Is
this your first visit to Provence?
No, we were in Provence about ten or twelve years ago on a
driving trip with three of our friends, two of whom are
French. We sat back, relaxed and did nothing but enjoy the
sights and the wonderful meals, not realizing that we should
have been taking detailed notes, as we do now. Since 1996,
we've been writing travelogues of our trips and posting them
on our web site, TheTravelzine (http://www.thetravelzine.com)
How do you plan your trips?
We got our first computer in 1995 and since then we have
used the Internet, almost exclusively, to plan our trips.
We were able to obtain so much information from people who
took the time to share their experiences that we felt we
owed it to the Internet community to give something in
return so we began writing and posting our travelogues.
Before long, we were receiving so much mail that it became
impossible to keep up with it so we decided that a travel
discussion group was the answer. Now, with more than a
thousand members around the world, it is one of the best
travel information communities that we've come across. We
have made so many wonderful friends in the group that we
rarely go anywhere that we don't have a local contact to
give us some special tips or meet for a meal or sightseeing.
This is an especially long trip, forty days to celebrate our
fortieth wedding anniversary. We started in Germany and
then traveled via Switzerland into France, first to
Strasbourg and then to Avignon, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence
and then to Paris before flying home to Toronto. Friends from
Genova joined us in Marseille and we'll be meeting five members of
our group during our stay in Paris. These personal contacts
increase our enjoyment of travel and TheTravelzine group
makes planning these get-togethers in advance so easy.
How would you compare Provence to, say,
the Alsace?
Completely different, not just the landscapes, the architecture and
the cuisine, but the people. In the Alsace, the German
influence is so much in evidence whereas here, there's an almost
Mediterranean mood, more relaxed, a kind of casual elegance.
How do you travel? Do you rent or lease a car?
We have perfected the art of traveling with a single, wheeled,
carry-on-size suitcase for each of us, regardless of the length of
the trip. And our preference is to travel by rail (saves the
marriage - no backseat driving to contend with). Each of these
choices involves sacrifice but the simplicity and ease works for us
but not, necessarily, for everyone. Some of our friends travel
to shop; we
window-shop!
Do you feel that public transportation limits your
visits?
Yes, of course, it's not the same as having your own wheels
but on the other hand, we don't have to figure out where we
can legally park nor what the signs mean. During this
trip
we've had the benefit of local guides, members of our group,
not only here but in Germany and Switzerland as well.
What advice would you give to a visitor to Provence. Any
caveats they should be aware of?
We would have missed the true flavor of the Provence
countryside if we had not spent the day with a friend who picked us
up with her car and we'd have never found the wonderful restaurant
where we had our delightful lunch. It added so much to our
visit here.
If you were to return to Provence, which places would be
high on your list?
We would love to explore the coast and the hills that rise
up from the sea. We loved the diversity of Marseille and
our week-end there wasn't nearly enough time. It's been
so
long since we were in Nice, we'd be curious to see how it's
changed.
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