party

Спасибо, comrades!

While in Paris last week, these good fellows emerged from the Seine in a tiny submarine shouting, “Emergency, emergency… everyone to get from street!” I told them there was no emergency, and bought each sailor a saison beer. As a thank you (“Спасибо”), they sang their homeland’s version of “Lovesick Blues” for us. Спасибо, comrades!